Thai Noodles with Sesame Tofu

I tend to use whatever I have on hand, and this is one of those times when random available ingredients come together to make a spectacular dish. I just used fettuccine noodles topped with a sauce of canned coconut milk, cilantro, lemongrass curry paste and fried cabbage and carrots. The tofu I fried with soy sauce, sesame and ginger and it complemented the green curry flavors well.

Fancy Potato Soup

I wanted a classic thick & creamy potato soup with a little something extra. I just used potatoes, their own boiling water, and some almond milk as the base with parsley and onion. I love these little purple potatoes, their color is even more vibrant when raw or baked - but I wanted to add some crisper fried chips for a nice texture contrast. The roasted red pepper puree is a great complement in small quantities, as well as a nice visual presentation when paired with a sprig of fresh green sage.

Coconut Chocolate Drops

I made these last year around the holidays, and they are a big hit! It's basically a combination of canned coconut milk/cream, powdered sugar (organic), and unsweetened shredded coconut - rolled in balls, chilled, & dipped in melted vegan semisweet chocolate tempered with a touch of earth balance margarine. They are like a vegan mounds bar, and they're so good I wonder why the original candy bar would even want to use a milk product.

Vegan 5-Bean Chili

I had some leftover cornbread after new year's, so I decided to make chili for the cold weather. Even though this has been the warmest winter by far I've ever spent in West Virginia...but I digress. I like to saute finely diced bell peppers, onions, and garlic in a little oil or earth balance, to soften and to infuse the small amount of fat with flavor that will later be dispersed throughout the dish. Then I add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, white beans, black beans, light & dark red kidney beans, and pintos, my secret blend of spices (including cayenne, chipotle, and cumin) and a dash of sugar. It gets better the longer it simmers ~ best after a night in the fridge!

New Year's Day Good Luck Dinner

Foods can often be symbolic as well as sustaining to people, and in my family we always prepare a couple traditional New Year's Day foods that are supposed to bring good luck and wealth throughout the coming year. You eat the foods that are symbolic of what you'd like to receive: mixed greens represent green cash (I like to season with plenty of earth balance, mixed peppercorns, garlic, and red chili flakes), black-eyed peas represent coins (seasoned with earth balance, onion and garlic), and cornbread represents gold (made with smart balance vegetable oil, soy milk, egg replacer, and a dash of sugar). Usually, pork is consumed in some form because the pig represents progress - well, I certainly think that Gardein scallopinis are even more progressive! I lightly breaded and seasoned those with thyme, salt & peppercorns and fried in vegetable oil.

Sometimes my family would make a cake with a coin in it - if you got the slice with the coin, you'd have great luck that year! I made an almond version with orange glaze this year but I forgot to photograph it before everyone ate it all, looking for the coin!