Blueberry Chipotle Barbeque Tempeh with Corn Blueberry Basil Salad

Tonight's dinner theme was blueberries...I had a nice package of them, and I decided that I needed to make a blueberry maple chipotle sauce for my tempeh.  You may be thinking...blueberries in a barbeque sauce?  Well, actually it is delicious!  The sweet and sour berries with balsamic, maple syrup and spicy chipotle are a great combo!  Especially with a bit of shallots and garlic added to the sauce to make it more savory!  It is wonderful on the meaty tempeh!  And what better to accompany it during the summer, than a corn salad laced with blueberries as well, with a few scallions and basil thrown in for good measure in a lemony light dressing!  It is the perfect meal for anyone living in Minnesota or the midwest right now where you can buy all of the produce locally, which was why I chose these particular ingredients.  This blueberry themed meal brought a smile to my face as I was enjoying it, and I am sure it will to yours as well if you decide to try it! 

Blueberry Chipotle Barbeque Tempeh with Corn Blueberry Basil Salad

Serves 2

Salad:

2 cups fresh corn kernals

4 scallions, sliced

1 cup organic blueberries

zest and juice of one organic lemon

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp agave nectar

2 Tbsp fresh basil, cut chiffonade

sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tempeh and marinade:
8 oz tempeh, cut into 8 triangles
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp peanut oil
sea salt

Barbeque sauce:

1 Tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 clove garlic
1 cup organic blueberries
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8- 1/4 tsp chipotle, depending on how spicy you want it
sea salt to taste
1 Tbsp arrowroot, dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl, and toss well to combine.  Set aside in the fridge to chill while you make the tempeh and sauce (can be made a day ahead).  To make tempeh, combine tempeh with marinade ingredients in a shallow dish, tossing to coat.  Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, flipping a few times.  Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a small saucepan, heat peanut oil over medium, and add shallots.  Saute until softened, a few minutes, then add garlic, and saute for about 30 seconds.  Add blueberries, maple syrup, vinegar, chipotle, and see salt, and cook until blueberries have burst, and saucy.  Slowly add arrowroot mixture while stirring, and cook until thickened, about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and keep warm.  Preheat the oven to 475 with the rack set at the top position.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Spread tempeh out on sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes, or until starting to brown on first side, then flip and let brown on second side, about 5 minutes.  Remove tempeh from oven, and toss with sauce.  To plate, spoon salad on each of two plates, place tempeh beside it and spoon any remaining sauce over. 

Basil Chard Pesto

I had some swiss chard that I wanted to incorporate into dinner tonight, but I wanted something other than the ordinary saute treatment I usually give it.  My friend, Gabrielle who works with me at the deli, and is an awesome vegetarian cook, told me that she had recently used chard in pesto!  I thought this was a great idea, so I decided to give it a try!  I had some basil as well, so I decided that it would be good with the chard to make the pesto taste more flavorful.  I combined the leaves with walnuts, instead of the classic pine nuts, because I had a bunch on hand, as well as some garlic, lemon and olive oil, which is what I would consider all "classics" in basil pesto.  However, tonight I wanted to make the dish vegan, so I decided that nutritional yeast and white miso would be added to this pesto instead of any sort of cheese.  And I did not miss the cheese at all!  In fact, this non-dairy version I liked better than the usual!  I tossed my pesto with some whole wheat fettuccini, more toasted walnuts for crunch and protein, and some fresh roma tomatoes from my Dad's garden, and I had a satisfying meal!  Chard in pesto was a great idea, and I have Gabrielle to thank for sharing it with me!  Try this summer pesto out while chard and basil are abundant! 

