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.

Summer Sandwich

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.

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

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

This recipe is from Ina Garten and I "veganized" it. The changes are few, but I warn you, taste as you go! I played a little with the amount of oil on both the pasta and in the pesto. 

And if you have a vegan pesto that you're crazy about, please post it. I would love to try it! It's so nice to taste something this fresh in the dead of winter, and what's better than a good pesto!

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 12 min

Total: 32 min

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3/4 pound whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 3/4 pound whole wheat bow tie pasta
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups pesto
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup Vegenaise
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the vegannaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Pesto:

nocoupons

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups good olive oil

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

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

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

Stuffed Artichoke Hors d'oeuvre

Before my switch to a plant-based diet I use to love making hors d'oeuvres. I had a long list of favorites. I would get excited about buying the ingredients, making the recipes and sharing them with family and friends. But since I no longer eat meat or cheese (the usual suspects in those recipes), I’ve had trouble finding appetizers that EVERYONE will enjoy.

Well… I’ve come up with a winner. It's elegant and delicious, easy and fun to make, and it may become my “go to” recipe. You'll have to try it and tell me what you think!

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

A Summer Sandwich

My daughter is home for the summer. Yeah!!!

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!

Rice and Beans North of the Border

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.

Sauteed Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts

This is a no-brainer. We've all done it one way or another... we've just never written it down. Serve this with couscous and you've got an easy, quick and delicious dinner in minutes!


Sauteed Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 10-ounce bag fresh spinach with stems removed
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Begin by toasting the pine nuts. Use a small dry non-stick skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the pine nuts and shake every 30 seconds to brown evenly. When they are lightly browned remove them to a plate until the spinach is ready.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant (don't let it get brown). Add the spinach and toss with tongs until wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve.

Note: If you're serving this with couscous, boil the water for the couscous just before you start toasting the pine nuts.

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!