The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Savory Fall Smoothie

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If you live in the Northeast like I do, you are experiencing a very strange December. I mean, it’s been in the 60s this entire week! People seem to be handling the uncharacteristically warm weather in different ways: some are freaking out, some are ecstatic, and some are taking it as a sign that a delicious pumpkin-based smoothie recipe I had thought was doomed to sit around until next fall is actually still very much seasonally-appropriate. (Okay, maybe just me for that last one!) But yes, I have a wonderful smoothie for you to savor during these last few (days? weeks? who knows at this point?) of warm weather, and I highly recommend that you make it before the snow hits!

This smoothie has a savory quality that I really enjoy. The frozen banana definitely gives it some sweetness – but there is also a complexity of flavor that differentiates it from your everyday smoothie. Pungent turmeric and ginger combine with creamy pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and fall spices; I chose to highlight these notes with a bit of celtic sea salt  (more than you would typically put in a sweeter smoothie) and the result was delicious.

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Carrot Latkes with Green Apple Sour Cream

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It’s latke time! Whether you’ve just lit candles for the second night of Chanukah, or all you know about Chanukah is the Adam Sandler song (one of my all-time LEAST favorite songs, by the way), you gotta make some latkes. Or at least, find somewhere to go eat them. Because Jewish or not, who doesn’t like crispy fried potatoes with sour cream and apple sauce?

That said, too much of a good thing definitely applies . And if you do happen to celebrate Chanukah, you know what I’m talking about. The first time you eat latkes on Chanukah, it’s totally awesome. But by the time the obligatory latkes hit your plate at the third Chanukah gathering you’ve been to, you may start to get a little…well…rebellious. My solution? Ditch the starchy, heavy potato and bust out your carrots! Need some more reasons to try carrot latkes? I’ve got ’em!

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Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with it, my capacity to eat heavily, heartily, and indulgently. Luckily, that ability lasted just long enough to use up all the delicious Thanksgiving leftovers. But Friday’s pie for breakfast and let’s-eat-every-hour-because-we-can mentality has left me craving something nourishing, cleansing, and light. Something to banish the sluggishness that comes from two straight days of overindulgence.

This hot and sour noodle soup is the perfect antidote to the Thanksgiving hangover. I’ve never been one for wavering between indulgence and deprivation (I think that’s pretty silly) so this soup is in no way deprivation food. It’s deeply flavorful, and provides everything your palate could want – saltiness, sourness, sweetness, crunch – it’s all there.

And it’s there with a nourishing quality that is most welcome right now.

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Buttery Brussels (Vegan)

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I’m not sure what it is about Thanksgiving season that has me creating vegan twists on the classics left and right – but here’s another vegan recipe for your Thanksgiving table. Or any table, for that matter. I don’t know about you, but brussels are one of my all-time favorite vegetables year-round and this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them!

Before I describe this recipe, let me just rant about brussels for a second. Has anyone noticed that they’ve gone from being everyone’s least favorite vegetable to something frequently found (and ordered) at chic bars and small-plates places? What happened? I think the answer has to do with the fact that brussels can be just about the absolute worst tasting thing in the world or they can be the best bite you’ve ever had, depending on how they’re prepared. And they are finally being prepared properly more often than improperly! Sure, you still get your occasional mushy, sulphuric, boiled-to-death old-school brussels, and sometimes you’ll get the super undercooked and tummy-ache fueling version, but more often than not, you get something much more akin to truffle fries, if truffle fries were made out of cabbage.

I have a bunch of favorite ways to prepare brussels – from boiling them until tender and then adding copious amounts of olive oil and parmesan, to roasting them in chili glazes. But my absolute favorite is the boil and sauté method. The brussels get nice and tender (which makes them easier to digest and brings out the sweeter side of their flavor profile), and then they are quickly pan-fried/sautéed in oil or butter and delicious spices for a fabulous crispy exterior and a supremely addictive flavor.

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Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie (Vegan)

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Thanksgiving is approaching faster than you can say “pilgrim.” Okay, maybe not quite that fast, but it’s definitely sneaking up on us quickly! And that means it’s time to start thinking about your Thanksgiving feast!

Being vegetarian growing up, people ALWAYS asked me what I did for Thanksgiving. It was apparently incomprehensible that it was possible to have a turkey-less celebration. The questions kept coming – “Do you make an exception for Thanksgiving?” “Um, no…” “Do you get a vegetarian turkey?” “Um, no…” “Oh, is your vegetarian turkey made out of tofu?” “Um, we don’t have a vegetarian turkey…” “Wait, really? Wait, what does vegetarian turkey taste like, anyway?” At which point, I’d normally give up, sigh, and tell them that it tasted just like regular turkey minus the dead bird.

What I failed to communicate to those pesky questioners is that in our household (and in many meat-eating households I’ve been to), Thanksgiving is not about the turkey. It’s all about the sides. If you can call them sides — big, beautiful, hearty, casseroles; luscious, richly-prepared mashes; vegetables upon vegetables upon vegetables. And pie, of course. Lots of pie. And maybe some chocolate pudding too.

While I’m not vegan (and you’ll know that quite well if you made my buttery cookies from last week), I wanted to post a vegan Thanksgiving recipe because I’m sure that vegans get the endless questioning ten times worse. “Mashed potatoes without butter? Really? No cheese at all? I don’t get it – what do you eat?” Sigh.

