Thai Coconut Soup

vegetable stock
sesame oil
coconut milk
extra firm tofu
onion
carrot
shiitake mushrooms
ginger
garlic
lemongrass
lime
rice noodles
cilantro
peanuts

Heat sesame oil in a soup pot. Cube the tofu and fry it in sesame oil. Chop half an onion. When the tofu gets brown on the outside, add onion to the pot. Saute the onion for a few minutes. Add a chopped carrot to the pot and then add stock. Add grated ginger, 4 cloves of minced garlic, chopped mushrooms, and the juice of one lime. Cut the lemongrass into 1 inch pieces and add the the pot. Add a can of coconut milk and simmer. In another pot, cook the rice noodles. serve the soup over the noodles and garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and lime wedges.

Caramelized Onion Buffalo Bites

yellow onion
hot sauce
white beans
celery
dill
garlic powder

Slice one medium onion and saute in a small amount of olive oil. As they soften, add hot sauce until the onions are coated. Turn down the heat and let them simmer in sauce. Put one can of rinsed beans into a food processor and blend with dill and garlic powder (or smash with a fork if you don't have a food processor or you have one but don't feel like washing it later). Cut celery into bite sized pieces. Spread bean mixture into each piece of celery and top with onions.

California Roll Salad

brown rice
avocado
carrots
cucumber
nori (seaweed)
tamari or soy sauce or liquid aminos
rice vinegar
wasabi

While the rice is cooking, dice two carrots and half a cucumber and chop the avocado into slightly larger chunks. Add them to the cooked rice. Crumble several sheets of Nori (I used Trader Joe's Wasabi Seaweed Snack) into the rice. Add a few dashes of soy sauce and rice vinegar to a small bowl and add in wasabi to taste. Add to rice.

Tea Soaked Soy Curls with Ginger Plum Sauce

Butler Foods Soy Curls
Black tea
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Plum Sauce
Soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos)
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Cabbage
Carrots
Brown rice

Steep one teabag in a bowl of boiling water. After a few minutes, add about 3/4 cup of soy curls and let them soak, along with the teabag, for at least 10 minutes. While the soy curls are soaking, slice the onion in strips and saute in sesame oil over medium heat. After a few minutes, add about a Tbsp of grated ginger, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and the soy curls (after strained through a sieve). Add in about 1 Tbsp of plum sauce, a few dashes of soy sauce and vinegar and about 2 cups of chopped cabbage and carrots (I used pre-bagged coleslaw mix). Cook a few more minutes until heated through. Serve over rice.

White Bean Chili

white beans
yellow bell pepper
onion
oregano
white wine or vegetable broth
garlic
smoked sea salt
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Saute a minced onion in olive oil. Add a chopped bell pepper and let it all get soft. Add two cloves of garlic and some black pepper and cook for about a minute, while stirring.  Add a can of white beans, well rinsed. Add about half a cup of liquid - either broth or wine. Add in the remaining ingredients, to taste, and simmer until the beans have created a thick liquid around themselves. Serve with sliced avocado. I also served this with a side of steamed green beans, topped with peach salsa from Trader Joe's.

Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Mayo

sweet potatoes
corn starch
olive oil
vegan mayonnaise
sriracha

Cut up a few sweet potatoes into the size you want. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle a little cornstarch on them. Make sure all of the fries are coated and then drizzle olive oil and mix to coat. Spread the fries on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Flip the fries and bake for a few minutes longer until they are the right amount of crispiness. Mix vegan mayo with sriracha, to taste.

Blueberry Corn Salsa

blueberries
corn
shallot or red onion
olive oil
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
portobello mushrooms

Blanch 2 ears of corn (or put them on a plate in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel for 3 minutes).  Cut the corn off of the cob.  Mix in an equal amount of blueberries, one diced shallot, 6 chopped basil leaves and one tablespoon each of the oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This is best if you let it marinate in the refrigerator for a while but you can use it right away if you're in a hurry.  You can serve this over a variety of things but my favorite is to grill portobello mushrooms with the stems removed and then spoon the salsa into the mushroom caps.