Heirloom Tomato and Mixed Veggies

I've had a bunch of requests for all my veggie recipes, lately. I feel like these are easy meals that can be manipulated to fit the veggies in your fridge. Craig says I just need to do some of them as recipes, so here we go!

Fresh veggies are the key and allowing their flavor to develop by roasting makes them even more delicious. As vegetarians these dishes are often the main/only course and we add beans, eggs, or cheese to provide some protein. These items may always be left out or switched for a serving of chicken, beef, tofu, tempeh, etc.

Oil, I prefer avocado
1 medium onion, sliced
2 c. cauliflower florets
1 zucchini, sliced
1 large heirloom tomato
1/2 bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c. diced green chiles
1 c. beans, in this case I used tepary (optional)
oregano, dried or fresh
salt/pepper

Sauté onion in a bit of oil.

When soft add in cauliflower, zucchini, heirloom tomato (this is what makes it look saucy), bell pepper, and the green chile.

Salt will bring out the juices, so add a sprinkle. I also added a bit of oregano from the herb bed.

Stir to coat veggies and simmer for a few minutes.

To get a roast-y taste, place it in the oven for 10 minutes (I added tepary beans at that point).

If desired, top with cheese and a sprinkle of pepper.

Sesame Orange Dressing

The veggies I use tend to differ every time I make a dish. The sauces are often close to the same, but as I don't measure they change depending on my mood. This is a common base, that sometimes has more ginger, more salty soy sauce, or added honey to give it a tad sweeter taste. Taste as you go!

2 tangerines, peeled
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 green onion
1 - 2 cloves garlic
2 T. toasted sesame oil
1.5 T. soy/tamari sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
Fire oil or cayenne for spice

Blend ingredients until smooth. Optional: If you like a thicker sauce, want more sweetness, or don't like strong vinegar flavors, add a teaspoon or so of honey.

Use on sautéed or roasted veggies, rice, noodles, or cabbage salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Hot and Sour Soup

Happy Chinese New Year!  I love a good bowl of hot and sour soup, but it is difficult to find restaurants that have a vegetarian one.  Over the years, I have tried many recipes and adjusted and adjusted.  It is different every time I make it, but here is the gist.

2 T. sesame oil
1/2 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. ginger, minced
1 carrot, julienned
1/4 c. bamboo, julienned
1/2 c. mushrooms (shitake, crimini, woodears), sliced
1 quart broth (veggie, miso, chicken)
1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
red pepper flakes or fire oil, to taste
white pepper, to taste
2 T. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. kale, de-ribbed and finely sliced

Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil until softened.
Add veggies (feel free to diversify) and sauté 5 minutes.
Add broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and spices/fire oil. Bring to a simmer and let cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust vinegar, soy, or spice to your desire.
Make a slurry with cornstarch/arrowroot and some of the broth in a measuring cup. When smooth, add to simmering soup and allow to thicken for several minutes.
Remove from heat and slowly drizzle egg in using a spiral pattern.  Let sit for a minute, then add kale and green onions and give the soup a gentle stir.  Serve with an extra drizzle of sesame oil.


I often don't have bamboo shoots and many times I use celery or jicama to give it a crunch.  Tofu or a cooked meat can be added for more protein.  Kale isn't classic in a hot and sour soup, but I really like it!

Roasted Butternut Tahini Dip

Sweet and creamy.  This dip can easily be mixed with a pasta, rice, or used as a dip for a plate of veggies.  

1/2  butternut squash
1 small onion, halved
Oil for roasting
1/4 c.  tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. coriander powder
Drizzle sesame oil
salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste


Coat onion and squash in oil and roast until the squash is soft and the onions are browning.  Cool.

Scoop out squash and place it and remaining ingredients into blender/food processor.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Adjust ingredients to your desire. I sometimes want lemony or spicy. 

Garnish with a drizzle of sesame/olive oil and some sesame seeds.  This is good warm or as a sauce.    

