Well... how can I post a salsa recipe without guacamole! Silly girl... So I went back to one of my first blog posts and dug it up. Of course, there's a story...
My sister, who lives in Arizona, makes the best guacamole I’ve ever
tasted. I've been eating it for years. All this time I thought she used sour cream and Mexican cheese, but during my last visit to Arizona she made it. To my surprise, she doesn't use either one of those ingredients! It's still the best ever, and it's just one of those things... the girl has it down!
Now, I hope this doesn't disappoint you, but what follows isn't her recipe. She really doesn't have one. Figures. So this is mine. It's very good, really!
Guacamole
3 avocados
1T. lime juice or more to taste
½ C. red onion, diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 minced garlic clove
2T. cilantro, chopped
½ t. cumin
½ t. salt
Pepper to taste
Mix
ingredients together and serve. I keep it fresh by placing plastic
wrap directly on top of the guacamole, pushing down so it's air tight,
and placing it the in refrigerator.
I know I haven't been blogging, but there's a reason. One you can all relate to... stress!
Work had been crazy and I felt like I wasn't doing anything well. I had been in the middle of reading a book (for about a month), my house was screaming "CLEAN ME" as I walked through every room, the weeds wouldn't stop growing (no matter how I looked at them) and I wasn't cooking. I was a mess.
Still, there are those beautiful moments that happen in the middle of all the chaos, and you just can't ignore them. In this case, it was on Mother's Day. Everyone (including the dog) let me sleep late. I laid in bed and read all morning. My girls came home. They cleaned the house, shopped and cooked dinner. What a gift. They probably won't understand what that meant to me until they're a little older, but I know the gift will be returned to them one day.
So, when I saw what they were making for dinner I decided to help out, just a little. I had the ingredients to make a pico de gallo that would fit in nicely with the dinner the girls had planned. So I made it.
I really love adding pico de gallo to a Mexican menu. In fact, I think it's a great condiment most any time. It's also called salsa fresca. It's a fresh, uncooked condiment made from chopped tomato, onion and chilis. Other ingredients are often added, such as lime juice and fresh cilantro. My recipe is well liked and very versatile. You can easily build onto it and I hope you do.
Also, I know it's seriously late in the year, but Happy Mother's Day ladies!
Pico de Gallo
3 plum tomatoes, about 1 3/4 - 2 cups
3/4 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon diced jalapenos, seeded and de-veined
1/2 cup cilantro
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a bowl combine all ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to almost ready to serve. Let it sit out for about 30 minutes if you can. Serve.
Yes, I know it's still spring, but I posted this recipe last summer. Hence the name. It's my daughter's creation. She recently made it again and I was reminded just how much I love this sandwich. It's simple and fresh. There's no added fake cheese for creaminess, no sauce or dressing to make. It doesn't need it! It goes together quickly and it's delicious!!
Summer Sandwich
Serves 4
You're favorite artisan bread
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1-2 avocados, sliced
red onion, a few slices
spinach
colossal green olives, sliced
olive oil
Slice
the bread into thick slices. Lightly oil one side of each and grill or broil until
golden. Begin layering the rest of the ingredients onto the toasted side
of one slice... spinach, tomato slices, red onion, avocado and olives. Yum!
Note: The photo isn't mine. I ate the sandwich before I thought about taking a picture.
This recipe came to my attention courtesy of my beautiful daughter and her boyfriend. The two of them made this over the weekend and enjoyed it so much I received an email containing the recipe along with photos! They found it on the Food Network website from Giada De Laurentis (I've included the link below). My daughter said it was easy to make and fairly flavorful. Her other comments were that it was good either hot or cold, but she preferred it cold, so it sounds like a great lunch too. The recipe below is a copy of what appears on the website but I added the two notes, "minus tomatoes," and "great for the omni's in the house". Thanks Lo!!!
Pasta Primavera
Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (great for the omni's in the house)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables (minus tomatoes) with the
oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the
vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly
over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the
vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20
minutes total.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water
until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.
So... I've been watching Dr. Oz lately, and he said I need to eat more avocados. Rough prescription, but I'll do my best!
