Poblano Corn Chowder

3/4 cup raw cashews - soaked 8 hours or simmered 10 mins
1 14oz can organic creamed corn

Drain cashews and add to a high power blended such as a Vitamix along with corn. Pure at highest speed for at least a minute until smooth. Set aside

Roast and chop a poblano and red pepper - set aside

2 large cloves garlic
1 small Yellow Onion
2 sticks of Celery
2carrots

Pulse a few times in a food processor until the size you like.

Take a big soup pot and sautee vegetables and peppers until tender in about 1/4 cup olive oil. When tender add in a quart of vegetable stock along with

1 medium Potato, peeled and diced
3 ears of Corn, shucked

Cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender. About 10 minutes

Season with Salt & Pepper, to taste

Blend in reserved cashew-corn cream and simmer about 1 additional minute

Serve with chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced tomato, & tortilla strips if desired.



This Chowder was the real deal. So delicious, in fact, it inspired me to start this thread. Easily as good as anything I ever made in the past with milk, cream, and roux

Edited to not derail from recipes

I've been messing with different meatless taco fillings and finally got it dialed in to where I really like it. It may sound cliche, but, you don't have to be a vegetarian to really enjoy these. This would make a good empanada or enchilada filling as well. This recipe made about 2c filling which was enough for 8 tacos.

1/2 C Walnuts
1 C Black Beans, divided
1/2 C Cooked Lentils
1/2 C Cooked Red Quinoa
1/2 Red onion, diced
1/2 Red pepper, roasted and diced
1/4 c roasted hatch green chiles
1 Clove garlic

About a tap each: Salt, pepper, cumin, Mexican oregano, Chile powder

In a food processor, grind walnuts down to a rough chop. Add in 1/2c black beans, cooked Lentils, Red Pepper, Chiles, and Garlic (green chiles were late for the picture)

****EDIT**** I now give the onions and pepper a quick cook in a saute pan to get a little browning and take some of the bite out



Pulse a few times until it hits a chunky paste consistently.



Transfer to a mixing bowl and add in Quinoa and remaining black beans. Mix well and adjust seasonings if necessary.



Heat a Tbls oil in a non-stick pan until smoking and add taco filling. Cook until you see some browning appear.

Build your taco to whatever suits your tastes

Got an Instant Pot and a Trader Joe's nearby? Here's a healthy dinner that comes together in less than 5 minutes.

Dump into an Instant Pot:

3-Cups veggie broth
1-Cup Italian Farro
1-Contains Mirepoix
1-15.5oz can fire roasted tomatoes
About 6 basil leaves, torn
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely diced
1-Tsp salt, oregano, ground fennel, and pepper
Optional: red pepper flakes
Also Optional: saute veggies in Olive Oil first. Tastes better for sure, but, adds time and calories

Set to high pressure for 4 mins. Allow for 15mins natural pressure release

Add 2 cans Trader Joe's Giant Beans and bring to a simmer for 1 additional minute. Adjust salt, it will likely need a little more.

I may have to give it a shot next time. Think I'll try something Exotic like Oyster or King mushrooms though.


Last night's dinner: Hearts of Palm and Artichoke "Crab" cakes. I'll have to do them one more time for the exact measurements for a recipe, but, damn they were good




After experimenting with several different recipes, I've settled on this as my favorite

1 Can hearts of palm, rinsed and drained
1/2 Can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
1/2C plain breadcrumbs.
1/4C vegan Mayo (I use Plant Perfect. Just Mayo was the best, but, can't find it now)
1 Tsp Dijon
1 Tsp Furikake flakes
1 Tsp Old Bay
1/2 Tsp pepper
1/2 Lemon, juice and strain
Few shakes Worcestershire

You can also add in a couple Tbls parsley, red bell pepper, shallots, or scallions. Unfortunately I had none of the above in the fridge.

Panko or Breadcrumbs for coating and 3 Tbls Avocado oil for frying

Preheat a toaster oven to 350

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until mixture resembles crab cake.



Form mix into 4 balls (or 2 for sandwich patties or 6-8 for smaller cakes). Dredge with Panko or Breadcrumbs. I prefer Panko, but, happened to be out today.

Heat oil until just smoking and carefully add cakes. Brown on each side for 60-90 seconds on high heat. Careful not to burn



Transfer to a lined toaster pan and cook for about 10 more minutes to warm throughout. I'll often serve these with a Vegan roasted garlic lemon aioli. I'll try to add and update next go round. They are great as is so that's how I served them today.

5 recipes with pictures and a total of 3 Blue Stars. Pour one out for the old FIDO

Here's another great sandwich that anyone will enjoy whether plant based or not. This is my Muffaletta style Maitake-Beet sandwich. Lots of steps with this one, but, well worth the effort.

Started with a Copycat Schlotzky's bread round. The link used 9" pie pans, but, I use 6" cake pans and sub almond milk.

Roasted Garlic-Artichoke mash. 1 head of roasted garlic plus 1 can of artichoke hearts drained, rinsed, tossed with olive oil and roasted at 375 for about 15. Everything goes in a food processor with about 2 Tbls olive oil and pulse to a paste. Season with salt

Roasted Beet. Peel, wrap in foil, and roast at 375 for about an hour. Slice thin on a mandoline. The first time I made this recipe I used golden beets. In my opinion it looked much better and more consistent then the red beets. Will definitely go back to them next time

Maitake Mushroom - 1 head seared in olive oil on a cast iron pan. Seasoned with salt and lots of pepper and cooked with another cast iron pan pressing down on top. When both sides are seared, top with a slice of Violife smoked provolone, remove from heat, and cover pan to melt.

Central Grocery Olive Salad - Can't beat the original. Used about 1/4 cup.

Cut the bread in half and brush with olive oil. Toast on a flat top or in a pan. Spread bottom bread with artichoke spread and then arrange beets on top. Remove mushroom/provolone and place on beets. Take the olive salad and spread on top half of the bread. Bring both halves together and slice in half. Serves 2