Vegetable Fried Rice
1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson
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​2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
3 green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric, optional
3 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice, cold
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin or dry white wine
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1. In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini and stir fry until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and stir fry until softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the turmeric, if using.  Add the rice, peas, soy sauce and mirin and stir fry until hot, about 5 minutes.  Drizzle with sesame oil, toss to combine and taste, adjusting seasoning and adding more soy sauce if necessary.  

3. Serve immediately.

I'll admit I'm not a huge soup fan but I love finding a veggie soup that is filling with added protein.  This one does it with the addition of red lentils.  It comes from the Penzey's catalog.

Red, Red Soup
Penzey's

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 head garlic, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaf
2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon cumin
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish

​​1. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions; wait till you can smell them, then add the oil.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft.  Stir in the celery, carrots, half the garlic and the potato.  Cook for a few minutes until the begin to get soft.  Add the lentils and stock to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potato and lentils are tender.  

2. While waiting, cut the lemons in half, but don't juice them.  Add the bay leaves, the rest of the garlic and 2 lemon halves, and cook for 10 more minutes. Use tongs to squeeze the juice from the cooked lemon halves, and then remove.  Squeeze the juice from the remaining fresh lemons and stir into the soup.

3. Grab your immersion blender and go to town, or use your blender to get the soup smoothie smooth.  Stir in the cumin, cayenne and salt to taste.  Garnish with parsley and an extra dash of cayenne.

Tomato soups are one of our favorites.  We've got a few in our rotation and this one is one of my favorites with the sweetness of carrots and the touch of garlic and of course chili peppers!  Right now my garden has a plenty chili peppers so it's the perfect use.  It's just as good with dried chilis.  I've used any milk I have on hand and it's all been good.  It's that combination of roasting the tomatoes and those chilis that make this so good!  I found this years ago in I don't know which magazine and it still holds up..

Spicy Tomato Soup
Serve this soup with garlic bread and vegetables for a simple, healthy dinner.
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14 ounces can diced tomatoes in juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small fresh or dried red chili pepper, seeds removed for less heat
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups plain soy milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
parsley leaves for garnish

​​1. Heat broider with rack in middle position of oven.  Strain tomatoes, reserving juices.  Spread tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and broil until lightly browned about 8 minutes.

2. In a food processor, combine browned tomatoes, garlic, chili pepper, carrot, soy milk, reserved tomato juice, and lemon juice, puree until smooth.

3. Transfer to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer; cook 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with parsley leaves before serving.

Vegan Peanut Sauced Chicken Pitas
Inspired by Cooking Light Magazine, August 2011
by Jackie Newgent

​1 cup shredded chicken
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons thin red bell pepper strips
2 tablespoons peanut satay sauce
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
1 6" whole pita, cut in half
1/2 cup fresh mung bean sprouts, rinsed, drained, patted dry
2 tablespoons diagonally cut carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients, tossing well to coat.  Stir in the chili paste.
2. Fill each pita half with half of the chicken mixture, 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon carrot and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

In our sous vide class this was my favorite dish.  The vegetables with the horseradish creme fraiche is amazing and so simple!  This helped sell me on the immersion circulator.

Olive Oil Braised Vegetables with Horseradish Creme Fraiche
​Braise, Milwaukee WI

​Ingredients:
8 ounces baby beets, blanched, peeled and quartered
4 ounces carrot, cut into 1/2" logs
4 ounces rutabaga, diced
4 ounces parsnip, cut into 1/2" logs
4 ounces celery root, diced
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh marjoram or thyme, chopped
salt
pepper

Horseradish Creme Fraiche:
1 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt

​​1. In a small bowl; whisk horseradish, lemon juice and salt into creme fraiche.  Set aside.

2. In medium sous-vide bag; add 1/2 cup olive oil, carrots, rutabaga, parsnip and celery root, season with salt and pepper.  Place in immersion circulator at 185 for 35 minutes.  In small sous-vide bag; add 1/4 cup olive oil, beets, season with salt and pepper.  Place in immersion circulator at 185 for 30 minutes.
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3. To serve; gently spoon warm vegetables and beets into serving bowls and top with a dollop of creme fraiche.​

Another winner from one of my favorite co-ops, Outpost in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Peas are one of my favorite and carrots make a great companion.  This makes great easy side dish.​

Herbed Peas & Carrots
​Outpost Co-Op

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup cold water
16 ounces frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon fresh italian parsley, minced
salt
pepper

1. Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Once butter foams, add carrots and shallots and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. 

2. Add water and continue to cook until liquid evaporates and carrots are tender about 5-6 minutes.
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3. Add peas and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in parsley, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
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Brooklyn Deli Macaroni Salad
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Veganomicon page 91

​DRESSING
1/4 cup veganaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

SALAD
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 radishes, grated
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 pound elbow macaroni

​​1.    Prepare the dressing:  Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a fork until completely blended.  

2.    Add the radishes, carrots and peas and set aside while you cook the macaroni.

Soup & Sandwich night on the menu on Buzzfeed's $20 week of vegan meals!..  this was my splurge.  Bread.  I went with a local sourdough from Duke's Bread.  Roasted Carrot Soup with Carmelized Onion & Hummus Sandwich was the meal plan.  It looks like a recipe for college students as it was mentioned it was for making in between classes.  It was simple, needed more seasoning so I spiced it up.  Sandwich I went open faced style but was an interesting idea.

Parsnip & Carrot Chips
by Cynthia Nims, "Salty Snacks, Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips and Other Savory Bites"

1 pound large carrots
1 pound large parsnips
vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

Serves 4-6

Choose the largest and broadest carrots and parsnips among those available at the store; smaller, more slender ones won't form large enough strips to be fruitful for frying.  These have a light and delicate crunch and natural sweetness that make for an interesting change of pace from the traditional potato chip.

After peeling one of the carrots, use the vegetable peeler to peel away long strips from the whole length of the carrot, allowing the strips to drop into a large bowl.  Turn the carrot in your hand about one quarter turn after
every 4-5 strips, so you'll generally have strips of similar width and length overall.  Do the same with the remaining carrots and the parsnips, both of which have a tough core that should be discarded once you get there (the color tends to change slightly).

Pour about 2" of oil into a large heavy saucepan (the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pan).  Bring to 375 F over medium heat.

While the oil is heating, combine the salt and thyme in a small dish and rub them together between your fingers for a bit to release the aromatics of the thyme.

Carefully add a handful of the vegetable strips to the oil and fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 1-2 minutes.  Use the back of a slotted spoon to gently press the strips down into the oil and spread them out a bit to help
the strips and scatter them on paper towels to drain.  Repeat with the remaining vegetable strips, allowing the oil to reheat between batches as needed.  
 
Transfer the chips to a serving bowl, sprinkle the thyme-salt mixture over them, and serve.  They will be best served shortly after frying.