Meatless Monday – Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Pine Nuts

by joycevandenbergporterMay 19, 2014

Eggplant is a colorful fruit with a colorful past. Did you know that ‘at one time it was considered poisonous and dubbed the ‘mala insane” (raging apple) because it was believed to cause insanity? Did you also know that eggplant is related to the potato and tomato but it is actually a fruit, specifically a berry? (Food.com) I hated eggplant as a kid and would have been happy to rely on the insanity theory to get out of eating it but, alas, my mother was too smart to get that past her. Now, however, eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. Even though I know it’s actually a fruit, I’m too used to thinking of eggplant as a vegetable and can’t wrap my brain around that concept. Eggplant is very versatile. It can be baked, braised, boiled, fried grilled, stuffed, roasted, sauteed and stewed. You can swap it out for the meat in most recipes for a delicious meatless meal that is still satisfying and nutritious. Eggplant is loaded with vitamins and minerals and contains important phytonutrients, thanks in part to the glorious purple color of it’s skin. Foods come in vibrant reds, yellows, blues and whites and each color provides different nutrients for our bodies to use. The concept of Eating By Color or Eat The Rainbow, encourages eating foods every day from the entire spectrum of the rainbow for optimum health. The deep purple in eggplant is good for longevity and keeping our brains sharp, so dig in!

Roasting eggplant is easy and delicious. I like it even just drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper before roasting. This time though, I added paprika, cumin, garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar which add a bit of savory with just a hint of sweet and pairs nicely with the tang of goat cheese and the buttery toasted pine nuts.

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

Servings: 4
Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsn cider vinegar
1 Tbsn honey
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped(optional)
1/4 – 1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled and divided (optional)

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and let sit.

Dry toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small pan over medium heat for a few minutes, until fragrant. Let cool on paper towel.
Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, garlic, paprika, and cumin. Dry the eggplant with paper towels and toss with the marinade.
Spread the eggplant in a large glass pan, and roast in the oven at 400°F for 40 – 45 minutes, or until fork tender. (Stir every 15 minutes and check after 30 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning.) Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Top with crumbled goat cheese, pine nuts and parsley, if desired.

Meatless Monday Meets Cinco de Mayo

by joycevandenbergporterMay 5, 2014

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It’s also Meatless Monday! If you aren’t exhausted already from a weekend of Cinco de Mayo, check out this great site NoshOn.It for some creative vegetarian taco ideas.

Imagesbuddy.com

Meatless Monday – Fava & Spring Pea Risotto with Greens

by joycevandenbergporterApril 21, 2014

I just harvested the last of my fava beans in an effort to make way for more tomatoes in my garden. Fava beans (also called broad beans and horse or pigeon beans) aren’t actually a bean at all but a member of the pea family. Fava beans have a delicate flavor and buttery consistency which makes any dish special. I paired them with peas for two reasons. I love fava beans but I also really like green peas in risotto, plus it takes a mountain of fava bean pods to make enough fava beans. (You could also make this risotto without the fava beans and it would still be tasty). I harvested a large bowl of bean pods from my garden (about 10 or 12 cups). Favas require a double shelling process which is not hard but time consuming. How to shell fava beans. Once I removed the pods I had 2 cups which shrank to a scant 1 cup once I removed the second peel.

I usually don’t cook white rice but with risotto I had to make an exception. Arborio rice has a creamy quality that you just can’t get with brown rice, although I might give it a try next time. Luckily the fava beans, peas, pine nuts and greens add loads of nutrition to this dish. Even though it tastes and feels like comfort food this risotto is pretty healthful and low in fat. Favas are a good source of fiber, protein, folate. potassium, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus. (LiveStrong) The peas and greens add another nutritional boost. Plus I love the gorgeous green color. It tastes like Spring!

Fava and Spring Pea Risotto with Greens

Servings: 4-6
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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1/2 cup pine nuts

1 quart vegetable broth

2 Tbsn olive oil

4 scallions, sliced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1/4 – 1/2 tsp pepper(optional)

2 cups combination fava beans and shelled peas (fresh or frozen)

2 cups greens (spinach, arugula or fava leaves)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan (optional)

Shell fava beans. First remove the outer shell (pod). I like to slit the seam open with a sharp knife. It’s okay if you slice through the beans. It actually makes them easier to shell. Then blanch in boiling water for one minute and put immediately in an ice bath. Then remove the second shell.How to shell fava beans

Heat a heavy pan (cast iron is great if you have it) and dry toast the pine nuts for a few minutes until they are fragrant and turning golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool.
In a separate pan, bring broth plus one cup of water to a simmer
In cast iron pan, add olive oil, scallions and rice and cook for a few minutes until the rice is opaque.

