Miso-Lime Sweet Potato Dip

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbs white miso paste
2 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1) Pierce sweet potatoes with fork and microwave 7 to 10 minutes, or until soft (or bake 1 hour in 400F oven). Cool sweet potatoes 10 minutes, or until easy to handle, and then halve and coarsely chop (leave skins on).
2) Transfer chopped sweet potatoes to food processor, add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth, adding up to 2 Tbs water, if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Review: This was pretty tangy, which I wasn't expecting. It was filling and had an exotic taste. However, I wasn't wowed and wouldn't make it again.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/miso-lime-sweet-potato-dip/

Broccoli Raab with Spicy Almond-Miso Dressing

1 lb broccoli raab, ends trimmed
3 Tbs almond butter
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs sweet white miso
1 tsp chile-garlic sauce

1) Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add broccoli raab, cover pan, and cook 4 minutes. Turn with tongs and cook 4 minutes more, or until bright green and tender. Drain, then cool.
2) Whisk together almond butter, 2 Tbs water, vinegar, miso and chile-garlic sauce in a small bowl. Pour dressing over broccoli raab and toss to distribute evenly.

Review: Every time I make a "dressing" with miso or almond butter, the directions always say "pour" it on. However, mine is NEVER pourable. I had a double whammy tonight, since it had both miso and almond butter. So, I clumped it on and consciously scooped a bit of dressing with every forkful of broccoli raab. It worked for me. The dressing was unbelievably delicious, just on it's own. It was savory, with just a hint of sweetness and spicy heat. This, combined with the sharp bitterness of the broccoli raab was just heavenly.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/broccoli-raab-with-spicy-peanut-miso-dressing/

Roasted Cauliflower & Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 bunch of kale
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs white miso paste
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1) Preheat oven to 415F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Spread out cauliflower florets and spray with olive oil. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes, until browned.
2) In a large bowl, place kale, 2 Tbs olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Use hands to massage oil and vinegar into kale, until leaves turn bright green and begin to soften.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together 2 Tbs olive oil, white miso paste and lemon juice.
4) To serve, place kale in a bowl, top with cauliflower, drizzle miso dressing over the salad and garnish with pine nuts.

Review: This recipe originally called for tossing the cauliflower in the miso dressing and then roasting. However, the last time I tried that, it lost the miso flavor and everything tended to burn. So, I tried to make a dressing. It wouldn't thin out, so once I put some dressing in the bowl, I tossed it all and it worked ok. White miso has a sweeter flavor than regular miso. It also costs several dollars more!! I like the new flavor and it was a great addition to the flavors of kale and cauliflower. I still have quite a bit of white miso and will be using it the rest of the week!!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/miso-glazed-cauliflower-with-kale-salad/

Spicy Corn Chowder

2 Tbs olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
2 yellow potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, diced
1 bay leaf
2 cups vegetable broth
13.5oz can coconut milk
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

1) Heat oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add celery and saute 5 minutes, or until soft.
2) Add potatoes, corn, chipotle chile, bay leaf and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3) Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf.
4) Stir in coconut milk and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Review: I used a whole chipotle pepper and a few spoonfuls of the adobo sauce from the can. So, my chowder was REALLY spicy. It was so good, but hard to manage at work as I looked like I had been crying after eating this! It's full of flavor and very filling, however. Adjust the spices to your own comfort level.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/spicy-corn-chowder/

Pozole Rojo

5 large dried guajillo or ancho chilies, toasted
2 cups warm water
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz tempeh, chopped
2 tsp soy sauce
29oz can hominy, drained
1 zucchini, chopped
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt

1) Soak chilies in the water for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chilies but hang on to the water. Cut off chili tops, remove seeds and chop the chilies. Blend them in a blender with garlic, cocoa powder and pepper water, until well blended.
2) Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add tempeh and saute 3 minutes. Flavor with soy sauce.
3) Add hominy, zucchini, oregano, cumin and salt. Stir together, then add chili-garlic sauce. Toss it around so everything is well coated. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Review: This was such a cooking disaster! The directions said to make the chili-garlic sauce in a food process or blender. I put it in the food processor and much of the water gushed out of the back of my food processor, where the lid and bowl connect. It was such a mess. Mike helped me transfer it to a blender, where it still oozed a bit out of the lid. Eesh! So, I finally get it all under control and pour it into the pot. Now it looks like stew, but the original recipe asked for another 4 cups of vegetable broth - why?! Needless to say, I left that out. This was not a spicy pozole, but was pretty flavorful. I prefer the recipe I'm used to making, but this has more variety to it.

Adapted from:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/thug-kitchen-recipes?page=3

Big Apple Punch

8 cups fresh apple cider
4 cups dry hard cider
4 cups ginger beer
1 1/2 cups apple brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 apple, cored and diced

1) Combine all ingredients.
2) Serve over ice.

Review: I made this for a family celebration. I brought apple cider that was fresh pressed from an orchard down the street and the apple brandy was also made with New Hampshire apples! This had an awesome 'fall' flavor. Oddly, every ingredient could be tasted in this punch. It didn't taste strongly of booze, so it was a nice drink. Everyone gave it a great review!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/big-apple-punch/

Lentil-Quinoa Pilaf Over Wilted Arugula

2 1/2 Tbs olive oil, divided
4 cups vegetable broth
1 3/4 cups green lentils, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs pine nuts
8 cups baby arugula
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1) Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add broth, lentils and quinoa; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 10 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in small skillet over low heat 3 minutes.
3) Toss arugula with balsamic vinegar and remaining 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil in a bowl. Serve lentil mixture over arugula mixture, sprinkled with pine nuts.

Review: This was a pretty basic, but hardy meal. However, the balsamic vinegar and pine nuts prevented it from tasting bland.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/lentil-quinoa-pilaf-over/