Wild Rice and Toasted Seaweed Salad

Quick and easy (especially if you have leftover tofu on hand).
Fresh, healthy and delicious.
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/wild-seaweed-salad-recipe.html

Roasted Burdock and Lotus Root

This was insanely good. I know Lotus root is hard to find, but the Burdock (also called a Jerusalem artichoke) scrubbed, sliced and roasted with a little sliced onion a tablespoon of maple syrup and shoyu (or soy sauce).

Green Beans with Leeks and Dill

So easy. So good!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/vibrant-tasty-green-beans-recipe.html

Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts

This is a good basic protein/grain dish. There's no recipe except following the directions on the quinoa and adding some chopped basil (a handful) and toasted pine nuts. Light, but filling and would definitely make again. (This was also courtesy of Kind Diet book. I will often times go on a cookbook binge and make every recipe that sounds appealing before moving on so don't be surprised to see more from this one!)

Tofu Salad

Also, from Alicia Silverstone's the KIND DIET. Her take on egg salad, but made vegan with tofu. It was by far the freshest and best version of this recipe (including ones made with eggs).
Drain and Steam 1 block tofu in steamer pot for 5 minutes.
Mash in a bowl and combine with
3 olives
2 tbsp scallion
1 tbsp Veganaise or Mayonaise (to taste)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup frozen (thawed) or fresh peas
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers
Combine and enjoy!

Mung Bean with Dried Apricots and Rice

This is from Mark Bittman's Vegetarian Cookbook. I had never even eaten Mung Beans before as they sounded way too hippy for anything that could taste remotely good. I was so wrong. It's outrageously good. John called it one of the most interesting vegetarian dishes I have made. It involves some cayenne so if you are making it for the kids, just omit that part way down. It was extremely easy.
One cup Mung bean
A cup and a half brown Rice.
1 large onion thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried apricots
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinammon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Bring a medium saucepan to boil and add in mung bean and brown rice.
Cook for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a heavy large pot, cook onions slowly for ten minutes. Add dried apricot and spices and cook for a minute.
Then add Mungbean rice mixture with 1/3 cup water. Put a towel under lid (make sure it doesn't touch stove!) and cook on medium high for five minutes until you hear a sizzle. then turn very low and cook unattended for 30 minutes. Take off top and let sit for 5 minutes.
Delicious!!
;

Vegetarian Sushi

John made this for me on Mother's day and it was fantastic. We used grilled tofu, scallion, avocado, broccoli, pumpkin, asparagus and cucumber and mixed and matched. It's so easy and delicious. We even had some sake which was the perfect accompaniment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/dining/05mini.html?src=me&ref=homepage

Ginger Fried Rice with Egg

This is the perfect recipe for when you are low on groceries, but want something truly satisfying for dinner! We substituted scallion for the leek (lots of them).
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/dining/271mrex.html

Asparagus Tofu Stir Fry

We loved this recipe and was much simpler than it looks. Took about 20 minutes prep time.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Asparagus_Tofu_Stir-Fry_Recipe

Vegan Sloppy Joes

Highly recommend this one. It is from my new favorite cookbook VEGANOMICON by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romano. So easy and a great twist on this classic. Very healthy and low fat too, but tastes kind of decadent!
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pepper (any color), small dice
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 can tomato sauce or diced tomato (8 oz)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 - 3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon (or less, I did mine to taste) yellow mustard , keep in mind dijon is much stronger
rolls
Cook lentils. About 10 minutes before they are done preheat a medium saucepan and saute onion and pepper for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more.
Stir in Cooked lentils, chile powder, oregano and salt. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes. Add maple syrup and mustard (to taste). Turn off heat and let sit for ten minutes. Serve on a bun!

Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Broccoli

I usually buy the Trader Joe pre-made polenta, but went out on a limb and decided to make it from scratch. It was beyond simple to make and much more satisfying. I used a recipe from epicurious with parmesan cheese (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Parmesan-Polenta-797). I steamed broccoli and added it in at the last minute. Very good!!

Broccoli, Leek and Cheddar Savory Bread Pudding

Made this last night with left over olive bread. A big hit with the family. Always a great way to make use of whatever ingredients you have on hand and can be made with an endless combination of ingredients, asparagus, mushroom, spinach etc...

Elysa's Italian egg scramble

After staying out to 11 and waking up with Ruby at 5 am (the crack of dawn would be sleeping in at this point), I was feeling extremely tired. In need of some energy/pick me up, I looked to the fridge for inspiration. I was looking for something that felt like an early lunch, but as it was still only 9:30 am- also breakfast.
I used the ground kale from last night's supper with the marinara sauce, goat cheese, two eggs and some red pepper flakes. Next time, I would even add a little onion. This was just what the doctor ordered and relatively low fat (I used very little goat cheese). I would definitely make this again.

