Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pearl couscous
• 1 eggplant, cut in small cubes
• 1 small zucchini, cut in small cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut in small pieces
• 1 purple onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the couscous in a saucepan with 3 cups of water.
2. Bring the couscous to a boil, then cut back the heat to a soft simmer.
3. Cook the couscous until almost all of the water has been cooked off and the couscous is soft.
4. Remove from the heat, place a lid on the pan and allow the couscous to absorb the rest of the water.
5. Prepare the vegetables.
6. Heat a large frying pan and saute all of the vegetables mixing well.
7. Add the thyme and alt and mix well.
8. When the vegetables have cooked al dente, or to your preference, remove from the heat.
9. Place the couscous in a strainer and rinse with water to remove the extra starch so that the balls of couscous will not clump.
10. Place the couscous in a large bowl.
11. Add the vegetables and mix well.
12. Season to taste with additional thyme, optional paprika or pepper.
13. Shortly before serving, chop the fresh basil and mix into the salad.
14. Serve the salad at room temperature.

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

Yield: 12-14

Ingredients:

• 3 cups AP flour
• 30 grams yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch salt
• 1-2 teaspoons Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Put the warm water in a bowl, add the sugar and the yeast and allow to grow in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
2. Place the flour, and salt in a bowl and mix so that the salt is mixed in with the flour.
3. Pour the water and yeast over, add oil and mix well using a blender.
4. Allow to rise in a warm area with a clean towel over the top.
5. Allow it to double in size, that will be about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes depending upon the temperature.
6. When the dough is ready, turn it out on a lightly floured surface and kneed it lightly.
7. Sprinkle the baking powder over the dough and kneed a bit more to even the mixture.
8. Take a small handful (about 2 tablespoons in amount) of the dough and roll it out as a “fat snake”.
9. Make a small circle and bring the last end through the hole thus making a knot.
10. Bake in a preheated 450 F / 232 C oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
11. While the knots are baking, prepare the garlic butter.
12. Melt the vegan margarine and olive oil in a small sauce pan.
13. Add the minced garlic, but keep the heat low, as you do not want to brown the garlic.
14. Add the rest of the seasonings and keep the mixture warm.
15. When the knots are done, remove from the oven and drizzle the garlic “butter” over each of the knots.
16. Sprinkle extra minced parsley as a garnish.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 med. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 1 cup water
• 1 baguette
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place 3 tablespoons of oil in a large soup pot.
2. Add the celery, onions and carrots and saute until soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic and lightly saute.
4. Add the tomatoes vegetable bouillon and water heat and stir well to mix.
5. Add the drained beans and warm the soup.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and optionally Italian herbs such as oregano and thyme.
7. Meanwhile, slice the baguette and brush the remaining tablespoon of oil on the slices of bread.
8. Toast on a grill, in a frying pan, in the oven or in a toaster.
9. Serve the soup in a bowl with a slice of baguette.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 500 grams (110 lb.) fresh spinach
• 350 grams (0.77 lb.) button mushrooms
• 5 cloves garlic sliced very thin
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup vegan soy ricotta (ingredients below)

for the vegan soy ricotta:

• 1 cup soy yogurt, water drained through a cheesecloth
• 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. To make the soy ricotta, drain the soy yogurt through a cheesecloth to remove the excess water.
2. It is best to do this for 2-3 hours, however, if you are short on time you can gently squeeze the cheesecloth to remove the water.
3. Place the condensed soy yogurt in a bowl, add the cashew butter and mix well (I use a fork).
4. Add the vegetable bouillon and nutritional yeast.
5. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
6. Wash the spinach well and spin off most of the water.
7. Place in a large pot and steam until just wilted.
8. Clean the mushrooms but leave them whole.
9. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
10. Lightly saute the garlic and add the mushrooms.
11. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and a light twist of fresh pepper.
12. Remove the mushrooms from the heat once they have begun to soften.
13. Drain the spinach and place 1/2 of the amount in an oven-proof baking dish for 1 person’s serving.
14. Place the other half of the spinach in a second oven-proof dish.
15. Heap the sauteed mushroom, garlic and oil on top of each portion.
16. Dollop some of the vegan ricotta here and there and place in the oven to bake until the cheese is bubbly.
17. Serve the meal with a fresh baguette to ‘sop up’ the garlic spinach/olive oil sauce.

We enjoyed the meal and found it very easy to make. I only did one thing differently, that was to steam the broccoli. We found this recipe at the Veg Web. The Chinese New Year is celebrated for 2 weeks, so there’s plenty of time for you to try this tasty meal.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 med. carrots, peeled and sliced into med. chunks
• 2 med. parsnips, peeled and sliced into med. chunks
• 4-5 small red skinned new potatoes, cut in half
• 2 med. beets, peeled and sliced into med. chunks
• 200 gram piece pumpkin, peeled and sliced into med. chunks
• 2 red onions, cut in large pieces
• 6-10 cloves garlic, whole and with skin on
• olive oil for drizzling
• sprigs of fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 tsp. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 (F.)
2. Peel and slice all of the vegetables. The vegetables that need longer to cook, in order to become sot (carrots, beets potatoes etc.) should be slightly smaller than the softer vegetables (pumpkin).
3. Place the vegetables in an oven-proof baking dish.
4. Drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle salt and pepper.
5. Lay a few sprigs of fresh rosemary here and there.
6. Bake the vegetables for 30-45 minutes, until they are soft.
7. Stir and turn the vegetables every 10 minutes so that each is coated with the oil and the mixture is evenly cooked.
8. Meanwhile, mix the balsamic vinegar with the brown sugar and oil.
9. Heat in a sauce pan to reduce to about half of the volume or until it is a thick syrup.
10. Serve the vegetables hot, with the balsamic sauce drizzled over.