Mom's Bread Stuffing - Veganized!

Today is my 36th birthday.  I woke up with a craving for my Mom's Thanksgiving Bread Stuffing.  Since I had the ingredients on hand for a vegan version, I decided to whip up a batch.  This is very easy to make and would make a great side dish to all of your meals any day of the week!

Mom's Bread Stuffing - Veganized

8 pieces white bread or potato bread

1/2 sweet yellow onion

3 stocks celery

2 medium carrots

1 small apple (Fuji or Granny Smith)

1/2 bunch fresh curly parsley (finely chopped)

1 cup+ vegetable broth

1/2 cup+ Earth Balance 

1 teaspoon Canola Oil

Pinch of fresh thyme

Pinch of dried sage

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Stack up and slice bread into 3/4 inch cubes.  Spread cubes out on dry baking sheet and place in oven for about 10 minutes until bread is crunchy but not burnt.  Remove and set aside and turn up oven to 375 degrees F.  

Rough chop onion, celery, carrot and onion and throw all in food processor.  Pulse veggies until finely diced.  Add canola oil and vegan butter into large sauté pan.  Cook until tender and then add salt, pepper, thyme, sage and finely chopped parsley.  Cook a few more minutes and then remove from heat.  

Add vegetable broth to mixture and put in a large bowl with all the bread cubes.  Toss until bread is moist but do NOT over mix.  Taste test for salt level and add more if needed.  

Prepare small casserole dish by greasing with more vegan butter.  Gently add mixture to prepared dish careful not to mash it down.  The secret to great bread stuffing is to achieve that light, airy, fluffy texture reminiscent of a soufflé.  Dot top of stuffing with more dots of vegan butter (about a tablespoon total).  Place dish in oven for 20-25 minutes or until all sides are golden brown.  Serve immediately and store any unused portion in an airtight container in your fridge.  Bon Appetit!

Best Salsa Verde

3 Tomatillos (husks removed)

3 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers

2 Small Zucchinis

6-8 Sweet Mini Bell Peppers (red, orange and yellow)

1 Small Sweet Yellow Onion

1/4 Bunch Fresh Cilantro

Juice and Zest of 1 Lime

Salt and Pepper

Canola or Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 475 Degrees F.  Rough chop all produce EXCEPT Cilantro and Lime!  Remove stems from all peppers but okay to leave ribs and seeds in tact as it will all get pureed together beautifully.

Coat onions, tomatillos, peppers and zucchini GENEROUSLY with oil, salt and pepper and put in a large roasting pan.  Toss to coat evenly.  Roast for 15-20 minutes, checking occasionally to rotate with spatula to ensure even cooking.  

Remove dish from oven and place it in a safe place on countertop-turn OFF the oven.  Loosely cover with tinfoil and allow mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes.  Now put all in your blender or food processor including all the lovely roasting liquid! Begin pulsing and then lastly add thoroughly washed cilantro (stems are fine) and lime juice and zest.  

Add a tablespoon or two of cold water if you want puree thinner.  Taste test for salt level.  Serve immediately (may be a bit warm) or store in airtight container in refrigerator.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or use as a sauce for tamales, enchiladas, burritos and more!

Chef's Note:  you might be surprised that garlic is not listed in the ingredients list. Feel free to roast a few cloves of garlic if you want. I often do but have found this to be just as tasty when omitted.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Bisque

1 Cup Red Lentils (dried, rinsed, drained)

3 Cups Cold Water

1 Small Sweet Yellow Onion

2 Cloves Fresh Garlic

1 one-inch peice Fresh Ginger

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Sea Salt (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Sort, rinse and drain 1 cup Red Lentils and set aside. Finely chop onion, garlic and ginger.  Combine water, lentils, onion, garlic, ginger and tomato paste in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Cook partially covered for 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked through, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, cumin and oil.  Taste for salt seasoning level.  Serve immediately.  Garnish with fresh Cilantro if desired.  Store unused portion in tightly sealed container in refrigerator.

Christmas (in July) Fire Gazpacho

3 Roma Tomatoes

2 Tomatillos

1 small Yellow Onion

10 cloves Garlic

3 Jalapeños

6-8 mini sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange)

1 bunch Cilantro

1 leaf of Kale (any variety)

Juice of 2 Limes

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)

Wash and rough chop all produce.  Be sure to de-stem jalapeños and remove ribs and seeds (wearing rubber gloves is advised during this step).  Blend all fresh produce in separate batches in food processor to desired consistency.  Add lime juice, salt, black pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar.  Mix all well in large glass bowl and cover tightly.  Allow to sit on counter covered for at least 1 hour before serving.  Serve at room temperature.  Store unused portion in air-tight glass container in refrigerator.  Chef's note:  I prefer mine extra chunky similar to a Pico De Gallo but you can purée mixture to any consistency you desire.

Back to Basics - Fire Rainbow Reboot

Shop.  Wash.  Chop.  Juice.  Mix.  Remix.  Repeat.

Vacation is over - let the cleanse begin.  On my journey this summer I indulged in a big way, especially in the carbs department.  This can be particularly easy on a vegan food plan.  But for this 30 something, it is time to REBOOT.

Buy the following and buy often as, if you plan to incorporate juicing in your daily regimen, these things will fly out of your produce drawer rapidly.

Kale

Carrots

Celery

Cucumbers

Peppers (any and all you like)

Tomatoes

Carrots

Apples

Lemons

Limes

Eggplant

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Garlic

Onions

Parsley

Cilantro

Now juice your faves and chop, roast, saute and EAT.  You can have as much as you want!  Stay tuned for more tips and recipes.  Let the BOUNTY commence....

On Vacay

Stay tuned for lots more recipes at the end of July.  Have a beautiful summer!!