Eat More Veg

Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cabbage. Lettuce pray.

Green Bean & Potato Salad with Lemony Mustard and Thyme Dressing

“O Creator! Thou who givest life to all things and hast made men that they may live, and multiply. Multiply also the fruits of the earth, the potatoes and other food that thou hast made, that men may not suffer from hunger and misery.”
Inca Prayer

Seriously?  Of all the veg to mention in prayer of thanksgiving, the potato?  YES! So, let us celebrate the potato by NOT tossing her in mayo, shall we? This snappy dressing is absolutely perfect for a hot backyard bar-b-que. The thyme brings a nice sweetness to the zing of the fresh lemon.  Just remember to give thanks for the potato and all the “other food” thou hast made.

INGREDIENTS
1lb green beans, trimmed
3 1/2  lbs small potatoes,  quatered
1 small red onion thinly sliced, about 3/4 cup
kosher salt

for the dressing

Whisk 1/4 cup Olive Oil with
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 TBS whole grain mustard
1 tsp dried thyme

Simmer the green beans in salted water until crisp and bright green; about 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse under very cold water. Meanwhile, add potatoes to pot of salted water and simmer for 12 min or until tender.
Gently toss the potatoes with green beans, red onions and the dressing. Finish with a bit of kosher salt to taste.

Serves 8

original recipe from marthastewart.com

It’s a Dutch Baby, baby.

Let me wake you up with some french press coffee. Let me seal the deal with a dutch baby pancake drizzled with fresh lemon juice and butter and dusted ever so gently with powdered sugar.

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

3 TBS melted butter divided (2 and 1)

Preheat a 9” cast iron skillet in a 375* oven.  While the oven and skillet are heating add all the ingredients  including 2 TBS melted butter into a blender and give a good wiz for 30 sec or so.  Carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and brush with remaining 1 TBS of butter. Pour the batter into skillet and return to the oven for 25-30.  The pancake will rise with funny large bubbles as it bakes but fall again as it cools. Serve with powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  
Serves 1 or 2 

Lasagna Floret

What do you get for your mother who is turning 62? She has just about 2 of everything she has ever wanted, everything  that is, except a 14.5 lb vegetable lasagna. So that is what she got ; along with a 6 smiling grandchildren (which is only 2/3 of her flock ) and a few other family members to enjoy it with her.

I won’t fool you , this is a lot of work.  You can cheat, cut corners and go buy your  red sauce but I believe you will lose a lot in the flavor. If you don’t care the I don’t.  Lord, just don’t tell me.  This is so great for a casual dinner party because you can make it several hours ahead and bake it up later.


3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head cauliflower, small chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 large head of broccoli, small chopped
8 ounces mushrooms undrained
15 ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
a pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 recipe for red sauce DOUBLED click here (or 2 jars store bought)
1 pound lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions



Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a lasagna pan.
In a large skillet over medium heat add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the chopped cauliflower, onions, carrots and broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2  teaspoon of salt.  Add the undrained mushrooms. (If using fresh mushrooms, add 1/4 cup water) Cook for 5 minutes more, or until vegetables have just become tender.
Set aside.

While vegetables are cooking, mix ricotta and cottage cheese. Add  oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic, pepper and 1 ½ teaspoon of the salt together and set aside.
When vegetables are just tender, remove the pan from heat and season with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes.

In the DEEP 9x13 pan, spray bit of cooking oil and then ladle a layer of sauce; a 1/3 cup+ or so.  Begin the layering process with the lasagna noodles (they can overlap). Next , add dollops of the cheese mixture along the length of the noodle and top that with a layer of the cooked veg. Finally ladle a bit of red sauce over the veg, enough to “mostly” cover it.  Repeat the layering 2 or 3 more times.  The final layer will be only lasagna noodles top with lots of sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in the oven at 350 for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly on the sides.
yum me.

