cathyeats

I bet it tastes really good, but a half bottle of salad dressing sounds like an awful lot of fat, and not necessarily the best kind of fat - I think they use soybean oil in their dressings. I might try it with some extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar instead.

Thanks for the shout-out, Darienne. Glad you like my recipe! It's become a big favorite among my friends, too.

I must be into red foods lately, because this roasted red pepper hummus is nearly the same color as the muhammara I posted earlier! But it tastes totally different.... Red Pepper and Olive Hummus 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine, but fresh roasted is even better) 1 T. extra virgin olive oil 2 T. tahini 3 T. lemon juice 8 pitted kalamata olives 1/2 t. salt Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional Pinch of smoked paprika, optional Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. To serve, drizzle the top with olive oil and additional chopped kalamatas, if desired.

I wanted to come up with a slightly unusual hummus to put on my blog, and after some experimentation, I settled on this one, with roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. It's nice and smoky - and a nice change from regular hummus. Here is the recipe and photo! Red Pepper and Olive Hummus 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine, but fresh roasted is even better) 1 T. extra virgin olive oil 2 T. tahini 3 T. lemon juice 8 pitted kalamata olives 1/2 t. salt Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional Pinch of smoked paprika, optional Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. To serve, drizzle the top with olive oil and additional chopped kalamatas, if desired.

Here's what's on my list for this summer: 1. Homemade smoked salmon 2. Grilled pizza 3. Grilled whole trout 4. A healthy version of lemon meringue pie And #5, I crossed off my list this weekend. I wanted to make a vegetarian vindaloo. I had a lot of trepidation about this, but it came out so great. The only bad thing is that it looked sort of ugly. So when I put it on my blog, I had to use a photo that didn't show much of the dish Here is the recipe, in case anyone wants to try it. Of course, you could use chicken instead of seitan. Seitan Vindaloo 1 small onion 3 fresh hot peppers (preferably serrano), halved and seeded 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks 4 cloves garlic 1/4 c. vinegar (cider or white wine) 2 dried hot red chiles, soaked in water for 15 minutes (omit if you don't like spicy food) 1 t. turmeric 1 t. ground cumin 1 t. ground coriander 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper 1/4 t. cayenne pepper 1 T. canola oil 1 t. black mustard seeds 1-inch piece cinnamon stick 5 cardamom pods 1 large or 2 medium carrots, chopped (about 2/3 c.) 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 8-oz. package seitan, drained and cut into bite-size pieces 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 1/2 c. water 1 t. lemon juice 1 t. sugar 1/2 t. salt To make the vindaloo paste, put the first 11 ingredients (through the cayenne pepper) in a food processor and process until smooth. Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Add the mustard seeds, cinnamon and cardamom pods and cook for 1 minute or until the mustard seeds pop. Add carrots, green peppers and seitan, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add your vindaloo paste and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 c. water. lemon juice, sugar and salt. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. (Add another 1/4 c. water if the mixture gets too dry.)

I'm super happy with this chocolate-banana muffin recipe that I just posted on my blog. Vegan, but you would not know it. I find that vegan baked goods are often lacking in texture and flavor, but not these. The muffins are very moist, chocolate-y and banana-y! Chocolate Banana Muffins 1/2 c. + 2 T. soy milk 2 T. flax meal 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1 c. rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor 1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. cinnamon 1/3 c. cocoa powder 2 t. baking powder 3/4 t. baking soda 1 heaping cup of mashed extremely ripe banana 1/4 c. maple syrup 1 1/2 t. vanilla 2 T. organic canola oil Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix together the flax meal and soy milk, and set aside for 5 or more minutes. Then add the banana, maple syrup, vanilla and oil and mix well. Combine the dry ingredients in a second bowl, then add to the wet, stirring briefly. Line a large muffin tin with 12 paper liners, and fill each about 3/4 full. Bake for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I was craving something tangy this weekend and threw together an impromptu quinoa salad. I didn't have great expectations, but I think it will be my go-to recipe for this summer. As I said in my blog post about this one, I thought I had a disaster on my hands because I added way too much lime juice - but then I added currants and it rocked. The almonds really add great texture, too. Here's the final recipe: Tangy Quinoa Salad 2 t. olive or canola oil 1 c. quinoa (well-rinsed, unless you have the pre-rinsed variety) 1/4 t. ground cumin 1/4 t. ground coriander 1/2 t. paprika 1 3/4 c. water 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 c. lime juice 1/3 c. chopped cilantro 1 t. sugar 1/4 t. salt 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil 1/2 c. diced red onion 1 small red bell pepper, diced 1/2 c. chopped almonds, toasted 3 T. dried currants Heat 2 t. oil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and spices. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, until quinoa smells toasty. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender but still a bit crunchy. Spread on a baking sheet to cool. Combine the garlic, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the quinoa, onion, peppers, almonds and currants and mix well. Season with additional salt to taste.

