Green Beans Braised in Tomatoes

This is a great recipe for using up fresh produce from your garden. Don't have a garden? Make this anyway. Some of the best beans I've ever tasted. Seriously.

Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook by Jack Bishop. (One of my go-to cookbooks.)

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced smallish

1 - 1.5 cups canned whole tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved (I used fresh, peeled)

1 pound green beans, ends snapped off (I used yellow and green)

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed with back of a chef's knife (keep it in one or two pieces)

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until the juices thicken a bit.

2. Add green beans, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and ground pepper to taste. Stir well. Add some of the reserved juice (I think I added about 1/2 - 1 cup...but do what you think looks good.) Add the smashed garlic clove. Stir well again, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are as tender as you like them, but for at least 30 minutes. (This is not an al-dente kind of recipe.) I cooked them for 4o minutes, adding a bit more tomato juice as needed.

3. Remove the smashed garlic clove and serve.

4. Sit back and enjoy the compliments.

One Crust Fresh Blueberry Pie

This delicious recipe is adapted from the Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It is easy, can be made ahead and incredibly good. Make it and enjoy the raves of friends and family. I've never served it and not gotten raves and recipe requests. To really make it easy, use pre-made Pillsbury piecrust. That said, there is no comparison to homemade crust and trust me, it is very easy to make pie crust if you have a food processor. I suppose you could even use a cookie crust or a graham cracker crust if you like.

1 Single Pie Crust (your own recipe or see the one below)

4 cups fresh blueberries. Really good ones. Big plump yummy ones.

1/2 egg white, lightly beaten (sometimes I can't be bothered to separate the yolk out, and it's still good)

1/2 cup of water plus 2 T, divided

2 T cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Roll out the dough and put it into a pie pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 - 24 hours. This helps the dough relax and not shrink before baking. If using prepared pie crust, follow whatever directions they give.

Preheat the oven to 425 at least 20 min before baking. Line the pie crust with parchment, pleating it as necessary for it fits into the pan and fill it with dried beans. (or you can use a great big paper coffee filter - those work very well). Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the parchment with the beans in it and place them aside. You can use the beans many more times as pie weights. Prick the bottom and sides (gently) with a fork and put the crust back inot the oven and bake 5-10 minutes until the crust is nice and golden brown.

Cool the crust on a rack for a few minutes and then brush on the egg whites. Set aside.

Measure out one cup of blueberries. Place them in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 T of water. Set aside.

When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until the berries begin to burst and the juices start to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or two or until the mixture becomes translucent. Remove from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of berries.

Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow it to sit at room temp at least 2 hours before serving. You can store it for up to 2 days at room temperature, but believe me, there won't be any leftovers to store.

(It's great for breakfast...ask my son)

SINGLE PIE CRUST RECIPE

(Food processor method. In my never humble opinion, there is no other way to make it.)

8 T unsalted cold butter (Land O Lakes is best )

1 1/3 cups bleached flour OR 1 1/3 cups plus 4 teaspoons pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Keep the butter in Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse many times to mix it all up. Now get your butter out of the fridge & work fast so it stays cold. Cut it into little cubes and toss the cubes into the processor. Pulse (1 sec pulses) 12 times. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal with no butter pieces larger than a small pea. Pulse a few more times if you're not there yet. Add the smallest amount of ice water and vinegar and pulse 6 ish times. Pinch a small amount of the mixture together between your fingers. If it does not hold together, add a little bit of the rest of the water and try it again. I have never had to add more water than the minimum so you probably won't have to either. The mixture will be in particles. Dump it into a bowl and smush it together until it forms a ball. Try to do this with minimal handling so you don't toughen up the dough.

On a piece of plastic wrap, flatten the ball of dough into a disc about 4-5 inches in diameter. Wrap it up and put it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to a couple of days. You can freeze the dough at this point if you like.

Moroccan Carrots

This is an easy and unusual and DEElicious salad for parties. It should be made a day ahead. The recipe makes a lot, so keep that in mind. If you like bland food, skip this dish. It has strong and vibrant flavor.

Makes 10 - 12 servings. Keeps well in the refrigerator for leftovers.

Ingredients:

3 pounds carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/3 inch slices.

