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2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 carrots, diced (about 1½ cups)
4 stalks celery, diced (about 1½ cups)
4 small red potatoes, diced (about 1½ cups)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
1 small turnip, diced (about 1 cup)
1 pound dried split peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
5 cups water
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, or more to taste
Generous pinch smoked salt (optional)
1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Heat olive oil over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots and celery, raise the heat a bit and and sauté for 10 minutes, until the onion is nicely browned. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 60 to 90 minutes, until the consistency is to your liking. If the soup gets too thick, add a bit more broth or water. Taste for salt and add more if needed.

Serves 8

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2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1¼ cups chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 cups water, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt (preferably black salt – kala namak)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini and red pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, baking powder, flax, vinegar and 1 cup water and set aside.

Add the remaining water to the pan with the vegetables, along with the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Whisk in the chickpea flour mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be very thick and heat should be high enough to keep it bubbling a bit.

Use a spatula to pour into a 9” pie plate (regular or deep dish). Smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake 30 minutes. Let cool before serving. May then be served at room temperature, or reheated.

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This is the basic method:

Put some chickpeas in a bowl (I used 2 cans – be sure to look for BPA-free).

Add thinly sliced (with a mandoline) celery, fennel and red onion to your liking.

Throw in some flat-leaf parsley.

Squeeze on the juice of a lemon, and drizzle on a bit of olive oil.

If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with fennel fronds.

Salt and pepper, and you’re done.

You could build on this simple salad by adding orange segments, roasted red peppers, olives or cherry tomatoes. Let me know what you come up with!

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For the bottom crust:

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted before measuring* (I recommend half white flour, half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic high-oleic safflower oil
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used Pacific Seven-Grain milk)

For the almond crumble:
2/3 cup rolled oats (not quick) ground in a food processor
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raw whole almonds, coarsely ground in a food processor
2 tablespoons cold Earth Balance margarine, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons organic high-oleic safflower oil

For the sour cherry filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
2 1/2 quarts fresh sour cherries, pitted, with juice

Heat the oven to 375.

Almond crumble: Grind the oats well in a food processor. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and almonds. Process until the nuts are almost ground but still crumbly (not all the way to a fine grind.)  Place in a bowl, add the Earth Balance and drizzle on the oil. Mix with your fingers by pinching them together. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 teaspoons of water, and combine again lightly with your fingers until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

Cherry filling: In a large bowl, mix the cherries with the sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Bottom crust (do not prepare in advance): Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Place the oil in a glass measuring cup, then add the milk, without stirring. Add to the flour mixture and combine quickly. Roll out between two pieces of wax paper, until it is about 12 inches in diameter. Remove the top sheet, and turn the crust over into a 9-inch pie plate. Remove the second sheet of wax paper. Crimp the edges, using the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and the index finger of the other hand.

Assembling the pie: Pour the cherries, including the liquid, into the pie pan lined with the bottom crust. (If your quarts of cherries were generous, you may end up with a dozen or so more cherries than you can fit – don’t force it.)  Sprinkle the almond crumble over the cherries. Place the pie plate on the oven rack, with a piece of foil on the rack below. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the juices are bubbling and thick. Cool on a rack to room temperature before serving.

* If you don’t have a sifter, spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup.  Don’t scoop it – the measurement will be totally different.

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2 cans chickpeas, well drained
¼ cup Jamaican jerk sauce
1 tablespoon ground flax seed whisked with 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 medium cooked beets, grated on the large holes of a box grater and squeezed dry (about ½ cup)
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 medium carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about ½ cup)
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, finely minced
1/3 c. medium-coarse bulgur, cooked according to directions and well drained
1/2 c. whole wheat panko bread crumbs
¼ cup tamari almonds, well chopped (I pulsed in food processor)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
Whole wheat buns, red onions and romaine lettuce, for serving

Place the chickpeas, jerk sauce and flax-lime mixture in a food processor and process to a rough paste (can be slightly chunky).

In a bowl combine the chickpea mixture with the remaining ingredients, stirring well mixed. Refrigerate until read to use. Form into patties and grill on a well-oiled grate or vegetable tray. Alternatively, sauté in a skillet or brush with oil and bake at 375 for 10 minutes per side.

Serve on buns with additional jerk sauce, lettuce and sliced red onions.

Makes 8 burgers

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2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or high-oleic safflower oil

1 small onion, or half a medium onion, minced

½ medium red bell pepper, diced small

1 medium tomato, diced

14-16 ounces extra-firm tofu (organic and non-GMO), well drained

1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon za’atar

¾ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook a couple minutes longer, until the tomato starts to break down. Add the tofu by squeezing the blocks through your fingers into the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except cilantro, raise the heat bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Serves 2