Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 spring onions sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1 cup prepared vegan cream sauce*
• 8 ounces artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 package spicy tofu pieces (about 1 & 1/2 cups or 10 ounces)
• 1 & 1/2 cups long grain rice or black and white mixture (white and wild rice)
• 1/2 cup soy cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup soy milk or other no-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• vegan Parmesan, soy cheese or dried bread crumbs as topping

for the vegan cream sauce:

• 1 cup soy cream or soy milk or soy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable bouillon powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional but gives a bit of color and flavor)

Directions:

to prepare the rice:

1. Cook the rice in 3 cups lightly salted water.
2. Cook until the water has been almost completely absorbed (10 inures or so).
3. Remove from the heat and put a lid on the rice to allow it to further swell.

to make the vegan cream sauce:

1. Place the soy cream or soy yogurt in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the corn starch and stir well to mix.
3. Add the vegetable bouillon powder and soy sauce if using.
4. Heat the mixture until it becomes a nice thick sauce, stirring so that it does not scorch.
5. Remove from the heat.

to make the casserole:

1. In a large frying pan, melt the vegan margarine and saute the carrot, sweet bell pepper and green onion until the vegetables are al dente.
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Put the cooked rice in a large bowl.
4. Add the sauteed vegetables and then the prepared vegan cream sauce.
5. Add the artichoke, thawed peas, tofu, grated vegan cheese, thyme, and non-dairy milk.
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
7. Gently mix and pour into an oiled baking dish, or individual casserole dishes.
8. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan, grated soy cheese or dried bread crumbs.
9. Bake, covered in a 350 F / 177 C oven for 10 minutes, uncover then bake for about 5 more minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.
10. We dusted the top with a pinch of sweet paprika for color.
11. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces spirali pasta
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2-3 cups romanesco broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup fresh basil,chopped

for the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1-2 ounces soy cheese grated as garnish and handful toasted almonds

Directions:

1. Steam the romanesco florets al dente.
2. Cook the pasta according to the recommendations of the package.
3. Prepare the peas – frozen can be thawed with boiling water, fresh should be cooked al dente.

to prepare the sauce:

1. Place the miso in a small saucepan.
2. 
Add the white wine and stir to evenly dissolve the miso.
3. Add the ground almond and pepper flakes if using.
4. Lightly warm the sauce.
5. Season to taste as desired.
6. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan.
7. Grate the soy cheese.

to prepare the meal:

1. When the pasta is coked, drain off the water and return to the pot
2. Add 13/4 of the miso sauce and mix well.
3. Add 3/4 of the chopped basil, the peas and mix.
4. Add the romanesco and lightly mix in.
5. Serve the meal in a large serving bow, or on individual serving plates.
6. Garnish with a few more basil leaves, some toasted almonds, and the grated soy cheese.
7. The rest of the miso dressing can be served in a bowl for people to help themselves I they want more.

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 450 grams (2 & 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen peas
• 1 large sweet onion as Spanish or Vidalia, chopped
• 4-5 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the peas in boiling water or steam them.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sweat the onions and garlic until soft and glassy, but be careful to not over-cook as the garlic becomes bitter.
3. Drain the peas and place in a bowl.
4. Add the sautéed onions and garlic and puree to a smooth texture.
5. Add a very small pinch of salt and season to taste with cracked pepper.

Notes:

The flavor we enjoyed was quite garlicky yet sweet from the sauteed onion. This tasted delicious on whole grain bread but would also make a lovely dip for vegetables

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped in small pieces
• 1 leek (or 2 spring onions) cut in small pieces
• 1/2 sweet bell pepper (I used a yellow one), cut in small pieces
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced or quartered
• 1 cup fresh peas
• 5 – 6 fresh asparagus spears, cut in small pieces
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 cups water
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 1/4 cup soy cream

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the carrot.
2. Cut the leek and the bell pepper.
3. Slice or quarter the mushrooms.
4. Prepare the asparagus pieces.
5. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
6. Add the carrots and saute until they begin to soften. Add the sweet bell pepper pieces and continue sautéing, stirring so that they do now brown.
7. Add the mushrooms and leek.
8. Mix all well to blend the flavors and coat with oil.
9. Add the water and bouillon and cook until the vegetables are soft.
10. Mix the flour with a bit of water in a bowl to make a liquid paste.
11. Add the soy cream and blend well. Add this to the soup and stir.
12. Add the peas and asparagus and gently cook until the soup has thickened (3-5 minutes).
13. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.

