Posts by Month: April 2016
Baked Cauliflower
Apr 21 2016
Baked Cauliflower Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces. Put into a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Toss the cauliflower so it cooks evenly. Cook until it browns and softens. You’ll be amazed by how much it shrinks. Then serve. Very yummy.
Black Beans and Polenta
Apr 21 2016
Black Beans and Polenta 3 tbsp oil 1 medium onion chopped 4 cloves garlic minced 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1/8 tsp pepper 1 tsp cumin 3/4 tsp coriander 1 tsp basil 1/4 tsp oregano 1 can black beans 14 oz can diced tomatoes Polenta Heat all, but tomatoes and beans until soft. Add tomatoes and beans and heat until bubbly. Serve over polenta. Easy-peasy, lemon squeazy!
Chicken De Provence w/ Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions
Apr 21 2016
Chicken De Provence w/ Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions (Egg and Corn Free) 1 1/2 lb (1 large or 2 medium heads), or 6-7 cups, cut up 4 cups water 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided, Tbsp + 2 Tbsp 2 Medium onion divided, 1 1/2 cups sliced + 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced 3 Cloves garlic 1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence 4-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp sea salt 6 sprigs of rosemary, if desired In a 4-qt pot, cook the cauliflower in the water 10 minutes covered, until very soft. Remove from heat. In a large skillet, cook the 1 1/2 cups sliced onion 2 Tbsp of oil on medium heat, covered for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes until onion is limp. Into a blender, pour 3/4 cup of hot water from the cauliflower pot, along with 1/2 of the cauliflower and 1/2 of the onion-garlic mixture from skillet. Blend until smooth. Adding remaining cauliflower and the onion-garlic mixture, and blend again. Set skillet aside. Add salt and Herb de Provence, blend 20 seconds. Butterfly or pound chicken breasts to 3/4 - 1” thickness. Lightly salt and pepper each breast and the remaining onion, in the same skillet with the drippings from the onion and garlic, add remaining 2 Tbsp of oil. Saute chicken with the additional 1 1/2 cups onion and mushrooms on medium-high heat to brown chicken and caramelize the onions. Cook chicken 4 minutes on each side. Turn heat to low, cover and cook another 4-6 minutes until chicken is done. Place a piece of chicken on each plate and pour sauce generously over each. Garnish with caramelized onions and mushrooms and topped with a sprig of rosemary.
Curried Carrot Dip
Apr 21 2016
Curried Carrot Dip 1 pound carrots, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch chunks ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds (salted are ok, just add less salt) 2 teaspoons grape seed or other vegetable oil ½ teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon curry powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the carrots for 7-10 minutes, until soft. Drain and let cool just until they are no longer steaming. Place the sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor and process into crumbs. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as you go. Taste for salt and adjust the spices and lemon. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use (at least 30 minutes). From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
Geoffrey’s Marinated Grilled Chicken
Apr 21 2016
Geoffreys Marinated Grilled Chicken 1-1.5 pound package boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts (2-3 breasts) 3 cloves garlic 1 lemon, juiced 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 4-5 tablespoons olive oil Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Place in a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Pound the breasts with a smooth meat mallet to an even thickness (be careful not to put a hole in your bag). Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl: Mince or press garlic in a garlic press, juice lemon, add other spices/herbs and olive oil. Stir to mix. Pour marinade into the bag with the chicken and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Seal the bag and mush it all around to make sure that the chicken is covered on all sides with marinade. Grill on barbeque or in a stove top grill pan over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes each side depending on thickness. Test to make sure it is done. Let sit for 5 minutes. Slice and serve. (This goes well on a salad if you want to add some protein.) Alternate marinade: Substitute balsamic vinegar for lemon juice Vary herbs with others like tarragon, poultry mix, etc.
