If a vegan friend visited you today, what could you make for them?

Dale, your nut gravy sounds awesome! I made a weak, weak vegan veggie broth gravy at Thanksgiving. Super weak. Wish I'd thought of adding nuts!

I think it would work with any type nut or seed. A great way to use up stray dry goods. The ground nuts and flour gravy thickener, are just a carrier for soya sauce and spices. Some browned onions done in Lea & Perrins sauce, would complete the meaty flavor.

Cool! Great tip on browning the onions in worcestershire sauce! Though I think Lea & Perrins might have anchovies or some such in it. And I'm pretty sure it has wheat, so I use a gluten free worcestershire sauce that also happens to be vegan.

Funny where little fishies hide. Some curry pastes also have shrimp, so I have to watch that as well.

Buckwheat

ingredients:
buckwheat


optional: add olive oil (california olive ranch is my favorite--Olive Oil Guy-approved, has a real bite, is domestically produced, and they treat their soil reasonably well from what I know though not putting in cash for organic certification). and sea salt.
or butter. Oops, no, not butter. That just slipped out, don't know how that happened.
Also, you can add cayenne pepper, black pepper, and/or coriander, rosemary, oregano.

Directions:
put the buckwheat in a bowl, raw
add olive oil and other ingredients
mix
go to potluck or dinner with vegan friend and pretend that you actually followed a complicated recipe.

I know many people will say, Really? you can eat buckwheat raw? well, I am NOT a raw foodist, but I am lazy, and I do it frequently and it seems easier on my body than cooked. It is NOT a grain--it is more closely related to the trees and the bushes than it is to the grasses--but a dicot, and it is nutty and tasty and so much better raw than cooked. But cook it too if you want, that can be tasty.

Especially with bone broth and butter.


You can do the same basic recipe with cooked oats, but I'd add turmeric then and optionally some golden raisins.

As a vegan since "'95", it does not have to be complicated. If you are not vegan, have these: Potato (any kind), vegetables (any kind), grains (any kind), rice (any kind), spices (whatever you have), nuts and seeds (if you have them). Balsalmic vinegar or sauerkraut is a much appreciated extra. No need to flavor or combine them. I'll take care of that in my own bowl. There you have it. Just be aware that I eat a LOT (not a side serving amount) of veggies
and starches since they are not calorie dense. If a vegan is visiting me, I can produce almost any vegan dish they want if I have enough time.

Graham Burnett wrote:

David Livingston wrote:I must admit when I read the title I thought "hummus "

Just to clarify - Hummus is not the same as humus... Both are wonderful and sustaining, the latter however does not taste so good with falafels and salsa

No humus, no hummus. Meme that!

If you cook from scratch and have a pantry full of basics this really isn't hard. I always have various flours, starches, and grains. At least 3 or 4 types of rice, a few types of beans, nuts, various pastas, etc. Right now I have plenty of homegrown potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic stored away. I have jars full of dried wild mushrooms, lots of various wild berries in the freezer, along with garden greens like kale and spinach.

Just throw together an almost vegan meal from the pantry a few nights ago. Could make that again. Roasted squash filled with wild rice, chanterelles, wild cranberries, and sage. I had some left over sausage so added that but could easily have left it out for an all vegan meal. I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand.

I make a wicked spicy kale and potato soup. Usually with chicken broth but could just as easily make it with vegetable broth instead. Various bean soups...pretty much whatever beans and veggies I happen to have in whatever combo strikes my fancy...usually turns out excellent. Mushroom soups. Collected lots of chicken of the woods this season, dried quite a bit. Ground up to a powder it makes a nice thickener.

Another common dish here is roasted veggies with barley. Just whatever veggies I have on hand...usually onion, garlic, peppers, squash oven roasted until nice and brown. Whole barley cooked in stock (I prefer chicken but if I'm cooking for a vegan than veggie it is).

There is always the option of a pasta dish. Plain pasta tossed with olive oil and cracked pepper. Roast or sautee whatever veggies I happen to have and toss on top. Always have jars of plain tomatoes and sauce. Easy enough to make some pasta sauce. Sautee some onion and garlic, add a can of sauce, various spices. Maybe some of my dried wild mushrooms. I like my sauce with lots of spinach and have quite a bit in the freezer. Pesto...I usually have some around. I'll make batches out of pretty much any greens or weeds the garden provides.

