Vegetarian Foodie

Stuffed Tomatoes

The following recipe for stuffed tomatoes is very delicious especially beside a salad. If you need a delicious appetizer I suggest you stuff cherry tomatoes. 

Stuffed Tomatoes

4 Large Tomatoes
3 Cups of Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup of Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Basil Chopped
2 Garlic cloves Chopped
A handful of Kalamata Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Soak the sunflower seeds in water for 6 hours
• Cut off the tomato top and scoop out the seeds in the middle.
• Blend the sunflower seeds and sun dried tomatoes.
• Mix with olives, basil and garlic.
• Stuff the tomatoes and replace the lids

Spanish Rice with Quesadillas

Me gusta Spanish rice and quesadillas. Mi familia le gusta Spanish rice and quesadillas too... Te gusta?

Spanish Rice

Rice of choice (Brown or white and the quantity should reflect the appetites of the diners)
A Handful of Cilantro Chopped
Chopped tomatoes (2)
Diced Spring onions (4)
A Handful of Chopped Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Lime Wedges

Tonight some pals are coming for dinner and lucky for everyone it is Taco night!

Spaghetti with Goat Cheese

Goodbye spaghetti with tomato sauce (although that too has its place) but your new look is scrumptious and easy.   

The recipe was inspired by a Food and Wine recipe which I modified to suit my vegetarian tastes. The result was a handsome recipe that is a certain keeper for the repertoire. 

Spaghetti
Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves sliced
A Pinch of Red Pepper
2 Handfuls of Cheery Tomatoes Halved
A Head of Spinach Washed and Sliced
1 Cup Goat Cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the Spaghetti
2. In a large skillet add olive oil, garlic and red pepper. Cook until the garlic is browned and add the tomatoes. 3-5 minutes later add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add the tomato mix to the spaghetti and top with goat cheese

Enjoy this colorful and aromatic dish while it cooks....

A recipe that sucked, the cat agreed

The Ultimate Recipe That Sucked.... I have actually blocked it out of my mind because it was quite devastating and luckily some time ago. I couldn't resist this picture (see below) which has been collecting digital dust in my Food Photo. The Main dish was maybe involving eggs and also I recall (like a bad dream) that it was bitter and green and the cheese was not melted properly.

I left the dish on the table as we stood chatting about  our local Mexican taco stand and the idea of take out food while the family cat Phidias jumped up on the table (he is Greek), ate a few bites and proceeded to sniff and turn up his nose.

Not all dinners are delicious and beautiful like this one: WOW Delicious YUM!

Green Smoothies

Truth be told, there is normally a big chunk of kale or chard left over from my weekly co-op box that becomes compost. While I can enjoy a dark leafy green sauteed with olive oil and salt as a side dish-it is just not a side I want to eat every day.

Although there are many benefits to drinking green smoothies I never had much enthusiasm in regards to making one for myself. Then, a little over a month ago I made a green smoothie for breakfast. It was so delicious and energizing that I have been consistently drinking a green smoothie for breakfast each day.

Here is the routine: on Sundays (that is when I pick up the co-op box and do most of the shopping) I wash all my greens for the week and place them in a huge container in the refrigerator. This makes it easy on me-I can simply reach in and grab a handful for the blender. My weekly supply of greens which consists of some variety of kale, some variety of chard, dandelion and beet greens costs me about $5-7.

Although there are a billion recipes out there for green smoothies I like to keep it quick and simple:

• Two Handfuls of Greens
• A Banana
• Orange Juice

Modifications on the basic green smoothie:

Fruit (kiwi, blueberry, strawberry etc...)
Carrot juice instead of orange juice is very nice!
Coconut water instead of orange juice is a popular mix.
Be creative, whatever you like and whatever is on hand.

When was the last time you nourished your body with two handfuls of dark and leafy greens in one setting?

Roasted Beet Salad

The following is a great side or even a hearty main dish depending on your mood. I wish now (as I write) that I would have photographed this dish beside the greens we ate as well-the contrast would have offered a better picture. So that is my disclaimer-but really if you like the ingredients, this is a savory and delicious winter dish. It goes well on its own with some crusty bread and a big mug of red wine.

