Sushi for One, Day 7 (Kyoto and Hiroshima Sushi with Kabayaki Sauce)

For this seventh and final day of Sushi Week, it’s time to visit Japan. This time, although the rolls themselves are interesting, the really interesting part is the dipping sauce. It’s traditional Kabayaki sauce, meant to dress up tofu or veggies (or meat). But it makes an exceptional dipping sauce, so I present it here for your pleasure.  

Make the Kabayaki sauce first, or while your rice is cooling.

Kabayaki Sauce for One

This makes about ½ a cup, so you’ll want to use it for dips, dressings, and coating your tofu.

¼ cup tamari or soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

2 TBLSP granulated sugar 

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring them to a boil and then turn down the heat. 
2. Simmer on low heat for a few minutes. When it thickens a bit, take it off the heat, after about 20 minutes, depending on the intensity of your stove.

Use this sauce to marinate tempeh, tofu, permeable vegetables (like parsnips, celeriac, or mushrooms), or dress your sushi with it. Yummmm!  

Now make the rice.

Vinegared Rice

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

Kyoto Sushi: Avocado, cucumber, and carrot in Kabayaki dipping sauce

Hiroshima Sushi: Tofu, faux cream cheese, green onion, and carrot, in Kabayaki dipping sauce.

Sushi for One, Day 6 (Root and Sproot Sushi and Swiss Sushi)

For this sixth day of Sushi Week, I thought I’d twist away from what you expect sushi to be. The first one, Root and Sproot Sushi, is root vegetables and other favorite foods, and the second one involves chocolate! That’s right! Dessert sushi! Exclamation points!

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

Root and Sproot Sushi: Roasted sweet potato and roasted beet wrapped around roasted asparagus with teriyaki sauce.

Swiss Sushi: Modeling chocolate, sliced strawberries, and mint, with coconut and dates ground in the blender instead of sushi rice. Melted chocolate dipping sauce.

Sushi for One, Day 5 (Los Angeles and Ninja Sushi)

For this fifth day of Sushi Week, Today's offerings might be a little stereotypical: Los Angeles Sushi and Ninja Sushi. The first is crunchy and moist and the second will make you feel like you could surprise your cat in the dark.

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. 
3. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
4. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

Los Angeles Sushi: Green onion, avocado, cucumber, and carrot, with soy sauce and wasabi

Ninja Sushi: Teriyaki baked tofu, sweet potato, pea sprouts, with soy sauce and wasabi

Sushi for One, Day 4 (Italian and Russian)

For this fourth day of Sushi Week, I offer you Italian Sushi and Russian Sushi. Oh I know these are not nations you think of immediately when you think of sushi, but give it a moment. Wouldn’t nori and a little vinegared rice add some nice complimentary flavors to, say an Alfredo sauce? And beets and sour cream are a given, so don’t wait. Just try it!

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis 

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

Italian Sushi: Cooked zucchini, steamed spinach, baked sweet potato, green onion, and tofu-based Alfredo dipping sauce.

Russian Sushi: Pickled beets, cabbage, Tofurkey Beer Brat, and faux sour cream dipping sauce with horseradish

Sushi for One, Day 3 (German and Greek)

For this third day of Sushi Week, I offer you German and Greek Sushi. The first is substantial and rather stereotypical and the other is a play on Spanakopita, one of my favorite foods from any culture.

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

German Sushi: Tofurkey Beer Brat, sauerkraut, pickle, and  brown mustard dipping sauce

Greek Sushi: Kalamata olives (chopped up), steamed spinach, tofu-based feta “cheese,” and pesto dipping sauce. 

Sushi for One, Day 2 (American East Coast and French)

For this second day of Sushi Week, I offer you American East Coast Sushi and French Sushi. One is a study in sturdy food, and the other, a collection of delicate flavors.

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until it’s thoroughly combined and the vinegar has all been absorbed.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. 

Tra-la-la

I’m not going to repeat rolling instructions. If you need them, here’s a link to Day 1, which has instructions.

Let’s take a look at the interesting part, the fillings.

When I think of the East Coast, I think of history and sporting events. And in France, I think of elegance, fancy sauces, and a certain distinctive precision during prep in the kitchen. How does that translate to sushi?