Avocado Quesadilla Appetizer
4 flour or corn tortillas
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cherry tomatoes, diced
2 T red onion, diced
2 t. fresh lime juice
pinch of coriander
pinch of sea salt
Tabasco Sauce to taste
canola oil or a spray oil for cooking
Salsa for serving
Mix the avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, coriander and sea salt together. Add the Tabasco Sauce to taste (I used 5 drops) and mix. Get out 1 tortilla on a work surface. Place about a
quarter of the mixture on one half, not too near edge. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling to form a semicircle. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat.
Add oil. Slide uncooked quesadilla onto the pan. Press briefly with a spatula. Cook until golden, about 1 minute, then flip and grill 1 minute more. Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board and
slice into 3 wedges. Serve immediately with your favorite salsa. This recipe will make 24 wedges.
My husband and I went north for New Years Eve and spent it with family. My sister Kathy organized the celebration and did nearly all of the cooking. She's an amazing cook. She thinks of everything! So when I walked in to find a vegan appetizer, I wasn't surprised. As usual, it was fantastic. I begged her for the recipe and she sent it on to share along with this note.
"Here is the recipe for the ratatouille! This is my tweaked version of a recipe from a newspaper insert. I
can't remember which one! You can use it as a
main vegan dish or do the appetizer. If doing the appetizer, you should still
have leftover ratatouille. I think this would also be great served over pasta."
I cannot adequately express how beautiful this appetizer is to look at, and it's soooo delicious! Thank you Kathy!
Yummy over pasta too!
Ratatouille
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium orange bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1/2 medium eggplant, diced (My sister used a bit less and left the eggplant unpeeled, but you could peel it if desired)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 t coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
30 - 45 mini phyllo cups
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add yellow and orange bell peppers and cook for another 2 minutes. Add zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant and cook for 2 more minutes. Add garlic, tomato, salt and pepper and cook for about 1 minute.
To make into an appetizer, spoon ratatouille into the mini phyllo cups and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until heated through.
This is a dish I made for Christmas dinner. It's easy, beautiful and a wonderful side... plus, it's red! But one of the best features of this recipe is that it can be made in advance and served at room temperature if you don't have enough space in the oven. It's perfect for entertaining. Enjoy!
Tomato Confit
12 - 15 small tomatoes - about 2 inches round
6 basil leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
enough extra virgin olive oil to come about half way up baking dish
sea salt
freshly cracked pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil water in a large pot and get an ice water bath ready in a bowl. Prepare the tomatoes by cutting a small X on the bottom of each one. Put the tomatoes into the boiling water and time for about 15 seconds or wait until you see the skin begin to crack. Immediately remove the tomatoes and place them into the ice water bath to cool. Peel and core the tomatoes once cooled. Place the basil, thyme and garlic in the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to hold the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, core side down, on top of the herbs and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Pour the olive oil into the dish until the oil comes nearly half way up the side of the tomatoes. Bake for about 50 minutes. Cool the tomatoes and place them in an airtight container. Remove the garlic and herbs from the olive oil and pour the oil into the container with the tomatoes. Refrigerate. This can be served at room temperature or you can reheat them before serving. They will last for 3 days refrigerated.
1-2 T olive oil
1 C chopped white onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 C sliced button mushrooms
1/2 C sliced celery
1 package of Trader Joe's Beef-Less ground beef (12 oz.)
1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 6oz. can of tomato paste
1 T vegan worcestershire sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1 C brown rice
water for cooking rice
4 green peppers
Panko bread crumbs for topping
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the brown rice according to the package directions. While the rice is cooking, in a saute pan heat the olive oil and add the onion, garlic, mushrooms and celery. Saute until the vegetables are tender, between 5 - 10 minutes. Add the package of "beef-less" ground beef and stir into the vegetables. Once the "beef-less" ground beef and the vegetables are well combined, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder. Gently simmer. Once the rice is cooked add it to the vegetable mixture. Cut the top off of the green peppers and fill each with the mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Lightly oil a baking dish. Place the peppers open side up on the baking dish and bake covered for 30 - 35 minutes.
There's
little better in this world than fresh sweet corn and tomatoes at the
end of the summer. This is a recipe I posted two years ago. I made it again recently and its wonderful.
Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
¼ t. sea salt
¼ t. black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Veggies
½ C. uncooked whole wheat orzo
¼ C. red onion, diced
1 C. tomato, diced
4 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
½ C. cucumber, diced
Italian flat-leaf parsley
Cook
the orzo according to directions. While the pasta is cooking make the
dressing by whisking together the ingredients. Drain the pasta and put
it into a bowl. Spoon a little of the dressing over the pasta, stir to
coat and set aside to cool. Prepare the vegetables. When the orzo is
cool, mix the orzo, vegetables and remaining dressing together. Garnish
with parsley and serve.
