Category Archives: Vegetarian

Tzatziki

I had some extra dill from last week’s dilly cucumber salad, so this week I decided to make tzatziki. This is a great basic recipe that can be modified to suit your tastes. I prefer it more dill-y and less mint-y, so I only used about a 1/2 tablespoon of mint.

If you use Greek yogurt, you probably don’t need to bother with the cheesecloth. I did strain it, and there wasn’t much liquid that drained off. However comma, it is important to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the shredded cucumber (which I did not bother to peel).

I like it as a dip with pita chips, or instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches or wraps.

Tzatziki
Source: adapted from The Food Network (courtesy of Molyvos Restaurant)

Ingredients
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 large English cucumber, peeled, shredded and drained
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Tbsp mint, chopped
1 Tbsp dill, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Prepare the yogurt: Line strainer with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Bowl should support strainer so it does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Put the yogurt in the strainer loosely covered, and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator. Discard the liquid and use the strained yogurt as directed.
2. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight before serving. Enjoy!

Chickpea-sweet potato burgers

This recipe took a little bit of advance planning since it required soaking the chickpeas. It allowed me to do a lot of the prep work the night before, including grating the sweet potato and making the cucumber salad. Though I must admit that I definitely dug into the cucumber salad that night…it’s easy to forget how delicious something so simple can be. I will definitely be making the cucumber salad again. The original recipe for the cucumbers included 1/4 tsp of salt, but I left it out since I used seasoned rice vinegar.

The next day all I had to do was blend and bake. Canned chickpeas would also probably work in this recipe (1 1/4 cups dried = 3 cups after soaking). They got a bit overcooked, and I adjusted the times below to try to account for that. They tasted ok, a little bland, a little dry…I probably won’t make them again.


The final product


Chickpea-sweet potato burgers
Source: adapted from Self magazine, April 2012
Serves: 4 (per recipe), 6 (per me)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas
Olive oil cooking spray
3 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 small sweet potato, grated

Directions
1. In a bowl, soak chickpeas in 4 cups water for at 12-24 hours; drain well.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. In a food processor, process chickpeas, tahini, black pepper, baking powder, and salt, scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture holds together when pinched, 2 minutes; transfer to a bowl and stir in sweet potato.
4. For chickpea-sweet potato mixture into burgers and place on baking sheet. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, coat burgers with spray and bake until crisp and golden underneath, 10-15 minutes. Flip burgers, coat with cooking spray and bake until crisp on other side, 10-15 minutes.

Dilly cucumbers
Source: adapted from Self magazine, April 2012
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Directions
1. In a bowl, combine cucumber, onion, dill, and vinegar.
2. Enjoy!

Corn and black bean salad

This week’s recipe is more “mixing” than “cooking”, but it’s a staple for me because it is so versatile. It’s especially great during CSA (community-supported agriculture) season when there is major veggie maintenance to do because you can add any extra vegetables you have on hand. Speaking of CSAs, I’m looking forward to another delicious season from Red Fire Farm.

Besides eating it on its own, I like it on top of greens for a salad, or in a whole-wheat tortilla as a quesadilla or burrito.

Corn and black bean salad
Source: adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves: 4+

Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt (or can omit alltogether)
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup sweet corn (I usually use frozen, but fresh or canned works too)

Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together black beans and corn (and anything else you want to throw in, this week I added tomatoes). Toss with vinegar and oil dressing and garnish with cilantro. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Enjoy!

Spinach and artichoke lasagna

It’s hard to believe this recipe has been in my wheelhouse for more than 10 years. I also find it interesting how package sizes have changed during this time. The recipe as I wrote it (in March 2002) calls for a 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts and a 28-ounce jar of pasta sauce. Today I purchased a 12-ounce jar of artichoke hearts and a 25-ounce jar of pasta sauce, both from Trader Joe’s. A box of  Barilla lasagna noodles are now 9 ounces, advertised as “makes a 9″ x 13″ tray”, though the Trader Joe’s lasagna noodles were a full pound. Since I don’t foresee giving up the grocery store and becoming a hunter and gatherer anytime soon (probably kind of difficult in Cambridge), I’ve adjusted the recipe based on today’s packages. But who knows what they’ll look like in another 10 years.