A healthy and delicious pasta

Tonight I ground steamed kale in the cuisin art for Ruby's dinner. Since I had some extra, I put it into fusilli pasta with Lentils and marinara sauce. I added a little ricotta for creaminess. This was outrageously good and a great way to get in your dark greens.

Vitamin supplements and Vegetarians

I have been very careful in the last year to make sure I was getting enough protein in my vegetarian diet. After going for my yearly check up, I realized that I also need to take B-12 and Vitamin D supplements. Apparently, these are the vitamins that come from meat and fish and are very hard to get from a strict vegetarian diet. Easy to take a couple of supplements a day and was very happy to know this information! Thought I would pass along.

Chickpea, Broccoli and Brown Rice

This is a wonderful midweek meal that I got from one of my favorite web sites. I usually make it with asparagus and onion, but since I was out-substituted the broccoli and shallots. It is topped with slivered almonds for a nice crunch and a tahini lemon dressing. Quick, healthy and very tasty. I highly recommend this one.
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/ten-minute-tasty-asparagus-and-brown-rice-recipe.html

Kale with raisins and pine nuts

Sautee Kale in olive oil with a little garlic until it becomes tender. Meanwhile soak raisins in water (I used golden ones for color). Once Kale is tender, add the raisins and pine nuts and cook for another couple of minutes. Great way to enjoy a super healthy green.

Vegetarian Pate

Courtesy of my friend Rachel:

1 cup and 1/2 or so of brown or black lentils.
1 onion sauteed.
1 cup of walnuts
A tablespoon or two of soy sauce (to taste)
Put in blender or cuisin art.
Voila!! Vegetarian Pate. I had it as a sandwich spread with greens dressed in oil and balsamic on a chive and garlic bread (from hollywood farmers market. So good!

Rolled Kale with Feta and Olives

This is my new favorite recipe from Bittman's vegetarian cookbook. I didn't have olive so used feta and added some pine nuts. It was outrageously good and the presentation was gorgeous. A perfect midweek meal since it took very little time, but could also double as a dinner party dish.

Ingredients:
8 large kale leaves
8 oz feta cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of garlic
slat and pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine, stock or water ( the wine made it amazing)
1 cup diced tomato canned or chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olivees
pine nuts optional
1 small red onion for garnish

1) Cut each half of the the kale leaf off, leaving it intact. Save the stems. you should have about a dozen kale leaves and a bunch of stems. Chop the stems and sautee for a few minutes with the garlic until soft.
2) Roll the kale leaves with the feta cheese and pine nuts.
3) Put the rolled leaves on top of the stem and garlic mixture. Repeat until all the ribbons are nestling next to each other in the pot. add the wine and top with the tomato and olives. Return the pan to medium high heat. When the liquid starts to boil, cover and turn the heat down to medium low.
4) cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, then check to make sure kale is tender and cheese is hot.
5) garnish with pine nuts and onion.

A typical Ruby dinner

Fresh asparagus from the Farmers Market for appetizer (I always make sure she eats her greens while she's hungriest!). Red beans and cous cous with marinara sauce. Orange for desert. Fresh, wholesome and yummy!

Re Bean Chili and Quinoa

From my new favorite cookbook, FEEDING THE WHOLE FAMILY, John and I had this last night. So easy and delicious. A refreshing change from standard chili. Let me know if you are interested in getting the recipe and I will post.

Tofu Kale Supper Pie

This was a great recipe from my cookbook FEEDING THE WHOLE FAMILY by Cynthia Lair. I made it tonight after an inspiring trip to the Hollywood Farmers Market with John and Ruby today.
If anyone is interested, I will post the recipe!

Favorite Cookbooks and website

My go to cookbooks for vegetarian recipes:
FEEDING THE WHOLE FAMILY by Cynthia Lair
VEGETARIAN COOKING by Mark Bittman
A YEAR IN A VEGETARIAN KITCHEN by Jack Bishop
101 COOKBOOKS on the web
VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE BY Deborah Madison

Pashtida

This is a very easy midweek meal that was reccomended by John's sister Lissa. We added spinach. Very good and Ruby liked it too!
2 - 3 carrots grated
6 or 7 med. zuchinni, grated
1 lg onion minced
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper as desired
2 cups flour or Passover Cake Meal

Preheat Oven to 350. Mix all together well, mixture will seem dry, but vegies give off water as they cook. Put in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan until set, about 40-45 minutes (or longer). Ready when lightly browned on top.

