french lentil potato salad

although the food network show 'diners, drive-ins dives' isn't exactly vegan-friendly, it was the inspiration behind this recipe.  i saw an episode where guy visited a french bistro and the chef made this lentil dressing from dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and soybean oil.  as soon as i saw that dressing, my heart felt all aflutter - i think that flavor combo was put on this earth just for me.  :)  i've made tangy lentil salads before, so i wanted to try something completely new.  it's a perfect early spring recipe - not too heavy, but still warming and savory.  i think it would make a great holiday side dish.

• 4 small yukon gold potatoes
• 10 stalks of asparagus
• 3/4 cup french green lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soybean oil

the first step it to start cooking the lentils - 1/3 cup dry will make about 3/4 cup cooked.  bring them to a boil and then let simmer.  as they are cooking, dice up the potatoes into cubes and lay on a cookie sheet covered in foil.  drizzle them with one tablespoon of olive oil and and sprinkle on the rosemary.   toss the potatoes around, making sure they are covered with the oil and rosemary mix.  place in the oven at 375°f for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes.

cut about 2 inches off the tops of the asparagus stalks, and then halve those again. pull the cookie sheet out and scoot the potatoes to one side.  toss the asparagus cuts in the other tablespoon of olive oil and place on the other end of the cookie sheet.  pop back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  the potatoes will likely still need some browning up, so put them back in the oven as well.  if they are are too crispy or in danger of burning, remove them when you cook the asparagus. 

the lentils should finish up cooking after the asparagus has been in for a bit.  drain them and set aside.  in a jar, or dressing shaker, mix up the soybean oil, red wine vinegar and dijon mustard.  when the asparagus is done, combine them with the potatoes and lentils and gently toss in the dijon dressing. 

makes about 3 side dish servings.

lentil and tempeh stroganoff

stroganoff is one of those dishes i never had growing up... so my recipe mimics what i *think* it should taste like. luckily, i had a another tester who agreed that it was pretty similar to the traditional one. i've been on a major tempeh kick lately. i don't purchase it that often since it can become a costly ingredient, but i recently made my own homemade batch and have been swooning over some new recipe ideas.

• 8 oz. tempeh
• 1¼ veggie broth
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1¼ tablespoon lemon juice, divided
• 1½ cups cooked green lentils
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 6 oz. silken tofu
• 2+ tablespoons reserved marinade

first break tempeh into smaller strips or cubes and steam for 12 minutes. mix vegetable broth, garlic and onion powders, paprika, black pepper and 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice in a flat bottom bowl or dish. marinate the steamed tempeh for several hours (at least 2).

after tempeh has marinated, drain and reserve liquid. in the magic bullet or food processor, combine tofu, apple cider vinegar, the rest of lemon juice and two tablespoons of reserved marinade. pulse until tofu mixture is thick and creamy... if needed, add a little more marinade by the teaspoon.

heat olive oil in skillet on medium and add cooked lentils. sauté until they start to brown and get a little crunchy, much like a lentil hash. after crunchy bits have formed, add in rest of the marinade broth (at least 1 cup) and simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. do not let all the liquid evaporate. finally, kick heat up just a notch and add in the creamy tofu mixture. cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, until it's a nice stroganoff consistency (like a thick gravy).

server over flat pasta noodles, or brown rice.

vegan mock meatloaf

jen of that pain in the ass vegan and i must have been on the same mock meat vibe, because we both came up meatloaf recipes around the same time (i just took a little longer to get mine posted). i've had a couple of tries at mock meatloaves since becoming vegetarian, but i always forget to write down what i put in it. i finally remembered this time, and luckily, the meatloaf was tasty! it seems really wet in the beginning, but once cooked it firms up nicely and you can easily cut it into pieces.

• 1/2 cup cooked lentils
• 1/2 cup cooked yellow split peas
• 1/2 cup cooked green peas
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 2/3 cups short grain brown rice
• 2 pieces of whole wheat toast
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup hickory bbq sauce

cook lentils, peas and rice according to directions. after the lentils and peas have cooled considerably, pour them into a food processor along with the drained kidney beans and jalapenos. after blending, put the mixture into a large mixing bowl, and add the rest of ingredients (crumble your toast) except for the rice and barbecue sauce. mix thoroughly, and finally add in the rice and bbq sauce as desired. i found the bbq flavour really enriched the flavour, so be sure to add your favourite sauce.

