My dear friend Maryann recently made some applesauce and delivered it to me (great friend, right?). Well, it was so yummy, I had to ask for the recipe. Low and behold, I found out she used a crockpot... and I really liked the sound of that! You just put everything into the pot and forget about it. She says her entire house smells amazing when she makes this.
I used it as a side dish and a dessert.... (and as a late night treat... shhhh).
Maryann's Easy Crockpot Applesauce
4 pounds of tart apples (she used Jonagold), pared, cored and thinly sliced (approx. 12 C)
¼ C sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t.allspice (optional)
1 C. water
1 T fresh lemon juice
Put the apples into a crock pot. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and start the cooking process. Set the crockpot at (either) Low for 5 -7 hours, or High for 2 ½ – 3 ½. Once the cooking is done, smash the apples with a potato masher and 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.
Most of us feel the stresses of everyday life, and find various ways to deal with them. (It is a myth that as you get older, you know how to handle stress. Some of life’s most stressful events do not happen until you have gray hair and a weakened immune system!) Physical activity at any age reduces stress for most people, but the practice of meditation has a long and successful history of helping people to cope with life’s challenges. Anyone can practice meditation: you don’t have to go to India and hire a guru; you don’t have to visit a monastery and join the monks at prayer. Meditation can be a religious exercise, or it can simply be a calming experience, a way of stepping back and emptying the mind of all that is extraneous and trivial. “To people who say they are too busy to meditate, I tell them, set aside ten minutes every morning for meditation, and you will find that your schedule is not nearly as oppressive as before you started the practice of meditation.”
If you are new to meditation, or returning after a long absence, begin with five minutes. Find a place where you will not be disturbed, make yourself moderately comfortable, and simply sit and meditate. Close your eyes if that helps, have a clock where you can see it if you look, and begin by counting your breaths for five minutes. By the second day, you will look forward to this time of collecting your self, and you will find something else to hold your attention, whether a word, a thought, a picture, or a blank wall. Meditation comes naturally to those who set aside a time, find a place where they will not be interrupted, and empty their mind of all distractions.
Many medical professionals recommend meditation as a way to good health. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, for reasons religious, philosophical, and healthful. It is a calming and quieting experience, a turning off of the noise and distraction of everyday, and attentiveness to what is basic and elementary: breathing, for example. The simplest form of meditation is to find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and spend ten minutes simply paying attention to your breath. Dr. Andrew Weil says there is no medical prescription more important than re-learning how to breathe! (From the Mayo Clinic Health Letter: “Resperate is a portable electronic device that promotes slow, deep breathing. Resperate is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for reducing stress and lowering blood pressure. The goal is slow, deep breathing with particularly long exhalation. Resperate is intended to be used at least 15 minutes a day, three to four days a week. Within a few weeks, the deep breathing exercises can help lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.”) Given our American passion for technology, we have found a way for technology to produce what experienced meditators have been doing for centuries!
As we get busy, we tend to breathe shallowly. We can go days or weeks without paying attention to our own breathing. Simply counting your breath can help focus your attention. Controlling your breath is the next step: breathe in for 5-10 seconds, hold your breath, and then breathe out slowly and calmly, and try to focus your entire attention on the act of breathing.
Is meditation really as simple as that? You can dress it up in many ways, but that is the basis. You may make it a religious experience by incorporating the appropriate imagery, you may make an aesthetic experience by meditating on the sunset or on the stars, or some other natural phenomenon, or you may make it a calming and relaxing experience through the recitation of some “mantra” that has particular significance for you.
Dr. Herbert Benson has documented that the regular practice of meditation lowers blood pressure; Dr. Dean Ornish claims that regular meditation reduces the risk of sudden heart attack. Dr. Weil claims that meditation boosts the effectiveness of the immune system. Perhaps it does these because it brings us back to our most basic self, puts us in touch with the roots of our pre-consciousness, and does something to establish a calm and tranquil center at the heart of our activity.
Among philosophers, Socrates had his meditative trances from which he could not be awakened. Plotinus had his transformative experiences of solitude, of being “alone with the Alone.” Thomas Aquinas was so transformed by his meditations that all he had written seemed like so much straw. Asian traditions are parallel: Thich Nhat Hanh, perhaps the greatest living teacher of Buddhism, recommends the simple formula: Breathing in, I calm my body, breathing out, I smile. His books, Peace is Every Step, and Interbeing, can be great helps along the path to successful meditation.
The best cure for an overly-busy schedule is to set aside a few minutes a day of uninterruptible quiet time, quiet your mind and your emotions, put your breathing, and therefore your life, into good and peaceful order…
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.
