Search the Community

Organic Cereal Bars Serves 12. These are similar to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bars, only better! I also made these with Envirokids' Koala Crisp Cereal, which is like organic Cocoa Krispies. :-) I used brown rice syrup, which has a lower glycemic index than corn syrup because it has some glucose that's absorbed quickly, followed by a much slower & sustained absorption of complex carbs. My kids tend to get hypoglycemic easily & this has enough protein, fat, & complex carb to keep their energy up & not give them a crash. They are very easy & something you can throw together the night before for a class snack or bake sale. You need a pot, a heat-safe spoon, a big bowl to mix in, & a ~9x13" pan. And I line my pan with unbleached parchment paper for ease of release. I have been freezing them after cutting so they can be popped right out for a quick fresh breakfast before or on the way to school. They thaw pretty fast at room temp but keep their shape. My kids love these as after-school snacks too! The recipe for the bars is based on one on Cooks.com, modified for ingredients & amounts. The recipe for the milk icing is modified for ingredients & amounts from recipe #38630 on Recipezaar.com. I think vegans would be perfectly happy without the milk icing, or maybe could make it with powdered soy milk & soy margarine (or a similar vegan alternative). I might experiment with less butter for an icing that sets up harder without refrigeration. Or maybe just a simple royal icing drizzled over the bars after cutting. I have not tried that. The bars alone are awesome anyway. Cereal Bars: 1 c organic brown rice syrup 1/2 c organic raw sugar (for bars) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 c organic peanut butter 6 c organic plain oat "O"s cereal, OR 7 c organic cocoa rice crisps cereal (one 11.5 oz box) Milk Icing: 1/2 c organic raw sugar (for icing) 1/4 c organic butter 1/2 c natural powdered nonfat milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1-2 TBSP hot tap water Heat the 3/4 c sugar, vanilla, salt, and syrup in a pot over medium heat until boiling and sugar is well combined, not crystalline. Remove from heat and stir the peanut butter in, stirring until it has melted in & the mixture is smooth but not too cool or becoming thicker. While the syrup mixture is heating, have the cereal ready in a large bowl. It may help to oil your hands with a little vegetable oil to help keep the cereal mixture from sticking to you. When the syrup mixture is smooth, pour it over the cereal in the bowl & quickly fold all the cereal until it is evenly coated (it will clump). Pack this firmly and evenly into a parchment-lined pan approximately 9 x 13 inches, making sure to get into the corners. Cool for 30 minutes. While the bars are cooling, cream together the butter & sugar reserved for the icing until smooth using a mixer. Add dry milk slowly to combine. Add water until easy to spread. Spread on the cooled cereal bars & refrigerate 15 minutes before cutting into about 12-16 bars. Keywords: Breakfast, Vegetarian, Snack, Brownies/Bars, Dessert, American, Easy, Healthy Choices ( RG2143 )

Organic Cereal Bars Serves 12. These are similar to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bars, only better! I also made these with Envirokids' Koala Crisp Cereal, which is like organic Cocoa Krispies. :-) I used brown rice syrup, which has a lower glycemic index than corn syrup because it has some glucose that's absorbed quickly, followed by a much slower & sustained absorption of complex carbs. My kids tend to get hypoglycemic easily & this has enough protein, fat, & complex carb to keep their energy up & not give them a crash. They are very easy & something you can throw together the night before for a class snack or bake sale. You need is a pot, a heat-safe spoon, a big bowl to mix in, & a ~9x13" pan. I like to line my pan with unbleached parchment paper for ease of release. I have been freezing them after cutting so they can be popped right out for a quick fresh breakfast before or on the way to school. They thaw pretty fast at room temp but keep their shape. These taste sooo dang good! The recipe for the bars is based on one on Cooks.com, modified for ingredients & amounts. The recipe for the milk icing is modified for ingredients & amounts from recipe #38630 on Recipezaar.com. I think vegans would be perfectly happy without the milk icing, or maybe could make it with powdered soy milk & soy margarine (or a similar vegan alternative). I have not tried that. The bars alone are awesome. organic brown rice syrup organic raw sugar (for bars) vanilla extract salt organic peanut butter organic plain oat "O"s cereal, OR organic cocoa rice crisps cereal organic raw sugar (for icing) organic butter natural powdered nonfat milk vanilla extract hot tap water Heat the 3/4 c sugar, vanilla, salt, and syrup in a pot over medium heat until boiling and sugar is well combined, not crystalline. Remove from heat and stir the peanut butter in, stirring until it has melted in & the mixture is smooth but not too cool or becoming thicker. While the syrup mixture is heating, have the cereal ready in a large bowl. It may help to oil your hands with a vegetable oil a little bit to help keep the cereal mixture from sticking to you. When the syrup mixture is smooth, pour it over the cereal in the bowl & quickly fold all the cereal until it is evenly coated (it will clump). Pack this firmly and evenly into a parchment-lined pan approximately 9 x 13 inches, making sure to get into the corners. Cool for 30 minutes. While the bars are cooling, cream together the butter & sugar reserved for the icing until smooth using a mixer. Add dry milk slowly to combine. Add water until easy to spread. Spread on the cooled cereal bars & refrigerate 15 minutes before cutting into about 12 bars. Keywords: Breakfast, Vegetarian, Snack, Brownies/Bars, Dessert, American, Easy, Healthy Choices ( RG2142 )

