More Favorite Vegan Recipes

A few more of my favorite recipes. This is a meal that I use for people when I don't want to scare them away from vegan food. Or kale. :) I would eat this soup every day, it's so creamy and flavorful. Cody especially loves the croutons. And the cherry tomato gratin is by far my favorite way to eat tomatoes, which I don't normally care for too much. Add garlic and crispy breadcrumbs to anything and I'm good to go. :)

Also, sorry about the jacked up formatting. Blogger is so annoying about this stuff. Much like Microsoft Word, which has THE most annoying formatting settings ever. This is the kind of thing that totally stresses me out and would normally keep me from publishing the post, but I'm going to let it go. Especially since I think basically no one reads this blog anyway! Haha!

Cherry Tomato Gratin

Adapted from a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, rinsed & dried

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko, which are japanese breadcrumbs, but any kind would probably be fine)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast (found in the bulk section of HEB, Whole Foods or Sprouts)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 tsp dried parsley

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Put tomatoes in 8x8 square dish or 9" pie plate. Cover and microwave for a few minutes to get the tomatoes started. Meanwhile, combine panko, nutritional yeast, garlic, pepper, salt & parsley in a small bowl. Stir in the olive oil and mix well to distribute. Spread evenly over the tomatoes and bake until browned, about 20 minutes.

(You can also use parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast. Then do equal parts breadcrumbs & parm (1/4 cup each) and omit the salt since parmesan is salty already.)

Kale Sunshine Salad

Recipe by the amazing Mama Pea, who blogs at peasandthankyou.com. Check out her website and her cookbook (by the same name) for a wealth of kid-friendly vegan recipes!

Ingredients

1 head kale

1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste, found my the peanut butter or on the ethnic foods aisle)

2 tbsp water

juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1-2 tsp minced garlic

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of sugar

Directions

Wash kale & pat dry. Remove the thick part of the stem, then gather leaves into bundles and cut across in 1/2" strips. Put in a large salad bowl. Whisk together all the other ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Pour over the kale and massage with your hands to soften the kale. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes (or several hours) before serving to allow kale to soften more.

White Bean Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons

Recipe by Dreena Burton from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
6 cups cooked white kidney (cannellini) beans (this is about 4 cans) (cannellini beans are expensive so I usually use great northern beans, which are also white but smaller, and cheaper)
3 cups vegetable stock (or 3 cups water with 1-2 veggie bullion cubes)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 batch "Jumbo Croutons" (below)
1 -2 tbsp olive oil (for finishing, optional)

Directions

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, garlic, dry mustard, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 4 cups beans, stock, water, and rosemary, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. With a hand blender, puree soup until smooth. Or carefully transfer soup to a blender & blend, then transfer back to pot. Stir in remaining 2 cups beans and lemon juice. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve in individual bowls, topped with a handful of Jumbo Croutons and drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Serves 5-6

Jumbo Croutons

Ingredients

6 slices sandwich bread (I used HEB brand whole wheat)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut bread slices into 1" squares. In a large bowl, toss cubes with oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer bread onto sheet, then sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 12 minutes, tossing once or twice throughout, until lightly browned.