Recipes

• 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.

Prep the ingredients

• The list of ingredients above is a suggestion. Go with the ingredients you like, and what you have on hand. Pint mason jars make for great storage. They are uniform, rustic, and for a casual buffet with friends, can be used as serving bowls for the buffet (much less cleanup!) Brilliant!

For a gathering with friends...

• Set all the ingredients out. If you are having a larger group, you could divide the ingredients to two locations; i.e. grains, proteins greens in one location and veggies, sauces, and garnishes in another.
• Buddha bowls are a creative endeavor, but tend to follow a pattern. Here is a suggestion to get you started:

  ¼ cup each of 1 grain, 2 proteins, and 2 leafy greens; ⅛ cup of 4 veggies; 3 TBSP of your sauce of choice; garnish to your taste.

To create meals for the week...

• Assemble the Buddha bowls in pint jars and store in the refrigerator. These are great for a quick snack, or to take to the office for a healthy, nutritious lunch.

  Pint Mason jars are a great size for this but you might consider repurposing peanut butter and salsa jars?! Reusing is ever so earth friendly...and free.

For a formal buffet...

• Assemble your ingredients on a large (24") platter. It can become the focus of your buffet table. Section the ingredients around the platter, mixing up the colors and textures. People can assemble their bowls and then move to a second station to add their sauce of choice and the garnishes

• Zest the lemons, and set the zest aside. Juice the lemons as set aside. You will use these later in the recipe.
• Heat a large deep skillet over high heat. Add avocado oil, and then sauté the onion, carrot and celery until they are caramelized. About 5 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
• Add the potatoes, salt and pepper, and sauté until the potatoes begin to brown slightly. Add the stock and let the potatoes steam until they are almost cooked through. About 8 minutes total.
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until it is smooth. This is your "slurry".
• Add the spinach, bok choy, and radicchio and stir it in, letting it wilt slightly.
• Stir in the lemon juice then add the slurry. Stir to combine. Continue cooking on high heat until the cornstarch taste has cooked out and the sauce is smooth and silky. Add the red pepper and warm slightly. (If you cook them too long they will loose both their flavor and their crunch.)
• Plate the dinner. Add a side of beets or broccoli. Then garnish with (in order:) a drizzle of tamari, parsley confetti, and garam masala (to taste). Top with lemon zest curls. Serve hot.
• FOR A DIFFERENT PRESENTATION: do not add the spinach, bok choy, and radicchio to the starry. Instead, toss the three greens together. Put the greens in the middle of the plate, like a salad. Spoon the stir fry over the "salad" and garnish as indicated.

• Put the walnuts and almonds in the food processor and chop for 90 seconds until nuts are a fine meal, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the work bowl and process for an additional 90 seconds until smooth. If needed, you can use an additional TBSP of coconut cream to adjust the texture to your liking.
• Use the pesto as a condiment in cooking, a spread on crackers or bread, or thinned slightly as a sauce on pasta.

Make cashew cream

• Put the cashews in a small bowl and cover with 3 cups of boiling hot water. Let soak for at least one hour
• Drain the cashews and rinse well. Place in a blender. Add the cold water. Blend on high speed for 90 seconds. Pour into a container and set aside.

Make the soup

• Add all the remaining ingredients into the blender in the order listed. Blend on high speed until smooth.
• Heat the soup on the stove in a a sauce pan. If you are using a VitaMix blender, blend for 6 1/2 minutes or until the soup is hot.
• Remove from the heat and pour in the cashew cream.

Garnish and Serve

• Pour the soup into bowls. If you like garnish with fresh croutons and a sprig of fresh thyme or a pinch of flat-leaf parsley