Seriously aren’t lentils awesome? Our good friend and also fellow cruiser, Linda on “Matsu” makes lots of things with lentils.  She is a great cook and
apparently she cooks with lentils so often that her husband refers to their
meals as “lentil surprise.” I owe her a big thanks because early on in our
friendship we ended up on their boat nearing dinner time and they invited us to
stay.  She whipped up a couple Indian inspired dishes, one with lentils. They are Omnivores but she is a great vegan cook-better than me, which she proves every time we are over. At the time Marty was scared of lentils and probably wouldn’t have readily eaten them if I
put them in front of him but like a good boy he ate Linda’s and liked them!  Now Marty eats lentils- yay, but don’t get too excited, they aren’t on his “picks list” yet!  Every time I make lentils I think of Linda and nicknamed them “Linda’s lentils.” 

I got the idea for lentil tacos from www.theppk.com and tonight this was my variation- I hope it’s
good enough for “lentil surprise” night aboard “Matsu!”

What you’ll need:
-1 cup uncooked lentils (or ½ cup lentils, ½ cup split peas if you’re feeling adventurous)
-1/2 cup chopped green onions (I used green b/c they’re local but you can use yellow) (optional)
-3 cloves of garlic chopped (optional)
-3 tbls. Tomato paste
-4 tbls. water
-1/8 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. cumin
-1/8 tsp. chili powder
-1/8 tsp. cayenne
-1/8 tsp. coriander

-soft taco shells
-tomato & avocado for serving

What’s Next:
-Cook 1 cup of lentils in 2 cups water to a boil, then simmer with lid on until all water is absorbed
-Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic for a couple minutes, add green onion and continue sautéing for a couple moreminutes.
-Make spice blend: combine all spices in a small bowl and stir (use bigger amounts to your taste)
-Sprinkle spices in the pan with garlic & onion, stir to combine and sauté about a minute
-Add tomato paste to the pan and mix together with the water
-Add the cooked lentils and stir to blend- you may need some more water, don’t let the mixture get dry.
-Cooked until well incorporated and heated through
-Serve on taco shells with tomato and avocado 

*Feeds 4 Marty’s*

Last week I went to a cooking class- which was really a cooking demonstration that is put on weekly by a local Grenadian duo at one of the nearby resorts.  One of the cruisers takes it upon herself to organize a bus to take anyone there who wants to go.  This week I was able to walk because we are anchored close by.  Anyway, it might go without saying that they are not cooking vegan food; however, they do use the island’s local fruits and vegetables (some of which are foreign items that I’ve never before encountered) in their cooking.  So, I went in hopes of learning a thing or two about the local veggies and figuring out a way to veganize their recipes.  This recipe is inspiration from the cooking class- oddly we didn’t get to see them make their breadfruit dish but they gave everyone a sample (which has cheese & cream so I didn’t try it) and told us how they
did it. Its main ingredient is breadfruit which, as far as I can tell, is a vegetable that sort of acts like a cross between a plantain and a potato. My creation came out nicely and I will definitely make it again, maybe a different way next time.  The spice blend I chose b/c these are ingredients that are widely used on Grenada. I wouldn’t say it’s suitable for a main course by itself- I served it with a salad because I didn’t have anything else prepared- but there are many other options.

First:
-De-seed and “peel” the breadfruit.  Don’t kill yourself here and/or curse me by using a peeler- the locals just cut the skin off with a large knife, which is what I did- it took less than 10 minutes.

What you’ll need:
-3 heaping cups cubed breadfruit (cut in about 2 inch cubes or there-about)
-1/2 cup soaked (for about an hour) raw cashews
-1 lemon, juiced
-1/2 cup non-dairy milk
-2 tbls. Vegan margarine
-1 or 2 tbls. Bread crumbs
-2 tbls. Nutritional yeast (optional)
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. turmeric
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg
-1/8 tsp. cayenne

