Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies *Gluten Free*

If you, like us, sometimes enjoy baking sweets that sneakily include veggies - look no further than this double chocolate zucchini brownie recipe! In it’s original form the recipe is gluten free, though we made both a gluten free and gluten included version and both were delicious! Thank you Debbie K. for sharing this recipe with us and bringing us your homemade brownies too! Nothing kicks off making inspiration quite like being gifted brownies! Naturally, we also modified the recipe to be plant based, so you’ll see those substitutions below.

You can find the original recipe here, though as a heads up it is behind a paywall at Dashing Dish.

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated zucchini

• 1/4 cup applesauce

• 2 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with 4 Tbsp water mixed well - or use 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup sugar (or sweetener of choice)

• 1 cup oat flour (we made a version with regular all purpose flour and one with Pillsbury Gluten Free all purpose flour - both were a success)

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon (this wasn’t included in the original recipe)

• 1/8 cup dark chocolate chips

Recipe

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 cooking pan, or a bread pan works great too - it’s all we had available! Mix together wet ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add in all dry ingredients (except for chocolate chips) and mix until ingredients come together. Add in chocolate chips and mix one more time. Add mix to greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Try your hardest to let these cool before you enjoy!

Since we only have a bread pan, our brownies appeared more as chocolate zucchini bread, but let us assure you that it made no difference to how much we enjoyed this dish! Pictured is the gluten free version.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

This recipe is inspired by friends Courtney & Ellyse, who were kind enough to drop off some of this delicious soup to share with us when they made some from our butternut & sunshine kabocha squash. How nice is that?! The texture is incredible, flavor is exceptional and I can’t think of a better recipe to lead into fall.

To check out the original rource of their inspiration, Alina Prokuda, please head here.

Picture from Courtney & Ellyse as they prepped this recipe. I’ll have to add our own photos of the finished product when we make a batch!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized butternut squash or any squash of your choosing

• 1/2 can of full-fat coconut milk

• 2 shallots *

• 1 garlic head

• 2 Thai chili peppers (optional, depends on your heat preference) *

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

• 1 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (or more depending on desired thickness)

• Olive oil to drizzle on vegetables

• 2 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 tsp paprika

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

* Indicates this was an ingredient they made the dish without, and it was still delicious! Don’t feel like you can’t make it without every single ingredient.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 380 F

• Prepare all listed vegetables and place on the baking dish (helpful to watch the video for guidance - which you can find here)

• Add seasoning and olive oil

• Bake for 45 minutes untillvegetables are golden brown and soft inside

• Place everything in a pot, add coconut milk and broth and blend with immersion blender

• Adjust seasoning to taste, garnish and serve

Cucumber & Tomato Salad

It’s officially summer, our first at the new farm property & we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to sit down by the creek with a cold glass of our favorite beverage & this summer dish! As you would expect, this cucumber & tomato salad highlights the very best of summer flavors, and is accentuated by the fact that it’s served chilled. What could be better than that during these hot afternoons?

Did I mention yet that it’s also ridiculously easy to make? Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier than chopping vegetables & placing them in a fridge to cool. That’s likely why we’ve already made this recipe more than once since discovering it last week, and will likely make it many more times until tomatoes finally begin to taper off production later on in the season.

Have about twenty minutes & some cucumbers, tomato & onion? If so - what are you waiting for? Make this recipe already!

Here’s the link to the original - in case you’d like to check that out first.

Our only slightly modified version:

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized cucumbers, sliced thinly

• 2-3 large tomatoes diced - we also sprinkled salt on top once they were cut

• 1 red (or any color you have) onion sliced

• 3 tablespoons (adjust this to taste) fresh basil, chopped

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

• In a small bowl, whisk together the wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

• Peel and cut the onion into slivers and toss in the vinaigrette

• Cover and refrigerate for up to a day in advance (or just while you chop the remaining vegetables)

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well

• Refrigerate at least 20 minutes before serving

One note is that we tripled the original recipe (because who doesn’t love leftovers?), and that we’ve made it both with & without basil. Hands down with basil is our preference, so be sure to include this ingredient if you have it available! We also found that thinly slicing the cucumbers, versus our first edition where it was essentially cucumber chunks, was preferable. Have a version of this you’d like to suggest? We’d love your input, please share!
Hope you all enjoy this one!

