Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Are you one of those people who says, "Oh, I would like to be vegan, but I don't think I could do it" or "I don't think I could give up [this or that]"?  Well, if you haven't tried chickpea salad sandwiches, then you haven't even given yourself a fighting chance.

This is the Chickpea of the Sea sandwich from The Kitchn, with a couple changes.  I use Vegenaise (a mayo replacement so awesome I can eat it by the spoonful), of course, and I use red wine vinegar instead of the umeboshi with no problem (no umeboshi vinegar to be had around here right now, though I hope to try it one of these days).  I have also never added the cayenne, and I always throw in about a teaspoon of Kala Namak, or Indian black salt, which smells like you would never want to put it on food, but it tastes so much like egg, it's unbelievable.  I love that stuff in this sandwich, and in tofu scrambles.

I put onion sprouts and lettuce on this version of the sandwich.  And, for some reason, I made a handful of potato chips instead of the sandwich the focal point of the photo...

This sandwich is awesome.  I make it at least a couple times a month.  It's particularly easy with canned chickpeas, but if you make them from dried in the crockpot, you can get them plenty soft enough to mash easily.  TRY IT!

Layered Dip

So I don't know why I posted so much here during probably the busiest I've been since graduate school--the last couple weeks of October.  I'm chair of a local Democratic club, and we were canvassing, phone banking, and hosting events, as well as keeping an office open and running.  I was also working on a website, and doing design and layout work.  And going to two or three events and fundraisers a week.  And feeling like I could/should be doing so much more...

Then, I've never been busier at work.  I got promoted to a position I've been gunning for for years, and I'm excited about it, and trying to learn and start all these new things.  But...my old position hasn't been filled yet, so I'm doing that still, alongside trying to prove myself in the new job.

Nervous energy, maybe?

And then...the election happened...what did I do all that work for...???  Maybe the dividends are in the future...blah, blah, blah...

But either way (before or after demoralization), I haven't been doing my usual browsing of cookbooks and blogs, so my cooking is more based on the ingredients I have and what fits into my schedule, so I finally have some chances to post recipes of my own!


Not that you would actually call this recipe, "cooking," but I did manage to take a crappy picture (this is the best one!  what happened here?), and I'm writing up the ingredients.  I might bring this for our annual holiday potluck at work.  It's very rich, and there's nothing "hippie" about the taste, which--I don't know about you guys, but--everyone I know worries about a great deal...

Layered Dip

2/3 can vegetarian refried beans, heated
1/4 c salsa

1/3 c Vegenaise
2 T adobo spice mix (I had this in my pantry...YUM)

1 ripe avocado
juice of 1/4 lemon
plenty of unrefined seal salt to taste
a couple grinds of black pepper

Combine heated refried beans and salsa; set aside.

Combine Vegenaise and adobo spice; set aside.  (I'm going to have to stop myself from just making the Vegenaise and adobe spice by itself next time...)

Mash avocado with a fork and add lemon, salt, and pepper to make simple guacamole; set aside.

Layer bean mix, Vegenaise mix, and guacamole.  Serve with corn chips.

And here's the summer memory of the day, my twin nieces coming to my house and seeing their birthday cake, and both wearing the same, hilarious smile-suppression look on their faces...

Vegan Chili in a Crock Pot

50-mile-per-hour winds?  25-foot waves in Lake Michigan?  It's time for chili!

Vegan Chili in a Crock Pot
 
1 c dry kidney beans
4 small laurel bay leaves
2 t dry thyme or a few sprigs fresh
2 onions, quartered

2 T evoo
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 c bean cooking liquid or veggie stock
2 T tomato paste
1 T cocoa powder
1 T chili powder
1 t cayenne pepper

1 t turmeric
1 t paprika
dash cinnamon
plenty of unrefined sea salt to taste

1 T evoo
1/3 package of Boca crumble

Soak kidney beans overnight or quick soak by bringing to a boil for one minute and letting them sit off the heat for 1 to 2 hours.  Change the water; add bay leaves, thyme, and onions.

Maybe it's just my crockpot, but I need to bring the water and beans to the boil on the stove first, then transfer to the crockpot, otherwise they just never get hot enough to start cooking.  I do this in the morning and leave them on at low until I get home from work.  This makes nice, well-cooked beans for me.  I've also had success leaving them on high for four hours--starting them when I'm home for lunch--and they're ready at 5pm.

When beans are tender, begin the rest of the chili ingredients.  Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and bell pepper.  Cook until tender.  Add tomatoes, bean cooking liquid, and tomato paste and bring to a low boil.  Add spices, drained beans (save that liquid for soup!), and salt, and return to the crockpot on high for an hour and a half (or low for two or three).