Potato dishes. Colcannon with kale or leeks from the freezer, potatoes from the root cellar. Although this usually has butter and milk. Bet I could leave them out for more a just a smashed potato instead of creamy. Fried potatoes with onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Potato cakes...I like them with corn and red peppers but if I don't have those on hand I can get creative with veggie choices. Potato curry (don't always have coconut milk but often do).

Stir fried veggies and rice. This is another common from the pantry meal I make when I haven't been shopping or planned something else. Pretty much always have onion and carrots, often have snap peas (I grew a ton in the spring and summer and usually have a few bags in the freezer. Whatever else I might have bought...peppers, summer squash, fresh ginger, sprouts, maybe add some peanuts. Some nights it might be be a citrus or lemongrass flavoring, others a spicy red pepper sauce, sometimes it's just simple with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce.

Rice and bean burritos, if I have tortillas. I do about half the time. I usually have corn meal and could make them from scratch but I usually don't. I often add things like cheese and chicken but I could just as easily leave them out for the vegan guest.

Salads. If you're visiting in the spring through fall I can make you a pretty amazing salad from the garden. Winter is a bit trickier. Do have lots of picked veggies I canned up...they make great salad toppers in the winter. Maybe some nuts from the pantry, some wild cranberries or blueberries from the freezer. Maybe with some nice thick slices of homemade bread. Slathered with some olive oil and roasted garlic. Or maybe some pesto.

For dessert how about a berry cobbler (not sure I've ever made one without butter but I bet I could use oil in the dough instead) or berries baked with an oat crumble topping. Or how about some sweet rice mixed with blueberries and huckleberries, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and drizzled with honey (wait honey isn't vegan) or maple syrup, or just some sugar.

We are not at all vegans ourselves. I was a vegetarian long time ago, but still eating eggs, cheese and yoghurt. Later I returned to eating meat. But I know vegans. If they'd come and visit us, no problem. We always have plenty of fruit and veggies.
I love salads, I could make a salad of vegetables and fruits, with some nuts or pine-seeds. And I could make 'stoba' (sort of stew made of mixed vegetables, whatever you have, preferably including sweet potatoes, pumpkin cubes, carrots, onions, garlic. The original stoba often includes goat meat, but of course I'd leave that out now). If made with some more water this could become a soup too.

Maybe there aren't enough proteins in this meal, but if the guests stay for more days of course I'll do some shopping!

Today for breakfast, a vegan friend could have shared fried butternut squash with me: Sautéed in coconut oil. Seasoned with salt. For lunch it would have been baked butternut. For supper, butternut soup.

My friend would have been welcome to try the vegan health concoction I make this time of year, which consists of a pint of bottled tomatoes, and a tablespoon each of powdered herbs: garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, two tablespoons of poultry seasoning, and 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. It is very savory, and decongesting. Just what I need this time of year. The taste is strongly sensory.



I have been selecting for higher concentrations of beta carotene in my squash:

We're not vegetarian, let alone vegan, but what we had last night was vegan and delicious:

Roasted cubed sweet potatoes
Roasted broccoli florets
Chickpeas

Mixed together and topped with a sauce made of tahini, miso, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, and honey. I know some vegans don't eat honey, but that should be easy to substitute with something else sweet.

Spaghetti with homemade homegrown sauce, and local mushrooms and some wild garlic from the yard. We always have that around because everyone can dig a plate of sketti sometimes. Toss it on top of shredded chard and I feel pretty happy with that, and I think they would too.

I got this through Buzzfeed and the website or food blog it came off of I do not know

Vegan Thai MacNcheese

Ingredients
2 cans Coconut Milk
6 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Cashews, soaked
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
12 large Basil Leaves
1 box Macaroni

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°
In a sauce pan, heat on medium 1.5 cans of Coconut Milk, 2 teaspoons red curry, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 4 Basil leaves. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until coconut milk thickens
Heat a large pot of water on high until water is boiling. Once water boils, add macaroni and cook until al dente (slightly uncooked). Strain pasta and add it to sauce pan of thickened coconut milk, and toss to coat. Lower heat to a simmer.