Tahini Dressing with Falafel

I never lie. That is the truth. Exaggerate yes, and only when I fall prey to becoming passionate about the subject at hand; but lie, never. I really want to say that I made these falafels from scratch. I really want to say that I keep chick pea flour on hand because, well, I am just that kind of exotic cook. But that would make me a liar. So, before I share my made from scratch tahini dressing let me just say that the (insert deeeep breathe, exhale into shameful sigh) box mixes for falafels are just too easy and quite delicious to even begin to bother with making my own. I feel mostly better about that confession. There I said it. Now, grab your mixture out of the pantry, add water and set aside. While your falafel mix is setting up lets make us some finger licking, bowl scraping awesome tahini dressing to drizzle on top.

Tahini Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup Tahini paste
1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
2-3 garlic cloves finely minced
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Mix it together.  How hard was that?
If you like a smoother finish to the dressing you can pop this into a blender or a mini food processor, however that is not necessary. You can top it with fresh parsley if you wish.

Leek, Spinach, and Cauliflower Frittata

I just spent the day helping a friend and a group of strangers clean up a farm destroyed by a tornado that tore through KY last Friday. I’m tired, both physically and emotionally. I have no words for what my eyes saw today. Many folks on surrounding farms have been  left with nothing. My heart aches. However, it does the heart wonders to see a community come together for the good of a neighbor, know or unknown. I don’t even know the owners of the farm but I am glad they are alive; a miracle for certain.
Coming home tonight, I just wanted an easy meal but I wanted more just to sit with my family and remind them of my love.
So here it is, and meal prepared in 15 minutes plus baking time and a great reason to hash the day over with my husband and 3 yet to become men.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 cups chopped spinach
1 cup small chopped cauliflower
7 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1/2  cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup small cubed wild garlic Gouda (or more Parmesan)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks  and cauliflower and saute for 6-7 minutes to soften.  Add spinach, sprinkle lightly with salt and saute until tender. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs, half and half, 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in bowl.

Place cooked veg  in a baking side 8X10 baking dish or a pie dish. Pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until eggs look set. Turn broiler on and broil until cheese begins to bubble and lightly brown;  about 3 minutes.



Caprese Salad

Some things in the kitchen are so easy they are sometimes overlooked. This salad was super trendy a few years ago. It seemed to be on every menu in town.  Trends change but nothing about how amazingly delicious this little salad has changed, not at all.

I recently bought some Kumato tomatoes, add those to some marinated fresh mozzarella in fridge along with some fresh basil and thats all she wrote. I could not remember how long it had been since I had a caprese salad but I can promise that I won’t wait so long for my next one. 

Ingredients 

Enough for 2 salads

2 ripe tomatoes sliced thin

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, marinated or not, sliced equal to tomato slices. 

fresh basil cut in to thin strips

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar reduction*

To assemble this salad lay your tomato slices in slightly overlapping circle on the center of a small salad plate. Layer your sliced mozzarella on the center on the circle and mimic the circle pattern of tomatoes. Finally place last tomato slice in the center, top with a big pinch of fresh basil and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the whole salad.

*to make balsamic vinegar reduction place 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan  on med low heat until reduced my half. This small amount should only take about 5-8 min.

**It should be noted that this assembly was what I threw together for a lunch at home. By all means put this together however you see fit. Be creative. Add for cheese, add more basil. Just don’t leave off the vinegar.



Lentils with Spinach & Preserved Lemon

Don’t be scared of the preserved Meyer Lemons in the recipe. If you do not have them on hand right now  you can quite easily have them on hand in the future. Take a look back at this post and get cha some.  http://eatmoreveg.tumblr.com/post/18552761106/preserving-lemons-is-a-cinch

1 cup (uncooked) brown lentils
1/4 olive oil
1 lb fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
1 med onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups veg broth (or chicken broth)
1/4 cup preserved lemons chopped
1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper or to taste
 
* optional (1lb cooked hot Italian sausage crumbled and browned)
 
Put lentils in a med sauce pan with water enough to cover the lentils by and inch. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 min.
Meanwhile in a large sauce pan or dutch oven heat olive oil over med low heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cook 1 minute more. Add parsley, spinach, kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste. Cook 5 min more stirring frequently. Add lentils, potatoes and broth,  cover and simmer for 35-40 min.  Stir in preserved lemon (and cooked sausage if using).  Adjust seasonings if needed. Serve in a large bowl with fresh baked bread.

