Here’s a perfect, Autumn comfort soup without any unhealthy ingredients- this Sweet Potato & Pear Soup does the trick with sweet potatoes, fresh seasonal pears, and some unique spices and fats from sesame tahini. And, it’s super easy to make, requiring only one pot and a Vitamix or high-speed blender. Enjoy this on your next chilly autumn evening, with some toasted rustic bread.
Butternut Squash Noodles with Hempseed Pesto

Try these butternut squash noodles with hempseed pesto for a fantastically simple, vegan, nutrient dense meal. Butternut squash noodles are probably better purchased already made, only because of the odd shape and hard shell of the squash. It could turn into a burdensome project if you try to do it by hand. However, you could absolutely make your own sweet potato, carrot, or zucchini noodles and still have a delicious meal with the pesto. This dish can be done completely raw or cooked as instructed in this recipe. Add some other veggies and-or avocado for more nutrition and variety.
Tuscan Cold Zoodles with Tomato, Basil & Garlic

With gluten free this, avoid that, and whatever else we are adding to the “avoid list” lately, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of calling something what it actually isn’t. For example, a “cauliflower” is commonly being called a “steak,” and no one seems to mind at all. Are we finally losing it as a society? Well, I guess, keeping it all in perspective, it’s cool to get creative with naming some healthy substitutes. It’s just a word anyway, right? I just want whatever I am eating to satiate and hit the spot on whatever my mind and my appetite have conspired to enjoy together. Whenever that happens to be cold tomato basil noodles, this recipe does the trick. For the sake of avoiding the faux food naming pattern, we’re going to call these babies “zoodles”. Whatever you do call it, get ready for “yummy” sounding words and noises when you serve it. Oh, and it’s raw too!
Read MoreCauliflower Bhaji with Spinach

Have you ever heard of cauliflower bhaji? Sometimes weekdays can be tricky for preparing fresh whole food dinners. This probably isn’t news to most readers. But then, sometimes, those rushed days, when all you have are some bits and pieces of vegetables and random bags of beans and grains, end up producing the most memorable dinners. This cauliflower bhaji with spinach is a perfect example. It is extremely simple to make and it tastes great!
Root Vegetable Stacks with Wild Mushroom Ragout

These root vegetable stacks are a great example of what you can prepare with just a few ingredients, and at those times when you have nothing planned for dinner. Thinking of what to make for dinner always sits in the back of my mind throughout the day, no matter what else is going on. The other day I was experiencing a busy and challenging day. I knew I needed to go grocery shopping but didn’t have the time. So I resigned to the idea that I would just work with whatever I had in the kitchen when I got home. By the time it was over, I was reminded that sometimes breaking the pattern of relying on regular grocery staples is just the ticket I need to get the creative culinary juices flowing. What is the point of this story? When you are charged with preparing dinner and all you have on hand is a yam, a beet, and some mushrooms, take a pause, make like you are in a cottage in Provence, and romance some garden herbs and that jar of Dijon mustard sitting in the back of the fridge! In most cases, simpler is actually a lot better. Embrace what you have, make it the star, and you will never go wrong!
Read MoreVegan Kale & Mushroom Curry

“Creamy” Teff Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

Rustic Mashed & Kale Timbale with Portobello Mushroom “Steak”

When I was a caterer and more into the conventional way of cooking, I used to love serving sliced filet mignon on top of cylindrical shaped mashed potatoes. I would call it a mashed potato “timbale,” at the time. Now, I have come up with a completely vegan and far more nutritious version of the same. This could be the vegan entrée that finally conquers over the “roast beast” at your Christmas dinner table. The kale is put in at the end so it retains its raw, live nutritional value. Although it isn’t in the recipe, you can finish this off with a ladle full of some vegetable stock reduction or mushroom ragout featured earlier this month.
Green Pepita Soup

Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich
