Category Archives: Veggie Delight

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad

 

Kale and Brussels sprouts

It’s time to put down the candy corn and get your green on

The party is OVER. Bring on the kale!

Harsh, I know. And really, at this point does our world need another kale salad? After tasting this one I can happily say, yes! It’s simple, delicious, healthy, moderately addictive, loves to travel and is just a tad decadent with the cheese and almonds. And it is just the thing to rescue you from the Halloween sugar coma. Not that I’d know anything about that.

I highly recommend dressing this well before serving time. When I first had it at a picnic the salad was dressed and tossed before we went on an hour plus hike. It was perfect.  This originally came from Bon Appetit.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pound total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced. (I have used regular curly kale too and it was great.)
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Method

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture (see intro above for timing—the earlier the better); toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Bring It!

Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Halloween salad bowl

Goodbye October…

Kale Brussels sprouts salad

…Hello November!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes

 

Beets add color, flavor, and a bit of a kick!

Beets add color, flavor, and a bit of a kick!

Sweet potatoes are everywhere!  They can be found in your breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even your smoothies. This is great news because sweet potatoes rock if you are looking for Vitamin A or Beta-Carotene. So add this to your repertoire of healthy stuff to bring to pot lucks, etc because many use those events as an excuse to haul out the unhealthy heart attack food. This sweet potato recipe is a side dish that might be perfect on Thanksgiving, especially if you’re trying to get away from that sickeningly sweet side dish of sweet potatoes with marshmallows (who likes that dish anyway?).  This recipe comes from Terry Walters of Clean Food.  For this version I added grated beets but that is totally optional.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 red onion, minced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 small beet (optional), peeled and shredded
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method

In large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté ginger and onion in olive oil until soft ( about 5 minutes).  Add shredded sweet potatoes (beet if using) and lime juice, and increase heat to medium-high.  Stir continuously and sauté 5-7 minutes or until sweet potatoes start to soften.  Season with nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook a couple minutes longer. Voila!

Ingredients for sauteed sweet pototoes

Ingredients for sauteed sweet pototoes

 

Warm Millet with Roasted Vegetables

Warms the heart and soul

Warms the heart and soul

Now that it’s fall, comfort foods are an order.  I love this warm millet salad mixed with roasted vegetables.  Millet is my GO TO grain lately (check out these millet muffins if you have a chance).  For you gluten free folks, this is a gluten free food and has lots of health benefits (good source of protein, essential amino acids, and fiber) so go for it!. Also, in a websearch, while trying to figure out what this grain was all about, I found it listed as the oldest human food and first domesticated cereal!  So, I’m thinking it must be good for you, right?  And if not, then it gets big points purely for it’s staying power.   For this warm millet salad I used Brussels sprouts and carrots but you can mix it up with sweet potatoes, beets, asparagus, beans, or any other vegetable of your choice.   And you can always throw in some tofu to make a complete meal.

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts (or mix of other vegetables), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into disks similar in size to the Brussels sprouts
5 Tbsp canola oil, divided
3/4 cup millet
2/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp grated lemon zest

Method

Perheat oven to 450. Toss Brussels sprouts and carrots with 2 Tbsp canola oil in large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Arrange sprouts and carrots in a single layer in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.  Roast 20 minutes or until tender and a little brown.  Cool 5 minutes.

Heat large pan over medium heat.  Add millet and cook 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.  Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Transfer millet to large bowl. Cool 5 minutes.  Fold in Brussels sprouts and carrots, walnuts, cranberries, and parsley into millet.

Whisk together remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest in bowl.  Stir into millet mixture.  Add salt and pepper if needed.

