The Daily Vegetarian

Healthy bowl (adapted from thefirstmess.com): Roasted kale,...

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:16:20 -0400

Healthy bowl (adapted from thefirstmess.com): Roasted kale, asparagus and radishes with quinoa, chickpeas and kale stem pesto (recipe in previous post).

Kale stem pesto

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:11:26 -0400

4-5 cups of kale or broccoli stems (or other greens such as collards and chard, or a mix); also wilted parsley and other herbs do nicely
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup of toasted walnuts or pecans
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Roughly chop the stems and put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until they are soft.

Drain excess water but reserve some of it in case you need to thin out the pesto.

Transfer stems into a food processor, add olive oil and all the other ingredients except the lemon juice and zest. Pulse several times until you get a purée-like consistency.

Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice and zest. Pulse one more time.

Serve over quinoa, pasta or on top of toast. This will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days.

How to treat vegetables past their prime.

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:19:16 -0400

How to treat vegetables past their prime.

Green avocado eggs

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:00:17 -0400

One of my favorite new ways to have eggs is to scramble them with… avocado! It’s the creamiest, tastiest, “eggiest” dish you can whip up using only a couple of ingredients. You do need patience, though, to get the eggs fluffy and light. Serve over toast or a salad, or just eat it by itself! The eggs do turn a shade of pale green, though.

In a small pan, melt a pat of butter over low heat. Whisk 2-3 eggs in a bowl, adding a small pinch of salt and as much pepper as you desire. Dice the flesh of one avocado and set aside. Pour the eggs into the pan and let it cook for about half a minute.

Then begin whisking the eggs, pretty much continuously, until they begin to scramble. You could add 1 tbsp of chopped herbs to the eggs as well, but without is just as great. When the eggs are beginning to set but still wet, add the diced avocado and whisk gently for about 1-2 minutes more until creamy and soft. Taste to adjust seasonings, remove from pan, and serve immediately.

Smoked paprika dressing

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:49:59 -0400

This is a wonderful dressing for salad greens, red from the tomato and smoky from the paprika. You need very little else for a light lunch or an appetizer. I don’t remember where I got the recipe from, but I’d jotted it down a few months ago and am posting it now:

Combine the following in a food processor or using an immersion blender: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 tbsp sherry vinegar; 1 small plum tomato; 1 clove garlic; 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.

Homemade sunflower seed butter. Great on fruit, crackers or by...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:42:24 -0400

Homemade sunflower seed butter. Great on fruit, crackers or by itself.

Beefsteak tomatoes, avocado, radishes, fennel fronds, mustard...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:05:09 -0500

Beefsteak tomatoes, avocado, radishes, fennel fronds, mustard and walnut oil.

Fennel, citrus and avocado salad.

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:58:47 -0500

Fennel, citrus and avocado salad.

Papaya-almond milk smoothie.

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:38:25 -0500

Papaya-almond milk smoothie.

English peas with mint

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:53:39 -0500

Steam some English peas. Mince half a white onion, a few sprigs of thyme, a handful of mint. Heat a little oil or butter in a pan. Sauté the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the steamed peas, along with the herbs, sea salt and ground pepper. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin and black bean burgers, roasted green beans, and sautéed...

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:18:31 -0500

Pumpkin and black bean burgers, roasted green beans, and sautéed mustard greens.

Sweet-sour soba noodles with veggies. Mince 2 cloves of garlic...

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:53:39 -0500

Sweet-sour soba noodles with veggies. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and a 1” piece of ginger. Cut into quarters a mix of onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. lf you’re using broccoli, snap into florets, leave snap peas whole. Heat 1tbsp each of toasted sesame oil and vegetable oil. Sauté the ginger and garlic, along with some crushed chili pepper flakes, for about 30 seconds till fragrant. Add the veggies and cook till crisp-tender. Now add soy sauce, honey and a splash of rice vinegar. Stir well. Dissolve 2 tbsp flour in a little cold water to make a paste. Now add more cold water and pour it over the veggies. Make sure to mix it up, and let it cook uncovered for about 5-6 minutes, adding water as needed to make it a thick gravy. This is a good time to cook your soba noodles. When the noodles are done, drain and mix into the veggies. Taste for seasonings, and you’re ready to go!

Inspired by a $22-entree of “chitarra” pasta with...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:40:00 -0500

Inspired by a $22-entree of “chitarra” pasta with tomato sauce in a midtown restaurant, I decided to try my hand at making my own pasta. And you know what, it wasn’t bad at all! Quite delicious, actually, although I have to learn to roll the dough thinner and cut it better.

I followed the instructions on the back of a pack of Bob’s Mill semolina flour, which are quite simple. I didn’t have eggs, so used reconstituted dried egg whites, and an old wine bottle instead of a rolling pin. Kneading the dough for 10 minutes is the hard part, because you need a good bit of elbow grease. But do not skimp on the kneading, because it’s what gives the dough its elasticity. Let it rest for 20 minutes, roll it out and cut into your desired shapes. Cook in boiling water till done and serve with a sauce of your choice!

