Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 medium large parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 & 1/2 cups risotto rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups vegetable bouillon
• 100 grams walnuts, chopped
• 4 large beets, peeled and boiled
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1/5 cup soy yogurt or soy cream
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel the onions and cut in small pieces.
2. Peel and cut parsnips in medium bite-sized chunks.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions until glassy.
4. Add the risotto rice and mix to coat the rice with the oil.
5. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has been absorbed.
6. Add the parsnips and half of the vegetable bouillon and cook, stirring until the bouillon has been absorbed.
7. Slice the cooked beets.
8. Heat the vegan margarine in a second frying pan.
9. Add the chopped walnuts and lightly toast.
10. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add to the walnuts.
11. Add the beet slices and cook at light heat to warm the beets.
12. When the risotto is soft, add the soy yogurt and mix well.
13. Serve the risotto on a large serving platter with the bets and walnuts on top of the risotto and garnished with a dollop of soy yogurt, a few walnut pieces and thyme leaves.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 fl.oz. Madeira or Dry Sherry
• 4fl.oz. soy cream
• 2 ounces vegan margarine or olive oil
• salt and ‘white’ black pepper
• 2o oz walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C and grease a shallow ovenproof dish.
2. Place the parsnips in a large saucepan, cover with water bring to a boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes or until soft,
3. Drain the parsnips well , and place in a large mixing bowl together with the Madeira or sherry, vegan soy cream and half of the vegan margarine. Season with salt and ‘white’ pepper.
4. Transfer to the greased dish, dot with the remaining vegan margarine and sprinkle walnuts over the top.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until browned.
6. Serve hot.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the lentils:

• 2 cups red lentils
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder or 1 cube

for the spicy root vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
• 4-6 medium red skinned potatoes, washed and cut in chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder or 1 cube
•  handful fresh coriander or cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 – 1 cup plain soy yogurt

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes and parsnips and begin to cook, stirring to keep them from sticking.
3. Add the chopped onion.
4. Add the water and vegetable bouillon and stir well.
5. Add the curry powder, bring the heat down, cover the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. As the vegetables begin to soften, add 1/2 the chopped coriander and prepare the lentils.
7. Place the lentils in a medium pot.
8. Add the water, vegetable bouillon and curry powder.
9. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer.
10. Taste and season according with additional salt and pepper.
11. Serve the vegetables on a bed of lentils. Garnished with a dollop of soy yogurt and fresh coriander.
12. This is very nice with a whole grain bread or served with naan bread.

It is a delicious soup and very easy to adapt to be vegan. Just replace the butter with vegan margarine, and use either soy cream or soy yogurt instead of the creme freche. We used fresh organic apple juice instead of the cider, but the cider would also be tasty. It’s quite important to use the spice “ras-el-hanout”. It’s a lovely Middle-Eastern spice that gives depth to many recipes without giving them a sharp flavor. I hope you give the recipe a try, and find it as tasty as we did.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the vegetables:

• 3 medium carrots
• 3 medium red skinned potatoes
• 1/2 small cauliflower
• 2 parsnips
• 1/4 pumpkin or butternut squash
• olive oil for baking

for the vegan creamed spinach:

• 1 & 1/2 lb. fresh spinach (or 1 package frozen)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons soy yogurt
• pinch salt and pepper
• pinch of nutmeg (optional but very nice)
• 2-3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs to thicken

for the English piccalilli:

• 1 jar English piccalilli

Directions:

1. Peel the carrots and slice as you wish to present them.
2. Scrub the red skinned potatoes well and slice in thick rounds.
3. Break the cauliflower into smaller florets.
4. Peel and slice the parsnips as desired.
5. Peel and slice the pumpkin into similar sized shapes as the parsnips and carrots.
6. Place all in a baking dish and drizzle the oil over the vegetables.
7. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and bake in a preheated 450 F /  232 C oven for 25-35 minutes.
8. After about 15-20 minutes of baking, take baking dish out of the oven and turn the vegetables so that they cook evenly. Check for doneness with a fork. Return for another 10 minutes or as needed.
9. While the vegetables are baking, make the spinach sauce.
10. Clean the spinach and roughly chop.
11. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
12. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
13. Add the onions and saute.
14. When the onions begin to soften, add the garlic and then the spinach.
15. Stir well while the spinach is wilting.
16. Cook only until the spinach has wilted.
17. Remove from the heat and place in a large blow.
18. Depending on the amount of moisture, you may want to squeeze some of the liquid off.
19. Using a knife and fork, we further chopped the spinach. We did not want to puree the mass, only have a finely chopped spinach.
20. Add the soy yogurt, salt and pepper and nutmeg if using.
21. Stir to blend.
22. The mixture will be rather liquid, so you will want to add some dried bread crumbs to make it a thicker sort of dip or sauce. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of dried breadcrumbs. Add more if you wish it to be thicker.
23. When the vegetables are roasted, remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool.
24. Serve the roasted vegetables on a plate with both sauces.

