Vegetarian Foodie

Bruschetta

It was a raw foods dinner that was once again a party on my palate.   

I don't really know what made these raw fajitas so darned good....... Mushrooms?  Thank you Kirstin for the yummy food.

And the following bruschetta was simply lovely...Yes, those crackers are raw, and like the fajitas, the result of a dehydrator.

Still, bruschetta can be enjoyed beside or on top of so many different foods. What makes this bruschetta really good is the fresh heaps of basil...

• A few ripe tomatoes, diced small
• A few cloves garlic, diced small
• A whole bunch of basil, julienned
• Generous drizzle extra virgin extra nice olive oil nice salt, nice fresh pepper
• Mix all together, spoon onto bread or crackers, or serve as a dip with crackers

Cucumber and Radish Salad

Finally after days of rain the sun has come out. I am looking forward to a brisk walk and smelling the after rain smell. I also must confess that I love to admire the droplets of water that rest on the underbelly of leaves.

Things here have been crazy busy and there is a lot of exciting things brewing but more on that soon.

Our annual Valentines Day dinner was a smashing success and the daughter did a great job of decorating the table:

And from OutDoor Living a great salad recipe that we have made our own and is currently the favorite among friends and family:

Cucumber and Radish Salad

3 Cucumbers sliced
4 Radishes thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of fresh dill chopped
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 Garlic Cloves minced
A drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: Top with Feta Cheese

1. Mix the cucumber and Radish in a serving bowl
2. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, dill and garlic
3. Pour dressing over salad
4. Add dill, salt and pepper and Feta if you choose

Enjoy your week end!

Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil...

This week end past we had the pleasure of having friends over for dinner. The husband enthusiastically decided to cook snapper for dinner with a sauce consisting of fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. I agreed to prepare the sides (I don't eat fish myself).

My favorite moment of the evening was me leaning against the counter sipping wine while the husband impressed me with his garlic skin peeling technique. He placed the knife sideways and pounded it with his fist. The skin separated quite easily leaving the clove there naked -ready to be chopped.

Notice how much garlic has been chopped in the bowl. Then the husband says, "Wow, it sure is time consuming to chop two cloves of garlic". I almost spit out the wine in my mouth as I held back a laugh.  Yes, he thought two cloves meant two heads of garlic. Imagine how the sauce might have turned out...

The following sauce not only could not only top a fresh fish but also top a plate of angel hair pasta or crusty bread (in every case just add Parmesan!)

Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
3 Ripe Tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped (This Gazpacho recipe explains how to blanch tomatoes)
2 Garlic cloves chopped
8 basil leaves shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic cloves until they are browned
Mix together garlic, basil and tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

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

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.

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.

Roasted Fennel

Normally I roast fennel and add the chopped pieces to a vegetable soup for extra flavor. Recently, I roasted the fennel and served it as a stand alone side kick to orzo pasta with olives, red onions, chick peas and tomatoes.

Roast fennel at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. I drizzle my fennel with olive oil and add salt and pepper before placing the roasting pan in the oven.

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.

Edamame and Beet Zing Salad

The great thing about this salad is that you can proportion the ingredients how you like-do you love ginger? Add a bit more. Are you busted up crazy for beets? Add as many beets as you like!  Have fun and mix it up.

Chopped Green onions
Edamame
Beets (Chopped or Shredded)
A chunk of ginger shredded
Basil chopped
Salt to taste

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.