And a Very Vegan New Year
Black-eyed peas
All I do is sort and rinse a bag or a couple cups [with The Girl, honestly, I do about 3-4 cups] of black-eyed peas, put in a pot, add water until it is about an inch higher than the peas and toss in a few peeled cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and, depending on your pot, check every 20 minutes or so. The beans are done when they taste creamy inside or the skin splits when you blow on them. At that point, check the amount of water—too little? too much?—and adjust. Add vegetable broth cubes–I like sea salt and herbs—or veggie broth paste. Add to taste. You can saute onions and bell peppers to add if you want. I just smash the garlic cloves, add pepper and keep warm while the rice cooks.
Cabbage
We’ve usually substituted kale. I’ll have some on the side—sliced thin, cooked with soy sauce and peeled garlic cloves—for The Girl but this year, we will do cabbage.
Straightforward Coleslaw—Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry [Da Capo/Perseus, 2009].
1 sm. green cabbage, cored, quartered, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. silken tofu
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. coarse sea salt [I use just a sprinkle or 2]
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Place cabbage in a larger bowl. In an upright blender, combine the mustard, tofu, vinegar, agave nectar, and salt. While blending, slowly add the olive oil. Add the dressing to the green cabbage and massage until it shrinks down, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and remove at least 15 minutes before serving [62].
Cornbread, no skillet
For egg replacer, I usually use 1/4 c. silken tofu for each egg called for. I may or may not use the corn kernels. And instead of muffin cups, I’ll pour it in a bread pan.
Country Corn Muffins—How It All Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer [Arsenal Pulp, 1999].
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt [or not]
egg replacer [to equal 2 eggs]
1/4-1/2 c. soy milk or water
2 Tbs. sweetener [agave nectar, honey, brown sugar, your choice but mix it with the appropriate ingredients, wet with wet, dry with dry]
2 Tbs. oil [canola]
1/2 tsp. vinegar [use apple cider vinegar]
1 c. corn kernels
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the egg replacer, milk, sweetener, oil, vinegar, and corn. Mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon mixture into lightly oiled muffin tins, filling cups to the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Test with a knife to see if done. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving, Makes 6 muffins [130].
We can only hope Mister will be inspired to make one of our favorite desserts—Cinnamon Rolls from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Oh. Dear. Gracious.
[...] You know you wanna start the new year right. [...]