When the chili is almost done, cook Boca crumbles over medium heat in a tablespoon of oil for 12 minutes.  Add to chili.

Serve with a little minced onion and some Daiya shreds, if you like.

Makes 3 or 4 servings.

And here's a pic in memory of the summer...

Parsley lounging in the hammock.  Yes, I have to tie her out in my fenced-in back yard.  She jumps my 6-foot privacy fence and runs around the neighborhood, weaving in and out of yards, and jumping other fences for half an hour, when she gets tired and lets me (or a neighbor) catch her.  I would love to hear any ideas to stop fence jumping!

Vegan Spinach Salad

Here is some more proof that vegans don't sacrifice taste and in fact eat as well as anyone else (and much better than those people who hate spices, avocados, beets, or anything new).  I heartily enjoyed this salad for four days in a row; having prepared the vegan bacon and the dressing ahead of time, I just threw them together with some spinach and sliced up a few mushrooms.  Rich, complex flavors, and all those fresh greens.  Yum.  Really.

(That's an awesome picture, huh?  Pure luck.  And look how a few of those mushrooms with a little yellow-ish dressing look like hard boiled eggs...a little freaky, actually.)

I started with the Tempeh Bacon.  It needs to marinate for at least a couple hours, then it's fried.  The recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance...which I don't own...but someone has posted it, and I'll link to it here.  (I do plan to buy the book one of these days.)  The person who posted it doesn't like it much, and, no, you're not going to fool anyone into thinking this is pork, but why would you want to?  It's a really savory, slightly crispy, slightly chewy, rich treat.  It's exactly what I was looking for.  The next component to put together is this Spinach Salad Dressing from Toby Jermain on food.com.  It's so thick, it's more like an onion relish.  But, with all the onion already in the dressing, that's one less component for the leftovers' prep work.  Add the bacon and the dressing over some spinach and thickly sliced mushrooms, and there you go.

Beefless Vegetable Soup

It's the season for comfort food!  This soup reminds me of Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable, which I ate too much of in college, only fresh and tasty!  The tomato sauce gives some thickness--it's not just brothy.  Marmite is a yeast extract that adds a savory, umami flavor.  Really simple, it's also cheap, pantry food without the Gardein.  But I had some Beefless Tips in my freezer for a month and this seemed like a good use for them.  Well, they blew me away.  Great texture, beefy flavor.  If you're used to cooking with meat, I really think you'll find lots of ways to eat those. Add them to this delicious soup to make it heartier.

Beefless Vegetable Soup

2 T evoo
2 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 quarts vegetable stock or bean cooking liquid
14 oz. tomato sauce + water to rinse out can
2 small yukon gold potatoes, in 1/2 inch dice
1 T turmeric (protects your liver, as well as is anti-carcinogenic)
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t Marmite
plenty of unrefined sea salt to taste
1 pkg Gardein Beefless Tips (optional)

Heat oil over medium heat, and add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic.  Saute until a little softened.  Add stock and tomato sauce (and water to rinse out can) and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and flavorings, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, saute Gardein according to package directions, if you plan on using it.  Add at the last minute, and season with salt.  If you expect leftovers, consider cooking just enough Gardein for each serving, storing the soup itself separately.

If I hadn't had the Gardein, I would have considered sprinkling veggie parmesan or Dragonfly's Bulk Uncheese on the soup, instead.

Magenta Soup

This soup has such a wild color...you have to love it just for that.  Plus, it tastes great.  It's a little spicy, and, served with a dollop of plain yogurt, a little creamy.

I roasted the veggies one night for dinner (I made more than it reads in the recipe), then finished making the soup the next day.  I ate it for lunch 4 days in a row.

Magenta Soup
serves 4
3 tablespoons light olive oil, divided (it's refined enough so that it is stable at high temps, unlike extra virgin)
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
1 beet, peeled and chopped
1 half of an acorn squash, peeled and chopped (which is hard to do, of course, though not impossible.  You might try roast larger pieces with the skin on and chopping later)
1 small onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon dried thyme
salt and pepper (you might want to salt at the very end if you're using a salty, canned broth)
8 cups chicken broth


Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Drizzle half of the oil in a jelly roll pan or something large enough for the veggies to lay in a single layer.  Add the veggies and spices and the rest of the oil and mix to evenly distribute.  Roast for about 40 minutes, until veggies are soft and turn a little golden.

Transfer the veggies to a soup pot with the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.