Tzatziki Dip My own take on Tzatziki sauce. The onion is inauthentic, but I think it adds nice color for presentation as a dip. As written, this recipe is a bit too chunky to use as a sauce. If you like, you could puree the third cucumber and onion as well. 3 cucumbers, seeded 1/2 c fresh dill weed, chopped 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 1/2 red onion, finely minced 1 qt plain yogurt (pref. whole milk) extra-virgin olive oil (optional) Coarsely chop two of the cucumbers and add to blender along with dill, garlic, salt & pepper. Add water about halfway and puree until fairly smooth. Strain cucumber puree through a fine-mesh strainer. While it's draining, mince the remaining cucumber and stir it, along with minced onion, into yogurt. If using low- or nonfat yogurt I recommend adding a little olive oil. Stir drained cucumber solids into yogurt. Pour mixture into a cheesecloth-lined drainer and drain over a bowl in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove mixture from cheesecloth (it should separate fairly cleanly after straining this long) and serve. This makes a great dip for thick-cut potato chips or crackers such as Triscuits. Keywords: Appetizer, Vegetables, Condiment, Dip, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Blender ( RG2141 )

Beet Salad- South Indian Serves 2 as Salador 4 as Side. This is a great and versatile way to serve beets. I was served this version as part of a thali in a South Indian vegetarian restaurant- it was easy to copy because there are really no secret ingredients, but truth be told I find this dish to be much more than the sum of its parts. It is earthy, sweet, incredibly fresh, spicy, quenching and just plain old addictive. Of course it works best as an accompaniment to an Indian meal, but just as well goes with your summer BBQ, light sandwich lunch, or whatever. The photo included is the salad prepared as a taco, and the avacado really brings it to another level. 2 Fresh beets 1/2 c Red Onion- sliced 1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds 1/4 c Fresh Coriander(Cilantro)- rinsed and dried 2 Green Chiles(small) 1 T Lemon juice Salt to taste Heat a small skillet to medium high heat. Add mustard seeds and toast for a few seconds until you can smell them bloom and take on a nutty scent. Immediately remove to a separate bowl and set aside. Peel beets and grate (uncooked), either on a box grater or food processor, into a lerge mixing bowl. Due to the staining nature of the beets it would be wise to use rubber gloves and a stainless steel bowl. Chop the chiles and fresh coriander and add to the bowl with the shredded beets. Add all other ingredients and toss to combine. Set aside in the refrigetator for a half hour before serving. Keywords: Salad, Hot and Spicy, Vegetarian, Indian, Easy, Food Processor, Vegetables ( RG2125 )

Morels in Cream Sauce Serves 1 as Main Dishor 2 as Appetizer. Serve this over your favorite pasta (I think it works better with vermicelli or linguine rather than thicker ones such as penne). It also works over toast points. A good, crispy Riesling pairs wonderfully with a cream sauce. I enjoyed a Hermann Wiemer 2007 Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes) with this sauce over vermicelli. It's not a cheap dish to make, since fresh morels for a single serving will set you back $10 or more per person. You can trim the costs by cutting back on morels and adding other mushrooms, fresh or dried. If dried, use the strained reconstituting liquid to provide a flavor boost. (You might be tempted to add some grated cheese to the cream sauce as it finishes; I restrained myself because I think it interferes with the morels' flavor. A little bit of thyme, salt and pepper are all the sauce needs.) 3 oz Morels, fresh 4 fl oz heavy cream 2 oz Vermicelli, linguine, etc. 1 shallot, minced 2 T sweet butter 1 tsp Dried thyme (one sprig if fresh) Halve the fresh morels lengthwise and soak in some well-salted cold water for a couple of hours, then remove to paper towels to let them air dry. The soaking helps rid the morels of any tiny litter critters that might linger. (Depending on how quickly your pasta cooks, you might want to start it now. Thinner pastas, such as vermicelli, can wait to be added to boiling water until when cream is added to pan.) Sweat the minced shallot in butter over medium-low head, then add the morels to sauté over medium-high heat. After four or five minutes, when morels are just starting to brown, remove morels, which tend to discolor cream when cooked together, and set aside. To the pan add heavy cream with thyme and reduce over medium-low heat by half, adding salt and pepper to taste toward the end. Return the morels to the pan to reheat (removing thyme if used in sprig form), then add cooked, drained pasta to pan and toss. Keywords: Main Dish, Vegetarian, Appetizer, Easy, Pasta, Lunch, Dinner, Vegetables ( RG2124 )

Pasta e Fagioli Serves 6 as Hors d'oeuvre. My husband's grandmother, Annunziata Rovai to the world and Nonna to us was born near Naples, moved to Chicago as a baby, and married Luigi Rovai, master ladies' tailor (he supplied Mrs. Potter Palmer's wardrobe)and stern gourmand Toscani from Lucca. Nonna had great genes and an attitude --she got the phone call from President Reagan on her 100th birthday, and lived for three more years. She rather scorned Pasta e fagioli (Always given the full Tuscan pronunciation -- no pasta fazool) because it was an easy poor man's dish. But during Lent, it made an annual appearance, sometimes including canned tuna. Epicurious.com has a similar recipe, and I've cribbed, but adjusted. 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced A pound can of diced Italian plum tomatoes,chopped 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained -- or red kidney beans or garbanzos -- Whatever was handy.(She always used canned) Salt and pepper Half a pound of cooked elbow mac Grated Parmesan Preparation Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a frying pan.. Add garlic and stir until brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add parsley, basil and oregano and simmer until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes. Add beans and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place pasta in bowl. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Pour sauce over and toss thoroughly. Serve, passing Parmesan separately. Keywords: Main Dish, Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Beans, Pasta ( RG2106 )

