Easy Vegan Baked Beans

I made this dish for Fathers Day and everyone liked it. I have to say it was very simple.  

Easy Vegan Baked Beans
Serves 4 - 6

1 28 oz. can vegetarian baked beans
1/2 C onion
1/2 C celery
1/4 C catsup
2 T brown sugar
1 T canola oil
1 t. molasses
1 t. prepared mustard
1/2 t. apple cider vinegar
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
fried onion rings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients. Place the beans in a shallow ovenproof dish. Bake covered about 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle some fried onion rings on top and bake 30 minutes more.

Note: The pic is not mine.

Pasta Primavera

 

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.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pasta-primavera-recipe/index.html

Spicy Black Bean & Corn Chili

If you like hot... you'll like this! And it's quick and easy! I posted this recipe a long time ago and on Saturday I decided to make it a part of our Superbowl celebration. When I brought the recipe up to jot down the ingredients I re-read the comments and found one from my sister Kathy. She and her family love this chili, but she only uses 1 cup of corn when she makes it. So this time I took her advice on the corn and changed a couple other ingredients. As usual, my sister was right and now I love it even more.


Spicy Black Bean & Corn Chili

Serves 6
Easy
30 - 40 minutes

1/2 onion, chopped (1/2 C.)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, diced
2 - 10 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 - 14.5 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C. frozen corn
1 C. water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/2 t. cumin
cilantro

In a stockpot, saute onion and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients minus the cilantro. Simmer on low heat for 20 - 30 minutes more. With a potato masher, mash the mixture a little breaking up the beans. Serve with a garnish of cilantro.

Note:  I used Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies and Muir Glen Fire Roasted Organic Crushed Tomatoes when I make this.

Rustic Vegetable Soup with Almond Pesto Topping

I really like making soup. To me it's comfort and goodness in a bowl and all I need is a spoon. I made this soup and my husband had one word for it, "Delicious." It's easy to put together and with the pesto on top it has a fresh taste that's very satisfying.

Rustic Vegetable Soup with Almond Pesto Topping

2 T. olive oil
2 small onions, rough chop, 1 - 1 1/2 C.
2 carrots, rough chop, 1/2 C.
5 cloves garlic, rough chop
1 quart vegetable broth, low sodium
1 28 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
1 16 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 19 oz. can of cannellini  beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. fresh Italian parsley, rough chop
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the carrots and onion in the olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two. Add the rest of the ingredients, excluding the salt and pepper, and cook slowly for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the Almond Pesto on top. 

Almond Pesto Topping

In a food processor, pulse the almonds until chopped small. Add the basil leaves and pulse until the basil is shredded. Add the olive oil and pulse quickly just until fully incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.

1/4 C. almonds
1/2 C. packed basil leaves
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Vegan Vegetable Pot Pie

Ahhhhh... comfort food. Winter screams comfort food, doesn't it? And this is something I've been missing... pot pie. I use to love chicken pot pie. I remember eating it with delight as a kid and that continued well into my adulthood. So I thought I'd try making a vegan version. My family liked it and so did I!!

It was fun to make, and if you buy pre-cut or frozen vegetables it goes together easily. If you've never used phyllo dough, don't let that get in the way. Just follow the directions on the package. If a sheet or two breaks in the process, don't worry, no one will know... but you could substitute the phyllo for a vegan pie crust if you like. 

Vegan Vegetable Pot Pie

This recipe can be made in ramekins. If you do that, it should make at least four individual servings.?? 

Filling:
2 T olive oil
1 C onion, diced
1 C celery, diced
1 C carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C cauliflower, diced
2 Russet potatoes, cubed small
3 T flour
2 C vegetable broth
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 C frozen green beans
1 C frozen corn kernels
garlic powder
celery salt
1/2 t salt
freshly ground pepper

Crust:
10 sheets of phyllo dough, you'll use 1/2 of a package
Earth Balance 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the cauliflower and russet potatoes and continue to cook for 5 - 10 minutes. Stir often so the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the flour and stir it into the vegetables. Once fully incorporated, add the broth and bouillon and scrap all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaf, thyme, greens beans, corn, garlic powder, celery salt, salt and pepper and simmer on low, stirring often, for 20 - 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, melt some Earth Balance and get the phyllo out of the refrigerator. Once the vegetables are done, remove the bay leaf and sprig of thyme, and pour into a  9" X 13" pan. Lay a single sheet of phyllo on top of the vegetable mixture and brush with Earth Balance. Place another sheet on top of that brushing it with Earth Balance. Repeat the process until all the sheets are used. Brush the top of the last piece with Earth Balance and put the pot pie in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden and the mixture is bubbling up around the edges. Let it sit a few minutes before serving.

