Bean Salad

1 15-oz can each of Pinto, Garbanzo, Black, and Red Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green Bell Pepper, washed, cored, seeded and diced
3 Jalapeno Peppers, washed, cored and diced (Optional if you can't take the heat)
2 15-oz cans of petite diced tomatoes, drained (reserve the tomato juice for other uses)
1/2 Red Onion, diced
6 large cloves of Garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar (I use raw, unpasteurized)
1 or 2 teaspoons of salt
A good grinding of Black Pepper Corns over the whole thing, optional
Dash of Tabasco brand original hot sauce, optional
2 cups of Cilantro, chopped-stir in 1 hour before serving
1/2 cup of REAL Olive oil, *leave out till just before serving

Combine all but the last two ingredients.  Let marinate for 24 hours.  Add remaining ingredients 1 hour prior to serving and let rest at room temperature.  Or keep it refrigerated and eat off of it for days.  Makes 8 servings, 350 calories.

The best part is if you are taking it for a work lunch it does not need to be refrigerated if you are eating it that day, or heated up ever. And surprisingly enough you will not get tired of it even if you eat it every day for lunch.

If you are so inclined, you may cook your own beans. An overnight soak in water with 1 teaspoon of salt before cooking produces the best results. Whenever I cook beans for another recipe I just reserve 1 1/2 - 2 cups of cooked, drained, and rinsed beans in the freezer for later use.  A quick rinse under hot water will thaw and separate the beans quickly.

It's also great to take to parties because it's Vegan, and doesn't have to be kept warm or cold. Keep the Cilantro separate because a surprising number of people don't like it.

Bean Salad for Health and Detoxification:

Beans are great. They are high in fiber, healthy carbohydrates and proteins, and low in fat with no saturated fats. Brightly colored peppers are full of anti-oxidants and nutrients as well as fiber. Cilantro is a great heavy metal detox for your liver. Garlic and Onions are full of anti-oxidants but also have anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties. And both are known to improve circulation and lower blood pressure, and garlic is a known cholesterol fighter. Raw, unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar is a great detoxifier and total body cleanser. Eating bean salad daily or multiple times a week for any meal is a great way to keep your body happy and healthy.

I have used Flax oil in the past, 1 Tablespoon per serving. Flax oil is high in Omega Fatty Acids and is a great intestinal toner.

Roasted Green Beans

I hate "babysitting" food.  If I can get away with one pot, or one oven dish I will.  Hence why I love this recipe.

2 lbs fresh green beans
2 large cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Snap the ends off of your beans.  Rinse.  Pat dry, or spin in a salad spinner.  Toss with the Olive oil and garlic.  Shake out onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, stir, shake, bake for 5 more.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Done.

Buttermilk Dressing for Slaw

I've been making coleslaw nearly every week since our CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, began.  It's the greatest thing to take to a summer cookout.

Here's what I've been doing:

1 small head of cabbage, finely sliced, 

1 small onion, finely sliced

4-5 medium to large carrots, shredded1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped (I do hand chop)

Sometimes I put in a few shredded radishes

I yoinked this dressing recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Broccoli slaw recipe:

1/3 cup Mayo1/3 cup Buttermilk2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar1 Tablespoon Sugar1 teaspoon SaltBlack pepper to taste

Hot and Sour Soup

• 2-4 Tbs. Chicken fat (for best results), butter, or any oil
• 1 Leek, washed thoroughly, split, and thinly sliced
• 4 medium Carrots washed, split, and sliced
• 8 oz. white button Mushrooms, washed, split, and sliced

Stir-fry vegetables in chicken fat, then add:

• 1 quart of chicken stock
• 8 oz. can of each, or a cup fresh: Bean Sprouts, Baby corn, Water chestnuts, Bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed (watch out for MSG and preservatives like Sodium Benzoate or Potassium Sorbate)
• 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
• 3 Tbs. Soy sauce
• 1/2-1 Tbs. Chili-Garlic oil
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt (depends on how salty your stock is, mine had little to none)

Let the whole pot boil for about 20 minutes, or until the largest carrot pieces are tender.

And if you like it thick, stir in:

• 2 Tbs. of Corn starch dissolved in 2 Tbs. cold water

Once it comes to a boil gently stir in a steady stream of:

• 2 eggs, beaten

And/Or add:

• 1 block of extra firm tofu cut into strips (optional)

Bring back to a boil, then serve.

