Community Potluck for the Plant-Based Curious
Sunday, September 13 - 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Sponsored by BreathWorks and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
HOUSE
RECIPES
JULIE’S SOURDOUGH BREAD
To get the crust crispy and the interior fluffy, you’ll need proofing baskets and a dutch oven. You’ll also need some starter. If you’re in the hood, shout and I’ll be happy to give you some of mine. This recipe makes two big loaves.
about 1000 g. AP Flour (Be sure to use unbromated, unbleached, unenriched flour. I use King Arthur)
about 420 g. ripened sourdough starter
1 tablespoon yeast
1.5 tablespoons salt (I use kosher)
3 cups lukewarm filtered water
Feed Sourdough starter with about 1 cup AP flour and 2/3 cup filtered water. Let sit for 3-4 hours until starter is bubbly and fragrant.
After starter has ripened, add salt & yeast to warm water. Let grow for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, weigh out the flour and add ripened starter. Slowly pour ripened yeast mixture into the bowl and mix just enough to incorporate the flour. Cover the bowl and let dough rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Place two dutch ovens into the oven and heat to 500 degrees. While the oven heats, rub a little oil on your hands and divide the dough into two or three loaves. Dough will be sticky and not easy to manage, but don’t panic. Shape the loaves on floured board, making sure that every surface of the loaf has a thin coat of flour.
Usually by the time the oven reaches 500 degrees, the bread is ready. It should be about 50-75% larger than when you shaped it.
Remove the dutch ovens from the oven and dump the loaf into the dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, score the loaf at least three or four times.
Bake with the lids on for 15 minutes. Remove the lids and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove and place on a baking rack, or anything that will allow some ventilation. Let cool before eating. And if you can’t wait, cut it with a serrated knife using little pressure and saw, saw, saw. Otherwise, your loaf will be flat (voice of experience, here).
“ORGASMIC” PICKLED ONIONS
One of our guests at BreathWorks dubbed these “orgasmic onions,” and the name has stuck. I can’t tell you how long they’ll last in the refrigerator because I always run out before they go bad.
1 large red onions, sliced thinly
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup (honey or agave syrup also work)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup hot water (not boiling)
Peel and slice onion into thin strips, the thinner the better. I use a mandoline with adjustable blade heights. Soak the onions in ice water for 20 minutes.
Add the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and hot water to a quart-sized jar. Add drained onions and chill for at least two hours before serving. Refrigerate any remaining onions (there won’t be many!)
HUMMUS
The measurements on this recipe are approximations, and I’m a little conservative with the fats and salt. Be sure to season to your own tastes
2 cups cooked chickpeas (I prefer to soak mine and cook them in the instapot for 30 minutes)
½ cup aquafaba (that’s the fluid the beans are cooked in)
¼ good quality olive oil (choose one that comes from only one country and comes in a dark colored glass bottle)
¼ toasted sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
juice of ½ fresh lemon
Dump all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. Top with balsamic glaze and pumpkin seeds as shown here, or change the flavor profile with zatar or chili oil according to your taste.
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CHOPPED GREEN SALAD
½ bunch cilantro (to remove heavy metals)
½ bunch parsley (to remove heavy metals)
1 Bunch of dandelion leaves (detox for liver)
Bag of spinach (or any greens)(great source of iron)
½ sliced purple or white cabbage (high in vitamin K)
1 cup fresh pineapple (Bromaline)
½ cup walnuts (omega 3, brain food)
½ cup pumpkin seeds (high protein, magnesium, zinc, anti-parasitical)
1 red bell pepper (Vitamin C & A)
1/4 cup pickled purple onions
Dressing: apple cider vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey
Chop all ingredients finely. Massage the greens with toasted sesame oil and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and add vinegar and honey to taste.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY TEAS
Incredibly simple and each have important anti-inflammatory qualities
Ginger & Black Pepper Tea: Add 3” of peeled ginger to a large pot of filtered water and boil. To increase the intensity, grate the ginger and bring to a boil a second time. To reduce the spiciness, slice the ginger, add more water and honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup to taste. Pro tip: Freeze the ginger and reuse for your next pot of tea.
