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Recipes from the August 2013 Newsletter

Featured Recipes

TOMATO SOUP
Our garden is producing an overabundance of tomatoes early this year. We are already busy dehydrating many of them and eating the rest as fast as we can. (For hints on dehydrating tomatoes, see the September 2011 newsletter.) I also have a favorite tomato soup that is so easy to make that there is usually a pot of this cooking at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be eaten as a soup, it can also be used over pasta or potatoes, or whole grains (try stirring a couple of cups of cooked rice into the soup) or polenta. The possibilities are endless.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: variable, depending on use

1 mild onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons water
4 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (see hints below)
1 cup vegetable broth
fresh parsley, cilantro or basil for garnish

Place the onion and garlic in a large pot with the water. Cook, stirring frequently until onions and garlic soften and begin to smell fragrant, adding more water as necessary until they are quite soft. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender, taste and add a bit of salt and pepper, if necessary. For a thinner soup-like consistency add a bit more vegetable broth, if necessary. (The consistency of the soup will depend a lot on how you prepare the tomatoes.) Serve with your choice of fresh herb for garnish.

Hints: To prepare the tomatoes, place them in a large bowl fitted with a colander and peel with a serrated peeler, chopping and seeding as you prepare each one. This will be messy, but does not take much time. Add the tomatoes to the pot, leaving most of the seeds behind. I usually strain the seeds from the juices and also add the juice to the pot, so I may use less of the vegetable broth depending on how juicy the tomatoes are.

QUINOA PUDDING
I know this sounds like a strange use for quinoa, but I always get requests for what to do with rhubarb, and I used to make a pudding with rhubarb and tapioca. Imagine my surprise when quinoa turned out to make a better tasting pudding with strawberry and rhubarb than tapioca did.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

2 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup organic sugar
½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Place 2 cups of the water in a large saucepan with the rhubarb, strawberries, quinoa and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Add the sugar and lemon zest. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl with the remaining water and whisk until smooth. Stir into the pudding mixture and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve scooped into a bowl, topped with a small scoop of almond or rice “ice cream”, if desired.

HALFWAY BLENDED MINESTRONE SOUP
By Prajakta Athalye
This recipe was sent to me a few weeks ago and I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of you. It is so easy, versatile and delicious that I’m sure you will enjoy it often.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2-3

4-5 cups water
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups cooked beans of your choice
1 tablespoon chopped dried chives
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup uncooked bowtie pasta
1 avocado, sliced
1 lime, juiced
freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh cilantro

Place the water in a large soup pot. Add tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until celery and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans, chives and basil and return to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes longer, then add the pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and blend slightly using an immersion blender. (You still want to be able to see pieces of the veggies and pasta.) Ladle each serving into a bowl and garnish with a few slices of avocado, a bit of lime juice and several twists of freshly ground pepper.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Filling and flavorful, this casserole is much easier to make than enchiladas since you don’t need to roll the tortillas or make a separate sauce.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic (5 medium cloves)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can (15-ounce) diced tomatoes (1½ cups), not drained
1 can (15-ounce) black beans (1½ cups), drained and rinsed
1 medium zucchini, small diced (about 1½ cups)
1 cup raw, frozen, or canned corn (drained)
4-5 cups roughly chopped chard leaves, (about 4 large leaves)
4 corn tortillas (6-inch) cut into 1-inch squares
2 corn tortillas (6-inch) cut into 1-inch square

Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes (stove top), 15 minutes (baking); Serves: 6

COLESLAW
Most coleslaw recipes are made with a creamy dressing, usually oil-based, but not here. For a creamy texture, I suggest using cashews in this recipe, but you may also make it without any nuts at all, and it’s still delicious!

Dressing
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon or stoneground mustard
½ cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews (about 2 ounces) (optional)

3 cups chopped green cabbage (like cabbage confetti)
1 cup chopped red cabbage (like cabbage confetti)
1¾ cups grated carrots
1½ cups diced apple (skin on; about 1 to 2 apples)
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped red onion

Preparation: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 as a side dish (makes 7½ cups)

PESTO PASTA
Ah, lovely pesto! “But don’t you need oil and cheese to make pesto?” No way! These ingredients are traditional, but they can be simply omitted, resulting in a sauce that is much lighter and fresher in taste. Great with sautéed vegetables (green beans, tomatoes and yellow squash), as well as over zucchini strands (cooked or raw) or on steamed potatoes.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 (makes about 3/4 cup of sauce)

FRUITY OIL-FREE VINAIGRETTES
Vinaigrette dressings are beloved for their sweet, spicy and tangy combinations. They are easily made without oil, salt and sugar. Create your own using a combination of fruits, vegetables, vinegar, nuts/seeds, onion/garlic, and/or fresh herbs.

Pineapple-Mango Vinaigrette
½ cup diced pineapple (3 ounces)
½ cup diced fresh mango (3 ounces)
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider or brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Strawberry Vinaigrette
1 cup sliced strawberries (about 7 medium strawberries)
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider or brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped white or yellow onion
1 medjool date pitted and chopped (or 2 deglet noir dates)
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

ZUCCHINI BREAD
I have fond memories of my mom’s zucchini bread made from the squash in our garden and the walnuts from our trees. Usually we’d make this in the summer or fall when zucchinis were fresh and plentiful, but there’s no reason you can’t make this tasty bread any time of year.

Preparation: 35 minutes
Baking time: 65-70 minutes. Makes: 1 standard loaf (about ten ¾-inch slices)