It’s a delicious salad that is quick and easy to prepare. In fact, we did not follow the directions completely, as we enjoyed the salad raw. We did not need to cook the frozen peas, just thawed them. And, we prefer the fresh bean sprouts to be nice and crunchy. We used the mung bean sprouts found fresh in the store. We’re looking forward to having this salad again though the summer months. It was very tasty.

We made it according to directions, the only difference was that we put a vegetable bouillon cube in the water as the couscous “pasta balls” cooked and a pinch of saffron. I can see how this would be popular with the kids, but it’s not just for the kids, as this tasty salad was really popular with us adults as well.

We really wanted to enjoy this fresh and colorful salad. It was indeed delicious. Quick and easy to make.  Check out the recipe at My Favorite Flavours.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 150 grams / 5.3 oz green peas (1 frozen bag)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
• pinch cayenne
• few fresh mint leaves chopped
• few fresh basil leaves chopped
• pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Thaw the peas.
2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of peas to add after the pureeing process.
3. Put the peas in a food processor, blender or use staff mixer, add the oil, garlic, mustard, water, lemon juice and vegetable bouillon and puree until smooth.
4. Add the rest of the seasonings and the fresh herbs and puree once more.
 If the mass is difficult to puree you can add some water or more sesame oil.
5. Season to taste additional lemon juice, cayenne salt and pepper.
6. Add the whole peas that were reserved and warm the sauce up.
7. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.
8. Add the pasta and cook al dente.
9. Serve the easy peasy sauce over the pasta.

Notes:
Inspired by a recipe of Mitsuko in 2007.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

for the salad:

• 5-6 spears fresh green asparagus, blanched and cut into 1/3 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fava beans, podded, blanched and skins removed
• handful young sugar snap pea pods
• 1/4 cup fresh peas, podded and blanched
• small bunch chives, minced

for the dressing:

• 1/2 cup soy yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
• 1-2 teaspoon mustard

Directions:

1. Cut the stems of the asparagus into 1/4″ pieces, leaving tips intact.
2. Put a small pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, put the asparagus pieces in to cook for just a couple of minutes until al dente.
3. Using a slotted spoon take the asparagus out of the boiling water and place immediately into icy water to stop the cooking process. Then put them in a bowl.
4. Repeat the blanching process with the pea pods, then the peas.
5. Remove the favas from the pods and place them in the boiling water. Allow them to cook until they begin to float. Then remove and place in icy water to stop the cooking process.
6. When the favas have cooled, remove the outer skin to reveal the bright green fava beans.
7. Mince the chives.
8. Make the dressing and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. We have many nice mustards. I used 2 for the dressing. 1 teaspoon of regular Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon of a sweet, mild grainy one, so no other seasoning were needed.

To make the salad:

1. Combine the vegetables in a serving bowl.
2. Add most of the chives.
3. Serve the vegetables on individual plates with a dollop of dressing on top. Sprinkle the rest of the chives on top and the rest of the dressing served at the table on the side.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen peas
• 1 small package frozen spinach
• 2 shallots
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 cups water
• 3 Tbs. nutritional yeast flakes
• Fresh basil leaves
• fresh mint leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the peas and spinach in a large pot. (reserve a couple of peas as garnish)
2. Add the water and vegetable bouillon cube and bring to a boil.
3. While the sop is cooking, peel the shallots, chop finely and add to the soup.
4. Pick the leaves from the basil and mint springs and also add to the soup.
5. Add the nutritional yeast.
6. When the soup has come to a boil, remove from the heat and puree it.
7. We wanted a thick and chunky soup, so I did not puree it for long. If you want it very smooth then puree for longer.
8. Taste the soup and add salt ad pepper or other flavorings as desired. We really enjoyed the soup just as it was, slightly sweet and minty.

Notes:

If you would like a creamier soup, you can add soy cream after you have pureed the soup.