Anyway, speaking of mashed potatoes, I’ve decided to go classic here. This is a Thanksgiving twist on vegetarian shepherd’s pie – the “meat” layer is composed of a savory mushroom/lentil mixture, with some pumpkin and sage thrown in for good measure. A bit of chopped carrot adds some crunch. Finally, it’s topped with a yukon gold mash and baked to perfection.

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Spicy Harissa-Chickpea Burgers

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Harissa is one of my kitchen staples, since I love its intensity of flavor and incredible vibrancy.  Add in some crunchy dill-infused carrots and some nutty chickpeas, and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. This is a burger that packs some heat – in a delightfully zesty way. It’s delicious with the optional yogurt dressing featured here, but an aioli made with vegan mayo would work just fine too. Or you can just eat these babies straight out of the oven – no accoutrements necessary, provided you like it hot!

These burgers are a wee bit similar (in method, not flavor) to my Indian Chickpea Cakes, since I’m a huge fan of using millet in my burgers and cakes. This awesome grain is moist, nutty, and really gives you something nice and meaty to sink your teeth into. Plus it’s totally under-appreciated and really good for you! If you’ve never enjoyed millet before, this is a great introduction to it – its flavor and texture in this recipe is similar to rice, and it doesn’t taste at all like “health food.”

Finally, I should mention that if you keep reading, you’ll actually find not one, but three recipes included in this post! Woohoo! Exciting! (Consider it my Halloween present to everyone :p)

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Pumpkin “Mac and Cheese” (Dairy-Free!)

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This pumpkin mac and cheese is everything I look for in a mac and cheese – it’s super creamy, uber-savory, and deeply buttery. It also happens to look great in a ramekin. But there’s no cheese. Or butter.

If you’re skeptical, I don’t blame you. I’ve had my share of dairy-free mac and cheese  and I’m not really a fan. Imitation cheese is just never as good as the real thing. But here’s the beauty of this recipe – there’s absolutely no imitation cheese involved. None whatsoever. There isn’t even any miso or nutritional yeast or any of the other ingredients often used to make something taste “cheesy.” But somehow, this dish manages to mimic the feeling and textures of eating mac and cheese in a way that is surprisingly close to the real thing.

A caveat: When it comes to mac and cheese, people have strong opinions about “the real thing.” Please don’t make this expecting it to taste exactly like your favorite version of the classic – it definitely won’t. Unless, of course, your favorite version happens to be one that will give you delicious pumpkin-scented mouthful after creamy mouthful, with just a hint of sage and some caramelized onions thrown in for good measure.

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Rustic Lentil Stew with Balsamic and Olives

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Maybe I’m just lazy, but I think the bears have it right: when fall rolls around, my first inclination is to start gathering as much energy as I can and preserve the hell out of it. This means that lately I’ve been craving nourishing, warming, simple meals. Meals that quickly restore lost energy and don’t make you use that newfound energy to clean dreaded piles of dishes and appliances. (Seriously – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve adjusted my dinner plans just because I didn’t feel like dirtying the blender.)  So one-pot meals are my friend, right now. Especially when those meals are super rich in iron, protein, and fiber, and make me feel like I’m wrapped in a nice, fuzzy, blanket. (Okay, I may have eaten this while wrapped in an actual blanket…)

But seriously, this stew is comfort food at its best. A simple, protein-packed, one-pot wonder. It’s delicious by itself, and even better accompanied by a nice crusty hunk of gluten-free French bread.  Better yet, it’s super cheap to make and uses simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Instead of requiring vegetable broth (for me, the one ingredient I never seem to have in my pantry/fridge when I want to make stews) this dish creates its own umami-laden broth by marrying the sharp saltiness of the olives with the subtle sweetness of the balsamic.

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Mung Bean and Apple Salad

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At the greenmarket this morning, I started noticing “First Crop of 2015” signs on some of the apples. If that’s not a sign of fall on the horizon, I don’t know what is.

Much as I’m still holding fast to summer (and I’m certainly not about to stop posting summer recipes just yet!), I’ve begun mentally preparing myself for fall. And there are some nice things to think about: colorful trees, crisp air, squash, pumpkins … in fact, if it didn’t signal the impending doom of winter, fall would probably be my favorite season. But I’m not quite ready to let go of summer just yet.

So I would call this a transitional salad.  It’s the perfect light bite for a hot summer day, but there is also something about it that forecasts the coming of fall. Maybe it’s the nuttiness and heartiness of the mung beans, conspiring with the crisp tartness of the apple. Or maybe it’s the pinch of nutmeg in the cumin-spiked lemony dressing. Perhaps it’s something else entirely. While I can’t pinpoint exactly why this salad seems to straddle the line between summer and fall, I can tell you that you should make it. And then eat it. And then make it again.

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Open-Faced Breadless Eggplant Sandwiches
(Vegan Option)

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There is something incredibly satisfying about breadless sandwiches, and I think it has to do with breaking rules.

I mean, to most people, bread is one of the defining characteristics of a sandwich. When you think of a sandwich, you most likely envision two slices of bread, or if you went to alternative schools all of your life and consider yourself a unique thinker, possibly a roll or a bun. Maybe you sidestep the bread characteristic, but if you do, you’re probably thinking of an oreo or some other construction where something in the middle is sandwiched between two symmetrical edible surfaces. This sandwich, however, breaks both fundamental sandwich rules – it’s both open-faced and breadless. And yet it has the look, feel, and taste of a classic sandwich.

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