Antipasto Plate

I saw this recipe and couldn't wait to make it! Arrange a platter of red pepper dip, a caponata spread, crackers and imitation prosciutto, and you've got all the trappings for vegan antipasto. The dip and spread can both be made in the day ahead of time, and kept in the fridge. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

For the dip: bring 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to a quick boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons of golden raisins and let stand ten minutes. (You could also do this step in the microwave if you have one, which I do not: combine the raisins and the vinegar in a small bowl, microwave for 45 seconds, then let stand for ten minutes). Drain, and transfer the raisins to a food processor.

To the food processor, add 3 tablespoons crumbled firm tofu (in place of ricotta cheese), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti), 3/4 tsp. agave nectar (in place of honey), a dash of salt, and a 5.5 oz bottle of roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained.

Note: if you can't find that size bottle of peppers, simply measure out about 5 ounces from a larger jar. The smallest I could find at my grocer was a 7.25 ounce!

Now process it all until smooth. Spoon into a bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

For the spread: line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Onto the baking sheet, place 4 plum tomatoes (quartered and seeded; push out the seeds with your thumbs), 1/2 of a medium-sized onion, peeled and quartered, 2 garlic cloves (the recipe didn't say to peel them, but one would assume so?), and one (1-pound) eggplant, cubed. Drizzle the vegetables with a teaspoon of olive oil and a dash of salt, tossing to combine. Arrange in a single layer and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Cool the vegetables slightly, then place in a food processor with 2 tablespoons chopped basil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a 1/4 tsp. of sun-dried tomato paste (actually, the original recipe called for anchovy paste here, but sun-dried tomato paste imitates the saltiness and texture just fine). Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

Come time to serve, arrange 16 water crackers and 2 ounces of 'ham' on a plate, along with the dip and spread. The original recipe called for thinly sliced prosciutto, but I used the 'ham' from Smart Deli which is certified vegan - these slices make for great sandwiches too, if you find yourself craving an old deli-style concoction!

4 crackers, 3 tablespoons spread, 3 tablespoons dip and 1/2 an ounce of 'ham' is 230 calories.

Cost:
firm tofu $1.69
parsley $1.99
basil $2.99
bottled red peppers $2.39
plum tomatoes $1.61
eggplant $1.31
onion $0.66
water crackers $3.19
'ham' $2.79

Pasta with Winter Squash and Pine Nuts

Squashes are in season in the supermarket! They're in big beautiful piles right now - butternut, acorn, kabocha, hubbard. This pasta is a great way to capture the taste of the fall.

Heat a tablespoon of vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of toasted pine nuts and a teaspoon and a half of chopped fresh sage - remove from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the burner and heat half a teaspoon of olive oil, again over medium-high heat. Add one small minced garlic clove; saute thirty seconds, then add 1/2 a pound peeled, seeded and shredded butternut squash and 1/2 cup water to the skillet. Cook for about 6 minutes until the initial batch of liquid is absorbed. Add 3/4 cup of water to the skillet, (1/4 cup at a time), absorbing the liquid in between each dose, and stirring occasionally - this felt almost like making a risotto with squash instead of rice!

Add 1/2 tsp. raw sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and transfer the squash mixture to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, cook 6 ounces of penne pasta according to package directions (this is a great time to use a kitchen scale for accuracy). I used the organic penne from Bionaturae: www.bionaturae.com

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking liquid (and,um, don't splash boiling water on your finger like I did). Add the pasta to the squash mixture, along with the reserved cooking liquid, the pine nut mixture from earlier, and 6 tablespoons of shredded vegan cheese - I used the mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods instead of the Parmesan in the original recipe.

Place one cup of the pasta mixture on each of three plates - top each serving with 2 more teaspoons of the shredded cheese for a dinner of 360 calories.

Cost:
sage $2.99
butternut squash $2.99
'cheese' $3.39

Baguette

I lived in France for seven months back in 2005. As an avowed francophile, I adore the country, but I will say this: being vegan there was hard! Luckily, one thing I never had to worry about was that staple of the French diet - the daily baguette. It occurred to me, though, that I've never tried to make my own.

My first attempt, as you can see in the photo, didn't quite turn out right. That's because, while the recipe called for bread flour, I couldn't find an organic version and thought substituting pastry flour might work just fine. I don't recommend doing so: it seems that, to really produce an authentic baguette, bread flour is what you want. However, I still produced something pretty much like a baguette, and here's how:

First dissolve one packet of yeast (about 2 and 1/4 tsps.) in 1 and 1/4 cups warm water (check that the temperature is between 100 and 110 degrees). Let stand 5 minutes. Add 2 and 3/4 cups of bread flour to the yeast mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

This process, called an autolyse, is apparently the French baker's secret to a light and airy baguette with a crunchy crust. Letting the flour, yeast and water rest for fifteen minutes means the flour absorbs waters so it is less sticky as you knead, which ends up producing that light baguette texture.