Scalloped Tomatoes Serves 6 as Side. This recipe is from the Word's Worth Eating cookbook – a publication from Ukrops, a local and loved family supermarket in Richmond, VA. Mine is fundamentally the same, except that I have increased some amounts and expanded the directions a little bit – theirs are kind of abrupt and when I’ve given out the recipe before, I’ve noticed a lot of questions. These are the tomatoes that have changed many confirmed stewed tomato haters into confirmed scalloped tomato lovers. But be forewarned, they are Southern-style sweet vegetables. They remind you that, after all, tomatoes are fruits! 28 oz canned tomato wedges or small whole tomatoes cut into wedges 1/3 c sugar 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste) 1/8 tsp salt (or to taste) 1/4 tsp dried basil - fresh would work, too ;-) 1 tsp brown sugar 1 c soft bread cubes 1/4 c soft bread crumbs 2 T butter 2 pieces of toast, crusts trimmed and cut into triangles 2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10"x6" glass/ceramic baking dish. Melt the butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Set aside. Drain the tomatoes slightly – you want some of the juice in there, but not all. Mix the tomato wedges, both sugars, pepper, salt, and basil. Toss with the bread cubes and pour into the prepared dish. Top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Cook for 35 minutes. Top with the toast points and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG2086 )

Parsley & Peas Rice Salad Serves 8 as Side. Every time I make this simple rice salad I wonder where all that flavor comes from. Possibly the parsley? This was originally used as a base for Pollo Tonnato. I use plain ole supermarket rice. 1-1/2 c raw rice 2 tsp salt 2-1/2 c water 4 T white vinegar 6 T oil Salt Freshly ground pepper Lemon juice to taste 1 pkg. frozen tiny peas 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped Cook rice and salt with water over low heat for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to lukewarm. Blanch peas for 1 minute only in boiling water. Drain and shock with cold water. (Nowadays, I don't even bother with this step, I just let the peas thaw.) With a fork, mix rice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add oil, a tablespoon at a time. Add lemon juice until it has a bit of zip. Toss in peas and parsley. Chill. Keywords: Salad, Rice, Vegan, Vegetarian, Kosher ( RG2083 )

Dengaku Miso (Three Types) These miso spreads keep fairly well – at least a month in refrigerated. They can be spread directly onto simply grilled or boiled ingredients, or they can be spread generously onto skewered ingredients and grilled till bubbly. Omitting egg yolk and using only kombu dashi (kelp stock)instead of katsuo dashi (kelp and bonito dashi) make it easy to create vegetarian versions. Red Dengaku Miso - Sesame 4 T aka miso (red miso, 60g approx.) 2 tsp sugar 1 T mirin (sweet rice wine) 2 T dashi, stock, or sake (rice wine) 1 T Japanese toasted sesame oil White Dengaku Miso - Yuzu T white miso (replace about 1/3 of the white miso with red miso for everyday use - great taste, though not as pretty as white miso). 1 tsp sugar 1 T mirin (sweet rice wine) 1 T dashi, stock, or sake (rice wine) 1 tsp grated yuzu zest 1 egg yolk, optional Brown Dengaku Miso - Scallion 4 T miso (brown "inaka" miso, 60g approx.) 2 T finely chopped scallions (wakegi if possible) 1 tsp sugar 1 T mirin (sweet rice wine) 1 T dashi, stock, or sake (rice wine) * Red Dengaku Miso - Sesame Mix very well together, simmer till thick. Add 2 T of sesame seeds or ground sesame when cool if desired Garnish: toasted whole sesame seeds * White Dengaku Miso - Yuzu Mix very well together, simmer till thick. Garnish: shreds of yuzu peel *Brown Dengaku Miso - Scallion) Mix very well together, simmer till thick. Garnish: Shichimi togarashi (chili pepper mix) Sato-imo (Small Taro) Dengaku Peel thickly. If large, cut into thick slices. Rub with salt and rinse well, soak in water. Simmer in vinegared water till just tender. Tofu Dengaku Press under light weight, wipe dry, cut into short strips. Skewer cooked sato-imo or tofu, spread with miso, grill under low-moderate flame (burns easily). Apply garnish, serve. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Japanese, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Vegetables ( RG2077 )

Tataki Gobo - Burdock Root with Sesame This is frequently served at New Year, but makes a tasty lunchbox vegetable any time from early summer through mid-winter. 2 gobo (burdock root) rice-washing water or handful of rice 100 ml mirin (sweet rice wine) 100 ml rice vinegar or mild vinegar 50 ml dashi stock made with kelp, or kelp and katsuo 1 c sesame seeds (toasted), or 2/3 c ground sesame seeds * Scrub gobo – young gobo need not be peeled, but even older gobo only need to be scraped rather than peeled. Peeling thickly removes the tastiest outer layer! Cut into short lengths. Split vertically in halves or quarters if large, drop into water. * Add a handful of rice to a panful of water, drain gobo, add to pan, bring to the boil and simmer till tender. Don’t overcook, you want to retain maximum flavor. Drain, reserving liquid, cool separately, store in liquid if not serving immediately. * Bring mirin to the boil, add vinegar, dashi, and salt. Add drained gobo. * Toast sesame seeds if still raw, spread on an old cloth (to stop them flying round), cut up. Alternatively, use about 2/3 c ground toasted sesame). * To serve, drain gobo thoroughly, mix with sesame seeds. Keywords: Side, Vegetables, Hors d'oeuvre, Easy, Vegan, Japanese, Vegetarian ( RG2076 )