1 cup good quality olive oil

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup (yes, you read that right) Hungarian sweet paprika

1/4 cup (yes, you read that right) ground cumin

5 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh minced parsley

1 T salt or to taste

1. Place the carrots in a large pot and add water to cover. Cook over high heat until crisp-tender. Drain but do not rinse with cold water.

2. While the carrots are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk the oil and vinegars together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the paprika, cumin and salt.

3. Add the hot drained carrots to the dressing and stir to coat. Add garlic and parsley and toss to combine. Let cool to room temperature, then serve. If you make it in advance and refrigerate it, let it come to room temperature before you serve it.

Perfect Potato Salad

This is always a huge hit. I get Raves from my guests every time I serve this. The recipe makes a ton (serves 15-20). You can half it, though.

One of the keys to success here is cooking the potatoes until they are just done. Don't over cook them and end up with a mushy mess. They should be firm to the bite for the best results. Also, if your onion seems very strong, either get another one or use half. You'll be tossing the warm potatoes with a vinaigrette (recipe below). Make that in advance. The recipe makes much more than you will need for the salad - you might want to quarter or half it if you won't use vinaigrette for something else.

Ingredients:

6 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled.

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice

6 ribs celery, choppped

1 large red onion, minced (make sure it is not too strong!)

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup Basic Herb Vinaigrette (see below)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1. Prepare the carrots, onion, celery and dill and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer uncovered until fork-tender (but not too soft). Drain in a colander. (I lay them out on a towel to dry.)

2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm - as warm as you can stand it - cut them into uneven chunks and combine them with the vegetables in the bowl. Mix together the vinaigrette and the white wine and add it to the bowl. Toss well.

3. Mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Add it to the bowl and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate the salad for at least a few hours to blend the flavors.

Basic Herb Vinaigrette

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 T Dijon Mustard

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 T dried Italian Herb Blend

salt & pepper

1. Whisk garlic and mustard together in a mixing bowl.

2. Pour in olive and vegetable oils in a steady stream while continuing to whisk. (I have done this in a blender or using a hand held blender stick with very good results.)

3. Mix in dried herbs and salt and pepper.

4. Let stand at room temperature for a couple of hours to blend the flavors.

5. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Makes about 4 cups.

A Fabulous and Easy Cheesecake

This is my go-to cheesecake recipe. It is very easy and incredibly delicious. It is light and as one person recently said, "It tastes like spring."

It can be made Kosher for Passover by omitting the cornstarch and using six egg yolks instead of three eggs.

There is no crust. You can press one on if you like after you unmold it, but I never do. It just does not need it.

Be careful not to whip too much air into the batter. The cake will rise and then fall. It will still taste great, but won't look as lovely as the one in this picture.

Basic Cheesecake

Prepare an 8 inch spring form pan by greasing it, cutting a round of parchment or aluminum foil to fit into the bottom and then greasing the foil. Wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with a double layer of foil to prevent leakage.

Have ready a large roasting pan into which the spring form pan will fit. This will be the water bath.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Ingredients: All at room temperature.

Two 8 oz packages Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese (do not use any other brand or a low fat kind)

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs (or 6 egg yolks if you want it to be Kosher for Passover)

1.5 tsp vanilla

3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T cornstarch (omit if using 6 egg yolks)

3 cups sour cream (full fat)

1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together on medium high for three minutes until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in (on a low speed) cornstarch if using.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating on a lower speed only until incorporated.

4. Add vanilla and lemon juice in the same manner as eggs. Mix by hand to finish uniformly incorporating everything.

5. Mix in the sour cream. Use a low speed or do this by hand until uniform. Do not beat air into the batter.

6. Place the prepared pan into the roasting pan. Then pour the batter into the spring form pan. 7. Pour about an inch of very hot water into the roasting pan.

8. Place the roasting pan with the spring form pan into the oven.

9. Bake for 45 minutes.

10. Turn off oven and without opening the door, leave the cake in the oven for 60 minutes

11. Remove from oven, place the spring form pan on a cooling rack. You will want to either place a towel under the rack or put the rack over a cookie sheet. There will be seepage from the cheesecake.

12. Cool for at least an hour, then refrigerate over night. I put plastic wrap over the top of the pan and put the pan on a plate to catch additional fluid that will seep from the cake.

