Patatas con Alioli

Local tapas restaurant Mesón Sabika posted this recipe to their Facebook.

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red potatoes
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
8 ounces mayonnaise (I'm using Vegannaise -- it makes no discernible difference except it doesn't give me a stomachache like egg-based mayo.)
1/2 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
garnish with bell peppers

 

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes with salted water and bay leaves.
2. After boiling, peel and cut the potatoes into four-six pieces each.
3. Whip together mayonnaise, garlic, salt, white pepper, and parsley.
4. Combine potatoes with the whipped mixture and chill.
5. Garnish with bell peppers and fresh parsley.

Champiñones al Ajillo

This is from the NY Times. I copied it here because I usually end up getting locked out of the recipes I'm making before I'm done with them.

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

• 1 small dried red chili, crumbled, or ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, cut in half

• Salt to taste

• ½ cup dry white wine or fino sherry

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1) Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and chili or red pepper flakes. After about 30 seconds, when the garlic begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms and turn the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring, until they sear and begin to sweat, then sprinkle them with salt and add the white wine or sherry. 

2) Turn the heat down to medium, and continue to cook, stirring or tossing in the pan from time to time, until the mushrooms are tender, five to 10 minutes. 

3) Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, taste and adjust seasonings, and remove from the heat. Serve hot or warm in small ceramic dishes, or serve on a platter with toothpicks stuck into the mushrooms.

The Tomato Soup I Made Today

Simran said it was good and instructed me to write down the recipe.  She also just added that it needs to be thinner, so I guess add water to this.  Maybe a cup of water to start.  The version I made tonight had no added water.

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
most of a bulb of roasted garlic
28 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
a couple fresh tomatoes
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar of some kind to cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
fistful fresh basil

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large pot and cook onion.  Add the garlic (I used almost an entire bulb of roasted garlic because I made it a few days ago for a different recipe and had it leftover).

2) Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to get mushy.  This is probably where you should add some water.  Add basil.

3) Season with agave, salt, pepper, and coconut milk.  Puree smooth in a high speed blender.  Serve hot.

Steamed Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Mayo

This is one of my favorite vegetable side dishes.  It's from finecooking.com, which recently started saying it's going to require me to have a subscription to access it, so I'm copying it here with my minor alterations.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Vegannaise to make it vegan)
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs. drained (not rinsed) capers
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1) Steam asparagus until it's a bright green color.  When in doubt, err on the side of not cooking it long enough.  You can eat it warm, room temperature, or chilled.  After steaming, I put keep it in a container in the fridge to snack on cold.

2) Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. 

Smoky Potato Salad over Greens

I did not expect a vegan no-oil potato salad to taste this good.  I loved it.  It comes from the No Meat Athlete cookbook.

Ingredients

2 pounds (900 g) waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
1/4 cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 scallions (white and light green parts), sliced
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 drops liquid smoke
12 oz (340 g) baby greens (I used baby arugula)
1/4 cup (30 g) unsalted, roasted almonds, chopped (I omitted this because I forgot to buy it.)

Directions

1.  Chop potatoes into bite size pieces and boil in a large pot over medium-high heat until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and let cool in a single layer.

2.  Meanwhile, mix together the vinegar, avocado, maple syrup, tomato paste, mustard, salt, paprika, pepper, and liquid smoke in a food processor.

3.  Combine potatoes, scallions, and dressing in a large bowl.  The salad can be refrigerated for about 24 hours.  Serve over greens and topped with almonds.

Vegetable Manchow Soup

I just made vegetable manchow soup for the first time, and I really wish I'd had the energy to do this last week when I had the flu.  It is one of my favorite foods for when I'm under the weather.  I'm mostly well now, but I'm also finishing off my second bowl.  I want to save this recipe (original from Veg Recipes of India) and the minor changes I made for next time.