Yuzu Kanten Jelly This is a refreshing agar jelly, which can be made and served at room temperature. When using citrus with agar, add juice to hot mixture, and process citrus by some method before adding to final mixture, to avoid problems with poor set. 4 g (1 tsp agar powder) will set 400 - 500 ml of liquid. Use less liquid for a firmer jelly, or for ingredients with acid (citrus) or fat (milk). Use more liquid for a jelly to be eaten the same day, for a softer jelly, and for simple jellies. 2 T yuzu jam (yuzu-cha) 1 T fresh yuzu juice, or 1 t yuzu-su, optional 4 g or 1 t powdered agar (kanten) 80 g sugar (can reduce to 60g) 400 ml water honey or syrup from preserved yuzu, if using * Stir agar powder into water, bring to the boil, stirring, and simmer 2 minutes until totally dissolved. * Add sugar, dissolve, and simmer 2 minutes or till completely dissolved (important!). Add 1-2 T yuzu juice or yuzu-su if you like - can make jelly hard to set, but tastes fresher. * Allow to cool and thicken slightly, add yuzu-cha. * Wet a square kanten mold or whatever mold you wish to use, pour in liquid. * Allow to set at room temperature. Turn out and cut, serve as desired. After 2-3 days, kanten gels will start to shed water and become flabby. *Alternatives: Slice 1-2 yuzu and put in the fridge in a baggie for a few days with a generous drizzle of honey – or peel thinly (shred and reserve peel), peel off and discard white pith, slice thinly (discard seeds) and preserve peel and fruit slices in honey as above. To use, drain off and reserve some of the syrup, add fruit and peel to agar mixture as it cools and thickens. Serve with a drizzle of syrup over the top. Keywords: Dessert, Vegetarian, Japanese ( RG2074 )

Nanbu-age Tempura for Fish, Chicken, or Vegetables This is an extremely versatile type of tempura - the sesame seeds not only ameliorate strongly flavored ingredients such as oily fish or thick slices of onion, they also add extra flavor to bland ingredients such as chicken fillets (beat to flatten slightly) or slices of lotus root. You may use more sesame seed, or a mixture of black and white sesame seeds, but to serve cold, a thinnish batter and a small number of sesame seeds is particularly attractive. The batter tastes good cold and without tempura sauce, so this is also a good lunchbox item (include some deepfried negi). Commercial tempura flour is designed to have a reasonable texture when cold, and is useful for making small quantities of tempura. For New Year, serve with a half-battered chestnut or a kumquat preserved in syrup or shochu (rice spirits). Ingredients 2 slices fish (unsalted), salmon, mackerel, bonito, etc. 5 (garnish) preserved chestnuts or kumquats, optional 1 (garnish) negi (Japanese dividing onion), optional Marinade 1 tsp ginger juice, optional 1 T soy sauce 1 qt sake (rice wine) Batters 5 T flour 1/2 egg, or 1 egg white, beaten lightly 100 ml cold water 1-1/2 T flour (for frying chestnut) 1-1/2 T cold water (for frying chestnut) Ten-tsuyu (Tempura dip) 100 ml dashi stock 1 T soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 T mirin 2 T rice vinegar (or mild vinegar) salt, to taste oil for deepfrying (canola or sunflower, safflower, not soy) * Place fish or chicken with marinade ingredients in Ziploc bag or small tray to marinate 10 minutes or so. (No need to marinade vegetable ingredients). * Cut negi into 3cm lengths, heat oil to 170degC, deepfry (without batter) till barely colored and drain. *Make small amount of plain batter. * Wipe chestnuts, dip bottom half in plain flour/water batter, deep fry till batter crisp. Drain. (Don’t fry kumquats if using). *Lightly beat egg or eggwhite if using, add cold water (I dump ice and water in a container and then measure out the water required) and mix flour in. Don't overmix. * Mix sesame batter ingredients, dip fish, deepfry (oil around 180 deg.C)until pale gold, drain. * If serving immediately, mix Ten-tsuyu ingredients, pour over or serve separately. For lunchbox use, don't make. * Serve with negi and kumquat or chestnut, as desired. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken, Vegetarian, Vegetables, Seafood, Fish, Intermediate, Japanese ( RG2073 )

Kelp Rolls - Maki Konbu for New Year You may make these rolls stuffed with the traditional dried herring (soak 2-3 days while changing water, boil in rice-washing water, remove head and bones, fillet, simmer again in bancha tea - for soft semi-dried fish, you don't need to soak as long), salt salmon, chicken, surimi with shrimp, dried tofu...or don't fill them at all, make "empty" rolls, or simple ties. 8 lengths of kombu 16 30 cm strips of kampyo (dried gourd) 2 salt salmon slices (lightly salted) 1/2 T salt for rubbing kampyo 1 T sake (rice wine) 2 T sugar 1 T mirin (sweet rice wine) 4 T soy sauce * Soak konbu in plenty of water (reserve water). * Remove skin and any bones from pieces of salmon, cut into strips about 2-3cm wide. If you wish, you can simmer the salmon with the teabag and water briefly before skinning, boning, and cutting. However, salted salmon does not need the pre-treatment required for traditional fish such as dried herring etc. * Soak kanpyo in plenty of water – don’t soak too long or it will weaken. When soft, rub with salt to make pliable, rinse off salt, and set aside. * Drain konbu, wipe (makes it easier to handle). * Place fish on one end of the konbu, roll up, and tie in two places with the kampyo strips. Tie fairly loosely, as the kelp will expand. * Place in a pan and cover with kelp soaking liquid, add water to just cover, add sake and a drop lid. Simmer on gentle heat for about 2 hours, until nice and soft when pierced with a skewer. Alternatively place in a thermal cooker, or put in your rice cooker, set to “okayu” (congee) setting. * Add rest of seasonings (reduce sugar 10 1 T and use 3 T mirin if desired), cook for a further hour. Turn if necessary to make sure flavor penetrates evenly and rolls don’t burn. * Allow to cool in pan if possible, drain, trim ends neatly, trim ties, and cut each roll in half (so that there is one tie to each roll). Line up family with bowls of hot rice, and dump tasty trimmings on top of rice. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Japanese, Seafood, Vegetarian, Intermediate ( RG2072 )

