Vinaigrette (oil and vinegar salad dressing)

My vinaigrette tends to be a bit on the strong side, so if you don't like anything but ranch dressing on your salads, you probably want to avoid this. On the other hand, you can also adjust the amount of vinegar and mustard to your tastes.

You need:

Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

• I start with a small plastic container with a lid.
• Put one clove of minced garlic inside
• Add one teaspoon of strong dijon mustard [I like this stuff]
• I tend to add equal parts vinegar and olive oil, but you could add more oil to mellow it out
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Put the lid on, and shake vigorously to combine

Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsps. olive oil

1 pkg. carrots (about 6 carrots), chopped into 1/2-1 inch chunks

4-5 medium sized russet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 can diced tomatoes

Approx. 64 oz. of vegetable broth (I like the clear broth like Swanson Organic, as opposed to some of the muddier-looking broths that are available)

2 Not-Beef bouillon cubes (or any other vegetarian or vegan brand of bouillon cubes)

2/3 cup pearl barley

1 small bag frozen peas, thawed

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tbsp. tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Put it together:

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high and cook the carrots and onions for about 5 minutes (You will get a brown crust on the bottom of your pot, don't worry about it)
• Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly
• Add the veggie broth and diced tomatoes (with their juice), as well as the tomato paste and bouillon cubes
• Add the pearl barley and potatoes
• Make sure it comes back up to a boil, taste, adjust salt and pepper, then cover and reduce heat to low
• Simmer, covered, for an hour, or until barley is softened
• If the stew is not thick enough for your tastes at this point, take the lid off and simmer uncovered until thickened
• If the stew is too thick for you, add water
• A few minutes before serving, add the thawed peas, heat them through, then serve

Variations:  You could use butternut squash instead of potatoes, or use fewer potatoes and add some cubes of squash, too.  If you hate peas, you can use celery, or a leafy green like kale or chard, though if you go that route, you probably want to add those earlier in the cooking process so they can soften and cook down.

Vegetarian Chili

Now, if you are one of those folks who doesn't think chili is made right if it contains beans, you probably shouldn't be attempting vegetarian chili anyway, and this recipe might not be for you. However, I found it on vegweb.com years ago, and it was similar to a recipe in a cookbook my parents had when I was in high school. It's fantastic.

I made it for a friend's chili-themed birthday party. After all the guests had gone, it was late, and the chili dishes, including the meat chilis, were left out overnight. Guess which one they caught his roommate's cats eating? That's right, this one. Not the meat.

You need:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 chopped onions
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bell peppers, chopped [red, yellow, orange, or green, your choice]
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large can, undrained, of tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh or frozen corn [you can also used frozen chopped green beans, thawed, which sounds odd, but it adds some similar freshness to the dish]
1/2 cup bulgur [AKA bulghur wheat, often available in bulk foods areas, though you can buy it packaged, too, possibly near the rice or dried beans]
salt and pepper

Construction:

• In a large pan, saute the onions and spices.
  
• Add peppers and garlic for 1 min.
  
• Add cocoa, tomatoes, and water; bring to a boil.
  
• Add kidney and black beans, corn and bulgur.
  
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 min. or until bulghur is cooked.
  
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Like any chili recipe, this can benefit from being stored in the fridge overnight, to let the flavors mingle, then reheated the next day. I recommend serving with semi-homemade cornbread.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Also known as dolmas or dolmades, these are a great appetizer or finger food.

You need:

1/2 lb. jar grape leaves, washed thoroughly from brine and drained
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup currants
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Construction:

• Wash leaves under hot water. Soak them for 20 minutes and wash them again, separating them to make sure all saltiness has been removed.
• Partially pre-cook rice by allowing it to sit in boiling water for five minutes then rinse and drain thoroughly.
• Combine rice, pine nuts, currants, onion, parsley, mint, and add salt and pepper to taste.
  
• Cut the stem off each leaf and place shiny side down. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture on wide end, fold up, fold both sides in and roll up like a burrito.
• Line rolls very tightly side by side, seam side down, in saucepan. Sprinkle garlic garlic between the layers.
• Add olive oil, lemon juice, water and bring to boil. Place a small heavy plate over the leaves, lower heat, cover pan and simmer very gently until leaves are tender for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Every thirty minutes check on water level, adding 1/4 cup at a time if needed.
• Cool dolmas before transferring to serving platter.
  

This recipe makes about 40-45 leaves and they can be served hot or room temperature. They're perfect on their own (and vegan), but you can also serve them with tzatziki for dipping.

Once cooked, these freeze well, and you can reheat them by steaming them until warm.

Baba Ghanouj (eggplant spread)

This and the next couple of posts are from a Middle Eastern food party I threw a while back. This is tasty spread on sandwiches or served with pita bread wedges or pita chips, and is easy to make. The next time you're considering making hummus, consider making this instead. I believe I found the recipe at epicurious.com.

You need:

2 1-pound eggplants, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) [I've been able to find this at local supermarkets, but you may have to check the specialty foods section, or even a specialty foods store]
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, chopped

To make it:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into strainer set over bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, allowing excess liquid to drain from eggplant.