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe has become a staple for our annual holiday party.  It's gluten free and vegan, so it works for many diets and freezes well *if* we don't eat it all.  It would be a fabulous base for a meat chili - just add or replace beans with your favorite chili meat for a paleo option.  

Oil, for sautéing

1 large onion, chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 T. chili powder

1 t. cumin

2 bell peppers, diced (red, yellow, orange, green....)

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can green chilies or several chopped fresh ones

28oz can crushed tomatoes  (I often use fresh pureed in a blender)

3 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 t. dried

jalapeño, diced

1-2 squash, diced (zucchini, yellow, Mexican grey) 

~ 4 cups (or 2 cans) beans (I use a combination of types)

Sauté onion and garlic, in oil, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add chili, cumin, bell peppers, and diced tomatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes or so.  

After bells start to soften, add green chilies, crushed tomatoes, oregano, jalapeño, and zucchini.  Cover and simmer to meld the flavors.  You could simmer this for 20 minutes to all day adding water or broth as needed.  

Add beans 10 minutes before serving to warm them up.  You can add them earlier, but they tend to get a bit overcooked.  

Toppings:  red onion, sour cream, cheese, green onion, cilantro, olives, salsa, chips, cornbread....options, options!

Apricot Lentil Soup

I have a cold, the day is overcast, and despite the 100º temperature, I feel like soup.  My CSA has given me tomatoes and onions in abundance.  I have some sweet potatoes to use up before our road trip.  Middle Eastern dishes use lots of apricots and lentils, but given my Armenian descent I consider this an Armenian style soup.  Here we go!


1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 - 2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 - 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup dried apricot,  diced (I threw in a couple squishy fresh ones, also)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (to taste, I like tart)
salt and pepper (cayenne) to taste

These, as usual, are estimates.  I just threw all ingredients, except lemon juice/salt/pepper, into the crockpot with water to cover and let slow cook together until tender.  Puree in the blender, lemon juice/salt/pepper to taste, and serve topped with yogurt and nuts or diced apricots.

For the stovetop, I would sauté onions and garlic in the oil before adding in the other ingredients and simmering until tender in water to cover.  Puree, lemon juice/salt/pepper, garnish, and eat!

I did not give a water amount. If you wanted this thick like dip you can use less, thinner use more.  I would start with enough to cover and go from there.

Garlic Kale Eggdrop Soup with Lemon

We try to consume lots of greens.  Kale is the one we use the most (along with salad greens).  This recipe was refreshing and delicious and could be made with other greens should you desire.  

1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bulb of garlic (yes, a whole bulb)
1 quart broth
Sprig of fresh oregano or 1/2 t. ground
Salt and pepper
1/4 c. fresh basil or 1 T. dried
1/4 c. lemon juice
5-6 cups kale
2 eggs, beaten

Sauté onion and garlic cloves in oil until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add broth, oregano, and salt/pepper.  Simmer for as long as you want (I left mine on for ~40 minutes just for that warm, garlic soup smell.

Blend broth mixture adding the basil, lemon juice, and as much kale as you desire. Taste test for flavor - more lemon/salt/pepper to taste.
  
Return to pot, bring to a simmer.  Slowly drizzle in eggs as you stir the soup.  Let cook a couple minutes and serve.  We added more kale, cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan to ours.  

Ranch Dressing

Craig and I have always appreciated a good salad.  We tend to prefer vinaigrette dressings, with balsamic vinaigrette being a favorite. In a desire to increase the kids salad consumption we asked what we could do to make them more desirable.  Eva wants no toppings, just lettuce and the balsamic dressing - easy enough.  Elias claimed that anything works, but he likes going to Sweet Tomato's for the ranch.  Ranch isn't something I use often.  My grandma always made a fabulous homemade one, so I set out to recreate a homemade version that Elias would appreciate.  He is now requesting salads.  

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise


• 1/2 cup buttermilk


• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives


• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley


• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed


• 1    teaspoon garlic powder


• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


• Dash of cayenne

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These are a tradition for Christmas morning, served with quiche and fruit. We do make them other times...a rainy day always make me feel like a good, gooey cinnamon roll.

