Spinach-'Parmesan' Dip

This is a great party appetizer, and can be made in advance. Serve with crudites (celery and carrot sticks are especially good) or with wheat crackers.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 chopped garlic cloves and saute for one minute. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and one (10-ounce) package of fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts (the recipe said 3 minutes; it took my spinach 5).

Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese), and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Process until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/3 cup plain soy yogurt (such as Whole Soy) and 1/4 cup grated vegan cheese in place of the Parmesan in the title. (I shredded the vegan mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods).

Chill until ready to serve. You'll have about 2 cups, and 1/4 cup has 70 calories.

My goof while making this recipe was to mistakenly only put half as much 'cream cheese' as necessary in the blender. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my mixture wasn't processing very smoothly. I didn't realize the mistake until I had already added the yogurt and 'parmesan', but luckily it worked just to stir in the remaining 'cream cheese' at the end - whoops!

Cost:
garlic $0.39
spinach $2.49
basil $2.99
plain soy yogurt $0.99
'parmesan' $2.50

Glazed Carrots and Cipollini Onions with Coriander and Orange

This side dish would complement a variety of vegan main courses - try it with the Fruited Couscous Pilaf from a few nights ago, or with the pasta dish of your choice.

Cipollini onions can be a bit of a bother to peel. For an easy method, trim the ends off the onions, plunge into boiling water for one minute, then drain and rinse with ice water. The peels will slip right off.

Melt a teaspoon and a half of vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 pound peeled cippollini onions (see above for peeling directions) and saute for 3 minutes. (I also cut my cipollini onions into quarters, since I bought big ones; you can skip that step if you purchase smaller ones).

Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp. grated orange rind, 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice, 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 1/2 tsp. crushed coriander seeds (a fun excuse to use a mortar and pestle!) and 3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick diagonal slices.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has nearly all evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in one tablespoon chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp. salt and a dash of black pepper.

2/3 a cup is 100 calories.

Cost:
cipollini onions $0.88
orange $1.47
carrots $0.74
cilantro $1.99

Roasted Tomato-Harissa Soup with Olive Toasts

Preparation of this soup takes a bit of time, but it is incredibly satisfying on a cold night. Harissa is a hot sauce made from chili peppers, spices, and garlic - you can buy it in the international food section of grocery stores, and nothing in it is un-vegan.

First, cut 1 pound of plum tomatoes (about 4 large) in half lengthwise. Arrange on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, along with one, unpeeled garlic clove and one medium sweet onion (such as Walla Walla), cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees - the original recipe said for 70 minutes, but mine were pretty done after about 50, so make sure not to overcook. Let cool before chopping the tomatoes and the onion, and squeezing out the garlic pulp. Set 3 tablespoons of chopped onion aside for use on the olive toasts later.

Heat 3/4 tsp. olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining chopped onion, one quarter of a red bell pepper (the recipe did not specify to chop it, but one would assume so, right? So I did); 1/4 tsp. cumin and 1/4 tsp. coriander. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 tsp. harissa and a dash of paprika; cook one more minute.

Now add the chopped tomato, the garlic pulp, one and 1/4 cups vegetable broth, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, make the olive toasts: cut one ounce of French baguette into 4 (1/4-inch) thick slices. Toast the baguette (if you use the oven, broil for one minute on each side). Cut a garlic clove in half and rub one of the halves over one side of each baguette slice.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved 3 tablespoons of chopped onion with 2 tablespoons chopped, pitted kalamata olives, 3/4 tsp. chopped parsley, just a splash of balsamic vinegar and a dash of fresh thyme. Place one tablespoon of the mixture on top of each baguette slice.

Once your soup is done simmering, remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 tsp. lemon juice, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper.

Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Ladle 1/2 a cup of soup into each of 4 bowls. Top each with 1 teaspoon of plain soy yogurt (I like Whole Soy best).

1/2 cup of soup plus one olive toast is 110 calories.

Cost:
plum tomatoes $2.45
sweet onion $0.45
red bell pepper $1.32
harissa $3.39
vegetable broth $2.69
thyme $2.99
French bread $1.29
kalamata olives $4.99
plain soy yogurt $0.99

On a non-food note (or, non-recipe note anyway), I finally tapped into a few great vegan/vegetarian organizations through meetup.com - I can't believe it took me so long! If you're vegan or vegetarian and want to meet like-minded animal-loving cool peeps, go to meetup.com and put 'vegan/vegetarian' in the search field to find local groups near you.

