Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1 head cauliflower
3 cups water
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp miso
3 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp Dijon mustard

-Chop cauliflower into manageable florets.
-Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook cauliflower until tender. (5-7 minutes)
-Remove from the heat and drain in a colander.
-Place water, nutritional yeast, miso, tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, and mustard in the food processer and blend until smooth.
-Add cauliflower to food processor and blend to a cream.
-Heat and serve warm.

(Based on a soup by: http://www.veganuary.com/recipes/creamy-cauliflower-soup/)

Basic Black Bean Burgers

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups (or 2 cans drained) cooked black beans
1 cup frozen sweet onion and bell pepper mix
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into pieces

water (as needed)

DIRECTIONS:

Toss ingredients into a food processor and blend until even.  May also be mashed up in a bowl, adding one ingredient at a time.

May be pan-fried to order - works great as a substitute for falafel as well.  Best results come from baking. 

To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet. Shape into burgers approx. 3/4 inch (2 cm) each.  I fit 3x4 rows of rectangular bread-slice-sized burgers onto one sheet. Bake until cooked in the center and crisp in the outside, flipping every 10 minutes, for a total of 30-40 minutes.

Inspired by Vegan Black Bean Burgers on AllRecipes.com.

Roasted Pepper Cilantro Salsa

2 bell peppers
4 jalapeño peppers
6 roma tomatoes
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 small bunch cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper


Slice bell peppers in half and remove stems and seeds.

Place with jalapeño peppers on aluminum foil-lined pan, and broil on high as close to broiler as possible for 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

Refrigerate peppers for 20 minutes in sealed container, then peel and discard skins.

Chop tomatoes and onion into large chunks so that they won't float on the top of the food processor's chamber, mocking you while the remaining ingredients liquefy at the bottom.

Toss all ingredients into food processor and hit the "make salsa" button.

Invite friends to party, asking them to bring chips because you forgot to buy them at the store, and cry about not being able to eat your delicious salsa while waiting for them to arrive.

Inspired by How To…Roast Green Chilies by the Pioneer Woman and The Best Fresh Tomato Salsa on AllRecipes.com.