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.

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!

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.

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.

Wellingtons

If you ask Craig what his favorite type of dinner is he will invariably say something with puff pastry. Over the years I have made Wellingtons with a number of different fillings, but find that Portabello mushrooms are the main ingredient. Sometimes they are stuffed with other veggies or a nut pesto or cheese. They have all turned out delicious! (I think shoe leather would even taste good if wrapped in puff pastry.)

Start by making a vegetable based coulis....I tend to use Red Peppers
Red bell peppers (or kale, spinach, tomato, squash)
Onion
Garlic
Vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until soft. Puree into a smooth liquid. This can be done ahead and reheated later when you plate the wellingtons.

Portabella Mushrooms
Roasted or steamed veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, etc)
Cheese or pesto or sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Garlic
Herbs (Basil, oregano, etc)
Salt and Pepper
Puff pastry, thawed
egg, beaten with a bit of water


Marinate the mushrooms with the vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until soft ~ 30-40 minutes.

Saute, roast or steam your other veggie. You can make a mix or pistachios with onion and mushrooms, steamed favorite veggie, simple marinara sauce. In this case I steamed zucchini.

Take a puff pastry sheet and cut it into squares ~ 5 inches. Place a mushroom cut in half on it. Add your cheese, sauces and veggies. Wrap pastry around trying to seal edges as much as possible. If your dough doesn't stretch it isn't thawed enough.

Using a knife take another piece of dough and cut slits in rows. This piece will provide a bit more structure and beautification. You can also cut a shape and place it on top...hearts, flowers.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place Wellingtons on cookie sheet and brush with the egg. Bake until nicely browned.

I usually make garlic mashed potatoes or a rice pilaf to go with this. I also serve it with some sort of green vegetable to compliment the red pepper sauce (asparagus is a favorite).

To serve: Place mashed potatoes/rice in the center of the plate. Add Wellington on top. Pour warm coulis around the Wellington structure and lay in a bit of your pretty vegetable. Enjoy!

Versatile Polenta!

Polenta is such a wonderful substance! It is fantastic served in its mush state with sautéed veggies, cooled and shaped and then grilled for towers, layered for lasagna or baked in a tart pan for a pizza.

The other night I was looking for dinner inspiration and came across a polenta pizza. With a few changes to accommodate the items in my kitchen I came up with this flavorful pizza! I used goat cheese and spinach for the sauce with fresh tomato, kalamata olives, fresh basil and mozzarella to top it off. It was perfect served with a green salad. It was a definite hit with Craig and Sam.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups polenta cornmeal
2 cups cold water
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
3.5 oz. goat cheese
1 c. packed spinach leaves
Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Oil 10 inch tart pan (I used one with a removable base). Combine polenta with water in sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add grated parmesan cheese and cook a few more minutes. Add polenta to tart pan and spread evenly and up the edges. Bake until dry and crisp on the edges, about 30 minutes.

In a food processor puree the spinach and goat cheese. Spread this over the crust. Add your chosen toppings and bake until your cheese is melted. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil before serving.