Tebbouleh with a Twist January 3, 2010

This is a slight modification on Tebbouleh, which is usually made with Bulgar Wheat. Instead I made this with cous cous, which I happened to have on hand. This is a little less tangy than tebbouleh, great if you have a sensitive tummy, and can be served warm or cold. If served cold, you don’t lose any of the nutrients in the veggies from the heating process.

Full of nutrients and fiber, plus a little protein

1/4 c celery, diced small
1/3 c onion, diced small
1/3 c yellow or orange pepper, diced small
1/2 c parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 c pine nuts
1 tsp seafood seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Prep all the above items and toss them to coat in the dressing. Let these sit while you make the cous cous.

1/2 c veggie stock, boiling
1 1/4 c cous cous

Heat the stock in a microwave safe container until boiling (about 3+ minutes). Put the cous cous in a medium mixing bowl. Pour stock over it, stir quickly and then cover for 5 minutes until the liquid soaks in. This will be a dry mix. Fluff with fork then stir in the veggie mix. Chill for 15+ minutes, fluff again with fork and serve! Makes about 6 servings as a side and 2 servings as an entree’.

Veggie Stock is a Breeze January 3, 2010

I get asked sometimes why I go through the bother of making my own vegetable stock, but the way that Jim taught me is actually almost easier than going to the store and buying it, and it easier on the earth than putting all the leftover un-usables from your veggies into the trash. I do this about once per month and it’s as easy as 1…2…3…4…

During the simmering process

1. Save almost all the scraps from your veggies that you create to make dinner for about one month. These can include onion peels and ends, cores from lettuces, stalks of greens, the unsavory parts of the celery, mushroom caps and stems, stems and seeds form all kinds of peppers, tomato cores and seeds, carrot tops and peels, etc. This process is also a great way to use up the veggies that you buy too much of and don’t end up using. For instance, I like to use fresh herbs but often I don’t use the whole bunch because my recipe doesn’t require it and I don’t get the opportunity to cook again before the herbs start to rot. Simply save the leftovers before the start to go bad, stems and all, and put it with the rest of the scraps. Above I say to save almost all of your scraps…DO NOT include starchy veggies such as any kind of potato and some types of squash. This will cause your stock to be very cloudy.

2. Place all these scraps, as you create them, into plastic bags or some other container in the freezer. After you empty your bags (when you make stock) keep the same empty bags in the freezer to use them over again.

3. Once you have about 2 gallon-sized freezer bags or more full of scraps, make stock. Simply get a big stock pot (8 quart will do) and it is helpful if it has a strainer insert. Fill with about 4 quarts of water, add frozen scraps and heat to simmering/almost boil over medium heat. Add in about 2-4 TBSP chopped garlic. You will need to occasionally stir and turn the scraps. If you have a lot of scraps, you can start with half of them, simmer down the scraps until they are a brownish, mushy consistency and then strain the first half, squeezing out the stock, dump these in your compactor, composter or trash and return the strainer to the pot, adding the rest of your scraps, returning to a simmer and let go for about 20 minutes.

Cooked scraps

The more scraps you have and the more times you do the dump and re-simmer with new scraps, the richer and darker your stock will be. When you are finally done with the scraps and have drained off all the pieces, you will have a brown stock remaining.

4. Wait til the stock cools completely and then pour it into a large, gallon-size pitcher with a lid and spout pourer, (like the one you made Kool-Aid in as a kid), and store in the fridge, using it in place of water when cooking rices and grains, and in place of chicken stock in soup recipes. This will keep for about one month, just in time to make more!

P.S. You will note that I do not add salt or pepper to my stock. This is so that I can season the recipe that I am making and not have to take into consideration how much seasoning I may already have used in the prep of the stock.

Zesty White Bean and Corn Chili with Tangy Grains December 20, 2009

This is a quick chili that has a different type of flavor than your usual tomato-based stew. This does not simmer for hours, just about 20-30 minutes, so the individual flavors are still there and you can pick them out. This has a very fresh flavor and was modified from a recipe in Real Simple magazine. The rice is a garnish or could be a simple side dish.

