Growing a love for plant-based cooking

When her daughter Emily became a vegan 13 years ago, Jeanie Ware made the switch to eating and cooking only plant-based foods essentially overnight.

“I’ve been a vegetarian pretty much all my life, but excluding all animal products seemed a little odd at first,” the Town of Saukville resident said.

Not anymore. Now, it’s a way of life that Ware has embraced for ethical, environmental and health reasons. And during the more than a decade she has been cooking only plant-based foods, she has amassed a collection of recipes for everything from entrees to desserts.

The first step for her, she said, was relying on readily available resources.

“I started out pretty simply, and I learned quickly that there are so many resources — online and in cookbooks — that it’s not that difficult,” she said

“I think if people just start simply, they’ll find it’s not that big of a mystery.”

There is, however, a difference between preparing a relatively straight-forward vegan dish like vegetable pasta and what is typically an egg-based dessert.

“It did take time to develop skills and to gain knowledge that eventually gave me confidence that I could create anything in my kitchen in vegan style — even meringue cookies can be made without eggs,” she said.

While understanding flavors and textures is important for cooking in general, one of the keys to vegan cooking is the concept that flavors and textures found in animal-based products are also found in plant-based ones. For instance, while many dishes rely on meats, meat broths and cheeses for umami — the savory fifth taste that adds body and depth to so many recipes — mushrooms often provide the umami in plant-based dishes.

In one of Ware’s favorite meals, sweet potato lasagna, cashews and tofu take the place of ricotta cheese.

Some of Ware’s other favorites are lentil chili, 12-bean instant pot soup and mashed potatoes with savory onion mushroom gravy.

You don’t have to be vegan, of course, to enjoy plant-based dishes, and Ware recommends inserting a few in your weekly dining routines.

“Even if it’s just once a week, I think people will be doing themselves a favor in terms of the health benefits,” she said.

Those benefits extend beyond humans, Ware said. Her family’s dog, a healthy 15-year-old border collie named Buster, also has a vegan diet of prepared plant-based dog food supplemented by Ware’s home cooking.

Following are recipes from Ware.

 

Baked Falafel

Falafel is a popular street food throughout the Middle East and Europe. Traditional falafel is deep fried, however a crunchy outer texture can still be achieved using little or no oil when baked. This recipe makes 12-15 Falafel. Do not attempt to substitute canned chickpeas for the soaked chickpeas because the texture will be not be correct.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried chickpeas soaked overnight in water with 1 tablespoon of baking soda (the baking soda will help the chickpeas soften)

1 mild green chili seeded and chopped

½ medium sized red onion chopped

Juice from ½ of medium lemon

¼ cup curled parsley chopped

¼ cup cilantro chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cracked pepper

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup chickpea flour

Rinse and drain the soaked chickpeas and put into a food processor. Add all the ingredients except the chickpea flour. Pulse, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed until combined but do not puree the mixture. Place mixture into a bowl and add chickpea flour gradually until mixture holds together to easily shape into balls. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Shape the mixture into 12-15 balls using approximately 2 tablespoons per ball but do not pack the mixture tightly or the falafel will be dense and tough. Set them on the prepared baking sheet. You can flatten them a little to make them better fit into pita halves, or leave them as they are. You can spray them lightly with a good quality olive cooking spray, but they will crisp up without oil as well.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with warmed pita bread, tahini sauce, cucumbers, sprouts, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.

 

 

Basic Cashew Dressing

You can start out simply with blending two ingredients together: The prepared cashews (which must be soaked, rinsed and drained) and add water to the consistency you desire. You could add a tablespoon of maple syrup, more garlic, red pepper flakes, tamari, or rice vinegar and make it your own custom recipe. You won’t need to add processed oil.

Ingredients:

½ cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained

½ cup water

3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

1 clove garlic minced

Salt and black pepper to taste

 

 

BEET BURGERS

Adapted from “The How Not To Die Cookbook” by Dr. Michael Greger

Makes 12 burgers

This recipe uses the water sauté method for cooking the aromatics. Remember to take care when cutting the beets as the pigment does stain. The recipe can easily be halved, though the burgers freeze well. Have a large cookie sheet prepared with a layer of parchment paper cut to fit before you shape the burgers.