In a blender or small food processor, mix cashews, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoons red curry paste, nutritional yeast, and 8 basil leaves. Blend until thick and smooth.( Add more red curry paste depending on spice preference.)
Transfer macaroni and coconut milk to a casserole dish. Pour red curry cashew cream on top and stir, coating evenly. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Garnish with additional basil if desired.

Instead of a red curry paste, I use soaked and pureed formerly dried adobo peppers and a few small cayennes tossed in for a bit of zip. The macaroni I would use Mrs. Leepers gluten free spirals (red, green, normal rotini shaped). The cashew cream you can make without the 'curry' addition.

Included would be a salad of whatever was going on, right now I have lettuce, lamb's quarters, the dandelions are about past resembling good, and a few radishes.

I still have a few bits of cauliflower hanging around and could always make a cauliflower crust 'pizza' with some of last season's roasted roma tomatoes. Tofu depends on if I made a batch, I make superfirm and could rubble a chunk with some braggs soy to fry up a fakemeat. Of course some mushrooms, also sautéed and fine chopped.

Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozarella Author: It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Inspired by Vedged Out.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 3
Ingredients
¼ Cup Raw Cashews
1 Cup Hot Water
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca Starch (also known as Tapioca Flour)
1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
Soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Or if you are impatient like me, just boil them for 10 minutes until soft. Drain before using.
Add the cashews the hot water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.
Pour into a small sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, while stirring. If you don't have a high powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth into the pot, to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.
As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes to make sure it has firmed up completely.
Use for anything you like! Scoop up with tortilla chips, dollop onto pizza before baking, make a grilled cheese sandwich, or whatever your hearts desire. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
*If you want to return the cold mozzarella back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.

The cheese is also good for making nachos, just toss a few well minced peppers in with it and make the tortilla chips by lightly spraying some white corn tortillas with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt or no-salt, cut into about 6-8 pieces and put on baking sheet and give them 5-10 min until crisp (I usually use 375 and bake them with something else, so check until at crispy enough.) Oil spray the pan lightly so they don't stick to it and dislodge them immediately with a spatula and let cool.

Later in my season I will have all sorts of fresh veggies, some squash, and be serving up some lovely soup based on squash and beans. So it depends on when you visit. A lot of my foods are approved by my omnivore spouse too, so if I'm caught unawares by non veggies, I can cook for them too. For them, I usually have stuff I batch cooked for spouse and are in freezer so I can pull something and feed them also. Right now they'd get a hearty spaghetti with plenty of mushrooms and Italian style meatballs (half beef/half pork), or mashed potatoes with gravy and some of the at date porkchops I cooked up (they allow cooking to just 145f internal now-use a thermometer) and froze-turned into warm and glazed broiled. Plus whatever is going on for salading.

I make my own soy and nut milks, tofu and vegan yogurt, and yes I have cashews soaked up at almost any time. Those are SO versatile.

"If a vegan friend visited you today, what could you make for them?"

What we are really talking about is

The main dish which is usually the heaviest, heartiest, and most complex or substantive dish on a menu.
The main ingredient is usually meat, fish or another protein source.

There are many vegan options for the other courses.

So the question becomes what vegan protein source can you provide.
This generally leads to some type combination of
1) legumes
2) Pumpkin Seeds
3) Asparagus
4) Cauliflower
5) Nuts
6) Spinach
7) Broccoli
Quinoa

Get this figured out and the rest is likely to fall in place.

When my vegan friend visited me in the garden today, she could have browsed with me, and ate what I ate: spinach, kale, cabbage flowers, lambsquarters, lettuce, fennel, orach, pea greens, mallow weed, shepherd's purse, bock choi, etc... If I were to take a survey, I'd rate myself as not eating many green leafy vegetables. But when my friend came to visit, she asked if I am a rabbit, because I was constantly munching of some leaf or other from the garden. Just cause I don't put them in a basket, and take them home with me, and cook them, doesn't mean that my life is devoid of greens. And I only mis-identified one weed today before sticking it in my mouth. Bleck!