East Coast Sushi: Tofurkey Beer Brat, red onion, pickle, yellow mustard dipping sauce.

French Sushi: Lettuce, haricot verte, courgette (zucchini), caramelized onions, toasted and chopped almonds. For a dipping sauce, I made a vegan Béarnaise Sauce out of white wine, white wine vinegar, shallots, vegan margarine, finely ground cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, turmeric, fresh tarragon, and fresh parsley (you’ll see specific measurements soon, in a recipe for faux Eggs Benedict).  

Sushi for One, Day 1 (American South and Algerian)

My definition of “sushi” might be somewhat loose. It’s mostly a wrap with a nice dipping sauce, I suppose, although there is a strong tendency for nori (seaweed) and sweet sushi rice. But I thought it would be fun to take sushi around the world and see what happens.

For Day 1 of Sushi Week, I’m going to start at the beginning of the alphabet of my collection of Sushi around the world. Go ahead—cross some borders!

You’ll need a standard amount of sushi rice for two rolls, but the filling amounts are too small to worry about. You have fun with it on your own!

½ cup sushi rice (small grain, white rice)

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 cup rice vinegar

Nori sheets for wrapping makis

1. Cook the rice in the water. Watch it, because small amounts of rice like this will suddenly be cooked and burning! Put it into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Using a sweeping motion with the rice paddle, pour the vinegar solution over the cooked rice, smooshing the vinegar into the rice with the paddle. Make wide Zs over and over in the rice, occasionally bringing the bottom rice up to the top until the sweet vinegar is thoroughly combined.
3. Wait until the rice is COMPLETELY COOLED. Don't put it in the refrigerator, though. It gets an unpleasant stiffness to the rice if you do. 

Tra-la-la

Now, let’s get to the wrapping. I’ve provided two methods for wrapping: the Old-Fashioned method and the one for klutzes, like me.

Old-Fashioned Normal Person Method:

1. Cover a sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap and place a sheet of nori on it.
2. Put about half of the rice on the nori sheet close to the bottom edge and smoodge it flat to cover about ¾ of the sheet. It will be sticky. Getting your hands damp helps with that.
3. Line up your fillings in a neat little row near the bottom of the rice. You’ll want to pile it as neatly and horizontally as possible.
4. Pick up the edge of the mat and roll the nori and rice up inch by inch, using the mat to help you keep it tight. Pause often to make sure it’s really tight and resettle the roll on the mat. Keep rolling until you’re finally through the whole roll. Stop just short of rolling it the last little bit.
5. Take some of the remaining rice and smoosh it thoroughly against the edge of nori to act as glue, and then finish rolling the maki up.
6. Place the roll on a piece of plastic wrap and slice it in half (the short way, silly, unless you’re going to do something fancy). Slice each of those halves in half, and then cut those halves too. You should have eight pieces of sushi.

Handy Device, High-Tech Method for Klutzes (I used this http://tinyurl.com/k9zrh69 ):

1. Cover a sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap and place a sheet of nori on it.
2. Dampen the bottom of the device and smoodge about ¼ of the rice into it. It will be sticky. Dampening your hands will help with that.
3. Line your fillings up and put another quarter of the rice on top of them into the nifty device. Smoosh the top of the device down on the rice and push hard! It should squish out a bit at the sides.
4. Take the top off the device and turn the contraption and its contents upside-down onto a blank piece of nori, quite near the bottom, but not quite at it.
5. Push the rest of the device carefully off of the rice so that you have a tidy little rice log on the nori sheet.
6. Pick up the edge of the mat and roll the nori and rice log up inch by inch, using the mat to help you keep it tight. Pause often to make sure it’s really tight and resettle the roll on the mat. Keep rolling until you’re finally through the whole roll. Stop just short of rolling it the last little bit.
7. Take some of the remaining rice and smoosh it thoroughly against the edge of nori to act as glue, and then finish rolling the maki up.
8. Place the roll on a piece of plastic wrap and slice it in half (the short way, silly, unless you’re going to do something fancy). Slice each of those halves in half, and then cut those halves too. You should have eight pieces of sushi.

Now, then, on to flavors. Today’s are American South and Algerian. I’ve never been to either place, but I'm told that their food is distinctive.

