Category Archives: vegetarian

Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Mashed Potatoes:

1.5 – 2 pounds organic potatoes
whole milk
heavy cream
butter

Cook potatoes according to pressure cooker instructions
Scoop cooked potatoes into mixer
Add at least 2 tablespoons butter, but as much as you want
Pour in at least 1/2 cup milk, but as much as you want for desired consistency
Add a splash of heavy cream
Mix to desired consistency
Top with pats of butter
Serve hot

Green Beans:

1 pound of green beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large shallots
salt
pepper

Blanche the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes
Drain the beans and immediately run cold water over them
Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan; saute the shallots on medium heat for 5-10 minutes
Toss the green beans and shallots with salt and pepper to taste
Heat all together, only until green beans are hot

Pesto

This recipe is a conglomerate of a bunch of different recipes! By using walnuts instead of pine nuts, you get a very earthy-tasting pesto. The flavor goes great with whole wheat pasta and sun-dried tomatoes! Or spread on a sandwich with some fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and prosciutto!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice: parmesan, pecorino romano or asiago are all good choices)
1/2 cup (or more) olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

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Kale and Barley Gratin

If you like kale, you’ll love this earthy dish. If you don’t like kale, just try it! It really doesn’t taste like you’re eating straight kale… plus the cheese helps! From Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 large bunch kale, about 1 1/4 pounds stems entirely removed
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk or basic vegetable stock
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Gruyere

The classic Julia Child Cheese Soufflé

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk, whole
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
1 cup gruyere cheese, finely shredded (about 4 ounces)


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Baba Ghanoush

We got the original recipe from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, but (in our opinion) it was kind of bland. We added extra salt, garlic and olive oil to make it more flavorful!

Ingredients:

3 large eggplants
1 tablespoon sea salt (we added more like 2-3 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic (we added more like 4-5 cloves)
juice from 4-5 lemons
1 cup tahini
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (we added more like 4-5 tablespoons)
dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Slice eggplant in half
Place facedown on a cookie sheet with olive oil
Puncture eggplant in a few places
Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes (until skin is wrinkled and eggplant is tender)
Let cool
Peel skin off, chop into chunks
Sprinkle with salt, mix well and let sit for about an hour
Rinse well with water and pat dry with towel
Puree eggplant in food processor
Add remaining ingredients (except cayenne pepper) and blend until smooth
Serve with a dash of cayenne pepper and pita or flatbread

Kale Salad


Salad Ingredients:

Large head of kale such as curly, Russian red or dinosaur
1⁄2 medium sized red onion
Several handfuls of sunflower sprouts
1⁄4 cup sesame seeds
1⁄4 cup pumpkin
1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds
1 avocado cut into chunks
1 handful thinly sliced shitake mushrooms

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 cup of Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup flax seed oil

Directions:

Combine the Braggs and lemon juice in a blender and slowly drizzle in the oil until emulsified
Slice onion into thin moons and marinate in dressing while preparing the salad
Toast the seeds until golden and fragrant and cool
De-stem the kale and slice into 1⁄4” ribbons
Toss the kale, sprouts, seeds, avocado and mushrooms with the dressing/onions
Let sit a few hours to allow flavors to combine and the kale to wilt

Italian Potato Salad

Some of us really like potato salad, in all it’s many variations. Basically if it has potatoes, it must be good.
But some of us aren’t big fans of mayo, so when a potato salad must be made, we like this lighter, Mediterranean version!

Prep time: 10-15 mins Cook time: 10 mins

ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
6 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 tablespoons sliced green onions

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Burritos & Wraps

It’s 5:45 on a Wednesday. You’re tired. You just got home from work. And you don’t really want to cook. You had take out yesterday. You don’t really want to go out… so where does that leave you? Well, if you have homemade burritos prepped and waiting for you in the freezer that leaves you ready for a super easy, super delicious dinner in!

We prep these burritos by the dozen… chicken, veggie, and our newest discovery… lamb wraps!

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Tortilla Casserole

Taken (and only slightly modified) from the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant cookbook.
We had tried this before, so we doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 medium organic onion
1 roasted garlic clove, minced or pressed
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
jar of organic tomatoes, chopped (you can use fresh, just saute longer)

10 sprouted tortillas

1/2 pint organic heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan
salt and ground pepper to taste

1/2 cups grated organic Monterey Jack cheese

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

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Pie Crust

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

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Chicken Vegetable Quiche

Ingredients:

1 pie dough round

1 cooked chicken breast shredded
1 medium zucchini cut into cubes
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 sticks of celery thinly sliced
1.5 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1.5 cups grated cheese – we used a combination of mozzarella, monterey jack and a cheddar
salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste

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Avocado Potato Salad

Monday night. It’s Peter’s night to cook for Lisa. At 4:00 pm he says “Can you look in the fridge and come up with a fancy dinner I can make for Lisa using what we already have? She’ll be back at 5:30” I grab my laptop, hustle into the kitchen, take stock of what’s there and head over to Epicurious to use their awesome advanced search feature. Based on what we have this is how the four course meal shapes up: Chicken Veggie Quiche, Avocado Potato Salad, Avocado Soup and a Berry Reduction Sauce over ice cream for dessert!

See the Chicken Vegetable Quiche entry for a photo of the salad next to a slice of quiche!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound small red potatoes (about 6)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 firm-ripe California avocado

Preparation:

In a saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water, simmer, covered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes
Drain potatoes in a colander and quarter
In a bowl stir together warm potatoes, oil, lemon juice, zest, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pit and peel avocado and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
Add avocado to potato mixture, gently tossing to combine

Red & Green Lasagna

Ingredients:

30 ounces ricotta cheese (about 4 cups)
one package frozen chopped spinach
4 cups prepared pasta sauce
Twelve 7 by 3 ½ inch dry no-boil lasagna pasta
10 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 2 ½ cups)
1 ¼ cups fresh grated parmesan (about 5 ounces)
1 cup basil pesto

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