Fried Eggplant with Rosemary & Agave

This recipe was shared with me by our CSA member Tahne, who enjoyed it in its original form at Curate. Head here to see the recipe as it was written by local chef Katie Button (with milk & honey) or carry on to see my plant based version with oat milk & agave. As chef Katie shares within her recipe, this eggplant dish is Andalusian & called ‘Berenjenas Fritas’ though it traditionally uses cane sugar in lieu of either honey or agave.

We wolfed down this delicious dish, and I cannot recommend you trying it out at home enough! The combination of rosemary, salt & agave balanced perfectly into one of the most enjoyable eggplant recipes I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating!

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 cups oat milk (I used plain chobani oat milk)

• 2 medium eggplants

• 2 to 3 cups vegeta­ble oil (I only coated the pan with coconut oil & topped it off when needed)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup agave

• 1 rosemary sprig

• Kosher salt

I may have overbrowned a few, but the extra crunch was a bonus, not a drawback!

Instructions

Pour the oat milk into a medium bowl. Trim the top and bottom of the eggplant, then peel (I skipped this step with no major consequences). Cut the eggplant into 3/8-inch-thick slices. As you slice the eggplant, put the slices into the bowl with the oat milk. The oat milk should cover the eggplant. If it doesn’t, add more. Weigh down the eggplant with a heavy plate that fits snugly over the bowl to keep the eggplant submerged. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready to cook, fill a large skillet with the vegetable oil. It should be about ½ inch deep; if not, add more. (Again, I only coated the pan here) Heat the oil over medium heat un­til an instant-read thermometer registers 350°F. A pinch of flour should sizzle when it hits the oil.

Spread the flour on a plate. Drain the egg­plant. Dredge a slice in the flour and tap off the excess. Carefully drop into the hot oil. Repeat with more eggplant slices, being careful to not crowd the pan. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The eggplant shouldn’t get too dark; reduce the heat if needed. Transfer to a wire rack to drain and immediately sprinkle with salt and drizzle with agave (be cautious with your agave, I dotted the slices since it can be overpoweringly sweet). Repeat with the remaining eggplant and flour.

Garlic Scape Pesto

This recipe was shared with us by Alex Martinson, our CSA member whose gorgeous food photos have served as great inspiration to get creative in the kitchen! Everything was created & all photos* are by Alex, enjoy! And thank you so much Alex!

*Just wanted to mention that when I uploaded this to The Vegetablog, the photos appear a bit larger than what Alex shared with me.

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Recipe by Alex Martinson. Check out what I’m baking @breadafterbed

My favorite kind of pesto is one with lots of garlic, so why not make it the highlight of the dish! Garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavor which makes it a perfect centerpiece for pesto. This isn’t your traditional pesto as it does not have any basil in it. It is great on pasta or as a topping for focaccia! Would also be a great spread for sandwiches. You know it must be tasty when your toddler is licking it off a spoon straight from the jar. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: None

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

120g (about 5) garlic scapes

10g (about 1 tablespoon) raw pepitas

10g (about 1 tablespoon) pine nuts

87g (⅔ cup) good quality olive oil

½ tablespoon of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe idea! Focaccia topped with garlic scape pesto and finished with crushed pistachios. Garlic scapes from Mighty Gnome Market Garden

Strawberry Summer Cake

It’s our first season ever growing strawberries, and there’s no better way to celebrate their abundance than with this cake! It’s quite easy to make, not too sweet, and makes your house smell like you are a gourmet chef while you are cooking. If you didn’t eat all of your strawberries straightaway & want to make something special with them, look no further!

This recipe is originally from Smitten Kitchen, though I’ve modified it to be vegan. I’ve made it many, many times over & cannot recommend this recipe enough. Hope you enjoy! If you’d like to simply see the recipe from the original source, unmodified by me, click here.

Pre bake, strawberry summer cake!