The Dough:
2/3 cup milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup canned/fresh pumpkin puree
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
(I use all white whole wheat flour and add a couple tablespoons of gluten.)

I heat the milk and butter until the butter is almost melted. Beat the eggs. Adding all the ingredients to my bread machine. I place this in my bread machine on the dough setting. :) Easy.

If you don't have a bread machine: Heat the milk and butter until butter is mostly melted into the milk. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, pumpkin, sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Add 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast to the bowl and mix until smooth. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and knead/mix until a soft dough comes together. You may need to add a little extra flour to make the dough workable, but only add a bit at a time. This is supposed to be a very soft dough! Lightly flour your countertop and knead the dough for a couple turns until you have a smooth dough. Lightly grease another large bowl and turn dough into it. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with a neutral oil, such as canola, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.


The Filling:
This changes...
~3/4 c. butter
I add cinnamon until it is the color brown I want...maybe 2 Tablespoons.
~ 1/2 c. sugar

Sometimes I add other spices, or brown sugar. Mix this into a smooth mixture and spread over rolled out dough. Sprinkle with nuts, dried cranberries, raisins...whatever your heart desires.

Roll length wise and cut into a dozen 1 1/2" to 2" wide portions. Place in an oiled 13 x 9 pan.

Now you can let rise in a warm place for 40 min or so. Or you can cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. This makes Christmas morning much easier.

If you rise right away: After rising, place them in a 350 degree preheated over for 30 minutes. Remove and glaze/frost.

If you opt for overnight: About an hour before you want to serve the rolls, remove plastic wrap from the rolls and set in an oven with the light on. Place a pan of boiling water on the rack below the rolls, close the oven and allow to warm for about 30 minutes. When you can no longer feel a chill coming from the dough when your hand is lightly placed on top, remove pans from the oven and preheat to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and glaze/frost.

Glaze/Frostings:

I oftentimes just use a basic glaze of powdered sugar mixed with orange juice/lemon juice to make it runny. You can use as much as you want.

The picture is a cream cheese based frosting with a bit of extra oj glaze. I had a tub of Trader Joe's Orange Cranberry Marscapone Cream Cheese leftover and decided to use it. You can easily make a cream cheese frosting with:

4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk/orange juice

Mix until creamy and spread on top of warm rolls. You can add cinnamon, lemon juice (less sweet), marscapone, or cranberries.

Always good, but I like them warm with a good cup of coffee.

Crepes

Sweet, savory, fruit, veggies, cheese, fresh herbs...fill them with whatever you want.

Tonight we had them filled with cheese and vegetables. I used sauteed red onion, mushroom, zucchini and garlic. The cheese was a mix of sharp cheddar and cottage cheese with lots of oregano and pepper.

Morning crepes are great filled with fruit, yogurt and cottage cheese. Top with whip cream and powdered sugar.

Crepe Batter
(This batter needs to sit for at least an hour or overnight.)

4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of flour (I used WW Pastry)
1 - 2 cups of milk (any type or combination of types)

Blend together all crepe ingredients, using one cup of milk, to a smooth batter. Let rest 1 hour or overnight. Blend briefly before using. If the batter is still thick after a cup of milk add more until you have a runny mixture. I have in the past added up to a cup more depending on the flour. Heat an 8-inch skillet or crepe pan to med-low. Grease pan and pour in enough batter to lightly coat bottom of pan. Cook until just starting to brown. Flip gently and brown the other side. Remove from pan. Fill and roll up. Enjoy the versatility.

If you are doing a sweet crepe and want a sweeter batter, add a tablespoon of honey to the batter.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

1 c. yogurt/sour cream/mayo (any combination will do)

1 c. chopped artichoke hearts or any tapenade

1 c. chopped spinach

1/4 c. chopped basil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

salt/pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Place into a casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees until the top is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve warm with bread, veggies and crackers.

This is quite versatile. I have used olives, bell pepper, eggplant or green chilies instead of artichokes. I've also mixed in other cheeses. It is always a hit at a party and you can easily scale the recipe to accommodate any size crowd.