14. To unmold, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan. ( I usually find this unnecessary). Open the spring form pan and remove the sides. Place a serving plate on the top of the cake and flip it over. Remove the bottom and the liner from what is now the top of the cake. I serve it upside down because the bottom is usually pristine whereas the top often has some brown spots. If there is moisture on the cake, just blot it gently with a paper towel.

15. Serve naked or topped with fruit.

16. Enjoy the praise and compliments.

Adapted from The Cake Bible.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Really Delicious and Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (and easy, too!)

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries , rinsed and hulled
10 ounces rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.

3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.

4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Soup (EASY-PEEZY)

Fabulous! Tastes Creamy and Guess What? There's no Cream!

1.5 pounds zucchini (ask the McGary's for some...they have a huge garden)
1.5 Tbs butter
1 cup or so finely minced onions
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 cups milk, heated but not scalded (I scalded it the first time and it was fine, by the way)


1. Steam the zucchini until just tender.
2. Saute the onions over medium heat in the butter and salt, until soft, about 5 minutes. About half way through the saute, add the spices to the saute.
3. Puree all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. You will probably have to do this in batches, so mix it all up in a pot or bowl first or do whatever it is you do when this situation presents itself.

Eat it as is, warmed up (gently) or cold.

Fusilli with Lentil Sauce

I had completely forgotten about this really easy to make yummy pasta dish until I got out an old cookbook today and happened across it. The good thing about this recipe is that if you have a reasonably well stocked pantry, you will pretty much always have the ingredients on hand to make it.

1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 3/4 cup fresh chopped tomatoes or canned chopped tomatoes in juice
3/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 T sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt, non-fat, low fat or whole fat
12 oz fusilli, cooked al dente and well drained

1. Heat 1/4 cup (or more) of the broth in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary.

2. Add the remaining broth, cumin, ginger, cayenne, paprika, basil, tomatoes, lentils and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Serve sauce over cooked fusilli.

Cannelinni- Northern Bean Chili

This morning, someone mentioned that they saw my recipe for White Chicken Chili on this site and wondered if it would be good without the chicken. She's a vegetarian and was craving some white chili. It made me recall a recipe that I have not made in years that I used to love. Here it is. It is from a fat free cookbook that has some amazingly tasty recipes in it: 500 Fat Free Recipes by Sarah Schlesinger.

Makes about 8 cups

1 3/4 cups nonfat chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup diced onions
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 cups home cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 cups home cooked or canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1. Heat 1/4 cup (or more if you like) of the water or broth in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, an dgarlic. Cook and stir for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the remaining cup broth, jalapeno pepper, parsley, beans, thyme, black pepper and oregano.

3. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Perfect Potato Salad

This wonderful recipe is from The Nantucket Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase. The book is filled with delicious recipes. (You can get it at Amazon.) I have made this salad many times and not only is it really pretty it tastes really good. You can make the vinaigrette a day ahead.

Serves 15 - 20

6 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled (Get organic or locally grown, the freshest you can find. It makes a difference!)
4 - 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
6 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 large red onion, minced
1 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
1 cup Basic Herb Vinaigrette (see below)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream


1. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Heat to boiling, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered until fork tender but NOT mushy, about 25 minutes. Drain in a colander.

2. Place the carrots, celery, red onion and dill in a large mixing bowl. Cut the hot potatoes into uneven chunks and combine with the vegetables in the bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette and the white wine.

3. Blend the sour cream and mayonnaise together and add this to the potato mixture and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the salad for a few hours to mellow the flavors. Serve with and additional sprinkling of fresh dill.

Basic Herb Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1.5 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 oz red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups good quality olive oil
1.5 Tablespoons dried Italian Herb blend
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Whisk the garlic and the mustard together. Whisk in the vinegar. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking, whisking, whisking to make that emulsion. Blend in the herbs and salt and pepper.

Let stand at room temperature for a few hours to mellow. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Let warm to room temperature before using.

A Subtle But Very Good Dinner: Cossack Pie

Loyal Readers, here are two pictures of what is left of tonight's dinner. What you are seeing is called "Cossack Pie" from the original Moosewood Cookbook. I modified the recipe a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had at home and I must say, it was a lovely dinner with just a salad and some excellent dry French Rose (my latest pet wine for the summer.)

I tried a new pie crust for this creation, also from the Moosewood Cookbook and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and good it was. I use approximate measures because when I made this, I used more than the called for amount of veggies (probably double) and it was really good.