Greens with Negi Sauce Serves 4. This cooked salad of broccoli or broccoli rabe, asparaguss and mixed Asian greens is simple to make, stands up to a night or two in the fridge, and the hearty flavor makes a nice contrast to rich New Year dishes. Feel free to use any kind of young, vivid or dark-green flowering or leafy Chinese greens with white or red/purple stems. 1/2 head broccoli, or small pack of broccoli rabe or nanohana 1 taa-sai 1 chingen-sai 1 bunch green asparagus 1/2 bunch red-stemmed spinach or koutai-sai * Break broccoli into florets, peel stem and cut into bite-sized pieces. * Pull leaves of taa-sai away from roots, cut large leaves diagonally in half. * Pull leaves of chingen-sai away from roots, trim ends, cut large leaves diagonally into bite-sized pieces. * Peel lower half of asparagus if necessary. Cut spinach and asparagus into 4cm lengths. * Wash all vegetables, drain. * Chop ginger, garlic, and onion very finely. Mix with other seasonings. * Bring large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. A little oil on the water helps keep the temperature of the water high to enable vegetables to be cooked very quickly. Boil each vegetable separately, removing quickly and spreading to cool on a towel or bamboo tray etc. Pat off excess water if needed. Cook red-stemmed varieties last, as color leaches into water. * Toss cooled vegetables together, place in serving dish, drizzle sauce over. Keywords: Salad, Japanese, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG2071 )

Cucumber Squeezebox Salad - Jabara Kyuuri no Sunomono Serves 4 as Salad. Make this ahead - it tastes much better the next day. The chunks of sliced cucumber and daikon are dressed with onion, dried shiitake, and semi-Chinese seasonings. 3 Japanese cucumbers 1/2 thinnish daikon 3 large dried shiitake 1 knob ginger 1 negi (Japanese dividing onion) 1 dried chili pod 2 T sesame oil (Jpaanese toasted sesame oil) 1-1/2 T soy sauce 2 T sugar 4 T rice vinegar 1/2 tsp salt * Soak dried shiitake in some water in a small ziploc bag. * Lay cucumber on chopping board between two long cooking chopsticks. Slice finely, holding chopsticks so that knife does not cut completely through the cucumber. Cut into short lengths. Drop into salted water for 20-30 minutes. * Peel daikon, cut into lengths, split vertically into about 6 sections, so that each section is around the same thickness as a cucumber. Slice each section the same as the cucumber. Drop into salted water for 20-30 minutes. * Drain and squeeze cucumber and daikon, mix together in a bowl. * When shiitake are soft, trim off stalks, and cut caps into fine shreds. * Thinly peel ginger, slice thinly, and cut into fine shreds. * Peel outer skin of negi if necessary, cut into 4cm lengths, halve vertically, and cut into fine shreds. * Remove seeds from chili pod, cut into fine rings. * Heat sesame oil in a shallow pan or frypan, and add chili, ginger, shiitake, and negi in that order. Stir over high heat briefly, then add seasonings, bring to the boil, and immediately remove from heat and pour over vegetables, stirring to mix. * Cool and keep refrigerated till needed. Keywords: Salad, Vegetables, Hors d'oeuvre, Japanese, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG2070 )

Ozoni New Year's Soup (Kansai style) Serves 4 as Soup. Ozoni is traditionally made from vegetables offered on the family Shinto shrine, and is the most basic and important New Year dish. Since the offering is made with the hope of good harvests for the next year, ozoni is made with local produce. It is primarily vegetarian, and many families still make it with kelp stock only. However these days fish stock and fish sausage – especially pink and white kamaboko or naruto-maki are also common, especially because they are not “raw”. It is not uncommon to add grilled, lightly salted fish to Kansai-style ozoni. The color white is very important, because it symbolizes rice, the staple food, and also snow, which makes the earth damp and friable, ready for spring planting. Therefore, white mochi, white daikon, and white sato-imo (small taro) are very common ingredients in ozoni everywhere in Japan. The white color is an essential part of New Year, and even families in mourning make these dishes, avoiding the only the festive red accents that come from the intensely-colored Japanese carrot, and from fish sausage if used. The white miso used in the Kansai area is often a special mild, sweet miso, and as it is not salty, you may use much more of it than you would use of even the lightest-colored regular miso. The soup will be much milder, thicker, and sweeter than regular miso soup. 20g per cup of stock should be about right, but add gradually to taste, and you may even need more if you are using Kyoto miso. 4 round mochi (rice cakes) 8 slices from a small daikon, thick or thin slices, as you prefer 8 slices of carrot, preferably Japanese “kyo-ninjin” 1.4 l water 15 g konbu (dried kelp) 50 g katsuo-bushi, shaved bonito flakes for stock, optional 100 g white miso 10 g katsuo-bushi (finely shaved bonito flakes for garnish) Shreds of yuzu peel *Soak kelp and water overnight. * Next day, add katsuo-bushi if desired, bring gently to a low boil, and remove the kelp. You should have at least a liter of kelp stock (4 US or 5 Japanese cups). Use the kelp and katsuo-bushi again to make stock for more heavily flavored dishes. * Cut the daikon into lengths of 4-5cm, and peel – move the knife horizontally round the daikon, so that the finished shape is as round as possible. Slice to desired thickness. * Parboil the daikon in water you have washed rice in, or throw a handful of unwashed rice or rice bran into the cooking water. It is best not to skip this step, especially with a full-size daikon. Rinse off bran, rice, etc., and put the daikon into the kelp stock. * Peel and slice the carrot in the same way, parboil in water, drain and place in kelp stock. * Heat mochi rice cakes in hot water till soft, keep aside in water till needed. * Reheat stock and vegetables. * Meanwhile shred the yuzu peel and set aside. * Remove the vegetables and arrange together with mochi rice cakes in soup bowls. Mix about a cup of the warm kelp stock with the white miso, strain it, discard the lees, and stir the thinned miso into the kelp stock. * Pour the miso soup over the vegetables, not completely covering them, and add a small pile of bonito flakes and a few shreds of yuzu peel to each serving. Keywords: Soup, Japanese, Vegan, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG2063 )

