Vegetarian Foodie

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Delicious! We can't stop making these and dipping them into hummus or salsa.......

• Four tortillas.....cut them into chips

• Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle vegetable oil and salt onto

• Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until golden brown

• Serve warm

Tomato and Onion Salad

To round up the wedding week festivities, the ladies that traveled from across the pond fixed all of us dinner.

The menu was a squash curry that was so good we all devoured it before a photo was shot, a delicious salad on the side, Cucumber Mint Yogurt Dressing, Naan (store purchased) and plenty of wine.

Here is a sneak at the girls prepping the ingredients:

Tomato and Onion Salad

• Cherry tomatoes halved
• Chopped white onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

This salad goes perfectly alongside a curry.

Thank you ladies-this was one of my favorite dinners of the summer!

Lentil Salad

Amazing lentil salad (see below) and I cannot wait until I have the pleasure of eating this again!

Mix this:

One Pound of Cooked Brown Lentils
6 Chopped Scallions
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1/2 Pound Feta Cheese
3 Red Bell Roasted and Chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/4 Cup Fresh dill
4 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

and enjoy this lentil salad...

Simple Salads

Well, no problem posting that last post so here is round two of this post:

Despite my need to dust off the keyboards and just plain post I have been eating. Summer-ish weather ushers in great simple fresh salads such as:

Mix tomato, red onion, basil and feta...

Or summer bean mixes with lemon, pepper and salt (why is this underlined? I am not underlining this???)



NEVERMIND, I'll post more tomorrow.

Harissa Sauce

I felt inspired from the recent issue of Food and Wine and decided to prepare a variation on their suggested Harissa recipe. Harissa is a garlicky sauce from North Africa that compliments a simple bowl of cous-cous or a roasted vegetable. A garlic sauce offering so much flavor and flexibility, I couldn't simply turn the page-I had to tear it out.

Soon after, I added it to roasted butternut squash and red potatoes.

4 Garlic Cloves Sliced
2 Teaspoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Cup Olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

• Smash the garlic into a paste and add it to a bowl with a pinch of salt
• Add tomato paste and lemon
• Add spices, Mix

If you are using Harissa sauce with a vegetable, toss vegetable with sauce, top off with salt, pepper and a touch of olive oil.

I roasted the following for an hour at 375 degrees until the veg was tender and even crispy burnt in a good way here and there.

Roasted Tomatoes with Olives

Imagine my dismay when I noticed that this (jerk) caterpillar demolished my tomato plants. Thankfully,  tomatoes are abundant at the farmers market near my house.

Place cut tomatoes into a roasting pan. drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and herb of choice such as rosemary, thyme  or Herbs de Provence. Roast tomatoes at 325 F for 90 minutes. Serve along with olives stuffed with garlic or almonds .

Smashed Potatoes

I am pleased to introduce Alona of   www.potatounderground.com who is contributing the recipe of today. Potatoes all over the world should stand up and be flattered at the high esteem they are receiving at Potato Underground. You should have a look at their offerings.  

Here is a favorite recipe for brown butter smashed potatoes with butternut squash. We love this delicious and simple recipe that’s great for the fall. 

PREP TIME:  25 minutes
COOK TIME:  15 minutes 

1          pound (3 medium) yellow-flesh potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1          small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
            Salt
3          tablespoons butter, divided
8-10     fresh (2 to 3-inch) sage leaves, stacked and cut across into ¼-inch strips
½         cup 1 percent milk (approximate)
            Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

In 3-quart saucepan, cover potatoes and squash with water; add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and cook until tender, 12 to15 minutes. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the sage to small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Tilting pan and watching closely, cook about 3 minutes, until butter foams and begins to brown; keep warm. Thoroughly drain potatoes and squash, return to pan and shake 1 to 2 minutes over low heat. Roughly mash with hand masher leaving mixture chunky. Over low heat, gently mix in remaining tablespoon butter and enough milk for consistency desired. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving bowl and drizzle with brown butter and sage. 

Makes 4 servings (about 4 cups) 

Per serving: 245 calories, 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 10 g total fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 116 mg sodium, 8 g fiber, 36 mg Vitamin C, 1046 mg potassium. 

Additional potato recipes and techniques are featured on www.potatounderground.com. You can also find additional videos for microwavable mashed potatoes at tp://youtube.com/watch?v=jOrtZBQd6CY

 

Italian Pepper Saute

Yesterday, the daughter and I picked this Italian Pepper from the garden:

Since I had already planned and prepped my dinner entree for the evening, I decided to add a side dish featuring the Italian Pepper.

I heated the olive oil in a saute pan and added: chopped Italian Pepper, sliced teardrop tomatoes (yellow and red), garlic and red onion.

The result was a flavorful side dish.

It would be easy to turn this into a main dish sandwich by adding the saute onto crusty bread along with a slice of Parmesan.

I cannot wait until the next Italian Pepper has matured so I can experience this delight all over again.

Three Bean Salad

Arugula is also known as Roquette (pronounced Rocket)...how can anyone deny a leafy green also know as Roquette? The kick flavor of arugula compliments the beans along with lots of lemon, salt and pepper.

• 1 big handful of Kidney Beans
• 1 big handful of Garbonzo Beans
• 1 big handful of Green Beans
• 1 Red Onion chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves minced
• 1 big handful of Arugula
• Lemon Wedges
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Chopped Parsley

I use a frying pan for this recipe. First heat your olive oil. Next, toss the garlic and onion and cook until browned.

Add all the beans and cook until tender but allow some crunch.

Mix beans with arugula.

Salt and Pepper to taste, chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Corn Salad

Chop and Mix:

• Red Bell
• Avocado
• Corn
• Feta
• Celery
• Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste