Cauliflower-chickpea tagine

Among the recent proliferation of vegan food bloggers’ cookbooks, my favorite is that of Urban Vegan Dynise Balcavage. I’ve already made eight of her recipes since getting the book a few weeks ago, and I have a couple dozen more marked down to try. Both her writing style and her ethnic food sensibilities are reminiscient of my own, so it’s been a joy to read her cookbook like a novel (I tend to do that). This is my adaptation of Dynise’s cauliflower-chickpea tagine, a simple but elegant Moroccan dish perfect for a cold winter weeknight.

(As the tagine simmers, be sure to cook up some whole wheat couscous to serve with it. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil with a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup couscous, cover the pan, and set aside for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve.)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 cup white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp harissa (optional)
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds



In a large pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. If necessary, add a pinch of salt to slow down the cooking.



Add all remaining ingredients except the almonds...



...and stir to combine.



Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer, covered, for about an hour, or until vegetables are tender.



Serve with cooked whole wheat couscous and top with almonds before eating. The cauliflower breaks down and absorbs the aromatic spices, and the golden raisins and hint of cinnamon are a sweet complement to the more piquant flavors of the dish. It manages to be both exotic and homey at the same time. I loved it!



Yield: 5 servings. Per serving (without couscous): 253 calories, 6.5g fat (.5g sat), 43.9g carbs, 11g fiber, 9.5g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Moroccan harira stew
Chickpea lentil slow-cooker stew
5-minute chickpea couscous

Chocolate banana bread

No wordy intro for this one, folks. This sweet bread is another holdover from before Europe, and its entire raison d'être was simply that I was craving chocolate + bananas at the time. I modified the recipe from Veganomicon to produce this lighter, lower-fat loaf that’s perfect for breakfast, snacktime, or dessert.

2 large ripe bananas, well mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2T molasses
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, applesauce, oil, sugar, and molasses.



Sift in the flour, cocoa, coffee, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.



Use a wooden spoon to fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix), then gently fold in the chocolate chips. You can use semisweet, milk, white, swirled, or just about any type of chip you please.



Transfer the batter to the prepared pan...



...and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



Invert onto a cooling rack, then flip the bread right side up and let cool completely before slicing. I like to cut it into bite-size pieces for easy snacking. I must say, I still like my peanut butter banana bread better, but if you’re seeking the classic combo of chocolate + banana, this quick bread hits the spot.



Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices). Per slice: 205 calories, 7.3g fat (2g sat), 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 2.7g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
PB–banana "Elvis" cupcakes
Choc-oat banana walnut cookies
Peanut butter banana bread

Overnight steel-cut oatmeal

I’m going to step away from my blogging backlog for a moment and present to you something not from last year, but from last night. I want to post this while there’s still plenty of cold-weather time left in the winter, so that you can enjoy this on a few upcoming chilly mornings.

Oatmeal! What could be simpler, right? Well, unless you have 30+ minutes free to prepare breakfast on weekday mornings (and if so, lucky you), you probably don’t get to enjoy steel-cut oatmeal very often, if at all. Steel-cut oats are toasted oat groats (the inner part of the oat kernel) that have been removed from the husk and cut by steel into two or three pieces, rather than being rolled. This means they are less processed than old-fashioned or quick oats, which is beneficial in a number of ways. The texture is better, for one—steel-cut oats are chewier and nuttier than rolled oats. As such, they are heartier and more substantial, thanks to the higher concentration of complex carbs (which are soluble-fiber-ful and therefore heart-healthy!). Not only will they keep you fuller longer, but they have a lower glycemic index than regular oats (42 vs. 66, respectively), so your blood sugar will stay steady.

The only bad part? They take forever to cook. This is easily remedied, though, with a slow cooker and a little advanced preparation. Substitute any nuts or dried fruits you want; I just used what I had in my pantry.

2 cups steel-cut oats
7 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soymilk (vanilla or plain)
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

The night before, gather your ingredients. Chop the pecans, apricots, and cherries. Set everything aside for the next morning.



Line a 5-6 quart slow cooker with a plastic liner (highly recommended!) and spray the inside generously with cooking spray. (Alternatively, just spray the slow cooker bowl itself very very well with cooking spray.) Add the oats, water, soymilk, maple syrup, and salt. Stir to combine.