Ginger Broth

I made a simple ginger stock tonight and made a tray of raw sliced veggies to add to it. It was delicious and the kids ate theirs over rice. I love the way this broth makes my house smell!

Ginger Broth

2 T. ginger (more if you like it really ginger-y)
1.5 T. garlic
oil to sauté
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. cold water
7 c. water
3 T. veggie bouillon

Sauté the ginger and garlic until soft and starting to brown. Mix cornstarch and cold water. Add water and bouillon to cornstarch mixture, then add to garlic/ginger. Bring to a boil and serve with diced raw veggies. I recommend several of these: carrots, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, snap or snow peas, bamboo, tofu

Vegan Chocolate Cake with a Vegan "Buttercream" Frosting

I took this cake to a Fourth of July party last night and have been asked for the recipe. So since I am not great at measuring or remembering exactly what I did, I am quickly posting while it is still *mostly* in my head! Hope it works for everyone as well as it worked for me. I only had a small piece left, so not the best picture ever...

3 cups flour (I used a mix of whole wheat pastry and rice)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vinegar (I used cider)
1 cup water
1 cup milk (I used a mix of coconut and whole grain milks)

~ Oil, flour and line two round cake pans or one 13 X 9. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar and stir.
~ In a mixing bowl mix oil, applesauce, vanilla, vinegar, water and milk.
~ Add dry mixture to wet mixture in several parts and mix until smooth.
~ Bake for 30 t0 40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.


Elias asked for a sweet frosting like on a normal cake. I am a huge fan of cream cheese/whip cream frostings and don't care for buttercreams, but he prevailed. I think the frosting was too sweet, and would cut back on sugar next time. I did spread it thin and topped it with unsweetened coconut. I didn't want to distract from the coconut I put on top and didn't add a larger amount of lemon juice as I normally would have. So here is an estimate on what I did do....

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup vegan shortening
~ 3 cups powdered sugar (I have no clue how much I just dump in until I get the right consistency)
1 - 2 Tablespoons of milk (I used coconut)
a teaspoon of vanilla
a dash of lemon juice

~ Beat the margarine and shortening until creamy.
~ Add powdered sugar until you have the consistency you like taking turns with a bit of milk, vanilla and lemon juice.

I topped this with coconut, but you could add any flavor you wanted including cocoa powder and top with nuts, seeds, fruit etc.

Energy Balls

We make these as a good snack for those sweet tooth kind of days. They seem to go on lots of camping trips and travel well (you do need to keep them cool). Adaptable!

1/2 cup of a nut butter (we use almond mostly)
1/4 cup of molasses (I skimp here)
1/4 cup of honey (I skimp here too)
1 cup of almond meal or other dry item like milk powder, protein powders, ground flax
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of dried fruit, nuts, coconut, seeds of your choice
more almond meal, sesame seeds, coconut, finely chopped nuts to coat

Stir together nut butter, molasses, honey, almond meal and vanilla. After it is well mixed stir in dried fruit/nuts. Roll into balls of whatever snack size you want. Coat with the meal/seeds to keep from sticking together. Keep in refrigerator and enjoy!

Zucchini Sandwich Filling

Elias has shown himself to be dairy intolerant and we are all cutting out quite a bit of it in order to make his life easier. One of his favorite lunches is a sandwich, usually avocado cheese. Today we did a bit of experimenting and made a zucchini filling that he (and the rest of us) really enjoyed. I used to make something like this with shredded cheese and zucchini, adding sour cream or mayonnaise to the dressing.

Use all or a mixture of to compliment the zucchini:
1 zucchini, shredded (I used my mandoline and slice to 3 mm julienne)
black olives, quartered
tomatoes, diced
green onions, chopped
cucumber, shredded or diced
bell peppers, diced

Top and stir in dressing:

Blend until smooth adding enough olive oil to make it a dip like consistency.