Yes, it's true! CSN is offering a $40 gift card to one lucky reader, again!
If you follow my blog then you already know how much I love CSN. They have over 200 online stores where you can buy anything from cookware, shoes, dining sets, exercise equipment, tools, cribs, lighting, even pet beds! You name it, they have it! At CSN, there are SO many things to choose from you're certain to find somethingyou can’t live without.
So here's the deal...
The contest will be open for one week. On Tuesday, October 12th, the contest will close. I will pick a winner using random.org and post the winner's name on Wednesday.
Here's what you need to do:
1. Go to the CSN website (using the link, dining sets) and tell me what 1 item you would love to have in your home. It can be anything! Spend some time looking around.
2. Be a blogspot follower of my blog
3. Get the word out and post about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, whatever!
Good luck everyone!
BTW, This is open to US and Canadian residents only.
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.
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.
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!
The English poet Marvell was actually trying to encourage his girlfriend to move a little faster in their relationship, but the poem applies quite well to life’s larger issues, like how we use our time, from day to day, and that brings up “The Ethics of Aging”
Ethics is a discussion of what one “ought” to do. The ethics of aging is fairly simple. There are a few easy guidelines everyone ought to follow. The tricky part comes in putting them into practice. Everyone ought to be physically active. Physiologists say that bodily organs deteriorate at about the rate of 1% per year, beginning around age thirty. While some degree of deterioration is inevitable, appropriate exercise can condition everything from heart and lungs and brain to bones, muscles and joints. While too much exercise can be as harmful than too little, relatively few people are in danger from too much exercise.
The best exercises for most people of mature years turn out to be walking, bicycling, and swimming. Exercise as a chore is no fun at all, and if you are to persist, you must develop routines that are enjoyable. Walking the same area repeatedly must become a meditation exercise, lest it become boring. Some form of resistance training (weight-lifting) is good for the body: it might save you from a hernia lifting groceries, or some other heavy object, like income tax forms. Evidence shows that that weight-lifting exercises not only ward off osteoporosis, but also may help in preventing heart disease and cancer. You don’t have to join a gym: keep a couple small dumbbells around the house and lift them while watching TV, or waiting for a brilliant insight into the world’s political problems. Another important physical activity is stretching: just standing up and stretching from time to time is good for you, and many books illustrate positions anyone can learn. (“The only thing most people stretch is the truth.”) Stretching does good things for your body, and perhaps, yoga practitioners maintain, for your mind. The beneficial effects of Tai Chi are well documented in the scientific literature.
Everyone “ought” to be mentally active. It’s surprising how much education you can get just from reading the newspapers well. The art of journalism is to popularize big ideas, and the best newspapers and magazines do this very well. Scientific breakthroughs, great philosophic concerns, matters of political urgency, all are thought-provokingly profiled in the popular press. Conference centers, Elderhostels, and institutions of higher learning all present golden opportunities for intellectual stimulation. Books and magazines can be sources of challenging ideas; studies show decreased brain wave activity after two hours of watching television. For most people, the greatest intellectual stimulation comes from conversation, and the people you talk to may do more than you realize to keep your mind sharp. It is not a bad idea to have a conversation partner somewhere who persistently disagrees with you: that keeps you thinking!
Social connections are an important “ought” in terms of aging well. Human beings need other human beings: we need personal contact and touch. We all need to feel we are of some service to others. Families are built-in social devices, but most of us build “voluntary” families of those friends with whom we most closely associate. More than anything else, the social network we establish is what keeps us human. Among the friends whose contacts I value highly are family members, neighbors, students stretching back many years, a wide range of university colleagues, people I exercise with, and others whose perceptions of reality are so different from mine, they might make me doubt my sanity, if I didn’t already have some clear convictions along these lines.
Aging ethically also demands the continuing acquisition of virtues. The older you are, the more likely you are to experience cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening illnesses. It is only by developing the appropriate virtues that you have any chance of taking such large challenges in stride. Part of the wonder of being alive is the development of character, which comes by facing and overcoming challenges. Scott Peck once facetiously remarked: “people live longer these days because it takes longer to become virtuous.”
While the body may deteriorate with time, the capacity for achieving a whole range of “excellences” does not diminish. As the poet might have said: “Grow old with me: the most interesting is yet to be....” Aging is an ethical challenge, and all of the virtues you acquire throughout your life may have their most serious challenges in your later years. Aging is something we are all doing, all the time. Doing it well is the real ethical challenge.