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 Pound of Red Potatoes
1 Pound of Beets
3/4 Cup of Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Cup Blue Cheese
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 Tablespoons of Chopped fresh Rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Begin with chopping the potatoes and beets into bite sized pieces. Place in a roasting pan. Toss in 1 Tablespoon of rosemary and drizzle with olive oil-Salt and pepper to taste. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile... mix red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, mustard, olive oil and rosemary in a dish. Whisk.
3. When the roasted goods emerge, top with dressing, chopped walnuts and blue cheese. Mix and enjoy.

Thai Coconut Soup

We recently enjoyed another raw dinner around here with our raw foodist pals. Preparing raw food is always a challenge and adventure for me and on this occasion it just so happened that I was preparing a Thai Coconut Soup that would compliment a Thai dish that Ryan and Kirstin were bringing over. The plate on the right was their smashing dish of coconut meat, black sesame seeds, shredded zucchini, raw noodles and more. Quite gourmet and frankly far beyond my raw food prep skills. I made the soup on the left.

Raw soups are rather great because of three reasons:

1. Just put all the ingredients in a blender
2. Clean up is a simple rinse of the blender
3. Raw soups taste fresh and delicious

.

2 Garlic Cloves
1  Tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Thumb of Fresh Ginger
The Juice of 2 Limes
1/2 Cup Basil
Cayenne Pepper to Taste
1/2 Cup Cilantro
1 Cup of Diced Tomatoes
1/3 Cup of Green Onions
1 Thai Pepper
1 Can of Coconut Milk
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Chuck it all in a blender and hit Go! Garnish with chopped veg or cilantro or even a beautiful edible flower.

Red Lentil Soup

Non-stop rain encourages many things, one of them being soup. Today, as it rained, I had the pleasure of wearing my thick Mukluk socks while stirring a red lentil soup on the stove top. This red lentil soup may not appear to be the sexiest soup around (see photo below) however, it is warming and quite delicious for any wet day.

• 1 Cup of Red Lentils (washed and drained)
• 2 Cups Water or Vegetable Stock
• A big pat of butter
• 1 Onion Chopped
• 5 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
• 1 Large Chopped Green Chili
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin
• A Handful of chopped Cilantro
• 1 Chopped Tomato
• 1/2 Can of Coconut Milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the lentils and water or stock in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered (stir now and again), for about 10-15 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy.

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the onion until browned. Add the cumin,  garlic and chili.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Merge the spice/onion mix and the lentils. Add the chopped tomato and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, add the coconut milk and stir.

Top with fresh cilantro, serve with lime wedges, rice or with Indian bread.

Garbonzo Beans and More

This is one of my favorites for lunch. Quick and easy: saute garbonzo beans in olive oil for a short time-until they begin to brown. Transfer to a warmed pita and top with red onion, tomatoes, cilantro and yogurt.

The Best Cookie Recipe Ever!

With Christmas having come and gone we had our fare share of cookie making and eating in the past few weeks. We have sampled delicious bits of cookies such as pecan cranberry sugar cookies, shortbread, fudge balls, raspberry squares, chocolate chip classic etc. etc. By far, we all agreed around here that Giada's Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazelnuts is the best ever. Not only do the cookies sport hazelnuts that have been toasted but also chips of toffee. Really these cookies are the business and I knew it to be true when the day after I made a batch, the husband confessed to eating 13 of the cookies upon waking. 13! An entire baker's dozen! And before 8 A.M.! I suppose I should be flattered however he proceeded to eat the cookies out of the fancy bags I had assembled as gifts for neighbors and friends.  All was settled when I angrily threw a bag of cookies at him by mid-day and then stashed the remaining bags of cookies in the back of the drawer that holds the rags, chopsticks and plastic lunch baggies. 

Make these cookies at your own risk.

1/2 Cup Oats
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Sticks of butter at Room Temp
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 Ounces Heath Bar or Skor Bar Chopped
1 Cup Hazelnuts Toasted, Husked and Chopped
1 Bag of Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Chop the Oats in a food Processor. Transfer oats to a large bowl and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a different bowl, use an electric mixer (or in my case my hands) and beat the sugars and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla.

Mix the flour bowl with the butter bowl and blend. Stir in toffee, hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough onto a cookie sheet (about spoon size) and bake until cookies are golden.. about 15 minutes.

Additional good news about these cookies is that the dough keeps in the freezer! Take dough out an hour or so before you plan to make some cookies.