Hot and bubbly out of the oven



Spinach and artichoke lasgana
Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com, circa March 2002
Serves: 6-8


Ingredients
cooking spray
1 onion, chopped (I also added some chopped green peppers)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can vegetable broth (I used vegetable bouillon which made 2 cups of broth)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or about 1 tsp dried)
1 (12-once) jar marinated artichoke hearts (I also added 1 cup marinated mushrooms, sliced)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (25-ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
12 lasagna noodles (I use the ready-to-bake ones)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (4-ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion and garlic (and peppers) for 3 minutes, or until onion is tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.
3. Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture (about 1.5 cups) in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 4 noodles. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and about 2 Tbsp feta over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella and feta cheese.
4. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
5. Enjoy!

Sofrito

This week I made a big batch of Spanish style sauce. I remembered to buy the onions this time, but then forgot to put them in the recipe…it still tasted great. The March issue of Everyday Food provides a recipe for shrimp and mussels with sofrito and chicken with sofrito. It also suggests using it to top fish or steak, tossing it with steamed vegetables, and using as a base for soup or beans. I didn’t really follow a recipe and used about 1/2 cup in a saute of shrimp, chick peas, and queso blanco. I froze the rest in 1/2 cup portions.

Sofrito

Tomatoes in the Cuisinart

Source: Everyday Food, March 2012
Makes: 3 cups

Ingredients
2 pounds plum tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
2 medium yellow onions
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bunch cilantro, large stems trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup)

Directions

Sofrito on the stove

1. Coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Combine with garlic cloves and cilantro. In batches, pulse mixture in a food processor until finely chopped.

2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add tomato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened and reduced, 25-30 minutes (reduce heat if browning at edge).

3. To store, cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze.

4. Enjoy!



Chard and Ricotta Pie

Actually, I made this last week, but still wanted to share it. I like to make this recipe using a muffin tin instead of a pie plate to make individual servings that become a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I’ve also substituted other vegetables, like spinach or broccoli. I forgot to pick up green onions so I left them out this time.

Chard and Ricotta Pie
Source: Good Housekeeping
Serves: 6 main-dish servings (or about 18 individual “pies”)

Ingredients
1 large head Swiss chard
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
4 large eggs
1 container (15 ounces) part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate (or muffin tins).

2. Cut off and discard bottom 2 inches of Swiss chard stems. Separate stems from leaves; thinly slice stems and coarsely chop leaves.

3. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add sliced stems and cook 4 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add green onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes (to your taste), and cook 1 minute. Gradually add chopped leaves, and cook, stirring, until wilted and water evaporates, about 5 minutes.

4. In large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix eggs, ricotta, milk, Parmesan, and cornstarch until blended. Stir in Swiss chard mixture.

5. Transfer mixture to pie plate (or muffin tins). Bake pie 40 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from center comes out clean. Bake about 13 minutes if using muffin tins.

6. Enjoy!

Fall vegetable chili

This week I made calzones (which reminded me of dinners with Denise at our Park Drive apartment) and this vegetable-tarian chili. In addition to the carrots, parsnips, and onions, I also threw in some garlic (1 clove), sweet peppers, jalapeno pepper (1/2), and an unidentified root vegetable leftover from my CSA (a turnip, I think). Enjoy!

Fall Vegetable Chili
Source: Good Housekeeping
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (15-19 oz each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4 tsp chili powder
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions
1. In 5-quart saucepot, heat olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add carrots, parsnips, and chopped onion, and cook 6-8 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, on large plate, with fork or potato masher, mash 1 cup drained beans.

3. Stir chili powder into vegetables in saucepot; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add tomatoes with their juice, whole and mashed beans, and 2 cups water; heat to boiling on high, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro to serve.

Chickpea chard stew

One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to organize my huge pile of recipes (a habit I learned from my mom…thanks mom!). And that led me to thinking about actually trying to make some of the recipes I so carefully save…so I’ve decided to start a recipe-sharing blog. This isn’t going to be a Julie and Julia endeavor, just a (hopefully) fun way to share some yummy recipes. This is also my apology for being the weak link in the recipe exchange emails that I never do.

So here’s what I’m cooking this week…it’s been great for lunches!

Chickpea chard stew
Serves: 4
Source: a magazine that I don’t know the name of (I’ll do better with this part next time)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots (I used 3 and it was a little less than a cup, also added garlic and some peppers)
1 fresh thyme sprig
1/4 teaspoon plus pinch salt
1 bunch chard, stems removed, chopped
2 cups diced plum tomatoes (I used 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup vegetable stock
pinch dried cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and cook, stirring a few times, until shallots are translucent, about 6 minutes.

2. Mix in the chard, tomatoes, chickpeas, vegetable stock, and cayenne; cover and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Remove thyme and season stew with the lemon juice. Add the pinch of salt and the black pepper to taste.