Tofu Noodle Soup

A Meg original... Helpin' me through the sniffles.

‎1 tbsp canola oil
3 carrots, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
4 cans vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 ½ tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 bunch green onions
Kale or other cabbage (about ¼ head)
1 pkg firm tofu, cut into small squares
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp chili sauce (or more to taste)
Half a package (7 oz) Phad Thai rice noodles, broken up

In dutch oven or stock pot over medium high, heat canola oil. Add carrots, cook until they just start to get tender. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, a few seconds. Add broth, water, rice vinegar, and white vinegar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, kale, tofu, corn starch, and chili sauce. Cover and heat until all veggies are tender. Add rice noodles and cook until those are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Enjoy!

Broccoli Pesto with Bowties

6 Tbs. blanched hazelnuts, plus more for garnish, optional

2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling, optional
1/2 cup mint leaves
...4 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. capers, rinsed and drained, optional
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
12 oz. farfalle pasta

1. Toast hazelnuts in skillet 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden, shaking skillet often. Cool, coarsely chop, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook broccoli in boiling water 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain again.

3. Pulse hazelnuts, broccoli, parsley, oil, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers (if using), and garlic in food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. Cook farfalle according to package directions in broccoli cooking water. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water before draining. Toss farfalle with pesto and pasta cooking water. Garnish with toasted hazelnuts, if using,
and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.

from Vegetarian Times

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Still celebrating my favorite vegetable. My dad made these Butternut Squash Enchiladas for me a while ago, they were awesome! I'm serving it with Spanish rice.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas:

‎1 Tbs. olive oil
1 butternut squash (11/2 lb.), halved and seeded1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1–2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and diced, plus 1 Tbs. sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp. )
3 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
...1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 green onions, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 16-oz. can enchilada sauce
8 whole-wheat or corn tortillas
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes, or until soft. Cool until easy to handle. Scoop squash into bowl, and mash.
2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring often.

3. Stir in mashed squash, cream cheese, cumin, and nutmeg. Cook 3 minutes more, or until heated through. Remove from heat, and fold in green onions.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Lay tortillas on baking sheet, and warm 3 minutes in oven to soften. Divide filling among tortillas, and roll loosely. Place filled, rolled tortillas in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and Cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes, or until top begins to brown and sauce is bubbly.

recipe from Vegetarian Times

 

Spanish Rice:

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
2 cups vegetable broth
...1 cup chunky salsa

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in vegetable broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed

Butternut Squash Bisque

What's your favorite vegetable? I think mine is butternut squash. There are so many ways to cook it: use it as a filling for ravioli, put it in enchiladas or quesadillas, serve it mashed as a side dish like mashed potatoes, or as a yummy Butternut Squash Bisque! Just made this for a sick friend last night.

‎1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
½ c diced onion
¾ c diced carrots
4 c peeled and cubed butternut squash
...3 c vegetable stock
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
½ c heavy cream (optional)

Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in until tender. Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all veggies are tender. In a blender or food processor (or with a “boat motor”: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=289916), puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg. ♥

from Allrecipes.com

Vegan Chilli

My friend Nick made this vegan chilli for me for my birthday weekend. It was amazing! This is not a very precise recipe, but you can add spices and veggies to taste.

‎2 zucchini (chopped)
1 yellow squash (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 cans of seasoned kidney beans
3 cans of diced tomato and green chili peppers
...1 pound "Gimme Lean" vegetarian sausage
1 clove of garlic (minced)
Cumin to taste
Chili powder to taste

Start off by crumbling up then browning the sausage. Then you just add everything else, add your spices until it tastes right, and let it simmer for awhile to cook the zucchini. The tomatoes should provide enough liquid, but if you want to change the consistency, just add water or veggie broth. YUM!

Grilled Vegetable, Herb and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

¾ c sundried tomatoes (from jar, with oil) finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ c olive oil
½ c of your favorite fresh herbs, I like to use mostly basil, and some rosemary and thyme
Salt
...Pepper
2 zucchini, ends cut off and sliced lengthwise ¼” thick
1 small eggplant, cut same as zucchini
1 baguette, sliced lengthwise
1 c goat cheese, at room temp
Baby spinach

Preheat grill or heat grill pan on stove over medium-heat. In bowl (or blender) mix sundried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Place zucchini and eggplant slices in larger bowl. Take backside of spoon and press into the tomato mixture, collecting some of the infused oil. Spoon some of this oil, and some tomato mixture, into larger bowl with zucchini and eggplant. Toss until coated. Cook vegetables on grill until tender (about 4 minutes on each side). Let veggies cool. Spread tomato mixture on both sides of baguette. Spread goat cheese on both halves, over the tomato mixture. If the cheese isn’t easy to spread, mix in a little bit of milk to make it smoother. Place vegetables on bottom half, and top with baby spinach. Assemble baguette and cut into four sandwiches. Enjoy!

Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Rustic Tart

Please check out http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_walnut_gorgonzola_rustic_tart/ for pictures on how to fold the crust.

‎1 pâte brisée for 10” tart or packaged flat pie crust
½ c walnuts, chopped
¼ c crumbled gorgonzola
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
...2 large granny smith apples (or jonagold or fuji) peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Toss the walnuts, gorgonzola, thyme, apples and syrup together in medium bowl. When working with apples, you can sprinkle with lemon juice if you’d like to prevent discoloring. Cover mixture while preparing crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll pastry dough out to 13” with thickness of 1/8”. Place on rimmed baking sheet. Mount mixture in middle of rolled out dough, spread evenly to 1 ½ - 2” from edge of dough. Pleat edges of dough over filling, leaving an opening in the middle. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hr or until nicely browned. If walnuts get burnt, cover the center of tart with tin foil. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe borrowed from SimplyRecipes.com... and approved by Meg :-)

Vermicelli

 

½ lb vermicelli nests
½ c olive or grapeseed oil
½ yellow onion, minced
2 fresh medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or several romas)
2 c veggie broth
...Salt and pepper

In 9 in frying pan with lid, fry nests in oil on both sides to golden brown. Remove from nests pan. In same oil, brown onion. When onions have browned, add tomato and veggie broth. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Once boiling, add nests back to pan and reduce to low simmer. Cover and cook until nests have soaked up all the liquid, about 20-30 minutes.

Borrowed from SimplyRecipes.com

Healthy Garden Salad

5 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp grapeseed oil (could sub with canola)

1/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp white sugar

¾ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans)

3 c frozen corn kernels

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

In a large serving bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt and garlic. Set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the soybeans and boil for 3 minutes. Add corn to boiling water and continue cooking for one more minute. Drain very well, and pour into the serving bowl with dressing. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, green onions and black beans. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to chill and blend flavors.

Borrowed from AllRecipes.com

Pepper from my garden

Here is a half red/half green bell pepper I found in my garden the other day.. I thought it was too cool not to share! The red half had been facing this sun, and the green half was against the foliage.

Penne with Ricotta and Asparagus

 

Salt
1 1/4 pound thick asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1 lb penne pasta
1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed
15 oz ricotta cheese
...2 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg

1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (You will cook both the asparagus and the pasta in the same pot of water.) Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Have an ice bath ready. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but firm, about 4 minutes. Remove the asparagus with tongs and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking. Cut the asparagus into 1/8-inch diagonal slices, leaving the tips intact.

2 Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne pasta.

3 While the penne is cooking, rub the inside of a large serving bowl with the mashed garlic. Discard the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil, and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix together in the bowl. When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the penne to the ricotta mixture. Fold in the asparagus and half of the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and several dashes of nutmeg. Add some of the reserved pasta water if needed.

Serves 4-8, depending on whether or not this is the main course. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl for sprinkling.

Recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Ravioli ingredients:
1 tsbp butter
3 tbsp minced shallots
1 c roasted butternut squash puree
Salt
...Freshly ground white pepper
3 tbsp heavy cream
3 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Pinch nutmeg
1 package of wontons
1-2 egg whites

Sage/Butter Sauce:
8 tbsp butter
12 fresh sage leaves

To make the butternut squash puree, halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings. Rub the insides with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Place on a roasting pan, skin side down. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the squash from the oven, scoop out the flesh and place in a food processor. Puree until smooth.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons cheese and nutmeg, to taste. Cool completely.

Flour a surface. Place wontons on surface (I found it easiest to make 3 at a time). Place 2 tsp or so of filling in each wonton. You can either fold them over to make triangles, or place another wonton on top. Brush edges with egg whites to seal. Add the pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes, or until pasta floats.
Remove pasta from water and drain well. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

If you want to serve with a sage and butter sauce, in a large sauté pan, melt 8 tbsp of butter. Add sage to the butter and cook until the butter just starts to brown. Remove from heat.

Place pasta in serving dishes and spoon sauce overtop. Recommended with roasted red pepper cream sauce, with freshly blanched, slivered and toasted almonds sprinkled on top! :-) Ravioli recipe is a hybrid of Emeril Lagasse's and one I found on Allrecipes.com

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

‎2 large red bell peppers
2 tbsp minced garlic
¼ c fresh basil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 c half & half
...¼ c grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
4 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat broiler. Lightly coat red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under broiler until skin is blackened, and flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper/Ziploc bag (I find that Ziploc works best) until they’ve cooled, about 45 minutes. Once they’ve cooled, it should be easy to pull the skin off. I find it easiest to squeeze each pepper slightly with one hand, and pull the stem with the other. Most of the skin will come off that way. Cut peppers into small pieces. In a skillet over medium heat, cook and stir garlic, basil, red pepper and 3 tbsp olive oil for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mix. Place mixture in a blender and puree. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in half & half and Romano cheese, cook and stir until cheese melts. Add the butter, stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta.
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Chocolate Tofu Mousse: Better than you could believe!