Note: The picture is not 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

Tomato Quinoa Soup

My daughter was living in Grand Rapids and found a restaurant that became a staple for her, Marie Catribs. We would eat there often and I fell in love with it too. It's a great restaurant that serves amazing vegetarian and vegan dishes. Not too long ago I ordered the soup of the day and by the third spoonful I made up my mind to try to duplicate it! Here it is. I hope you like it! And if you ever get to Grand Rapids, Michigan, it's worth your time to visit Marie Catribs. It won't disappoint! Check out her website.

Tomato Quinoa Soup

2 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 leeks, white parts only, sliced 
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
6 oz. portobello mushrooms, chopped
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
32 oz. veggie broth
leaves from two sprigs of thyme
3 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 T parsley
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 C quinoa
1/2 C cashew cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
basil leaves for garnish, chiffonade

In a large stock pot saute the garlic, onion, leeks, celery, carrots and mushrooms until tender and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, broth, thyme, basil, parsley, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and bring the soup to a simmer. Add the quinoa and bring the soup to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Simmer until the quinoa has cooked and the soup has thickened, about 10 – 15 min. Add the cashew cream and season to taste. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

I made this gravy to drape over the mashed potato recipe in the previous post. It's very simple to make and a nice compliment to the potatoes. My family liked it so much, I've made over and over again!

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

2 T olive oil
1/4 C onion
8 oz. baby portobello mushrooms
1 C vegetable broth
Sea salt & pepper to taste

In a saute pan heat olive oil and add the onions. As onions saute, slice the mushrooms and add to the saute pan. Saute vegetables browning the mushrooms. Once mushrooms are browned, add the broth mixing well. Remove half of the mushroom mixture putting it into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add back to the saute pan and season to taste.

Note: The pics are not mine... I need a new camera!

Vegan Stuffed Green Peppers

Vegan Stuffed Green Peppers
Serves 4 

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.

You can see where I got the idea... ;-)

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.

Chickpeas and dumplins

I have a dear friend that is exceedingly conscience about what she eats... and for good reasons. She was diagnosed with asthma years ago and just recently followed the idea that food allergies may have some connection to her asthma attacks. She had allergy testing done, and as it turned out she was allergic to MANY foods. She's been vegan for about two years, but since her visit to the allergist her diet has seen even more changes and so has her health. One of the best? Her asthma has disappeared! 

I told you this story for two reasons. First, I think its interesting... I wonder how many of us suffer symptoms as a result of food allergies without any knowledge of it. Second, she has become a passionate cook with an enthusiasm for blogs!! Over the months she has sent me many recipes that she has made to rave reviews. The following recipe is one of them and I wanted to share it with you. It's really wonderful. The original posting is from the blog: Peas and Thank You. You can find it at:
http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/06/07/vegan-values-chickpeas-and-dumplings/ 
And to all of you that have health issues you're actively working on by changing your diet, I wish you the best.

Chickpeas and dumplins

Ingredients:

• Ingredients (Serves 4)
• For the chickpea stew base:
• 1 c. onion, chopped
• 1 c. celery, chopped
• 1 c. carrots, chopped
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3/4 t. curry powder
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 3/4 t. dried rosemary
• 1/2 t. dried basil
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• One 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• For the dumplings:
• 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. unbleached organic flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. dried basil
• 1/2 c. non-dairy or organic milk
• 1 T. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance), melted

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 25 min.
Just like Grandma used to make. Only nobody died.

Instructions
Spritz your pan with cooking spray or oil and place over medium high heat.
Add onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened and starting to brown.
Add garlic, salt, curry, oregano, rosemary and basil and sauté for an additional minute, until aromatic.
Carefully pour in vegetable stock, chickpeas and vinegar and bring to a low boil.
Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and remove a ladleful of the hot broth from the stew base and add it to the bowl. Whisk to remove any lumps.
Pour the slurry back into the pan, while stirring vigorously. Return to a boil and then lower heat to low.
Meanwhile for dumplings, in a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oregano and basil.
Add milk and melted margarine, and stir until a dough just forms. Do not overmix.
Plop dough by heaping spoonful on top of stew until dough is gone.
Cover with lid and allow to “bake” over low for 15-17 minutes.
As much as you may want to lift the lid to peek at these, don’t do it.
Serve while hot and slightly doughy.