Ingredients:

1 cup red onion minced

5-6 garlic cloves minced

2 cups shredded beets

2 cups mushrooms (any variety) minced

1 teaspoon each: smoked paprika, coriander, ground turmeric, dry mustard

2 15 oz cans rinsed and drained black beans

2 cups cooked quinoa

3 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds

3 Tablespoons white miso paste

1 cup rolled oats (not instant) coarsely ground

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

 

Use a large skillet on medium heat and add 1/2 cup water. When the water is hot, add the minced onions and cook and stir for several minutes until they are softened. Add the garlic, beets, mushrooms and all the dry spices (smoked paprika, mustard, cumin, coriander, and turmeric). Cook for several minutes until the mushrooms and beets are softened and the liquid is absorbed.

Mash the beans in a large bowl (a potato masher works well) and then stir in the quinoa, flaxseed meal, and miso. When combined, mix in the oats and walnuts, and then add to this mixture, the pan of cooked veggies and mushrooms. You will have a firm mixture. Shape into 12 balls.

Set the balls on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and using a square of parchment paper between the ball and something flat like a pancake turner, press down and flatten into a patty shape. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer before baking.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and then flip them and bake another 15 minutes.

Serve these on whole-grain buns with lettuce, sliced onion and tomato, and all the condiments you love.

 

 

 

 

Fudgy Mini-Cupcakes

Makes 28 mini-cupcakes

Adapted recipe from Dr. Fuhrman’s Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

How do you add fiber to cupcakes? Surprise ingredient: Black beans! They bake up with a beautiful top, are fudgy inside and no one will guess that beans are an ingredient! Prepare a mini-cupcake pan with mini-parchment paper cups before mixing your ingredients. If you don’t have a mini-cupcake pan, you can improvise and set the cupcake papers on a baking sheet. They will still taste yummy!

Ingredients:

1, 15oz can black beans rinsed and drained

2 T raw cashew butter (unsalted, unsweetened)

15 Deglet Noor dates roughly chopped before adding to the blender

¾ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 T ground flax seed or chia seed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Approximately 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (such as soy, oat, hemp, flax)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all ingredients into a blender except the plant-based milk. Add ½ cup of the plant-based milk to the mixture and blend together. It will likely be thick, so continue to add the remaining ½ cup plant-based milk gradually as needed and blend to achieve a thick batter consistency. You will need to scrape the sides of the blender. You might use a little less or a little more than 1 cup total. Spoon into the parchment cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes until the tops look somewhat shiny and dry. Carefully remove from the cupcake pan and set on cooling racks. They are so rich! No frosting needed!

 

 

Lemon Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Tahini

Juice from 1 lemon

3-4 Tablespoons ice water or more

Salt, pepper

Whisk the tahini together with the lemon juice in a small bowl adding ice water gradually until you have the consistency you like.

 

 

Vegan Tzatziki

This is a tasty veganized version of tzatziki, a condiment that goes well with Falafel.

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber peeled and roughly chopped

1 can of great Northern white beans

Juice from ½ a lemon or more

(optional) ½ cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained

½ cup plant-based milk

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add fresh dill if desired and serve as a side condiment to Falafel.

 

 

Veggies and Penne Rigate

A basic pasta recipe that can be easily varied with the veggies you have available. The more colorful that your ingredients are, the more nutritious it will be and more appealing to the eye! Best to have a large skillet to accommodate the ingredients.

Ingredients:

16 oz Penne Rigate

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves minced garlic

1 medium sized red onion thinly sliced

3 large bell peppers (1 each red, yellow and orange) cut into thin strips

1 yellow or green zucchini sliced

1 small head of broccoli cut into bite sized pieces

3-4 cups chopped fresh spinach

2, 15 oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes

½ cup or more to taste Kalamata olives

2T balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce reduced-sodium or tamari sauce reduced-sodium

Optional: ½ -1 package of vegan Italian sausage cut into halfmoon shapes (such as Field Roast or Tofurky brand)

Red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

 

Bring a large kettle of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions, until tender. Drain well and set aside in a large bowl.

Add 1-2 T olive oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Add minced garlic cloves, red onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and broccoli. Stir often and cook 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are bright colored and just tender. Do not overcook. A few minutes before the vegetables are finished cooking, add the chopped spinach so that it becomes wilted.

Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, the Kalamata olives, Balsamic vinegar, Tamari, and stir in the vegan sausage if using. Stir in the pasta and heat through. Garnish with Italian parsley and serve hot with red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt on the side.