French Lentils with Roasted Turnips

This was really delicious and so healthy! Mmmm ...

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups French lentils (aka greenish brown lentils)
4 cups water
2 medium sized turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot minced
fresh or dry thyme
coarse salt and black pepper
olive oil

Method:
First, roast the turnips. Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the turnips in a bowl with a bit of olive oil to coat them. Sprinkle a little salt on them (optional). Put them on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake them for about 30 minutes or until they start to brown. Meanwhile, bring the lentils and water to a boil in a pot. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Drain any excess water and put the lentils in a large serving bowl. Toss with shallot, chopped parsley, lemon juice, a little more olive oil, thyme (to taste), and some salt and pepper (also to taste). Add turnips when they're done. Enjoy!

SERVES 4 - Can be served hot or cold.

Chickpea Cutlet, Spinach, and Old Bay Sweet Potatoes

Old Bay Sweet Potato recipe here:
http://sundaegirl108.blogspot.com/2010/11/old-bay-baked-sweet-potato-fries.html

I resolved this year to make more recipes from the many vegan cookbooks I own. :)

I finally made the chickpea cutlet from Veganomicon (p.133) this week! It is indeed heavenly. Mmm mmm good.

I also made the Sauteed Spinach and Tomatoes from Veganomicon (p.106). I highly recommend this one as well. Mmm.

Easy Lemon and Garlic Kale

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, washed, ribs removed and discarded.
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Method:
Combine all ingredients except kale in a large tall pot. Bring to a simmer. Throw in kale one handful at a time. Put a lid on it to steam the kale. Stir every once in a while. Cook kale until it's bright green and tender (about 5 - 8 mins). Enjoy!

Note: I made this with the polenta and seitan casserole from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. Unfortunately, the casserole didn't turn out so good, so I'm not posting it just yet. I'm going to have to tweak it with some spice additions of my own. ;) I think it'll also be better with some nutritional yeast added!

Vegan Swiss Chard Frittata and Tomato Rosemary Scones

I finally decided to post this recipe because it's so, so delicious! Buy Vegan Brunch! It's the best cookbook ever.

Vegan Tomato Rosemary Scones recipe here:
http://sundaegirl108.blogspot.com/2009/11/vegan-tomato-rosemary-scones.html

Swiss Chard Frittata
(recipe from Vegan Brunch p. 34-36)

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I find that this makes it very garlicy, so you can easily halve the amount of garlic)
1 bunch red Swiss chard, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
1 pound firm tofu
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (yellow, dijon, or whatever)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (I usually put in a little more)
several dashes black pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 400F. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute garlic in oil for about 3 minutes. Add the chard and oregano and saute the chard until it's wilted. Add water if needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the tofu base. Give the tofu a squeeze over the sink to remove some excess water. Use your hands to crumble it into a large mixing bowl until it has the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add the soy sauce, mustard, tumeric, black pepper, and yeast to the tofu and mix well. Add the chard mixture to the tofu when it's done and mix it well to incorporate it. Lightly grease an 8 inch pie plate and firmly press the tofu mixture into it. Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Here is a pic of Lucas, my handsome fiance, enjoying our new year brunch ~ complete with cava!