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate (I used Miyoko’s butter thanks to CSA member Patty, who gifted us with this delicious vegan butter :)

• 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour (can swap 3/4 cup or 94 grams all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup or 75 grams of barley flour, or your preferred alternate flour of choice. (Spelt makes an excellent addition here!)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg (I use ENER-G egg replacer)

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) oat milk

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

• 1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. This cake would also work in a 9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan. The 10-inch would make a thinner cake than pictured.

Whisk flour or flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes (With Miyoko’s butter, I did not need to beat for this long, instead needing only about 1 minute). Mix in egg replacer, oat milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (though I had to overlap a few to get them all in). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped coconut cream.

Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered, but good luck with that.

Post bake. Not my finest cake or photo, but hey, you get the idea!

Avocado Cilantro Dressing

It seems that I may be temporarily sticking to a theme, and that theme is salad dressing. To be fair, we do grow & eat a copious amount of salad mix here, so that seems like a natural addition to the repertoire. If you’re like me & haven’t used cilantro much outside of garnish, this recipe might just be perfect for you! It’s creamy, the perfect balance of lime & cilantro, and a welcome change to the tahini dressing we’ve been consuming in vast quantities! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Original recipe inspiration is sourced directly from here so be sure to check that out! Otherwise, carry on, details are below:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 avocado (about 6 tablespoons)

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed

• 1 clove garlic , minced

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup - I used 1/2 teaspoon agave since that was all I had available

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Adjust any seasoning to taste, then store it in the fridge until ready to use.

• Leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge

Tahini Agave Dressing

This may be the simplest recipe I will ever share, but it's one that has elevated our salads to an entirely new level! Maybe you were like us, enjoying salads with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette dressing & not realizing what homemade dressing options you are missing out on. That's where this recipe for tahini & agave dressing comes in. If you've never tried it - as we somehow hadn't - I can assure you it will *probably* change your life! Perhaps that's a touch dramatic, but I'd love to hear if you agree when you try this once you try it out!

The original recipe is from The Minimalist Baker, which you can check out here. The primary change we made was substituting agave for maple syrup because it was what we had available. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s the perfect base for any modifications you’d like to try out! The options are endless!

We suddenly began eating three servings of salad in a row once we made this recipe!

Here’s the recipe, only modified slightly from the original source:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)

• 1 medium lemon, juiced (~3 Tbsp or 45 ml as original recipe is written)

• 1-2 Tbsp agave (or maple syrup)

• 1 pinch sea salt

• 1 clove garlic (minced, optional)

• Water (to thin // ~3-6 Tbsp or 45-90 ml as original recipe is written)

Instructions

• To a medium mixing bowl, add tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup. If adding salt and garlic, add now (optional).

• Whisk to combine. Then slowly add water until creamy and pourable. The mixture may seize up and thicken at first, but continue adding water a little at a time and whisking until creamy and smooth.

• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon juice for acidity, salt for saltiness, or agave for sweetness.

Peanut Stew with Winter Vegetables & Cornmeal Dumplings

Without doubt, this was one of the most unique stews I've ever made! Modified from an original recipe of Bryant Terry from the Afro-Vegan cook book, it was hearty, felt like a healthy indulgence, and was even better on day two! My only regret, not doubling the recipe. So, if you enjoy dumplings and a rich tomato broth full of winter vegetables, this may just be the perfect recipe for you!

As mentioned previously, this recipe is sourced from Bryant Terry’s Afro-Vegan cookbook, which I cannot recommend highly enough. He even pairs songs with the recipe, so you can have a full sensory experience.

Support Bryant Terry by getting this incredible recipe book here!

The only modifications I made were due to either missing ingredients (parsnips) & substituting in my favorite dumpling recipe. All recipe changes are listed below. Happy cooking!

Ingredients

Stew

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 cup finely diced yellow onions

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used powder & was pleased with the outcome!)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 cups peeled and finely diced yellow potato (I didn’t peel!)

1/2 cup peeled and finely diced carrot (didn’t peel here either!)