What’s Next:
-Fill a large/medium pot with enough water to boil your breadfruit.  Bring water to boil and add the breadfruit- boil until mash-able but not too soft! When done, drain water and place breadfruit back in the pot and mash by hand while hot.  Just mash it a bit, keep it chunky!
-While the breadfruit is boiling you can puree your cashews with the lemon juice, adding bits of water to make the mixture smooth. Once smooth, set aside.
-Make the spice blend: put all the spices in a small bowl and mix together
-In a small pot bring the milk to a boil then remove from heat. 
-Make the cream mixture: Immediately stir in the butter, cashew mixture, spice blend, and nutritional yeast in the milk pot (with the milk)
-Add the cream mixture to the mashed breadfruit and combine using a large spoon.
-Grease (with margarine or oil) an 8 inch square pan (that seemed to be the perfect size for this amount)
-Place the mixture in the pan and evenly distribute. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.
-Bake at about 350 for 20 minutes or until top is slightly browned.
-Cut in squares and serve while hot!

That’s it! I hope you like it!
**Feeds 6-8 Marty’s as a side dish**

I’ve made this cake a bunch of times and it’s always a hit.  All the cooking I do
is for non-vegans and this cake always gets huge compliments.  In fact when I made it on my Dad’s visit he said it was the best cake he has ever had (don’t tell my Mom!)  Although I think he said that about the cake I made later in the week too!  It’s a variation of a recipe from Carob Powder.  Sorry about the
sloppy picture- I forget to take one before we served the cake!

What you’ll need:
-1 ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup high quality coco powder or carob powder (carob powder has a strong taste so I use less)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbls. juice from lemon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 6 tbls. Canola oil
- 1 cup water

- ½ cup vegan mini chocolate chips (optional) (if you use regular chips the weight of them will sink to the bottom of the cake which is still good)

What’s Next:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees (again I have no thermostat on my boat oven so I don’t know exactly)
-Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in a separate (large/medium) bowl.
-Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine until smooth.  The mixture will be runny.
-Add the chocolate chips (if you are using them) and combine 
-Pour mixture into greased cake pan (not a big one) like 8 inch square or 9 inch round
-Bake until toothpick comes out clean in the center- maybe 25-30 minutes.
-Let cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Cream Icing!
The last time I made this cake I made a Peanut Butter Cream Frosting from “Vegan Cupcakes take over the World.”  It is fantastic and goes together marvelously!

Icing Ingredients:
-1/4 cup margarine softened
- 2 tbls. Shortening
-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-1 tbls. Maple syrup or agave necter
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
-1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
-1 to 2 tbls. Soy milk

What’s Next:
-Beat together margarine and shortening until well combined. 
-Add the peanut butter, syrup, and vanilla and continue beating a couple minutes
-Add the sugar, the mixture will be stiff so dribble in the milk and beat for a few more minutes.
-Refrigerate until ready to use

*A frosting hint: I put my frosting into a zip lock bag (zipped up) and cut a small hole in one corner where I squeeze the frosting out of right onto the cupcakes (in a decorative fashion!) If you’re not eating/using all the cupcakes at once only frosting the ones that you will eat at the time.  Any leftover frosting I keep in the same zip lock bag in the fridge (in a cup or bowl so none magically comes out of the small hole all over your fridge- I’ve been there before!)

Nearly every week I bake something.  Usually it’s combined with us inviting friends over, otherwise Marty and I will eat all the cake ourselves and that’s not good.  This week’s dessert is a recipe I created then added a Grenadian flare to- which means nutmeg.  Nutmeg is this country’s number 1 export and Grenada used to be the producer of more nutmeg than any other country in the world- before Hurricane Ivan in 2004, now I believe they are climbing back up the ladder and sit at number 15 or something.  In any case, there is a whole lot of nutmeg here and I’ve noticed that they like to add it to all types of dishes, maybe just because it’s
there so I nicknamed the spice “Grenadian Flare” when I’m talking food.  

