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Entries in Vegetarian (44)

Sunday
08Nov2009

Pasta with roasted acorn squash, mushrooms and pine nuts

DateSunday, November 8, 2009 at 11:54AM

Enjoy the flavors of autumn with roasted acorn squash and mushrooms on pasta, by Dave Utrata.

This recipe makes use of the wonderful winter squash that are currently abundant. After creating this, I realized it’s not so much brand new as a variant of other pasta toppings that one can find on the web. Nevertheless, I find this one has its own unique and filling capability, looks and tastes great!

 

Ingredients

1/2 acorn squash, peeled and cubed

1 cup sliced mushrooms, such as baby bellas

2 TBLSP pine nuts

1 tsp crushed savory leaf

cooked pasta; I’m heartily recommending rigatoni

olive oil

grated parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Directions

Begin by tossing the cubed squash in a shallow baking tray with some olive oil and the crushed savory leaf.  When coated evenly, put in oven at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes to roast.  Remove and bring near stove top.

Cook the pasta as per normal and drain.

While the squash and pasta are underway, sprinkle the pine nuts into a flat cooking pan and begin slightly toasting them; heat and toss them about for even color.  Add the sliced mushrooms and some olive oil; let the mushrooms take on that nice dark color that shows they’ve absorbed the oil.  Add the roasted acorn squash cubes and stir gently.

Now plate a desired amount of pasta and top with some of this mixture from the pan.  Dribble with a little olive oil and top with freshly grated parmesan.

There you have it: simple and so satisfying, a great collection of good flavors.  And this time I was clever enough to actually use a decent camera to catch a nice photograph for you.  Continue to enjoy the fall harvest flavors!

 
AuthorDave Utrata | Comment4 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
27Oct2009

Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe

DateTuesday, October 27, 2009 at 12:23PM

A creamy pureed soup made from leftover veggies, by Jo-Anne Vaughn.

Vegetables. Photo: Zsuzsanna KiliánMost vegetable soup recipes are made from chopped veggies left swimming in a broth.  This soup uses pureed vegetables, with an optional creamy sauce for a richer version.  Pureeing the vegetables is a great way to use up some less-than-perfect finds that  may be hanging around in the vegetable bin.  Jo-Anne, the creator of this recipe, was my former neighbor, and I can personally attest to her many cooking skills.  Sadly, the neighbors I have now don’t cook (or don’t invite me over).  Jo-Anne also contributed a Cold Cucumber Soup recipe that was quite popular here in the summer, but this one is great for cooler weather.  From Joanne:  “I whipped this together yesterday in less than 10 minutes
as I was rummaging through my vegetable bin.”

Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound or more cauliflower, broccoli, or any combination of veggies on hand.
  • ½ large onion
  • 1 potato, peeled
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon  

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a boil.
Add veggies and cook together for one-half hour on medium heat.
Puree with immersion blender (or transfer to processor or blender), add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with croutons, crackers or bread.
Garnish with yogurt, sour cream, optional white sauce below. 

 

Serves 4

White Sauce (optional)

Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in 1½ tablespoons flour until bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup 2 percent milk. Whisk and return to heat.
Continue to whisk until thickened.
Add to soup and mix.
 

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
18Sep2009

How to Make Tomato Sauce

DateFriday, September 18, 2009 at 12:56PM

Turn garden tomatoes into a homemade sauce for dinner, or freeze it for a delicious mid-winter meal.


Tomato Sauce. Photo: Nathalie DulexAs the bounty of garden fresh tomatoes continues, I’ve started making sauce.  My homemade sauce is very different from what usually comes in a jar, even a good-quality one.  For one thing, freshness can’t be bottled, and homemade tomato sauce has a superior fresh taste.  I toss in some diced hot peppers for heat, a bit of red wine for depth, and whatever chopped herbs I’m able to reach without too much effort.  I could eat just the sauce by itself for dinner.  My next goal is to become one of those women who preserves, but I haven’t quite gotten there.  I used to dread the thought of having to peel tomatoes, but it really is not a big deal.  In fact, if the counter is overflowing with tomatoes and you don’t have time or energy to make a sauce, just do the peeling part, then dump the skinned tomatoes whole into Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer.  Some chilly Sunday in the future, you may find yourself in the mood to make a sauce, and there will be bags of your very own ready-to-go tomatoes.   I’ve become a regular Betty Crocker.

Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe

  • 10 or more ripe tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 1 hot pepper (only as hot as you like), seeded and diced
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 handful fresh herbs, chopped (basil, oregano, thyme - mix & match)

Skin Tomatoes:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Rinse the tomatoes and pull off the stems.  Prepare a large bowl with ice water and set in sink.  
  2. Once the water is boiling, put in as many tomatoes as will comfortably fit.  Use a large spoon or one of those Wok Strainer Spoons to transfer the tomatoes.  Keep an eye on the tomatoes because it won’t take long and you don’t want them to cook.
  3. Put the lid on to keep the water boiling, and as soon as the skin splits on the tomatoes (maybe one minute), pull them out and plunge them into the ice water.  Continue in shifts as necessary until all of the tomatoes are finished.  
  4. When the tomato has cooled enough to handle, remove it from the ice water and pull off the skin with your hands.  Use a knife to core the stem end as necessary and quarter the tomatoes.  Keep in a bowl while preparing the rest of the ingredients.  

Make Sauce:

  1. Heat olive oil in stock pot and add onion, garlic, carrots and pepper.  Stir and cook a few minutes until just beginning to soften.  
  2. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add red wine.
  4. Simmer over low heat one hour.  For a chunky sauce, the tomatoes can be broken up with a spoon.  For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender (worth every penny) to process to the desired consistency.  
  5. Add fresh herbs, and simmer another five minutes.
  6. Serve over pasta, on baked chicken breasts, add cooked sausages for a stew or let cool and freeze for later use.

If you pour it into mason jars with homemade labels, please send me a photo.  Maybe it will inspire me.


AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Wednesday
09Sep2009

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

DateWednesday, September 9, 2009 at 2:38PM

A healthy recipe that can be made without an ice cream maker, by Trevy Thomas.

Bananas. Photo: ChamanitThe next time a bunch of bananas is about to turn brown, turn them into ice cream.  This is so easy a husband could do it.  The last couple of weeks, I have been on a raw food detox that was inspired by a recent book review.  That means no meat, dairy, sugar, flour, alcohol or caffeine.  Mostly fruits and veggies.  Yes, I’m crazy.  But it’s only for a month, and I’m promised a much healthier body with boosted immunity (good for flu season), fabulous hair and skin and a thinner self.  So the first thing I did was look through the book for treats and found banana ice cream.  The instructions were minimal, and I learned the hard way not to freeze the bananas with the skins still on.  Duh…very hard to peel a frozen banana.  Anyway, you could try this with plenty of other fruits, but bananas lend themselves to creaminess.  Best of all, no ice cream maker is necessary.  

Banana Ice Cream Recipe
Serves 1

2 bananas

(is that the world’s shortest ingredient list or what?)

  1. Peel the bananas, break them into pieces, and put them in a plastic bag.  Freeze overnight or about six hours until they’re firm.
  2. When frozen, put the bananas in a  food processor or blender, and puree until creamy and ice cream like.

 

Banana Ice Cream on Foodista  

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment6 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Thursday
27Aug2009

Marinated Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe

DateThursday, August 27, 2009 at 4:56PM

This salad of red, yellow and green bell peppers makes good use of more fresh garden veggies, from Trevy Thomas.

Twelve Months of Monastery Salads. Photo: Harvard Common PressIt never occurred to me to write a salad recipe, much like Heather says in her Farmer’s Market Peach and Tomato Salad recipe, but that changed when I received Twelve Months of Monastery Salads for review.  This cookbook is nothing but salad recipes, all created by monks who have lots of time to garden and cook.  Do they drink wine too?  Anyway, the book was surprisingly inspirational, and I found some combinations that wouldn’t have occurred to me otherwise.  The kind folks at Harvard Common Press are generous enough to let me post an excerpt now and then, and I thought this pepper salad recipe was timely.

Marinated Roasted Pepper Salad Recipe
Serves 4

Salad:

  • 2 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
  • 2 yellow bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
  • 2 green bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced
  • 20 pitted black olives

Vinaigrette:

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Thinly sliced fresh basil leaves for garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or preheat the broiler.  To make the salad, put the pepper halves, cut side down, on a broiler pan and roast or broil until blackened, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place them in a brown paper bag.  Close the bag, shake a bit, and let cool.
  2. Carefully remove the peppers from the bag, peel off their skins, then wash under cold running water to remove any blackened bits.  Pat dry with paper towels and place in a deep bowl.  Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, onion, and olives, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to marinate.
  3. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together in a measuring cup or small bowl until thickened.
  4. On each of 4 salad plates, carefully arrange 1 red pepper half, 1 green pepper half, and 1 yellow pepper half, leaving the center of the plate open.  Place 5 olives in the center of each plate and distribute the onion over the peppers.  Pour the vinaigrette evenly over the peppers, garnish with the basil, and serve immediately.

Source:  Twelve Months of Monastery Salads (click for full review)

Roasted Peppers on Foodista

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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