Here are some of Nancy’s vegan recipes!

1. AFRICAN INSPIRED PEANUT SOUP

Peanut stews are common in Western Africa. Native groundnuts were used until peanuts arrived in the 16^th century. The original recipes usually included meat, but this recipe is tasty without. This type dish is called “Mafe” or “Maafe” and according to google, originated with the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali.  Couscous or rice go well with the soup. But, you might choose “Stonefire Authentic Flat Breads, NAAN, WHOLE GRAIN”, a flat bread that can be found in Tom’s, for a special occasion. Notice that the soup can be spiced as written, or made spicy by adding a seeded jalapeno and/or cayenne pepper.  Authentic peanut soups are usually very spicy. This recipe is tasty with or without the heat!! 

AFRICAN INSPIRED PEANUT SOUP

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with the juices

1/3-1/2 Cup natural peanut butter

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

4 cups vegetable broth

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 handfuls baby spinach or destemmed and torn kale leaves

Fresh cilantro or parsley leaves for serving (optional)

Roasted peanuts for serving (Nice, but optional)

If you like spicy food, add these ingredients when you add the bell pepper:

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced and/or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic , ginger, cumin and salt. Saute, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until the onion is starting to get translucent.
2. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno (if you like spicey) and/or cayenne (again, if you like spicey), then add the tomatoes with their juices.
3. Add the peanut butter. When the peanut butter is mixed in, add the sweet potato.  (Peanut butter will be grainy until you add the heat.)
4. Raise heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring to get the peanut butter to mix in. 
5. Add the 4 cups of vegetable broth and stir again.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a soft boil, then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork-tender. Mash some of the sweet potato with a spoon to thicken the soup.
7. Stir in the chickpeas, spinach or kale and cook until the spinach or kale is wilted or let the heat of the soup cook the greens.  Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro or parsley and roasted, ground peanuts, if you like.

2. Creating with Chocolate & Avocado

What a treat! Sunrise Café is sharing their Avocado-Chocolate Pudding recipe with our “Vegan in the Village” column.  If you like chocolate, you are going to love this nutritious, special treat.  This recipe is a perfect starting point for creating your own avocado-chocolate pudding. I love the tang provided by the orange juice in this Sunrise recipe.  But other flavorings such as cinnamon and almond extract will also complement the chocolate. And, even though water works perfectly well for the liquid that is needed,  a friend found a recipe that uses nondairy milk.  It’s all based on what you like and what you have on hand.  Of course, you can play with the amounts of cocoa powder (I use unsweetened) and sweetner. Keep in mind that all cocoa powders don’t taste the same, so you can try different ones to find the one you like the best.  Start by making this recipe, then branch out and see what you can create. What a fun concept; chocolate pudding based on avocado! So, dig in and see what you come up with!  Then, be sure to go to Sunrise Café and try their Avocado-Chocolate Pudding and see how yours compares.  Unless you t the exact same cocoa powder, you are bound to notice a difference!

SUNRISE CAFÉ AVOCADO-CHOCOLATE PUDDING (Serves 2)

1 ripe avocado

1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 Tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add later 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons hot water

Scoop out avocado into a small food processor, then add the remaining ingredients, except for the hot water. Puree until the ingredients look like pudding, then add 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons hot water.  Chill before serving.

3. Yum, Yum Pancakes are Fun

A pancake recipe is a versatile addition to any plant-based kitchen.  These buckwheat pancakes are high in protein and gluten free.  Pancakes are a traditional breakfast food, but can also make a satisfying supper.  It’s “Breakfast for Supper”!  You might want to serve them with “The Best Tofu Scramble” by Nora Cooks at https://www.noracooks.com/wprm_print/4234

 or “Vegan Sausage” by Ela Vegan at https://www.elavegan.com/vegan-sausage-recipe/. The Tofu Scramble is especially delicious with small, chopped vegetables, as suggested in the notes for the recipe. Don’t forget the maple syrup, nut butters and fruit preserves as possible toppings. Whether it’s breakfast or supper, get out your spatula and flip those pancakes!

Buckwheat Pancakes (Gluten Free)

2 Tablespoons flax meal plus 6 Tablespoons water

1 Cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

A few shakes salt (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Oil for cooking

Instructions:

1. Place the flax meal and water in a small bowl, mix and let stand for 5 or more minutes.
2. Place the buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together.
3. Add the maple syrup, water, vanilla and flax meal mixture. Stir with a whisk or large spoon.
4. Add extra buckwheat flour if the batter is too thin.
5. Preheat a skillet, then coat it with oil. (Use a paper towel to spread the oil and create a thin layer.) Skillet is ready when a drop of water sizzles in the pan. Spoon batter into the pan. Cook on one side until bubbles form, then turn the pancakes over until cooked through.  Makes about six five-inch pancakes.
6. Serve the pancakes with maple syrup, nut butters, fruit preserves or anything you would normally pair with pancakes. 