Note:

We would suggest you buy a nice jar of piccalilli. All of the various brands here are vegan. If you want to make your own, our favorite piccalilli recipe (without the honey) is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and just like other pickle recipes it takes about 6 weeks to season properly.

Servings: ca. 12

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic
• 3 large parsnips
• splash of truffle oil (or olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• soy cheese to grate as garish
• handful of rucola as garnish
• 1 baguette or 1/2 whole grain bread
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the parsnips.
2. Steam them until soft.
3. When the parsnips are soft, place in a bowl or food processor.
4. Add the vegan margarine and puree to a smooth consistency.
5. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, slice and toast or grill the bread to a light crispy toast.
7. When the toast is ready, remove the skin for the clove of garlic slice of the end and rub the garlic over each slice of toast.
8. Heap a tablespoon or two of the pureed parsnips on the toast.
9. Drizzle a bit more truffle or olive oil over the top.
10. Grate some soy cheese and garnish with a couple of rucola leaves.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1 onion or 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 good sized parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 2 large pears, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube or 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup soy cream
• dash nutmeg (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• minced parsley as an optional garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the vegan margarine in a large soup pot.
2. Add the chopped onion or shallots and saute.
3. Add the chopped parsnip.
4. Add the water and vegetable bouillon and bring to a boil.
5. Add the curry powder.
6. Add the chopped pear.
7. Lower the heat and simmer until the parsnips become soft.
8. When the parsnips are soft, remove a few pieces of parsnips and pears to use as garnish for the soup.
9. Puree the rest of the soup to a smooth consistency. (I use an immersion blender)
10. Add the soy cream and blend once more.
11. Season the soup to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper or if you wish some cayenne or Tabasco.
12. Serve the soup garnished with a few chunks of pears and parsnips and optionally with chopped parsley.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups vegetable bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4-1/3 cup soy cream
• optional parsley chopped as garnish or a few slices of apples

Directions:

1. Prepare the parsnips and apple.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the parsnip and apple pieces.
3. Saute lightly, turning to insure that the parsnips are evenly coated with the oil.
4. Add the vegetable bouillon cloves and sage.
5. Cook at a low boil until the parsnips are soft (about 10 mints).
6. Puree the soup to a smooth consistency (I use an immersion blender).
7. Add the soy cream to create the desired thickness.
8. Serve garnished with chopped parsley or apple slices.

Notes:

Adapted from www.inmamaskitchen.com. According to “Mama’s Kitchen” the Irish would say, “Out of the kitchen comes the tune.”

Roasting the vegetables gave the whole house a wonderful aroma, which continued when we enjoyed eating the soup.
The recipe is simple to make and luckily I had all the spices on hand, they add a lot to the soup. It’s slightly spicy, not hot as in chili or curry, and slightly sweet from the parsnips. There’s still time for you to enjoy this lovely soup as the next few months still indicate chilly days.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the parsnip gnocchi:

• 2 cup Coarsely chopped parsnips
• 1 1/4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup garbanzo flour
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

for the meal:

• 1 package frozen fava beans or edamame, thawed
• 1 pkg. fresh mixed wild mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh herbs chopped (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary sage)
• dash of dry mustard
• pinch of salt and pepper or lemon pepper

Directions:

To make the gnocchi:

1. To avoid the mixture being too wet, I suggest that you roast the parsnips.
2. Peel the parsnips, cut in chunks and drizzle a bit of olive oil over them and roast until soft (about 30-40 minutes). Be sure to turn them from time to time so that they do not brown.
3. Meanwhile lightly saute the onions and garlic.
4. When the parsnips are cooked, remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.
5. Add the sauteed onions and garlic and puree to a smooth consistency.
6. Add the garbanzo and regular flours, and seasonings and mix well.
7. If you wish to fry the gnocchi, then at this time, take a teaspoonful size of dough and place in the frying pan with the heated oil. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven.
8. If you prefer to cook the gnocchi in amore traditional manner by boiling and then later add them to the mushrooms, then roll the dough in 3 long rolls on a lightly floured surface. Slice off teaspoon sized pieces and light press with a fork to have the traditional markings. You can place them on a lightly floured platter to await cooking.

To prepare the meal:

1. Prepare the beans. If the are fava beans, you will need remove the outer skins-set in a bowl to await cooking.
2. Chop the fresh herbs.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the vegan margarine and add the chopped herbs, and seasonings. If desired a bit of nutmeg and cayenne is also nice.
4. Be sure the wild mushrooms are clean, and an appropriate size to eat.
5. Lightly oil a large frying pan and saute the mushrooms.
6. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and begin cooking the gnocchi. As the gnocchi are fresh it will not take long.
7. Add the fava or edamame beans to the mushrooms.
8. Add the cooked gnocchi and mix all lightly.
9. Serve the meal with the browned herbal margarine drizzled over and a few fresh herbs sprinkled around.

Notes:

This meal was especially nice served with a fresh mixed salad and organic wine.