Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Sweet Cranberries

1 box instant cous cous

3/4 cup sweetened. dried cranberries

1 TBSP curry powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 orange, juiced

2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

3-4 green onions

2 TBSP chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 lemon, juiced

3/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

fresh ground pepper

Dump the cous cous into a heatproof bowl. Add the appropriate amount of boiling water to the cous cous (according to package directions). Add the orange juice. Give it a big stir, cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap and let it stand until the water is absorbed and the cous cous is tender, about 5 minutes.

Fluff the cous cous with a fork. Add the olive oil, scallions, parsley, lemon juice, and walnuts. Stir around until everything is well distributed evenly throughout the cous cous. Make at least 2 hours ahead of time and keep at room temperature until you're ready to serve. Check the seasonings right before you serve and add salt and pepper to taste.

Corn and Zucchini Sautee

This is just another delicious way to serve vegetables... How could ANY kid ever suggest they hate veggies when they are cooked like this...

2 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

4 ears of FRESH corn, cut off the cob

1 lb zucchini , quartered lengthwise, then cut into about 1/4" pieces

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt and fresh pepper

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Heat the il in a 12" heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook green onions, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook and additional 1 minute. Add the corn, zucchini, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir until the zucchini is tender. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Throw 'em for a Loop Spring Greens Soup

I have been really into soups lately, and something about this idea really sparked my interest... Honestly, I think that I was more curious than anything when I saw an adaptation of this recipe! I generally don't serve soups where one of the main ingredients are greens, so against my better judgement I tried... And I am so glad that I did!

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups veggie broth

freshly ground black pepper

Salt

12oz Yukon potato, cubed

3 cups sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter

3 cups fresh spinach

3 cups fresh arugula

2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

Garnish: sauteed mushrooms and fresh arugula

1. Sautee down onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes, add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add broth, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and return to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the mushrooms in vegan butter over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes until tender and the liquid is evaporated. Set aside.

3. Once the potato mixture has completed simmering, add the mushrooms and remove from heat. Use the immersion blender to blend the new mixture until almost smooth. Season again.

4. Add the spinach, arugula, and parsley. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Again remove from heat.

5. Use immersion blender to again blend the soup until only flecks of green remain. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with sauteed mushrooms and fresh arugula.

Lentil Soup

I must admit that this soup is a bit of an adaptation from that 'so cute you almost hate her' petite, Italian lady Giada de Laurentis.  Her lentil soup recipe isn't too far off from vegan, and is a simple, filling, and healthy dish that just gets better as a leftover.  

2 TBSP olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 14oz can of diced tomatoes

1 lb lentils

11 cups veggie broth

4 to 6 sprigs of thyme

2/3 cup dried elbow pasta

1 cup shredded vegan parm (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, and saute down the onions, carrots, and celery until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the can of tomatoes with their juices and simmer until the juices break down and the tomatoes break down a little, about 8 minutes.  Add the lentils and mix to coat.  Add the broth and stir.  Add the thyme sprigs.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.   Stir in the pasta, and simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.  Season and take off the heat.  Serve up in bowls, and add parmesean is desired.   

Vegan Hollandaise

Which kind of sounds 'non-appetizing'... I will be the first to admit that there is no sex appeal in the sound of this one.  At the same time, desperate times calls for creativity.  We have a long standing tradition in my family of eggs benedict and lots of mimosas on Christmas morning.  Whereas the mimosas require no adaptation, I wanted to be able to toast baby Jesus with both the drink and our traditional food this year.  By golly, I think that it WILL be done! The plan: english muffin, grilled portobello mushroom, grilled asparagus - or possibly grilled green onion - all drizzled with this.....

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 TBSP flour

1 cup water

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 to 1 whole lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together - except the mustard - in a sauce pan over medium heat.  This sauce is prone to burning, so make sure and stir frequently.  Once it becomes noticeably thicker, add the mustard and simmer on low for a few minutes.   Enjoy!

   

Tuscan White Beans and Swiss Chard

This is fresh, healthy, quick, and just yummy satisfying...  Using the Swiss Chad stems seems odd, but it works beautifully.

1/2 vidalia onion, chopped

large bunch of Swiss chard, stems chopped off
1 teaspoon minced garlic
15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered with juice)
15 oz. can cannelloni beans (or any white beans). drained and rinsed
4 large fresh sage leaves, minced
 salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash chard and slice off stem ends.  Dice stem ends--approximately 1/4 inch dice.
In wok or large frying pan, warm olive oil.
Once oil is warm, vidalia, chard stems, sage and garlic. Sauté until soft.
While chopped veggies are sautéing, roughly chop remaining chard leaves and drain and rinse beans. Add both to pan, dump in contents of diced tomatoes (including liquid) and cover.  Once chard is soft, stir it up and add salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Serve hot with rice!

LOVELY Lima Bean Soup

Lima beans are no longer yuck.... This soup will change everyones perception of what lima beans are all about.

2/3 cup diced onion

3 TBSP soy margarine

1 TBSP olive oil

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced celery

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups lima beans

1 apple, peeled and sliced

4 cups veggie broth

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, saute the onion in the margarine and oil over medium head until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and cook another 5 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, boil the lima beans for about 10 minutes to make them extra soft. Drain the lima beans and add them to the pot with the veggie stock and apples. Lower the heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Puree with a hand blender and season with salt and pepper! Mmmm...