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
When my vegan friend visited me in the garden today, she could have browsed with me, and ate what I ate: spinach, kale, cabbage flowers, lambsquarters, lettuce, fennel, orach, pea greens, mallow weed, shepherd's purse, bock choi, etc... If I were to take a survey, I'd rate myself as not eating many green leafy vegetables. But when my friend came to visit, she asked if I am a rabbit, because I was constantly munching of some leaf or other from the garden. Just cause I don't put them in a basket, and take them home with me, and cook them, doesn't mean that my life is devoid of greens. And I only mis-identified one weed today before sticking it in my mouth. Bleck!

Only one bleck in a full day graze, isn't bad.
I think that a grazed meal is sometimes more satisfying than sitting down to a fully prepared one. 1) exercise 2) so fresh it can't compare 3) a little dirt can be good for you 4) I weeded it too so the chore and calories happened at once. 5) no utensils to clean and no dishes to wash 6) the only downer-bugs. I plant extra for wildlife but still, that's MINE dinglebling it! Hence I say that right now my salading is between seasons but going to be awesome. Strawberries for dessert too, hunt your own.

I have 3 new favorites for vegans;
2-3 Bean Salad with steamed vegetables,

Quinoa Tabouli

Also... for instant thai flavors over vegetables
blend semi smooth equal parts
cilantro mint basil
add a hot chili and a handful of peanuts s&p to taste or a touch of fresh ginger if you want
pour over vegetables and grain of choice.. insanely delish

Roxanne Sterling-Falkenstein wrote:Also... for instant thai flavors over vegetables
blend semi smooth equal parts
cilantro mint basil
add a hot chili and a handful of peanuts s&p to taste or a touch of fresh ginger if you want
pour over vegetables and grain of choice.. insanely delish

Can you use cashews instead of peanuts?

Well today it would be green beans, blackberries, fresh dug taters.... from the garden. Add some freshly made still warm cashew milk, and picking off a good salad, and some first crop baked squash I traded spuds for.

I just made a fresh batch of vegan butter and tofu is in the press. I can also make up some 'cheesy dip' .... so overall a fresh meal.

Deb, that Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozarella sounds awesome! We've been experimenting a bit with vegan cheese around here. This was a hit with ominvores, vegetarians and vegans alike, and it's a use for Joseph's bounty of butternut squash:

Butternut Squash Queso-ish Dip

(For more on Thug Kitchen's colorful language see this post in the F-word thread.)

Jocelyn, the melty cheese stuff IS awesome. Restored my will to live. If the first batch doesn't work, watch your heat on batch two, and don't be afraid to lift the pan off the heat source and whisk it like your life depends on it for a bit. (If you have mastered hollandaise sauce, or working with a roux, this will be easy)

Used to be a longterm vegan. My cravings at that time depended on how long I've been at it. What I can say that many vegans love pumpkin. Most are addicted to chocolate, so some desert that includes some cacao would be popular. Something sweet. And: some oil/fat rich dip or sauce or dessert or other could also be popular, especially among raw vegans: they eat a lot of nut butters and love to drench some food in "healthy", raw, organic oils...
And many love tofu or other soy related foods, but if you truly care for them, i would  avoid that stuff, as tofu is not not good for anyone.
Good Luck!

Mung beans with ginger and greens today.  

Wineberries for dessert!

Today it would include first Lofthouse beans being harvested (the grasshoppers didn't get ALL of them, yet) and the blackberries are JUST starting to come in (got a cupful today, tip of the iceberg). Those beans are thriving in 100f and peeled sun and haphazard weeding. And I found a few new Lambs Quarters weed (ahem salad greens) that are still quite small and tender. ... have to love the seasons. Oh and tomatoes (I have to bag the fruits as they start to show color or the grasshoppers eat them right off as soon as they ripen). With a few things from the pantry we can feast.