Smokey Black Bean Chili

4 cups Cooked Black Beans, drained
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 T. Bacon Fat
1 large yellow onion
Green and Yellow Bell Peppers
1 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, blitzed
1 teaspoon Salt

Saute onions in bacon fat until translucent or browned, add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  As it was I had to add a little water because my diced tomatoes weren't very juicy.  Bring to a simmer.  Let simmer about 30 minutes.  I thought the flavor was good.  It didn't taste too much like chipotles, it had a good heat, but it seemed thin.  I think this would be best served with sour cream to round out the flavor.

Baba Ghanoush: Cold Eggplant Dip

A lot like Hummus, I mean exactly like it but instead of mashed chic peas there is roasted eggplant.  The literal translation means "spoiled father." 

About the same amount of effort as hummus too, but instead of making a pot (or opening a can) of beans, you will need to cook some eggplant.  I have never had success in oven roasting, and it's a lot of time to wait an hour for one or two eggplants to cook.  I always end up not cooking it long enough, and even then I can never get the peel off.  But what harm is there in blitzing the peel, if it's organic.  Often the most colorful part of the veggie is where all the nutrients are.  I imagine an easier way, and less time consuming-if not a bit more labor intensive, would be to peel the eggplant, cube and saute until soft. 

Otherwise:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Using a fork, poke holes all around the eggplant(s).  Roast for 45 minutes or until soft, timing depends on the size of eggplant.  Once they have cooled, scrape the inside into a bowl and discard the peel.  Even better if you can roast them over a charcoal grill or fire to achieve a smoky flavor.

For every 2 cups cooked eggplant add to it:

•  2 Tablespoons Tahini
• 1 large clove of garlic
• Juice of 1 Lemon, roughly 1/4 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz, or else mash by hand, in which case mince or press the garlic.  Feel free to dress it with chopped fresh parsley and good extra virgin olive oil.

Fall Harvest Soup with Sage and White Pepper

1 Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
1 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup of Carrots, peeled and sliced

I finally admitted that I don't actually like Butternut squash, it's the carrots and sweet potatoes I'm after.  This is one of those soups where you could use all carrots if that's what you wanted.

4 Tablespoons of Butter or Chicken Fat
1 large Leek, washed thoroughly and chopped
1/2 large white or yellow onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, diced (skin on if organic)
4 cups (1 quart) Chicken Broth, Gluten and MSG Free (watch out for "yeast" and "hydrolyzed protein" ingredients)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, depending on how salty your broth is
1/2 cup of all-natural Sour Cream, or if you can find it-Creme Fraiche.

Melt butter or Chicken fat in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute leeks, onions, and apple, adding ingredients separately every few minutes in the order listed. Saute until just turning brown.  Add the broth.  Peel, seed, and chunk Butternut, peel and chunk Sweet Potato, and peel and slice carrots into the broth.  Add seasonings and bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, lid on, till squash and potatoes and carrots are tender (about 20 Minutes). Be careful, ingredients are boiling hot. Transfer back to the stock pot.

Using an Immersion blender, and the lid as a shield, puree the soup. 

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.  Serves 8 as a starter, 4 as a meal. 

Very good with brown rice, sausage crumbles, and cooked kale.

Vegetable Biryani

I got this recipe from the Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, p. 306, and tweaked it a bit.  While the dish itself isn't very spicy, the onion chutney heats things up.

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook according to directions.  While the rice is cooking:

2 Tablespoons Butter, Chicken fat, or Oil (if vegan)
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 green pepper, diced
1 small yellow squash, halved and sliced
2 cups of cooked chic peas
2 teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add the cut vegetables one at a time, and let each cook for a couple of minutes before adding the next.  I usually use that time to chop the next (this drives my husband crazy, he'd rather have it all ready to go).  Add the spices last, and at that point it's probably ready, drizzle on the olive oil.  You don't want to overcook the vegetables.  The whole thing takes about 15-20 minutes tops.  The rice takes 50 minutes, so you'll want to time it right.  Before cooking the vege, you could make:

Onion Chutney p. 313

1 small onion, minced
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt to taste

I thought it was extra good topped with the chutney and some paneer, which I had accidentally made earlier this week while heating old milk to make yogurt.

You can use any variety of vegetables.  The recipe actually called for all of the above (except yellow squash), plus, 1 diced tomato, 2 cups of cauliflower, 1/2 cup green peas, and 1/3 cup raisins.  You could also use sweet potato instead of carrots.