1/2 cup peeled and diced parsnip (couldn’t find parsnip and added more potato & carrot instead)

2 cups peeled & diced sweet potato

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons tomato paste

5 cups vegetable stock

Freshly ground white pepper (which I discovered I don’t enjoy)

1/4 cup packed chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dumplings

*For this part of the recipe I veered significantly from Bryant Terry’s instructions. Years ago, I stumbled upon what I consider to be dumpling perfection, and modified that recipe to include cornmeal instead. If you would like Bryant’s version, check out p.52 of his book Afro-Vegan!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 cup whole milk (I use extra creamy oat milk)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (Miyoko’s is particularly fantastic)

Instructions

To make the stew, warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, paprika, cayenne, and salt and saute until the onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, potato, carrot, parsnip (if you could find one!), and sweet potato and saute until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium low.

Put the peanut butter, tomato paste, and 2 cups of the stock in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into the saucepan and stir in the remaining 3 cups stock. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. *Again, veering into a recipe for dumplings from Smitten Kitchen and not Bryant Terry. Stir the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together. Warm the milk and butter until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

In the last fifteen minutes the stew is cooking, drop golf ball size portions of the dumpling batter across the surface of the stew using a spoon (or two spoons to keep your hands clean!) keeping 1/4 inch between them. Check one dumpling to ensure it’s cooked all the way through before turning off the stove.

Season the stew with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve each bowl of stew with a few dumplings on top. Garnish with the parsley.

Carrot 'Smoked Salmon'

Mark made a really wonderful dish for breakfast recently, and I wanted to share the recipe for carrot 'smoked salmon' with you here. Sadly, the deer found our carrots as they were happily growing in the field last month. That being said, we know there are plenty of farmers out there who didn't have deer decimate their carrots at market - so you can definitely source them locally for this recipe!

This lovely 'smoked salmon' dish is genius! Substituting marinated carrots for the smoked salmon is perfection, despite my serious reservations. A combination of nori (seaweed), miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, caper brine, lemon juice & olive oil makes up the marinade. Paired with thinly sliced onion, capers & cream cheese made for some of the best savory breakfast bagels we've had in a long time.

The original recipe source is The Edgy Veg, which you can find here. I’ve left it as is, since we didn't have to make any substitutions. Without further ado, here is the recipe:

This photo is from the original recipe creator, The Edgy Veg (linked above so you can check it out!). Scroll down to see our much less beautiful recreation of the dish!

VEGAN SMOKED SALMON INGREDIENTS

• carrots

• sea salt

• hot water

• nori granules

• caper brine

• rice vinegar

• white miso paste

• soy sauce or tamari

• lemon juice

• garlic powder

• olive oil

VEGAN SMOKED SALMON INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place carrots in a pot, covered with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until fork-tender but not mushy. Carrots should hold their shape.

2. Transfer to an ice bath for 2 minutes to stop cooking. Place on a wire rack to dry.

3. Meanwhile, in a container or bowl, whisk together hot water, nori granules, caper brine, vinegar, miso paste, soy sauce, garlic powder and lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Using a very sharp knife, very carefully, slice the carrots lengthwise. Make some thin strips and some sashimi-style pieces. Lay in the marinade. Let sit in the fridge as long as you can. I find overnight works best. The longer they sit, the more the carrot takes on the flavour and texture of smoked salmon.

5. When ready to use, remove from the fridge and allow the carrots to come to room temperature and serve in your favourite manner.

Suggested serving:

• 4 vegan-friendly bagels (gluten-free if necessary)

• 1 tsp fresh dill

• 2 tbsp capers

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 cups vegan cream cheese (we used Violife)

• sea salt and ground black pepper
  

Can you tell there’s #nofilter?! We learned that it would be best to slice the carrots a bit more thinly… and that it’s important to laugh at our food photo fails!

Watermelon and Basil Margarita

This recipe led to the creation of one of the most delightful, healthy & refreshing drinks I’ve ever enjoyed. Not too sweet, with just the right amount of real watermelon flavor and balanced perfectly with a hint of basil, lime & salt.

Recipe inspiration comes from VinePair, and you can find the original recipe in its entirety here.

If you try this out, please be sure to share your thoughts with us! Now without further ado, here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 ounces of tequila (we used Lunazol Resposado)

• 1 ounce of lime juice (we didn’t have this available, but really wish we did!)

