
VEGETABLE TABOULI
Preparation
Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 2-3 hours
Servings: 8
1 cup uncooked
bulgur
2 cups boiling water
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber,
chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup lemon juice
fresh ground pepper to taste
Place bulgur in
a bowl and pour the boiling water over it.
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Transfer to
a colander to cool and drain.
Meanwhile,
prepare the vegetables and place the in a
separate large bowl.
Combine the
drained bulgur and vegetables. Add the lemon
juice and pepper to taste. Mix well and chill
before serving.
Hint: A 15
ounce can of any kind of cooked beans, drained
and rinsed, makes a nice addition to this
salad. Try garbanzo, kidney, black or white
beans.
GARBANZO SPINACH
SALAD
Preparation
Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1-2 hours
Servings: 4-6
3 15 ounce
cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
3 green onions, finely chopped
½ cup oil-free Italian dressing
several twists fresh ground pepper
Combine beans
and vegetables in a bowl. Pour dressing over
and toss to mix. Season with fresh ground
pepper. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours for best
flavor.
Hint: This is
one of my favorite salads and very often I eat
this right after putting it together. It keeps
well in the refrigerator for several days.
RED BEAN GUMBO
Preparation Time: 20 minutes,
cooked rice needed
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
6 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5 ounce can Cajun-style stewed tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
several twists of fresh ground pepper
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chopped greens (kale, chard, spinach,
etc.)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2-4 cups hot brown basmati or jasmine rice
Place the water, onion, bell
pepper, celery and garlic in a large pot. Cook,
stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add
vegetable broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and
seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover and cook
over low heat for 15 minutes. Add beans and
greens (not parsley) and cook an additional 10
minutes. Stir in parsley.
To serve, place 1/2 cup of the
rice in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle gumbo
over the rice and mix well before eating.
MEXICAN VEGETABLE
SOUP WITH CILANTRO PESTO
Preparation
Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
½ cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
8 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5 ounce can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 whole dried chipotle chile
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 zucchini, chopped
1 15 ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 ½ cups chopped kale
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
1 cup
small uncooked pasta, such as orzo
Place the water
in a large pot with the onion, bell pepper,
leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently,
for 7 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, green
chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, chili
powder, oregano and Tabasco sauce. Bring to a
boil, cover, reduce heat and cook over low heat
for 10 minutes. Add vegetables and beans. Cook
for 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook for an
additional 4-8 minutes, until pasta is tender.
Remove whole chipotle before serving. Stir 1-2
teaspoons of cilantro pesto (recipe follows)
into each bowl before eating, if desired.
CILANTRO PESTO
Preparation
Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
1 cup packed
cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon raw cashews
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons water
Place cilantro
in blender or food processor and process until
chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process
until well mixed.
Use to add more
flavor to soups and stews. Also delicious
spread on bread.
TAMALE BURGERS
I found this
recipe for burgers in Vegetarian Times last
month. The original recipe came from Frank
Melodia, and I thought the burgers looked so
interesting that I just had to try them. I have
modified the recipe slightly, leaving out the
oil, of course, and simplifying some of the
steps. We like to serve these in a corn
tortilla, with lettuce, tomatoes, and the Taco
Sauce recipe from this newsletter. Some sliced
avocado could also be added, if desired.
Preparation
Time: 30 minutes (need cooked rice)
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Cooling Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8-10
2 tablespoons
vegetable broth
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
dash salt (optional)
1/3 cup masa harina (for tortillas)
½ cup water
3 cups cooked brown rice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
¾ teaspoon lime zest
8-10 corn tortillas
Place the
vegetable broth in a large non-stick frying pan
with the onion, bell pepper, corn, chipotle
chile, adobo sauce, garlic, and cumin. Cook,
stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes,
until vegetables are softened.
Mix the masa
harina with the water in a small bowl. Add to
the vegetable mixture and mix well. (Mixture
will be very thick.) Cover and cook over low
heat, stirring once or twice, for about 5
minutes.
Heat the cooked
rice until hot. Place in a large bowl and add
the vegetable mixture to the rice along with the
remaining ingredients, except the tortillas.
Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes.
Place several
sheets of parchment paper over large baking
trays. Fill a medium bowl of water and place it
next to your work surface. Wet hands and shape
mixture one at a time into flattened oblong
burgers (just the right size for fitting into
the tortillas). Place each shaped burger onto
the parchment paper. Repeat until all mixture
is used. Refrigerate burgers for 30 minutes.
Grill burgers
over medium heat for about 7 minutes on each
side, until crusty on the outside. This may be
done on a charcoal or gas grill, or on a griddle
on the stovetop.
Place each
burger in a corn tortilla, add lettuce,
tomatoes, avocado, if desired, and spoon some
Taco Sauce over the top. Fold up and enjoy.