Roasted vegetables

Roasted vegetables

Spaghetti Squash Enchiladas

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto sauce

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto sauce

When my friends and I go away we pair up for meals. Each pair is responsible for breakfast, dinner, and dishes for one day of the trip. When your day is over you can kick back and relax for the remainder of the trip.  As you can imagine, this method of dividing into cook teams has become a fierce competition.  At the end of the week we vote for who made the best meal.  Last trip the spaghetti squash enchiladas won hands down.  Jeannie Wall came to the table with this winner — darn her for being good at everything!  We are just glad she shared the recipe.  It is ridiculously good.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked spaghetti squash
2 peppers
2 onions
20 mushrooms
1 large or 2 small zucchini
10 whole wheat tortillas (you could use flour or corn tortillas too)
2 cups divided Swiss cheese (or cheese of your choice)
1 jar salsa (or homemade if you have the time)

Cilantro Pesto:

1 bunch of cilantro (about ½ cup), chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp lime juice
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Salt

Thai Sauce:

1 Tbsp each hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Method

Toss peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender.  Combine with cooked spaghetti squash.  And since it is corn season when this post is going up, I added fresh corn right off the cob.

Combine ingredients for cilantro pesto and stir together.  Combine ingredients for Thai sauce and stir together.

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.  Coat 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray or rub with oil to prevent sticking.  Heat tortillas and spoon in squash mixture. Add one tablespoon of each sauce plus cheese (make sure to have enough cheese left to sprinkle on the top). Set stuffed tortillas in pan.  Once all tortilla are made, cover with salsa, more cheese, and tin foil. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove foil and cook 10 more minutes until top browns.

Bring It!

Bring already cooked enchiladas in pan and re-heat when you get there.  Or, if not eating that day, bring items in tupperware and assemble when ready to cook. Oh, and if there is any sort of a competition, you will win.  If there is no competition – start one!

Roasted veggies mixed with spaghetti squash

Roasted veggies mixed with spaghetti squash

 

Sicilian Caponata

crackers-caponata-served

Sicilian caponata with endurance crackers

In case you can’t get to Italy this weekend this is your consolation prize.

It’s another find from Sunset magazine. So good, so satisfying. I started making this because I have a slight obsession with eggplant and because we were visiting Vegans (with a capital V–they were serious). I quickly realized this was equally appealing to carnivores, and downright meaty in texture and heartiness. The Vegans had to share. A vat of this in the fridge, with or without the toasts and ricotta cheese, and you are set to make a meal out of pretty much anything. Perfect for bruschetta deconstructed and as a spread/filling/topping with crackers, wraps, omelets, tortillas, or accompanied by your carb vehicle of choice.

Ingredients

1  loaf (1 lb.) crusty Italian bread such as ciabatta, cut into 1/3-in.-thick slices
About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1  large eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. dice (about 4 cups)
2  Tbsp minced garlic
1  cup  chopped celery
1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
1  cup  chopped green olives (a few pulses in the food processor works too)
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2  cup  raisins
1/2  cup  toasted pine nuts
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup ricotta cheese (or whipped cream cheese)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Lay bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tbsp. oil. Bake until toasted and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, cook garlic in remaining 2 Tsp oil, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and olives, stirring to combine, and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, tomato paste, raisins, and pine nuts and cook until heated through. Stir in reserved eggplant, salt, and sugar, then mix in herbs.

Serve caponata with ricotta on the toasted bread (technically I think that turns it into bruschetta.)

Bring it!

Spoon cooled caponata into one big or several small mason jars and make a label if you’re feeling fancy. Official word is to chill caponata up to 2 days in the fridge and store toasts airtight up to 2 days but I’ve pushed it out way longer with no scary consequences.

Caponata with Endurance crackers fresh from the cooler.

Caponata with Endurance crackers fresh from the cooler.

