Chimichurri is a wonderful herb sauce that originated in Uruguay and Argentina. It’s traditionally used for marinating and accompanying meat, but it’s great as a sauce or dip with all kinds of savory dishes.
Ingredients
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, packed
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano, or 1-2 Tbsp. fresh, finely minced
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
½ tsp. salt
Directions
Rinse the parsley and cilantro well and shake as much water off the leaves as possible. Chop finely.
Mince the garlic and the shallot.
Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, shallot, oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt and chopped parsley and cilantro in a bowl. Stir to combine. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
Looking for a new take on sautéed greens? Tea to the rescue! Genmaicha tea is a nutty-tasting mixture of green tea and puffed rice, and it’s great as a seasoning. Here’s a nice recipe to help you keep that New Year’s resolution to eat more greens!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 minced shallot
1 minced clove garlic
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp Genmaicha tea
Pinches of salt
Pinches of smoked paprika
Directions
Warm oil in pan on medium heat. Add minced shallot and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add kale and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
Squeeze on some lemon juice and add a splash of water, and cover and steam for about 4 minutes.
In a separate pan, toast Genmaicha tea.
When kale is tender to your liking, add salt and serve topped with toasted Genmaicha tea and smoked paprika to taste.
This Chickpea “Chicken” Salad Sandwich is a vegan delight! Loaded with chickpeas, crunchy veggies, tangy cranberries, nuts, & a zippy tahini dressing, you’ll love this nourishing and satisfying dish.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 cup celery, diced
¼ cup diced red pepper
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
½ cup scallions, thinly sliced, white & green parts
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (about ½ tsp each)
Dressing
6 Tbsp tahini
4 Tbsp champagne, white wine or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp water (about this amount – as needed depending on how thick tahini is)
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Directions
In a small bowl combine tahini, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Add more water, or vinegar if you’re a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired.
Set aside for 30 minutes to allow flavors to come together.
In a large bowl, add garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Mash at least ¾ of the chickpeas so it binds well.
Add celery, red pepper, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, and mix well.
Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open-faced sandwich with avocado slices and tomatoes if you have them handy, or in one of these ways below:
• Salad: Serve on a bed of leafy greens.
• Wraps: Great for making tortilla wraps, tucking into pita bread or made into lettuce wraps.
• Crackers: Scoop up with a variety of crackers, pita chips or rye crisps.
• Veggies: Delicious with fresh veggies for scooping. Use red bell pepper, jicama, celery or carrots, cucumber, zucchini, etc
This is a wonderful sauce or gravy. The coffee brings a depth of flavor that some people mistake for beef stock in this vegan, nutrient-dense sauce that is also suitable for gluten-free diets.
Saute the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in a pan with the olive oil until fragrant and golden. Remove half of this mixture from the pan and save it for later.
To the mixture still in the pan, add the walnuts and coffee, deglazing the pan and letting the coffee reduce a little bit.
Remove from heat and let it cool.
Put the mushroom/garlic/shallot/walnut/coffee combination into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth with the remaining seasonings (miso or liquid aminos, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper).
Once this is well-blended, add the reserved mushrooms, garlic, and onion from earlier in the cooking process back in and check and adjust the amount of salt and pepper.
Indulge in a perfectly seasoned plant-based roast that takes you back to the comforting flavors of special social gatherings. Elevate the taste with the fresh herbs in a Warm Herbed Vinaigrette, a great addition to this vegan holiday favorite (recipe for the vinaigrette makes about ½ cup).
Roast Ingredients
1 Celebration Roast
1 onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rounds
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A few pinches of salt
Vinaigrette Ingredients
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Optional: Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
Cook the Celebration Roast according to the package. Preheat oven to 350*.
Toss peeled & sliced onion in some of the olive oil. Add a little salt and place on sheet pan. Roast onion until browned or slightly blackened, stirring occasionally so cooks evenly.
To make vinaigrette, in a 1-quart saucepan, heat oil and cook shallot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat, and whisk in lemon juice, parsley, rosemary and pepper flakes (if using).
Cut Celebration Roast into ½ inch slices. Place the slices on a platter, interspersed with the roasted onion. Drizzle on Warm Herbed Vinaigrette and serve.