Badiane, the reason I don't use margarine is that most of them are quite unhealthy. They either have trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils), or palm oil, which is very high in saturated fat. So oil is just a better and more natural choice for someone like me, who has heart issues. And it works perfectly in a recipe like this!

I've been trying to come up with a way to make scones without butter (can't eat butter because of cholesterol - argh), and after some experimentation, I think I finally hit on it. I made these this weekend and they were a huge hit, so I posted them on my blog. Here's the recipe and a photo. I was especially excited about how pretty they turned out! Next time I may add walnuts and orange zest. It's a process.... Oat and Currant Scones 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 c. all purpose flour 1/4 c. packed brown sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1/2 c. organic canola oil 1/2 c. nonfat yogurt 1 egg 1 t. vanilla 1/3 c. dried currants For glaze: 2 t. fresh lemon juice 2 T. confectioner’s sugar Preheat oven to 375. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk the oil, yogurt, egg and vanilla in another. Mix the two, stirring briefly to combine. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes, then fold in the currants. Pat the dough into an 8-inch round on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil spray. Cut into 8 wedges with a knife, using a spatula to move each wedge away from the circle to space them apart. (This may be a little tricky, as the dough is quite wet.) Mix the lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar and brush a small amount of glaze on the top of each scone. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the scones are lightly golden.

I've been making a lot of vegetable and bean stews lately, as I'm on a healthy eating kick (well, not a kick, a mandated lifestyle change). They are always good, but this Moroccan vegetable and chickpea stew is definitely my favorite. It's sweet and spicy and very satisfying. Here is the recipe. If you want to see what it looks like, you can take a look at the photo at http://whatwouldcathyeat.com/2010/05/06/moroccan-vegetable-and-chickpea-stew/ If you make this, please comment and let me know what you think! Moroccan vegetable and chickpea stew 2 T. extra virgin olive oil 2 c. chopped onions 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch half-moons 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups) 1 t. turmeric 1 t. coriander 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. cayenne pepper 1 t. paprika pinch cinnamon 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 1/2 c. raisins 2 c. vegetable broth 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (recommend Eden brand – bpa-free cans) 1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted Harissa, purchased or homemade Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, spices and salt and cook for 2 minutes more. Add all of the vegetables and stir to coat. Add tomatoes, raisins, broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered. Add a bit of extra broth if the stew gets too dry. (It will need more if the stew sits and thickens after you cook it.) Serve the stew on whole wheat couscous, topped with the toasted almonds and a dab of harissa.

It's spring, so I whipped up a frittata with asparagus and leeks. Made with mostly egg whites, since I need to keep things very heart-healthy. And I didn't miss the yolks at all!

My favorite dip/spread is Muhammara. It's sweet and spicy. Great on crusty bread. Here is my recipe: Muhammara 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 large red bell peppers, cut into very thin strips 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 t. red pepper flakes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 c. toasted walnuts 1 1/2 t. cumin 1 T. pomegranate molasses* 4 t. lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt Saute the onions, red peppers and red pepper flakes in the olive oil, over medium heat, for about 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are completely caramelized. The onions will get quite dark. Adjust heat as necessary so that the vegetables don’t brown too quickly or burn. Add the garlic during the last two minutes. Add this mixture to a food processor (using a rubber spatula to get every last drop of oil) with the remaining ingredients. Pulse until combined, then process until fairly smooth. If it’s too thick to process, add more olive oil and/or water until you reach the desired consistency. It should be thick but not overly gummy. Photo and more info