Whole Wheat Fettuccini with Basil and Chard Pesto, Toasted Walnuts, and Roma Tomatoes

Serves 3

1/2 cup swiss chard leaves, packed
1/2 fresh basil packed

1 cup walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp white miso

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

freshly ground pepper to taste

water as needed

8 oz whole wheat fettuccini
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
6 roma tomatoes, diced

In a food processor, combine chard, basil, walnuts, yeast, miso, garlic, oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper to taste and process until smooth, adding a water to smooth out, and more if a thinner consistency is desired. Set pesto aside. Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water, and when done cooking, reserve about 1/3 cup of pasta water, and drain pasta. Place pasta back in the pot, and combine with the pesto, walnuts, and tomatoes, along with enough water to thin out pesto to a smooth consistency on the pasta. Place on a serving plate and serve!
 

Tomatoes and Peaches

When tomato season hits, I try and use them in every way possible...I love them simply cut up and sprinkled with fleur de sel!  But sometimes I like to be a bit more creative with them, especially in salads!  The other day, my Dad had just given me a whole bunch of fresh tomatoes from his garden, and I had also bought some nice ripe peaches at the store, which got me to thinking, what about combining the two in a salad?  Seems like an unlikely combo, but that is what I liked about the idea!  But they wouldn't just be cut up and thrown in...I decided to roast them both to bring out the sweet flavors of the fruits!  So I drizzled them with a little olive oil and threw them in the oven!  Meanwhile, I decided that they would be nice accompanied by some toasted walnuts, Pecorino Romano, and fresh basil...not a likely combo at all for a salad, but it actually turned out quite wonderfully!  Especially after the roasted goodness was drizzled with sweet and tangy reisling vinegar, and olive oil and dusted with freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel!  Try out this scrumptious summer salad if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary! 

Roasted Tomato and Peach Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino Romano

Serves 3

2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 large peaches, cut into wedges
olive oil

1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 1/2 oz shaved pecorino romano cheese
3 Tbsp basil cut in chiffonade
olive oil
reisling vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Spread tomatoes and peaches out on the baking sheet, and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes until soft, and starting to char in places.  Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.  Divide tomatoes and peaches evenly between 3 plates, scatter walnuts, pecorino romano, and basil over each, and drizzle each with a bit of olive oil and reisling vinegar.  Sprinkle each salad with a little sea salt and pepper and serve!

Cooling Cucumbers...

I recieved a large bag of lovely cucumbers from my Grandpa today who grows them in his garden every summer.  It was the perfect bag of goodness one could recieve on a day like today, since cucumbers are one of the best naturally cooling vegetables you could possibly enjoy!  The heat index today in Minnesota was up to 106 degrees...and the perfect day for a cocktail I decided, including the cucumbers!  I thought gin would be perfect with the cucumbers, as well as some fresh lemon and basil!  I added a bit of agave syrup to balance out the tart lemon as well.  After all was shaken, poured and tasted...I was feeling refreshed!  This was the just the remedy needed for a way too hot summer day!

Cool Cuke Cocktail

Serves 1

6 large fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup large ice cubes
6 cucumber slices

1 oz agave syrup*

3 oz Gin

1 oz fresh organic lemon juice

In a martini shaker, muddle the basil leaves with the ice, crushing them until they are in small pieces. Add the cucumbers, syrup, gin, and lemon juice, place top on shaker, and shake until well blended. Pour a chilled glass, adding and serve!


*To make agave syrup, heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup agave until agave is evenly dissolved in water.  Cool completly and store in the fridge.

