This recipe calls for vegan Parmesan cheese, you can get the recipe for it here.

This is a great cheese alternative and is easy to prepare. The nutritional yeast adds a nice cheesy flavor to the mixture. Nutritional yeast is inexpensive and you can find it at most health food stores or you can order it online here.

3/4 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Add all ingredients together in a food processor and process until a fine meal or powder is formed. Don’t over-process. Sprinkle over your dishes like Parmesan cheese.

Will keep covered in the fridge for about a month.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
salt & black pepper, to taste
3 cups vegetable stock
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground roasted coriander
2 pitas
juice of 1/2 lemon
fresh cilantro, for topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the celery, carrots, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.  About 7 minutes.  Half way through the cooking time, add in the minced garlic.

Add 3 cups water, 3 cups vegetable stock, chickpeas, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and slightly mashing the chickpeas with the back of a spoon, until the soup thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, slick the pitas into thin wedges.  Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake until crisp, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir the lemon juice into the soup just before serving.  Top with cilantro and the toasted pita chips.

Serves 4

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 carrot, diced
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic
15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Italian seasoned dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoons olive oil

In a small pot, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.

In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, shallot, garlic, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, salt, and pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Form the mixture into four even patties.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium; cook burgers until browned on each side, about 8 minutes per side.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 dash of chili powder
1 1/2 cup frozen green peas
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup cashew cream (recipe below)
thyme, to taste

Add olive oil to a pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, sea salt and chili and cook until the onions soften. Add the green peas and broth. Let it boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour half of the broth away into a bowl. Use a hand blender to puree the soup. Stir in the cashew cream, lemon juice, thyme and more salt if needed. If the soup is too thick add more broth. Pour into bowls or cups and serve with a couple of fresh green peas.

Serves 2-4

Cashew Cream

2 cups raw cashews (unsalted)
water

Place the raw cashews in a medium bowl and cover them with water. Let the cashews sit overnight. The next day drain and rinse the cashews under plenty of fresh water.

Put the cashews in a high powered blender and add enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high speed for several minutes until the cashews are smooth and creamy.

The cashew cream will keep covered in the fridge for three days or can be frozen.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced onions
1 stalk celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 quart vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned)
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cups quartered mushrooms
2 cups diced zucchini
Salt and pepper

Heat a medium heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, thyme and barley. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to brown, about 18 minutes.

Stir in the vegetable broth, chopped tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Cook until the barley is al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and zucchini, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and continue to simmer until the mushrooms and zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add some water if desired, and season again to taste. Serve.

Serves 8-10

1 16 ounce package of dried black beans
1 large onion
4 large carrots
1 celery stalk
1 bell pepper
2-3 jalapeno peppers
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 (32oz) container vegetable stock
2 cups water

For serving:
Chopped cilantro
Chopped onions
Chopped tomatoes

The night before you are making the soup, fill a large bowl with water and empty the package of beans into the water. Then let the beans sit overnight in the refrigerator.

To prepare the soup, chop the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper and jalapeno. Peel and mince the garlic cloves.

Place all the veggies in the slow cooker. Measure and add all the spices.

Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the slow cooker.

Add the vegetable stock and then add up to 2 cups of water if needed.

Cook for six hours on high, or 10 hours on low.

Before serving, remove the bay leaves. You may choose to blend some of the beans with a food processor and then add it back into the soup to create a thicker soup.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 summer squash (yellow), halved lengthwise, then sliced
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 (15-oz.) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed well
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

On medium, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Next, add the squash, zucchini, oregano, salt, pepper. Toss to combine and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, beans and vinegar. Raise the heat to medium and cook while stirring for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan and serve.

So far, this winter has been brutal!  Between the back to back snow storms and the frigid cold, it has been hard to catch a break.  Last week, I decided to make some spicy vegetable chili in my slow cooker.  I figured that would help warm me up.  Any for you meat-lovers, you can easily add beef or turkey, etc. to this recipe.

3 cups white rice (cooked)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
3/4 cup green beans, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small red chili pepper, chopped
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Cook your rice ahead of time according to the package directions and set aside. In a wok heat sesame oil. Add carrots, onions, chili pepper and garlic and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the carrots begin to become tender. Add in the green beans and squash and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the rice and soy sauce and stir fry for another minute or until heated thoroughly.

Serves 4-6