What you’ll need/Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup pure cane sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

½ cup applesauce
¼ cup softened vegan margarine (like Earth Balance)
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup non-dairy milk

1 cup grated carrots
½ cup mini vegan chocolate chips (if you can’t find mini, regular will do)

Other variations:
Instead of chocolate chips use ½ cup raisins or chopped walnuts

What’s Next:
*Preheat oven: I am not going to pretend to know what temperature- my oven is either lite and “on” or not, which leads me to believe it doesn’t matter all that much about temperature since all my stuff seems to come out fully baked (although admittedly a bit uneven when if I’m using bigger pans!)  So, let’s say 350.
-In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.  In a separate (and large) bowl mix wet ingredients.
-By hand sift or slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients pausing to incorporate until everything is mixed together and smooth.
-Add carrots and chocolate chips and combine into the mixture.  The mixture will be wet and thick, not runny.

If making cupcakes, place liners in cupcake tin.  Distribute the batter equally between 12 cupcake liners. If making a cake, pour the batter into an 9 inch cake pan, or use a bunt pan to make a small carrot bunt cake.  Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Icing!
I would love to tell you to make a vegan cream cheese frosting because it would go great with this but I’ve never made that type of frosting b/c there isn’t a place to buy vegan cream cheese that I’ve seen in the islands.  So, I made this variation of vanilla butter cream frosting from “Vegan Cupcakes take over the World” that is also great.  Icing is really easy to make and you don’t need any fancy mixers.  I use a small electric wand beater but I also have a hand (manual) mixer that I have used while making icing.
Icing Ingredients:
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/3 cup vegan margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbls. Soy milk
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

How to make it:
-In a bowl combine shortening and margarine and beat until fluffy.
-Add the sugar and beat for a couple minutes making sure everything is smooth and combined. 
-Add the vanilla and soy milk and beat for several minutes (about 5) until the frosting is fluffy.
-Refrigerate until ready to use.

*A frosting hint: I put my frosting into a zip lock bag (zipped up) and cut a small hole in one corner where I squeeze the frosting out of right onto the cupcakes (in a decorative fashion!) If you’re not eating/using all the cupcakes at once only frosting the ones that you will eat at the time.  Any leftover frosting I keep in the same zip lock bag in the fridge (in a cup or bowl so none magically comes out of the small hole all over your fridge- I’ve been there before!)

There is nothing super special about this (is it noticeable that I don’t think any of my recipes are special?)  It’s quite easy to make and has a light, refreshing taste- maybe that’s where its specialness lies.  It might come in useful as a summer salad for a potluck or a light meal. I used corn and black beans for those essential amino acids and lightly steamed broccoli for the perfect crunch. In any case bring your own flare to it and enjoy!  You can serve and eat this straight from the stove or cooled as a salad.

What you’ll need/Ingredients for Orzo:
  1 cup Orzo
  ½ cup cooked corn kernels (preferably from a cob)
  ½ cup cooked black beans
  1 cup broccoli
  Salt, pepper, cayenne (if you like those things)

What you’ll need/Ingredients for Dressing:
  1 tbls. Juice from lemon
  1 tbls. Honey
  ½ tbls. Balsamic vinegar
  ½ tbls. Olive oil
  ½ tsp.  Braggs or soy sauce

What’s Next:
  -Cook Orzo until al dente and drain, then place in a large bowl.
  -While Orzo is cooking, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
  -Lightly steam broccoli until it turns bright green and add broccoli to the drained orzo.
  -Add cooked black beans and corn to the orzo.  Mix to incorporate adding salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
  -Add dressing to Orzo and lightly stir until evenly distributed.

Serve warm (or cool in the fridge) and enjoy!

**Feeds 4 Martys**

Sweet & Tangy Salad Dressing
I’m not gonna give a salad recipe here because you can make any salad you like.  Here in Grenada we can only get the vegetables that grow on the island so I get what I can and put it together.  Most frequently I use their local lettuce, avocado, sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber.  

The stores here don’t sell those fancy vegan dressings like in the states so I really have no choice than to make my own which I’m very happy with.  I usually don’t measure these things so you’ll have to taste it along the way to see if you need more of something.

