I’ve been watching the wonderful HBO show Treme, so I’ve got New Orleans on the brain right now. Today I set out to create a healthy, vegan version of red beans and rice that’s as smoky and satisfying as any served in the Crescent City. To achieve that, I used canned chipotle peppers, one of my common secret weapons.

I served this on brown rice, with scallions and a generous amount of Tabasco sauce. For a less traditional serving idea, try it with pickled onions and a salsa made with tomatoes, cucumber and roasted poblano pepper. Not traditional but so good.

Make a pot of these beans on Sunday and you’re good for the week. Now if I could only get the Treme cast to come over to my house for dinner…

Vegan Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

1 pound small red beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic
3 medium green peppers
chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 chipotle peppers (from canned chipotles in adobo), finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cups water
1 tablespoon vegan and/or gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
½ cup chopped scallions, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving
Tabasco sauce, for serving

Soak the beans overnight, or use the quick soak method. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and celery. Sauté until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the beans, bay leaves, sage, oregano, chipotles, cayenne, stock, 2 cups of water and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender (this may take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the age of your beans.) Add more water as needed to keep the beans from drying out; when dine, the mixture should be saucy yet slightly thick. If it seems too watery, mash a cup of the beans and stir back in. (The dish will also naturally thicken overnight if you are serving it the next day.)

Remove the bay leaves and serve on rice, passing the Tabasco.

Serves 6-8

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I was never a big fan of cream-based soups, but corn chowder was an exception. So sweet, so creamy, so dreamy….it’s one of the things I’ve missed since having to change my diet. So I was excited to find this recipe for Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder from the blog Leafy Greens and Me. Instead of cream, it calls for rice milk (I used almond milk, my non-dairy milk of choice.)

When I told my dinner guest – let’s just call her The Ultimate Dairy Fanatic – about the almond milk, she was skeptical. And when I told the Ultimate Meat Lover (same person, she has two names) that there was no bacon, she was visibly shaken. But I was determined to make her a convert to this vegan soup. I roasted the corn until it was toasty, and added a pinch of smoked paprika to the recipe. Then I pureed a portion of the soup at the end for a thick and rich texture. And guess what? She wolfed it down nearly as fast as I did!

I urge you to make this soup now, during prime corn season. The better your corn, the better it will be.

Recipe notes: If you’d like, you can grill the corn instead of roasting in the oven. For a nice Southwestern-style variation, add several minced tomatillos and 1/4 cup chopped roasted poblano peppers when you start to simmer the soup, and replace the parsley and lemon juice with cilantro and lime juice at the end.

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder
Adapted from Leafy Greens and Me

4 large ears corn on the cob, shucked and silk removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
1 1/4 cups diced celery
1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine, such and Earth Balance or Smart Balance
2 1/2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or white whole wheat)
1 3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced small
4 cups chicken-style vegetable broth
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (or regular if you’re not vegan)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
Pinch smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)
4-5 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice

If broiling the corn, heat the broiler to high. Place the corn on a baking sheet and broil, turning as necessary, until lightly charred on all sides. If grilling, grill the corn until lightly charred. Cut the kernels from the cobs and set aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic, hot pepper and celery, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the Earth Balance and stir until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Add the roasted corn, potatoes, stock, almond milk, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the soup and puree in a food processor or blender. Stir the puree back into the pot. Add the parsley and lemon juice and serve, adding freshly ground black pepper to each bowl.

Serves 6

By the way, I added this recipe as a “House Favorite” on Chez Cayenne. The August roundup of House Favorites should show up in early September, so keep your eyes peeled.

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When I lived in San Francisco many years ago, I was obsessed with the huge scones from a wonderful bakery called 101 Carl. Those rich, buttery scones with currants and a sweet orange glaze probably contributed to my high cholesterol … but oh my, they were amazing.

I regularly pestered the baker to give me their recipe, and he adamantly refused. Then I found out he had an obsession of his own – with a singer who I managed at the time (it’s true, I wasn’t always a copywriter/food blogger). Speaking in hushed tones, we arranged a trade: a rare demo tape in exchange for the scone recipe. Eureka!

Alas, I can’t make those scones today because of my @#!&#%! heart issues. But I can definitely make scones that are delicious in their own right. Today I made a vegan version with whole grains, nuts and dried blueberries – and not too much sugar or oil. I was worried they’d turn out like rocks, but that wasn’t the case at all. They had a crumbly, scone-like texture right out of the oven. In fact, I recommend eating them in the first few hours, because they get very soft after being wrapped or covered up overnight.

If you want scone satisfaction without the guilt, give these a whirl.

