Ingredients

• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated (a microplane grater is a wonder here)
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest (see above re: microplane grater)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey (or brown sugar, mirin, etc…something sweet)
• Dash salt

Directions are simple: put everything into a bowl, bottle, or jar and whisk or shake to combine.

The fennel & celery salad is insanely simple:

• 2 bulbs of fresh fennel (aka: anise), sliced as thinly as you can manage
• Roughly the same amount of thinly sliced celery
• An ounce or so of parmagiana cheese strips (make these by using a vegetable peeler on a hunk of the cheese — long, thin strips)

Toss these with the vinaigrette. Ta dah.

Ingredients

• 4 c chicken stock or water
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 c polenta (corn meal)
• 1/2 c ricotta cheese
• 2 oz shredded parmagiana cheese
• 3 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Bring chicken stock to a low boil in a medium sauce pan.
2. When boiling, whisk in the polenta, pouring it into the stock a little at a time and whisking well — do this slowly to avoid lumps. Note: it will thicken quickly…do not be alarmed.
3. Once the polenta is all stirred into the chicken stock, turn down to low (pretty much as low as your burner will go), and cover. Whisk vigorously every 10 mins.
4. After 20 mins, whisk in the milk. Continue to cook on low, stirring every 10 mins for another 20 mins.
5. At this point, grab a spoon and taste the polenta. Depending on how coarsely ground your cornmeal is, it could be done now, or you might need to keep cooking it. If it’s grainy, keep cooking. It should be soft and creamy.
6. Stir in the ricotta cheese, then, once that’s well blended, stir in the parmagiana cheese. After that’s all incorporated, stir in the butter.
7. That’s it. Fantastic as a bed for braised meat, sliced steak, mushroom ragu, etc etc etc. Keeps well, and solidifies (like jello!) when cool so it can be sliced and fried or grilled. Yum!

I really have no idea whether this can be properly called “zdir” since I’ve been unable to locate an actual recipe (or any other information) about it. Either way, it’s crazy tasty with a good solid spicy punch. If you don’t care for spicy food, skip the harissa and chilis. If you do like spicy food, you have to try this.

• 2-3 dried red chilis (I used 2 Sanaam chilis)
• 1 oz olive oil
• 3-4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp harissa (this is a lot, I might halve this next time…it’s potent stuff)
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground caraway
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tin diced tomatoes + juice (28fl oz)
• 1/4 c water
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon, chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 tbsp olives, chopped
• 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp dried mint (or to taste)

1. Soak chilis in a bit of water for 15-20 mins. Chop finely.
2. Pour olive oil into a pot and heat over med-low, when warm add garlic + let steep for 5 mins or so. Don’t saute the garlic…just let it warm through and flavour the oil.
3. Turn up the heat a bit and add tomato paste, harissa, and a bit of the tomato juice. Whisk together well and simmer for a few mins.
4. Add chilis, caraway, and coriander to the paste. Simmer another few mins.
5. Pour in diced tomatoes with their juices and the extra 1/4 cup of water. Add chopped sundried tomatoes, and mix well. Simmer over low/med-low for 20 mins or so. Add more water if needed.
6. Optionally, if you have an immersion stick blender, use that now to chop up the tomatoes a bit. If you prefer a chunkier soup, or if you don’t have an immersion blender, just skip this part.
7. Quickly rinse the chopped preserved lemon, capers, and olives (just to get rid of the excess vinegars/etc). Stir these into the soup. Let sit on low to heat through for another 10-15 mins.
8. Remove from heat, stir in dried mint, serve.

Dinner this evening, sticking with the “meatless” theme, is a very simple soba noodle salad topped with grilled tofu.

Grilled Tofu

• 2-3 1/2″ slices of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (sweet sake)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• Splash sesame oil

1. Mix soy, mirin, vinegar, and oil in a shallow bowl. Add tofu slices and marinate for 15-30 mins or so. Note: mirin is optional — it adds a notable hint of sweetness which may or may not be wanted. I’ll probably skip it next time.
2. Heat a ridged grill pan over med-high heat until hot enough to instantly sizzle water. Grill tofu 3-4 mins per side (it will smoke and should develop good grill marks). That’s it.