“Knowing when to be aggressive, and when to step back and admit defeat, is the better part of valor.” So said a political commentator recently about the situation in Afghanistan. I know nothing of politics or military strategy, but that comment applies to accepting life’s vicissitudes. There is a time to build our resources, and there is a time to relax and let go. The Chinese had it right: there is a yin and yang to things, a time to advance, and a time to accept what comes our way. Learning to go with the flow is one of life’s most challenging lessons.
I heart these won tons... and if there's one thing you do this week, it must be this (it's what I have planned)! The recipe comes from my neighbor and dear friend, Meg.
My sister, Karen first introduced me to the “won ton wrapper” with a ground turkey recipe called “Steamed Won Ton Dumplings.” I made her delicious recipe for several years before I turned to a vegan diet. I now make these delicious appetizers with a blend of vegetables and spices and they are equally (if not more) delicious!
Meg’s Veggie Won Ton Dumplings
Yield: 36 dumplings
Ingredients ½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 large garlic clove 1 bunch (12-16oz.) fresh asparagus, trimmed, quartered crosswise 1 8oz. container water chestnuts, drained 3 green onions, white and green parts 3/4 cup shredded Napa or regular cabbage 2 carrots 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional) Kikkoman or Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce
Finely mince ginger and garlic in food processor or hand food-chopper. Add asparagus and next 5 ingredients. Process/chop until asparagus and carrot is finely chopped but not pureed. Moisten and flavor filling with Teriyaki Sauce.
Using wax paper or parchment paper, place 6 won ton wrappers on work surface. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of filling in the center. Moisten all four edges of wrapper with water, using a pastry brush. Bring the four corners together at the top and seal the edges.
Open a steamer basket and lay flat into a large skillet. Pour enough water into skillet to reach depth of ½ inch. Spray steamer basket with Pam. Bring water to a simmer. Working in batches, arrange dumplings side by side (but not touching) on the rack. Cover and steam the dumplings for 15 minutes.
Serve dumplings at room temperature with Teriyaki Sauce
Yeah! I’m so excited to present this giveaway from CSN!!!
I’ve seen this done on other blogsand I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to offer one myself, (and once you go to their website, you’ll be thrilled too)! I was contacted by the people atCSN about doing a giveaway, and the best part of this giveaway is that it’s a $40 gift card with SO many choices that you're certain to find somethingyou can’t live without. You want a 'Dutch Oven'? They’ve got it! Want an elliptical? They’ve got that too! Does your pooch need a new bed? Bingo!
So here's the deal. CSN will give a $40 gift card to one reader. To have the chance of being THAT reader, go to their website (the link is, 'Dutch Oven') and leave a comment on this post telling me what you would love to have if you won.
The contest will be open for one week. At noon (EST) on Thursday, August 27th, the contest will be closed. I will pick a winner using Random.org and post it on Friday. Good luck!
Here's what you need to do:
1. Go to the CSN website (using the link, 'Dutch Oven') and tell me what 1 item you would love to have in your home
2. Be a follower of my blog ON my blog
3. Get the word out and post about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, whatever!
BTW, This is open to US and Canadian residents only.
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.
Here's a fast, easy and delicious sandwich that takes nothing to prepare and completely satisfies. I used store bought ingredients, but if you have your own yummy homemade versions on hand... well, lucky you!
Taboule Salad Sandwich
Serves 1
1 pita
2-3 tablespoons of hummus
2-3 tablespoons of taboule
olive oil
In a saute pan, preheat a little oil. Lay a pita flat on a cutting board and spread the hummus over the entire surface. Do the same with the taboule. Cut the pita in half and fold it over so the hummus and taboule are sandwiched. Cook until the bottom is golden brown. Turn over and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove, slice into triangles and serve hot.
This would make a great hot hors d'oeuvre cut into small triangles!
Now the story behind the recipe… I had company coming over for dinner and I wanted a quick, light salad that wasn’t leafy. I had read about combining cantaloupe with cucumber for summer salads, and I had both on hand, plus a kiwi! I put this combination together (very quickly) and served it with dinner. My daughter wasn’t impressed, but I really liked it and so did our friends. I’ll definitely serve it again (when she’s not around).
So now you have to make it and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your ideas!!
Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 English cucumber, peeled,seeded & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/8 C fresh lime juice
2T orange juice
pinch of salt
Toss the ingredients together and chill at least 1/2 hour. Then, just before serving, stir to coat with the dressing. Serve as is, or with salad greens.
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.
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.
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!