• 2 ounces of watermelon juice (we just popped approximately 2oz of de-seeded watermelon directly into the blender)

• ½ ounce basil simple syrup* (recipe below)

• 1 cup of ice

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a shaker with tequila, lime juice, watermelon juice, basil simple syrup, and ice

2. Rim the glass with salt

3. Shake mixture then pour into serving glass

4. Garnish with a sprig of basil

BASIL SIMPLE SYRUP RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves

BASIL SIMPLE SYRUP RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1. Combine sugar, water, and basil in a sauce pan

2. Heat mixture until sugar is dissolved

3. Cool mixture then strain into a jar, cover and refrigerate up to two weeks

Kohl-slaw or Kohlrabi slaw with cilantro, jalapeño & lime

It’s been a while! While I don’t think it will ever feel like the right time to blog about recipes again, I’m just going to go ahead because all I’ve been doing is working in the market garden, cooking, eating and repeating. Recipes discovered along the way will be shared here & hopefully the result will be hearing from you about what recipes you love and what dishes have helped you get through these incredibly difficult times. Personally, we’ve eaten more than our fair share of grits and oatmeal, but every once in a while after we venture tentatively to the grocery store it’s nice to indulge in one nice meal, at least.

All that being said, this recipe is not my own. It was sourced from Sylvia at Feasting at Home. You can find her recipe, gorgeous photos and original content here.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 cups kohlrabi -cut into matchsticks or grated in a food processor-about three x 4 inch bulbs

• ½  cup chopped cilantro ( one small bunch)

• half of a jalapeno -minced

• 1/4 cup chopped scallion

• orange zest from one orange, and juice

• lime zest from one lime, and juice

Ingredients for Citrus Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• ¼ cup  fresh orange juice ( juice form one orange)

• 1/8 cup lime juice ( juice from one large lime), more to taste

• 1/4 cup agave syrup

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar (I used prosecco wine vinegar because it was all that was available)

Instructions

Trim and peel kohlrabi. Cut off two ends. Cut in half from top to bottom. Thinly slice, rotate and slice again, making 1/4 inch matchsticks. (Or just be lazy like me and use the food processor!)

Place in large bowl with chopped cilantro, scallions, finly chopped jalapeño ( 1/2), lime zest and orange zest.

Whisk dressing together in a small bowl. Toss with salad. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with zest and cilantro. This tastes goo the next day too. (But ours didn’t last, we ate it all in one sitting!)

Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Mash

This delectable dish should be featured on every table this holiday season. Sweetened only with maple syrup and topped with candied pecans, the glorious combination of butternut squash and sweet potatoes truly shines. 

The original recipe inspiration can be found here from the talented Minimalist Baker. I changed only one thing in the recipe, and that was using regular sugar to candy the pecans. Why? Simply because I don’t have coconut sugar, but if you do, use that instead to make this dish exactly as she did.

Now for the recipe, verbatim from The Minimalist Baker.

SQUASH + SWEET POTATOES

• 3 large (~1/3 lb each) sweet potatoes (or sub 6 small per 3 large halved // skin on // organic when possible)

• 6 cups butternut squash (1 small butternut squash yields ~6 cups)

• 2 Tbsp avocado or melted coconut oil (divided)

• 1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper

• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp vegan butter

PECAN TOPPING

• 1 cup pecans (roughly chopped)

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

• 1 pinch sea salt

• 1 Tbsp vegan butter (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) 2 large, rimmed baking sheets (use fewer or more baking sheets, as needed, if altering batch size). Also lightly grease a small baking dish (8x8 inch is ideal // size as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)).

• Add halved sweet potatoes to one baking sheet, and the cubed butternut squash to another. Drizzle each with half of the avocado or melted coconut oil (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).

• Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Rub sweet potatoes together to distribute the oil, and toss the butternut squash as well.

• Roast butternut squash for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and test doneness. It should be very fork tender and easily mashed. Once it's done, remove from oven and set aside.

• Depending on the size of your sweet potatoes, they should take anywhere from 20-35 minutes total. Remove from oven when very soft to the touch. Then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (176 C).

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pecans and toast for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If smoking or browning too quickly, turn heat to medium-low or low.

• At the 5-minute mark, add coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to coat and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

• Peel sweet potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl with butternut squash. Use a fork, potato masher, or whisk to thoroughly mash.

