Recipes

Mashed Potatoes

• Wash potatoes well and cut into 1" cubes. Leave the skin on for a more rustic texture.
• Bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add potatoes and salt. Add extra water if needed to cover the potatoes. Add a loose lid to the pot and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Remove potatoes from the heat. RESERVE THE LIQUID as you drain the potatoes and let them cool for 10 minutes..
• Cut up the butter. Add the butter, salt, and pepper to the potatoes and mash until fluffy. Put in the refrigerator to cool overnight (see NOTE). If the potatoes are not moist enough, add some of the reserved stock.

  OPTIONAL: For an easy presentation, shape the potatoes into 4 equal size balls. Place on a small cookie tray and smash into a "pancake". Cover lightly and let freeze.

Lentil Carrot Stew

• Set your Instant Pot to "Sauté" and bring it up to temperature. Add 2 TBSP of avocado oil. Sauté the minced shallots and the diced carrots. Cook until tender and fragrant.
• Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and the moisture evaporates. The mushrooms will start to brown.
• Push the mushrooms and shallots to the side of the pot. Add the tomato paste to the center. Cook the tomato paste until it is fragrant and begins to brown lightly. Use several tablespoons of the broth to help scrape up the bits of caramelized tomato paste off the bottom of the pot.
• Add Chef Leander's Amazing Vegan Vegetable Stock to the Instant Pot. Add the lentils, coconut aminos, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• Seal the Instant Pot and set on multigrain for 20 minutes. Seal the pot and let cook.
• When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, carefully turn the steam release valve and let the pot depressurize. Carefully open the depressurized pot and stir in the frozen peas. Stir well so the hot stew will heat the frozen peas evenly

Serving Options

• If your potatoes are cold, heat them in a skillet. If your potatoes are in frozen disks, cook like pancakes: let hem heat and brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side.

  For an informal serving, place hot mashed potatoes in the bottom of a "cereal" bowl. Add 1/4 of the cheese and and top with 1/4 of the lentil stew.

  For a more formal presentation, reverse the stacking order. Stew in the bowl, cheese in the middle, toasted mashed potties on the top.

  Garnish with chopped parsley.

Cook the grains

• Bring the water to a boil. Mix the grains in a medium bowl. Salt the boiling water. Add the grains and return to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the grains have absorbed the water. No peeking! Remove from heat and allow to cool. If you're in a hurry, put the cooked grain on a metal sheet and cool in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Prepare the flavor ingredients

• Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans. RESERVE LIQUID. Toss the beans with the olive oil and garam masala. Set aside
• Wash the sweet potato and cut off the ends. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes (15 mm). Bake on a small sheet pan until tender. Use your air fryer or toaster oven, if available, to keep the apartment cooler.
• Zest and juice the lemon into the same bowl.
• Set out all the remaining Buddha Bowl ingredients. No need to be in separate bowls, but it does help to separate them out on a cutting board so you can see what you are working with.

Make the Lemon-Tahini Dressing

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Process for 60 seconds. If you prefer a thinner dressing, you can adjust with one TBSP of water or aquafaba until the desired consistency is reached.

Assemble the bowls

• Set out five containers. Divide the grains into the bowls. Layer in the beans and veggies. No need to make each bowl the same.This will make each lunch this week a bit different. Top with the lemon-tahini dressing, or another dressing of your choice.

Make the Lemon-Tahini Dressing

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Process for 60 seconds. If you prefer a thinner dressing, you can adjust with one TBSP of water or aquafaba until the desired consistency is reached.

• PREPARE PASTA: Boil 6 cups of water in a large sauce pan. Add the pasta and salt. Return to a roiling boil 2 min. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until almost tender about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander. DO NOT RINSE. set aside.
• MAKE CAESAR DRESSING: Put the vegenaise in a large bowl.
• *PASTE THE GARLIC: Smash the garlic cloves on your cutting board with the side of your knife. Mince the garlic finely. Add the kosher salt and rub it into the garlic with the side of your knife to make a paste. Add this to the dressing in the bowl.
• ZEST ONE LEMON with a microplane. Juice BOTH lemons. Add the zest and the juice to the dressing.
• ADD: Rice vinegar, sun-dried tomato oil, vegan parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes.
• WHISK THE DRESSING until the ingredients are well incorporated. Chef's Secret: Hand whisk this with a balloon whisk rather than using a blender.
• ADD THE PASTA to the bowl of dressing.
• SUN DRIED TOMATOES: Drain them, mince them, add them to the salad bowl.
• MINCE THE GREENS: Mince the Italian parsley, spinach, and kale (remove the tough center stem). Measure the greens into the bowl.
• STIR until all ingredients and the dressing are well distributed.
• ARRANGE THE SALAD in a serving bowl lined with large leaves of cabbage or lettuce. Garnish as you like.
• TO PLATE INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS, line each plate with radicchio leaves. Top with 1½ cups of the salad. Garnish with vegan parmesan or pine nuts. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Place 3 grape tomatoes together on the edge of the plate. Finish with a sprinkle of parsley confetti.