Pasta with olive and red-pepper "tapenade"

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:32:48 -0500

Here’s a tasty and simple sauce to make for any ridged pasta. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Coarsely chop 2 garlic cloves and saute in the hot oil for 30 seconds, until it turns fragrant. Add 1 dried bay leaf, along with 2 small or 1 large diced red pepper and sprinkle a little sea salt to taste. Stir well and cover the pan, letting the peppers cook for about 5 minutes.

Next, add 1 diced carrot, 1 roughly chopped red onion and about 10-15 Kalamata olives. I like to mash the olives a little bit before adding them to the pan. Add pepper and taste for salt. Stir well, cover the pan again and let the mixture cook till the carrots turn fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure the pan doesn’t dry out. Add splashes of red wine (or water, or broth) to keep from drying out.

Puree the mixture till it forms a chunky tapenade-like sauce, adding some of the cooking water from the pasta to get to the right consistency. Mix with the pasta and serve, with grated cheese if you like.

Almost-pesticide-free

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:32:41 -0400

Great website on what fruits and vegetables contain the least and most pesticides. By The Environmental Working Group:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Shaved cucumber salad

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:48:43 -0400

I spent three days in Houston this week on a work trip, but also caught up with family in Kingwood and Sugarland, two of the city suburbs, after a long time. It was all great, but it also meant that I ate every meal out, and Houston restaurants make delicious but very rich food. Even the simplest salad on the menu is a big, heavy affair.

So when I got back yesterday, I was craving a simple meal, and reached for my go-to recipes — quinoa and buckwheat groats with roasted veggies (fennel, red pepper, broccoli and mushrooms). My not-significant other had also bought a cucumber, so I turned it into a light, refreshing salad, the recipe for which is here:

Peel the cucumber and slice the ends of. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber into strips, like thick fettucine, until you get to the seeds, at which point you stop. You can also do this on a mandoline slicer.

Place the “shaved” cucumber in a bowl. Chop up 1 tbsp of fennel fronds (or dill), and mix well with the cucumber. Dress with 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, a sprinkle of sea salt (I used smoked Maldon sea salt flakes) and a twist of pink pepper. Toss well and serve immediately.

Vegetable paella

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:50:07 -0400

I adapted this recipe for the paella, but used regular white arborio rice, switched out the chard for some spinach, used regular paprika since I didn’t have smoked paprika on hand… and it still turned out delicious!

Fennel, carrot and avocado salad

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:45:08 -0400

Apologies the picture is a little blurry, but the salad is delicious and simple to make. The only real labor involved is in the slicing — I use a peeler to get thinly sliced carrot “pasta” strips, and a sharp knife for the fennel.

Here’s what you need:

1 bulb fennel, plus the fronds

1 large carrot, peeled

1 avocado

1/2 red onion

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp olive oil

Sea salt and coarsely ground pepper

Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half. Slice the red onion in the same way. Cut the carrot into thirds, and using a vegetable peeler, peel into strips. Dice the avocado. Finely chop the fennel fronds.

Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Wheat berry pilaf with beets and beet greens

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:39:30 -0400

Simple, nutritious and pink! This recipe takes a little time, but the wheat berries cook in about the same time as the beets roast, so it’s quite efficient. What you’ll need:

1 cup wheat berries

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 roast beets

1 bunch beet greens

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

dried chile flakes

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut of the tops of the beets, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Cover a baking dish with foil. Place beets in the dish, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and seal tightly with another piece of foil. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the wheat berries. You can soak the berries in water beforehand to cut down on the cooking time. Otherwise, they just take longer to cook. Rinse and place in a pot with 3 cups broth. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer till chewy and nearly done (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour). Make sure to check the broth hasn’t dried out; if so, add a dash or two more. For the last five minutes of cooking, add the beet greens, rinsed and roughly chopped, along with another 1/4 cup of broth or water.

Heat the oil in a cast iron skill or frying pan on medium high. Add minced garlic and chile flakes, if using, and stir fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic. Now add the wheat berries and beet greens to the pan, stirring well. Let it cook for a few minutes, while you peel the beets (the skin slips off easily once the beets are roasted) and dice them.

Add the diced beets and the parmesan to the wheat berries and mix well, letting it cook for just a couple minutes more. Add salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, as per your taste. Let sit for a bit and then eat!

Squid-ink pasta with roasted cauliflower, peas and lemon zest

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:20:00 -0400

Preheat the oven to 425F. Break one head of cauliflower into florets and arrange in a foil-covered, ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp each of dried parsley and thyme, and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Drizzle 3 tbsp of olive oil, and toss gently to coat. Roast in the oven for 15-17 minutes, until the tops of the florets begin to char just a little.

Cook the squid-ink pasta (or any other pasta, I made an exception to vegetarianism since I thought the black pasta would contrast well with the cauliflower) as per directions. Dice 1/2 leek and saute in 1 tbsp olive oil for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of frozen peas and the zest of 1 lemon and stir for another 30 seconds. Add the pasta to the leek mixture 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked, along with 5-6 ladlespoons of the pasta water. Cook on high and add the roasted cauliflower for the last couple of minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat, adjust seasonings, and let stand for a few minutes before ladling into bowls. Bon appetit!