Whole-Grain Vegan Blueberry Scones

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cinnamon
1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and ground
1/4 cup organic canola oil or other neutral oil
2/3 cup soymilk + 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup light brown sugar
grated zest of one small orange
½ cup dried blueberries

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. (You can skip this step and just lightly mix them, but I recommend the sifting.) Gently stir in the ground pecans.

Mix the soy milk and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the sugar, vanilla and orange zest.

Drizzle the oil over the flour mixture and mix with your fingers until a bit crumbly.

Stir in the liquids and dried blueberries, mixing just until combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop ¼ cup of dough onto the sheet (I used my measuring cup) and gently shape into a round disc. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the scones about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 8 or 9 scones

My blogger friends have some great scone recipes, too:

Chocolate Cherry Sea Salt Scones from Savvy Eats

Vegan Raspberry Scones from Eating Rules

Low Fat Cherry Cardamom Scones from The Verdant Life

You might think of risotto as a winter food – and it can indeed be heavy. But this vegan barley risotto with fresh vegetables and herbs is anything but.

Between the chewy barley, buttery fava beans, tender mushrooms and delicate corn – plus a creamy corn-fava puree – this dish provides a veritable orgy of textures (I promise, that is the first and last time I will use the word “orgy” on my blog!)

The puree, made from a portion of the corn and fava beans, gives the risotto a nice creaminess. However, note that the puree gets absorbed by the barley after refrigeration (as is the case in the photo above), so the risotto is best eaten immediately.

Oh, and if you’re not a vegan – or concerned about cholesterol, like I am – feel free to stir in some Parmigiano-Reggiano just before serving. But not too much, because you want the flavors of the vegetables to shine here.

Barley Risotto with Fava Beans, Corn and Mushrooms

1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds fresh fava beans

3 medium ears very fresh, tender sweet corn

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

1 ½ cups pearled barley

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups vegetable stock, plus more if needed

Salt to taste

½ pound oyster mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the beans from their pods. Bring a pot of water to boil, and blanch the favas for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water. Skin the fava beans (open a section of the skin and pop the beans out). You should have about ¾ cup.

Cut the kernels off the corn. You should have about 1½ cups.

Place half the corn and about a third of the fava beans in a food processor and process until very smooth.

Heat half the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large deep saucepan or a dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the barley. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.

Add the wine. Cook for a minute or two, until the wine has mostly evaporated.

Add a half cup of broth. Cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the broth is absorbed. Repeat the process, adding the broth in half-cup increments. Continue until the barley is al dente, about 30-35 minutes. You should have used about 3 cups of broth, although some barley will require more. Add salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of your vegetable broth.

Add the fava beans, corn, mushrooms, lemon juice and fava-corn puree. Stir in the final cup of broth, and cook another 5 minutes, stirring gently a few times. Stir in the parsley, basil and black pepper, and serve.

Serves 4

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I was craving soba noodles (odd craving, I know), but wanted to make something different than your typical sesame soba noodle salad. I had avocado and mango on hand, and mint overtaking my back yard, so I put them all to use in this tropical take on soba noodles.

This is one of those dishes that will wow everyone you serve it to. With the sweet and sour tang of mango and lime, the creamy avocado and the fresh taste of mint, it’s the perfect summer lunch.

And of course it’s also good for you. If you use 100% buckwheat soba noodles, you’ll have the most nutritional benefits. Buckwheat is fascinating because it contains the flavanoid rutin. That’s one reason why diets high in buckwheat have been tied to lower cholesterol. The mango adds more fiber, plus vitamins A and C.

This is going into high rotation in my household. And hopefully in yours, too.

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My garden overfloweth … with kale. It’s  hard to keep up with the quantity we’re harvesting every weekend!  Kale for breakfast, kale for lunch, kale for dinner. But that’s ok with me – I love it. It’s always surprising to me how many people never even think of eating kale. I’m not sure why, since it’s so flavorful and easy to prepare.

So today I’m sharing some of my favorite kale recipes from bloggers, along with my much-requested Spicy Kale Chips, pictured above. Whether you grow your own or buy it, kale is good stuff. Enjoy.

Spicy Kale and Split Pea Soup from The Recipe Renovator

My own Spicy Kale Chips

Kale and Navy Bean Pasta with Smoked Paprika from The Domestic Divas Blog

Maple Mustard Kale with Apple and Onion from Bran Appetit

Garlic Kale from Savvy Eats

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad from 101 Cookbooks

Kale and White Bean Soup from Sassy Radish

Kale and Toor Dal from Fat Free Vegan

Kale and Beet Salad with Raisins and Almonds from The Taste Space