Beet Pizza Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. Today I decided I was going to try something new. Roasted beets had become such a staple to my diet that they were just barely starting to (and I mean this in the smallest amount possible) loose their excitement. Of course, the instant I sit on the toilet and watch my magenta urine any escaped excitement floods back into me. Anyways, since I was making pizza, and I had beets, I thought, “why not try a beet pizza?” I like pizzas that are topped with crisp, fresh greens, such as arugula. Since I would be using the red beets in the pizza, I figured I might as well use the flavorful, nutritious beet leaves as well so as to leave nothing wasted. I love goat cheese and figured the tangy, slightly bitter goat cheese would compliment the sweetness of the beets, not to mention that I happened to have some local, artisinial goat cheese I’d picked up at the farmer’s market a few days back. Having cippolini onions on hand I figured they would add a nice sweet crunch to the mix (boiling onions would also work here). In the end, I had one flavorful, colorful pizza that can be prepared nearly any time of the year. So far I have made this four times for various groups and gotten much praise. A friend of mine who is currently living in Tuscany for a few months apparently just made it there and also got a lot of praise! Here’s exactly how I did it: Goat cheese (feta could be substituted, enough to sprinkle generously over pizza) 4 fresh beets (buy with stems, cut into small cubes) 4 cipollini or boiling onions 4 T extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp rosemary sea salt 1/2 T aged balsamic vinegar 1 Pizza dough (can be purchased or made) Serving: 1 ten inch pizza Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Or if you happen to have more than one oven like I do, heat one to 350 (for roasting the beets) and the other to as hot as your oven can stand (preferably convection). The hotter the better for pizzas. Add a pizza stone (if available to the hotter oven). Roll out some pizza dough (well floured so as to avoid sticking) into a nice ten inch, flat surface. Cut and peel three or four cippolini or boiling onions. Chop. Rinse the beets and greens. Remove the beet greens by cutting the stalks, and hard stalk-surrounding from the top of the beet. Discard for later use. Using a peeler or paring knife, remove the skin from the beets. Chop the beet into 1/8th of an inch thin, flat circles. Put the beets and the onions on a roasting pan. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 350 degrees for twenty minutes. If only using one oven, remove the beets after 20 minutes and increase the temperature to as high as your oven goes. The beets should be softer at this point and preferably crisp on the edges. In the meantime: add the beat greens (removing most of the hard, red stalk) into a skillet or pan on medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and allow the greens to soak up the oil. Add a pinch of salt and a table spoon of balsamic. Stir. About 8 minutes. Drizzle the flat, ready pizza dough with olive oil. Add the roasted beets and onions. Add Rosemary. Sprinkle cheese over (to your desiring… I don’t like to go too overboard, as it will overwhelm the flavors). Put the pizza in the oven preferably on a pizza stone, or on a large baking pan. My oven reaches about 550 degrees, which requires about ten minutes of cooking time. Keep an eye on the pizza depending on the strength of your oven. For pizza, the hotter the oven gets the better. When the crust looks golden, the cheese has melted and the juices are bouncing, remove the pan with the pizza and add the sautéed beet greens evenly on top. Allow the pizza to cool, slice and enjoy! Keywords: Appetizer, Intermediate, Main Dish, Cheese, Side, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Dinner ( RG2041 )

Patatas Bravas: My Version (or..what to do with those leftover mashed potatoes) Here is a very simple potato pancake recipe which was inspired by the Spanish dish: patatas bravas. My favorite version of patatas bravas was served with a saffron aioli, and here I try to playfully recapture the essence of the dish with simple ordinary leftover smashed potatoes. 2 c smashed potatoes 1/2 c AP flour 1 T baking powder 1 T dried thyme 2 eggs salt to taste pepper to taste 6 T mayonaise 1/2 tsp paprika saffron pinch 1/2 lemon, zest and juice 1 garlic clove 3 T oil for frying To 2 cups of smashed potatoes, I added 1/3 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of dried thyme, 2 eggs and some kosher salt. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. I dropped 2 large tablespoon dollops into a medium high pan with 3 tablespoons of hot vegetable oil. After the first side browned nicely and the potatoes set, I turned and browned the other side. The potato pancakes were placed on a paper towel to drain. For the aioli, I added to my mini food processor: 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, a pinch of saffron, 1/2 zested lemon, juice from 1/2 lemon and one clove garlic. I blended until it was a smooth paste and added salt to taste. *note* this is more of a method than a recipe-you may alter the amounts to get your batter just right. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Spanish/Portugese, Appetizer, Lunch, Easy, Dinner, Potatoes, Condiment ( RG2036 )