• Add another pinch salt + pepper, ground cinnamon, maple syrup, and vegan butter. Mash once more to combine, then taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

• Transfer mashed squash and potatoes to prepared baking dish and top with toasted pecans. Add vegan butter, cubed, to add additional moisture and flavor (optional).

• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until completely warmed through and fragrant. Let cool briefly and then serve.

• Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven or in the microwave.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with maple syrup (or honey) & cinnamon

Choose your own adventure; maple syrup or honey plus cinnamon on oven roasted sweet potatoes. It’s delicious enough to stand alone, and not too sweet to enjoy over quinoa if you’re extra hungry. In other words, it’s the perfect complement to any fall day.

Did I mention it’s also quick and easy to prepare? Mark whipped this together in about a half hour, and you should too!

Here’s the original recipe link, or read on to find it below:

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked

• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, maple syrup or honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.

• Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Pumpkin Butter Whiskey Sour

Ever wondered what to do with all of the pumpkins you’ve stockpiled for the holidays? I’ve got a solution for you! Make pumpkin butter! It’s ridiculously delicious, as in, eat copious amounts from the pot with a spoon before cocktail shaking commences. Or slather it on bread. Or top your (n)ice cream with it! Put it in oatmeal! Okay, I’ll stop… but just know that this pumpkin butter is about to change your life, and make your home smell like a holiday fever dream.

It’s time for you to pick up where I left off. Start making pumpkin butter, right now. This cocktail, the Pumpkin Butter Whiskey Sour, was introduced to us by our friend Deke, a mixologist in Washington DC serving up some of the most unbelievably scrumptious beverages in existence. So, when Mark reached out to him to ask what the best cocktail is that includes pumpkin and he instantly responded with this recipe we knew we were in for a treat. To put it mildly, we are very, very impressed.

This recipe is a two-fer, really. First you make the pumpkin butter, followed immediately by the cocktail. The recipe for pumpkin butter comes from All Recipes, and you can find the link here. The second recipe comes from the legendary Deke himself and I don’t know how to reference him, so just consider this an official shout out to him for the best beverage recipe I’ve ever had.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Butter

• 29 ounces pumpkin puree (or one can if you aren’t making your own)

• 3/4 cup apple juice

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Recipe

• Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.

• Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Butter Whiskey Sour

• 2 oz bourbon (we used Four Roses)

• .75 oz lemon juice

• .25 oz agave nectar (or .5 oz simple syrup)

• .25 sweetened pumpkin butter (or .5 oz if you really wanna taste the pumpkin goodness)

• 1 oz aquafaba

Recipe

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake, strained, crushed and serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette

The perfect pairing of fillings with a hint of cayenne and a buttery, flaky crust. It may take a few hours to cook this incredible dish, but it is worth every moment... plus you’ll end up with not one, but two 9 inch pies as a reward. I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed this recipe. If you make it too, please be sure to comment below and let me know what you think!

Original inspiration comes from a recipe in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, and the only modifications I made were substituting for all things plant based. Read on to find out the exact details.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (I used Good Karma’s Plant Based Sour Cream)

• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar with no adverse affects)

• 1/3 cup ice water

For the filling:

• 2 small or 1 large butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon butter (Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

• 2 large sweet onions, halved, thinly sliced in half moons

• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional- but I went for it and loved it!)

• 2 cups grated cheese (I only used about a half cup of Daiya’s cheddar, since it was all I had to no adverse affect to the recipe)

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or teaspoons chopped fresh sage (I had neither and so did not use these but feel it would be an excellent addition)

Recipe

Make pastry. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the whole sticks of butter and, using a pastry blender, break up the bits of butter until the texture is like cornmeal, with the biggest bits the size of pebbles. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water, and pour this over the butter-flour mixture. Stir with a spoon or a rubber spatula until a dough forms, kneading it once or twice on the counter if needed to bring it together. Pat the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill it in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Prepare squash. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel the squash, then halve and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into one large or two smaller baking sheets, spreading it to an even slick. Lay the squash chunks on the baking sheet in one layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and freshly ground black pepper, and roast for 30 minutes, or until squash is tender, turning the pieces occasionally so that they brown evenly (I didn’t do this part!). Set aside to cool slightly, leave the oven on.