4. A Nod to Indian Cuisine     

The author of “Butter Chickpeas”, Carleigh Bodrug, says this dish is modeled after Indian “Butter Chicken”. The result is a dish that definitely makes you think of Indian cuisine.  It is absolutely delicious. I’ve tried it out on several friends and they all agree. Take a little break from food preparation by doubling this recipe to make it last a few days, and enjoy!

“Butter Chickpeas” slightly adapted from PlantYou by Carleigh Bodrug (Website: plantyou.com)

Ingredients

1 medium onion (sweet or yellow), chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 (15 ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups) with juices

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (about 1 1/2 cups), drained and rinsed

3/4 Cup canned full-fat or light coconut milk

1/4 Cup almond  or peanut butter*

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Cilantro as garnish, chopped (optional)

1 Cup uncooked basmati rice (rinsed) and 1 1/2 Cups water

Instructions

1. Saute the onion and garlic in 1-2 Tablespoons water in a large skillet or saucepan.
2. Add curry, cumin and paprika, covering the onion and garlic mixture.
3. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk and almond or peanut butter.

*If you can’t use the nut butter, you can leave it out. The end product is not quite as creamy, but the dish will still be delicious.

• Stir in the cider vinegar, tamari and maple syrup.
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Now, rinse the rice. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 12 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.  Fluff the rice.
• Serve your “Butter Chickpeas” over the rice.  Garnish with cilantro, if you wish.

Notes:

1. If you double the recipe, it will take the whole can of coconut milk.
2. You can add mushrooms, tofu cubes or vegetables such as bell peppers, peas, and potatoes.
3. Tahini can also be a substitute for the nut butter.

5.

5. Vegan Sweets for the Holidays – Cookies

It’s December.  I’m thinking sweets.  So, this week’s recipes are sweet, but still healthy and, of course, vegan. One tip for baking vegan is a simple replacement for eggs.  It’s a “flax egg” (see below for how to make one). Sweeteners are often maple syrup, but could be honey, and sometimes a little sugar. When I use sugar, I cut the sugar by at least a half from the original recipe.  Other, more natural sugars are available, but they are expensive and still high in calories. There’s also Stevia and other low calorie sweeteners, but I’m trying to provide recipes that use ingredients you might already have in your kitchen or can easily get from Tom’s or Rosie’s.

Try out these simple treats for the holidays: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Black Bean Brownies.  Enjoy!

FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 flax egg *

1 Cup natural crunchy peanut butter

1/4 Cup sugar (Most recipes call for 1 Cup, but 1/4 is enough!)

1 teaspoon vanilla

*To make a “flax egg”, mix together 1 Tablespoon flax meal +

3 Tablespoons water and let sit for about 10 minutes.)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes or longer. Prepare cookie sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Make small balls with the chilled dough. Place the balls on the cookie sheet, leaving space between, and mash, criss-cross with a fork. Bake about 7-10 minutes. Cookies are done when they are a little brown on the bottom. Let them cool before removing from the cookie sheet. When hot these cookies are very fragile. Makes about 20, 2 inch cookies. If you want more than 20, just make them smaller. (Note: These cookies are great frozen. Double the recipe to use a whole jar of peanut butter. Make them small, about an inch across for bite-size snacks.)   

     Adapted from many sources by Nancy Lineburgh.

HEALTHY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 large, ripe banana

1/3 Cup almond or peanut butter

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Cup rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional, especially if nut butter is salted)

1/3 Cup raisins

Instructions

Mash bananas until creamy. Add nut butter and maple syrup and combine. (If your nut butter is cold from the frig, microwave it for 15-30 seconds, or until it is easy to stir.) Add rolled oats, cinnamon (and salt), to the banana, maple syrup and nut butter. Mix together. Add the raisins last. Dough will be sticky. Use a teaspoon to drop dough on cookie sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Use your fingers to smash the cookies to form a round, somewhat flat shape. Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Makes about 18, 2 inch cookies.

Note: If you don’t want to use a sweetener like maple syrup, this recipe also works by replacing the maple syrup with half a small, ripe banana.

