I wish for you a moment and a lifetime of gratitude and awe. I hope that you never doubt the miracle of your existence or the responsibility for love that your existence asks of you. May you enjoy the love, support and compassion of family, friends and community and may you return these traits to all whom you meet. Blessings on every meal that you will ever eat, may you be fed and nourished and given energy to live in a good and useful way. Blessings on all the beings and circumstances that have come together to create your food, and all who will receive these gifts of sustenance.

Much love,
Renee

“Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.”

-Simple Gifts, by Joseph Brackett

(photo by Robert Altman)

Anyway. I digress, and I apologize for my lack of thrilling or more complete meal recipes. This vegan chocolate cake is real winner though and easy to make. The last two posts are both super simple, fabulous, fresh side dishes. For my friends back in Canada where Thanksgiving has already passed… give thanks anyway and eat good food! In the meantime remember… The best stuffing always includes toasted nuts AND dried fruit, you can’t really go wrong with cardamom, stuffed squash is easier than stuffed turkey and also less expensive and you can toast the seeds instead of scooping out the innards. And… Give thanks EVERY DAY!

Thank God For Chocolate Cake

Cake
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup maple syrup
1 ripe banana, mushed
1/3 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting

1/2 cup raw cashews
1  1/2 cups water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
juice of 1/2 orange
tamari
sea salt
nutmeg

For the cake:

Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine coconut oil and maple syrup and cream together with a hand blender until even, add banana, apple sauce, vanilla and mix until smooth. Stir the “liquid” mixture into the flour mixture and fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

To prepare the frosting:

Place raw cashews in a blender with a tiny pinch of salt and blend until the cashews have become a powder (but before they become cashew butter). Add water and blend on high for 3 minutes. Pour mixture into a medium sized pot and heat on high while whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes. Turn heat down to medium low, don’t allow the mixture to burn at the edges of the pot. Once the liquid begins to thicken add cocoa powder and mix in evenly, then add maple syrup and orange juice, stirring constantly. Add a pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon tamari. Cook until the mixture is quite thick and will hold an edge. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Using a spatula spread the frosting over the cooled cake, and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Before serving sprinkle with freshly ground nutmeg and a few orange peel spirals as garnish.

Vegetables

root vegetables
at least one onion
at least  5 cloves of garlic
olive oil
sea salt

Glaze

1/3 stick unsalted butter
fresh nutmeg
1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350F.
Choose your root vegetables and chop them and the onion into roughly similar sized pieces. Keep the garlic cloves whole, inside their peel. Their should be enough vegetables to make at least one thick layer filling a roasting tray. A layer or a layer and a half is the best amount. Much more and the veggies will take forever to cook, much less and they’ll dry out. Mix the veggies, drizzle liberally with olive oil and a pinch or two of sea salt. Toss it all together. Roast uncovered for about half an hour, stir, roast for another 20-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and well cooked and your kitchen smells amazing.

For the glaze, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Grate about 1/4 of a teaspoon fresh nutmeg into the melting butter and add a pinch of salt and the juice of one half lemon. Stir well and allow the mixture to cook for about a minute. Drizzle the glaze over the roasted vegetables while they’re still hot. Allow to cool for just about a minute or so and then serve immediately.

Enjoy.

Serves 8

-1 pound of fresh green beans, washed, remove any dry stems or tips and cut on a slant into 1-inch pieces
-1/2 medium head of red cabbage, sliced in 1/4 inch ribbons
-2/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
-2-3 shallots, finely sliced
- 1 cup blanched almond slivers or slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon
- sea salt, black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread out almonds on a baking sheet and place on the middle rack. Allow the almonds to bake for a few minutes and stir once. Remove them from the oven when they become a light golden brown color. 5-7 minutes.

In a large pot boil 6 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Once the water boils add the green beans and stir for about 1-minute or until the beans are tender and bright green. Drain the beans once they have cooked to your liking (keep them fresh and brightly colored, try not to overcook them) and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan on medium high, add oil, add shallots and stir, allow to cook for about 1 minute. Add red cabbage and stir well so that all the pieces are coated in oil. Add a pinch of salt and continue to stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the cabbage becomes somewhat soft but is still vibrant in color.

In a large mixing bowl combine green beans, almonds, cabbage, dill and the juice of one lemon. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold.