Lemony Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich. Heavenly.

First off, sorry for the long absence!! My camera has been broken, so I have a lot of blogging to make up for!

If you're like most people around this time in the summer, you have zucchini basically coming out of your ears by now. I know I do, and I won't complain one little bit! Especially when there is this sandwich to be made. I dreamt of making this sandwich for a while, and I am so so so glad it finally came to fruition! One, because sandwiches are the best. Two, because zucchini just screams summer to me, and I scream back, I love you!!Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich
Lemony Lima Bean Spread (below)
Toasted whole grain bread
Grilled or sauteed zucchini, in half moon slices
Thinly sliced red onion
Greens (arugula or spinach would work nicely)
Garlic-Dill Aioli (below)

This sandwich is best served open-faced, because there are so many goodies on it, they are likely to fall out if eaten all together! So start off by slathering the lima bean spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay down the greens, then the grilled/sauteed zucchini, and then the red onion slices. Drizzle with the dill aioli and serve.

Lemony Lima Bean Spread (makes about 4 cups)
3 cups baby lima beans, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw to room temperature)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbs water, or more as needed

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse to break up large pieces, and then puree until smooth, adding more water as needed 1 Tbs at a time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Garlic-Dill Aioli (makes about 2 cups)
1 block soft silken tofu
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs dill seeds
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


A tasty summertime meal deserves to be ended with a tasty summertime treat: Local Blackberry-Peach Pie!! I didn't really use any recipe, but it turned out great...what a delightful combination!

Zucchini Bread!! With local zucchini!!

Summer just wouldn't be complete without me whipping up some Zucchini Bread made with homegrown zucchini! Here's my favorite favorite favorite new recipe that I came up with earlier this week...it is even more perfect slathered with Earth Balance and drizzled with a little agave nectar! Makes a great breakfast with a big glass of soymilk and a mug of strong black coffee! I think you'll love it, too. Vegan Zucchini Bread (makes 1 loaf)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Egg Replacer for 1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups zucchini, shredded
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry mix and add in the egg replacer, applesauce, oil, and sugar. Stir until just combined, being sure to not over mix the batter. Fold in shredded zucchini, nuts, and raisins, if using. Pour into prepared loaf pan and spread to make an even layer. Sprinkle the top with more chopped nuts. Bake for 1 hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and top has begun to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for another hour or two before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve!

I have to give a holla to my friend, Gabi, who gave me the homegrown zucchini for this loaf! Local zucchini is the best, folks! Cherish it while we still got it!

Tester Chili and Sweet Potato Butter

Being a tester for Bianca's (Vegan Crunk) upcoming cookbook has gotten me really excited to cook recently! With only two dishes down, and I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful testing process and an even better final cookbook!
The first tester recipe this week: Chipotle Chickpea Chili! This is one hearty chili...packed full of beans, chipotle peppers, and a few other surprise ingredients...and it is really delicious! It was just perfect on a cold night like tonight! I served it with sauteed greens and some of my homemade whole wheat biscuits. And yes, that is my homemade sweet potato butter slathered on those little biscuits!
Since I'm not able to give you the chili recipe (I can keep a secret!), I will give you my recipe for sweet potato butter! It's made in the crock pot, but you could use a pressure cooker if you have that instead. Here's a picture of the little cubes going into the beautiful red crock pot:
Sweet Potato Butter (makes about 3 cups)
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 qt water
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs maple syrup or agave nectar
juice of 1 lemon

In a medium or large crock pot, place the water, diced sweet potatoes, and sugar. Turn on to high and allow to cook for at least 8 hours, or until the sweet potatoes are very well cooked and the water has almost completely reduced. Add the spices, salt, maple syrup, and lemon juice to the cooked sweet potatoes. Stir and cover again. Allow to cook for 2 more hours on high. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Pour mixture into food processor or blender and puree until smooth...an immersion blender would work here too! Put into jars and refrigerate.
**If there seems to be extra water in the crock pot after cooking the sweet potatoes, drain a bit off before adding the spices, etc.**

The cold weather of winter has made me crave more rib-sticking and homestyle foods. Some examples from this past week:

Oven-"Fried" Zucchini

(based on my oven-"fried" okra recipe)

Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh (from Veganomicon) with

Maple Dijon Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli

--I will have the potato recipe soon...it's my WIP Wednesday dish!--

More tester recipes and homestyle cooking to come!

Tasty TVP Loaf and Homemade Granola

I have been cooking more and more lately (I am actually waiting to take cupcakes out of the oven right now!), but I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with my blogging because school is so crazy right now....so here is a catch-up of the past week or so: Homemade Granola with coconut, dried pineapple, raisins, and sunflower seeds!