14oz firm tofu at room temp
6 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, 62% cocoa
1 tsp pure almond extract
Fresh raspberries (optional)
...Fresh mint (optional)

Over low heat in a saucepan or over a bain marie (place a bowl over a saucepan) with simmering water, melt the chocolate. Then in a blender add the tofu and almond extract, blend until smooth. Add teaspoon of water, if necessary, to speed up the blending process. Pour chocolate into blender while blending. Use spatula to scrape down sides until fully mixed. Spoon into serving dishes and chill in refrigerater (does not take long to set). Garnish with berries and mint. NUMMMMY!
Recipe from A Lyon in the Kitchen

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Recipe found on AllRecipes.com

‎2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
½ c white sugar
½ c olive oil
¼ c distilled white vinegar
...¼ tsp paprika
1 tbsp minced onion
10 oz fresh spinach rinsed, dried, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 qt strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced
¼ c almonds, blanched and slivered

In a medium bowl, whisk together sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika and onion. Cover, chill for one hour. In large bowl, combine spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pout dressing over salad, toss. Yum!

Gingery Chickpea & Tomato Stew

‎2 tbsp vegetable oil1 jumbo onion (1lb), chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 c basmati rice
1 c plain yogurt
1/4 c packed cilantro, finely chopped
...2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
½ c water
1 ½ tsp sugar
Salt

In a 5-6 qt saucepan, heat oil on medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic, cook 10 min or until golden and tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. In small bowl, combine yogurt and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate. To saucepan with onion, add cumin, coriander and cayenne. Cook one minute or until fragrant, stirring. Add tomatoes, lemon juice and ginger. Heat until boiling, then stir in chickpeas and water. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce thickens, mashing a few beans and stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and ¼ tsp salt. Makes about 7 cups. Divide rice among places, top with bean mixture and yogurt.

borrowed from Good Housekeeping

Veggie Pad Thai

I fell in love with Pad Thai before I found out the sauce was made with fish sauce. It took a lot of experimenting (and weird peanut buttery concoctions) to finally reach this fish sauce-less recipe. This is the best veggie Pad Thai I've ever had!

Sauce:
1/2c tamarind pulp (can be found at Asian grocery)
1/2c palm sugar (if subbing with white sugar, use 1/3c)
1/4c soy sauce
1/4c salted water (taste until it tastes like.. well.. salt water!)
Pinch of Paprika or Thai chili powder (more if you like it spicy)

The rest:
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
Rice noodles (1-2c per portion)
Tofu (optional)
Eggs (optional)
Ground roasted peanuts
Green onions, sliced
Bean sprouts
Chopped garlic
Carrot, thin slices
Lime, for garnish
Cilantro, for garnish

To make the sauce:
Whenever I buy tamarind pulp in a package, it says "seedless". It's never seedless. I put some in a bowl and add hot water, and let it soak for a moment. This will make it easier to break up. Feel around and break it up with your fingers and remove any seeds you may find. Then, take the pulp from the bowl of water and squeeze any extra water out. Measure and add to saucepan. Melt all ingredients for sauce over low flame, adding the spices last. Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions. They should still be a little firm before you add them to the frying pan.

Once sauce is made, heat large wok or pan over high heat until very hot, almost smoking. Each serving will be fried up individually. Add 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil. Cook tofu until lightly browned and crispy. Add carrots and cook until tender. Add noodles and ladle some sauce in. When noodles are done, push them to the sides of the pan, leaving a hole in the middle. Crack an egg in the middle, and let sit for 10-15 seconds. Then scramble everything in pan together. Add peanuts, bean sprouts. Cook a minute. Add handful of green onions. Garnish and serve, repeating process for each serving. As my momma says, “YUMMA LUMMA!”

Spicy Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup

This soup has become our traditional dinner for beggar's night. Serve it with from fresh, homemade bread. Enjoy!

‎1 tsp canola oil
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
...1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 (14 1/2 oz) can of whole tomatoes
1 (14 1/2 oz) can of veggie broth
2 c water
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4tsp cayenne
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in Dutch oven (or large stock pot) over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, red pepper and carrot and cook, stirring frequently until veggies are tender. Stir in sweet potato and corn. Drain tomatoes, reserving the liquid Chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes and reserved liquid. Stir in broth, water, salt and pepper. Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in beans and cook 5 minutes.