2-3 green onions
handful basil
handful parsley
2-3 T lemon juice
1/2 avocado (I used this instead of the sour cream I used to use)
garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

This is great as a sandwich filling or used as a salad you scoop with chips. I can find many of these ingredients in my summer garden and they all tend to be staple foods in our house. Easy and fresh tasting.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are incredibly dark in flavor. They are a bit on the bitter side, so if you like a sweeter brownie add a larger quantity of sugar. I think they are perfect for a scoop of ice cream. Let the brownies cool before removing them from the pan, as they will crumble when hot (still taste good though!)

1 cup butter
1.75 - 2.5 cups sugar
4 large eggs
scant 1.5 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.5 cup flour
4 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped (or about 2 cups dark chocolate chips)
Nuts if you so desire!

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13″ x 9″ pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Add the sugar and melt just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

In another bowl, crack eggs and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.

Stir the butter mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.

Stir in the flour and chocolate. Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool before serving.

Cilantro Pesto Dip

This is a raw food that we love to eat with crackers or blue corn chips (not raw!) Many of our friends who dislike cilantro have enjoyed this dip. You have to remember to soak the nuts/seeds the night before.

1/3 c. raw brazil nuts
1/3 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c. raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

4 cloves garlic
2 c. packed cilantro/coriander
2/3 c. olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
2 t. dulse powder (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Soak the nuts and seeds overnight in a quart of water and rinse.
Process the garlic and nuts/seeds until sandy textured.
Add the cilantro, oil, lemon juice, dulse and salt and process until it is a smooth paste (although sometimes I don't do it too smooth).
Serve with veggies, chips, crackers or other favorite dippers.

This does freeze well, although we never have any left for freezing.

Lemon Lentil Soup

Olive oil
1.5 c. onion, diced

1 c. carrot, diced
1.25 t. fresh oregano, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
.25 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
.25 t. chile flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

6 c. vegetable stock
1.5 c. red lentils

.5 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium-high. Add onion and cook until soft.
Add next 8 ingredients. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until carrot
is slightly tender.
Add stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat discard bay leaf and stir in lemon juice and zest.
We usually top with lots of fresh parsley, yogurt and feta.

Lemon Butternut Quinoa

We love quinoa dishes and usually use a mix of red and white quinoa. You can use just the white if that is what you have!

1 butternut squash peeled and diced 1/2" cubes
1 red onion wedged or diced
1 lemon juice and peel
olive oil
1.5 cups quinoa
4 cloves garlic
1-2 t. thyme
3 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups greens (your choice; parsley, cress, spinach)
salt and pepper
Pinion nuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat butternut with a squeeze of lemon juice (save the rest of the juice and grated peel for later) and olive oil. You can either roast the wedged onions with this or dice them and saute later.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring once or twice.

Rinse quinoa and drain while squash is cooking. Saute onion and garlic (or just garlic) in oil until soft. Add quinoa and toast until dry and fragrant. Add squash, broth, thyme, the rest of the lemon juice and peel, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in chopped greens and serve topped with pinion nuts!

Yogurt

Mmmmmm...nothing like a good bowl of yogurt. I disliked yogurt until adulthood, then along came Greek food and I loved tzatziki! Along came Elias and I started making yogurt myself. Homemade yogurt that I could sweeten to my personal (not sweet) level was a definite improvement.

I have made it with no incubator a couple times, but we bought one just for ease. It makes a quart at a time and we tend to make two to three batches a week.

Heat milk for 10 minutes or to an almost boil. Cool for a bit over an hour (until under 90 degrees). Add some plain yogurt with acidophilus ~1/3 cup. Stir gently until mostly combined and then incubate at 110 degrees for 4 to 10 hours until set. The longer the incubation the more tart the yogurt. We usually leave ours overnight.

I love how simple of a process it is, how inexpensive it makes my yogurt budget$ and how good for our health it is. We use yogurt in place of buttermilk or milk in lots of recipes; pancakes, biscuits, quick breads, even cookies. Bowls topped with fruit and granola are great healthy snacks. Tzatziki with pilaf is a favorite. Lemon lentil soup with a dollop is wonderfully creamy. Dips, spreads, frozen or on a warm fruit compote....yogurt!