Ingredients
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrots
however many shiitake mushrooms come in a carton (8 oz?), chopped (I don't care how big the carton is -- this is how I cook with mushrooms -- use them all)
1/4 cup green beans, finely chopped (I bought French style green beans from the freezer section and roughly chopped those because it's easy)
1/4 cup (or more) spring onion whites, chopped
half a green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
1 tsp finely chopped garlic (or garlic paste)
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped (add another for more heat -- 1 yielded a sort of "mild to medium" heat, but one was all I had)
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp black or white pepper powder (I used white pepper and ground a little fresh black pepper over the vegetables while they were sauteeing because that's what I had)
3 cups vegetable stock (I bought no-salt high-end stuff)
2 tbs corn starch dissolved in 2 tbs water
cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (optional -- the cilantro at the store was sparse and wilted, so alas, I have none, but I would use a fistful of it per bowl next time)
1 tbs oil
salt to taste


Directions
1.  Chop all veggies and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot and add chopped chiles, ginger, garlic, and onion.
3. Saute for a minute and then add green beans and mushrooms.
4. Stir fry on medium until mushrooms start to brown around the edges.  I also add a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper here to season the vegetables while they're cooking and help the mushrooms cook out any water they are holding.
5. Add shredded carrots, cabbage, and green bell pepper.
6. Stir fry on medium to high flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
7.  Add soy sauce and black/white pepper.
8. Add vegetable stock.
9. Allow soup to come to a simmer on medium flame.
10.  While soup is heating up, dissolve the corn starch in water.
11. Add corn starch mixture to the soup and stir to thicken.  Add vinegar and turn off heat.  Season to taste.  Serve hot.

[Edited 8/14/2017: To make this soup oil free, heat up a couple spoonfuls of water first and saute the mushrooms in that.  When they've cooked down a little, add the chiles, ginger, garlic, and onion.  Add more water as necessary to prevent sticking, bearing mind that the vegetables will release water as they cook too.  Saute the remaining vegetables, season, then add the vegetable stock and complete the recipe as described above.]

Beef-less Stew

This beef-less stew from StraightUpFood.com is one my new favorite meals.  Cathy from StraightUpFood makes vegan whole food plant-based meals that are free of sugar, oil, and salt -- a diet I aspire to for health reasons -- and she makes some of the best dishes that meet this criteria that I've found.

When I gave up meat, beef stew was one of my favorite dishes that I never learned how to make vegetarian.  Seitan makes for a kind of weird texture, and the same goes for tofu, but portobello mushroom chunks are a surprisingly simple solution.  My version of the recipe has a couple minor spicing changes, but the original is at the link above.  It's a very forgiving recipe, like most soups and stews, and adding extra vegetables works great, especially if you have something you need to use up.  It's also a really good source of vegetables and starch (the potatoes) and protein (the peas and green beans).  I'll probably be making this once a week come autumn.

Ingredients

• 1½ large yellow or white onions, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 portabella mushrooms (about ½ pound), cut into ¾-inch pieces (I like to use even more, depending on how much I have on hand)
• 1½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
• 5 cups water (amount varies depending on if you add more veggies like me -- just use enough to cover the vegetables)
• 2 pounds white potatoes (I use about 3 large Yukon Gold), cut into ¾-inch pieces (peeling is optional, but I buy organic and just give them a scrub and leave the peels in tact)
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tbs herbs de Provence (or herb blend of your choice -- I like this one because it has sage, rosemary, and thyme, among other things, without letting the rosemary be overpowering like it tends to do)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tbs dried parsley 
• 1½ cups green peas (frozen is fine)
• 1 cup green beans (optional -- I use frozen)
• 1 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (optional, but I like the relative saltiness)
• Ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large soup pot on high with 1 tablespoon of water. When the water begins to sputter, add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently as the edges of the onion browns slightly, and adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking.
2. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue to cook while stirring for an additional 5 minutes, adding water as needed.
3. Add the potatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and spices, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low boil. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and green beans, and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
4. Place about one fifth or one quarter of the stew (broth and vegetables) into a blender, and blend under very smooth. Stir this back into the pot to thicken the stew. Season with a few twists of ground black pepper and Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium tamari or soy sauce) to taste.