American South Sushi: Watermelon, cantaloupe, and mint with a lemon and powdered sugar dipping sauce. I surrounded mine with figs because, you know, figs. 

Algerian Sushi: Grated carrot, avocado, steamed spinach, with rice on the OUTSIDE of the nori sheet and flipped over. Then I made the inside log of rice and goodies, rolled it up inside, and draped cooked sweet potato over the top. This one I dipped into traditional wasabi-laden soy sauce. 

Chocolate Tartlet for One

 

This little pie is just right for when you want to treat yourself. It’s easy to make—the only hard part is waiting for it to solidify. Oh, and you can put just about any kind of fruit in there, but I’ve found that fresh is best.

For the Crust:

¼ cup raw almonds

3 TBLSP dates, pitted and chopped a little

1 ½ TBLSP unsweetened coconut

A pinch of salt

1 ½ TBLSP coconut oil

For the Filling:

2 TBLSP coconut oil

½ a large banana

2 TBLSP maple syrup

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¾ TBLSP unsweetened cocoa powder

For the Fruit Surprise (optional):

Three small strawberries OR five raspberries, some chopped mango, chopped pineapple

Additional chopped or sliced fruit for decoration.

Make the Crust:

1. Pulse the almonds in a food processor or blender until crumbly. Add the dates, coconut, salt, and coconut oil, and pulse until it’s smooth.
2. Press the dough into a ramekin so that it lines the bottom and sides. You’ll want it to be evenly thick all the way around, but with a nice big space in the middle for the filling. (If there’s extra dough, make balls out of it for a snack later.)

Make the Filling

1. Melt the coconut oil. You can put it in the microwave for 10 seconds or put it ever-so-briefly on the stove. Sometimes, just cupping your nice warm hands around the measuring cup is enough to melt it.
2. Place the melted coconut oil, banana, syrup, vanilla, and cocoa powder in the food processor and whirl until it’s smooth.

Assemble the Pie:

1. If you’re making a pretty surprise fruit center, place the fruit attractively in the bottom of the pie crust.
2. Pour the filling into the pie crust. It’s soupy now, but it will be like a very stiff pudding when it hardens. Give the bottom of the ramekin a sharp tap on the counter, to make sure any bubbles are gone and that the filling has settled into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Make the top pretty, whether that’s by swirling the chocolate filling or by ornamenting with cut fruit.
4. Freeze for 15 minutes or let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour.

Variations:

It’s good plain or with strawberries, but try it with pineapple, apricots, mango, banana, raspberries, cherries, or, if you’re really feeling wild, undressed fruit salad!

Mess for One

As I understand it, a bunch of greens melted down with a few amendments is called a “mess” in the American South, as in “a mess of greens,” and served up with other main courses. I like this simple treat well enough to make a main dish out of it.

Slosh of olive oil

2 slices of onion, diced

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced finely

1 cup fresh baby spinach (or other greens—collards, kale, dandelion—all are good)

1 vegan sausage or beer brat, sliced into coins

1 wedge of lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

8 almonds, chopped coarsely

1. In a skillet or frying pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and mushrooms until they’re just about translucent.
2. Add the garlic, spinach, and faux meat, turning until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, squirt with the lemon wedge’s juice, season to taste, and top with chopped almonds.

Variations:

• Add fruit (like tangerines, dried cranberries, or raisins) and eat it cold. Picnic food!
• Add faux cheese crumbles and breadcrumbs to the top of this dish and bake it in the oven. Yummy!
• Serve over rice or noodles.
• Roll it up into a wrap with scrambled tofu for breakfast. 

Scrumble for One

This is one of my go-to recipes. I make big batches of it and use it in burritos, on noodles and rice, and as an element in lasagna. But you don’t have to make a big batch. You could make just enough for one!

A slosh of olive oil

2 slices of yellow onion, diced

2 mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup ground seitan (I like Yves brand, but there are lots of good ones)

1 clove garlic, diced

2 TBLSP diced fresh basil

2 TBLSP diced fresh coriander

Sliced olives (optional)

I cup fresh spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a skillet, soften the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil over medium-high heat. They don’t have to be all the way soft, but maybe two-thirds, about five minutes.
2. Add in the ground seitan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, the garlic, the basil and the coriander. Cook until the seitan is warmed through and the herbs have softened.
3. Add the olives and spinach, and stir, cooking until the spinach is wilted.
4. Salt and pepper to taste. I like to wait until I've done whatever variation I'm going to do with it because there's plenty of salt in most faux cheeses, etc. 