This is a recipe I dreamed up two summers ago. And now with the tomatoes and corn just coming in, I made it again and thought it deserved a repeat performance. The
avocado dressing is wonderfully flavorful on top of the vegetables.
Avocado Sweet Corn Salad
Can be made quickly
Serves 4
Dressing
1 avocado
3 T fresh lemon juice
½ C. peeled and diced cucumber
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper
Salad
8 C. loosely pack lettuce – chopped romaine and mixed baby greens
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 large tomato, cut into large bite size pieces
½ sweet pepper (I used an orange pepper), cut into bite size pieces
1/4 C. sweet onion, sliced and cut into bite size pieces
1 cucumber – (use the remaining cucumber from the dressing) peeled, seeded and cut into bite size pieces
To
make the dressing, cut and scoop out the avocado putting it into a food
processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until blended and
smooth. Put the salad ingredients into a large bowl and pour the
dressing over the salad. Gently toss to mix the dressing with the
vegetables and serve.
I made the bruschetta recipe below, but it was just my husband and myself eating, so I ended up with about half of the tomatoes. That's how this recipe came about.
Making both the bruschetta and this pasta recipe for the same night would be perfect for two! And there's no need to double any part of it.
Tomatoes-
10 oz. of cherry tomatoes
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 t. fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. sea salt
The night before (although it doesn't need to be) mix together the olive
oil, garlic, basil leaves, rosemary, crushed red pepper and sea salt in
a bowl large enough to hold the oil mixture and all of the tomatoes.
Slice each cherry tomato in half the length of the fruit and add them to
the olive oil marinade. Cover and set aside.
Pesto -
1/8 C pine nuts
1/8 C chopped walnuts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 C packed basil leaves
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
In
a food processor or blender, add nuts, chopped garlic, basil leaves (ripping them into smaller pieces) and sea salt. Pulse. Add the olive
oil while the processor is running to make a smooth paste.
Asparagus - 1 bunch fresh asparagus olive oil sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim the asparagus. Lay the spears out onto a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss coating the asparagus completely. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
Angel Hair Pasta -
1/2 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta
Salt and pepper Pine nuts for garnish
Cook
the pasta according to package directions. Near the end of the cook
time, add two tablespoons of pasta water to the pesto sauce and
stir to combine. Drain the pasta and add it to the pesto sauce.
Stir in the asparagus and tomatoes. Salt and pepper the dish to taste. Serve using pine nuts as a garnish.
Bruschetta is an antipasto from central Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread usually rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. But there are many variations on this starter, much more than we're used to seeing, including toppings of beans and cured meats. Mine is the more traditional bruschetta. It's a great recipe for entertaining when you don't have a lot of time because so much of it can be done in advance, and it tastes better if you do!
Bruschetta
1 baguette
10 oz. of cherry tomatoes
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 t. fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
extra basil leaves for garnish
The night before (although it doesn't need to be) mix together the olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, rosemary, crushed red pepper and sea salt in a bowl large enough to hold the oil mixture and all of the tomatoes. Slice each cherry tomato in half the length of the fruit and add them to the olive oil marinade. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
Put the balsamic in small sauce pan and heat over a low setting until reduced to a thick syrup. This can also be done in advance.
When ready to serve, slice the baguette in to thin rounds. Grill the rounds if you can. The flavor is so much better. If you can't grill, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lay the rounds out on a cookie sheet. Toast the bread in the oven checking every few minutes so it doesn't get too dark.
Lay the grilled or toasted bread out onto a serving plate. Spoon the tomatoes and some of the olive oil over the top. Drizzle the reduced balsamic over or near the bruschetta. Add the whole basil leaves. Serve!
My mother is visiting... so much fun! She's an amazing cook and hasn't missed a beat with my vegan diet. She whipped this up for dinner last night and the entire house smelled like the finest Italian restaurant you've ever been to. Another feature of this dish is how easily it can be adapted. With a little Parmesan cheese and shrimp the rest of my world was happy. Thank you Mom!!