Soba noodle salad

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Splash sesame oil
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 oz soba noodles (uncooked)
• 1/3 c frozen edamame (out of pods)
• 1/4 c thinly sliced carrot
• Small handful baby spinach

1. Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, and ginger. This is a simple lemon/ginger vinaigrette.
2. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for 4 mins. Before draining, add edamame and let cook for another minute or so, then add carrot slices and baby spinach and let stand for 20-30 seconds. Drain well and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain for 4-5 mins.
3. Put salad in a shallow pasta bowl, top with grilled tofu slices, and pour over vinaigrette.

Very tasty and very filling. This is what I made for one (me) and I couldn’t finish it.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, but tasty)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 med carrots, sliced into 1/2″ rounds
• 2 lg stalks celery, sliced
• 6 small potatoes, quartered
• 1 md zucchini, sliced
• 1 c cabbage, sliced
• 1 19oz tin diced tomatoes, including juice
• 1/2 c water or vegetable stock
• 1 14oz tin white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 c cooked barley (hulled, not pearled)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute for a couple of minutes. Add carrots, celery, and sliced cabbage, and saute for a few more minutes. Toss in potatoes, saute for a little longer.
2. Pour in diced tomatoes and juices, and add water. Heat to just boiling, then turn down to med-low and simmer for 30 mins or so (until everything is cooked through).
3. Add drained and rinsed kidney beans and cooked barley, stir and leave on low for another 10-15 mins to heat everything through.
4. Salt & pepper to taste. Optionally serve with freshly grated parmagiana cheese (it’s yummy).

Here’s a list of what I bought because I’m bored and cranked on cold meds.

Fruit

• Bananas (7)
• Clementines (2 lbs)
• Flat of cubed melons + pineapple (on sale)
• Blueberries, 1 pint

Fresh vegetables

• Baby spinach (1 lb)
• Celery (1 bunch)
• Carrots (organic, 2lb)
• Leeks (3)
• Anise (1)
• Zucchini (3 small)
• Ginger
• Garlic (5)
• Cabbage (1 large)
• Butternut squash (1 med)
• Spaghetti squash (1 med)
• Potatoes (3 lb, small)
• Eggplant (1 large)

Dairy (and whatnot)

• Goat cheese (plain)
• Feta cheese
• Butter (cultured, 2lb)
• Milk (2%)
• Yogurt (1 ltr, plain, 6% mf)
• Tofu (extra-firm, 2 blocks)
• Eggs (2 doz)

Everything else

• Tortillas (whole grain, flax)
• Bread (whole grain, flax)
• Crispy flatbread (honey & flax)
• President’s Choice “Ancient Grains” cereal (2 boxes)
• Sundried tomatoes (3oz, dry)
• White kidney beans (3 tins)
• Red kidney beans (3 tins)
• Black beans (3 tins)
• Chickpeas (3 tins)
• Vegetable stock (Campbell’s organic, 3 tetrapaks)
• Short grain organic brown rice (best rice ever)

Already on hand…

• Basically everything else including onions, sweet potatoes, various rices, barley (hulled & pearl), quinoa, dried beans, a plethora of dried herbs & spices, various oils & vinegars, a somewhat alarming array of hotsauces, a big ol’ chunk of 2 year old cheddar, parmigiana cheese, peanut butter, tahini, olives, dried mushrooms, egg noodles, rice noodles, pasta, tomato soup, etc etc etc.

This is gonna be awesome.

• Soba noodle salad with edamame and tofu
• Chickpea & spinach curry (Channa Masala)
• Double oatmeal cookies with cranberries and walnuts
• Leek + potato soup
• Wild rice and quinoa salad
• Black bean and sweet potato soup
• How to make a yummy vinaigrette
• Basic arrabiata sauce
• Tzatziki sauce
• Blue cheese, walnut, and apple salad
• Sweet potato and chickpea curry
• Spinach-Hummus recipe
• Easy asparagus soup
• Sunday veggie soup
• Pasta with savoy cabbage
• White Bean Soup
• Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce
• Wicked Bean Salad
• Nutty Brown Rice

I’ve decided that I’m going to try an experiment in going without meat for the next two weeks. I say “without meat” rather than “vegetarian” because there are shades of grey in the world of vegetarianism, and I fully intend to cook with animal products such as eggs, milk, cheese, and butter. Just no beef, pork, fish, chicken, shrimp, etc.

