Tag Archives: vegan

White Bean Spread with Leeks

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This is a favorite in our household (especially with the head cook when she’s had a hectic day and needs a truly simple menu). We often enjoy this spread on toasted crusty bread accompanied by a bowl of hot soup.

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large leek (2 medium), white and lightest green parts, carefully rinsed to remove any grit, and thinly sliced cross-wise
  • 3-4 generous cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cans white beans, well rinsed and drained
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Method:

  1. Warm oil in a medium-sized skillet, over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and sauté until leek is very soft (about 5 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent the leek from turning brown or crisp.
  2. Add beans and about ¼ cup (or more) water. Stir and simmer gently over low heat until beans become soft and a bit squishy. Add some salt and pepper to taste after about 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and mash the beans with a wooden spoon until partially smooth, or use a handheld immersion blender and partially blend. Leave some beans whole or partially intact so the spread has texture.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice on top, to taste and stir to mix. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

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Many Moroccan carrot salads rely on cooked veggies—I prefer using the raw roots. Try tossing in a few mint leaves too, if you have them. A trick for julienning:  use an OXO handheld julienne peeler.  The tool turns out long, thin strips like magic.  Otherwise, a sharp knife does the job as well.  To make the task easier, first cut peeled carrots lengthwise, into long, thin strips.  Then cut those slices lengthwise into thin, parallel strips.

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Indian Yellow Lentils (Dal) with Greens

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This is the Indian version of comfort food and a more nutritious and inexpensive dish is difficult to find. Serve with yogurt raita and rice for a complete meal.  You’ll find yellow mung dal at any Indian grocery and some high end specialty markets.  It’s important to pick over the dal before cooking to make sure there are no bits of grit or debris. This variety of dal is particularly mild and digestible.

The lentils are first cooked with water to create a soupy broth.  They are seasoned with a separately sautéed topping of spices before serving, called tarka.  In this case the tarka topping includes onions, tomatoes and leafy greens as well as spices.

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Quinoa Salad with Fresh Peaches and Herbs

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I’m hooked on the light, fluffy whole grain, quinoa.  Blame it on the fabulous N.Y. Times food writer, Martha Rose Shulman (if blame must be placed), who recently featured this protein-packed whole grain in her Recipes for Health column. If you haven’t been following Ms. Shulman before now, check out her column for its nutritional information and recipes centered on fresh, seasonal and healthy food.

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Peach Salsa

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Peaches and ginger have a natural affinity for each other as showcased in this spicy sweet salsa. We enjoy the sharp, spicy flavor of ginger, and use it liberally. If you prefer a milder flavor, use less ginger.

This salsa is wonderful with tortilla chips, on a taco or as an accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ripe peaches, diced
  • 3 Tbsp minced onion
  • 1 jalapeno (or to taste), minced
  • Juice of one lime
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1-2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Mash very lightly to release some juice. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  2. Serve with corn chips or as an accompaniment to grilled meats or fish.