Variations:

• Top noodles with scrumble and a blop of faux sour cream.
• Mix a TBLSP of fresh pesto with a TBLSP of faux sour cream and use it as a sauce for a burrito or taco. If you’re making a taco, you’ll want avocado slices, sprouts, red or green onions diced, and perhaps some daiya (or other faux) cheese.
• Top noodles  or rice with scrumble and some daiya (or other faux) cheese.
• Make a layer of scrumble in your lasagna.
• Eat it straight out of a bowl just as it is. Or top with faux cheese.
• Make a Strata with quinoa or rice, roasted veggies, Scrumble, and faux cheese, and bake it for 30 minutes in the oven. 
• Make a pizza out of it. In the photo, I used a nice spinach (gluten-free) tortilla, but you could also use proper pizza dough. 

Cornbread for One

I'm not normally a cornbread fan, but this quick little bread makes the perfect side dish for soup or salad. You can make it plain and simple or you can amend it with herbs, like cumin, Chinese five spice, fennel, or garlic and oregano. Cumin gives it a slightly Mexican spin, five spice is slightly Chinese, fennel is slightly Nordic, and garlic and oregano, slightly Italian.

Slosh of apple cider vinegar

½ cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)

6 TBLSP finely ground white or yellow cornmeal, or corn flour

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of baking soda

Dash of salt

1 ½ TBLSP granulated sugar

½ TBLSP canola oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two ramekins or one small loaf pan.

1. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and milk together, and set it aside to curdle.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
3. Add the oil to the vinegar and milk, and then add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until it’s well combined.
4. Put the mixture into your baking vessel and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is firm and the edges are beginning to brown.

Let it cool before removing it from the pan and devouring.

Seen here with a blop of vegan cream cheese and some left-over cranberry sauce. It’s also good on its own, or with vegan butter or lemon curd. 

Banana-Bread Waffle for One

I love my waffle iron. I flatten tofu in it, I make grilled cheese sandwiches on the flat side of the plate, and, of course, I make waffles. And I love to smother waffles in seasonal fruit. Don’t you? This little treat tastes just like banana bread. From the waffle iron. Yay! 

½ ripe banana, mashed

6 ½ TBLSP non-dairy milk

2 teaspoons coconut oil

A splash of vanilla extract

2 ½ TBLSP all-purpose flour

1 ½ TBLSP whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

Two dashes of cinnamon

Preheat waffle iron and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

1. In a small bowl, combine bananas, milk, oil, and vanilla. 
2. Add the dry ingredients and mix until lump-free.
3. Drop the batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading it out if necessary, and close the iron. When the light comes back on, check it carefully for doneness and pull it out when the waffle is golden brown.

Serve with walnuts and sliced banana (you have the other half of the one you mashed), and agave nectar or maple syrup. 

Ginger-Spice Brownie for One

This little treat makes me think of winter and holidays, and a warm cup of something by the fireside. It makes the house smell like a party, though, so be prepared to do the happy dance.

4 TBLSP all-purpose flour

Pinch baking powder

Pinch baking soda

Pinch salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch allspice

½ TBLSP unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ TBLSP chocolate chips

1 ½ TBLSP chopped walnuts

½ TBLSP canola oil

4 teaspoons dark molasses

4 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Big pinch of freshly grated ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a ramekin.

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cocoa powder.
2. Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts and give it a stir.
3. Now add in the oil, molasses, water, sugar, and ginger, and stir until completely combined.
4. Put the very sticky dough into the ramekin, pushing it into all the corners. You might need to wet your fingers slightly to get the top smooth and to really push the dough into the ramekin and have it stay there.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before pulling it out of the ramekin and devouring.

Veggie Miso Soup for One

This soup is filling AND the recipe makes a very large serving—perhaps it’s two? I don’t know. I couldn’t stop eating it until it was gone.

