Chicken Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs

It's not often that I post non-vegan recipes but I want to encourage all my friends to try something new.

Serves 4: Hands-on Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

• pinch of salt
• 16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1/4 inch
• 1 cup halved and thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, plus additional for garnish
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 eggs, poached

1. Season a large pot of water with salt and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, cover and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, cover and simmer until an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when inserted in center of chicken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside until cool enough to handle. With 2 forks, shred chicken.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, wide nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium. Add potatoes and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until potato is just tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Gently fold chicken into potato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and chicken are browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in paprika, cumin, salt and cilantro. To serve, top with eggs and additional paprika (if using). Serve immediately. 

Nutrients per serving:

(1 1/4 cups hash mixture and 1 poached egg):

calories 294 total fat 10g sat fat 3g monounsaturated fat 4g polyunsaturated fat 2g carbs 14g fiber 3g sugars 5g protein 35g sodium 368mg cholesterol 285mg

Salted Caramel Brownies

Makes 16 (2-inch x 2-inch) brownies

For the brownies:

• 6 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 2 large eggs, preferably organic, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp alcohol-free liquid vanilla stevia
• 1/2 cup gf flour blend
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk

For the salted caramel:

• 6 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 2 tbsp dairy-free margarine, such as Earth Balance Soy-Free Natural Buttery Spread
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Make the brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
2. Beat the coconut oil and coconut palm sugar together in a medium bowl until the sugar is the consistency of wet sand. Beat in the eggs, then mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and liquid stevia.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour blend and the baking powder. Add the flour blend to the egg mixture in three additions, alternatively with the dairy-free milk, starting and ending with the flour.
4. Turn the batter into the prepared baking pan, tapping the pan a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the salted caramel:

1. Put the coconut palm sugar in a blender or spice grinder and process until powdered. Set aside.
2. Add the dairy-free margarine and coconut oil to a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Melt over medium heat. Once melted, add the powdered coconut palm sugar and stir until melted. The oil, butter and coconut palm sugar will still be separated at this point.
3. Whisk the coconut milk. The mixture will become cohesive. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Carefully place the caramel in a heat-proof container and let cool completely in the refrigerator. This will take several hours.
5. Remove the caramel from the refrigerator one hour before serving. Just before serving, drizzle the cooled caramel over the brownies, or place in a piping bag with a #2 tip and pipe across the brownies. Sprinkle sea salt over the brownies. Cut into (2-inch x 2-inch) squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Basic Flour Blend GF

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup garbanzo-fava bean flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch

Mix well; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Doesn't have a beany taste once baked. Can be used as one-to-one substitute.

Red & White Quinoa Salad with Apricots & Mint

Serves 4

1/2 cup (3 ounces) white quinoa
1/2 cup (3 ounces) red quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup (3 ounces) diced dried apricots (soft, ready-to-eat type)
4 tbsp (2 ounces) raisins
6 tbsp (1 ounce) pine nuts or chopped pecans, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Dressing:
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp mellow red wine vinegar
pinch sugar
sea salt and black pepper
1/2 lemon

Combine the red and white quinoa in a sieve, rinse and drain (you can skip this step if the quinoa is pre-rinsed). Bring the water to a boil, add the salt and quinoa, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender and the water has been completely absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Spread out on a plate and let cool.

Combine the apricots, raisins, pine nuts and mint in a large bowl, and stir in the quinoa.

Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and sugar together, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the quinoa mixture, and toss gently. Taste for flavour, and adjust if needed. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon juice on top and stir the mixture gently.

Basic Kale Soup

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely minced
salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 head kale, sliced, and stems diced
4 cups water
1 cup minced parsley

• Add oil to the bottom of a large heavy bottomed pot. Turn on the stove to high heat. When the oil is hot, add your cumin seeds. In about a minute, if you made sure to get the oil good and hot, you'll have the cumin seeds popping and cracking. At this moment, add your onions. Sprinkle in salt to taste. Stir to evenly coat in the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
• Add the garlic, pepper, and chopped kale, and stir into the onion mixture so that the pieces of kale are evenly coated in the oil. You may have to add the kale in batches if your pot isn't that large. Add a batch, stir it around, and wait for it to wilt down. When there's more room, add subsequent batches and continue to stir and wilt the kale. Sprinkle on salt. Toss through oer the heat for about 5 minutes. Add the water. Bring it to a full boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Allow it to cook for about 20 minutes. When cooked, sprinkle in parsley and let sit about 5 minutes.

Variations:

1 pound diced, cooked potato, stirred in at end; 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced added in 10 minutes before removing from heat; 1 head of cabbage, sliced, added in 10 minutes before finishing; 1 pound zucchini, cut in half lengthewise and sliced into halfmoons, added in roughly 5 minutes before removing from heat; chile oil, added in right at the end of cooking. Add a tsp or so to each bowl of soup; 1 tbsp kimchee; 1 pound cooked chickpeas added in the last 10 minutes of cooking; or 1 pound cooked kidney beans added in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Combine all the variations to make a very filling soup. 

Alternative Vegan, p. 32, Dino Sarma Weierman

New York-Style Cheesecake

Makes 16 servings

Prep time: crust - 10 minutes; filling - 10 minutes; topping - 5 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour, 10 minutes. Cooling time: 1 hour in the oven with the heat off and door closed
Chilling time: at least 8 hours

Crust:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
4 (8-ounce) containers vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti, which has no casein)
1 (12-ounce) package of firm silken tofu
1 cup granulated sweetener
1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tea spoon vanilla extract

Topping:
6 ounces (1/2 [12 ounce] package) firm silken tofu
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sweetener
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat a 9-inch round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• To make the crust: In a food processor or small bowl, combine all the crust ingredients and mix thoroughly Press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Prick with a fork and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, reduce the oven heat to 350F, and set the crust aside.
• To make the filling: Combine the cream cheese and tofu in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the granulated sweetener and blend until creamy. Add the flour and vanilla, blend, and pour into the prepared crust. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
• To make the topping: Rinse and dry the food processor. While the cheesecake is baking, place the tofu in the processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the other ingredients and process to blend.
• After 50 minutes, pull the cheesecake out of the oven and carefully spread with the topping. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. 
• Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight before serving. 

Sinfully Vegan by Lois Dieterly p.203

Asparagus & what you should know

Nutritional virtues: Asparagus contains good amounts of vitamins A, some Bs, C, E, potassium, and zinc. It benefits the kidneys (unless you already have kidney inflammation). Ayurvedic medicine says asparagus is super for strengthening the female hormonal system, relieving menstrual pain, and promoting fertility and lactation. It's said to be lightly warming. Consuming the diuretic asparagine, found in asparagus, causes some people's urine to have a unique smell.

Varieties: Green (most common), white (grown by shielding the plants from light), and purple.

Get it: In the spring, as soon after harvest as you can. Look for fresh firm stalks and compact tips. I prefer the pencil-thin ones to the older, thicker stalks.

Eat it/Make it: Trim off the dry and woody bottoms, either by snapping them (works with thinner stalks) or chopping a centimeter off and then peeling up the stalk about an inch. Steam (for about 2-3 minutes), roast (gives a nuttier flavour) or grill on the barbecue.

Keep it: Store bunches of asparagus in the fridge, standing upright in a tall container with a few inches of water at the bottom.