Ingredients for Rice:
2 cups prepared rice, bulgur wheat or quinoa
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 c chopped parsley or cilantro
1/2 fresh banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 c chopped green onion, green parts only
A little salt and pepper to taste

Mix all these together and set aside. Or you can prep the rice and mix everything together at the end.

Rice Garnish

Ingredients for Chili:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion
3.5 fresh banana peppers, seeded and finely diced (or less if you prefer)
green onions, white parts only
1/2 c carrots, finely diced
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers, with the juice
veggie stock or water
1 can white navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained and rinsed
2 TBSP sugar

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and add the onions, peppers and carrots. Add garlic and seasonings and cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, use the can as a measuring cup and fill with veggie stock, then add it in.Turn up the heat and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Add beans and corn and reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so, adding sugar after about 10 minutes.

Chili after about 20 minutes

Re-heat your rice mix in the microwave. Serve it piping hot with the rice mix on top. I also added some Vermont White Cheddar in this picture:

Good Stuff!

Savory, Vegan Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans, Tomatoes and Green Chiles December 8, 2009

This is such an easy recipe, it shouldn’t even be called cooking!

Spaghetti Squash as an entree'

This is a VEGAN microwave meal, is low-fat, only takes about 30 minutes to make (prep and ‘cooking’ included) and doesn’t leave much to clean up. This is a great entree’, side dish, or filling for tacos and burritos. I put leftovers of this delicious dish on a bed of salad, added salsa and Tofutti sour cream, and PRESTO, taco salad! This is tangy because of the green onions and is one of my dad’s favorite dishes. Serves about 4-8 depending on its usage in your meal.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch (4-5) green onions, rinsed, patted dry and diced (use both white and green parts)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

In a microwave safe bowl, place one-half of squash (cut side up) in about 1″ water. Cover with plastic wrap, with a small vented area, and cook on HIGH for about 8-9 minutes. While the squash does its thing, prep other ingredients. After the first half of the squash is done, remove and rest on a towel and repeat with the other half of squash.

Your squash is going to be very soft and very hot, be careful. Flake flesh with a fork and scrape into a large bowl.

Flaking Out!

Ready to Mix it Up!

Add in other ingredients and return to microwave for about 3-4 more minutes, then it’s done! That easy. It can be served hot or cold.
Enjoy…

Bourbon Pecan Sticky Buns November 23, 2009

Ready to Eat

I modified this recipe from one I found on Food Network. This is vegetarian (of course) but can be made vegan very easily. This makes about 16-20 buns depending on how big you want them.

2.5 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
.5 cup honey or agave nectar
.5 cup Bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark) plus extra for raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 lbs frozen bread dough, thawed (I used sweet dough). You can also make your own dough.
2-3 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
1-2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
.5 teaspoon ground cloves
.5 teaspoon ground allspice
.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup raisins (soaked in bourbon –just to cover-overnight). Drain these before using. You can add this bourbon to the sauce as well as there shouldn’t be much left over.

Roll each pound of dough separately into a 12 by 16-inch rectangle. Brush each with melted butter. Sprinkle spices over dough then sprinkle bourbon soaked raisins over. Roll dough tightly from long side, and pinch to seal the edge. Wrap in waxed paper and place in fridge while you make the sauce, this will make them easier to cut.

Spray (2) 13 by 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine sugar, butter/margarine, and honey/agave nectar in small saucepan. Slowly bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to melt sugar. Lower heat and add bourbon very carefully (it will want to boil over). Let boil for about 1 minute more while stirring continuously. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Ladle into baking pans.

Remove dough from fridge. Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut each roll into 8-10 slices and place cut side down in baking dish, making sure to space them evenly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in an unheated oven with pan of hot water and allow dough to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Remove pans and plastic wrap, then preheat your oven to 350° F.

Bake rolls uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes until buns are golden brown. Syrup will be bubbly and very hot. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto waxed paper. Serve with coffee or hot chai tea, or a hot toddy, whatever! These will be good for about 3 days if you keep them in a sealed container.

Hearty Minestrone-Style Stew November 1, 2009

I make my own veggie stock and I received a great amount of peppers and tomatoes from a friend at work (Thanks Teresa!) at the end of the season. I honestly could not go through all of it so I froze the ones I couldn’t eat and ended up making a stock that was rich and spicy. It screamed to be minestrone! So I looked up a recipe, messed with it and made this delicious veggie soup. It is heavier on tomato sauce than I am used to in a minestrone, but it is still very tasty!

