Eat Your Greens!

This is a wonderful combination of greens, beans and rice, and there are a couple of ingredients that you can easily sub out for others if needed. The most unusual ingredient in this recipe is black garlic. I found it at Whole Foods. Before cooking, I researched and learned that it is fermented garlic. It's often found in Asian cuisine and it's rich in antioxidants! It's made by fermenting whole bulbs of garlic at high temperatures resulting in a deep black color with a slightly sweet taste similar to that of balsamic vinegar. If you already have this tasty garlic in your house, lucky you! If not, it won't be hard to find. There are on-line sources if it's not in your nearby health food store.

Eat Your Greens
Serves 4 as a Side Dish

1 C cooked rice
1 - 2 T Fustini's Extra Virgin Garlic Olive Oil
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 large leaf of red chard, vein removed and chopped
1 clove of black garlic
10 leaves of dandelion, chopped
1 C spinach
1/2 C maitake mushrooms, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
1/2 C cannellini beans
1/4 C kalamata olives
sliced almonds, toasted in a skillet over med. heat for 7 - 10 minutes
fresh lemon juice

Cook the rice according to the package directions so you end up with about one cup. Toast the sliced almonds. Once that's done, warm the olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the leek over medium low heat until it becomes translucent. Add the chopped chard and saute for 5 - 8 minutes. Add the black garlic and mash it as you stir it in. Add the dandelion, spinach, maitake mushrooms, thyme and continue to cook over low heat until the greens have wilted and the mushrooms have cooked down. Add the rice, beans and olives to the mixture and continue to cook until heated. Mix in the almonds and squeeze with a little fresh lemon juice.

Easy Schmeezy White Bean Salad

Looking for a simple, quick, delicious salad? Then try this. It's a light, healthy side dish.
 

 Easy Schmeezy White Bean Salad

2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 C red onion, chopped
1/3 C celery, chopped
1/4 C chopped parsley


Dressing
1/8 C + 1 T white wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. sea salt
1/8 t. black pepper

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a medium to large bowl. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Roasted Artichokes & Vegan Aioli

If you are a long time reader of my blog, you know that about three years ago I fell in love with the roasted artichokes served at The Cheesecake Factory. Recently I was in Arizona and made sure I got to a Cheesecake Factory just so I could eat them again. Then I came home and made them! Enjoy!

Roasted Artichokes and Vegan Aioli

Roasted Artichokes
2 artichokes
2 lemons
4 cloves garlic, peeled
8 - 10 T olive oil

Break off and discard the outer layers of leaves on each artichoke. With a scissors, snip off the thorny tip of the remaining leaves. Cut the artichokes in half. Slice a lemon so you have four slices. In a pan large enough to hold the artichokes tightly, lay the lemon slices down with a garlic clove on top of each. Lay the artichokes on top of the lemon slices and squeeze the juice from one lemon over the top. Drizzle the olive oil over the top as well. Seal the pan well with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Once roasted, use a spoon to remove the choke and grill the artichokes lightly before serving (this step is optional, but well worth it). Serve with the vegan aioli sauce.... wonderful!



Vegan Aioli

1/2 C Vegeniase
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t juice from capers
Zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: The pic isn't mine.

Artichoke Dip

My sister Kathy makes a baked artichoke appetizer that's too good to pass up. So my goal with this recipe was to use that as inspiration and make it every bit as delicious, but vegan. This dip can be served hot, cold or heated on top of slices of a baguette.

Artichoke Dip

1 garlic clove
1/2 C raw cashews
1 t fresh lemon juice
2 6oz. jars of marinated artichoke hearts
pinch of onion powder
crackers or baguette for serving

In a food processor, pulse the garlic until finely minced. Add the cashews and process until the cashews are chopped small but not finely processed. Add the remaining ingredients, picking the artichoke hearts out of the jars and transferring only the oil that comes with them. Pulse until the the ingredients are well mixed.

You can serve the dip either hot or cold with crackers or a sliced baguette. To warm it up, put it in an oven proof dish and set it in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes. If you want to serve it on toast, slice up 1/2 of a small baguette, place the slices onto a sheet pan and put it into a 350 degree oven. Keep an eye on it. The slices will toast quickly. Remove the baguette slices and put the dip on top of each slice. Place it back into the oven and heat for 5 minutes. Serve.

Note: The photo isn't mine.

Stuffed Artichoke Hors d'oeuvre

This appetizer is elegant, delicious, easy and fun to make. It's perfect for the New Year celebration. I posted it this past summer and it has become a favorite recipe of mine. You'll have to try it and tell me what you think!

