New Recipes!

To follow up on my earlier blog post from today, I want to share some fabulous plant-based recipes from my very talented friend Diane Smith. Her website is PlantBasedCooking.com.

Nicoise Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces.
4 small new potatoes (leave skins on if they're organic)
1/2 lb. of green beans, ends removed, cut in half if large
1/2 lb. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into thirds
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, rinsed and cut in half
1 cup of pitted Kalamata olives
1 large or 2 small jars of marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half
1, 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh mustard
1 Tbl. maple syrup (or substitute a few drops of liquid Stevia)
3 Tbl. Olive oil (optional)
Method:
Place a large pot of water to cover the potatoes on the stove and heat to boiling. Turn down the heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the potatoes, set aside, and retain the water.
Place the green beans in the potato water and cook until they are crisp-tender. Remove and retain the water.
Place the asparagus in the water and cook until they are crisp-tender. Remove and discard the water.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the dressing by placing the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, maple syrup, and mustard in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as you do.
Drizzle a portion of the dressing on the lettuce and toss. Place the lettuce on a large platter or divided into 4 individual bowls.
Slice the cooled potatoes into 1/4" rounds.
Arrange the potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, olives, artichokes, beans, and olives over the lettuce and drizzle over more of the dressing.
Salt & pepper to taste.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asian Noodle Salad 
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 carrots, grated
4 scallions, chopped
1 small red pepper, cut into small strips
3 cups snow peas, string removed and cut into thirds
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 12 ounces package of pasta
Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. chili garlic sauce
1 T. sugar
1 T. minced ginger
Method:
Boil pasta in a large pot of water until tender (al dente). Drain, reserving a little pasta water.
While pasta is cooking, with a whisk, blend the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and ginger until smooth. Add a little pasta water if it's too thick.
Cook the snow peas in scant water for about 3-5 minutes. Add them to a large bowl with the other vegetables.
Add cooked pasta and pour dressing over. Toss well to coat.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Farro Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 cup of farro, rinsed and cooked according to directions on the package (*or try this version)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3-5 leaves of swiss chard, chopped and steamed
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. curry powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Cook farro according to directions or *try this version recommended by Chef Ryan Hardy at the restaurant Charlie Bird in SoHo. In a medium saucepan, bring farro, 1 cup apple cider, salt, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender, and liquid evaporates for about 30 minutes.
In a salad bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the farro, red onion, swiss chard, peppers, cucumbers, kidney beans, and almonds.
Mix well and serve.

Visit Diane's website PlantBasedCooking.com for more great recipes.

Summer Goodness Recipes!

Diane K. Smith's health improved a great deal when she started eating a plant-based diet a few years ago. She and I both lost weight when we changed to a plant-based diet, but our main goal was to enjoy better health. 

Diane has created a very informative website where she shares her easy to prepare delicious dishes. Today she has graciously allowed me to share a couple of her fabulous vegetarian recipes with you.

  

Mexican Chopped Salad

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Salad
2 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and well-drained
1 cup chopped tomato or cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped peeled jicama
1 cup fresh corn kernels, uncooked (or frozen or canned)
3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
A whole ripe avocado diced.
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4-5 corn tortillas

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbl. honey
2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tsp chopped jalapeño pepper (optional

Stack 2-3 corn tortillas on a cutting board and cut in half. Then cut into about 1/3" strips. Place the strips on a microwavable plate. Sprinkle or spray with water or apple cider vinegar and lightly salt—microwave for about 2 minutes. Check for crispness, keeping in mind that the tortilla strips will get crunchier as they cool. Add more time if they aren't crispy enough. **

2. Toss all the salad ingredients except the avocado and tortilla strips in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients. 
4. Pour dressing over salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss. 
5. Top individual servings with avocado and crispy tortilla strips. 

*NOTE: You can also try microwaving them. It works really well! Just put your cut tortillas on a microwavable dish and let them cook for 3 minutes or so. The more tortillas are on the plate, the longer the cooking. Keep testing them for doneness. 