Yummy!

Top with grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, and homemade croutons!

This takes a couple hours so be patient, open a bottle of wine and relax in the kitchen with the delightful scent of homemade yumminess!

Croutons
3-4 cups Italian style bread, cut into 1″ cubes (better if it is a couple days old)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Toss all ingredients together then bake in a layer at 400°F for about 20 minutes until crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! Set aside or make these while the soup simmers.

Minestrone
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 onions, diced
1 large shallot, diced small
1/2 lb. potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped (I used baby cut so they are prettier and more uniform in size)
4 cups veggie stock
3 15oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine (I used Zinfandel)
1 can kidney beans
2 cups frozen corn
3 cups baby spinach, stems removed and chopped
1/8 cup fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste (I used a good bit of salt because I do not salt my stock)
2 cups larger pasta (I used tricolor spirals) or 1 cup smaller pasta, like orzo or macaroni

Toss the potatoes in non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a baking pan or cookie sheet in a 400°F oven for about 20-30 minutes. While the potatoes cook, prep the rest of the ingredients.

In a large stock pot, start the olive oil and garlic at low heat, cook about 10 minutes. Add the onions and sweat for about 10 more minutes. Add the carrots and celery, stir and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until carrots have softened.

Add the tomato sauce and stock, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, but make sure to stir often. Add the red wine stir again, then lower the heat to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add all the other veggies and herbs. Simmer for about 40 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer and check seasoning until it has the flavor you want.

When you start the timer for the simmering off the soup, start a pot of hot water and add a touch of olive oil. Bring the water to a boil and cook your pasta to just under the time indicated on the package. Stop the cooking process with cold water and allow to cool and drain. Set aside until you serve.

Scoop a quarter cup of cooked pasta into each bowl and spoon soup over it, stirring lightly. Top with cheese/nutritional yeast and croutons and enjoy! You can also use the soup as a pasta sauce by adding it over a bigger portion of pasta.

Garbanzo & Black Bean Cakes with Spicy Mayo October 12, 2009

Prepped and Formed

My good friend, Lela, told me to make her chick pea burgers to add to my food blog and I was happy to oblige. However, being the type of person that I am, I couldn’t just make it exactly the same way that she instructed. I had to add a couple things, change the sauce and make it more of a cake (like crab cakes) than a burger. These would make a great main course, or could be made into a sandwich. If you made the cakes small, you could also do them as a party appetizer with the sauce on the side.

Lela suggests a yogurt sauce with dill, onion, garlic, salt & pepper, and hot sauce but that would kill me (yogurt) so I made
a Spicy Mayo:
1/2 c mayo
1 TBSP crushed garlic
1-2 TBSP sriracha asian hot sauce or other hot sauce
Stir well and set aside for serving.

Bean Cakes:
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
2 c bread crumbs (I made my own from oyster crackers, italian seasoning and salt & pepper)
1 egg
1/4 c mayo
1 chopped onion
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1/4 c chopped oregano
1 TBSP chopped or minced garlic
celery salt & pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Using a food processor, puree garbanzo beans into a paste and scrape into the large bowl of a stand mixer (you can also do this by hand but it is much harder). Add chopped onion, spices & herbs, black beans (these are to remain whole) egg, mayo and bread crumbs (a little at a time) until everything is blended well.

Scoop out a little at a time and form into balls. Flatten into cakes and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet until very hot (you will need to have about a half-inch of oil and in between batches you should add more until it reaches this level, then allow the oil to get very hot again).
Cook several at a time until the bottom is medium brown. Flip once and allow the other side to get brown. This will ensure they stay together. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Vegan Quinoa Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette Dressing August 23, 2009

Being a mostly veg-head, I struggle sometimes to get enough protein in my diet. Quinoa has about 8 grams of protein in a serving and the average woman needs around 45 or so grams of protein a day, unless she’s very active or pregnant. Plus this salad includes some edamame for more protein, and lots of good veggies and fruit for more vitamins and minerals. The vinegar makes this a tart refreshing salad, the corn and seeds give a crunch and snap and the flavors seem well rounded to me.

