Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

This is incredibly tasty and simple to make. The garnishes are a MUST. They really make the dish so earthy and tasty. Recipe Link

Mixed greens with smoked gouda (allrecipes)

Tweaked from allrecipes.com, this salad turned out nicely.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (I only used 1 tablespoon thinking 1/4 cup would make the dressing too salty/watery)
2 cloves garlic (I only used one and it was enough)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (did not have any)
8 ounces smoked gouda cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used about 2 of soy gouda)
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 10-oz package mixed salad greens (I used 1/2 head of fresh green chard cut into 1/2 inch strips)
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, stir together the balsaic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and basil. Add cheese and tomatoes, tossing to coat. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to marinate.

Place salad on serving plates. Top with the cheese and tomato mixture. Season with black pepper.

***In my quest to cut down on my vegetarian fallback of cheese sandwiches and other fat-heavy dairy products, I found this soy cheese. This was my first time trying soy gouda -- I found it at Todaro Brothers on Second Avenue. I tried putting it on top of a potato-and-onion omelet this morning and broiling it in the oven, but the soy cheese did not melt and bubble like regular cheese, so it might be best used cubed in green salads or in a cold pasta salad. The texture was good and I thought it tasted like gouda. There was also a soy mozzarella so I plan to play with that and will report back soon.

Carrots and Potatoes

my version of how to cook everything

Whether you love her, hate her, or know nothing about her, Alice Waters is one of the earliest advocates for eating locally. My friend Anne gave me Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice L. Waters years ago, and after my mom's The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (at right, circa 1963) it is my go-to book for what to do with those extra carrots and potatoes that hang out in the fridge crisper drawer. A lot of Ms. Waters's recipes are more like guidelines, there are few measurements and ingredient lists but I like the simple approach. Everyone loves this recipe:

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Peel baby carrots, leaving 1/4 inch of stem attached, and cut in half lengthwise. (I also peel, then cut regular carrots into 1/2" around sticks about 3" long). Boil until tender in salted water with a clove of crushed garlic. Drain and cool to room temperature. Toss them with a little ground cumin, paprika, and salt, and a pinch each of cinnamon and cayenne. Toss together with lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped parsley (I have also used cilantro or mint), and set aside to marinate for at least an hour before serving.

These are great at room temperature. If you have any leftovers they are great chilled, then thrown into a salad the next day.

Pasta with Potatoes, Rocket and Rosemary

This is a healthy alternative to mac and cheese for a comfort food.

1 pound firm boiling potatoes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 bunches rocket (about 1/2 pound) (I have used every kind of green, including spinach, kale and dandelion here If the greens are on the tough side, add them to the boiling water with the pasta and that will make them easier to digest)
1 small red onion (regular onions OK, too, see I am not that big a recipe follower)
4 to 6 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
3/4 pound penne or other tubular pasta
1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the potatoes about 1/3 inch thick and toss them with a small amount of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Wash the greens, drain, and set aside. Slice the onion thin. Peel and chop the garlic and rosemary leaves. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and put the pasta in to cook. Heat a saute pan, add some of the olive oil, and saute the onion until it is soft and translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the potato slices, garlic, and rosemary, and toss together for a minute or two. When the noodles are done, drain them and add to the potatoes and onion along with the greens. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss everything together. Drizzle a little olive oil over and serve.

Variations: Add a little vegetable broth or splash of white wine at the end for a wetter, brothy version of the dish. Sprinkle a little grated cheese on top when you serve it. Add some toasted walnuts or pine nuts. Add crumbled hard boiled egg or cooked bacon/sausage with the greens.

Mushroom gravy for your leftovers

This mushroom gravy recipe from Whole Foods was great with these changes today: I soaked a couple handfuls of dried mushrooms in a cup of water first for 20 minutes instead of using fresh, and sauteed an onion and fresh garlic instead of no onion and roasted garlic. I pureed everything with a stick blender after the 15 minute simmer. This was a surprisingly rich tasting thick gravy that would work well on chicken, turkey or even as the sauce in a vegetarian pot pie. You could easily make it vegan by using a fat other than butter for the saute step.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Ideas

Happy Thanksgiving and pass the veggies, please.Try a new main star or side dish this year from this long list of vegetarian recipes from the NY Times.

Grilled Tilapia and Avocado Tostada

From Despina Avgeris who makes the most delicious food I've ever eaten. When she and Chris moved away my taste buds frowned. This is a tasty, fresh dish that I wish I could eat every day!

4 flour tortillas(10" diameter)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb tillapia fillets
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 sm red onion,thinly sliced
1 heart romaine lettuce, thinly sliced crosswise
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c cilantro chopped
4 red radishes, thinly sliced like matchsticks
1 avocado, quartered, skinned, pitted, and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

1. preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. brush tortillas with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Grill, flipping once or twice, until crisp, about 2 minutes each.
3. brush tilapia on both sides with 1 tablespoon of the oil and springle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Grill flipping once/until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Let rest 4 minutes and pull into chunks with a fork.
4. place each tortilla on a plate. Scatter on onion, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and radishes. Lay tilapia pieces on top. Fan sliced avocado quarters over tilapia and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Serve with lime wedges.
Makes 4 servings.(and that means 2 for Bob).