Vanilla Maple Blueberry Granola

When I was deciding what type of granola I wanted to make tonight, I knew one thing...I definately wanted to include blueberries!  I had a large container of dried berries in my fridge, and I knew they would go wonderfully in granola!  I soon decided that this granola would contain large amounts of vanilla and maple in several forms.  I added vanilla powder which is ground up vanilla bean pods from which the seeds have been removed...a wonderful use for those leftover pods that have been sitting in your vanilla sugar for a while...they pack a large amount of flavor!  I also added a whole Tbsp of vanilla extract, the vanilla lover that I am.  Maple was to be the other flavor in this granola, in the form of syrup, sugar and extract!  I would not simply be satisfied with oats and dried fruit in my granola, nuts are a must, so this time I added walnuts and pecans, as well as some coconut...which belongs in almost every good granola as far as I am concerned!  The smell of this granola as it was baking was enough to change anyone's mood from bad to good...it was amazing and fragrant!  Almost like oatmeal cookies but way better with the additions of the maple and coconut aromas! The first taste would be the test though if this would be as good as it smelled...I was in luck, it was better!  Vanilla and maple flavors married with chewy dried berries, and crunchy salty sweet oats and nuts...everything I crave!  Simple but wonderful, and something that you may find yourself eating more than once a day if you try making it! 

Vanilla Maple Blueberry Granola
Makes about 14 cups of delicious granola

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups pecans
2 cups walnuts

2 cups large flake coconut

3/4 cup walnut oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp maple sugar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp vanilla powder*
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups dried blueberries

Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 and set rack at the medium position. In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, pecans, and coconut, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, maple sugar, sea salt, vanilla bean seeds, maple and vanilla extracts until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet, and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so until the granola is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in blueberries, and enjoy!

*grind leftover vanilla bean pods to a powder and you have vanilla powder!

Cherry Almond Slaw

I felt like making coleslaw, however the traditional simple recipe seemed a bit boring to me at the time.  I opened the fridge to decide what type of coleslaw I felt like making and saw a jar of cherry jelly!  As odd as it sounds, I decided that the jelly would be good in a dressing for the slaw...in fact, why not go with the cherry theme and include cherry balsamic and dried cherries as well?  I wanted the dressing to still be a bit creamy, so I used vegannaise as the base.  A bit of lemon for brightness, some honey for sweetness, and some garlic and thyme for flavor...it all turned out quite good, and the flavors married well together!  My last addition to the finished slaw were some sliced almonds, since I enjoy the crunch and toasty flavor, plus they love cherries!  Give this slaw a try if you are tired of the same old picnic recipe. 

Cherry Almond Slaw

Serves 6

Dressing:

1 1/2 cups vegannaise

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp cherry balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp cup honey

1/4 cup tart cherry jelly

1 tsp dried thyme

sea salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head green cabbage thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, cut julienne
2 cups dried cherries
2 cups sliced almonds
Whisk together dressing ingredients until well combined, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine vegetables cherries, and almonds, and toss to blend. Pour dressing over and toss well chill in the fridge until very cold, and flavors have blended for a few hours. Serve!

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Summer Squash

Tonight I had not intended to make a vegan mac and cheese, it just happened that way. I was going to make a cheese sauce, when I discovered I didn't have the right kind of cheese! So...I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to make a vegan cheese sauce, and it would be much healthier for me as well! To make the sauce I used some silken tofu and macadamia nuts to make it creamy, and some miso, and nutritional yeast to give it some flavor, as well as some garlic and dijon for that zip! Roasted pattypan squash and scallions, were added me not being one to leave veggies out of anything! This meal ended up being a big bowl of comfort that could be mistaken for something gut-busting if you didn't know what was really in it...but in reality was what comfort food should be, comforting and good for the body. The "cheese" was creamy, and flavorful and as I was eating it I was glad I didn't have the right type of cheese and made what I had!

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Summer Squash
Serves 4
"cheese" sauce:
1/4 cup toasted macadamias

12 oz silken tofu

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp light miso
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
freshly ground black pepper
soy milk to thin if necessary

6 pattypans, cut into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
8 oz pasta

4 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Combine all cheese sauce ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth, adding soy milk if necessary to thin. Place in the top part of a double boiler, and heat until hot. Meanwhile, toss pattypans with enough olive oil to coat and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast squash until just tender, and remove from oven. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain. Add pasta back to the pot, along with squash, scallions, and basil. Pour heated sauce over, and toss to coat. Serve immidiately while hot.