Vegetable Biryani

I made this dish for the first time last week, and it's really good.  I would make a couple changes from the original recipe, so I incorporated them below.  Fresh or frozen vegetables work equally well.  Go for ease of preparation.  I want to figure out precisely how much liquid is necessary to make this with brown basmati rice too.  Most basmati rice recipes that don't involve adding raisins and other stuff call for 1.5x as much water as rice.  Most brown basmati rice recipes call for 2x as much water as rice.  I think I would try initially using the same water to rice ratio as this recipe calls for, with the understanding that I might have to add a quarter cup of water and steam longer if the rice turns out crunchy the first time around.  Brown rice also takes about 50 minutes to cook, in comparison to 20 minutes for white rice.  I'll amend the amounts and directions when I've had a chance to try it with brown.  I also think the ghee could be reduced by at least a tablespoon without adversely affecting flavor.

Ingredients

For the rice:
3/4 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon ghee
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
3 whole cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the vegetables: 2 tablespoons ghee
1/4 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
3 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup sweet corn
3 small new potatoes (about 6 ounces), peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
2 tablespoons blanched, sliced almonds

Directions:

1.  Make the rice: Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Set aside.

2.  Toast the sliced almonds and shredded coconut in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Move them to a plate and set aside. 

 

3.  In a medium-sized pot with tight-fitting lid, melt ghee over medium heat. Add the golden raisins, turmeric, cumin seed, coriander seed, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 1 minute more. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, and steam until the rice is tender, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

4.  While the rice is cooking, make the vegetables. Melt the butter in the skillet used before with a tight-fitting lid, over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the golden raisins, coriander seed, cumin seed, and cardamom and cook, stirring, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining vegetables. Raise the heat to high, pour in the water, and cook, covered, for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender and most of the water has evaporated, about 1 1/2 minutes more.

5.  Add the rice to the vegetable mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Season with salt to taste. Divide the vegetable-rice mixture among plates and top with some of the toasted coconut and almonds. Serve immediately.

Mexican Potato Salad

This recipe comes from Dr. John McDougall's 10-day free meal plan.  I'm always looking for healthy Tex-Mex themed veggie sides, so I definitely plan to try this.

Ingredients
2 lbs red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 large tomato, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/2 cup salsa
2 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until just tender. 

2. Remove from heat, drain, and place potatoes in a large bowl.  Add the corn, tomatoes, and scallions.

3. Combine the salsa and lime juice.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Add cilantro and a few twists of pepper.  Serve immediately or chill.

Black Bean & Citrus Salad

This recipe comes from Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

Ingredients
1 large onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 cup)
6 oranges, sectioned, membranes ad pith removed (1 1/2 cups)
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice, reserved from orange sections
3 tbs fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/2 - 1 cup chopped cilantro
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
arugula or baby spinach

Directions

1. Stir-fry onion and pepper in a nonstick sauce pan over medium heat until just tender. Add orange juice or water as necessary. Set aside.

2. Place orange sections in a large bowl.

3. Combine orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, and Tabasco in a bowl.

4. Add onion mixture, cilantro, and beans to orange sections. Add juice mixture and toss to combine. Serve over a bed of arugula or baby spinach.

Red Salad

This recipe is called Red, Red, Red, Red Salad in Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.  

Ingredients:
1 bunch radishes, greens removed, trimmed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 head red cabbage, cored and chopped
1 box grape tomatoes, halved
2 19-oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 cup)
1/2 large red onion, diced (1 cup)
2 tbs no-tahini hummus
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs balsamic vinegar (or other vinegar of your choice(
arugula or baby lettuce

Directions:

1. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.

2. Combine next three ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Add dressing to vegetables, toss, and refrigerate.

4. Just before serving, line a shallow salad bowl with arugula or baby lettuce and fill with salad mixture.

[Edited 6/19/2014: I won't bother making this again.  It's just not that good.]

