Category Archives: vegan

Roasted cauliflower soup with curried parsley oil recipe

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IMG_4425I was in a cauliflower rut. I’d steamed it and tossed it with raisins and capers. I’d steamed it and mashed it with garlic and oil. I’d roasted it in a pool of extra virgin olive oil and topped it with kalamata olives. Now what?

Sometimes, a different format is the solution: move out of the side dish realm and into another course.  I decided to make soup and see what would happen if I roasted the cauliflower, along with roasting onions and garlic. The result was a rich, buttery soup with a nutty taste.  And, like most soups, the flavor intensifies and tastes even better the next day. Continue reading →

Cardamom Five-Seed Granola Recipe and Homemade Holiday Gifts

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Granola BagsIt’s Cement Truck Kitchen’s favorite time of the year, because we are more indulgent than usual. We experiment with new granola recipes and other treats that can be put into labeled coffee bags or spooned into cellophane packages and secured with shiny bows.  And, it’s the time of year when some people appreciate a festive digestif on a cold night, so we’ve tried an experiment.Gifts

This year’s projects included a cardamom five-seed granola, roasted rosemary walnuts, and limoncello. Continue reading →

Spiced Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

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IMG_4173After finding a lentil and coconut milk soup recipe on Sprouted Kitchen I filed it away for a cold day.  Today’s that day, with a light snow coating everything and encouraging indoor pursuits.

IMG_4166The recipe called for lemongrass, which would amp up the flavor and be quite delicious, I’m sure, but I was not amped up to search the suburbs for it. I also added sweet potatoes because almost everything is better with some roasted sweet potatoes. And then there’s the coconut milk, the quantity that I reduced from the original so that I could save some calories for those cookies hidden away in the freezer. If you like a creamier soup, go for the full 1 ½ cups of full fat coconut milk. Continue reading →

Cumin-scented carrots with kale and peas

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I’m a sucker for vegetables in their nonstandard colors. A couple weeks’ back I bought a purple cauliflower because I thought it was pretty and it went with my sweater. Then I picked up these beautiful carrots:

And used them to make this:

I’ve had vegetable side dishes on the brain since I’ve been planning Thanksgiving dinner with my mom. I came up with this combination of carrots, peas, and kale and tweaked the dressing from a recipe in Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein to top the vegetables. Continue reading →

Rosemary, garlic, and cannellini bean spread

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rosemary, garlic, and cannellini bean dipWe like spontaneous and last-minute neighbor drop-ins and have been encouraging our friends to come by even when we don’t have longstanding plans. For these occasions, I’m assembling a collection of quick and simple appetizer recipes that can be made with what I generally have on hand.

This rosemary, garlic, and bean spread has lots going for it: It comes together in less than 10 minutes, has bold flavors, and works for all food constituencies (vegans, picky eaters, and those with food allergies). I serve the spread with crackers, grainy bread, chunks of fresh fennel, or celery sticks. You can do some substitutions—chickpeas, black beans, or other white beans will work well, and chopped shallot can stand in for the garlic. Continue reading →