Sesame Orange Dressing

The veggies I use tend to differ every time I make a dish. The sauces are often close to the same, but as I don't measure they change depending on my mood. This is a common base, that sometimes has more ginger, more salty soy sauce, or added honey to give it a tad sweeter taste. Taste as you go!

2 tangerines, peeled
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 green onion
1 - 2 cloves garlic
2 T. toasted sesame oil
1.5 T. soy/tamari sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
Fire oil or cayenne for spice

Blend ingredients until smooth. Optional: If you like a thicker sauce, want more sweetness, or don't like strong vinegar flavors, add a teaspoon or so of honey.

Use on sautéed or roasted veggies, rice, noodles, or cabbage salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Roasted Butternut Tahini Dip

Sweet and creamy.  This dip can easily be mixed with a pasta, rice, or used as a dip for a plate of veggies.  

1/2  butternut squash
1 small onion, halved
Oil for roasting
1/4 c.  tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. coriander powder
Drizzle sesame oil
salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste


Coat onion and squash in oil and roast until the squash is soft and the onions are browning.  Cool.

Scoop out squash and place it and remaining ingredients into blender/food processor.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Adjust ingredients to your desire. I sometimes want lemony or spicy. 

Garnish with a drizzle of sesame/olive oil and some sesame seeds.  This is good warm or as a sauce.    

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe has become a staple for our annual holiday party.  It's gluten free and vegan, so it works for many diets and freezes well *if* we don't eat it all.  It would be a fabulous base for a meat chili - just add or replace beans with your favorite chili meat for a paleo option.  

Oil, for sautéing

1 large onion, chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 T. chili powder

1 t. cumin

2 bell peppers, diced (red, yellow, orange, green....)

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can green chilies or several chopped fresh ones

28oz can crushed tomatoes  (I often use fresh pureed in a blender)

3 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 t. dried

jalapeño, diced

1-2 squash, diced (zucchini, yellow, Mexican grey) 

~ 4 cups (or 2 cans) beans (I use a combination of types)

Sauté onion and garlic, in oil, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add chili, cumin, bell peppers, and diced tomatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes or so.  

After bells start to soften, add green chilies, crushed tomatoes, oregano, jalapeño, and zucchini.  Cover and simmer to meld the flavors.  You could simmer this for 20 minutes to all day adding water or broth as needed.  

Add beans 10 minutes before serving to warm them up.  You can add them earlier, but they tend to get a bit overcooked.  

Toppings:  red onion, sour cream, cheese, green onion, cilantro, olives, salsa, chips, cornbread....options, options!

Apricot Lentil Soup

I have a cold, the day is overcast, and despite the 100º temperature, I feel like soup.  My CSA has given me tomatoes and onions in abundance.  I have some sweet potatoes to use up before our road trip.  Middle Eastern dishes use lots of apricots and lentils, but given my Armenian descent I consider this an Armenian style soup.  Here we go!


1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 - 2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 - 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup dried apricot,  diced (I threw in a couple squishy fresh ones, also)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (to taste, I like tart)
salt and pepper (cayenne) to taste

These, as usual, are estimates.  I just threw all ingredients, except lemon juice/salt/pepper, into the crockpot with water to cover and let slow cook together until tender.  Puree in the blender, lemon juice/salt/pepper to taste, and serve topped with yogurt and nuts or diced apricots.

For the stovetop, I would sauté onions and garlic in the oil before adding in the other ingredients and simmering until tender in water to cover.  Puree, lemon juice/salt/pepper, garnish, and eat!

I did not give a water amount. If you wanted this thick like dip you can use less, thinner use more.  I would start with enough to cover and go from there.

Ginger Broth

I made a simple ginger stock tonight and made a tray of raw sliced veggies to add to it. It was delicious and the kids ate theirs over rice. I love the way this broth makes my house smell!

Ginger Broth

2 T. ginger (more if you like it really ginger-y)
1.5 T. garlic
oil to sauté
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. cold water
7 c. water
3 T. veggie bouillon

Sauté the ginger and garlic until soft and starting to brown. Mix cornstarch and cold water. Add water and bouillon to cornstarch mixture, then add to garlic/ginger. Bring to a boil and serve with diced raw veggies. I recommend several of these: carrots, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, snap or snow peas, bamboo, tofu

Vegan Chocolate Cake with a Vegan "Buttercream" Frosting

I took this cake to a Fourth of July party last night and have been asked for the recipe. So since I am not great at measuring or remembering exactly what I did, I am quickly posting while it is still *mostly* in my head! Hope it works for everyone as well as it worked for me. I only had a small piece left, so not the best picture ever...

3 cups flour (I used a mix of whole wheat pastry and rice)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vinegar (I used cider)
1 cup water
1 cup milk (I used a mix of coconut and whole grain milks)

~ Oil, flour and line two round cake pans or one 13 X 9. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar and stir.
~ In a mixing bowl mix oil, applesauce, vanilla, vinegar, water and milk.
~ Add dry mixture to wet mixture in several parts and mix until smooth.
~ Bake for 30 t0 40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.


