Rustic Shrimp Stew

2   Tbl olive oil
1   pound yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved, and thinly sliced
2   carrots, thinly sliced
2   garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1   medium onion, quartered and sliced crosswise
2   3oz fully cooked italian-style chicken sausage, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/8   t. cayenne pepper
2   Tbl flour
13/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1    pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2   cup parsley leaves, chopped


In a 5 quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add potatoes, carrots, garlic, onion, sausage, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, 15 to 17 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over potatoes and vegetabes. Stir in broth and 1/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes more. Top mixture with shrimp. Cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are opaque throghout. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

Batata Bhaji

Holy Cow
Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes, boiled in their jackets and diced. ( don't peel the potato skin, most of the nutrients in the potato sit right under the skin so by peeling the potato you will turn this healthy veggie into a blob of tasty but starchy nothingness-- well, almost.)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 green chillies, like serrano, minced 1 tbsp grated ginger

10-15 curry leaves, chopped

½ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

¼ cup coriander leaves

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp canola oil

Heat the oil in a skillet.


Add the cumin seeds and asafetida. When the seeds sputter, add the onions and curry leaves and green chillies and saute until the onion turns transparent, about five minutes on medium heat. 

Add the ginger and turmeric and saute a few more seconds. Add the potatoes and stir them in to combine with the oil and spices.


Mash down the potatoes with a potato masher or a heavy ladle so some of the pieces break up but others remain mostly intact. You want the potatoes to start turning slightly golden and crusty at the bottom of the pan.

Add salt and lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with the coriander seeds or, if you like, some grated coconut.

Summer Squash Patties

Summer Squash Patties

4 green onions, chopped

4 T. Coconut oil

2 medium yellow summer squash; grated

2-4 medium red potatoes; grated

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup ground flax seeds mixed with 1-2 cups water

½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

other seasoning to taste (optional)

Saute green onions in 2 Tablespoons coconut oil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add grated potato and let cook about half way and then add summer squash. In medium sized clean bowl, add oats, flax mixture, salt and pepper and seasonings.  Mix well. Add squash mixture and blend with a fork.

In a clean frying pan or on griddle at medium heat, warm 2 Tablespoon coconut oil. Spoon mixture in and form patties. Let brown 3-4 minutes and turn.  These are tasty severed like a burger on a bun with all the fixin's we like to layer 2 or three depending on how thick they are.  They are also excellent by themselves with some ranch dressing and/or other favorite toppings!

Fab Cakes with 'Smarter' Sauce

Fab Cakes

8 oz. tempeh (first simmered in 2-3 cups of water or vegetable broth for about 20 minutes, then cooled)

1 -1 1/8 cups cooked potatoes, roughly chopped (can use leftover boiled or roasted potatoes)

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp kelp granules (optional; ex: Maine Coast Sea Seasonings brand)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

2/3 cup apple, peeled and diced (toss in a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning)

1/3 cup sliced green onions (use both greener and whitish portions) or chives

Dash hot sauce (optional)

1/3 cup (roughly) potato flour (for frying, optional)

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil (for frying)

After simmering and cooling tempeh, squeeze excess water from tempeh cake with your hands (it’s okay to squish since tempeh will be processed/mashed). In a food processor, first pulse the tempeh with the potatoes, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, kelp granules, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and cayenne (pulse through until combined and broken up, but not fully pureed – alternatively, you can mash these ingredients by hand). Add the bell pepper, apple, and green onions, and stir through. Take small scoops of the mixture (about ¼ cup) and form into small cakes with your hands. Lightly coat each side of the patties in the potato flour. Repeat until you have used all of the mixture. In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the patties, flatten gently on the pan, and fry for 7-9 minutes on each side, until golden and a crust has developed; flip them over only once or twice (the second side will cook quicker than the first). Serve with dollops of Smarter Sauce.  Makes 11 - 12 Patties.

Smarter Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise of choice (see note)

1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (unseasoned, or use red wine or apple cider vinegar)

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup cucumber, seeds removed, and minced

1 tbsp capers (drained)

3/4 tsp agave nectar

1/8 – 1/4 tsp dried mustard (use full 1/4 tsp for more ‘bite’)

1/4 tsp (rounded) onion powder

1 tsp lemon zest

1/8 tsp sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir through until well combined. Refrigerate (covered) until serving.

Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans Isa Chandra Moskokowitz Recipe

Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans---YuM!!

This is truly a heavenly dish!! Goodness dripping from every bite! Most important, it is fast and easy.  Plus there's not too many ingredients. It's cooks for an hour and 15 minutes, kind of a bummer. But it's worth the wait!

What you'll need...

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved(about 1-inch pieces)
1/2 pound string beans, halved, ends cut off and discarded(I used canned)
1 yellow onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oli

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the veggies in a 9x3-in casserole dish. In a mixing bowl stir together all the other ingredients until the mustard is dissolved. Pour over the veggies and mix will until everything is coated. Cover with foil and place in oven. Bake for 25 Min. Remove from oven and toss everything: use a spoon to drip the sauce over the veggies. Turn oven down to 350, and cook for 25 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven. toss again, cook for 25 more minutes uncovered.

Kabocha squash stuffed with Butternut vindoloo Isa Chandra Moskokowitz Recipe

So the Vegan recipe I would like to share this week is called Kabocha squash stuffed with Butternut vindoloo. It is so good! I gave it a 9.7! It would have been a ten but I've never given a ten to a recipe before, so  I thought I'd go with the next best rating. All the spices blend so perfectly in this dish and it just melts in your mouth! I can not stress the word 'YUM' enough here.

I made a few revisions. I used Russet potatoes instead of Yukon, because that is what I had. I used 1/2 cup of beef broth in place of the red wine (with apologies to the vegans!) . I did not do the stuff the kabocha squash part, so I'm leaving that part out of the recipe. Just serve with rice and be ready to be impressed!

You'll need:

3 tbs olive oil
2 cups diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, miced
2 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs mustartd seeds
1 tbs ground cumin
1/2 ts ground cloves
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine (I used beff broth)
1 (12-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

In a stock pot over moderated heat, saute the onions in oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; saute until fragrant (about a minute); add all the seeds and spices and stir; add the red wine vinegar, broth and tomatoes. Mix to combine. Add potatoes and butternut squash, cover, and bring to a low boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Bon Appétit!

P.S. This recipe is really serious about the amount of potatoes and squash you put in and for the amount of time you cook them for. I would suggest weighing the veggies if you can and not over cooking them. There is not a lot of liquid and it will burn easily. Plus, the more evenly you distribute the juices, the tastier it will be.

Also, if you are not familiar with the spice Cardamom, let me tell you about it. It is a heaven-sent spice. It has a beautiful favor. You'll find it a lot in Indian dishes. So good. But when you go to buy it you might faint from sticker shock. It's kind of pricey. This calls for Cardamom pods and instead of seeds. I don't know how hard pods are to find in a neighborhood grocer. I have a Indian food store that I bought mine from. But the seeds might work just as well. Also, you can easily find any ingredient on the internet.

This week I'm trying Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions! If it's good, you'll hear about it!