RECIPE:

1 9" unbaked pie shell (recipe below)

1 zucchini (green or yellow), yellow squash or a good cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup or so chopped onions
1 cup or so shredded cabbage
1 cup or so thinly sliced broccoli
1 cup or so thinly sliced carrots
3 T butter
2 T flour
generous 1/2 tsp ground up caraway seeds (I smashed them around in a mortar & pestle)
generous 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 T dry white wine
1/2 dried dill (I forgot this but it would probably add a nice flavor)
1/3 cup farmer's or cottage cheese
2 eggs
3/4 mixed sour cream & yogurt (I used Greek yogurt...YUM)
Paprika

Saute all the vegetables except zucchini (or mushrooms) in the butter until just tender. This might take a while, but what's the hurry? Add spices. Remove from heat and toss with wine and flour. Set aside.

Puree the eggs and cheese in a blender or in the food processor you used for the crust (just wipe it out a bit...no need to get crazy about it). Add salt and pepper as desired or not.

Add egg-cheese puree to sauteed veggies and put in the crust.

Saute the zucchini slices (or sliced mushrooms) in oil or butter about five minutes.

Spread the yogurt/sour cream on the veggies. Top with the zucchini slices. Dust with paprika.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let rest 10. Serve with salad and good wine. YUM YUM.

EASY AS PIE PIE CRUST

In a food processor, put a cup of flour. (A mixture of white and wheat is nice...about 3 parts white and one part wheat or something like that). Put the bowl of the processor with the flour in it in the freezer or fridge for a little while to chill it.

Meanwhile, cut up 1/3 cup unsalted butter into chunks and put that back in the fridge to keep it cool.

When everything is cold, combine the butter and flour in the food processor and pulse about 12 times. Add about 3 -4 T yogurt, buttermilk or water (cold) and pulse until you can pinch the mixture and have it hold together. This won't take many pulses.

Pour it out onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Put it into a plastic bag and refrigerate for an hour or so. Then, roll it out and put it into a pie dish and follow the instructions above. This dough is very easy to work with. An easy and GREAT recipe.

BBQ Pomegranate Tofu

I know that this sounds strange but it is a dish that I actually get cravings for and have to make pretty frequently. This recipe is in Vegan with a Vengeance.

For my local readers, Bloomingfoods carries Pomegranate Molasses. It is the "gourmet" section over by the cheese case.

The recipe makes a good amount of sauce and you can even double the tofu and still have enough.

I haven't tried it but I imagine that the sauce would be very good on grilled chicken as well.

TOFU
1 pound tofu, drained and pressed and sliced into eighths* (or 2 pounds...there is enough sauce)
2 T canola or peanut oil
1 T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu (shoyu is my choice)

*I press tofu by putting the block in a pie pan, placing a plate or second pie pan on top and putting a heavy pot on top of the second plate. Let it sit about 30 minutes. Then, blot with paper towels and cut the tofu.

SAUCE

1 T canola or peanut oil
1 cup minced onions or shallots
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (do not omit)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 T all natural peanut (or other nut) butter (I use almond)
2 T pomegranate molasses
2 T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350. IN a 9X13 inch glass baking pan turn the tofu in the canola oil and soy sauce to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip. Bake for 15 more minutes

In a 4 cup measure or a medium sized bowl, blend together vegetable broth, tomato paste, nut butter, pomegranate molasses, soy, maple syrup, and hot sauce. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions in the canola oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and five-spice powder and saute 1 minute more. Add the blended liquid ingredients and the liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At this point, your tofu will probably be done baking. Pour all of the sauce over the tofu, return to the oven and bake 15 minutes more.

Serve with rice.

Seitan (Basic Recipe)

Greetings Culinarians! I am posting this basic Seitan recipe at the request of two of my readers - one of whom is my vegetarian daughter. I happen to like cooking with Seitan because it is so easy to make, so inexpensive, so nutritious and so versatile. Believe me, it wasn't too long ago that I would have scoffed at the thought of making this. Now, I make it just about once every other week.

This is a basic recipe, adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Mine comes out a little different each time, but always okay.

Ingredients notes: Vital wheat gluten is available in the baking section of supermarkets. It is sold in small boxes. Or, you can buy it in bulk at Bloomingfoods if you are local or at a health food store.