Add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until rice is tender (about 20 minutes) Add salt and pepper to taste. (Vegetable broths greatly differ in their saltiness which is why I add salt at the end).
Add fava beans, peas and greens and cook until the greens wilt, 4 or 5 minutes.
Fold in pine nuts and parmesan. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Add more water if it’s too dry. Serve hot.

Meatless Monday – White Bean & Kale Dip

by joycevandenbergporterMarch 31, 2014

Kale is the current ‘It’ food. We have Kale Chips, Kale Smoothies, Sauteed Kale and Kale salads. I guarantee if you show up at a party bearing anything with Kale, you will be heralded as a hip Foodanista. I don’t want to knock kale, because it really is a nutritional powerhouse definitely worthy of being the star of the latest food fad. It’s not called ‘The Queen of Greens’ for nothing! “One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. (www.webmd.com)

Combine kale with white beans which are high in minerals, fiber and protein and you’ve got a snack worthy of superman. White Bean and Kale Dip combines some of my favorite flavors, white beans (cannellini), kale, cayenne, cumin, lemon, tahini and pine nuts and has none of the fattening creams or cheeses (which I love but am trying to cut back on). The creaminess in this dip comes from the white beans, pine nuts and a bit of olive oil, all healthy and nutritious. More importantly, it is delicious! If you are looking for a yummy but healthy appetizer, then this is for you. I served it with pita crackers but its also great with carrots and other raw veggies. You can also spread it on toasted bread and add a sprig of arugula and tomato. Yum!

There are a surprising number of recipes out there for White Bean and Kale Dip (or perhaps not so surprising given kale’s goddess status). Variations include walnuts or cashews instead of pine nuts and spinach instead of kale. I would recommend Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale, which is sweeter and less tough(chewy) than the curly type, for this recipe since we are using it raw. If you include nuts, I would recommend running them through the food processor or blender to make a fine powder before adding the other ingredients. You could probably also use an almond or cashew butter if you have it instead. Otherwise, this dip only takes a few minutes to put together but it needs at least an hour to chill in the refrigerator to firm up. I actually thought it tasted better the next day. So time to jump on the Kale Bandwagon if you haven’t done so already!

White Bean and Kale Dip

Servings: 8
Time: 10 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Difficulty: easy
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1 can white cannellini beans,- drained and rinsed

1 cup kale, roughly chopped

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

2 Tbsp tahini

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

2 Tbsn balsamic vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Zest from ½ lemon

1 tsp cumin (optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper

½ tsp cayenne (or more to taste)

Salt to taste

1/4 cup water, if needed

Directions:

If you’re using nuts, process them into a fine powder in the food processor before adding the other ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Add water if needed to blend ingredients.
Pour into a serving dish and chill in fridge for 1 hour or more. It will thicken quite a bit and the flavors will meld.
Serve with crackers or raw veggies.

Meatless Monday – Bow Ties with Broccoli Pesto

by joycevandenbergporterMarch 24, 2014

Is it time to put away the roasted root vegetables and bring on the fresh herbs? Well maybe not quite, but it’s feeling and looking more like spring. The days are longer and new growth is peeking out from under last year’s dry brush. Forget-Me-Knots and California Poppies adorn the hillsides and instantly make me feel happy. Perhaps they are working in cahoots with Pharrell on his happiness project. For those few who haven’t heard Pharrell’s “Happy” song (if that’s even possible) click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM (Or maybe you just want to listen to it while you read the rest of this post which is fine because I listened to it while I was writing it). More on the garden this Friday so gardeners stay tuned.