 

Dutch Oven Enchiladas

Dutch-Oven-With-Flowers

You can really eat anything when you are camping as long as you don’t have to carry it in a backpack (wait until I get to my dehydrated chicken stew for what to carry in a backpack!).  When we camp, we bring our Dutch Oven (DO) everywhere we go – on raft trips, back country ski trips, and camping from our car.  I cook all sorts of dinners, cakes, breads, and desserts in it. I brown meat, sauté sausage and bacon, and fry fish in it.  I keep pancakes, garlic bread, and anything else warm in it.  The DO is used at ninety percent of my meals and I never stop finding new ways to use it.  And, the bonus, you just wipe it out to clean it (that is my favorite part!).  Below is a recipe for DO enchiladas, but remember, anything is possible. Just think of it as an oven in the woods!

Ingredients

2 cans enchilada sauce
6 tortillas
1 bag rice and beans
1 can black olives
1 bag shredded jack or cheddar cheese

Method

Cook rice and beans according to package.
Wipe inside of DO with oil.
Place a light coating of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the DO.
Place one tortilla in the bottom of the DO.  Top with rice and beans, olives, and cheese. Top with enchilada sauce, repeat process until DO is full.
Cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (read your DO instructions to know how to cook at 350 – I generally use 10 coals on bottom and 12 on top).
Let cool for 5 mins, cut, serve

Top with avocado and cilantro if available at Chez Camp Site.

Pre-cooked enchiladas

Pre-cooked enchiladasch

Dutch Oven at 350 degrees

Dutch Oven at 350 degrees

Bring It!

Normally I would cook the rice and beans from scratch and not buy the prepackaged cheese, but when camping, you want to make it as easy as possible so pre-packaged/shredded is the way to go.  Also, there are plenty of good recipes for enchilada sauce, but again, canned works great when camping.

 

 

Moosewood Ratatouille

Eggplant simmering in pot

Eggplant simmering in pot

I went to school in Ithaca, NY, home of the Moosewood Restaurant. This was in the early 80s when Molly Katzen was relatively unknown and vegetarianism was not so widespread. My roommates and I decided to try the restaurant one night and sheepishly walked into the small dining room wondering if we had accidentally walked into someone’s living room. There was a chalk board in the corner with 3 dinner items, 2 soups, and a salad listed. I didn’t know what any of the dinner items were, but the description of the ratatouille sounded okay so I decided to go with it.  I was blown away. It was unbelievably good. I later bought the cookbook so I could make this dish for myself and my friends. That was over 30 years ago and I’m still making the Moosewood Ratatouille on a regular basis. As far as tailoring the recipe, I always add cubed tofu or beans (any kind of bean will do). Also feel free to throw in any veggies on hand – mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, etc… it all works. It is great served with brown rice or crusty bread and a green salad.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium  bell peppers, cubed
2 small zucchini, cubed
1 small eggplant , cubed
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 medium tomatoes, in chunks
1 bay leaf
1 tsp each basil, marjoram, and oregano
Dash of ground rosemary
3 Tbsp dry red wine
½ cup tomato juice
2 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup olive oil
Fresh chopped parsley

Method

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot.  Crush the garlic into the oil. Add bay leaf and onion, salt lightly.  Saute over medium heat until onion turns transparent.  Add eggplant, wine, and tomato juice.  Add herbs.  Stir to mix well, then cover and simmer 10-15 minutes over low heat.  When eggplant is tender enough to be easily pricked by a fork, add zucchini and peppers. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Mix well.  Continue to stew until all vegetables are tender (How tender is tender?  Molly Katzen says do a taste test and decide what seems right to you).

Just before serving, mix in fresh parsley. Top with grated cheese and chopped black olives.

Ratatouille on plate v2

Bring It!

This is ideal to bring in a crockpot so all you need when you get to the dinner party is a small bit of counter space and an outlet.  If you don’t own a crockpot, you should strongly consider buying one.  These are critical to the Bring It mentality.  Short of that, if you can bring it in a pot so you can heat it when you get there, that is great.  Or put it in a serving dish and pop it in the microwave to heat before serving.  NOTE: ask the host if you can heat on the stove or microwave when you get there so they are prepared.  Some people don’t have microwaves (yes it’s true – my friend Edie is one of them!), so definitely check before you go.