Today it would be fresh apples, some of the fugliest ever, but the crop was ready. The peach lost everything this spring, the apples felt all the frosts, the pear set and dropped after two weeks, and the cherry trees did too. The quince just didn't hang onto anything that survived this long (usually around 1 Sept they're ready). The Pixie Crunch are very sweet and the Golden Sentinel Columnar apple had a few at 15' up. (and I topped it this spring, it went straight up)

The Lofthouse beans are staying ahead of the grasshoppers, and starting to set on, as are the okra, and the melons are blooming. The cuke is doing something and the zukes are too. Looks like a good next month. Can't wait for the squash to set. Crop two is just emerging, for late fall cold season....

Pesto Pizza..
I use extra nuts in place of the cheese.. with fresh tomato and red onions. topped with shredded arugula.  Pizza dough comes together pretty quick.. have some tea and conversation and whaa laaa it's risen.
Joys of summer baby <3

Today it would be leftover bubble soup turned into scrap soup, without the meat (it is made similar to borscht, meat and bones cooked separately then added together later in the cooking). I cleared the last of the early and mid season garden yesterday and all the tiny stuff went in the pot (potatoes, carrots, beets, small bean pods, small pea pods, etc). And today dessert would be GRAPES! They finished. The middle red/purple went crazy and the green/redblush table grapes have been heavily predated. This weekend the concord (which looks like 2 five gallon pails) will be harvested...

Jelly and Jam this afternoon....

@Roxanne S: "Pesto Pizza.. I use extra nuts in place of the cheese.. "

Yeah! .....Just tried a first batch of Walnut-Basil Pesto.

Loosely and adjustable for your palate:

1 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves
2/3-1 c. walnut halves or pieces
several cloves of garlic, sliced and sauteed in olive oil (I just microwave sliced pieces in oil for 1 min.)
2 Tblsp.  Nutritional Yeast flakes

Dump contents including some extra olive oil into blender/processor.  Blend, salt to taste.

John Weiland wrote:@Roxanne S: "Pesto Pizza.. I use extra nuts in place of the cheese.. "

Yeah! .....Just tried a first batch of Walnut-Basil Pesto.

Loosely and adjustable for your palate:

1 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves
2/3-1 c. walnut halves or pieces
several cloves of garlic, sliced and sauteed in olive oil (I just microwave sliced pieces in oil for 1 min.)
2 Tblsp.  Nutritional Yeast flakes

Dump contents including some extra olive oil into blender/processor.  Blend, salt to taste.

2/3 c walnuts, add 1/3 cup cashews, double the yeast flakes, and you get that cheesy note and texture to it.

Deb Rebel wrote:
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozarella    Author: It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken   Inspired by Vedged Out.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 3
Ingredients
¼ Cup Raw Cashews
1 Cup Hot Water
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca Starch (also known as Tapioca Flour)
1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
Soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Or if you are impatient like me, just boil them for 10 minutes until soft. Drain before using.
Add the cashews the hot water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.
Pour into a small sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, while stirring. If you don't have a high powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth into the pot, to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.
As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes to make sure it has firmed up completely.
Use for anything you like! Scoop up with tortilla chips, dollop onto pizza before baking, make a grilled cheese sandwich, or whatever your hearts desire. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
*If you want to return the cold mozzarella back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.

The cheese is also good for making nachos, just toss a few well minced peppers in with it and make the tortilla chips by lightly spraying some white corn tortillas with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt or no-salt, cut into about 6-8  pieces and put on baking sheet and give them 5-10 min until crisp (I usually use 375 and bake them with something else, so check until at crispy enough.) Oil spray the pan lightly so they don't stick to it and dislodge them immediately with a spatula and let cool.

Deb, I made this for Paul and myself a few weeks back and we really enjoyed it! Thanks much for the recipe! I didn't have nutritional yeast at the time, so it was a bit blander than I think it would have been with that, though it was still quite good.

Last night for feast night I tried this one, Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese which wasn't a stretchy thing, so it didn't need any tapioca starch or careful stirring, but it was a big hit even with (regular/cow's milk) cheese and meat eaters! I highly recommend it.

Jocelyn wrote:

Deb, I made this for Paul and myself a few weeks back and we really enjoyed it! Thanks much for the recipe! I didn't have nutritional yeast at the time, so it was a bit blander than I think it would have been with that, though it was still quite good.