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/

What I'm taking to Thanksgiving dinner

After a long conversation, it was decided that I should bring an hors d'oeuvre. That made my decision easy. This recipe is a hit wherever I take it. Thanksgiving here we come!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Stuffed Artichoke Hors d'oeuvre

1 can of whole 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

Broccolini and Brown Rice

I was browsing one of my favorite blogs and found a great article on broccoli. We really like broccoli in this house and I cook it in a variety of ways... or at least I used to. Now I only steam it, and I'm using that technique with my broccolini too.

Although broccolini is often misidentified as young broccoli, it's not. It is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, a Chinese broccoli. Nutritionally, it's high in vitamin C but also contains vitamin A, calcium, folate and iron. We love it's flavor and it's delicious in this recipe!

Be sure to visit this blog:  http://thevegandiet.blogspot.com/
She always has interesting and informative articles. Look for the post "Broccoli a Super Veg" and you'll find yourself steaming your broccoli too!

Broccolini and Brown Rice

Easy
Serves 4

1 C. brown rice

1 T. Earth’s Balance

2 T. pine nuts

8oz. of broccolini, cut into 1 – 1 ½ inch pieces

1/4 C. Olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

½   C. onion, chopped

Zest of ½ a lemon

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook the brown rice according to the directions on the package, but add the tablespoon of Earth’s Balance to the water and rice. This helps give the final product a creamy texture.

In a sauté pan, toast the pine nuts until lightly brown. Careful... this takes only a minute or two. Remove and set aside. 

In the same sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Lightly smash the garlic cloves. When the oil is heated, add the garlic and cook while stirring for up to 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Next, add the onion to the oil. Sauté the onion until it’s soft and translucent.  

Using a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, add about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil. Add the broccolini and cover.  Cook the broccolini until just tender, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the broccolini and the onion oil mixture to the rice. Season the rice with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Toss to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Roasted Pumpkin Bisque

My daughter bought a new cookbook. It's "Totally Vegetarian," written by Toni Fiore, and there are some great recipes inside. Many of them are vegan and many others can be adapted. She's made 3 recipes from this cookbook and all of them have been wonderful. This bisque is the best! I only changed a couple of things. I switched out the sugar for agave nectar and added cashew cream instead of soy milk. So get to the store and buy a pie pumpkin before their all gone. Then try this soup. It's delicious! 

Roasted Pumpkin Bisque

One 2-pound sugar pumpkin

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 - 2 teaspoons rosemary leaves

Fine sea salt

Black pepper, to taste

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/2 to 1 cup soy milk or cashew cream

1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped chives

Sprinkle of nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half across the equator, not stem to bottom. Remove the seeds and strings with a spoon. Place the pumpkin cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until tender about 40 minutes. Set it aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the pulp and place in a bowl; discard the shell.

Heat the olive oil in a 3 - 4 quart heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, ginger, and a sprinkle of salt. Saute until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir well and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the agave. Let cool 10 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender and blend, slowly adding the milk a little at a time. You may need to do this in two batches. Check the texture, which should be smooth and dense, you may not need to add the entire cup of soy milk or cashew cream, so do this to your taste. When the soup is whipped and creamy return to the pot and heat through. Stir in the chives, season with black pepper & sprinkle with nutmeg if using.Serve hot.

Vegan Party on a Plate

My daughter use to eat at Chipolte everyday. She tells me the meal cost her $10.00, though I'm not sure I believe her. In all honesty, it was probably a ploy to extract more money from me. Anyway, there is a Chipolte Mexican Grill right at the heart of Michigan State University's campus, so it was easy to get to, and it didn't hurt that her roommate worked there either.

Interestingly, I recently learned that Chipolte is known for using the best local, fresh and organic ingredients available. So no matter what the cost was to me, it was worth it. You should really check out this article on the founder Steve Ells and this restaurant. It's impressive.

http://planetforward.ca/blog/fast-food-revolution-chipotle-serves-corporate-social-responsibility/
 
The following recipe is based on what my daughter loved to eat at Chipolte during her college years, and now that I've eaten this dish, I realize why she ate it daily. It's delicious. Serve it with Baked Tostitos and a margarita! Your entire family will love it. Yum!

Ingredients
Serves 4


1 cup brown rice, cooked according to instructions
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
olive oil
2 peppers, red and green
1 large onion
1 large cob of corn
Freshly made guacamole using 2 avocados
Hearts of romaine

Begin by cooking the rice. As the rice cooks, slice the corn off the cob and the onion into wide rings. Chop the lettuce. Rinse and drain the black beans. Put them into a sauce pan with a little water and warm them on the stove. Make the guacamole to your taste. Lightly oil the peppers and onion and lay them on the grill until slightly black and soft. Once the peppers have cooled to the touch, slice into long strips. When the rice is done you can begin assembling the plates. Lay the rice down first, then the beans, peppers, onions, corn, guacamole and romaine. Dive in!