Chickpea Tagine with Artichoke, Olive and Peppers

Ingredients-
1 can of artichoke hearts
pinch of saffron (put in a tablespoon of boiling water)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion diced into 1/2 inch squares
2 large bell peppers (yellow and red preferably)
1 tablespoon Harissa
1 can chickpeas rinsed
20 small kalamata olives or 10 large ones sliced
1 small preserved lemon skin only cut into small squares
moroccan spice or chermoula
Cilantro or Parsley for garnish
cous cous
All you do is rinse the artichoke and chickpeas and drain. Make sure you blot artichoke with paper towels.
In a large skillet put three tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion and peppers saute for a minute, then add the harissa or spices. Reduce heat to medium and cook for five minutes. Add saffron, artichokes turning vegetables frequently. Add the chickpeas, olives, preserved lemon, herbs and 2 cups water. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over cous cous and enjoy!

Ginger Fried Rice

This was from today's food section in the New York Times. Sounds like a delicious way to use left over brown rice (which I always seem to make more than I need) and a simple midweek meal. The protein comes from a poached egg on top. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/dining/271mrex.html?ref=dining

My trip to the Bulk Bin. Long overdue!

I have been reading about BPA seeping into our canned goods (see link below) and have decided to try to stop eating canned beans and tomatoes. Apparently, tomatoes are the worst in terms of leaching BPA from the can because of their acidity. In any event, if you are not aware of the hazards of BPA, they are well documented from the FDA's recent findings to the New York TImes editorials. But I digress!
The idea of soaking my own beans seemed very intimidating and time consuming as well. However, after mustering my courage and attempting a couple of dried bean soakings from the supermarket, I realized I was ready to experience the bulk bin store. Basically, it's an entire store of whole grains and natural ingredients. There are not plastic containers, cardboard boxes or packaging of any sort. Just bags and whole grains. Aisle upon aisle of the most exotic and mundane. They have lentils of five different varieties, flax seeds, chickpeas, black beans, adzuki, you name it. I could not have been more excited when my grand total of four different items (chickpeas, kidney, lentils and black beans) came to a grand total of 9 dollars. Trust me, I bought enough beans to feed a family of four for at least a couple of weeks. Now granted, you wouldn't want to eat the beans/grains without lettuce, vegetables, spices etc, but still a pretty incredible bargain. If you don't have an entire store devoted to this philosophy, check out your local health food store and give it a try. It will be an adventure to say the least.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-starkman/tests-find-wide-range-of_b_342967.html)

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with Nuts and Chocolate Chip

Working from my favorite cookbook, Bittman's Vegetarian cooking, I decided to try a vegan version of the classic oatmeal raisin cookie. Truth be told, I had a chocolate craving and we had nothing sweet in the house...What's a girl to do? This was even easier than a traditional recipe because you don't have to whip the butter or soften it. You substitute any kind of neutral oil, canola, corn for the butter and apple sauce for the eggs. I used rice milk instead of cow milk which I prefer anyway. I added chocolate chips and walnuts to give it a different twist and the result was terrific. The whole process took about ten minutes to prep and another 15 in the oven. Next time I will freeze half the dough since we now have about twice as many cookies as come with any trader joes bag. As an added bonus, our whole house smelled like a bakery on a rainy day. Very cozy!

Tofu Stir Fry with Scallions

This was an incredibly simple and satisfying dish that I made tonight. From Mark Bittman's vegetarian cooking, it calls for:
1 1/2 pounds of extra firm tofu (drain before cooking)
3 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon garlic chopped
1 tablespoon ginger chopped
(2 dried chili, optional)
2 bunches of scallions
1/2 cup veggie stock or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
(sesame seeds sprinkled on top, optional)
Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch or slightly larger cubes. Put the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the garlic and the ginger and the chiles if you're using them and cook stirring for about ten seconds. Add the tofu and the white part of the scallions, cook stirring occasionally until the tofu begins to brown. Add the stock and cook, stirring until half of it evaporates, add the green parts of the scallions and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the soy sauce , stir and taste adjusting seasoning.
I added a splash of peanut sauce (from TJS) which made it extra delicious. Next time, I might even use more scallions, ginger and garlic. This was a winner!

Vegetable Garden and Compost

One of my new years resolutions is to start a compost and a vegetable garden this year. Mark Pollan recently wrote that a sixty dollar investment in a garden can generate over seven hundred dollars worth of food. A pretty good return on investment! Also, I am troubled by the idea that the food we throw away in the trash ends up in landfills that contributes to global warming. I am planning on attending a short workshop at Silverlake farms in next few weeks if anyone is interested in joining.

Pear Almond Upside Down Cake

Last night I tried my first foray into baking. We were invited to a dinner party and asked to bring dessert. Once we did a run to the store for the buttermilk and almond paste, this was pretty straightforward. The only problem was with the kids running around I forgot to put in the baking powder. Ten minutes into the oven, I saw it sitting on the counter and realized my mistake. Instead of throwing in the towel completely, I decided to mix it into the batter and lower the bar of my expectations. Shockingly, it turned out just great. The presentation was beautiful and the result was delicious. I used a recipe from Mark Bittman's vegetarian cooking cookbook. It was a variation that he outlines under the plum upside down cake recipe. Definitely recommend this one.