Cover and cook on low for 8 hours overnight. My slow cooker automatically switches to warm after a set number of hours, but if yours doesn’t, it won’t hurt if you cook it a little beyond the 8 hours.

The next morning, uncover and add all remaining ingredients.



Stir to combine, re-cover, and cook on low for another 10-20 minutes.



I enjoyed mine this morning with an additional splash of vanilla soymilk and an extra glug of maple syrup. Again, customize to your heart’s content—use agave nectar or brown sugar in place of maple syrup, include diced apples and ground cinnamon instead of the dried fruit, or pump it up even further with a scoop of protein powder. This is an energizing, stick-to-your-ribs, power-packed breakfast if there ever was one!



Yield: 8 servings. Per serving: 274 calories, 6g fat (.5g sat), 53.1g carbs, 6g fiber, 7.6g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Blueberry cornbread muffins
Very berry "green" smoothie
Oat crumble jam bars

Pumpkin cheesecake swirl brownies

Last October, in the evening after my second marathon, I went to my friend Jo’s Halloween party. Another friend, Teresa, had brought a pan of pumpkin swirl brownies. They looked scrumptious, but until I tasted them, I had no idea just how scrumptious they would be—decadently moist and devastatingly flavorful, they were far and away my favorite treat of the night. I couldn’t stay away from them! I asked Teresa for the recipe, and she graciously obliged, so I made a veganized batch of them that very next week to take to my friend Rachel’s Halloween party. You know, to keep the party-dessert-karma train going.

I know it’s not anywhere near Halloween anymore, or even Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I don’t care how many weeks ago the holiday season ended—I love pumpkin year-round!

For the pumpkin layer:
6 oz. vegan cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose (or WWP) flour
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the brownie layer:
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a food processor (or a good blender, or with a sturdy hand whisk), combine all pumpkin layer ingredients.



Process together until smooth, then transfer to a small bowl.



Clean out the food processor, then add the melted margarine, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.



Process until smooth, then add the tofu (half at a time) and process to combine.



In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Pour the margarine-tofu mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined.



Spread about 2/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Gently pour the pumpkin mixture on top and spread evenly. (Sorry bout the blur here.)



Drop the remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over the pumpkin layer. Swirl together with a knife.



Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.



I was so pleased at how well the tofu stood in for egg, and in my opinion, the ratio of chocolate to pumpkin was perfect. Cut into cute little bite-size pieces, these made great party food. (Nevermind the fact that only half of them actually made it to the party!) I can’t wait to bake these again.



Yield: 16 brownies or 36 brownie bites. Per brownie (16): 183 calories, 9.3g fat (3g sat), 23.8g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.6g protein.
Per brownie bite (36): 81 calories, 4.1g fat (1g sat), 10.6g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.2g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes w/cinnamon glaze
White chip brownies
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Roasted potatoes w/garlic-cumin aioli

I love breakfast potatoes. (Though I’ve told the story before, I’ll remind you again that I’ve even sleep-talked about them.) Hash browns, O’Briens, home fries—any non-mashed spud served in the A.M. is a winner with me.

That said, they certainly don’t have to be served only in the morning. Inspired by a dinner at La Bodega, a KC tapas restaurant at which I have only had the pleasure to eat once (so far), I cooked up the roasted potatoes from Vegan Brunch and topped them with a made-up-on-the-spot aioli tinged with cumin and garlic. The restaurant meal was so good that even I, a mayo-hater, fell in love, and my homemade version totally lived up to the original.

For the potatoes:
2 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

For the aioli:
6 Tbsp Vegenaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic paste (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste



Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line an 11x17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease with cooking spray). Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Use your hands to toss and coat the potatoes in the oil, then sprinkle with salt.



Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and flip the taters with a spatula (no need to be perfect, just get most of them turned over).



Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, till lightly but thoroughly browned outside. Season with black pepper and additional salt to taste.



Meanwhile, make the aioli.



In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Easy! Add a teaspoon or two of water to thin it out if you want.



Serve the potatoes hot, drizzled with the aioli. The spice and zing of the sauce plays perfectly off the earthy potatoes. Now that’s what I call breakfast (or lunch, or dinner)!



Yield: 6 servings. Per serving: 270 calories, 13.8g fat (1g sat), 29.7g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4.7g protein.

If you like this, you might also like…
Roasted potato wraps w/black bean hummus
Chickpea lentil slow-cooker stew
Curried tempeh-mango salad