Last night for feast night I tried this one, Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese which wasn't a stretchy thing, so it didn't need any tapioca starch or careful stirring, but it was a big hit even with (regular/cow's milk) cheese and meat eaters! I highly recommend it.

Thank you for the recipe. I am on really restricted carbs now too, but I might try this for my better half, he has to cut back on dairy as his GERD has gotten unreal.

Nutritional yeast flakes are fortified with B6 and B12 and I lean on them heavily in my cooking as well.
Smaller amounts: https://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Nutritional-Flakes-10-Ounce/dp/B000MGR1N6/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1477426310&sr=8-2&keywords=nutritional+yeast+flakes  this is the 10 oz, the jar could hold 16 but they have 'settling during shipping'. I now buy it bulk and keep it on hand, a) it's cheaper and b) I have some of the old containers I recycle and refill myself. https://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Nutritional-Flakes-10-Pound/dp/B0006IIQSO/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1477426604&sr=8-1&keywords=nutritional+yeast+flakes+10+lb  It's currently showing $102, I usually pay about $95. IF you use 5 gallon pails with gamma lids, 10# will fit in one pail. Prices fluctuate on Amazon. The yeast flakes have a 'note' of peanutbutter (to my tastebuds) but add a lot to anything you make that is 'cheesy' especially vegan cheeses.

As for what could I make a vegan friend today, I'm simmering up bean soup from my harvest of my Joseph Lofthouse beans, didn't get as much as I hoped but there was something to fill my big stockpot with. As well as some squash from his lineages, again not as much as I liked but we had a weird and hot fall. Supper will be some roast squash slices topped with veggie cheese....

My supper today was vegan, so she could have ate what I ate:

A green stir-fry. Steamed roots. Apples from my daddy's orchard.

The green stir-fry contained only foods harvested from my garden today. Kale, spinach, turnip root, turnip greens, sunrooot, garlic, Egyptian walking onions, and wildcrafted greens: dandelion, chickweed, wild lettuce, mallow. A photo of the harvest before cooking is in the thread: Photos of Joseph Lofthouse's Garden.

The steamed roots, contained golden beets, onion, carrot, and parsnip. They didn't come from my garden. I have those foods stored in my root pit or pantry, and am saving them for seed production.

I store the apples in a box in the closet. There are a couple of varieties that store really well under those conditions, so I put a couple of buckets in there each fall.

Today it was raking the onion bed before the shade left from the big pine, and getting that sorted. Today's Lunch:

Miner's lettuce, dandelions, and the last of the coldframe spinach, lettuce, and kale (all are going to bolt or already started) and a bunch of cabbage leaf trims from putting the plants out today in the hoop. The last will go in the pot later with the last of my beans that are through with soakNsort for supper. Strawberries are blooming so not quite dessert yet. So mostly a salad for lunch and legumes for supper. Mmmm. Gotta love spring.

Edit: forgot the cashew cream dressing made with double strength cashew load in my soypot (that thing makes the best nutmilks), and some yeast flakes, a few cracks of black pepper fresh ground and a few jalapeno flakes from last year for zip.

I didn't spend much time planning a menu, but I wanted to share on of my all time favourite recipes which gets rave reviews whenever I bring it for a potluck.  It's Spiced quinoa.  For it to be vegan, you'd simply substitute water or veggie stock for the chicken.  It's high in protein, a wonderful curry-cumin spice combination, and can be very pretty if you add tomatoes and chopped parsley.  You can also make it spicier with cayenne pepper.

Jean Soarin wrote:I didn't spend much time planning a menu, but I wanted to share on of my all time favourite recipes which gets rave reviews whenever I bring it for a potluck.  It's Spiced quinoa.  For it to be vegan, you'd simply substitute water or veggie stock for the chicken.  It's high in protein, a wonderful curry-cumin spice combination, and can be very pretty if you add tomatoes and chopped parsley.  You can also make it spicier with cayenne pepper.

That's a pretty looking dish. Set it on top of greenery and scatter some cherry tomatoes and it would be a lovely lunch