preheat the oven to 375°f. if you like a crispy crust, divide the mixture into to loaf pans. cook both pans for approximately 30 minutes. the result will be less thick, but you'll have a nice proportion of crispy exterior and soft inside. i haven't tried cooking it all in one pan, but i imagine you'll have to extend the cooking time.

i like to serve mine with a trio of dipping condiments (see background of picture). i put one dollop of ketchup, one dollop of mustard, and one dollop of bbq sauce side by side. plus this gives it fancy-pants presentation.

spicy hummus sprout wrap

today is earth day! a veggie diet is one of the top ways to green up your life and reduce your carbon footprint. one person can make a difference! on earthsave.org, you can read:

+10 people could be fed with the grain used to feed 1 cow
+for every pound of beef you do not eat, you save 2,500-5,000 gallons of water
+over 280 gallons of oil are used to feed a cow before slaughter
+animal agriculture is the number one cause of methane and nitrous gas emissions


white bean hummus:

• 1 15oz. can white beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• sriracha (optional)

wrap:

• 2 whole wheat wraps
• 2 cups sprouts
• 5 baby spinach leaves
  
• 1 avocado
• 5-6 roasted red pepper slices

to make the spicy hummus, put all the hummus ingredients in food processor or magic bullet and blend away. i prefer to add the sriracha last, adding until it meets my spice preference.

spread the hummus on wrap. this hummus recipe makes enough for about 4 wraps, so you can keep the extra refrigerated for a few days. you can buy sprouts, or make your own just as easily - read here for miss v's easy sprouting instructions. place sprouts (here with garbanzo, black-eyed peas and green lentils), avocado slices, spinach and roasted red pepper slices on each wrap. roll up and devour with an earth-friendly conscious. :)

lentil paella-jambalaya

although this dish doesn't have any large chunky vegetables, it very much reminded me of the veggie paella i had in spain a few years back. but i also thought it was sort of jambalaya-y with the cajun spices. whatever you want to call it, it was bowl-licking good.

• 1 ½ cups cooked green lentils (approx. ¾ cup dry)
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 vegetarian bouillon cube
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 bag frozen pepper strips (or 1 ½ cups fresh)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  
• 3 tablespoons zatarain's creole seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

after cooking lentils according to package, heat olive oil on medium in large skillet. in a separate saucepan, dissolve veggie bouillon cube in three cups of water. after oil has heated in the skillet, add the lentils, garlic, and onion powder (or real onions, if you can stand them). sauté the lentils for about 4-5 minutes, then add about 1/4 cup of the veggie broth. toss in in the tomato, jalapeno, and pepper strips (i prefer fresh peppers, but i only had frozen on hand). continue sautéing for about 3-4 minutes more, then add the rice, remainder of broth and zatarain's seasoning.
simmer about 5 minutes, stirring often. once the water is about 80% absorbed, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes more.

voilà - you should have a a nice lentil paella-jambalaya.

tangy lentil salad

still working on the pantry clean-out and more determined than ever to eat all these ingredients that seem to carry over months after months. these lentils were leftover from the sloppy lentil burrito recipe and made a nice, tangy salad.

• 1.5 cups cooked lentils (about 3/4 cups dry lentils)
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

just mix everything together. allow the mixture to marinate for at least 30 minutes or so. then serve on a bed of lettuce (2 cups romaine lettuce pictured above). it has a zip and is very tasty.

sloppy lentil burrito

we've been slowly cleaning out the pantry, freezer and fridge, so recipes have been quite an experimental hodge podge around here. luckily i found a bag of green lentils, and was able to throw together a vegan sloppy joe, instead wrapped up in a yummy wheat tortilla.

• 2 cups cooked lentils (1 - 1.25 cup dry lentils)
  
• 1/2 can chili beans (in chili sauce)
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce/nama shoyu
  
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
*(or 1/2 jalapeno)

read lentil package for cooking instructions. while lentils are cooking, heat up chili beans. once cooked, drain as much chili sauce as possible (without washing it off) - if you don't discard some of the sauce, your sloppy joe will be extra soupy. throw half of the can of beans, a little of the chili sauce, and the jalapenos (if using) in the magic bullet or food processor. drain the lentils, then add the chili bean paste, about 6 oz. of tomato sauce, and the rest of the ingredients back in the saucepan and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes.

wrap in a wheat tortilla and serve up with some sea salt & vinegar chips. makes about 4 burritos.