Nutritional Yeast is available in bulk at health food stores. It is a yellowish flaky material. I have not been successful finding it in supermarkets. I suspect that this is an optional ingredient, added for nutritional purposes. So, if you can't find it, you can probably omit it.

2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 T chickpea flour or soy flour or all purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cup cold water or broth
1 T tomato paste
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped


In a large bowl, mix together gluten, yeast and flour. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the wet ingredients and the garlic until well blended. Add liquids to dries and mix with a wooden spoon until a spongy dough forms. Knead this dough for about 5 minutes and then form it into a longish loaf and let it rest for five minutes. It will be sort of wet and spongy looking.

While the dough is resting, fill a large pot with cold water.

Cut the dough into thick slices of sort of uniform size. Gently put the slices into the cold water. Partially cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and gently simmer for about an hour, moving the strange looking seitan slices around every now and then.

Let the seitan cool in the water and then use as desired or refrigerate.

I squeeze the excess water out of the slices before I use them in recipes.

Spelt Chowder

At left, is a photo of dried New Mexico Chiles. These are an important ingredient in Spelt Chowder, the recipe for which is below. What is spelt? It is a grain that is related to wheat but has a higher protein content. You can buy spelt at BloomingFoods in the bulk section if you live here in town. I haven't looked for it at the supermarket so I don't know if you will find it there. It is worth the search, though. It is nutty tasting and chewy in the most delightful way.

Uncooked, spelt looks like sunflower seeds. Indeed, my husband, who snacks on sunflower seeds, saw the unmarked bag of spelt sitting on the counter, opened it, grabbed a handful of the kernels and threw them into his mouth. A brief moment later, he realized his mistake. Funny but not pretty.

Anyway, this chowder is REALLY delicious and healthy, too. It has a little heat to it from the chile peppers, which give it a southwestern flair. It is easy to make as well. You should MAKE THIS SOUP TODAY. The recipe is from the wonderful Hay Day Market Country Cookbook by Kim Rizk.

Recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil (you can use less if you like)
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes (or two cups of good quality canned tomatoes)
1 large russet or Idaho potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 dried medium hot red chile peppers broken in half, seeds shaken out and discarded(I used medium hot New Mexico chiles. You could use Pasilla if you want. These are available in most grocery stores now-a-days)
6 cups vegetable stock (I use low sodium)
2 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1 cup spelt kernels, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn kernels (frozen are OK...just thaw first)
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until nicely colored and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and saute until softened and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the potato, chiles, stock and salt (if using) and allow to come to a boil.

2. Stir in the spelt and reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spelt is tender, about 30 - 45 minutes. Remove and discard the chile pieces, and stir in the corn. Continue to simmer just until the corn is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes more.

Serve hot and swoon!

Sichuan Green Beens

This has become one of our favorite easy meals at Chez McGary. You can prep everything earlier in the day - and believe me, there isn't much prep - and then stir fry it up when you are ready to eat. This is a very authentic tasting dish. I urge you to try it....TRY IT RIGHT NOW!

You can make this vegan/vegetarian by substituting either ground seitan or frozen crumbled tofu for the pork. See note at the bottom of this entry for more details.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably tamari or shoyu)
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces (I sometimes use a combination of sugar snap peas and green beans)
1/4 pound ground pork (or tofu or seitan, see below)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced thin (optional)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
white sesame seeds

1. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper flakes, mustard, and water until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet until just smoking. Add beans and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and skins are shriveled and blackened in spots, 5-8 minutes. If the beans darken too quickly, reduce heat to medium high.) Transfer beans to a large plate or bowl.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet. Cook, breaking pork into small pieces, until no pink remains (or until lightly browned if using seitan or tofu), about 2 minutes. Add garlic, and ginger and cook (you might need to add a bit more oil at this point if not using meat) and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir sauce to recombine and add it along with the beans to the pan. Toss and cook until sauce is thickened, about 5 - 10 seconds. Remove pan from heat, stir in scallions (if using) and sesame oil. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Serve immediately and ooh and aahh about how good it is. ( we serve it with brown rice)

Tofu note: Tofu that has been frozen works beautifully here. Freeze firm tofu and thaw. Squeeze water out of it and then crumble it and use it as you would the pork in this recipe. Throw the remainder into a chili or stew.