The reason for this is simple. We’ve been working on eating less meat on average for the past couple of years, but we still eat more than we should. To eat less, we need to expand our repertoire of recipes for meatless mains. We have the cookbooks, we just need to use them and try more new things.

Two weeks gives me a chance to try around 10-15 new recipes. More if I get inspired and energetic, but probably not because I’ve got a cold and “inspired” is just about the last thing I feel right now. I’ll probably start with some sort of vegetarian stew or chili and go from there. If I remember, I’ll take pictures and blog it all.

If there are particular meatless recipes you think I should try, leave a comment!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 4 oz soba noodles (uncooked)
• 1 c edamame (out of pods)
• 1-2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 package of firm tofu, cubed
• 1/2 c green onions, sliced
• 1/2 c baby carrots, sliced
• 2 tsp white or black sesame seeds

1. Whisk together oils, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, and ginger. This is really just a basic vinaigrette with soy and ginger. I just dump it all into a mason jar and shake like hell. Taste and adjust as necessary.¹

2. Cook soba noodles until they’re at the texture you want. When done, rinse under cold water to stop them cooking any more.

3. Cook the edamame — I just cook it in boiling water (from frozen) for 2-3 minutes. Rinse under cold water until cool.

4. Put peanut oil into a shallow pan and heat. Dump in the tofu and fry ’til a bit crispy (this part is optional…you don’t have to fry the tofu, but it adds to the texture). Let cool.

5. Divide noodles into two big ol’ bowls, top each with edamame, tofu, green onions, and carrots. Pour 2-3 tbsp of the vinaigrette over each and a tsp of sesame seeds.

Eat!

¹ = I don’t actually remember the precise ratios for the vinaigrette, so this might not be quite right. Feel free to modify to taste.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 4-5 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tin diced tomatoes, including juice
• 5oz or so baby spinach

1. Heat oil over medium in a 4qt pot. Saute onions and garlic for a 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add spices and stir well. It’ll be weird and a little lumpy, but don’t worry about that. Cook for a few more minutes.

3. Add lemon juice, stir well, then add the chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer, and cook uncovered for 20-30 mins. Remove from heat, and stir in the baby spinach until it wilts. Serve with brown rice or a tasty grain medley.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1/3 c steel-cut oats
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c soft butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 c dried cranberries (optional)
• 1/3 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375F.
2. Mix dry ingredients together (everything up to and including salt).
3. Cream butter and sugars together for a few minutes.
4. Mix egg and vanilla into butter + sugar. Make sure they’re well blended…should be uniform and sort of fluffy and light.
5. Stir in oat mixture until blended.
6. Mix in cranberries and walnuts.

Drop in 2″ balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Leave some space between because they will spread out a bit. Bake for 5 mins, then turn the pans, then bake for another 6-7 mins (until golden brown). This made 20 cookies.

Cool on the pan for 2-3 mins, then on a cooling rack. Eat ‘um.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 med onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 small (or 2 lg) potatoes, rough dice (unpeeled)
• 3 med leeks, white parts only, sliced + washed super well
• 3-4 c low sodium chicken stock
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt butter in a med stock pot over medium heat + toss in the celery and onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add sliced up leeks and saute for a few more minutes, stirring well. Add pepper + potatoes, stir.
2. Add chicken stock and bring to a low boil, then turn down to med-low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through (30 mins or so, it’s not a precise science here…they just need to be soft).
3. Salt to taste if needed and either leave all chunky or blend with a stick blender until it’s at the chunky level you prefer. Yum.
4. Optional: add 1/4-1/2 c of cream or milk if you want, but it’s really not necessary.

That’s it!

* Seasons, in order of perference: autumn, early summer, early winter, spring, late summer, late winter. February is right out.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c wild rice (before cooking), cooked and cooled
• 1/2 c quinoa (before cooking), cooked and cooled
• 2 ribs celery, sliced thinly
• 1/3 bulb fennel, sliced thinly
• 3-4 scallions, sliced thinly
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Splash of white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method
After cooking and letting the wild rice and quinoa cool, mix them together in a bowl. Add celery, fennel, and scallions, and mix.

Now put shallot, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper in a jar and shake well to make a basic vinaigrette. Pour all of this over the stuff in the bowl, and mix well.