Ingredients:
• ½  tbls. Olive Oil
• 1 tbls. Honey
• 1 tbls. Juice from lemon
• ½ tbls. Balsamic vinegar
• ½ tbls. Spicy mustard (optional)
• Dash of Braggs or Soy Sauce (optional)
• Add salt and pepper if you’re into those things

Mix all the stuff together with a folk until well blended.  Just before you drizzle the dressing on your salad mix again to blend in the settled ingredients.

**Enough dressing for a big two person salad**

I want ice cream- is what I’ve been thinking most of the day.  Was I desperate enough to leave the boat  in our dinghy tie the dinghy up ashore, walk over ½ mile in stifling heat to the bus that we drop me off a ¼ mile from the one store I knew of on Grenada that has non-dairy ice cream- no I wasn’t, but I was close.  I’ve been sick for a couple days, I guess with some type of cold that has my nose running like a class 3 rapid. And when it finally occurred to me to take an anti-histamine it laughed at my effort and did absolutely nothing to help my symptoms.   I haven’t left the boat all day or been more than 3 feet away from our box of tissues.

Anyway, it neared close to dinner and I tried to come up with something I felt like eating that wouldn’t be too much effort.  Lentils. Not quite ice cream, lentils are a stabilizing sort of comfort food.  I got the inspiration for this recipe from years ago in Yoga Journal and added a little Grenadian flare using their local spices and Callaloo.  

What you'll need/ Ingredients:
2 tbls. Earth Balance (or vegan butter/ghee)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cup lentils (rinsed)
4 ½ cups water
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. ground cardamom 
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 ½ cups Callaloo (spinach also works)

What’s next:
-In medium sized pot melt the butter over medium low heat and toast the cumin seeds for a minute or two. 
-Add the water and lentils and all the spices and turn the heat up to bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and add Callaloo*; simmer for 30 minutes.

*If using spinach instead of Callaloo do not add until the last 5 minutes of cooking.

I serve this with a sprouted bread and “butter.”

**Makes enough for 4 Martys**

Marty regularly demands snacks and this is one of his favorites.  It’s also great as an appetizer.  Cruisers very often get together on one another’s boats and share food, drinks, and stories.  This is something easy to make and eat (with your hands) and a good crowd pleaser.  I know some people back home that aren’t hummus fans but I have yet to meet a cruiser who doesn’t eat
hummus!


What you’ll need:
-Pitas
-Hummus (click to view recipe)
-Tomato
-Cucumber 
-Avocado

*Note: you can probably use any veggies you like or that are in season, the ones I use are always around on the islands*

What’s Next:
Cut up your pitas in triangles or any shape you like-about the size of a tortilla chip.  Toast the pitas by placing them in a pan with a bit of olive oil- flip after a couple minutes.  Or, you can put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and use the broiler- should only be a few minutes for them to get crunchy.

When your pitas are crunchy remove them from the pan and place on a plate.  Slice the tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado.

Smear hummus on each pita chip then place a tomato, cucumber, and avocado on each.

Simple and lovely!

The recipe below is copied from www.theppk.com.  This is a dish that Marty and I really like, in fact it's on Marty's favorites list.  Funny story- my Dad (non-vegan) was visiting us this past winter in the Bahamas and I gave him some choices for dinner one night.  He picked the "mac & cheese" and I went to work creating this dish.  I served the dinner with homemade garlic bread and when Marty asked my Dad how he liked the food there was a pause and he said "the breads good!"  Marty and I laughed and now we have a saying when we aren't in love with something we say "the breads good."  I have made this for other non-vegans and they really liked it but what I'm getting at is if you make this for a traditional meat eater it might not be the biggest hit, but then again I guess alot of vegan dishes will fall into that category! 
Also, I have made this dish a bunch of times and with practice I have got the active time it takes to make it to just under 90 minutes.  But remember I'm not working with the most efficient work area!  Ok, here it is...
First, Recipe notes:
 ~You really need to blend the beejeezus out of the cashews and sauerkraut. Although it won’t be completely creamy until after it’s cooked, it should still be relatively smooth, with absolutely no chunks, when it comes out of the food processor. I think a Vitamix type thing would work here, too, but I don’t have one myself.
 