Easily serves 4

Cold Potato Salad

This for me is the classic cold potato salad recipe.  I absolutely hate sweet pickle relish, particularly in potato, egg, or tuna salad, so you won't find it in this recipe.

8 medium to large red, yukon gold, or russet potatoes
8 celery stalks
1 small red onion
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon salad oil
1 Tablespoons white wine vinegar (I didn't have, so I just used white wine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Scrub and boil potatoes till a fork pierces easily, about 35-45 minutes. Remove potatoes and add eggs, bring back to a boil, put on lid, turn off heat, and let eggs sit for 20 minutes.  Remove eggs, and place in an ice water bath.  Under cold running water slide off potato skins, rinse and set aside.  Finely chop celery and onions, mix remaining ingredients.  Cube potatoes, and one-at-a-time toss with dressing.  Refrigerate the salad, till ready to eat, the longer the better (at least 4 hours).  Before serving, peel the eggs, dice, and toss with salad.  I found the eggs infinitely easier to peel after being in the fridge overnight.

Curried Lentils

Absolutely easy recipe, and low in calories.  Serve it with brown rice, or eat it on it's own.  Add more of the vegetables you like:  Carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, swiss chard.  Use Chic peas instead of lentils, they just need to cook longer.   Smother the whole thing in cucumber yogurt dressing.

1 cup dried, sorted and rinsed, lentils
1/2 large onion, diced
4 large ribs of Celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons of fat (I would use butter, or chicken fat)
1 Tablespoon curry powder (cumin, coriander, turmeric)
Dash of Cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 cups of stock, chicken or vegetable ***not tomato juice or based

Saute the onion in the fat for a couple of minutes over medium high heat, add the celery.  One minute, or less, before adding the stock, stir in the spices and garlic.  Bring the stock to a boil and add the lentils.  Stir, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover with the lid cocked.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

***Why not to use anything tomato when cooking lentils or legumes?  I'm not sure the science of it, but it will keep the legumes from absorbing liquid.

Texas Caviar

This recipe is similar to my every day Bean Salad recipe, but with only Black-eyed peas and red wine vinegar instead of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.  And you eat it with chips.

3 cups black-eyed peas, cooked, drained
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of finely diced tomatoes fresh or canned (if canned, drained and squeezed of juice)
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
Dash hot sauce, such as Tabasco 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tortilla chips, for serving

Combine all ingredients except Olive oil and Cilantro.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours to let the flavors mingle.  1 hour before serving set out and combing oil and Cilantro.  Serve with chips.

Red Cabbage and Blue Cheese Coleslaw

This really is as easy as it sounds.

2 lb head of red cabbage, outer leaves removed and rinsed well
1 cup good (like Marzetti's) Blue Cheese Dressing

Cut the head of cabbage lengthwise through the core.  Cut each half in two.  Remove the core.  Cut the Cabbage short ways into small, thin strips.

Toss with the dressing, cover, and refrigerate.  Let sit for at least four hours before serving.

UPDATE:  This recipe works best if you shred the cabbage.  Otherwise you'll need to add a bit of sugar to help break it down.  And personally I wanted it saltier.

Savory Zucchini Muffins

In an effort to try something new, and use up the Zucchini, I made these muffins.  These couldn't be any easier to make.  The Hubs loved them and when we have more Zucchini, I'll make more.

1 cup shredded Zucchini
1 egg
1/3 cup of cooking oil
6 Tablespoons (slightly more than 1/3 cup) Buttermilk
1 Tablespoon finely chopped Basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix all liquid ingredients together.  Blend dry ingredients and mix into wet, as little as possible.  Oil a muffin tin-fills 8 muffin cups.  Top each muffin with about 1 teaspoon of the Parmesan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack or serve piping hot.

1 Muffin has 210 calories.

Zucchini Egg Fritters

Earlier today I declared I wanted something delicious for dinner.  But I had no idea what to do.  Deciding to use the Zucchini I had in the fridge I googled 'great zucchini recipes.' and I found this one on a website called Big Girls, Small Kitchen.  It was terrific.  I immediately mixed up another batch to fry after trying the first cake.  Nearly two years later, I altered the recipe, see below.
 