Avocado Seed Tea: Boil a cleaned avocado seed with two cups of filtered water. Remove seed and cut into quarters. Add back to pot and boil for 3 minutes. This tea is very delicate, and so if you’d like to punch it up a bit, add a cinnamon stick, two inches of grated ginger, and cloves or star anise,
Tamarind Tea: Steep a tamarind pod in 4 cups boiling filtered water for 15 minutes. Strain and add desired amount of honey.
Hibiscus Tea: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried hibiscus flowers to 4 cups (1 quart) of water
Turmeric & Ginger Tea: Use same instructions as ginger tea, but grate one one 2” finger of fresh turmeric or 1 tablespoon dried turmeric.
Pineapple skin tea: This recipe by Samira Hasan is a serious crowd pleaser that I make every time I buy a pineapple. Be sure to scrub your pineapple before you cut it.
CHANA SAAG
I found this recipe online and I love it because it retains the beautiful, vibrant green color of the spinach. The original recipe was posted by Swasthi Shreekanth here and contains butter. I’ve modified it here to be whole food plant based.
1 cup organic dry chana (chickpeas) or 3 cups cooked
4-5 cups spinach
¼ cup cilantro
1 cup onions finely chopped
¾ inch ginger, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 green chilis sliced (serrano or Thai chilies, slit)
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil (divided)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¾ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups aquafaba (juice from cooked chickpeas)
Rinse and soak chana overnight. Later drain them and rinse well. Place on stove or in Instapot and cover with 2-3 inches filtered water. I like to add two bay leaves and an extra two whole cloves of garlic. If using the stovetop, cook for 90 minutes on the stove and add 1 teaspoon salt the last 15 minutes. If using the instapot, pressure cook for 20 minutes. You can add the salt to the Instapot before cooking.
Chop, slice, and prepare all the remaining ingredients.
Pour 1 ½ tablespoon of oil into a large pot and heat it until hot. Saute ginger, garlic and green chilies for one minute.
Add onions and saute until golden and fully cooked. Then stir in the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until wilted. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
While the greens cool, heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add tomatoes and salt. Saute and cook until soft and mushy.
Add garam masala, cooked chana and 1 ½ cup aquafaba. Cover and simmer chana for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat.
Transfer the cooled spinach mixture to a blender and add the cilantro leaves. Blend to a fine or coarse paste to your liking (I prefer a smooth paste) and season with salt or additional chilies.
Add spinach paste to the tomato mixture. Stir well and cook just a minute or two until it bubbles.
Taste test and adjust salt and add more garam masala as needed. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
POWERHOUSE LENTIL SOUP
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
1 small carrot, small chop
1 stalk celery
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon finely minced turmeric
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped tomato (optional)
1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ to 1 medium lemon), to taste
Toasted Sesame Oil to taste (optional)
Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add cumin, garam masala, and turmeric and cook for 20-30 seconds. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 20-30 seconds.
Pour in the lentils, broth and optional tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
Add the optional chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Add optional toasted sesame oil to taste.
Serve while hot. Leftovers will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for several months (just defrost before serving).
CHOCOLATE NUT CRUST PIE
This recipe comes from The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook by Kim Campbell.
The pie crust:
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1 ½ cups walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor at high speed until you have a stick consistency. Press the mixture into a pie pan and chill while you create the filling.
The filling:
2 large, pitted Medjool dates
2 large, fresh avocados, pitted and peeled (save the pits for tea!)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup agave nectar
½ cup nondairy milk (I use oatmilk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
generous pinch of sea salt.
Place the dates in hot water for 15 minutes to soften. Drain. Place all ingredients in a food processors and pulse until smooth and creamy. Spoon the filling into prepared pie crust and chill until ready to serve. At the last moment, top with mint leaves and raspberries, or any fresh fruit you have available.