As a side note, we made it vegetarian by adding cheese for the non-vegan family members.

Greek Panzanella

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.

Panzanella

Artichoke, Onion, and Potato Hash

Here's another winner from Guy Fieri. I changed the recipe only slightly to make it vegan. If you don't have any broth you can make it without ... just omit the vinegar and add more oil. Thanks Guy! It's delicious!

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

• Salt
• 8 medium fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cipollini onions, peeled, sliced in half along equator
• 1 (15-ounce) jar artichokes, (not marinated), with stems, drained, roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 sprigs thymes, leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup no-chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook until just tender. Drain and turn out onto a cutting board. Smash the potatoes with the side of a large knife or spatula.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the pan is very hot, but not smoking, add the cipollini onions, and cook until starting to caramelize, about 4 to 5 minutes Add in the drained artichokes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes before turning them so that they will caramelize. Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are starting to brown, then stir in the garlic and the thyme. Slowly pour in the no-chicken broth, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the vinegar and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer to a platter and garnish with chopped parsley.

Stuffed Sweet Onions

I was snowed in (along with half the nation) and I faced either cleaning the house or coming up with a new recipe. Take a guess at how I spent my day...

This dish was inspired by the vast whiteness surrounding me, a few leftovers in my refrigerator and my husband’s love for onions. He's always loved onions, which is great because onions are good for you! Evidence suggests that onions are effective against the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anti-cancer, and antioxidant components such as quercetin. Regular consumption of onions has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. So make a point to eat more, and you can begin by trying this recipe!

Sweet Stuffed Onions

Serves 4

4 sweet onions, unpeeled
olive oil for drizzling
½ cup brown rice, cooked according to directions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup diced celery
4 ounces shittake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 cups loosely packed spinach
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Panko, whole wheat

First, get the onions started. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the top off of the onions and a small part of the bottom so that it sits flat. Put onions on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake the onions for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the onions are tender. Remove and let cool a little.

While the onions are cooking, cook the rice according to directions.

Just as the rice is finishing and onions are cooling saute the garlic, celery, mushrooms and tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and the spinach cooking until the spinach is wilted. Combine the veggies, rice and spices and stir to combine.

Remove the skin from the onion and make a large X in the center of the top of the onion with a sharp knife. Remove most of the center leaving enough onion to retain the shape nicely. Chop a little of the roasted onion (2 T.) and add it to the rice mixture, reserving the rest for another day.

Stuff each onion with the rice mixture and top with panko. Broil the onions until the panko is browned. It's yummy!

Farewell Fresh Tomatoes

Recently, my husband turned another year older. We decided it was a great excuse to have a party and invite our neighborhood friends. We are lucky to live in a subdivision filled with really great people and getting together is always a lot of fun! I decided to make it a “Strolling Cocktail Hour” with lots of bite size appetizers so people could easily mingle (although everyone stayed in the kitchen).

That night, the only appetizer I could eat without veering off my diet too wildly were the gazpacho shooters. These were itty-bitty martini glasses filled with gazpacho and each had a shrimp floating on top. The soup was really good and I ate a bowl of it during the evening (without the shrimp of course, but if I'm going to be honest, I did try other foods that night that were not on my diet, oops again). Anyway, the recipe called for olive oil, and as I tasted the gazpacho I wondered if its flavor really benefited from the addition of the oil.

So, as the tomatoes make their final curtain call for the season, I decided to come up with a recipe. A recipe that excluded oil and that I could be proud to serve to company. This is a solid start. The flavor is great, and you won’t miss the oil. My family likes it, I love it and I hope you will too.

Note: This is really good garnished with diced ripe avocado, but cilantro is great as well. If you like your gazpacho spicy, add ½ - 1 small, seeded and diced jalapeno!

Gazpacho

4 ripe tomatoes
2 C tomato juice
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ C red onion, chopped
½ C red pepper, chopped
¼ C cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. cider vinegar (I use Bragg's)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. kosher salt
¼ t. pepper
Avocado for garnish

Bring a large pot full of water to a boil. Make an X with a knife on the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for about 15 – 30 seconds. Remove and put them into an ice bath until cool. Pat dry, peel, core, seed and chop. In a large mixing bowl put the tomatoes, tomato juice, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Put half of the mixture into a blender and puree for 30 seconds. Pour back into the bowl with the remaining mixture. Mix well, cover and chill for at least 1 hour, best overnight. Garnish with avocado, cilantro or both.