Marnie's Pasta
3 cloves of garlic, sliced in half
1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
6 oz. of button mushrooms, sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 pound of whole wheat spaghetti
Serves 4 Simple & Quick
Begin by cooking the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. In a saute pan, slowly simmer the garlic cloves in the oil for about 5 - 10 minutes. Be careful not to brown too much. Remove the garlic and some of the oil. The garlic can be discarded. Reserve the oil for later. On low, brown the mushrooms for about five minutes. Add the tomatoes and heat through. When the pasta is done, add it to the saute pan along with the reserved oil. Toss to coat and serve.
This recipe comes from Ina Garten. She uses feta cheese in her recipe, which I omitted. Also, I added capers to the dressing for a little more flavor. It's a perfect summer salad, especially when using fresh vegetables from the garden. My family loved it and I will definitely make it again!
Ingredients
Good olive oil
1 small French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (approx. 6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or one large tomato large diced
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
For the vinaigrette:
nocoupons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
Directions
Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion.
Heat a grill or grill pan. Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, lightly brush olive oil onto each piece of bread. Grill the bread turning as they brown. Once they are nicely browned remove and add to the salad.
Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the olives and grilled bread and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.
Where is all the squash? Normally this time of year you can't run into someone without them offering up zucchini from their garden. Usually neighbors and co-workers are so overrun with summer squash they can’t bare it... and I always look forward to this overabundance.
I love the roasted flavors of squash so much I've been buying it to satisfy my cravings. Oh well... The following recipe is my latest creation. It's easy and yummy! I think you'll like it.Try it and let me know what you think.
Roasted Vegetables
1 large ripe tomato cored and sliced
2 lbs. zucchini and yellow summer squash, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the sliced squash in a large bowl and pour a little oil over the squash. Using your hands, toss the squash to coat with the oil. Lay the squash out on a sheet pan. Lay the tomatoes on the sheet pan and pour just a little oil over the tops of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the veggies with garlic, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
roasted vegetables and juices from the pan
one package of whole grain linguine
As the vegetables roast, boil the noodles as directed on the package. For the sauce, heat a large saute pan. Add the olive oil and Earth Balance warming until blended. Add the garlic, shallot, thyme and oregano to the pan. Saute until the shallot becomes translucent, about 5 minutes over medium low heat. Remove the sprigs of fresh herbs. Once the vegetables are done, add them to the saute pan with all the juices stirring until combined. Drain the pasta reserving some pasta water and add the pasta to the saute pan mixing well. If the sauce needs more liquid, add enough pasta water or olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. Serve!
This recipe isn't low-fat or fast, but it's fun to make and really delicious... so it's worth it... right? I didn't take my own picture because I was so excited about eating it, I forgot! (I'll make it again and post a pic... I promise). In the meantime, the picture above is from the food network website.
The recipe was inspired by a couple of things... a dish I had at an Italian restaurant years ago (I've dreamed about it ever since) and some freshly picked ripe tomatoes that my sister-in-law gave me.
Buon appetito!
Risotto:
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 T thyme, finely chopped
1 C Arborio rice
1/4 C chardonnay wine
lemon
salt and pepper
1 box of No-Chicken Broth, 32 oz.
Heat the broth in a pan and keep warm on the stove top. In a medium size sauce pan, add the oil and heat over medium low. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and saute until slightly softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the thyme and rice and stir so the rice is coated. Add the wine and stir for a few minutes until the alcohol is cooked out. Now begin adding the broth, one or two ladles at a time. Stir the rice and as the rice absorbs the broth add more. Stir constantly and repeat the process of adding more broth as needed until little or no broth is left. This process will take approximately 25 minutes. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Finally, give it a liberal squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste.
Sauce:
2 t white truffle oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 large ripe tomato, skinless, seeded and chopped
1 T tomato paste
2 t chardonnay wine
salt and pepper to taste
Warm the truffle oil in a saute pan and add the garlic. Saute only until it becomes aromatic. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until it pulls together and becomes slightly thickened. Add the chardonnay and cook 2 minutes more. Season to taste.
Making the cakes:
oil for frying
Panko bread crumbs
Using a 1/4 C measure, measure out the risotto and press into cake like shapes. Dip the cakes in panko bread crumbs covering completely. Heat the oil in a saute pan and lay the cakes into the oil. Cook until browned and flip over browning the other side. Serve with a small dollop of tomato sauce.