     Adapted from the “The Roasted Root” website.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dry Ingredients

1/2 Cup rolled oats

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt (skip if the beans have salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Wet Ingredients

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 Cup canola oil

1/3 Cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

Final Ingredient

1/2 Cup chocolate chips

Save another 1/2 Cup chocolate chips to use as “icing” (see below)

Instructions

Prepare a 8×8 pan with unbleached parchment paper or cooking spray.

In a food processor or blender, blend all the dry ingredients until the oats are fine. Add the wet ingredients and continue blending until batter is smooth. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and fold in 1/2 Cup chocolate chips. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the top is cracked. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Cup chocolate chips on top. When they have melted, spread them like icing. Cool thoroughly before cutting. They are fragile!

Note: It is difficult to find reasonably priced chocolate chips without any dairy. As a vegan, sometimes you have to be a little flexible!!

    Adapted from the Spring 2021 Newsletter of Community Servings, a Boston-based charity.

Headline: Time for Fruit Pie!

     It’s cherry and blueberry season.  I spent some time Saturday morning picking cherries in Yellow Springs.  Brings a whole new meaning to “low hanging fruit”.  The cherry tree was quite large and over 20 years old.  Cherries were everywhere.  I didn’t even need to use a ladder to gather enough cherries for a pie. Was a labor of love.  Took about as much time to pit the cherries as it did to pick them.  But the experience and the pie was totally worth it. 

     Pfeifer Orchard is now taking orders for their cherries, already pitted. Blueberries are currently available. Fruit pies are easy to make and delicious.  Be sure to try making your own crust.  My recipe is simple, but does require wax paper.  So, make sure you have that on hand.  The other, not-so-common ingredient for the pie filling is Minute Tapioca.  The tapioca is needed to thicken the juice.  Just imagine sinking your teeth into a sweet, fruit filling surrounded by a tender, flaky crust.  Make a fruit pie!

Cherry Pie Filling

Mix together and let sit for at least 15 minutes:

3 Cups fresh cherries, 1/2 Cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca

OR

3 Cups frozen cherries, thawed*, 1/2 Cup sugar, 4 Tablespoons tapioca

(Save 1 Tablespoon Minute Tapioca for the bottom of the pie crust for either fresh or frozen cherry pies.)

*Besides the fresh cherry pie, I also made a pie from a bag of Pfeifer’s frozen cherries I had in the freezer from last year.  The thawed cherries created a large amount of juice. Even after I removed the cherries from the juice with a slotted spoon, there was at least 1/2-3/4 Cups of juice on the cherries so I added an extra tablespoon of tapioca to thicken the extra juice.

Blueberry Pie Filling

Mix together and let sit for at least 15 minutes:

4 Cups blueberries (fresh or frozen), 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar, 4 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca

(Save 1 Tablespoon  Minute Tapioca for the bottom of the pie crust.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees**

Get 2 pieces of wax paper (12”x12”) ready for rolling out the crust.

Crust (1 Double Crust for an 8 or 9 Inch Pie Pan) (Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

2 Cups white, unbleached flour (Or 1 1/2 Cups white and 1/2 Cup whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 -3/4 teaspoons salt (Mix the flour and salt together with a fork)

1/2 Cup Canola or Olive oil, plus 5 Tablespoons water (Add water to the oil without stirring)

Instructions for the Crust and for Finishing the Pie

1. Mix the flour and the salt with a fork.
2. Dump the oil and water into the flour and mix with a FORK until all the flour has been absorbed.
3. Make two balls of dough.
4. Place dough between two pieces of wax paper (12 inch square) and flatten slightly with your hand.
5. With a rolling pin, or large jar or bottle, roll out from the middle, one direction at a time until you have a 12 inch circle.
6. Peel the wax paper from the top of the rolled out dough and place, dough-side down into the pie pan for the bottom crust (or over the  filling for the top crust).
7. Remove the other side of wax paper.
8. Add 1 Tablespoon Minute Tapioca to the inside of the bottom crust.

• Add the filling mixture of fruit, sugar and Minute Tapioca, and distribute evenly.
• Now, roll out the second ball of dough and repeat steps #4-7.  Place the second crust on top of the filling.  If some edges need more dough, take dough from places that have too much.  Patch where needed.
• Pinch the edge (Look on-line if you don’t know how to do this.)
• Cut a circle in the center and remove that dough and make 6-8 slits in the top crust.
• Place a cookie sheet under the pie to catch any juice that bubbles out.
• Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling starts to bubble and the edges are slightly brown. Top crust will not brown to be done. 

**Use an oven thermometer if your oven doesn’t always provide the chosen temperature. My oven tends to run cool.