~Make sure that the roux is cooked and toasty before streaming in the veggie broth. It really makes a difference in the final flavor, so get your roux a really beautiful gravy color.
 
~You can use any smallish pasta. I love to use chiocciole because it can hold plenty of sauce, and I just find the shape pleasing. Small shells or traditional macaroni are both great choices, too.
 
~To soak cashews, just place them in a bowl and submerge with water. Soak for at least an hour, preferably two, or up to overnight.
 
~And lastly, the type of veggie broth you use makes a huge difference. If I use my own homemade broth, make sure it’s super assertive. If you use the type of broth that comes from a powder or concentrate, that is totally cool, just make it a bit stronger than you usually do.
Ingredients: 
1 lb small pasta like shells, macaroni or chiocciole
1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked (see recipe note)4 cups broth, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sauerkraut

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Several dashes fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

First boil salted water for the pasta. Cook pasta and drain. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the recipe.
 
Place the soaked cashews and 2 cups of the vegetable broth in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula occasionally to make sure you get everything. This could take 5 minutes.
 
In the meantime, preheat a large pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic and a pinch of salt in a tablespoon of the oil, until onions are softened.
 
Drain the sauerkraut in a sieve, pushing it into the sieve to remove as much moisture as possible. Add to the pan just to heat through, a minute or two.
 
Transfer sauerkraut mixture to the food processor with the cashew mixture. Once again, puree until relatively smooth. There will be some texture, just make sure it’s not chunky.
 
Wipe out the pan that you sauteed the onions in and preheat it over medium heat once again. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, along with the flour. It should become a gooey clump. You’re now making a roux! Add a little bit more olive oil if necessary. Toast the roux for about 15 minutes, until it smells toasty and turns a medium brown. Stir practically the whole time so that it cooks evenly.
 
Now stream in remaining 2 cups of broth, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t clump. Whisk until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Stream in the cashew sauerkraut mixture, and whisk until well incorporated. Add the tumeric, black
pepper, nutritional yeast if using, salt and fresh lemon juice. Heat through and stir occasionally, allowing the mixture to thicken.
 
Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 11 x 13 casserole with olive oil.
 
Add the cooked pasta back to the pasta pot and pour in the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper. Mix to coat, then transfer to the casserole dish. Cover casserole with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot!

**Serves 7-8 hungry Martys**

Veggie Sandwiches/pitas/wraps are my favorite thing to eat for lunch.  Raw vegetables, especially local organic ones, taste earthy and also refreshing; a perfect energizing lunch!  You don't have to some sort of chef for this one you just need some raw veggies and your favorite bread/wrap/pita and some love and you’ve got it.  I spread hummus (we totally love hummus-recipe below) on  sprouted bread that I can buy on Grenada (where we are now) but in the states I would buy Ezekiel wraps.
What you’ll need:
-Bread/pita/wrap
-Raw Veggies cut up
-Hummus (recipe follows)

Hummus Ingredients:
- 1 ½  cups sprouted to ready or cooked (from raw)garbanzo beans/ chick peas*
- Juice of two lemons* (see note)
- 1 tbls. Tahini
- Tad of olive oil
- Water- enough to get the hummus to creamy consistency 
- Half a bell pepper, cut into chunks (optional)
- Salt/Pepper/Cumin/Cayenne to taste
*If you are using a can of chick peas they generally require alot less liquid (lemon juice & water) to get to a creamy consistency.  So start with juice of one lemon and see how much more you need to add.

What’s next:
-Add all ingredients to your food processor (except the bell pepper) and pulse, pausing to scrape the sides along the way.  Mix until smooth and creamy consistency (or the consistency you like).
-Add the bell pepper & continue to puree until well chopped and incorporated

Put together your sandwich:
- Brush the bread/pita/wrap with lots of hummus
 -Pile on your veggies- I generally use carrots, spinach (or some leafy greens), cucumber, bell pepper, sprouts, tomato, and avocado **use a longer cut for things like carrots and peppers- if they are chopped too small they’ll fall out**
-Cut in half

That’s it- Enjoy!