Ideally, you’ll make this a few hours in advance so the flavours can blend, but you can just serve it immediately if necessary. Leftovers keep well and taste even better the next day. x

Ingredients

• 2 19oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 med onion, diced fine
• 1 med carrot, diced fine
• 1 rib celery, diced fine
• 1 med sweet potato, peeled and diced to 1/2″ or so
• 1/2 tsp salt (and more to taste, later)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp (or so) chile powder
• 3-4 c chicken or vegetable stock
• Juice from 1-2 limes

Method

Put oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute, stirring frequently, for 10-15 mins or so. As the sweet potato gets soft, brown bits will start sticking to the bottom of the pot. That’s fine. By the time I finished this part there was a good thick coating of browned stuff on the bottom.

When sweet potato is mashably soft, turn the heat down to medium-low and use a potato masher to turn it all into a nice chunky puree right there in the pot. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue cooking for two or three minutes, stirring. Pour a cup or two of the chicken stock in and let that heat for a minute or two to loosen up the brown stuff that’s stuck to the bottom of the pot, then scrape all that up into the soup (brown stuff = flavour, it’s tasty stuff).

Add the beans and enough of the remaining chicken stock to cover, then stir well to combine. There should be enough liquid to make it soupy, but the mashed sweet potato should thicken it slightly. Turn heat up to high, bring soup to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or so.

After it’s simmered for a while, get the potato masher and mash some of the beans in the pot. I probably mashed just over a third of the beans, stirring frequently to check the consistency. The mashed beans will thicken the soup, so just mash and stir until it’s thick, but still more a soup than bean puree. Continue simmering on low for another 5 or 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, squeeze in the juice from one or two limes. The potato adds a level of sweetness that you’re looking to counteract here a little. I ended up using the juice of 1.5 limes. Just add the juice a half-lime at a time and continue tasting and adjusting until it’s nice and bright without being too powerfully citrusy. Taste again then add salt if needed. I had to add about another 1/3 to 1/2 tsp of salt at this point.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a few gratings of fresh ground pepper on top, and sharp cheddar cheese and tortilla chips on the side.

Notes

Next time I make this I will probably increase the cumin and chili powder by a full tsp each, maybe using a blend of regular chili powder and chipotle chili powder. The nice smokiness would work well here, I think.

I’ve established a base template for vinaigrette dressings which has held up pretty well through on-going tests. It is:

• 1/2 c oil (olive oil, generally)
• 1/3 c vinegar/sour (vinegar(s) + citrus juices, etc.)
• 1 finely minced clove of garlic (not optional, unless you really hate garlic (weirdo))
• 1 finely minced small shallot (not really optional, but you can substitute a couple of tablespoons of red onion if you must)
• 1/2 tsp sweet (sugar, honey, maple syrup, whatever)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• Pinch salt to taste

Put it all in a mason jar, make sure the lid is nice and tight, then shake like hell. A lot. Make it about an hour or so before you need it if you can, but that’s optional. Shake it again later. Don’t bother making enough for leftovers — it doesn’t store well and making it fresh is easy and awesome.

Now, I am a crazy vinegar-loving person, so you may want to ratchet the vinegar/sour back a bit. Starting with this basic template (which takes about 10 mins to make once you master the shallot/garlic mincing process) you can add whatever extras you want — fresh chopped herbs, grated cheeses, mustards, chopped capers, minced citrus zest, etc. Whatever.

The most recent was: olive oil, white wine vinegar, and lime zest (quite a lot…it was really tasty). Tonight’s is: olive oil, white wine vinegar, and about 1/3c finely grated parmasean cheese. Yum.

Update: If you’re going to use balsamic vinegar, don’t do the whole 1/3-1/2c with it. Cut that with something else. More than a few tablespoons of balsamic is a) a waste of balsamic, and b) going to be profoundly overpowering. Use the medium-good stuff, not the super-good stuff. Save the good stuff for drizzling over strawberries.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 med yellow onion, diced
• 1 28oz tin diced tomatoes
• 1 14oz tin crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt, give or take – to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp decent balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Set a decent sized sauce pot on med-low heat and add oil. Toss in garlic and let warm up for a bit, then turn heat up to medium.
2. Throw in red pepper flakes, shallot, and onion, and saute for 3-4 mins until the onions are translucent and getting soft.
3. Turn heat up to med-high and add diced tomatoes, including all the juice from the tin. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 mins then add the crushed tomatoes. Add some salt and pepper, stir well, turn down to med-low or low, and let simmer for a while until it’s a nice saucy consistency and the tomatoes taste cooked.
4. Stir in balsamic vinegar, simmer for a couple more minutes, and serve.