After fifteen minutes, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle evenly with one teaspoon of salt, then knead for 6 minutes (press down with your palm, fold over, quarter turn, repeat). Place in a bowl, cover and let rise for 40 minutes until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and let it rest for five minutes, then divide in half. Working with one portion at a time, shape into a 12-inch rope, slightly tapered at the ends. Place the two loaves on a baking sheet sprinkled with a teaspoon of cornmeal. Lightly coat the tops with cooking spray and let rise another 20 minutes.

During the second rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Apparently this high baking temp is yet another trade secret of the French baker.

Uncover the dough and cut 3 (1/4 inch deep) slits in each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Each loaf will have 12 slices of 60 calories each. Bon appetit!

Cost:
flour $2.99

Green Beans Tossed with Walnut-Miso Sauce

Okay, the last of the side dishes for at least a little while, this one with Asian flavors from the ginger and the miso.

Add 4 cups of trimmed green beans (about 10 ounces) to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.

Grate about 2 tablespoons worth of ginger using a fine grater or zester. Place the ginger on several layers of cheesecloth, and fold up the ends to form a little pouch. Squeeze over a small bowl. Put 1/2 tsp. of the ginger juice in a food processor (you can discard the rest or save it for another use), along with 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts (toast first, if you prefer: see directions from the post for Beets with Walnut-Garlic Sauce), 2 tablespoons of water, a tablespoon and a half of white or yellow miso, and 1/2 tsp. soy sauce (use the low-sodium kind). Puree until smooth.

Toss the miso sauce with the green beans in a bowl. One cup makes a side dish of 70 calories.

Cost:
green beans $2.50 (sorry, this is actually an estimate from a non-itemized receipt)

Shaved Fennel with Maple Gastrique

Here's yet another side dish with an international flair and all-vegan ingredients. A gastrique is simply a reduction sauce of a vinegar and a sugar - in this case, cider vinegar and maple syrup.

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of fresh minced ginger, 2 whole star anise (available in the spice aisle), and 2 minced garlic cloves. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add one large fennel bulb, very thinly sliced, and cook another four minutes until the fennel begins to brown, still stirring occasionally.

Pour in 1/4 cup cider vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan in case there are any brown bits. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the fennel is very tender (this step actually only took me about 10 minutes, because I think I had my burner on a little too high). Remove from heat and discard the star anise.

1/4 cup of this as a side dish is 60 calories.

Cost:
ginger $1.15
fennel $1.35

Marinated Chickpeas

Continuing my exploration of side dishes with both international flair and (nearly) all-vegan ingredients, try this Middle-Eastern inspired dish.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, two tablespoons chopped and pitted kalamata olives, 2 tablespoons chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers (also known as banana peppers; look for these in the Mexican section of grocery stores next to the other canned peppers and chilis), 2 tablespoons crumbled vegan feta (such as Sunergia), a teaspoon chopped fresh chives, 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, and one 15-ounce can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained).

Combine a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice, a teaspoon and a half of olive oil and one minced garlic clove, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Chill for at least one hour before serving. This recipe makes 3 sides servings (1/2 a cup and 170 calories each). The recipe can easily double! You could also toss it with pasta for an entree pasta salad or serve it over lettuce for a dinner salad.

Cost:
flat-leaf parsley $2.29
pickled banana peppers $3.00
'feta' $4.19
chives $3.29
rosemary $3.29
chickpeas $1.49

Beets with Walnut-Garlic Sauce (Pkhali)

I always say New York City is one of the easiest places in the world to be vegan. But that's not to say that the rest of the world doesn't have its fair share of vegetarian or even vegan dishes, that require no modification whatsoever! This dish, traditional in the Balkans, Russia and Turkey, is great alone or spooned onto pita bread.

To speed up preparation, you can buy precooked beets (check your local grocery store's produce section). If you want to roast your own, trim the stems off the beets to one inch, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool, then trim off the stems and rub off the skins.

For the sauce: in a food processor, combine 1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 tablespoons walnuts (toast the walnuts first if you like; before chopping into smaller pieces, simply heat in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes), a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, 1/4 tsp. coriander and one small peeled garlic clove. Puree until smooth.

Toss the walnut mixture with 2 cups of either precooked beets or your own roasted beets, finely chopped. Make this a couple hours ahead of time so the flavors can meld. You'll have 3 side servings of 2/3 cup and 100 calories.

Cost:
walnuts $4.99
precooked beets $5.98