Quinoa Salad

This makes a lot so you can cut the amounts of everything here in half for you to feed the family dinner and still have some leftovers for lunch the next day. Since school starts tomorrow, and I will be strapped for time, I made a mountain of it to eat on all week.

Salad
3 c quinoa prepared as package says
2 green peppers, chopped small
2 ears fresh corn; husks and silks removed, uncooked and kernels shaved from cob
1 c edamame
1 c chopped green onion, whites and greens if you prefer (I used just the white today)
1 patty-pan squash, chopped in 1/2″ cubes
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped in 1/2″ cubes
1 cucumber; peeled, seeded and chopped
2 peaches, seed removed and chopped large
2 roasted red peppers (from the jar, drained) and diced
1 c raisins or other dried fruit (like cranberries or cherries)
1 c sunflower seeds, unsalted and roasted
1 c chopped fresh parsley

Dressing
4 Tbsp Oilve Oil
1/4 c white wine vinegar (you could also use half vinegar and half lemon juice)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning blend
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Make dressing first. Put all these ingredients into a jar with a secure lid and shake them like silly. Set aside and reshake every 15 mintues or so as you prep everything else.

Start the quinoa as the package directs; roast the squash and eggplant (which has been tossed lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper) in the oven on 350ºF for about 20 minutes, or until soft.
Then prep all your other ingredients. Toss the cold veggies in the dressing and then lightly toss with the quinoa and hot veggies.
Can be served hot or cold.

Zesty Tomatillo & Cucumber Salsa August 17, 2009

This is a modification of a salsa cruda, or a salsa that is uncooked and roughly chopped, that Chef Jason made at Sonoma Grille. I wrote down the basic ingredients and lost the list, but remembered most of it. It is spicy and smoky and good as a topping for fish or poultry, as a dip for tortillas, or on a bed of lettuce as a salad.

1-2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (include white and green parts)
6 tomatillos, cored chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 banana or anaheim pepper; cored, seeded and minced
1 c cilantro, chopped – no stems
the juice of 2-3 limes
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil

Mix everything in a big bowl and cover. Put in fridge for at least an hour or two. Stir every so often and use as you like within 3 days.

Pappa al Pomodoro-Italian tomato and bread stew August 10, 2009

The cooking of this recipe came about because I had the good fortune of receiving a LARGE quantity of garden tomatoes (thanks to Big Jim!) and was running out of ways to eat them before they started to go bad. A conversation with a co-worker brought up the subject of this soup, which she had in Italy. Thanks Judy, this is delicious, rich, hearty and is a meal in itself! (I took the recipe from Joe Sponzo on foodandwine.com and tweeked it.

Ingredients
5-10 pounds tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter (if you go vegan, just omit the butter and use more oil)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, (or 3 small) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 shallots, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3-4 tbsp of minced garlic (from a jar is easiest)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Salt & Pepper
Crusty Italian bread cubes, torn in pieces (ok if it’s stale)
1/4 cup fresh oregano
4 cups low sodium veggie stock
mozzarella or parmesan cheese (optional)

First you have to skin and seed the tomatoes. This is an easy but time-consuming process. You can use 2-3 cans of tomatoes, but I had a lot of fresh ones to use up. To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut a slit in the base of each tomato. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch just until the skins start to split, about 10 seconds for smaller tomatoes and 30 seconds for large ones. Transfer the blanched tomatoes to the ice water to cool. Peel and halve the tomatoes crosswise. Working over a mesh strainer set over a large bowl, pry out the seeds and press the tomato juice and pulp through the strainer. Discard the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. (I could not find the small strainer so I discarded the pulp as well as the seeds.)

There is a great video on how to do this HERE.

Here’s how mine came out:

Empty the boiling water and wipe out the pot and heat the butter, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the clove garlic and shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and seasonings. Cover partially and simmer over moderately high heat until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 30 minutes. Add veggie stock and oregano and simmer for a while until you have the desired consistency, (maybe another 30 minutes). If the soup is overly spicy, add some brown sugar (1-2 tbsp) and simmer for another 10 minutes.

When you serve the soup, tear some crusty bread into a bowl and ladle soup over it. Top with cheese and enjoy. You can also let this soup cool and put in the fridge to have the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to sit.