Wheatberry Bread

This delightfully sweet, nutty bread is more than the sum of its (two) parts. It is toothsome and satisfying, dense yet soft — it’s even won over at least one white bread fan! This small loaf will go a long way.

• 3 cups wheatberries
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Put the wheatberries in a large bowl, and cover them with water. Cover and let soak for 24-36 hours, draining and replacing the water every 12 hours, until the wheatberries are soft and start sprouting tails.

When they’re ready, preheat the oven to 300 F. Drain them, add salt, and puree until most of the wheatberries are broken down and form a glutenous dough. Shape this into a round, poke a few holes in it to make sure it bakes all the way through, and rub with a bit of water (for a hard crust) or olive oil (for a soft crust). Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza stone for 90 minutes (or 60 if you’re using convection).

To make painted bread, just thin some molasses with a little water and take to your loaf with a clean paintbrush. Pop it back in the still-hot oven for a few minutes to make sure it dries.

Cashew Cheese

This non-dairy cheese tastes a little like gouda, but with a soft consistency. Lightly fermenting it gives it a nice sharp flavor, and baking it at a low temperature gives it a firm texture. Excellent spread on bread or crackers.

• 1 cup cashews
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon organic sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Soak the cashews in water for 30-60 minutes, until soft. Drain and rinse them, then combine with the remaining ingredients and puree until very smooth. You may need to add a little water to get a soft consistency. Let this sit, covered, for about 12 hours (or overnight) to give it a good tanginess.

Preheat the oven to 200 F. Oil a couple ramekins and fill them with the cashew mixture, and bake them for 30 minutes. Let them cool, then pop out the cheese rounds with a knife.

For an extra fancy serving suggestion, garnish the cheese with coarsely-ground peppercorns and some crushed rosemary. Hmm!

• 2 delicata squash

Chop off the very ends, cut in half, remove the seeds and pulp, and roast at 350 degrees F (300 if you’ve got a convection oven) for 30 minutes. Then chop it up.

• 1 leek, chopped
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 4 c. vegetable broth
• 1 t. thyme
• Sea salt and black pepper

Sautee the leek in a little oil and salt. When soft, add the squash and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes, then puree until smooth. Season with sea salt to taste.

• 1 c. cashews
• 1 c. vegetable broth

Puree the cashews and broth to form a cream. Strain if you want it super smooth. Add most to the soup and stir in, and reserve about 1/4 cup to drizzle over the served soup. Finish with a generous helping of black pepper.

Serves four. Adapted from VeganYumYum.

Using purple potatoes from the local farmer’s market is a brilliant idea here, because it goes so well with the avocado and makes it look as fresh and delightful as it tastes!

• 1 1/2 lb. new potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
• 1 large ripe avocado, diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Small handful of herbs (I used parsley)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Steam the potatoes until fork-tender. Let them cool, then mix in the avocado, lemon juice, and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and break down the avocado a bit. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

(Adapted from Vegan Visitor.)

This no-bake pie filling was inspired by a recipe for pear-cardamom butter, which sounded so divine I had to try the flavor combination for myself! Agar agar is a seaweed that thickens much like gelatin, and allows this pie to hold its shape — don’t worry, though, it’s completely flavorless and allows the fresh fruit to shine right through.

Ingredients:

• 3 pears, chopped (I used anjou)
• 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons agar agar powder
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• a pinch of salt
• a pre-baked or no-bake pie crust

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.
• Bring them to a boil on the stovetop, to get the agar dissolved.
• Pour into the pie crust.
• Let sit for an hour to cool off, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours until the agar sets up.
• Slice, serve up, and enjoy!

These cookies have a delicately sweet flavor, perfect for tea biscuits. They use juice concentrate instead of sugar, which is just as sweet but more healthful and flavorful. Try mixing in some walnuts or raisins, I’m sure they’d go perfectly with the apple flavor. Perhaps some lemon zest, too. This recipe makes a dozen cookies — feel free to double the recipe for more or bigger cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups oat flour (blend or process rolled oats until fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used extra virgin, you could use canola or some other vegetable oil as well)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Get a baking sheet ready by lightly greasing it or lining it with parchment paper.
• Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl.
• Mix the wet ingredients in another.
• Add the wet to the dry, and stir away.
• Drop tablespoon-sized dollops on the baking sheet, and flatten into rounds.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cool for a minute on the baking sheet so they can firm up before serving or storing.
• Enjoy!