Join Me at Highlands Nature Sanctuary for My Spring Cooking Retreat
January 27, 2026
I am excited to present a whole food, plant-based cooking retreat, nestled in the stunning Highlands Nature Sanctuary, April 1-5, 2026. Alongside culinary creativity, outdoor adventure, and meaningful WFPB community, these retreats offer a refreshingly warm, down-to-earth vibe, much like heading to the family cabin up north. Accommodations are clean, comfortable, and rustic, with an old-school charm that feels familiar and relaxed—perfect for those who value connection over luxury. Click here for more information.
Connect With Chef Del
June 20, 2024
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• Practical whole food, plant-based cooking guidance |
Whole Food Plant-Based Cooking: The Beginner’s Course is Here.
June 2, 2023
I’ve wanted to do a comprehensive course on cooking in a whole food, plant-based kitchen for the beginner cook or for anyone looking to expand their cooking skills in a WFPB kitchen. Well, I am excited to announce that the course is now available.
You can find more information Here .
This course is a project of CNS Kitchen, an online support group for anyone looking to adopt a WFPB lifestyle. We are a non-judgmental group who know that everyone is at a different place in their health journey and that community matters.
Quesadillas
March 10, 2025
Quesadillas
From The China Study Family CookbookQuesadillas are simply corn or wheat tortillas filled with cheese and sometimes vegetables. If you keep Cheese Sauce (See recipe below) on hand and salsa in the fridge, you can serve this easy meal to your family in minutes—or let them make it for themselves.
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 recipe Cheese Sauce recipe below
- 6 large whole-grain tortillas
- Favorite salsa
Instructions
- Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms in a large saucepan over
- medium heat until the onion turns translucent and starts to brown, about 8
- minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from
- sticking.
- Season the vegetables with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the
- cheese sauce and cook until heated through. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat for a minute. Place a tortilla on your
- work surface and spoon on one-third of the vegetable mixture, then place
- another tortilla on top of it. Transfer the quesadilla to the skillet and heat
- until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn the quesadilla over and
- brown the other side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and vegetables.
- To serve, cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges and serve with the salsa andsour cream.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sweet and Sour Tofu Dumplings
Sweet and Sour Tofu Dumplings
I have been making these dumplings for years. They are one of my favorite tofu recipes, and I never get tired of them. I use powdered peanut butter in my recipe, so I can reduce the fat content as much as possible. The results are just as good as when I make them with full-fat peanut butter. The sweet and sour sauce in this recipe is sugar-free and full of pineapple flavor.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra firm tofu pressed and mashed
- 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed soaked in 3 tablespoons water for 10 minutes
- 8 ounces button mushrooms chopped small
- 1 cup finely chopped green cabbage
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced small
- 8 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup crushed pineapple
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup pitted dates soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder dissolved in ¼ cup of cold water
Instructions
- Make the tofu: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, shape the tofu into dumplings, and place them on a non-stick baking sheet or one lined with silicon.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the dumplings are lightly browned and firm.
- Make the sauce: Combine the pineapple, vinegar, tamari, garlic, and dates in a blender. Process until smooth.
- Add the pineapple mixture to a sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the arrowroot powder mixture and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.
- To serve: Place the tofu dumplings on a serving plate and pour the sauce over them.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Summer’s Best Barbecue Sauce
March 9, 2025
Summer’s Best Barbecue Sauce
I made a version of this sauce using peaches instead of pineapple for a private cooking class because my student could not eat tomatoes. I used apple butter in place of the tomato sauce with tasty results. Then one day I wanted to try some other fruits. Pineapple is my favorite because it is sweet enough to flavor the sauce without additional sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pineapple chunks pureed
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp tamari or to taste
- 1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
- 1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp allspice
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Falafel Tacos
Falafel Tacos
One day I made falafel for a few friends and realized right before the first guest
arrived that I had forgotten to buy pita bread. One of my guests said that she often
serves falafel in corn tortillas, either with Green sauce or with salsa, and voila, dinner was saved!
Ingredients
- 12 - 16 six- inch tortillas
- 1 recipe falafel recipe link
- 1 cup Green Sauce recipe link
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 medium red onion diced
Instructions
- Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add enough corn tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan and heat for 3-4 minutes to soften the tortillas. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- To serve, cut each falafel in half and place two or three halves in the center of each corn tortilla.
- Top each tortilla with some of the Green Sauce, romaine lettuce, tomato, and red onion
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Potato, Pesto, and Caramelized Onion Polenta Pizza
March 1, 2025
Potato, Pesto, and Caramelized Onion Polenta Pizza
This pizza is great cooked on the grill outdoors when it is too hot to turn on the oven. It is filling without the heavy brick-in–the-stomach feeling that most pizzas leave you with. For a quick alternative to homemade polenta, buy premade polenta available in most grocery stores. It comes in a log shape and can be sliced and topped to make individual pizzettes.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 cup cornmeal or polenta *
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes thinly sliced
- 2 medium yellow onions peeled and diced
- 1 cup Basil Pesto recipe follows
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the water and cornmeal to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once the mixture starts to boil, cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Season with salt and divide the polenta between two non-stick pizza pans.
- Place the two polenta crusts in the refrigerator and chill until set.
- While the crusts chill, steam the potatoes in a double boiler or steamer basket over medium heat until tender. Set aside and let cool.
- Place the onions in a medium saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until well browned. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Divide the pesto in half and spread over each of the two pans of polenta.
- Arrange the potatoes over the pesto, top with the caramelized onions, and sprinkle with the nutritional yeast if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
*You can use masa harina to make polenta. It acts in much the same way as instant polenta. You will need to use 2 cups of masa instead of 1 cup called for above., and you only need to cook it for a minute until it thickens.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Chef Del’s Healthy Oil-Free Salad Dressings
July 7, 2024
20 easy plant-based recipes to make your salads, sandwiches , and bowls pop with flavor. Click the link below to get the PDF.