@plantbasedcooking.com

Link: http://www.plantbasedcooking.com/complete-recipes/mexican-chopped-salad-with-lime-cilantro-dressing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PASTA WITH SPINACH PESTO, GREEN BEANS & TOMATOES

Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 package whole grain or gluten-free penne pasta
1 package fresh green beans stem removed and cut into thirds
1 carton cherry tomatoes halved
2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 handful fresh mint
2 tsp white or red miso
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 shallot, rough chopped
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup toasted almonds
Cashew Topping: (optional)
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt

1. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling and add pasta. Cook according to directions on the package, drain, and reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

2. Steam the green beans until crisp-tender. Add them to a large bowl along with the halved tomatoes.

3. In the meantime, make the pesto by adding the vegetable stock to the bowl of a food processor along with the spinach, mint, miso, garlic, shallot, and toasted almonds—salt and pepper to taste. Process until combined, scraping the sides as needed. Add more vegetable stock if it’s too thick.

4. Add pasta and the pesto to the bowl with the green beans and tomatoes along with enough pasta water to loosen the sauce to the consistency you like. 

5. If topping with cashew crumble, put cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt into a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped and crumbly. Don't over-process, or you'll have cashew butter.

@plantbasedcooking.com

Link: http://www.plantbasedcooking.com/complete-recipes/pasta-with-spinach-pesto-green-beans-tomatoes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Black Bean-Mango Salsa with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Serves 4

Ingredients:

·         1 package corn tortillas

·         1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained

·         1/2 cup diced red onion

·         1/2 cup diced cilantro

·         1 avocado, peeled and chopped

·         1 mango, peeled and chopped

·         Juice of 1 lime or lemon

·         1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (if you like it hotter, leave in some of the seeds)

·         Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1.      To make the tortilla chips:

2.      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Stack about 4 tortillas when on your cutting board and cut in half and then each half into thirds. Place the chips on a baking sheet. If you'd like to add salt, first mist them with a spray bottle filled with water and then add the salt. Sometimes the chips are a little moist, and you can salt them without misting. *(For an easy microwavable option, see below.)

3.      Place in the oven for about 7-10 minutes or until they are pretty crispy and starting to turn golden. 

4.      For the salsa:

5.      Place black beans, red onion, cilantro, mango, avocado, jalapeño, and juice into a large bowl

6.      Salt & pepper to taste. 

7.      If it needs more zing, add more lime (or lemon) juice.

*NOTE: You can also try microwaving them. It works really well! Just put your cut tortillas on a microwavable dish and let them cook for 3 minutes or so. The more tortillas are on the plate, the longer the cooking. Keep testing them for doneness.

@plantbasedcooking.com

Link: http://www.plantbasedcooking.com/complete-recipes/black-bean-mango-salsa

Diane K. Smith is the editor of  PlantBasedCooking.com.

Meatless Chili

Susan's healthy meatless chili or an awesome sauce for spaghetti.

Cook one and one-fourth cup of Lundberg Black Japonica rice in a one-quart container of Pacific Mushroom Broth. This takes about 50 minutes, so at the 30-minute mark, add a one-quart container of Kitchen Basics Vegetable Stock, one cup of rinsed Red Quinoa, and one-half cup rinsed and sorted French lentils. Bring the pot back up to a boil and then cover and turn down to simmer for another 20 minutes. (If you are making chili or soup, you can also add a cup of diced carrots, celery, and potatoes, or other root veggies at this point. For the soup, you will need to add another container of the stock or broth.)

Next, add a can of rinsed and drained low salt black beans. Saute onion, mushrooms, garlic, peppers to add for a chili dish. I added a can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and corn for the chili dish I served today. You can also add a bit of butter, olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar according to your taste.

I just made up this dish today, but with spices such as cumin, curry, cloves, and or oregano, you could use it in place of meat for pasta dishes or in the chili I served with cheese and crackers today. Mr. Mickey asked me twice if there was meat in it.

Wishing you good health!