You might want to start with less than 2 tsp of hot pepper flakes and adjust the recipe to suit. We like some pretty spicy arrabiata, and tend to serve this with sliced chunks of hot italian sausage, red onion, and yellow peppers over fusilli. It’s also great with straight up spaghetti and meatballs.

Update: Rob thinks it could have used a hit of sugar (1/2 tsp or so). This is possibly true.

• 1 cup plain yogurt, drained*
• 3/4 cup cucumber, drained**
• 1 tbsp diced shallot
• 1 tsp (or more) minced garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp chopped fresh dill
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• A bit of salt

Method

1. * I used 6% fat plain “balkan style” yogurt, drained by leaving it in a coffee filter in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl for 30-45m. This drained out a bunch of the extra water and made it nice and thick.
2. ** To drain the cucumber, I diced and salted a bunch of cucumber then left it in a strainer over a bowl for half an hour. I then rinsed it in a collander and pressed between paper towels to squeeze out as much water as possible.
3. Put the cucumber, shallot, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill in a small food processor, and chop it up nice and fine. More water will be released at this point, so drain most of that off.
4. Put cucumber mixture in a small bowl and add the yogurt. Mix it up and salt + pepper to taste.

I served this with sauted pork tenderloin cubes that I had marinated with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and some finely chopped rosemary. Simple salad (romaine, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese) on the side with a lemon/lime vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 med red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 med clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes, do not drain these – you want the juice
• 2 med sweet potatoes, cut into half-inch dice
• 1/3 c water
• 1 19oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 1/2 c plain yogurt (whatever fat content you prefer, I used 2.5%)

Method
Heat peanut oil in a medium-sized sauce pan (with lid) over medium heat. Saute onions in oil for 5-7 minutes or so. Toss in grated ginger and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in curry powder and cook for another 4-5 minutes or so — the curry powder will stick to the bottom of the pot but don’t worry about it, it’ll all work out in the end.

Dump in the diced tomatoes, including all the juices. Stir and heat until simmering — at this point the curry powder will stop sticking to the pot. Simmer the tomato mixture for a few minutes then add the cubed potatoes. Add water, stir, and cover. Turn down the heat to med-low, and simmer until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart, 20-25 mins.

Add drained chickpeas, stir, and continue to simmer at med-low heat until the potatoes are as soft as you like. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 mins or so, then stir in the yogurt. You should end up with a nice rich slightly saucy curry.

Serve over rice.

Ingredients

• 1 19oz chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
• 5oz baby spinach, wilted (I just tossed it in a non-stick saute pan with a tsp of water until it was more cooked than raw — 5 mins on med-high or so)
• Zest from a whole lemon, minced
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4c extra virgin olive oil
• Salt + pepper to taste — the canned chickpeas probably have a lot of sodium in them already, so be cautious with the salt at first
• 1 md clove of garlic
• 1/2 md shallot

Method

1. Toss it all in a food processor and puree until more-or-less smooth. Should be a nice rich green colour. Add warm water a little at a time if it needs thinning.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings — add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as you see fit.
3. Transfer to a bowl and, ideally, let sit in the refrigerator for a while. The flavours will blend and develop over time, although it’s perfectly good straight out of the processor.

Serve with whole grain pitas or whatever.

It’s possible that this might be a touch lemony for some people, so if you’re not a huge fan of a big citrus punch, only use zest from half a lemon.

Ingredients

• 2 lb asparagus, washed, tough end bits snapped off, cut into 1″-2″ chunkies
• 1 med onion, diced
• 1 large-ish stick of celery, diced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 c low-sodium chicken stock (Knorr-in-a-box)
• 1/4 c table cream (totally optional)
• Salt + Pepper to taste

Method

• Basic soup method – melt butter in a good sized stock pot. Toss in onions and celery and saute until all translucent and yummy. Add a few grinds of pepper.
• Toss in the asparagus chunkies and chicken stock — bring to a quick boil, then reduce to minimum and simmer for 20-30 mins or so (I went to 40 and it makes no difference at all).
• Remove from heat, blend with an immersion blender.
• Stir in the optional cream (I probably won’t bother next time — didn’t do much for the texture and didn’t add anything but unnecessary calories). Taste and add salt and additional pepper if necessary.
• Serve in nice big bowls with fresh 12-grain bread.