Butter Bean & Basil Salad

Now that we finally have a thriving basil plant, I want to make some basil-heavy recipes.  This one comes from Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

Ingredients:
3 15-ounce cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (or more) coarsely chopped basil
1 16-ounce pkg frozen corn, thawed under running water
1 box grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, or 1 large tomato, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients and pile in center of a platter or bowl.  Surround with spinach leaves and other vegetables of your choice, raw or cooked.  (I bet this would be good over baby arugula.)

Green Monster

Simran has enjoyed smoothie recipes from OhSheGlows.com before, and I've been trying to come up with more ways to offer her green veggies, so tomorrow I plan to make her a classic green monster.  We have a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach leftover from dinner tonight, so it's just the right amount to use up on this recipe. 

If I serve it in a proper glass with a straw and perpetually caution her not to spill it all over herself, I think she'll get excited enough to try it.  I like that it works for breakfast and snack time too.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
• 2 handfuls organic spinach or 1 handful destemmed kale leaves
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds OR ground flax
• 1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter (optional)
• 2-4 ice cubes, as desired
• dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Starting with the liquid, add in 1 cup of milk of your choice. Now add in the chia or flax and nut butter. Next, add in the spinach followed by the banana on top. Blend until smooth. Add in your ice cubes and blend some more. Serves 1- about 2 cups.

Kale Butter

This recipe comes from the Engine 2 Cookbook, but I found it on here.  I've been looking for new ways to get Simran to eat green vegetables, and I had heard of kale butter.  She tends to enjoy dips, so I'm hoping she'll actually try this.

I imagine it would taste even better with a clove of garlic and a tablespoon of Bragg Liquid Aminos in place of the salt -- it would be like pureed kale in walnut sauce, the way Simran used to enjoy it before she had teeth.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

Directions

Steam kale for 5 minutes, until tender. Blend with walnuts and 1/2 cup of green water from steaming. Add salt to taste if desired. Process in blender until smooth.

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Vinaigrette

I found this recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cored, trimmed, and separated into florets
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the cauliflower in a roasting pan, drizzle with 3 tbs of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute. Roast, turning once or twice, for 15 minutes or so, until the cauliflower just starts to soften.

2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining oil with the vinegar and a little salt and pepper; taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tbs of the vinaigrette, and toss to coat. Roast again, turning once more, until a thin-bladed knife pierces with a little resistance, another 15 minutes. (The recipe may be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. When you're ready to serve, put the cauliflower in a large salad bowl and add the raisins and parsley. Add the remaining dressing and toss. Taste and sprinkle with more salt if needed and lots of pepper, then serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Red Lentil & Squash Curry Stew

I found this recipe on OhSheGlows.com, and it's quite good and very healthy and very cheap to make.  I've adjusted the directions based on the easier, lazier way I make this.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or ghee, if you don't care if it's vegan, or alternately skip the oil altogether)
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp good quality curry powder (or more to taste -- I like Badia's Jamaican style curry powder)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I use low-sodium)
• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 cups cooked butternut squash (I've also used pumpkin, or any sort of winter squash I have on hand -- if you don't want to bother cooking it in advance, add the squash when you add the lentils and cook until tender)
• 1 cup greens of choice
• Fresh grated ginger, to taste (optional)
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste (about 1/2 tsp salt, if using low-sodium broth)

Directions

1. In a large pot, add olive oil (if using -- or ghee, if using that) and chopped onion.  Sautee for about 5 minutes over low-medium heat.  [To avoid using oil, use a non-stick pot or simply let everything cook by boiling in the broth.]

2. Stir in minced garlic and grated ginger (or ginger paste, as I use).  Cook another couple minutes.  Stir in curry powder and broth and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in cooked butternut squash and greens of choice. Cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and add some freshly grated ginger to taste.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I found this recipe for baked sweet potato fries on Instructables.com and everyone in the house loves it.

Ingredients

• one large sweet potato
• sea salt (coarse)
• freshly ground black pepper, chunky
• good quality olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Peel sweet potato (or not), cut off any skinny ends as necessary, cut it in half, and cut it into fries about 1/2 inch thick.  If you've just washed the sweet potato, make sure it is thoroughly dry or it won't brown properly.