Seitan that has been finely chopped or ground works very well here. I use relatively unflavored seitan that I make myself. Leave me a comment if you need that recipe.

Mixed-Bean Minestrone Stew

This delicious soup/stew is from The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil & Rosie Dailey. Rosie shot to fame being Oprah's cook some time ago and in my never humble opinion, she isn't a particularly gifted chef. However, she does have a few good recipes in this book that have become staples in our home and this soup/stew is one of them.


2 cups mixed dry beans (I usually use a combination of garbanzo, kidney and white beans but I have also made the soup using just one kind of bean. 2 cups dry beans yeilds about 5 or so cups of cooked so remember that if you are substituting canned.)

1 cup chopped onion
3-4 carrots, peeled or not, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp. chili flakes
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt ( I don't add this, but you sure can)
1 cup peeled and cubed eggplant (the recipe says you can use cabbage, squash or broccoli but I have not done this. The eggplant really adds a nice flavor)
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or a 28-35 oz can of chopped tomatoes with their juice
1 large baking potato, cubed
6 cups water or stock (I use low sodium vegetable stock)
1 cup chopped fresh green beans (or frozen peas or frozen green beans)
1 1/2 cup uncooked small pasta

Cook the beans. (If I have time, I soak them for at least four hours or overnight, drain & rinse them and simmer them in water or stock until tender. If I haven't planned ahead enough, I rinse them, put them in a pot with enough water to cover and bring them to a boil for 2 minutes. Then, you let them sit in the pot for an hour. Drain, rinse and cook as if you soaked them longer. If I haven't planned ahead at all, I used rinsed canned beans, preferably with no salt added.)

In a large soup pot, sweat the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Italian seasoning, chili flakes, rosemary and salt along with the eggplant (or whatever vegetable you are using), tomatoes, potatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 20 minutes. Add cooked beans, green beans or peas, and pasta and cook on medium heat for another 15 minutes.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. YUM.

Stir Fried Cauliflower with Thai Red Curry Sauce

This is a very easy to make tasty, pungent and somewhat spicy stir-fry not for the faint of taste buds. It comes together quickly once everything is prepped. You can get everything ready earlier in the day, including the sauce and refrigerate it until you are ready to start stir-frying.

I often add either little cubes of fried tofu or seitan or chickpeas to make a more complete meal, but it is also great without these things. Serve with brown rice.

3 T Fish Sauce
1 T juice plus 1 tsp grated zest from 1 lime
1 T light brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1 cup coconut milk (you can use low fat coconut milk but it isn't quite as good as regular)
2 tsp Thai-style red curry paste
1 T plus 1 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
3 pounds cauliflower - one large head, broken into small florets
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp to 1 T minced fresh ginger (your call...I like more ginger)
6 ounces snow peas, strings removed (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves

1. Mix together fish sauce, lime juice and zest, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, coconut milk, red curry paste. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 T oil over high heat until shimmering in a 12 inch wok or non-stick or cast iron skillet. (I don't use non-stick at high heats, but maybe I'm just paranoid...my cast iron skillet works great.) Add cauliflower and cook, stirring every 10 - 15 seconds until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Push cauliflower to edges of skillet and add remaining tsp of oil, garlic and ginger to the center of the pan. Mash garlic and ginger with the back of a spoon and cook unitl fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix garlic and ginger in with cauliflower. Reduce heat to medium -high, add sauce and stir. (If you are adding tofu or seitan or chick peas, add them now.) Simmer, stirring occasionally until cauliflower is tender, about 2 minutes. Add snow peas and cook about three minutes longer, until cauliflower is fully tender. Add basil & serve immediately.

Tempeh Paprikash...C'mon Loyal Readers. Try something NEW!

I would guess that the majority of our readers here, including my beloved KinderhookChef have never tried Tempeh. Perhaps you have never even heard of it. Tempeh is a soy/rice product used in hard core vegetarian and vegan cooking. It has a great texture, but can be a little bitter if not sauced properly. It can be found in the refrigerated "health food" section at regular grocery stores. There are a few different varieties of Tempeh. I prefer the Soy kind but any of the varieties will work here and they are similar. Don't get one of the pre-spiced kinds.
This recipe is the BEST tempeh I have ever had. It was incredibly delicious and healthy. If you are adventurous, try it. You will be surprised.