Elias asked for a sweet frosting like on a normal cake. I am a huge fan of cream cheese/whip cream frostings and don't care for buttercreams, but he prevailed. I think the frosting was too sweet, and would cut back on sugar next time. I did spread it thin and topped it with unsweetened coconut. I didn't want to distract from the coconut I put on top and didn't add a larger amount of lemon juice as I normally would have. So here is an estimate on what I did do....

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup vegan shortening
~ 3 cups powdered sugar (I have no clue how much I just dump in until I get the right consistency)
1 - 2 Tablespoons of milk (I used coconut)
a teaspoon of vanilla
a dash of lemon juice

~ Beat the margarine and shortening until creamy.
~ Add powdered sugar until you have the consistency you like taking turns with a bit of milk, vanilla and lemon juice.

I topped this with coconut, but you could add any flavor you wanted including cocoa powder and top with nuts, seeds, fruit etc.

Zucchini Sandwich Filling

Elias has shown himself to be dairy intolerant and we are all cutting out quite a bit of it in order to make his life easier. One of his favorite lunches is a sandwich, usually avocado cheese. Today we did a bit of experimenting and made a zucchini filling that he (and the rest of us) really enjoyed. I used to make something like this with shredded cheese and zucchini, adding sour cream or mayonnaise to the dressing.

Use all or a mixture of to compliment the zucchini:
1 zucchini, shredded (I used my mandoline and slice to 3 mm julienne)
black olives, quartered
tomatoes, diced
green onions, chopped
cucumber, shredded or diced
bell peppers, diced

Top and stir in dressing:

Blend until smooth adding enough olive oil to make it a dip like consistency.

2-3 green onions
handful basil
handful parsley
2-3 T lemon juice
1/2 avocado (I used this instead of the sour cream I used to use)
garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

This is great as a sandwich filling or used as a salad you scoop with chips. I can find many of these ingredients in my summer garden and they all tend to be staple foods in our house. Easy and fresh tasting.

Cilantro Pesto Dip

This is a raw food that we love to eat with crackers or blue corn chips (not raw!) Many of our friends who dislike cilantro have enjoyed this dip. You have to remember to soak the nuts/seeds the night before.

1/3 c. raw brazil nuts
1/3 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c. raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

4 cloves garlic
2 c. packed cilantro/coriander
2/3 c. olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
2 t. dulse powder (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Soak the nuts and seeds overnight in a quart of water and rinse.
Process the garlic and nuts/seeds until sandy textured.
Add the cilantro, oil, lemon juice, dulse and salt and process until it is a smooth paste (although sometimes I don't do it too smooth).
Serve with veggies, chips, crackers or other favorite dippers.

This does freeze well, although we never have any left for freezing.

Lemon Lentil Soup

Olive oil
1.5 c. onion, diced

1 c. carrot, diced
1.25 t. fresh oregano, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
.25 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
.25 t. chile flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

6 c. vegetable stock
1.5 c. red lentils

.5 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium-high. Add onion and cook until soft.
Add next 8 ingredients. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until carrot
is slightly tender.
Add stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat discard bay leaf and stir in lemon juice and zest.
We usually top with lots of fresh parsley, yogurt and feta.

Lemon Butternut Quinoa

We love quinoa dishes and usually use a mix of red and white quinoa. You can use just the white if that is what you have!

1 butternut squash peeled and diced 1/2" cubes
1 red onion wedged or diced
1 lemon juice and peel
olive oil
1.5 cups quinoa
4 cloves garlic
1-2 t. thyme
3 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups greens (your choice; parsley, cress, spinach)
salt and pepper
Pinion nuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat butternut with a squeeze of lemon juice (save the rest of the juice and grated peel for later) and olive oil. You can either roast the wedged onions with this or dice them and saute later.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring once or twice.

Rinse quinoa and drain while squash is cooking. Saute onion and garlic (or just garlic) in oil until soft. Add quinoa and toast until dry and fragrant. Add squash, broth, thyme, the rest of the lemon juice and peel, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in chopped greens and serve topped with pinion nuts!

Wheat Berry Salad

I recently had a friend who wanted recipes for wheat berries, this is a favorite around here. It can also be vegan (just don't sprinkle with cheese) and is good with other grains. A perfect summer dish... a great way to get rid of all that squash in your garden!

1 - 2 cups uncooked wheat berries, soaked overnight in cold water (I like a really grainy salad so I use the larger amount)
1 - 2 tsp salt
2 - 3 squash, sliced (both yellow and zucchini are good)
1 red onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to saute
2-3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 red pear, cored and sliced thinly
Parmesan or Romano cheese to top
Pepper to taste

Transfer soaked wheat berries to pot add more water and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 50-60 minutes. Drain and set aside. Toss the squash with salt. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain the liquid and pat squash dry.

Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until almost caramelized. Add the squash and garlic and saute for about two minutes more, turn over and saute the other side for an additional two minutes, or until lightly brown. Dump over wheat berries in a large bowl.

Add up to 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan and Balsamic vinegar. Stir to incoporate the brown bits into the warmed dressing. Pour over the sauteed vegetables. Add the pine nuts, spinach, sliced pear, and toss well. Sprinkle with cheese, fresh ground black pepper, and salt if desired.