Black bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

This is such a simple and delicious dish. Sorry to the vegetarians, but it's so good. The El Pato hot sauce is a MUST. We find it at a store with a great Mexican/ethnic section. From MyRecipes.com

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This would still be great if you are vegetarian to just skip the chicken/worcestershire and throw in half a can or so of black beans, it doesn't really depend on the chicken to be good. The peppers and onions and spices really make the soup. From BigOven

Black bean burgers!

Inspired by the Hubbard Avenue Diner's delicious black bean burger. I went searching for a recipe on the interweb and came back with this one, and it's great.

1 12 oz. can of black beans
1 boiled potato (or throw in microwave for 3 minutes) - any sort, soft enough to mash
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped cilantro (optional)
juice of 1 lime
1 T cumin
cayenne pepper to taste
1 t salt (optional)
dash o pepper
1/3 cup cornmeal (enough to make mixture patty-formable/hold shape)
1/2 jalepeno (optional)
1 ear of corn - cooked and shaved (optional)

Mash up the majority of the beans and the potato in a bowl using a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash together with clean hands (Yes squish it together, OOOH! sensual goo (seriously this is from the original recipe, I chose to keep it for color). Form into patties of desired size and fry em up in plenty of oil until crispy on the outside.

Our favorite addition to this would be a dollop of sour cream or plain non-fat yogurt, a slice of tasty cheese (like Monterey jack) and some salsa on a soft kaiser bun. But you can dress it up however you like. So fast to make and so good.

Eggplant, Tomato and Smoked Mozzarella Tart from Cooking Light

This tart recipe was recommended by my friend Angela and sounds delicious. I might replace the smoked mozzarella with non-fat mozzarella to get the fat calories down (30% is high for a dish) but that would sacrifice the smoky flavor.

Edamame-Avocado Dip

From Good Housekeeping October 2010! A healthy twist on guacamole.

Start to Finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 12-oz. pkg. frozen shelled edamame (sweet soybeans), thawed
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut up
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. purchased basil pesto (I used a little olive oil and skipped the pesto since I didn't have any.. turned out just fine)
3/4 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Chopped tomato (optional)
Pita chips or tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a food processor combine edamame, avocado, onion, lemon juice, pesto, 3/4 teaspoon salt,
and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and process until well combined and nearly smooth. Place dip in an
airtight container; cover. Chill until serving time.
2. To serve, top with tomato and additional sea salt and pepper. Serve with pita or tortilla chips.
Makes 2-1/2 cups dip (twenty 2-Tbsp. servings).

Nutritional facts

Calories 48, Total Fat (g) 3, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1, Sodium (mg) 74, Carbohydrate (g) 3, Total
Sugar (g) 1, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 2, Vitamin C (DV%) 8, Calcium (DV%) 2, Iron (DV%) 2

Roasted Squash Bisque

From Molly Costanza-Robinson!


2 Tbsp butter
4 med butternet squash (peeled, de-seeded/fibered, cut into 1” cubes)
1 yellow onion, diced
1-1/2 Tbs curry powder + to taste
¼ tsp chili pepper flakes
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
8-10 cups stock or water
2 tsp salt + to taste
½ tsp orange zest
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 °. Use 1 Tbsp butter to grease several cookie sheets. Bake squash until tender, ~25 minutes.

In a heavy-bottomed pot over med-low heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter, cook onion until tender (~ 7 minutes). Add curry and chili pepper flakes, and continue cooking ~3 minutes more.

Raise heat to med, and add squash, apple, broth, and salt. Simmer until squash and apple are very tender (~30-40 minutes).

Stir in orange zest. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In batches, puree’ the mixture in blender/food processor.

Return mixture to pot & stir in coconut milk/cream.

Taste, adjust seasoning.

Kale and chickpea recipes from the New York Times Magazine

Featured in a recent article on side dishes for meat eaters and originally served alongside lamb chops, these vegetable side dishes would introduce sweet, spicy and coconut flavors to more traditional Thanksgiving table regulars.

NOTE: This dish was second only to the turkey at our Thanksgiving this year--very easy to make on the stovetop earlier in the day and re-heat before serving.

Carrot-Sweet Potato Soup

Overview: This is so easy, bright orange and great for fall lunches or dinners.

Ingredients: 

• one one-pound bag of carrots, cleaned and peeled, cut into pieces
• one medium or two small sweet potatoes, cleaned and peeled, cut into pieces (can use regular potatoes, too)
• four cups of liquid (use water + bouillon or pre-made stock, vegetable or chicken would work best)

Directions:
Place all ingredients into saucepan and cook at a low boil just until veggies are tender (when pierced with a fork or knife they should break easily). Cool to room temperature. Use a stick blender or regular blender to puree. Re-heat and serve. Four to six servings, whether cup or bowl.

Combine one or more of the below flavors according to your taste/diet or play with your favorite spices/ones that go with the rest of the meal:

• one tablespoon of butter, cream, sour cream, plain yogurt
• one tablespoon of olive oil
• one tablespoon of sesame oil
• one tablespoon of honey, maple syrup
• one tablespoon of soy sauce
• sprinkle with fresh chopped or dried herbs like parsley, cilantro, or sage with the butter or olive oil
• one tablespoon of grated fresh ginger with the honey, maple syrup, soy sauce or sesame oil

starting up

A soup a day. A renal cardiac diet. We talked about food this week and starting a way to share recipes with each other, so here it is!