Do you know what a muffaletta is? Well it's not vegan, that's for sure! It's a submarine-style sandwich made with a kind of bread that originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It's usually starts with this bread and is layered with an olive salad (key ingredient), deli meats and cheese.
Long before I began eating as a vegan, I made one of these subs and it was excellent! (if you like smoked meats topped with an olive salad that is...) But it's the olive salad that makes the sandwich. It's very different and really tasty!
So, one day while I was cruising the internet I came across a recipe for a muffaletta salad. Reading the recipe brought back memories and I became intrigued with the idea of using the olive salad minus the meat. The base of this salad is from that recipe. I found it on the Food Network website. It's by Guy Fieri. As usual, I wasn't completely sold on the recipe as is. I thought I could improve on the dish, and I did!
Here are the changes I made...With the dressing, I changed the quantity of a couple of the ingredients and the length of time it is blended.Then, I changed the ingredients of the salad itself so it became more of a meal. The dressing is what really makes this dish. It's wonderful, really wonderful. You have to try it.
BTW, I took the salad to a neighbors house (with kalamata olives, not canned). She loved it, so I decided to post it. Thanks Joan!
Ingredients for the salad dressing
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup olive juice from can
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced black olives (I used kalamata)
1/2 cup diced green olives
1/2 cup diced marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
Directions
In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, olive juice, lemon juice, red chili flakes, pepper and all vegetables. Pulse until pureed. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.
Salad ingredients
16oz. of orzo
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 - 1 English seedless cucumber, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 green onions, sliced on a diagonal
the remainder of the black olives, sliced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
2-3 jars of marinated artichoke hearts
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Cook the orzo according to directions. Drain and coat with enough dressing to keep the pasta from sticking together and give it flavor. When the orzo is cool, add the vegetables and toss. Finally, add more dressing to taste and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate. You will end up with dressing left over, but it's great on greens and pasta!
Well, not too long ago, she became a vegetarian and she's been cooking up a storm these days. It turns out, she's very creative in the kitchen. She made this sandwich a few weeks ago and I've been begging her to make it again. It's just the best!!
A Summer Sandwich
Serves 4
You're favorite artisan bread
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1-2 avocados, sliced
spinach
colossal green olives, sliced (she gets them from a salad bar)
olive oil
Slice the bread into thick slices. Lightly oil one side and grill until golden. Begin layering the rest of the ingredients onto the toasted side of the bread... spinach, avocado, tomato slices and olives.
She serves this sandwich with grilled corn on the cob and watermelon... Yum!
I don't know about you, but whenever I hear the words "rice and beans," I think of re-fried or black beans in a Mexican tomato sauce with rice. Yum.... I love it. That's not what this is... but this is good too!
Rice and Beans North of the Border
Serves 2 as a meal
1/2 cup long grain brown rice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
16 sweet small tomatoes
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 handful of baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Begin by cooking the rice according to package directions. When the rice is nearly finished add the olive oil to a saute pan and heat on medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant without browning. Add the tomatoes and cook until just beginning to wilt. Stir in the beans, oregano and salt, and continue cooking until the tomatoes just begin to burst open.Throw in a handful of spinach and cook for a minute. Stir in the rice and serve.
Years ago when my children were young and very busy, Friday night was pizza night. We all looked forward to it, some because they loved pizza and others because it was an easy dinner (you can guess why I liked it). Anyway, too much of a good thing isn't good. We all got sick of it until wood burning brick ovens and pizza stones became commonplace. Then... we fell back in love.
But when I started eating vegan, pizza became a real challenge. After all, what's pizza without the cheese, focaccia? Well I like focaccia but I prefer it with sauce. So I came up with a simple sauce and even though my family still asks for cheese on top, we all really like this and you will too. Use it with lots of veggies and you'll love pizza even more now than you did before.
I usually make my own dough, but a neighbor of mine wisely buys her dough from a local pizzeria... smart girl Meg.
Pizza Sauce
1 - 15 oz. can of organic crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 can of organic whole peeled tomatoes
2 garlic cloves minced fine
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. salt
Begin by draining the whole peeled tomatoes and slice them into inch slices. Drain. In a nonstick skillet, add the crushed tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, garlic, oregano, sugar, red pepper, basil and salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Gently simmer, uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes.
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