totally vegan #2, #3

Whoa! I haven't posted in soooo long. But I've been busy, and cooking a lot!

As I am still unemployed, I now claim my occupation to be "homemaker," as my days are filled with gardening, fixing up my new apartment, playing with my dog, and cooking. These next couple posts are going to be a game of catch-up and I thought I'd start with the vegan food...

TOTALLY VEGAN #2

Spicy Chickpea-Lemon Faux Stew

I like this recipe because it's so flexible, you can adjust it based on what's in season, what's in your pantry, etc. In the summer I like to use red pepper puree instead of canned tomatoes, but this turned out great, and kept really well to be eaten by my lovely vegan friend Veronica the next day.

I started by sauteeing some garlic (2 cloves, chopped sort of finely, who cares? this is a rustic dish) in olive oil until tender and aromatic, then added my canned whole tomatoes (big-sized can, san marzano, duh). Using my spatula I broke the tomatoes up into smaller-than-bite-sized chunks.

I then added the juice of 1/2 lemon, and maybe 1/4 cup of roughly chopped fresh dill. I thinly sliced the reserved 1/2 lemon and threw the slices in there after removing the seeds. Then I added one 15oz can of drained chickpeas, seasoned the stew with salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, and about a teaspoon of turmeric, and then simmered, covered, for 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas were super tender and had absorbed the flavor of the liquid. Yum! Madison and I ate this with crackers while we watched an episode (or two...) of Daria on YouTube. Because we are adults.

TOTALLY VEGAN #3

Roasted Root Vegetables with Quinoa and Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette

I made this as a light vegan dinner before we all went to a Coasting show at this birthday party which actually just was a 1-year anniversary party for this band called the Honey dos. This recipe could not be any easier...or any tastier...or any healthier. I kid you not.

This is it:

Get an assortment of root vegetables. I had carrot, parsnip, turnip, celery root, red cippolini onion, and rutabaga that I had purchased at my fave store, Marlow and Daughters. Peel the vegetables and cut them into similarly-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 375 until tender. Like, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook some quinoa, and prepare the vinaigrette, which is just lemon juice, finely chopped parsley, spicy mustard, salt, and pepper. When the vegetables are done, toss everything together. DONE. I also added a bit of local sheep's milk feta to mine because, ahem, I'm not vegan.

Veronica also made these really unbelievable vegan cupcakes that night, so pretty, and soooo delicious. Girl can bake!