Hummus
Apr 21 2016
Hummus From Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair 2 cups cooked chickpeas 5 tablespoons tahini ½ teaspoon sea salt 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup cooking liquid from beans or water to desired consistency Optional Garnishes Chopped parsley Paprika Place cooked chickpeas in food processor or blender with tahini, salt, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add cooking liquid from beans or a little water to get desired consistency. Garnish with chopped parsley or paprika if desired. Stores well refrigerated for at least a week. Prep time: 10 minutes Makes 2 ¾ -3 cups
Italian Lentil Stew
Apr 21 2016
Italian Lentil Stew From the American Institute for Cancer Research, www.aicr.org 30 minutes prep time. Serves 4 1 ½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 8 small red-skinned potatoes, halved crosswise 1 ½ cup finely chopped onion 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped ¾ cup small brown Italian lentils 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, including liquid 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried oregano Salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ c basil leaves, loosely packed Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, cut-side down, and cook until they are browned, 8-10 minutes. Using tongs, remove the potatoes to a plate and set aside. (if they stick, work the tongs under the potatoes to release them.) Add the onions to the pot, sauté for 5 minutes, and mix in the garlic. Cook until the onions are browned, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the lentils, tomatoes with liquid, bay leaf and oregano. Add 3 cups of cold water. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes and lentils are soft, about 30 minutes, adding ½ cup of water if needed. Remove the bay leaf and season the stew to taste with salt and pepper. For best flavor, make this stew a day ahead. Reheat it in a heavy pot, covered, over medium heat. Stir occasionally until heated through. If the stew is too thick, add some water before heating it. To serve, divide the stew among four bowls and sprinkle with fresh basil. Per serving: 460 calories, 16 g protein, 89 g carbohydrates, 18 g fiber, 6 g total fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono, 1 g poly)
Stir Fry over Garlic Mashed Cauli
Apr 21 2016
Stir Fry over Garlic Mashed Cauli GARLIC MASHED CAULI: 2 lb Cauliflower (1 very large head), 7-8 cups chopped 1 Tbsp plain rice or almond milk 1/2 tsp ghee, optional 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup white beans such as canned, navy beans, rinsed well using a strainer and drained on a paper towel. In a 4f-qt pot, cook the cauliflower in 5 cups of water, covered , about 10 minutes, until very soft. Drain with a colander. Into a blender, put cauliflower with the milk, salt, garlic powder and ghee, if using blender blend on low speed 15 seconds. Scrape side of blender push cauliflower down and blend low again. Repeat as follow. Once cauliflower is coarsely ground add beans and blend on low speed just until smooth, but not creamy. STIR-FRY: 3 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/2 “by 2” strips 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided: 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp 4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided: 2 cloves + 2 Cloves 1 Tbsp water 3/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp coriander 1/8 tsp white pepper 1 medium yam, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
Summer Salad
Apr 21 2016
Summer Salad Cucumber, Dill & Red Onion From Eating Clean by Lisa Allen 1 red onion, sliced very thin 2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced paper thin (seeded if preferred) 3 tablespoons rice vinegar Sea salt and pepper to taste ¼ cup fresh dill In mixing bowl, combine onion and cucumbers. Add rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate 30-60 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with fresh dill and serve.
Tahini Sauce (aka “Saucy Sauce”)
Apr 21 2016
Tahini Sauce 4-6 oz Tamari (or to taste) 5 oz Lemon Juice 5 heaping Tablespoons Tahini 1 1/2 cups Olive oil 1 1/4 teaspoon Dill 1 Clove garlic, crushed (yeah, right - go for 3-4 cloves!) Blend all ingredients except oil in blender. Drizzle in oil a little at a time (you know me - I just toss it all in together - doesn’t seem to matter too much). You can fiddle with amounts to get the taste you like! We keep this in the container with a pour spout in the fridge for about two weeks. It goes great on grains, vegetables, and about anything else.
Three Bean Salad
Apr 21 2016
THREE-BEAN SALAD 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame (8 oz) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15-oz) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup chopped red onion 2 cups thinly sliced celery 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Cook edamame in a 1 1/2 - to 2-quart saucepan of boiling salted water, uncovered, 4 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over moderately low heat until hot but not smoking, then cook cumin, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 30 seconds. Pour into a large heatproof bowl. Add edamame and remaining ingredients to cumin oil and toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Gourmet March 2007