Fruited Couscous Pilaf

Dried fruits sometimes get a bad reputation because they are dense in calories, but they're really quite good for you - high in fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients. It's just a matter of using them judiciously. This couscous dish is beautifully colorful, and versatile. Leftovers keep well and make an easily portable lunch the next day.

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup dried currants, 1/4 cup chopped, dried apricots, 1/4 cup chopped, dried cherries, 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice and two tablespoons of warm water. Let stand for 45 minutes, stirring a couple of times throughout. Drain, discarding the orange juice mixture, and set the dried fruit aside.

Bring 1/4 cup water and one (14-ounce) can of vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the dried fruit mixture, and 1 and 1/4 cups of uncooked couscous. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a bowl.

Heat a teaspoon and a half of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped green onions and cook for two minutes.

Add the green onions to the couscous, along with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, one tablespoon chopped mint, one tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and a dash of black pepper; stir well to combine. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of pine nuts.

One cup is a side serving of 220 calories - double that for a dinner-sized entree. You could also stir chunks of vegan cheese into this to make it a heartier lunch.

Cost:
dried cherries $6.99
vegetable broth $1.29
green onions $0.99
mint $1.99

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with 'Bacon' and Hazelnuts

This recipe features two more foods now in season - Brussels sprouts and hazelnuts. Try this side dish any night during the fall, but keep it in mind for Thanksgiving too - meat-eaters shouldn't get to have all the fun on that day.

Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped vegan bacon (such as Smart Bacon - about 3 slices). Cook for 4 minutes until the 'bacon' is crisp; remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1/4 cup vegetable broth to the pan, and let it come to a simmer (which will happen quickly). Add 6 and 1/2 cups thinly sliced Brussels sprouts and cook 4 minutes until crisp-tender.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Sprinkle with the 'bacon' and one and a half tablespoons of chopped hazelnuts. This makes enough side servings for a small crowd - 6 servings of 2/3 cup. Double the recipe if you do decide to bring it to a Thanksgiving feast!

Cost:
'bacon' $3.39
Brussels sprouts $7.92
hazelnuts $6.99

Whole Wheat Apricot Muffins

Make these on the weekend, then freeze for a week's worth of breakfast. Once the muffins cool completely, just wrap them individually (two layers works best i.e. first saran wrap then aluminum foil) and place in the freezer. They'll thaw quickly if you pull one from the freezer first thing when you wake up. Or, since they're even better warm, just wrap in aluminum foil and heat for ten minutes at 350 degrees.

Of course, first you have to make them!

Spoon one cup all-purpose flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. Place the flours in a large bowl, along with 1/2 cup raw sugar, one and 1/4 tsps. grated orange rind, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir gently with a whisk, and make a "well" in the center of the ingredients. Set aside.

Make one cup of vegan buttermilk by combining one cup plain soy milk (such as Silk) with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes then, combine the 'buttermilk' with 1/4 cup melted vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, and the equivalent of one egg (try Ener-G egg replacer).

Add the 'buttermilk' mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Gently stir in one cup of finely chopped dried apricots.

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 muffins cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes (the muffins should spring back when touched lightly in the center).

Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. One muffin is 170 calories.

(Note: I only had 2/3 a cup of all-purpose flour left at home, so I reversed the portions in the above directions - one cup whole wheat, 2/3 cup all-purpose. This substitution worked just fine).

Cost:
orange $1.39
plain soy milk $1.00
dried apricots $3.99

Cumin Curried Hummus

Try this variation on hummus next time you want a good party appetizer.

Heat a teaspoon and a half of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add two small chopped garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add a teaspoon and a half of curry powder and 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds and cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Transfer the curry mixture to a food processor. Add 1/4 cup water, a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and one (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. Process it all until smooth.

This recipe makes about one and a half cups, but you can easily double it if you're feeding a bigger crowd! 1/4 cup of hummus is 90 calories - serve with pita wedges.

Cost:
chickpeas $1.79