The Crafty Hooker

Caramelized Onions and Kale

I love the flavor of sauteed onions more than almost anything else in this world, but crispy, fried kale is closing in quickly. It’s my favorite way to eat this super-healthy vegetable, and the onions here give it a wonderful complement! This is a very easy appetizer, or if you make enough of it, it would make a lovely main dish.

You might have noticed that I usually like to cook in one pan, so this one is slightly different. You CAN use one pan, and cook the kale first, but then it will be cold by the time the onions are done. This is fine, but it’s really better when the kale is warm, so grab a second skillet and let’s get to work!

Ingredients (for 2 appetizer servings)

2 Tbsp coconut or grapeseed oil (or any high-heat oil)
2 medium sweet onions, sliced into rings
2 tsp garlic powder
4-6 kale leaves, deveined and shredded
1/2 cup cashew pieces
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste (Optional: use red pepper flakes for some kick!)

Directions

1. Heat half the oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add onions and cook until soft (about 10 minutes.)
2. Sprinkle garlic powder over onions and continue cooking until onions begin to brown on the edges (about 5 minutes.) 
3. Add cashew halves to this pan and toast them for a few minutes, until brown.
4. Meanwhile, in another skillet over medium heat, add remaining oil. When oil is shimmering, add kale and salt/pepper, to taste. Put a lid over over this and steam for 3-4 minutes. Remove lid and continue to stir-fry until kale is beginning to brown on the edges and appears crunchy.
5. Serve onions heaped on top of kale, and top with cashews. Enjoy!

Roasted Squash with Chipotle-Pumpkin Cream Sauce [vegan]

Ingredients for squash

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Add EVOO, garlic, squash, tarragon, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and toss until well blended. Transfer to a shallow baking dish and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until squash is tender and just beginning to brown on the edges.
2. Meanwhile: in a large skillet, sauteé onions in EVOO over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until onions are translucent and just beginning to brown. 
3. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Add pumpkin pureé, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add chipotle peppers and adobo sauce and stir well to incorporate. 
6. Add pepper and vegan sour cream; cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
7. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes to incorporate flavors. 

Prepare soba noodles as directed on package; note that they do not require the time that traditional pasta does, so time it accordingly.

Serve hot. Place baked squash on top of soba noodles, cover with chipotle-pumpkin sauce, and sprinkle with  nutritional yeast, as a replacement for parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Vegan Date Fingers

My great-grandmother’s date fingers are legendary among the people who have tasted them. SO GOOD! We all lament the fact that we only got to eat them around Christmas, because they were somewhat time consuming to make. I’ve been working on making it faster and more convenient for a couple of years, with great success.

The main difference here is that my version replaces the butter and eggs with  plant-based spread and bananas, respectively. Because bananas are naturally sweet, this has allowed me to cut out the sugar from Mama Sadie’s recipe as well. I have a hard time saying these are better tasting than the original, because I love the originals so much, but these certainly are healthier and delicious unto themselves. I’m quite proud of this remake and excited to share it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (10-oz) package pitted dates, finely chopped*
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread
• 1/4 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 overripe banana, thoroughly mashed**
• 1-2 Tbsp coconut milk, if needed
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal
• Shredded coconut, for coating

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, melt the buttery spread over medium heat.
2. Add vanilla extract and mashed bananas and stir constantly with wooden spoon, mashing banana against the side of the pan until smooth.
3. Add coconut milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, if mixture is too thick to stir easily. 
4. Add chopped dates to pan; cook for 4-5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Mash dates against the side of the pan as they soften, to minimize lumps.
5. Sprinkle ground flax seed over mixture; stir well to blend. Cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.
6. Add puffed rice cereal and mix thoroughly.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle, but not completely.
8. Once cooled enough to handle, form into balls or fingers of whatever size you like, and roll each one in shredded coconut. 

Best served slightly warm, but these travel well in tins for gifting purposes, too. Yield will depend on how big or small you make your pieces. Store in air-tight container, as they will dry out if left in the open air for prolonged periods.

* Use a mezzaluna or, better still, an ulu to make this part super easy.

Vegan Sloppy Joes

I wanted to make sloppy joes without meat, so I tweaked this recipe and it was DELICIOUS. Will definitely make this again (and again and again…) This is now one of my “go-to” meals for delicious and quick!

Tagged: vegetariansloppy joesdinnerrecipesrecipevegetables

Avocado Quick Bread [vegan]

I don’t like avocado, but I love love love this bread! Next time, I’ll add raisins or maybe some crushed pistachios. Yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup raw vegan sugar
• 1  1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer, plus 2 Tbsp water (mix before adding to recipe)*
• 1/2 cup avocado, peeled and mashed (I used 1 large avocado)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (soy, rice milk, etc. are all fine)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9x5 bread pan with nonstick coating. Set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients (first 7 in the list) in a large bowl. 
3. Mix wet ingredients (except coconut milk) in a smaller bowl until well blended.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix with a wooden spoon until dry ingredients are just wet. (If the batter is too thick to mix, add the coconut milk. If adding raisins or nuts, fold them in at this time.)
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. You may need to adjust your bake time, so keep an eye on it beginning at about 35 minutes. Enjoy!

*I love Ener-G egg replacer because it’s inexpensive and easy to use and yields great results. You can easily replace eggs in baking recipes with this method also: http://www.food.com/recipe/flax-vegan-egg-substitute-104832 (I have done it without bothering to simmer first, just mixed well in a small bowl, and it worked fine. Experiment beforehand if needed.)