Massaged Kale Salad – Aarti Sequeira, 2010

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If using baby or tender kale DO NOT massage it as it will disappear to nothing
1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and
discarded, leaves thinly sliced

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons honey

Freshly ground black pepper

1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)

Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.  Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve. Serves 4

Tangy-Sweet Salmon and Rice Salad

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• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
• Coarse salt
• 4-5 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1/2 pound fresh wild salmon or 1 can of salmon
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (opt)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins (opt)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, cut in fine strips

1. Place the rice in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Spread out the cooked rice on a rimmed baking sheet and chill.

2. Meanwhile, in a shallow saute pan, place 1 cup water, the whole scallion, parsley, and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle the fish with salt and place in the pan. Cover and poach for 5 to 9 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove the salmon and peel off and discard the skin while still hot. Chill the salmon.

3. Place the pine nuts, raisins, chopped scallions, lime zest and juice, and olive oil in a large bowl, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to combine. Flake the salmon into the bowl and add the rice. Stir to combine. Let sit for a short while to allow the flavors to blend. You can prepare the salad 6 to 8 hours ahead of eating. If made ahead, refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with mint. Serves 6 as a side dish

Cabbage “Noodle” Soup

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2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced or sliced
2 ribs celery, diced (leaves included)
8 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
generous grating of black pepper
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons mellow white miso
salt to taste

  1. Preheat a large, non-stick pot. Add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions soften. Add the water and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast, parsley, and miso. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender and broth is flavorful (at least 30 minutes).
  2. Stir in the nutritional yeast and parsley. Place the miso in a small bowl and add some of the hot broth a little at a time, stirring, until the miso is dissolved in the broth. Add the miso broth back to the pot. Add salt to taste and serve.  Number of servings (yield): 6

From Fat Free Vegan Blog

 

Cream of Cauliflower and Rosemary Soup – “San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune”

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1  tablespoon  butter

1  shallot — chopped

2  sprigs  fresh rosemary — finely minced

1  Tablespoon  Flour

1  cup  milk

1/2  cup  heavy cream

12  ounces  Frozen Cauliflower, thawed -or-

1 head fresh cauliflower cut up

1/2 teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  pepper

Rosemary Olive oil or other herbed oil, to drizzle

In a medium saucepan over medium-high, melt the butter. Add the shallot and rosemary and saute until the shallot is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the flour and stir to coat. Cook for another minute, then whisk in the milk and cream.

Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is very soft and the mixture has thickened.

Working in batches in a regular blender, puree the mixture until very smooth. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if needed.  Or use emersion blender.

Finish with a drizzle of rosemary oil.

 

Pea and Pesto Soup – Nigella Lawson

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3 cups water

3 cups frozen peas

2 scallions

1 teaspoon Maldon salt or kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon lime juice

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fresh pesto

The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it’s boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.

Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes. Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender. enough for 2 hearty bowls

Nut Granola

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1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup juice
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 – 1 cup chopped roasted and salted almonds
1 c coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cranberry juice, and cinnamon over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt.

Pour the maple mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Stir in the cranberries and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture begins to brown. Cool completely. Store airtight in a plastic container.

Toasted Pita Triangles – Ina

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1 bag pita bread

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut each pita in half and then each half in triangles and place them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Roasted Eggplant Caponata – Ina

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1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pounds)

Good olive oil

4 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

3 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½-1 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Toasted pita triangles, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

Tony Bourdain’s Mushroom Soup – Les Halles Cookbook

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2-4 tablespoons Butter

1 small Onion — thinly sliced

12 ounces Button mushrooms

4 cups veggie Stock

1 sprig Italian parsley — whole

Salt and Pepper

2 ounces Dry sherry — high quality

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over median heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent,, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn’t take  on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender’s lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping the thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom puree to erupt all over your kitchen?

IMPROVISATION

To astound your guest with a Wild Mushroom Soup, simply replace some of those button mushrooms with a few dried cepes or morels which have been soaked until soft, drained, and squeezed. Not too many; the dried mushroom will have a much stronger taste, and you don’t want to overwhelm the soup. Pan sear, on high heat, a single small, pretty, fresh chanterelle or morel for each portion, and then slice into a cute fan and float on top in each bowl.

Recipe Notes

Try adding dried chanterelles and morels to the soup. Very simple but good enough to serve as a small first course at a dinner party.

Mushroom, Lentil, and Wild Rice Timbales

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These timbales also make a delicious appetizer spread on crackers.

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large slices bread (may be gluten-free)
2 cups mushrooms, quartered (about 10 large)
1/2 cup silken tofu ( firm or extra-firm)
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 tablespoon sherry
2 tablespoons water
1 cup lentils, cooked
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
3 tablespoons cornstarch, or arrowroot
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup wild rice, cooked
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sliced mushrooms for garnish (optional)

Make ahead: 1 cup cooked lentils (from about 1/2 cup dried) and 1 cup wild rice (about 1/2 cup before cooking)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 6 ramekins with canola oil or cooking spray and have ready a large baking pan that will hold them (9×13-inch should work). Place one nice-looking mushroom slice in the bottom of each ramekin, if desired.

Saute the onion in a non-stick pan until it begins to brown. Set aside.

Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until it turns to crumbs. Add the mushrooms, tofu, garlic, sherry, and water and blend until fairly smooth. Add the lentils and process again until smooth. Add the tomato paste, herbs, cornstarch, and salt and process until well-blended. Add the onions to the processor and pulse to include them but do not over-process (you want them to retain some texture.)

Scrape the contents of the food processor into a bowl and add the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Divide the mixture among the oiled ramekins and smooth the tops with a spoon. Set the ramekins in the large baking dish and add hot water to the dish, taking care not to splash it into the ramekins.

Bake, uncovered, until tops are brown and crusty and middles seem moderately firm when pressed with a finger–about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges and invert the ramekins onto serving plates. Serve with your favorite mushroom gravy (or see mine below).

Note: If you plan to serve these later, keep the timbales in the ramekins, covered, and reheat in their water bath for about 10 minutes. Or (it’s heresy to say this, but) microwave each one for about a minute before serving.  http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/