A simple vegetarian meal for the kids

Sauteed polenta and added some red sauce (tj's marinara) on top. Steamed broccoli and mixed it in with Ruby's polenta. She loved it!

Red Lentil Stew

Josh requested a lentil stew recipe. Here's one that sounds great from one of my favorite web sites 101 cookbooks.

Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Be sure to pick through your lentils carefully. I somehow always find pebbles or clots of dirt hiding in their midst. Better to catch them on the front end, before you chip a tooth. And to make this soup vegan, just skip the feta at the end i bet some chopped avocado would be a good alternative.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

6 cups good-tasting vegetable stock (or water)
1 1/3 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice, picked over and rinsed
as much fine grain sea salt as you need

slivered almonds, toasted
black oil cured olives, chopped
feta, crumbled

In a big soup pot, over medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Let them brown, and caramelize a bit, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, bring to a boil, then stir in the lentils and rice. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is very tender, and not at all toothsome. By this time, the lentils will have collapsed into a thick slop of sorts. If you need to add more water/broth at any point do so a splash at a time, until the soup thins out to the point you prefer. Unless you used a salty broth, you will likely need to salt generously, until the the soup no longer tastes flat. Serve each bowl topped with almonds, olives, feta, and a slight drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Serves 4 - 6.

Thai Noodle Sticks with Peanut Sauce

Courtesy of Josh. This sounds great and will look forward to trying soon.

8 ounces uncooked rice stick noodles
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup water
4 ounces bean sprouts
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into fourths and sliced thinly crosswise
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Heat 2 quarts water to boiling in 3-quart saucepan.
Break noodles in half and pull apart slightly; drop into boiling water.
Cook uncovered 1 minute; drain.
Rinse in cold water; drain and set aside.
Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, gingerroot, and red pepper in same saucepan until smooth.
Gradually stir in broth.
Add noodles, bean sprouts, bell pepper, and onions; toss.
Sprinkle with cilantro

Vegetarian Burrito

Today we had black bean burritos for lunch with salsa, cheese, fresh cilantro and a dab of sour cream on top. Such a simple pleasure and so easy to make. We used white flour tortilla, but you could go even healthier depending on your dietary considerations. There is no shortage of variations to add into the mix. Peppers, shredded carrots, corn, spinach- whatever you have on hand. I have made burritos with lentils instead of black beans and goat cheese instead of jack cheese. I also remembered to freeze the extra tortillas I had on hand because they only last a few day in the fridge. A great variation on a traditional sandwich lunch or quick mid week meal.

Orechiette with Pistachio Pesto

This recipe is courtesy of Lissa Dutton who made it for us over Christmas. Excellent dish.
Ingredients

1. 1 pound orecchiette
2. 7 ounces unsalted roasted shelled pistachios (1 1/2 cups)
3. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons chopped mint
5. 1 garlic clove, minced
6. 1/2 cup finely shredded pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
7. 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths and julienned
8. Salt

Directions
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. 2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely chopped. Add the oil, mint and garlic and pulse just to combine. Transfer to a pasta bowl, stir in the cheese and scallions; season with salt. 3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the cooking water and the pesto and cook over low heat, tossing, until coated, 1 minute. Transfer the pasta to the bowl and serve, passing extra cheese on the side.

Thai Noodle Sticks

I was very intrigued by this item at trader joe's as I am a huge fan of Thai cuisine. But what to do with them? I followed the back of the package and then improvised a little. I chopped lettuce and shredded lots of carrots to make it almost like noodles served on a Thai salad. For the dressing, it was a combination of peanut oil, pepper flakes, a little bit of sugar and lime. I also added garlic an some red onion for extra spice. Yum!

Home Made Curry Powder

For my Saag Paneer, I needed curry powder and Mark Bittman recommended making it home made. I decided to give it a try even though I was missing a couple of the ingredients. Overall, it was a pretty simple process and incredibly fragrant. Probably took about five minutes at most and you can keep it in your pantry for months if sealed tight.

Saag Paneer

This is an indian dish that is delicious. Main ingredients are tofu and spinach. I went off of Bittman's recipe from his COOKING AROUND THE WORLD book, but you could probably find many like it online. It was quick and very good for a cold rainy night. The only problem was I used frozen spinach which made it too watery, so next time will definitely go for fresh spinach. Basically, you just sautee garlic and ginger with curry powder, add the spinach, then add yogurt and a little cream (or 1/2 and 1/2). Fold in the tofu (drained but not cooked) . I garnished with some chopped cashew and served with Trader Joe's naan bread over brown rice. Except for the small amount of 1/2 and 1/2, a very healthy meal!