Stuffed Artichokes

1 can of artichoke hearts
2 T olive oil
2 T onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1/2 C. packed baby spinach leaves, chop finely
6 T diced oyster mushrooms
1/8 t sea salt
3 T panko bread crumbs
fresh lemon

Drain the can of artichoke hearts and cut them in half. Scoop out the center of each half and mince the center leaves that you've removed. Set aside. Dry the in-tack artichoke hearts with a paper towel so little moisture is left.

In a saute pan, add the oil and heat to medium low. To that, add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the spinach, chopped artichoke, mushrooms and sea salt and saute until the mixture is cooked down nicely (only a few minutes). Finally, add the bread crumbs and heat through.

Scoop out enough mixture to fill each half of the artichoke hearts. It will work out perfectly if you don't overfill. Set the stuffed artichoke hearts onto a baking sheet and broil until the tops are nicely browned. Squeeze lemon over the top of them when they come out.

Serve

Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad

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.

Avocado Sweet Corn Salad

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.

Garlic Parsley Dipping Oil

 

This is so good you'll make it again and again. I used Fustini's Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this recipe, but you could certainly create your own. The garlic is very important to the overall flavor, so don't leave it out. I hope you'll make this tonight. It's sooooooo good!

Garlic Parsley Dipping Oil

4 T Fustini's Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 C loosely packed and coarsely chopped Italian leaf parsley

1 thin green onion, white and green parts rough chopped

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

salt to taste

Put the parsley and green onion into a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the chopped greens to the oil along with the lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt. Serve with bread.

If you want to try Fustini's vinegars and oils, you'll can find them by clicking on http://www.fustinis.com/

Lemon Pesto Linguine with Asparagus

This is my latest creation. Serve this with a glass of red wine and a salad of undressed assorted greens, and all I can say is, mmmm, mmmm good.

Lemon Pesto Linguine with Asparagus

Lemon Olive Oil -

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Zest of one lemon

1/8 C fresh lemon juice

Combine the ingredients and set aside.

Pesto -

1/3 C pine nuts

1/3 C pistachio nuts

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/4 C packed basil leaves

Pinch of crushed red pepper

4 T olive oil

In a food processor or blender, add nuts, chopped garlic, pinch of crushed red pepper, basil leaves (ripping them into smaller pieces) and olive oil. Pulse to make a smooth paste. Combine the lemon oil and pesto in a saucepan and warm slightly on very low heat.

 

Asparagus -

1 C cut up asparagus

Cut asparagus spears into 1 inch sections and place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam the asparagus for no longer than 3 minutes. Remove and add to the lemon pesto sauce.

Linguine -

1/2 pound whole wheat linguine

Salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Near the end of the cook time, add two tablespoons of pasta water to the lemon pesto sauce and stir to combine. Drain the linguine and add it to the lemon pesto sauce. Salt and pepper the dish to taste. Serve.

Braised Endive Salad

I found a recipe for braised endive that looked interesting. I played with the ingredients, added a dressing and came up with a warm salad that satisfied my family. This recipe will serve 2 - 3. It's easy and a great start to any dinner.

Braised Endive Salad

1 T olive oil
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 large endive
fresh lemon
sea salt

Slice the endive in half. Add the olive oil to a saute pan and warm on low heat. Place the thyme in the pan and arrange the endive on top. Season with salt and cover to cook over medium low heat. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes, until the endive is tender and slightly browned. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the pan and serve with the sun-dried tomato dressing that follows. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Salad Dressing

5 sun-dried tomatoes, rough chop
1 T pine nuts
1/4 C olive oil
1 garlic clove, rough chop
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
1/8 t sea salt
pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and  process until well blended. Refrigerate.

Avocado Veggie Dip

I use to make a mean vegetable dip. Everyone loved it, but it's base was in mayonnaise and sour cream. Since I no longer consume either one I've been dreaming about a veggie dip that will get the same response from family and friends. I'm not sure this is it, but the dip and vegetables disappeared quickly!!


Avocado Veggie Dip

1 large avocado, peeled and mashed
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3 T red onion, finely chopped
1/2 C Vegenaise
10 dashes of Tabasco Sauce - or to taste
1/4 t. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add the lemon juice, garlic clove, red onion and Vegenaise. Mix to combine. Add the Tabasco, salt and pepper. Serve with cut vegetables.

Note: Once again, the photo isn't mine. My camera just couldn't get a good pic.

Santa Fe Salad

Right now fresh vegetables are at their peak and I can’t get enough of the sweet corn. In fact, I created this salad just so I could eat more! The avocado dressing is wonderfully flavorful on top of the vegetables. It was a hit with my family and I think you'll enjoy it.

Santa Fe 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.