Navy bean gravy

Move over, mushroom gravy. Here comes your thicker cousin, perfect for a big Southern breakfast or just good ol' mashed potatoes.

This recipe is really easy if you have an immersion blender; if you don't, apply a food processor or blender instead.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup flour
1 15-oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 - 1/2 cup water, to thin

Directions

Preheat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and black pepper and give it about 3 more minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, and flour. Add to the sauteing vegetables and blend immediately until smooth (assuming you have an immersion blender. If not, carefully use a food processor or blender).

Stir the gravy often until it thickens, about 10 minutes.

Once the gravy thickens, reduce heat to a simmer. Now you can add additional water to achieve desired thinness.

Cook for an additional 20 minutes to let the flavors deepen.

Goddess noodles

Where'd the name come from? Simple: You'll shout "good goddess" the first time you prepare this perfect-for-weeknights noodle dinner. Yes, it's that easy.

This one's another winner from Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Goddess bless her, half the meals I've cooked this year are based on recipes out of this new book of hers.

Ingredients

8 oz whole-wheat linguine

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup pasta water, reserved

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt, plus a couple pinches

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

8 oz tempeh, diced into 1/2" pieces

6 cups broccoli florets and thinly sliced stems

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh chives, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Boil pasta in a large pot according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of cooking water for the tahini sauce; then drain the pasta and set aside.

Mix together the tahini, 1/2 cup warm water, and lemon juice. Whisk, or use a fork or an immersion blender, until smooth. Mix in the nutritional yeast and salt. Set aside.

Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute the tempeh with 1 tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt until lightly browned, about 7 minutes, tossing frequently. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Next cook the broccoli with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Saute about 5 minutes. You want the broccoli bright green and snappy.

Push the broccoli to one side, then add the garlic and remaining 1 tsp oil. Carefully saute just the broccoli about 30 seconds and then mix with the broccoli.

Turn off the heat and add the pasta. Mix it all together with a pasta fork. Add the tahini sauce and stir to coat. Now add the reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce and get everything nicely coated.

Stir in the tempeh, chives, and black pepper. Try not to eat it all by yourself.

Mushroom gravy

Classic, savory gravy that goes great anywhere gravy is called for.

This is a great opportunity to showcase your homemade veggie broth, though the premade kind is also fine (and it's what I use).

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 yellow onion, diced small
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz brown mushrooms, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp dried sage (or 1 tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine, like a chardonnay

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the flour and half the vegetable broth. Once smooth, whisk in the remaining vegetable broth.

Preheat a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, and then add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper, sauteing for 5 minutes more.

Add the wine, turn it up to boil, and reduce the wine for three minutes. Add the vegetable broth mixture, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cranberry chutney

This is your gramma's traditional stove-top cranberry chutney.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Roughly chop the cranberries in a food processor, until there are no more remaining whole berries.

Add everything to  a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until thickened.

Remove from heat, allow to cool, and serve.

Cauliflower gratin

This recipe is a combination of PPK's Mac & Shews and cauliflower gratin recipes like this one.

It comes together incredibly creamy and cheezy. The directions look substantial, but the dish is well worth it.

The cauliflower gratin reheats well, but you can also halve the recipe and cook in a smaller pan.

<b>Ingredients</b>

2 large or 3 small heads of cauliflower, chopped into bitesize pieces and stalks thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked (at least one hour, preferably two hours, or overnight) and drained
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion diced
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp turmeric
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

<b>Directions</b>

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Lightly grease a 11x13 baking pan or a casserole dish.

You'll need a large pot and some sort of apparatus to steam the cauliflower -- a steaming basket or a metal colander will work.

Steam the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it just starts to soften. Place the cauliflower aside while you finished preparing everything else.

Blend the soaked cashews and 2 cups of the broth in a food processor until smooth. This might take a few minutes, and you'll need to scrape down the sides of the container at least once.

Preheat a large pan over medium heat and saute the garlic and onion with a pinch of salt in a tablespoon of olive oil, until softened. Add the sauerkraut and saute until heated through.

Transfer this mixture to the blender and puree into the cashews until  relatively smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

You are now going to make a roux. Wipe out the pan and bring back to medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil and then the flour, and scrape it all together into a gooey clump. Toast the roux for 15 minutes or until it attains a roasted brown color and smells fragrant and toasty. You'll need to stir it basically the whole time so it doesn't burn or cook into a lump.

Now whisk in the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, until smooth. This could take a couple minutes.

Once that's done, stream in the cashew mixture and then the remaining ingredients, and make sure it's well blended.

Fold in the steamed cauliflower and transfer to the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil lid and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Roasted brussel sprouts

Roasting works especially well on brussel sprouts, and this easy recipe is a staple during brussel sprout season.

This goes well as a side with almost anything, or even tossed with pasta or used as a pizza topping. You can prepare several nights' worth at once and store the portions in ziploc baggies or tupperware until later in the week.

<b>Ingredients</b>

(Per person)

1 1/2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and quartered

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lemon slice (optional)

<b>Directions</b>

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Toss all the ingredients except the lemon slice. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, flipping everything once about halfway through, until everything is roasty and fragrant.

Dress with lemon juice if desired and serve.

Refried black beans (for nachos)

These refried beans are creamy, delightfully seasoned, and perfect for drizzling over chips when you're constructing vegan nachos.

Directions

2 tbsp safflower oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin seeds
8 small dried red chilies
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp arbol chili powder
1/2 cup vegetable broth
30 oz canned black beans, drained
8 oz canned fire roasted green chilies
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.  When it's hot, add the oil, wait till it shimmers, then add the garlic, the cumin seeds, the red chilies, the bay leaf, and the black pepper.  Saute for about a minute, or until fragrant.  Add the onion and saute for about five more minutes, or until the onion begins to darken.  Stir in the arbol chili powder and saute for a minute more.

Lower the heat to medium low and deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth. Add the black beans and green chilies, stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and then lower the heat and cover.

Let simmer for about half an hour.  Mash the beans with a potato masher (I like to mash them till creamy but not smooth) and stir in the lime juice.

Enjoy with corn chips, corn tortillas, polenta, rice, quinoa... you get the idea.