3. Drizzle olive oil over fries and mix with your hands so that they are thoroughly but very lightly coated.  Place fries on a baking sheet, spaced so that they aren't on top of each other.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.

4. Cook for 15 minutes.  Turn over all the fries (this is easiest to do by hand), and cook for another 10 minutes.  They should be lightly blackened when they're done.  Serve with spicy ketchup, homemade ranch dip (Simran's favorite), or dipping sauce of your choice.

Cinnamon Squash Chowder

This recipe comes from OhSheGlows.com, where it is called Luxurious 7-Vegetable and "Cheese" Soup.  It does not taste like 7 vegetables or cheese to me, so I call it what I think it tastes like instead. I've tried it seasoned a couple different ways, but everyone in my family (baby included) found the cinnamon to be essential.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)

2-3 cups chopped sweet onion (from 1 large onion)

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped celery (from 2-3 stalks)

1 heaping cup peeled and chopped carrots (from 2 small carrots)

6 packed cups broccoli florets (from 1 large bunch broccoli)

2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato (from 1 small sweet potato, about 320 g)

1.5-2 cups seeded and chopped Delicata squash (from 1 very small squash about 275 g) (I like to substitute butternut squash, or whatever squash needs using up)

6 cups vegetable broth

5 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Grab a very large pot (about 6.5 qt) with a lid and set aside.
2. Add the onion and garlic with the oil into the pot and saute over medium heat for a few minutes. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
3. Add the celery, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, and squash, one by one, as you chop them. Continue to saute over medium heat, stirring every once and a while so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, reducing heat if necessary.
5. Remove lid and stir in the broth. Bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and cover with lid. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the squash and potato are fork tender.
6. Turn off heat and remove lid. Add in the nutritional yeast and cinnamon. Puree with an immersion blender (or let cool and blend in batches if necessary). Season with salt and pepper. 
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish and serve warm. 

[Edited 12/1/2013:  To make this a no-oil recipe, you can skip sauteing the vegetables and just boil them in the broth -- I made this in a rush last week and forgot to saute, and I couldn't tell the difference in flavor.  The essential point here is to make sure the squash and sweet potatoes are diced small enough that they will cook in a reasonable amount of time.  To that end, I boiled the soup about ten minutes with a lid on the pot, and everything turned out just fine.  Boiling much longer would have destroyed the broccoli though.]

Green Bean Casserole

I found this recipe on AllRecipes about a decade ago and have been making it for every holiday ever since.  It's really good.

Ingredients
2 tbs butter
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup sour cream (low-fat works fine)
3 (14.5 oz) cans French-style green beans, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
2 tbs butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Add onion. Combine the salt, sugar, and sour cream, and add to skillet. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
3. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Collard Greens with Almonds

This recipe comes from Neal Barnard's The Cancer Survivor's Guide.

Ingredients
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large bunch collard greens (about 1 pound), rinsed
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed

Directions

1. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

2. To remove the stems from the collard greens, work with one leaf at a time. Hold the stem in ond hand and strip the leaf away from the stem with the other hand.

3. Layer 5 collard leaves on a cutting board, roll them into a tight cylinder (like a cigar), and slice them crosswise into thin strips. Repeat until all of the leaves are sliced.

4. Pour 2 inches of water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the collard greens, cover, and steam for 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

5. Whisk together the vinegar and garlic in a small bowl until blended. Pour the vinegar mixture over the collard greens just before serving and garnish with the toasted almonds. Serve hot.

[Edited 10/11/2013: While I can't say I see how cooking greens in boiling water constitutes "steaming" them, this dish was surprisingly fantastic.  The greens were mild tasting and had barely a hint of garlic or vinegar, and the bizarrely large number of sliced almonds somehow made them taste like comfort food.  Simran didn't really try them, but Sameer and I loved them.  I'll definitely be making this again.]