Spring Pasta Recipe: My son, Dylan, loves pesto on pasta, pizza and sandwiches (and he just came home for spring break), so this Vegetarian Times recipe for Broccoli Pesto caught my eye. I actually loved this pasta! I could stand at the kitchen counter and eat the pesto by the spoonful (and just maybe I did). It’s delicious and simple. It tastes like it has cheese and/or something creamy. but it is vegan and fairly low calorie. I used pine nuts (instead of hazelnuts because I wanted a creamier sauce). I left them raw for the pesto and dry toasted as a topping. The combination of herbs, including fresh mint, make it taste spring fresh. The addition of broccoli is a nice twist which also ramps up the nutritional value of the meal. As a Superfood, broccoli is low in fat and calories (only 31 per cup), rich in vitamins, minerals, beneficial phytochemicals and a good source of fiber. Somehow it doesn’t taste like broccoli so you may be able to slip some extra veggies into someone you love. My Carb-fearing husband had three portions! I will definitely make Pasta with Broccoli Pesto again. Store any leftover pesto in a container and pour a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent it from turning brown.

Bow Ties with Broccoli Pesto

Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

6 Tbsn hazelnuts, plus more for garnish (or pistachios/pine nuts)
2 cups broccoli florets
12 oz farfalle pasta (bowtie)
1 1/2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsn olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup mint leaves
4 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
5 large garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:

Put large pot of salted water on to boil.
Toast hazelnuts (pine nuts) in dry skillet, 3 – 5 minutes, or until golden. Let cool.
Add broccoli to boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove broccoli with slotted spoon.
Add farfalle to broccoli water and cook according to package instructions

Drain farfalle, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.
Process nuts, broccoli, parsley, oil, mint, lemon juice, zest, capers and garlic in food processor or blender until smooth (Add some of the cooking water if it’s too thick).
Toss farfalle with pesto and reserved water (if needed). Garnish with toasted nuts, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil(if desired).

Meatless Monday – Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

by joycevandenbergporterDecember 9, 2013

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Mushrooms and Carmelized Onions

Yes, a pizza crust made with cauliflower! Much to my carb fearing husband’s dismay, I really like pizza. He actually likes it too but not what it does to his waistline. I, however, can’t resist. I love deep dish, thin crust, thick crust, flat bread, you name it. So I was very excited to stumble upon this recipe for pizza made with a flour free crust in the “Vegetarian Everyday” cookbook (by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl). The recipe calls for cauliflower which sounds completely crazy but I couldn’t wait to try it out. I was not disappointed. The crust also includes ground almonds, which I have learned can be used for half of the flour in most baking and cooking recipes. Almond flour and almond meal are interchangeable in recipes. Almond flour is made from peeled, blanched almonds while almond meal includes the skin. I used almond meal that I found easily at Trader Joes. “It is gluten free. Half a cup of ground almonds contains 10 grams of carbohydrates, 6 of which are fiber, for a net carb count of 4. That half cup also contains 10 grams of protein, 23 grams of fat and 273 calories” (www.about.com). Compare that with 1/2 cup white flour which has 47.7 grams of carbohydrates, 1.7 grams of fiber, 6.5 grams protein, .61 grams of fat and 228 calories. Since almond meal is nutrient rich but also calorie dense, combining it with cauliflower makes for a nutritious, low carb and surprisingly yummy pizza.

Pizza Crust

1 head cauliflower

¾ cup ground almonds (almond flour or almond meal)

1Tbsp dried oregano

3 large eggs, beaten

Pizza Toppings

1 medium onion

1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

8 oz mixed mushrooms (crimini, portobello, etc)

¼ cup olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup any combination shredded cheeses (mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, asiago, provolone )

Chop garlic and place in a small bowl with the olive oil and let sit to blend the flavors while you prepare the crust.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.
Roughly chop the cauliflower then blend it in a food processor until it’s a fine rice-like texture.
Measure 3 cups of the cauliflower mixture and place in a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, oregano and salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Use your hands to pull the dry ingredients towards the middle until everything is combined and you can shape it into a ball. It should be more loose and sticky than traditional pizza dough.
Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza pan and form into a pizza shape by flattening the dough with your hands. Make the edges slightly higher. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.

While the crust is baking. Slice the onion and saute the slices over medium high heat in 1 Tbsp olive oil mixture until golden, keeping the rings intact. Flip them like pancakes to cook the other side. Break the rings apart and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Saute a few more minutes, then remove from pan and reserve
Wipe the mushrooms with a damp papertowel and slice. Sautee them over medium high heat in 1 Tbsp olive oil mixture for a few minutes, or until they start to lose their water. Remove from pan and reserve.

Remove the pizza from the oven. Spoon the remaining olive oil mixture over the pizza crust, spreading evenly. Add most of the cheeses then top with onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes. Serve immediately. Does not reheat well.