Estonian sauerkraut soup (Hapukapsasupp) Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is a hearty & homey soup suitable for a main meal. Serve with some rye bread, garnish with a dollop of sour cream (or a substitute, if you want a vegan soup). 400 g sauerkraut water 3 T vegetable oil 80 g pearl barley 40 g parsley root 100 g yellow onion 100 g carrots 700 ml vegetable stock/bouillon sugar, to taste salt, to taste black pepper, to taste finely chopped fresh parsley If the sauerkraut is too sour, then rinse it with cold water. Put into a saucepan with some water and oil, and simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes, adding water, if necessary (you don't want to burn the sauerkraut). Boil pearl barley in a separate saucepan until al dente. Chop parsley root, carrots and onions into matchsticks, saute in a bit of oil for a few minutes. When cabbage has softened, add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the cooked pearl barley and sauteed vegetables. Season with sugar, salt and pepper and herbs (parsley is good here). Serve with finely chopped herbs and a dollop of sour cream. Keywords: Vegetables, Vegetarian, Soup, Easy, Main Dish, Dinner, Vegan, Eastern Euro/Russian ( RG2034 )

Herbed & Buttered Egg Noodles Serves 6 as Side. This is my favorite thing to serve as a base for dishes such as Stroganoff and Goulash, and it's one of my favorite things all by itself. 5 qt water 1/4 c table salt 1 lb medium egg noodles 4 T butter 1 T garlic, minced or pressed 1 T fresh parsley, minced 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1. In 8 qt stockpot, bring water to a boil, then add salt. Cook noodles according to package directions, or slightly al dente. 2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in the microwave (~30 seconds on high). Stir in garlic, parsley and pepper and microwave for about 15 seconds more. 3. Drain noodles, then return to pot. Add butter/herb mixture to noodles and stir well to combine. Serve hot. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Pasta ( RG2032 )

Variation on a Tomato Pie Serves 8 as Main Dish. This recipe is loosely adapted from Laurie Colwin's "Tomato" essay in More Home Cooking. My changes: -I made a single crust for the top instead of a double crust (because I don't like soggy pie crust) -I reduced the butter by about 25% -I added salt to the crust dough -I reduced the cheese and subbed a smaller amount of a lower-fat cheese (mozzarella) for cheddar -I used a reduced-fat mayo -I used lime juice instead of lemon because that's that I had on hand -I added leeks to the mix Perhaps one day I shall actually follow a recipe..... Preheat oven to 400' F. Quickly and lightly mix: 3 TB COLD unsalted butter, cut in teeny pieces 1 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt (Morton's) 1/2 cup milk (I used 1% milkfat. Add more by teaspoonfuls if necessary to make a slightly sticky dough) Roll into an 8-inch round. Thinly slice tomatoes-I used about 1 pound beefsteak tomatoes. Though I did not do this, I would suggest draining some of the "guts" from the tomatoes because they get awfully juicy when baked. I also had a leek kicking around in the fridge, so I sliced that up (about 1 cup raw) and sauteed it for addition in a little extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 tsp). Assembly: -1/4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick cake pan. -Layer in sliced tomatoes. -Top with 4 thin layers mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz. total)- just plain part-skim. Would probably be great with good buffalo mozzarella. -Sprinkle on chopped fresh basil and oregano. (about 1 TB of each). -Evenly sprinkle with the cooked leeks. -Pour on 1/4 cup mayo (I used prepared reduced-fat mayo) mixed with the juice of 1/2 lime (about 3 TB) -Top with the crust and tuck lightly around the tomatoes. -Slash the top crust a few times. Place on a baking sheet (in case of any excess burbling) and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool slightly before scooping out to serve. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Breakfast, Vegetarian, Brunch, Lunch ( RG2022 )

Shabu Shabu Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is a simple and fun meal for two or four. The trickiest part is procuring the right cut of meat if you are using beef or pork. See instructions below. I have found an electric skillet is easiest for this but you may use a hot plate or traditional hot pot with sterno if you have it. 1 lb beef, pork, seafood (see below) 1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds 1 pkg mushrooms: oyster, button, straw 1 brown onion, quartered 1 napa cabbage 1 daikon radish, grated fine 1 bunch green onion, minced 1 snow peas/ sugar snap peas 1 bottle Ponzu sauce 1 bottle Sesame sauce (optional) 2 servings cooked rice If using beef or pork: These must be thinly sliced like a carpacio or prociutto. You may be able to find this cut already at a Japanese or other Asian market. If not, go to your butcher and choose a couple steaks that are nicely marbled, we prefer choice ribeye, and instruct the butcher to freeze it and slice it as thin as humanly possible, laying it out on a deli plate for you with paper between any layers. Cut carrots into rounds, quarter mushrooms and onion, peel a few leaves from the napa cabage and quarter those as well. The peas should be rinsed clean and dried. Put all this onto a pretty serving plate in a nice display. It will hold in the fridge all day so you can do this as early as you like. The ponzu sauce and sesame sauce should be placed in small bowls, one of each for each person. The minced green onion and daikon should be placed in separate serving bowls. You'll need about 1/2 cup of each. Each person will take some of each of these as is their preference to season their ponzu sauce. Put water in the electric skillet (or other vessel) in the center of the table and bring it to a simmer. Each place setting should have a bowl of rice, chop sticks and a bowl each of ponzu and sesame sauces. (We only use the ponzu at our house!) Toss a few veggies in the water and each person can fish them out with their chopsticks as they wish. Put the meat in a location where each person can reach it. You will take a piece of meat, swish it in the water until it has reached your preferred donenness (generally only a few seconds) and dip it in your sauce before eating. Keywords: Easy, Japanese, Beef, Main Dish, Dinner, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Healthy Choices ( RG1998 )