Transfer eggplant pulp to food processor. Add 1/4 cup oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Roasted Fall Vegetables

I made this for Thanksgiving, though I've modified it to remove the potatoes, since I was serving mashed garlic potatoes on the side.  In its original form, it was the "Harvest Vegetable Medley" in the Vegetarian Times November/December 2007 edition.  In my rendition,

You need:

1 lb. small brussels sprouts, trimmed (removed the excess small leaves and stem from the bottom)

1 butternut squash, halved, cut into chunks

1 head cauliflower, separated into 2 inch florets

4 medium leeks, white parts only, trimmed and quartered lengthwise

1/2 lb. baby carrots

1/2 lb. baby parsnips, peeled and trimmed

24 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved, plus 3 garlic cloves, minced (no, that's not a typo)

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 small red bell peppers, quartered

The recipe:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  
2. Toss everything into a roasting pan with the olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and attempt to spread into a single layer
3. Roast for 40 minutes, tossing whenever you get worried, or until the veggies are brown around the edges and squash is soft

As you can see if you've examined the original recipe, I've taken some liberties with the instructions because honestly, I'm not going to be fussing over pre-boiling brussels sprouts, they came out fine just plain roasted.  I also added more red pepper.  I do recommend using the fresh herbs, since this is otherwise very simply flavored.

I would not recommend trying to double this recipe, since it says it serves 8, and I didn't have a pan big enough to serve what I thought 15 people would eat.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

This literally means "spaghetti prostitute style". The story, as I heard it as a child, was that brothels in Italy, long ago, served food to their clients in addition to "dessert", and this spicy sauce came from there. I was looking for this particular recipe months ago and couldn't find it. I ended up with a milder and less tasty recipe than this one; I'm glad I found it again. The traditional recipe includes anchovies, I substitute sundried tomatoes.

You need:

1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and chopped (canned is fine)
1-2 tbsp. capers
12-16 black olives (normally the recipe calls for pitted, but honestly, just warn your guests that the pits are still in there, and they'll be fine)
1 hot chili pepper (how hot? your choice. You can use jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, dried red pepper flakes, or whatever you can find locally)
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped finely
Black pepper
3 oz. sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, patted dry, and chopped into small pieces
2-3 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. spaghetti (you can really serve this on whatever pasta you have around, but this is traditional)
Salt

The instructions:

• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and saute 2 cloves garlic, crushed, until browned.
• Add the remaining garlic clove, finely chopped, the tomatoes, capers, olives, chili, oregano, and a little black pepper (freshly ground, if possible).
• Cook over a brisk heat for 20 minutes.
• Lower the heat and add the chopped sundried tomatoes, then cook gently for 2 minutes.
• If you used a whole chili, remove it, then add salt to taste.
• If you want things extra spicy, chop up the cooked chili you removed and return it to the sauce.
• Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until tender, drain it, and dress it with the sauce while hot.

I would recommend plating this with not just the chopped parsley, but also a sprinkle of parmesan, and some chopped walnuts.  

Black Eyed Peas and Stewed Tomatoes

This is similar to a recipe my uncle used to make back in Virginia, but without the bacon. These bring good luck for the new year.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag cooked dried black eyed peas (or 1 box frozen), cooked
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tbsp. each dried celery leaves and parsley or 1 sm. bunch fresh minced
Salt & pepper to taste
A few dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp. dried onion or 1 onion, minced
1 green pepper, minced, fresh or frozen

Instructions:

• Cook and drain the peas according to package directions.
• Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Simmer for at least 20 minutes, or place in crock pot on Low 3 to 4 hours.
• Add extra stewed tomatoes if you're going to leave it in the crock for longer.
• To substitute for bacon, add some Liquid Smoke

Chickpea Salad (Tuna Salad Substitute)

Prior to giving up meat, tuna salad sandwiches were a staple of my diet. They're cheap, easy, and quick. A few years ago I stumbled upon a recipe on an online BBS for a tuna salad substitute made with chickpeas. I was dubious, but it actually turned out well. At a work potluck, we were doing a sandwich bar, and I decided to bring this in. I had it on my sandwich, but the meat eaters ate it as a side salad, and liked it a lot.

You'll Need:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large celery stalks, chopped into 1/4 inch thick slices (or more, if you prefer)
1/2 an onion, minced
Mayonnaise or Vegenaise
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

• Add the chickpeas to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork or potato masher. You don't have to smash it into a paste, but gently crushing the chickpeas adds texture, and makes it easier to put on a sandwich without the peas rolling off.
• Add the mayo and mix until desired texture is achieved (It shouldn't be swimming in mayo, just creamy)
• Add the minced onion and celery
• Add salt and pepper to taste

If you're planning on making a sandwich to take to work, I would recommend toasting the bread first, that way it doesn't get soggy by the time lunch rolls around. There are lots of other spices you can add to this for variety, a good one is curry powder.

Red Bean and Tomato Curry

This is mostly what my mother calls a "dump" recipe (as in you dump cans of stuff into a pan), but it's yummy.  I got it from Classic Home Cooking

I made a few small modifications

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (They call for corn or sunflower oil, I sometimes use olive oil instead)

1 large onion, sliced 

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 fresh green chilies, cored, seeded, and sliced (I used jalapenos, but you could use serranos, if you like pain)

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander

pinch of cayenne

salt (to taste)

13 oz. can of chopped tomatoes

20 oz. can of red kidney beans (drained)

1 tbsp lemon juice

(They suggest fresh cilantro leaves to garnish.  I've never done this.  Instead, for a pop of green color, I add some frozen peas.)

The Plan:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onion, garlic, chilies, and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until all the aromas are released and the onion is softened but not browned.
2. Add the curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes with most of their juice and cook for about three minutes.  Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes longer (This is when I add the frozen peas.) or until the beans are warmed through and the sauce is thickened.  Add the lemon juice and serve hot, garnished with cilantro leaves (or not, really).

I also serve this over couscous, since making perfect rice like an Indian restaurant is beyond my grasp.  You can also substitute chickpeas for half of the kidney beans.