Hints: Masa
harina can usually be found in Latin American
markets, or in the ethnic section of some
supermarkets. It is a fine corn flour that is
used to make tortillas and tamales. I usually
make a double batch of these burgers because
they freeze well and then I have an easy meal
for sometime later. These may also be shaped
into the traditional burger shape and eaten on
whole wheat buns. They have a decidedly Mexican
flavor to them, so they are best topped with
Mexican-style seasonings.
TACO SAUCE
This is a
creamy, slightly spicy sauce that is wonderful
with raw veggies, or drizzled over tacos.
Preparation
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: makes 3 cups
1 package soft silken tofu
1 ½ cups tofu sour cream
1 package Bearitos Taco Seasoning mix
Place the tofu
in a food processor and process until fairly
smooth. Add the tofu sour cream and process
until very creamy. Add the package of seasoning
mix and process until blended. Pour into a
covered container and refrigerate for an hour or
two to allow flavors to blend.
Hint: Recipe
for tofu sour cream can be found in the June
2002 newsletter.
MISO SOUP
This is a
simple, yet delicious, miso soup that is light
enough to enjoy on a hot summer night.
Preparation
Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Resting Time: 2 minutes
Servings: 4
1 ounce wakame
seaweed
4 cups water
¼ cup mellow white miso
1 package silken tofu, cubed
⅛ cup soy sauce
4 green onions, chopped
Soak the
seaweed in water to cover, drain, squeeze and
cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside
Place the 4 cups water in water in a saucepan
and bring to a boil. Remove ½ cup of the
boiling water and mix into the miso until it is
very smooth. Return to pan, mix well and cook
for another minute or so. Add the seaweed, tofu
and soy sauce. Mix gently, turn off heat and
add the green onions. Let rest 2 minutes before
serving.
Hints: The
seaweed is entirely optional. If you don’t care
for the flavor, try some fresh spinach instead.
To make this into a heartier soup, add some
cooked soba or udon noodles to the water when
adding the miso, heat through, then proceed as
above.
FETTUCCINE IN CREAM SAUCE WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES
By Emily Barth Webber
Emily prepared
this delicious dish during the celebrity chef
weekend in 2006.
Prepare this very special, but rich, dish for a
summertime special occasion.
This creamy
sauce is rich, satisfying and flavorful. Full
of subtle herbs that marry beautifully with
summer vegetables, it is the right dish to serve
when you know you should eat lots of vegetables,
yet you still crave something sinful (like
Fettuccine Alfredo or Mac & Cheese). It’s the
best of both worlds.
Play around
with the vegetables in this dish. Use whatever
is in season. Vary the herbs, use fresh herbs,
have fun with it. Once you make this dish once,
you’ll know how to make vegan cream sauce, so
have fun experimenting.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in 4 cups spring or
filtered water for 4-8 hours
4 teaspoons dried herbs from Provence
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
A few grinds of black pepper
1 cup filtered or spring water
Pasta
and Vegetables:
½ pound fettuccine
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 tablespoon water or vegetable stock
1 carrot, cut into julienne
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienne
1 cup broccoli florets
1 small yellow squash, cut into julienne
1 small zucchini, cut into julienne
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
Directions
|
1. |
Start
water boiling for fettuccine in a large
pasta pot. |
|
2. |
Drain
cashews, dump into blender and puree
with 1 cup water until very smooth and
creamy. This may take 5 full minutes in
a standard blender. As soon as mixture
is smooth and creamy, add herbs from
Provence, sea salt and pepper and puree
for another minute. Sauce will be the
consistency of half and half. Don’t
worry. It will thicken as it heats up. |
|
3. |
Boil
fettuccine. It should take about 11
minutes. Add spinach to the water for
the last 30 seconds of cooking. |
|
4. |
Meanwhile,
sauté carrots in 1-2 tablespoons water
or vegetable stock in a large non-stick
skillet over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli,
yellow squash, zucchini, garlic and cook
another 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes.
Reduce heat to low and add sauce to
skillet. Stir and warm through for 1-2
minutes. |
|
5. |
Drain
fettuccine and toss with sauce and
vegetable mixture. |
VEGAN DONE
LIGHT
By Erin Dame
Erin Dame has compiled a
wonderful selection of light vegan recipes in a
downloadable book at
www.vegandonelight.com. I haven’t had a
chance to try all of the recipes yet, but he
has some very creative selections that are low
fat, healthy vegan recipes. I have included a
preview recipe for you to try in this
newsletter, Mexican Mini “Pizzas”, a
low-calorie, gluten-free recipe that I’m sure
you will enjoy. The only free oils he uses are
to oil the pans, and if you have good quality
non-stick cookware, those oils can easily be
eliminated. Check out his website listed above
and see photos of all the recipes as well as
instructions for downloading.

|