• Place the dried cherries and the agave in a 2 quart / 2 liter mason jar.
• Put the hibiscus tea in a tea ball or infuser and add to the mason jar.
• Add the hot water to the jar (be sure to immerse all of the tea leaves) and allow to steep for 1 hour or more.
• When the tea is cool enough to touch, remove the tea ball. Add one fresh peach, thinly sliced. Add the juice of one fresh lime. Cover with a "pour spout" mason jar cover. Chill in the refrigerator. (See NOTES)
• TO SERVE: Fill 16 oz (1/2 liter) glasses with ice. Top with fresh peach slices. Fill the glass with equal parts of tea and cold water. Garnish with a thin slice of fresh lime.

• Make Thickener (Roux): Melt 1 TBSP vegan butter in sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the minced shallots and sauté until caramelized.
• Add the tapioca and brown rice flours and whisk to remove lumps. Cook until the flours start to "brown" ever so slightly.
• Add a small amount of almond milk and whisk well. The sauce will "seize up." That is expected. Continue adding the rest of the almond milk in small amounts, whisking well with each addition so there are no lumps in the sauce.
• Add the reserved artichoke brine all at once and stir to incorporate. Add the bay leaf and lower the heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken.
• Remove the bay leaf and add the rest of the sauce ingredients: bay leaf, sunflower nut butter, nutritional yeast, garlic and chèvre (if using). Whisk well until you have a smooth sauce.
• Stir in the chopped canned artichoke hearts, the fresh spinach, vinegar, dried dill, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until the spinach wilts.
• Pour into a ramekin or au gratin dish and serve with crackers or thinly sliced sourdough baguette.

• Strip the rosemary and time leaves from their stems. Put the herbs, garlic, and olive oil in the blender and blend 30 seconds. Set aside to meld the flavors.

  ALTERNATE METHOD: Use a kitchen hammer to smash the herbs and the garlic. Add herbs to the olive oil and allow to steep for an hour.
• Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook. Put all the dry ingredients in the work bowl. Chef's Secret: create separate "wells" for the yeast, salt, and sugar.
• In a small bowl, add the tepid water (it should just barely register as warm on your hand). Add 2 TBSP of the herbed oil mixture to the water.
• Using a spoon or whisk, lightly mix the dry ingredients in the work bowl. Make one large well in the center and pour the liquids into the well. Start the mixer on slow and let the mixture combine. You can carefully speed up the mixer to medium as the ingredients come together.
• When a ball form on the dough hook, set the mixer again on slow and let the dough kneed for 3 minutes.
• While the dough is "kneeding", place a damp towel in the microwave and set it to "cook" for 1 minute. This will create a "hot box" with steam as a draft free location to raise the bread.
• Prepare a large bowl (that will fit in your microwave) by making a circle of olive oil in the bowl.
• The dough is ready when the ball on the dough hook has a smooth surface. Using floured hands, roll the dough into a ball. Put it in the oiled bowl, top side down. Swirl it a distribute some of the olive oil. Turn it over in the bowl so the top is now facing you. Cover lightly with aluminum foil or a lightweight kitchen towel. Place in the microwave (NO YOU DO NOT TURN IT ON!) LOL and set your timer for 1hr 15 min
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
• Prepare a work surface on the counter. A silicone mat is perfect.
• When the dough ball has doubled in size, turn it out onto your work surface. Using a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) roll the dough out to about 10x14 inches (the inner borders of my sil-pat).
• With the oiled side down, put the dough in the pan and adjust to an even layer. Use your fingers to make lots of indentations in the dough. Pour the remaining herbed olive oil on the top of the bread and distribute evenly.
• Cover and let rise for 15 minutes (ONLY)
• Sprinkle a few pinches of kosher salt on top of the dough. Slide the pan into the hot oven. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley confetti. This is delicious warm or cold.

• Use a zester to create strips of orange peel.
• Take the leaves off the two longest rosemary sprigs. Trim the other sprig to three 2-inch pieces (5 cm).
• Heat the cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Add the avocado oil. The temperature is correct if the oil just barely begins to smoke.
• Take the skillet off the burner and add the hazelnuts. They will brown (toast) almost immediately. Keep the nuts moving so they don't burn.
• Season with applewood smoked salt (or kosher salt and smoked paprika) and the rosemary leaves. Toss to roast lightly. Add the orange peel and serve immediately.
• This is a stunning appetizer, especially when served in the cast iron skillet. Not only is it a classic look, but the cast iron cools slowly, keeping the nuts tasty and warm for at least an hour.