Caramelize onions. While the squash is roasting, melt the butter and the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet, and cook the onions over medium-low heat with the sugar and the remaining teaspoon of salt, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper, if you are using it.

Mix the squash, caramelized onions, cheese, and herbs together in a bowl.

Assemble the galette. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 16 to 17 inch round (or divide up into two nine inch galettes). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the squash and cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 2 to 2 1/2 inch border. Fold the border over the squash and cheese, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. 

Bake. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the galette from the oven, let stand for about 5 minutes, then slide it onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. 

Savory Grits with Slow-Cooked Collard Greens

Chef Mark is at it again, making a dish so good that we’ve had it twice since Sunday. This recipe brings together Bryant Terry’s version of Ethiopian greens with ginger, habanero and bell peppers with creamy grits... and it is perfect. 

The recipe inspiration comes from the aforementioned Bryant Terry’s book Afro-Vegan which has become a major and much needed source of inspiration. I’ve said it in a previous post, but I’ll say it again in case you missed it... Bryant even suggests a song to listen to while you are cooking! Just go get his recipe book already, it’s gorgeous and loaded with incredible recipes and songs. 

The only modification made to the recipe was substituting a half of a habanero for jalapeno (because we grow the former, not the latter). Other than that, you can find the recipe below; or read it in Afro-Vegan page 108.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

• 1 pound of collard greens, cut into pieces

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

• 5 cups vegetable stock (1 cup for collards, 4 for cooking the grits)

• 1 large red bell pepper

• 1/2 habanero, seeded and minced

• 3/4 cup yellow corn grits

• 1/2 cup creamed cashews (leave a message below if you’d like the recipe for that and I will add it on!)

Recipe

Add about 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt, then add the greens and cook uncovered until softened, about ten minutes. Drain well, pressing the greens to extract as much liquid as possible. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board and chop finely.

Warm the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, chili powder, cayenne, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Saute until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about ten minutes. Add the garlic and saute for two minutes. Stir in the greens and stock and bring to a simmer. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, about 45 minutes. (Full disclosure- we didn’t have the patience for the full simmer and cut it off about about 25 minutes- to seriously delicious results). Stir in the bell pepper and half a habanero. Increase the heat to medium high, cover, and simmer for two minutes. Taste and season with more salt if desired. 

While the greens are simmering, make the grits. Put 3 cups of the stock and the salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Slowly pour in the grits, whisking constantly until no lumps remain. Return to a boil, then immediately decrease the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, whisking occasionally to prevent sticking, until the grits have absorbed most of the liquid and are beginning to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup stock and simmer for ten minutes, whisking occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the cashew cream, cover, and simmer, whisking frequently, until the grits are soft and fluffy, about thirty minutes. (Again, we were too impatient and ended up eating the grits after about 15 minutes of cooking). 

To serve, top the grits with the greens, using a slotted spoon so that the liquid drains from the greens. Add a splash of hot-pepper vinegar and season with black pepper.

Borscht

Borscht is hearty, wholesome, topped with cashew cream and dill… and is one of Mark’s signature dishes. Without doubt, this soup will leave you reaching for seconds. That’s right, Mark was chef again for this weeks recipe and I am so happy he chose to make this dish! It’s one he’s made quite a few times now because it’s just that damn good.

The original recipe inspiration is from Connoisseurus Veg, one of the best vegan recipe blog titles out there, at least in my opinion. You can find the link to that recipe here. Aside from that, we only made a couple of modifications because we are often out of certain ingredients, so you can find all of those changes listed in the recipe below.

Borscht topped with cashew cream and dill

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 medium beets, diced (1/2 inch)

• 2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 inch)

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 cups vegetable broth (we were out- too lazy to make our own- and instead used miso broth & water which was also delicious)

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 cups finely chopped cabbage

• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced (1/2 inch)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (we didn’t have this but highly recommend making sure you do!)

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Vegan sour cream, yogurt, or cashew cream, for serving (we went with cashew cream)

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the beets, carrot and onions. Sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute, until very fragrant.

2. Stir in the broth, tomato paste, cabbage and potato. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, until the veggies are tender, 15-20 minutes. You can add more broth or water if you like.

3. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with vegan sour cream, yogurt, or cashew cream, and a sprinkling of fresh dill. Serve.

Spinach Manicotti

The season shift to fall has begun, and with the cooler nights comes an abundance of our favorite greens. Instead of sauteeing it, this felt like a delightful way to enjoy spinach. It’s creamy, rich and savory and perfect for a cool evening.

The recipe inspiration for this comes from The Happy Pear, an Irish company that often showcases incredible vegan recipes. The twins who own the business are an absolute delight, and I highly recommend checking out their website, where they often provide cooking demo videos to complement the recipes they share. You can find The Happy Pear recipe link here.

Below is the recipe, with the few modifications I made.

INGREDIENTS

SPINACH PESTO

• 3 cloves peeled garlic

• 1/2 cup cashews

• 1/2 cup fresh spinach

• ½ juice of lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup sunflower oil

• 1/3 cup water

BECHAMEL

• 3 tbsp oil

• 3 tbsp white flour

• ¾ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 1/4 cup soy milk

TOMATO SAUCE

• 2 cloves garlic chopped finely

• 1 ½ tbsp oil

• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (I used two fresh tomatoes and and had to add 1 can of tomato paste at the end)

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

REMAINING

• 2 cups cannelloni tubes (I used manicotti because it was all that was available and wish I’d sought out cannelloni)

• 1/4 cup Vegan cheese to top

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350F

SPINACH PESTO

First step is to make your spinach pesto

Add the peeled garlic cloves, cashew nuts, spinach, lime, salt, sunflower oil and water to a blender and blend together

BECHAMEL

For the bechamel, start by making the make the roux, add the oil to a pan on a high heat along with flour, a salt and a pinch of pepper and cook for 1 minute

Once the roux starts to clump together add in the soy milk

Bring to the boil, stirring all the while and then knock off the heat

Combine with the spinach pesto and set aside

TOMATO SAUCE

Time to make your tomato sauce

Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil to a pan on a high heat. Add to the pan 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, reduce heat to medium.

Fry for about a minute until the garlic starts to golden and then add the two tins of chopped tomatoes and mix through

Season with 1 tsp salt, a pinch of black pepper and 1 tbsp maple syrup and bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer knock off the heat

Use a piping bag to squeeze the spinach béchamel sauce into the cannelloni tubes, keeping the tubes standing up straight they will be easier to fill.

Lay the filled tubes on their sides and submerge with the tomato sauce

Top it off with a covering of vegan cheese and cook in oven for 25 minutes

Kale Smoothie

It may technically be fall now, but these hot afternoons still feel like summer. What better way to hydrate than with a kale smoothie? Packed with fresh kale, mango, pineapple and ginger, this was an extremely delicious and healthy afternoon treat. You know I made it extra too, with a layer of berry & coconut yogurt smoothie on top. I highly recommend you do the same.

The inspiration for this treat came from Minimalist Baker, in fact, the only modification I made was using pineapple instead of peaches, because that’s what I had available. You can find the original recipe link here.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup ice

• 2 cups packed kale

• 1 cup ripe frozen mango cubes

• 1 cup ripe frozen pineapple or peaches

• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

• 1 lime, juiced (yields ~1/4 cup or 60 ml as original recipe is written)

• 1 1/2 cups filtered water

If you want to be extra:

• So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

• 1/2 cup frozen berries

• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Add ice to the blender first and crush. Then add kale, mango, peaches, ginger, lemon juice (starting with 1 lime (or 1/2 lime to start with if you prefer a less tart smoothie) and 1 cup water to start. The amount of water will depend on how many of your ingredients are frozen.

2. Blend until smooth, only adding water a little at a time as needed, and scraping down the sides/mixing as needed.

3. Once well blended, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If too tart, add more fruit or a little maple syrup (optional). For more zing, add ginger. And for more acidity, add more lemon juice. To make it thicker/colder, add more ice. Blend as needed.

4. Divide between two (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) serving glasses and enjoy immediately. Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

For the extra:

1. Add all ingredients to your rinsed out blender & blend until you reach the desired consistency. Spoon on top of your kale, mango & pineapple smoothie and enjoy.