This easy-to-make corn chowder is deliciously sweet, and uses no dairy, butter, or salt. Fresh rosemary is a nice compliment to the sweetness of the corn and the hearty vegetables.

¼ cup water
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cups water
3 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 Yukon potatoes, skin on, diced
3 ears of corn kernels (or 2 10-oz. bags of frozen)
1 cup diced mushrooms (about 8 mushrooms)
1 cup non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, etc.)
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1-2 teaspoons dried basil
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

Assembling the soup: Sautee the onion in a quarter cup of water for a few minutes until soft. Add the 4 cups of water, celery and the carrots, and cook on med/high for 5-10 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, mushrooms, non-dairy milk, garlic powder, nutmeg and basil, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blending the soup: If you want to create a creamier base for this chowder, place about a quarter of the soup into a blender or Vitamix, and blend until the consistency is smooth but still slightly lumpy. Return mixture to the pot and stir well. You can also use a potato masher right in the pot to give the soup a creamier texture, or you can leave the soup as is without doing any blending.

Don’t forget: Add the fresh rosemary last and cook for 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Notes: When corn is in season, use fresh, sweet white corn. If it’s not, you can use bags of frozen sweet corn. / Fresh garlic may be used as well, 1 to 2 cloves minced. / You may use fresh nutmeg or dried. If you use fresh, use a Microplane or spice grater.

This colorful salad features roasted and raw vegetables, beans, and a creamy dressing made with fresh dill, green onions and tofu. This salad is great for parties and potlucks.

½ cup soft-medium tofu
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup non-dairy milk
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ avocado, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 tablespoons fresh dill

6 small golden beets, washed, with skins on
1 small-medium red onion, diced
1 green and 1 yellow zucchini, diced
1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 ½ avocado, diced
1 can salt-free Cannellini beans

Dressing: Combine the tofu, lemon juice, non-dairy milk, garlic powder, and avocado in a blender until smooth. Add in the chopped green onion and dill and blend for just a couple of seconds more (so little green pieces of dill and onion are still visible). Set aside. You can also make this ahead of time (or the night before) so that the flavors blend more thoroughly.

Roasting the vegetables: Preheat your oven to 375. Place the whole beets on a non-stick baking pan (with sides) and roast uncovered for 30 minutes. While the beets are roasting, dice the onion, zucchini, and bell pepper. Remove the pan, turn the beets over, and add the diced vegetables to the pan and roast everything for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the diced vegetables start to brown slightly at their tips, and a knife slides into the beets easily. While the vegetables are finishing roasting, place the tomatoes, avocado and beans into a large mixing bowl. Cool the beets a little before peeling and dicing them.

Assembling the salad: Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl of tomatoes, avocado and beans, and toss with about half the dressing (add more dressing to your taste). Serve warm or cold.

This is a great dessert because it’s easier and faster to make than an apple pie or crisp, and requires no baking. Instead of refined sugars, this recipe uses dates for sweetness, and lemon juice and nutmeg for that extra zing.

1 cup walnuts
4 pitted dates

3 apples, peeled, sliced and large diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 apples, peeled, sliced and large diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 pitted Medjool dates
¼ cup raisins
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Topping: Blend the walnuts and 4 dates in a food processor until the texture is a little smaller than Grape Nuts. Spoon into a small bowl and set aside.

Filling: Toss the 3 peeled, sliced and diced apples with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside in a bowl. Next, in the food processor, blend the remaining 2 apples, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 6 pitted dates, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss this mixture with the sliced apples.

Serve: Place one-fourth of the apple filling into a small dessert dish and sprinkle with date-nut topping. Serves 4.