Kung Pao Seitan, from the Whole Foods Cookbook, with Steamed Brown Rice

I also whipped up a faux "meat"loaf the other night, which we have had as leftovers a few times. I didn't go off of any recipe, so I was kinda just throwing stuff in there....and it turned out amazing! Some of the ingredients included: TVP, brown rice, breadcrumbs, carrots, celery, local bell peppers, onion, garlic, sage, thyme, tomato paste, olive oil, tamari, parsley. There's more, I'm sure. Anyway, I spread some organic ketchup on top before baking for that mom-made feel.

Crazy TVP Loaf with Rosemary-Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Chard

Crazy TVP Loaf, Garlic-Mashed Potatoes, Leek and Local Zucchini Saute

Has anyone else already planned their Thanksgiving dinners? I have been thinking about mine for a long while now...too long, probably...so here's a few hints:

--Tofurkey, cuz I'm kind of lazy

--roasted sweet potatoes

--my homemade apple butter on something

--brussel sprouts

--a pie and a cheezecake

--probably lots more!!

What are you thinking of cooking up for Save-the-Turkeys Day??

Cinnamon Spice is Nice!

I absolutely love using cinnamon in savory dishes...it so often gets trapped in the world of desserts and baked goods, so I like to let it run free and add spice and flavor to vegetables, grains, stews, and anything else that needs that warm and fragrant quality! Tonight, I used it to make Cinnamon-Spiced CousCous with Raisins, which I paired with Curried Tofu from Veganomicon and Cornmeal-Masala Roasted Local Eggplant and Zucchini, based on the Cornmeal-Masala Brussel Sprouts recipe from Veganomicon. Deliciously warm and flavorful, which was perfect for a chilly, cozy night in!

MoFo Moussaka!

Welcome to Day 6 of Vegan MoFo! For dinner, I decided to utilize all of those yummy local veggies I got this weekend! Eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes, hmmm?? Ah, yes: Moussaka! I have loved Greek food for a very long time, so I felt it was high time for me to try out the Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream recipe from Veganomicon! Boy am I glad I did, too! I loved the flavors and textures and layers. Did I mention it has pine nut cream?! Jeebus! I would definitely make this again...even though I found it pretty time consuming. I guess I was just hungry :)

Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream (serves 6 to 8)
Vegetable Layer:

1 lb eggplant

1 lb zucchini

1 1/2 lbs potatoes

1/4 c olive oil

To prepare veggies: Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and trim the veggies. Slice them lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick strips. Rub eggplant with salt and set aside in a colander in a sink for 15 minutes to drain. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place each vegetable on a separate baking sheet and evenly distribute the olive oil over the three pans. Toss to coat with the oil. Roast the eggplant and zucchini for 15 minutes, and the potatoes for 20-22 minutes, until browned. Allow to cool.

Tomato Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 large shallots, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup veg broth or wine

2 cans crushed tomatoes, with juice...**you could throw in some diced fresh tomatoes, too!**

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 bay leaf

pinch of salt

**I added a bunch of fresh local mint, coarsely chopped. I highly recommend!!!

To make sauce: Combine olive oil and garlic in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Heat over medium flame and sizzle garlic for about 30 seconds. Add shallots and cook 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the wine/broth and simmer until reduced, about 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaf, **and mint,** Simmer over medium-low, covered, for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, remove bay leaf, and add salt to taste.

Pine Nut Cream:

1 lb soft silken tofu

1/2 c pine nuts, and more to garnish

3 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp arrowroot powder

1 clove garlic

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

pinch of white pepper

To make cream: In food processor, blend the pine nuts and lemon juice until creamy paste forms. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend until creamy and smooth.

To assemble:

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Lightly oil a 9x13 inch pan and preheat oven to 400F, if not already done. Spread 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the pan, then start layering. Put successive layers of eggplant, potatoes, sauce and half the breadcrumbs in the pan. Spread all the zucchini on this in a layer. Top this all with a final successive layering of the rest of the eggplant, potatoes, sauce, and breadcrumbs. Use a rubber spatula to then evenly spread the pine nut cream over the entire top layer. Scatter some pine nuts on top. Then, bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned and a few cracks have formed. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. mmmmmmmmoussaka! (From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

I served mine with some kalamata olive rolls from our local Uprise Bakery, as well as some beautiful steamed baby swiss chard. This meal made me very happy! And now I have a bunch of leftovers...yay!