That was lunch (with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch). Dinner is 4 bean chili.

Heat oil in a large-ish pot over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic, cook for 30-40 seconds. Add the rest of the chopped vegetables, sauteing for a couple of minutes. Add thyme and salt and pepper.

Transfer all that to the slow cooker, add tomatoes and chicken stock. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Add beans 15 mins before you want to serve to heat through. Serve in big bowls with crusty buttered bread.

I have no idea what this is like yet, but I’m going to try it tomorrow. Really, I doubt you can go wrong with this recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 shallot, finely minced (3 tbsp or so)
• 1 small ripe tomato, finely diced
• Juice of one fresh lime
• Salt + pepper to taste (more than you think)

Method

1. Split, pit, and scoop avocados out into a medium bowl. Smush it up a bit with a potato masher, but leave it fairly chunky. Mix in garlic, shallot, tomato, lime juice, and salt + pepper.
2. That’s it.

Ingredients

• 1/8 c olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 a small savoy cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1/2 c chicken stock
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Spaghettini pasta, cooked al dente
• Fresh grated parmasean cheese

Method

Place oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in a saute pan and heat to medium. Cook until garlic is just starting to brown. Remove bay leaves. Add cabbage and cook on high until cabbage is wilted. Add stock and pepper, then continue to cook at medium-high for 8-10 mins.

While waiting for the cabbage to finish, cook the pasta, drain, and return to the pot. Add cabbage mixture, toss, and serve. Top with grated parmasean and some more pepper.

Serve with whatever wine you like. We had a light pinot noir that didn’t quite stand up to the garlic, so you might want something a little more robust.

Yummy.

Recommendations: Use low-sodium chicken stock and lots of parmasean cheese. Also consider either separating out the “reserved beans” straight from the can or puree it all and add more beans afterwards. Trying to separate the beans from the onion/celery isn’t worth the hassle.

Don’t neglect the lemon juice. It’s not much but it does make a difference. Yum.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 med cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 14oz can diced tomatos (salt-free if possible)
• Fresh ground pepper
• Dash of sugar
• Dash of salt
• 1/4 c fresh basil, rough chopped
• Fresh grated parmasean cheese (optional, hi FA)
• Pasta (linguine or spaghetti)

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat an oven-proof skillet on the range until medium-hot. Add oil. When oil is hot, toss in chopped garlic and stir. Let garlic cook for 20-30 seconds, then add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain, add all the juice and stuff too). Stir. Add pepper, salt, sugar, and stir again. When oven is heated, settle tomatoes into an even layer in the bottom of the skillet and put it in the oven. Bake uncovered for about 20 mins. After sauce has finished baking, add basil and stir well. Let it sit for a minute or two so the basil wilts nicely.

While the sauce is baking, cook pasta in a generous quantity of salted water. Drain.

Top pasta with sauce, top with parmasean cheese. Yum.

Ingredients

• 10 oz can Chickpeas
• 10 oz can Red kidney beans
• Small can Peaches and Cream corn niblets
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 small white onion
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 c white wine vinegar
• 1/8 c balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Procedure

Whisk oil, vinegars, sugar, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Drain beans and corn, rinsing well. Rough chop red pepper, green pepper, and onion. Stir beans, corn, peppers, and onions together in a large bowl. Pour oil-vinegar mix over top and stir to coat. Seal in large tupperware container and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 c organic short-grain brown rice
• 4 c water
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1/3 c slivered almonds
• 1/3 c sunflower seed kernels
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Procedure

To cook rice: Boil water. In a separate pot, heat sunflower oil over med-high heat. Rinse uncooked rice well, and put in oil to saute for 3-4 mins, stirring constantly. Pour boiling water over rice, do not stir. Bring back to a boil. Cover and set to minimum heat to simmer for 45 mins. After 45 mins, take off heat and let sit, undisturbed, for another 20 mins.

When rice is cooked: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a sauce pan over med heat. Pour in almonds, sunflower kernels, and sesame seeds. Saute for 4-5 mins, until almonds brown nicely. Add 3 cups of the cooked rice and stir until heated through. Stir in parsley. Serve.