1 cup grated Zucchini (1 small)
1/4 cup minced Onion
1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup flour (gluten free or all purpose)

For Frying:
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 Tablespoon Butter


I don't fool around with a hand grater for vegetables, I use the shredding blade on my food processor.  Mix first 7 ingredients.  Heat the oil and butter in a Cast Iron skillet (if you have it, otherwise use your egg pan) to medium high heat.  Drop by the heaping Tablespoon full without crowding the pan.  Cook for about 1 minute each side, just long enough to puff and brown.  Makes about eight 3 inch cakes.  Serves 1-2.

Porotos Granados, Chilean Bean Stew

As a bean enthusiast I was excited to try this recipe.  I found it on-line while researching Chilean food.  The recipe itself is easy enough, but I was disappointed in the blandness of the dish.  Add to that, it really just tasted like weak vegetarian "chili."  But it used our garden's bounty and provided us with something for a few dinners. 

Even though I thought I'd probably not make this again, it turned out Tom loved the recipe.  And with some Louisiana hot sauce I thought it was incredibly delicious.

2 1/4 cups (1 pound) dry beans, preferably Cranberry beans.  Rinse and sort and soak overnight in 6 cups of water, or just start cooking till done, about 2 hours either way.  Cooking in the soak water does make them extra gas inducing but it imparts a creaminess and flavor you can't get otherwise.

1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons oil
2-4 cups of squash, seeded, and peeled if necessary
2-4 cups of fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 hot chilies, minced
4 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 large tomatoes, diced
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
1 teaspoon salt

In a stock pot saute the onions in the oil over medium high heat till almost translucent.  Add in the squash, corn, and peppers and stir for a few minutes.  Throw in the spice till heated (1 minute), then add the tomatoes and beans.  Simmer till squash is tender, turn off the heat and add the basil and salt.  This works as a stand alone dish, or served over rice or polenta.

Summer Garden Salad

One of the easiest things to prepare and keep in the fridge for quick healthy eating, bursting with garden freshness.

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Green Bell Peppers
Red Onion
Red Wine Vinegar
Sugar
Salt
Black Pepper

Slice veggies and sprinkle last four ingredients to taste.  This will keep in the fridge for days.

Ratatouille

A delicious blend of whatever summer vegetables you have on hand, but traditionally

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
Olive Oil
Tomatoes
Basil, or herbs of choice

I diced everything into 1 inch chunks, tossed in olive oil and baked in a single layer in the oven at 375 for 35 minutes.  In a food processor I blitzed the tomatoes and basil, transferred the vegetables to a baking dish and stirred in the tomato puree and baked for an additional 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I served mine on Polenta.  And, if you omit the butter in the Polenta, it makes a delicious Vegan meal.

Caprese Kabobs

This was the best summer cookout appetizer I've seen in a long time. So easy to make and even easier to eat.

1 package of wooden shish kabob skewers
Lots of cherry tomatoes
fresh Mozerella
fresh basil leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic (or your choice) Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut the Mozerella into tiny chunks. Wrap a basil leaf around a cherry tomato and skewer, follow with a mozerella chunk. Continue till skewer is complete. Repeat. Lay the completed skewers in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with the Oil and Vinegar, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

As a note, this recipe is folly unless you have (or your friends/family have) your own basil and cherry tomato plants. Can you believe what grocery stores charge for 1 oz. of fresh basil, or a quart of cherry tomatoes!

Minestrone (Vegan, and can be Gluten Free)

3 Tbs. Organic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion, diced
5 large carrots, diced
6 large ribs celery, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 tsp. dried, crushed Basil
1/4 tsp. dried, crushed Oregano
2 cups cooked white Beans in liquid
3 cups of water
1 quart jar of diced tomatoes with the juice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

*1 cup dried D'Italini shape pasta, cooked according to directions and set aside. This keeps the soup Gluten Free, or try a gluten free pasta.

In a large stock pot, saute the vegetables in the olive oil one at a time for a few minutes with each addition. Add the herbs, water, tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the beans and liquid, salt, and pepper, bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with cooked pasta, but be forewarned, if you put pasta in soup it will absorb all the extra liquid. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if you like. Makes a lot.

Asian style Green Beans

2 lbs of Green beans, cleaned
1 lb of pork sausage
1 whole head of garlic
1 dried Cayenne Pepper
Canola, or another high heat oil
Sesame Oil
Rice Wine Vinegar
Soy Sauce

Par boil the green beans for a few minutes till vibrant green, then drain. Brown the sausage in a skillet, remove. Add a Tablespoon of Canola oil if you need to and stir fry the green beans on high heat add the garlic and the cayenne pepper in the last minute. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1-2 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, and 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Enjoy straight up or over rice.