Marinated Green Beans Serves 4 as Salad. This really simple salad is perfect for taking along to a picnic or potluck. The garlic and onion give it a big punch of flavor, and the green beans are tender crisp and really refreshing. 3/4 lb green beans 1/4 c red onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 T olive oil 3/4 tsp salt 3 T lemon juice Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling water, uncovered, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain beans. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the onion, garlic, olive oil and salt. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hbour, tossing mixture occasionally. Refrigerate if you want to marinate the mixture longer. Just before serving, add lemon juice and toss to coat beans. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Vegan, Easy, Vegetables ( RG1991 )

Calabacitas Serves 4 as Side. I put this recipe for calabacitas together from several I found in cookbooks and online, trying to recreate the version I had at a buffet in New Mexico. Calabacitas are a lot like potato salad: everyone has their own individual variation, and most are good. As such, measurements are VERY approximate. 3 zucchini or yellow crookneck squash, in 3/4" dice 1/2 onion, diced 2 T oil 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 c chopped green chiles, hot or mild 14-1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained well 1/2 c frozen corn kernels 1 c grated cheddar cheese 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp ground black pepper salt to taste Preheat oven to 400F. Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, zucchini, and onion, and saute until squash is just barely softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano, and saute another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, stir in the corn, tomatoes, cheese, pepper, and salt. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Serve. (You can use fresh tomatoes or frozen/canned chiles or canned corn or add more corn or garlic - it's very, very forgiving.) There's a picture of the completed dish served here. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG1964 )

Doofus' Mayonnaise, or, The Mayo of The Lazy OK, you've got to have a blender, an immersion stick, a hand mixer or a food processor... I haven't made this since Kiddle killed our blender during the Velveeta Fudge Incident. Without electrical assistance, this would take a VERY long time. I tried it once, it took me almost half an hour to get to the mayonnaise stage. THAT doesn't sound QUICK, does it? Now there are folks who will fill your head with esoteric information about temperatures, exactitude of yolk size, using or not the whites, HOW dire a mistake it is if even a smidgen of whites are present. We say "Silly Folks!" to those people. They're probably all very worried in the kitchen or worried about what you think of them in the kitchen. Well, we're not, we just want delicious food, right? After all, MY reputation is already ruined, so I don't need to impress anyone, I just want to feed them and give them joy. You do too, right? This is simple organic chemistry, and not rocket science or angel food cake, for doofus' sake! WE are here to make delicious, easy and fresh mayonnaise, not to become the next BIG thing in mayonnaise kings. So, don't get nervous, I promise, it will come out fine. I usually use a yolk right from the refrigerator, but I have used a room temperature batch of yolks before, and everything was just fine. I have been told that you can use a whole egg, but we savor egg white omelettes in our house, so we tend to save our whites. OK, here we go! 1 egg yolk 1 T vinegar or lemon juice pinch of salt 3/4 c of oil (we use olive, but you can use almost any oil) you may add any of the following for variations: 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp any herb of your preference cracked peppercorns 1/4 tsp paprika 1 clove of raw garlic (fake out aoili!) 1 shallot PARSLEY will make it GREEN unless you just add the finely chopped parsley after blending. 1 tsp sugar, if you like Miracle Whip already a bit of cayenne, if you like a kick a tiny bit of lemon rind a bit of capers, drained! 1/2 an anchovy DON'T ADD FRUIT, THAT'S JUST GROSS. = First, you blend the egg yolk, vinegar or lemon juice, flavor additions and salt together. For about a half of a minute, dears, not long. Things will start to lighten up, and look all creamy yellow. It will smell good, don't taste it, I mean it- Get your finger out of there! BTW, I usually make this with lemon juice, I prefer it to the vinegar flavoring, myself. You may feel differently. Both methods work. Now, you begin to add the oil, about 1/8 cup at a time, blending for a minute after the first addition. Then, you will blend the mayonnaise for about 30 seconds for each subsequent addition. Well, thinking back to the time I made this in my Cuisinart, maybe a bit less, if you have one of those heavy duty fancy pie machines. Sheesh, I'll wager you wear fancy panties, too. You do, don't you. Well, I'm jealous. When you get to the 3/4 cup mark, be a bit less nonchalant. Watch what you're doing there, Fancy Pants! When the mayonnaise becomes very thick and glossy and beautifully emulsifed, it's had enough oil. You can stop now. You'll know when the oil has incorporated and it is time to add more, you will, really! The mayonnaise will begin to LOOK like mayonnaise, that's how you will know. If you are working in the dark, this kind of cooking will not be successful, I'm sorry. You'll have to do this by some book, in that case. This is home cooking, and we cook with the lights up, and the windowshades down! OK, Dearie, that's all there is to it. Kind of a letdown, eh? You thought I was going to impart some difficult old lady secrets to you, didn't you? You did, I just know it. Nope, after all, I'm all about the joy in the kitchen, not the anguish! Oh, yeah, when it's done, store it in the refrigerator. TROUBLESHOOTING: If it curdles or separates, put a yolk in a clean bowl, beat or blend it 'til it's creamy, then add a couple of spoonfuls of the curdled sauce. When that incorporates and thickens, add some more, bit by bit, until it is all emulsified. If it tastes too oily, add a tiny bit of your acid, blending again. If it tastes too acidic, add a bit more oil, blending again. PS: Try to store this in a clean glass jar, not a plastic container. The flavor gets 'weird' in plastic after a couple of days. PPS: It will take you longer to read this recipe than it will to make the mayonnaise, how about that! Keywords: Kosher, Easy, Condiment, Vegetarian, Food Processor, Immersion Blender, Stand Mixer, Blender ( RG1957 )