1 ½ TBLSP olive oil

¼ medium onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, diced finely

¼-inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced finely

½ large parsnip, unpeeled, chopped.

1 carrot, unpeeled, chopped

1 cup of peeled and seeded orange-fleshed squash, chopped

¼ cup uncooked lentils (brown, green or red, your choice) (or pre-cooked; see step 2)

2 cups water or veggie stock

½ cup almond or coconut milk

3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) of firm tofu, cubed

2 TBLSP miso paste (white, yellow or brown, your choice)

Cilantro, chopped, to taste

Salt, to taste, if necessary

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pot over medium heat, and add in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the parsnip, carrot, squash, lentils, water/stock and milk, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked through, about 40 minutes. (You could also use pre-cooked lentils, and just add them after the veggies are softened, about 20 minutes.)
3. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to grind up about half of the soup. You still want some nice lumps, so if using an immersion blender, exercise some self-restraint.
4. Add the tofu, miso, and cilantro, and return to a serving temperature. Add salt, if necessary.  

Lemon Rice Soup for One

This little treat will keep your insides warm for quite a long while. It’s surprisingly filling, and it’s based on someone else’s idea of a Greek classic, avgolemono soup. I thought it tasted nice, but not lemony or creamy enough to be avgolemono, so I’ll keep working to make that happen.

½ small shallot, diced

¼ cup diced carrots

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon vegan butter

1 ½ cup water (or low-salt vegetable stock) (possibly more if your stove runs hot)

¼ cup brown basmati rice (or long-grain brown rice)

Pinch of sea salt or black salt (which has a slightly eggy taste)

1 ¼ teaspoon mellow white miso

½ TBLSP tahini

1 TBLSP fresh lemon juice (more, if you like it acidic)

1 TBLSP nutritional yeast

½ TBLSP dried dill (generous), or 1 TBLSP chopped fresh dill

1. In a small sauce pan, soften the shallots, carrots, and garlic in the butter until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the water or broth, rice, and salt. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower the temperature, and simmer, covered, for 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. If all the liquid has evaporated, you’ll probably want to add a bit more at the end.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the miso, tahini, and lemon juice together and add it to the soup, stirring until it’s completely mixed into the soup.
5. Add the nutritional yeast and dill and give it a good stir. I like to use the immersion blender with it, but you could certainly leave it chunky. Add more water or lemon juice (or both) at this point, to taste.
6. Serve hot with crusty bread or crunchy crackers. 

Life-Saving Vegetable Soup for One

When my liver failed, I was too sick to chew, certainly too sick to make food for myself. My friend Mindy came over with this soup and literally saved my life. She made it by the bucket-load, put it through the blender, and left enough of it in a thermos to get my strength back in the right direction, the rest of it in the fridge. I will never tire of this soup, and because I think of Mindy every time I make it now, I look forward to the weather being cold enough to warrant it.

1 TBLSP vegan butter

½ leek, chopped into semi-circles

¼ quartered Brussels sprouts

¼ cup diced yellow-fleshed squash, like butternut or Kobucha

¼ carrot, chopped

¼ stalk celery, chopped

¼ cup chopped fennel bulb

Pinch salt

Several grinds of fresh pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 ½ cup water or vegetable stock

¼ cup chopped Swiss chard or kale (I like red chard, for the color it adds)

Pinch dried dill

Pinch of dried marjoram

Pinch of dried basil

Slosh of tamari (or soy sauce)

Squeeze of lemon juice (perhaps a wedge’s worth)

2 TBLSP vegan sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Sunflower seeds, for garnish

Minced fresh parsley, for garnish

1. In a saucepan, melt/soften/mix the butter, leek, sprouts, squash, carrot, celery, fennel, salt, pepper, and garlic for about 15 minutes, until all the veggies are starting to relax.
2. Add in the water, and bring it to a boil. Lower it to a simmer, and cook slowly, until everything is tender, about another 10 minutes.
3. Add Swish chard or greens, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add dill, marjoram, basil, tamari, and lemon juice, and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes.
5. If you choose to add the sour cream or yogurt, do it once the soup is in the bowl, giving it a good stir to make it creamy. Garnish with sunflower seeds and parsley.