Preserving Lemons Is A Cinch

* 5-6 organic meyer lemons, washed and dried
* Salt (use either kosher salt or a coarse sea salt, do NOT use table salt)
* Sterilized 1/2 quart jar with lid
 
 
1. Remove any stems and slice a deep X into each end of the lemon - you’re basically cutting each lemon nearly into quarters but not going all the way through.
 
2. Working over a large bowl, pour as much salt into both ends of the semi-open lemon as you can.
 
3. Pour a layer of salt into the bottom of the quart jar and then press the salt-filled lemon into the bottom of jar and repeat with the remaining lemons.
 
4. Press the lemons down to release their juice - the liquid should cover them or nearly cover them if you’re working with less juicy lemons. You can fill the jar right up to the top since the lemons will reduce as they pickle. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt.
 
5. Seal the jar well and leave out for 2-3 days, pressing the lemons down once a day to make sure they’re sitting below the lemon juice to ensure preservation.
 
6. Move the lemons to the fridge and wait three weeks before using to allow the rinds to pickle fully. To use, rinse the lemons, scrape off the pulp, discard any seeds and chop or mince the rind. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 6 months
Follow this link to the original recipe. She includes several must try recipes using preserved lemons.   http://gardenofeatingblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/preserved-meyer-lemons-moroccan-style.html

Zucchini Boats with Cannelloni Bean and Tomatoes

I am a girl in the Ohio River Valley.  Indulge me this poem about boats by Robert Louis Stevenson. 
                                                        Where Do The Boats Go?

Dark brown is the river,
Golden is the sand
It flows along forever,
With trees on either hand.


Green leaves a-floating,
Castles of the foam,
Boats of mine a-boating
Where with all come home?

On goes the river
And out past the mill,
Away down the valley,
Away down the hill.

Away down the river,
A hundred miles or more,
Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.

Indgredients
 
4 med zucchinis  cut in half length wise and scoop seeds to create little boats
2 TBS olive oil, divided
2 Roma or compari  tomatoes sliced thin
⅛ small red onion slivered
 2 TBS chopped fresh basil, divided
½ can of cannelloni or navy beans; about ½ cup
½ cup shredded mozzarella
kosher salt and  freshly pepper
 
Directions
Preheat oven to 375*. Lay prepared zucchini on a baking sheet.  Brush each zucchini slice with a healthy bit of olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and  a portion of chopped basil.  Next, lay a single row of tomato slices on each zucchini and carefully top each with a 2TBS or more of beans. Finally divide the mozzarella cheese evenly over the beans.  Bake in oven for 15 -20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and beans are hot.

Strawberry, Blueberry, Rhubarb Crisp

I can’t help myself, if I see rhubarb I MUST buy it. However, I am absolutely shocked to find it my market in February. I should ask why, but I don’t. I am going to take the safe route here and assume it’s summer in Chile and some generous farmer there has opted to sell his crops just so I can have the pleasure of making the summer dessert in dead of Winter. As far as the strawberries go, I’ll just stick to my theory that he lives down the road from the Chilean Rhubarb farmer and he seeks to ensure my enjoyment of an occasional summer crisp.  I can only hope the farmers in Chile know where you live too so you can partake as well.

In case you are wondering why this is on my veg blog: rhubarb is veg. oh yes.

Ingredients
4 large, beautiful bright red rhubarb stalks, cut in to 1” pieces
1 pint blueberries
1 lb strawberries, washed and quartered
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ TBS cornstarch
2 ½ TBS orange juice
a bit of butter to grease pan

for the crisp topping
1 cup flour
1 cup old fashion oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ sticks very cold butter cut into little cubes
(pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375*
Mix prepared fruit in a large bowl with sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine sugar, flour, butter, oats and salt if using. Using a pastry knife or (better yet) clean hands rub together until texture comes together in moist clumps the size little peas. Spread fruit into a 9X13 greased pan. Sprinkle the crisp topping over the fruit evenly and bake in a 375* oven for 35-45 minutes. The topping will be lightly browned and sides should be bubbling with the juice of the delicious fruit.
serve with ice cream or whipped cream