4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple cider
1 T smoked Hungarian paprika (Spanish Paprika) or regular paprika
2 tsp. salt (OPTIONAL)
1 T caraway seeds
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 garlic cloves
2 X 8 ox pakcages tempeh, diced into 1 inch pieces
3 large Spanish onions, sliced thin
1 1/2 tsp hot Hungarian Paprika
6 oz (1 can) tomato paste
2 T cornstarch
4 T cold water

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. In large saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a simmer. Turn off heat; cover to keep warm.

3. In medium bowl, combine oil, vinegar, cider, 1 T paprika, salt if using, 2 tsp. caraway seeds, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1 T garlic. Add diced tempeh and toss to coat. If time allows, put the tempeh and marinade into the fridge and let it sit for a couple of hours. (This makes a big difference in the flavor of the tempeh. Also, I tried to substitute apple juice for apple cider and it wasn't as good.)

4. In large, shallow baking dish, place tempeh with liquid in single layer. Bake, uncovered, until all liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Check often to make sure the liquid does not burn. When you check, flip the tempeh squares. (You can remove this from the oven when done, let it cool, cover it with foil and refrigerate it until you want to complete the recipe. Or, you can use it right away.

5. Meanwhile, in large Dutch oven, combine onions, garlic, 1 1/2 tsp hot paprika, remaining caraway, thyme and pepper and 1 cup of the hot broth. Cover and cook over medium heat until onions are softened, about ten minutes. Add tomato paste and stir well, Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, about ten more minutes.

6. In small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in cold water. Add to hot broth. Stir with a whisk. Increase heat and return mixture to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

7. Add thickened broth to pan with onions and stir until mixture is well blended. Add prepared tempeh to pan, along with any of its remaining cooking liquid; stir well.

Serve by itself or over egg noodles with some sour cream or plain yogurt stirred in. YUM.

Torta di Risotto

Here is a recipe taken from the New Vegetarian cookbook that Kate left here by happy accident. I made it this morning and refrigerated it. I took it out an hour before baking it to bring it to room temperature. You can even make it two days ahead. It is a homey, delicious meal and a great choice to bring to a friend who needs a dinner.

Serve with a salad and bread and you are all set!

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, about 8 oz, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
(you can get creative with this part...see note below)
1/3 cup, or less olive oil
3 garlic cloves
16 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dark brown sugar
3 handfulls of fresh basil, torn into pieces
1 cup arborio risotto rice
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 oz Italian fontina cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

lightly oil a 9X5X3 inch loaf pan

Brush zucchini slices with 2 T olive oil and either grill in a grill pan or roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in a saucepan and add garlic. Saute until fragrant...do not burn. Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the basil.

Add the rice to a saucepan of boiling salted water (there is no need to measure the water). Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the rice is tender but still firm, about ten minutes. Drain rice.

Mix drained rice and tomato sauce well. Stir in cheese cubes and all but about 2 T of the parmesan.

Sprinkle 2 T breadcrumbs into the oiled pan. Spoon in half of the risotto mixture ans smooth flat. Add the zucchini in a single layer and top with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese on top.

At this point, either refrigerate or bake it at 425 for 30 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes and unmold onto a platter.

NOTE: I made this with roasted red peppers, yellow squash and sauted mushrooms instead of the zucchini layer. You can use whatever you want, though I think that the roasted flavor is nice.

Vegetarian Chili

3 T olive oil
1 large onion - yellow or red -chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
1 jalapeno pepper - deseeded and minced
4 cloves garlic - minced
2 carrots - chopped
1 large stalk celery - chopped
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dried lentils - picked over and rinsed
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked beans - kidney, black, garbanzo, navy, or a mixture
12 oz tempeh, crumbled up or chopped into small pieces
1/4 tsp dried cloves
1/4 tsp dried allspice
3-4 T dried cumin
3-4 T dried coriander
4-5 T good quality chili powder, hot or mild depending upon your taste
1 T sweet paprika
2 T dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste

In a large heavy saucepan saute onion, green pepper, jalapeno, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil over medium low heat for ten to fifteen minutes to sweat the vegetables. Add tempeh and increase heat to medium and saute for about five minutes. Add spices and stir to mix well and saute for a couple more minutes. Add crushed and cut tomatoes along with water and lentils. Add beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for about twenty or so minutes until lentils are cooked. Adjust seasonings. Serve over brown rice.