recipes

sans swine collards

collard greens (or kale)

red bell pepper (optional)

veggie broth

spice blend

bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce

apple cider vinegar (small batch: 1.5 tbsp, larger batch 2 tbsp or to taste)

sea salt

basil

old bay seasoning

oregano

parsley

sage

thyme

cayenne pepper OR crushed red pepper (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

1 clove fresh garlic or dried minced garlic to taste (approx. 1 tsp)

chopped onion (small batch: 1/2 med, large batch: 1 lg)

liquid smoke (optional....use (sparingly!!) if you want that "meaty", smoky taste)

instructions

• clean the greens, remove stems, and chop if desired
• combine all spices and minced onions in the bottom of the pot. stir well. if the smell reminds you of salad dressing, you're on the right track.
• add collards. pour veggie broth over the greens. the broth doesn't have to cover the greens. i would say 2-4" of liquid is enough: 2" for a smaller batch, up to 4" for a larger one.
  in a pinch, use water. if you do, use as little as possible & step up the seasoning accordingly.
• place over low heat for approximately 20min, stirring occasionally. once the collards have changed color and become tender (usually once the broth has come to a boil), turn off the flame and let them steam until tender.
• enjoy! (even better the next day! and they freeze well)

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classic 7up cake

ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sugar

2 TB vanilla extract**

5 eggs

3 cups flour

3/4 cup 7-Up (Sprite works just as well)

confectioner's sugar (optional)

directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cream butter and sugar for 20 minutes (time yourself. seriously.). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
• Slowly add flour, a little bit at a time. Mix well.
• Take bowl off mixer & gradually fold in 7-Up with a spatula. Pour mixture into a lightly greased ring-shaped/bundt cake pan (it's a big cake) for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Let cool & sprinkle w/ confectioner's sugar, if desired.

**some recipes say to use lemon extract, but i think that's overkill, given the citrus flavor of the 7up. either way, use either lemon OR vanilla extract, not both. and i always, always use the real extracts, not imitation.

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veggie lasagna

1 large eggplant or 2 medium sized eggplants

1 box frozen spinach or 1 small bag fresh spinach

1 16 oz container ricotta cheese

1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese (2-3 cup size, depending on your preference. i usually use a 3 cup bag)

1 16oz can button mushrooms or 1 pint fresh mushrooms, sliced (your choice...portabellas are great)

1 box oven ready or traditional lasagna noodles

2 jars marinara sauce (suggestions: Five Brothers' "four cheese", trader joe's "caponata marinara", paul

newman's marinara)

1 red pepper (opt.)

1 green pepper (opt.

1 yellow pepper (opt.)

olive oil

kosher salt (opt.)

salt

pepper

oregano

parsley

basil

dash of minced garlic or 1/2 clove fresh garlic

parmesean cheese (optional)

directions

• heat oven to 350 degrees.
• slice eggplant about 1/2" thick. sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, place in a colander, and weigh down with a dinner plate. let it sit for 30min-1hour.*
• frozen spinach: cook spinach according to package directions (if you're using frozen), let cool to room temp.
  fresh spinach: take about 1/2 the bag and chop finely. mix with ricotta cheese. add salt, pepper, parsley, basil, parmesan cheese, and oregano to taste. stir well. refrigerate until time for layering.
• heat olive oil in pan (approx. 1 tbsp—enough to coat the pan, but not to pour). if using whole mushrooms, slice about 1/2" thick. if you're using peppers, chop finely. sauté mushrooms & peppers until heated through and tender, adding garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from the pan Drain and set aside. reserve pan drippings for eggplant.
• if you salted the eggplant, blot dry with paper towels. sauté until tender...you don't have to fry them 'til they brown. add oil as needed, allowing it to heat before adding more eggplant. place eggplant slices between layers of paper towels to drain. set aside.
• coat bottom of lasagna pan with a thin layer of marinara sauce. add a layer of noodles (follow instructions on the box for oven ready noodles)
• spread ricotta/spinach mix over noodles. follow with a layer of peppers/mushrooms and eggplant.
• sprinkle mozzarella cheese over vegetables, then another thin layer of sauce. top with noodles. repeat. topmost layer should be (in order) noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesean cheeses.
• cover lasagna with alumninum foil. bake for 45 min. uncover and bake for another 15-20 min or until cheese on top is golden brown.
• enjoy!!!

*i've found it doesn't make a difference whether you do this or not, but some folks think that if you don't, the eggplant will be bitter. *shrug*

**for vegans: soy mozzarella shreds bake well, unlike most vegan cheeses. i don't know if you can find soy ricotta. i use real cheese. adjust quantities depending on how large/dense you want the lasagna and the taste/texture of the brand of vegan cheese you're using.

**lazy ppl's version—I swear it works…& if you hate soggy eggplant, you might wanna try it. basically, don't cook a thing. Get sliced mushrooms. Slice the eggplant as instructed. Prepare the ricotta/spinach mixture as above. layer as follows:

sauce (bottom of pan)

noodles

(raw) eggplant

(raw) mushrooms

cheeses

sauce

noodles

etc.

to season, sprinkle a mix of parsley, oregano, basil, and black pepper over each layer of eggplant and mushrooms. use a little more sauce on each layer than you would with cooked veggies. Bake as directed.

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vegan "crab" soup

adjust quantities depending on how much soup you want. you can even make (or buy) your favorite tomato-based veggie soup & just add a ton of Old Bay, the seasoned tofu, and seaweed.

prep time: about 1 hr-90min

ingredients
1 bag fresh/frozen mixed soup vegetables
spinach (optional; if using fresh, you want it coarsely chopped with longer stems removed.)
seaweed (optional...but adds "fish" flavor. wash/drain according to pkg directions)
1 red bell pepper(s)
1 small or medium onion OR onion powder to taste
1 16oz can tomato sauce or 1 small can of tomato paste
veggie broth
extra firm tofu (1lb for a large pot, 1/2 or 1/3lb for a smaller one)
2-3 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?ID=6216)**
salt & pepper to taste
sage
thyme
parsley
cayenne pepper
spike natural seasoning (optional; http://www.amazon.com/Spike-All-Purpose-Seasoning-oz/dp/B0004LZD4I)
olive oil

directions
shred or mince the tofu so it resembles crabmeat. place in a bowl. add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a pinch or two of spike, and some of the old bay seasoning (about 1 tsp). stir and set aside in refrigerator. if you have time, do this the day before.

pour a little olive oil in the bottom of your pot (barely enough to cover the bottom of the pot...1/2 tsp?). add frozen veggies (do not thaw), FROZEN spinach, bell peppers, onions, and spices. add vegetable broth to get your desired consistency (soup or stew?). use less broth for frozen veggies, more for fresh ones. add tomato sauce/paste, stir well.

let simmer over low medium heat, covered. bring to boil, stirring occasionally and adjusting spices if necessary. cook until vegetables are tender (fresh) or thawed and heated through (frozen).

remove the tofu from the refrigerator. it should smell something like tuna salad. dump it in the pot. if you're using FRESH spinach, add it when you add the tofu. bring to a second boil.

enjoy!

it's better the next day!


**in case you've never used old bay, it has a strong flavor. use it to taste, and go easy on the other peppers (cayenne & black) unless you want a really spicy soup.

many thanks to omi for these delicious recipes.