• Soups & Stews

    Beet Cabbage Borscht

      Medium |  Servings: 6  |  Ready In: 60 minutes  |  Yield: 10 cups Sweet beets pair with other sweet root vegetables for this hearty oil-fee soup.  Savory onion, leeks, and cabbage create balanced, satisfying flavor.  This classic recipe is a must-have for cold winter nights.  Serve with Pumpernickel Avocado Toast, Vegan Kale Waldorf Salad, or Roasted Sweet Potatoes for a healthy, plant-based dinner. Ingredients 2 small onions, thinly sliced 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 medium leek, trimmed and sliced 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 2 parsnips, diced 1 carrot, diced 2 large beets, diced 2 cups chopped cabbage (about 1/8 head), roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/4 cup chopped dill, to garnish How It’s Done: To make the Beet Cabbage Borscht:  Place the onion, celery, and leeks in a large pot. Sprinkle on the marjoram and a dash of salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat, 7 minutes, stirring often.  When the onions and celery start sticking to the bottom of the pan, they are down sweating. Try not to get any color on the vegetables. If that happens, add a splash of water and lower your heat. While the aromatic vegetables, you can prep the parsnips, carrots, beets, cabbage, and garlic, if needed.  Dice the parsnips, carrots, and beets.  Roughly chop the cabbage and garlic. When the onion mix is done sweating, add the parsnips, carrots, beets,

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  • Mains

    Oil-Free Sardinian Stuffed Vegan Eggplant

      Medium |  Servings: 4  |  Ready In: 75  minutes |  Yield: 4 Eggplant Halves Sardinian flavors like olives, basil, and fresh mint will take you straight to an Italian kitchen in this hearty, gluten-free, oil-free, vegan recipe. This makes for an easy, but impressive dinner entree – perfect for entertaining!  Serve with Roasted Bell Peppers Salad, Mushroom Pea Farrotto, and French Tarragon Potato Stew Ingredients 2 (one-pound) Italian Eggplants 1 (28-ounce) can Italian crushed tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, diced 6 ounces Portabella mushrooms, gills removed, diced 2 bay leaves 1 small onion, diced 2 tablespoons ground flax meal 6 tablespoons warm water 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1/4 cup pitted black olives (Sardinian if you can, or use Kalamata or any flavorful olive), chopped 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 1/8 teaspoon black pepper How it’s Done: Preheat your oven to 350F.  To prepare the Oil-Free Sardinian Stuffed Vegan Eggplant: Halve the eggplants lengthwise.  Use a large spoon to scoop out most of the eggplant flesh.  You want to leave about 1/2-inch of a “shell” Place the scraped out eggplant flesh into a colander over a bowl.   Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Massage the salt into the eggplant. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, to allow some of the moisture to come out. To make the tomato sauce: In a small bowl, combine the canned crushed tomatoes and garlic. Let sit

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  • Mains

    Vegan Italian Stuffed Artichokes

      Medium |  Servings: 4  |  Ready In: 75  minutes |  Yield: 4 artichokes Stuffed artichokes are a traditional Italian family food, and this version is a vegan twist on a classic Chef Lidia Bastianich recipe.  A simple dairy-free, oil-free mixture of whole wheat bread crumbs, lemon, and pine nuts highlights the subtle sweetness of this beautiful Spring vegetable.  Serve with Roasted Bell Peppers Salad, Mushroom Pea Farrotto, and French Tarragon Potato Stew Ingredients 4 large artichokes 2 lemons 1/2 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup pitted green olives 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup white wine 1/8 teaspoon red chile flake How it’s Done: Preheat your oven to 350F To prepare an acidulated “bath”: Zest the lemons. Reserve the lemon zest for the filling. In a large bowl, combine the juice of both lemons with about 8 cups cold water. This is your acidulated bath for your artichokes. To prepare your artichokes: Work with one artichoke at a time. Cut off the woody end. Use a sharp paring knife (or bird’s beak knife) to peel the stem.  Peel off any tough outer leaves.  Cut off the bottom stem of the artichoke, to create a flat surface. Save the stem — it’s delicious! Use a serrated knife to cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke.  Use your fingers to spread the leaves open and reveal the inner pink thistle.  Use a spoon (serrated, if possible) to

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  • Easy Black Bean Cakes - Healthy, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Plant-Based, Essential Mexican Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

    Soups & Stews

    Spicy Pasilla Pepper Sauce

      Medium |  Servings: 24  |  Ready In: 20 minutes  |  Yield: 3 cups This spicy salsa uses dried Pasilla peppers, but you can experiment with any dried chilies for different levels of heat, sweetness, and smokiness.  Make a batch of this healthy, oil-free, vegan recipe for authentic Mexican flavor.  This goes great with Easy Black Bean Cakes, Charred Mushroom Poblano Tacos, or Oaxacan Baked Tostadas. Ingredients 8 dried pasilla chilies 8 cloves garlic, in their peel 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 cups water Salt and pepper, to taste How It’s Done: To toast the Pasilla Chilies: Place the pasilla peppers and garlic (in their peel) in a wide pan and toast over medium-high heat.  Cook until the garlic peel is charred and the peppers start smelling and get poofy, 5-7 minutes. Separate the garlic and let cool. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of water. Let soak for about 10 minutes, until soft. To make the Spicy Pasilla Pepper Sauce: When the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove the peels.  When the peppers have softened, remove the stems and seeds. Place the peppers and garlic in a blender.  Strain the pepper soaking liquid and add to the blender. Discard any seeds, etc. Add the oregano, cumin, and salt.  Puree until smooth.  Add water, if needed, to reach a pourable consistency.  Use immediately or  store up to 10 days in the refrigerator.  Freeze for longer. Chef’s Tip: Yield: 3 cups

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