Pasta Primavera

I started night classes which begin after I leave work for the day, so Little Sister is in charge in the kitchen. LS loves pasta, and light food in hot weather is the order of the day. This came from vegweb, which I love (vegweb.com).

Fresh Pasta Primavera
(serves 2, preparation time 25 minutes)

1/2 lb (8oz) fresh or dried spinach pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or margarine
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 chopped onion
2 teaspoon dried oregano (fresh if you have it!)
1/2 half a large zucchini sliced and halved
5 large mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red or orange (or both!) bell pepper, chopped
2 med roma tomatoes chopped coarsely
20 plus fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
several dashes salt

DIRECTIONS:

Put good quantity of water in a large pot on to boil for the pasta, first thing. Then start chopping and dicing your vegetables.

Heat the olive oil or margarine briefly over a medium heat in a good sized pan until the bottom is coated.

The garlic, onion, oregano and salt are added to the pan first to allow them to start releasing their flavors to infuse everything else. Saute them for a little under a minute and then toss in the zucchini.

After another minute toss in the mushrooms and continue to saute until everything is about halfway cooked.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Then in your veggie pan, add the bell peppers and continue to saute.

About 7 minutes after the pasta has been boiling, add the basil and the tomatoes to the veggie pan and stir lightly. You want the basil to wilt and the tomatoes to get hot, but not to get cooked down!

Drain the pasta and immediately dish out into two bowls and top with delicious veggies, mix together and eat while it's still hot!

NOTE: You can change the vegetables depending on the time of year. Eggplant (which takes longer to cook), broccoli, asparagus, or whatever you have around the house.

Summer Linguini

It would be nice if the Food and Drug Administration stopped issuing warnings about toxic substances and just gave me the names of one or two things still safe to eat. ~Robert Fuoss

I'm so excited the farmer's market is going again! I love filling up my basket with fresh fruits and veggies, local honey and wine. And then eating it all up. That's good, too!

Now that the weather's starting to heat up, and since I work ten-hour days, I'm sticking to cool, quick dinners. I added green salad and iced tea to this, and it took about twenty minutes. This recipe is from "Food for Paradise" cookbook, which was compiled by St John the Russian church in Ipswich, Mass. It's full of cooking tips and family friendly recipes. I found it at the Holy Virgin Orthodox cathedral in San Fransisco, in the bookstore.

Summer Linguini

8 oz linguini
1 lb sliced summer squash
1 lb ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 C chopped fresh basil leaves
2 TBS oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 C soy Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook linguini according to package directions. During last 5 minutes of cooking, add squash. While this is cooking, combine tomatoes, basil leaves, oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cheese. Drain pasta and squash. Toss with the tomato mixture and serve. A light pasta for hot days.

Chipotle Split Pea Soup

I love Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. Whenever I see a recipe with those in it, I think "Whee!" and prepare my taste buds for joy (also for the burn, since I don't have much tolerance for spicy heat). The Chipotle is dried, smoked jalapeno pepper. The Adobo sauce gives the pepper even more of a smoky taste, like barbecue, which is fantastic. These can be found in 7.5 ounce cans in the Mexican section of most stores. In this particular recipe, a Chipotle pepper or two replaces the traditional ham hock. It's a nice twist!

Chipotle Split Pea Soup

2 cups dried split peas
8 cups boiling water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper, finely cut, to taste
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
salt to taste

- Simmer the split peas in boiling water until soft, usually about 1 hour (When pot starts boiling to overflowing, lower heat to med-low).
- Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender. Add more water as needed- about 2 cups.
-Serve with oven-warmed crusty bread.

Orange Glazed Stir Fry

This was really good! I enjoyed the sweet citrus-y flavor.

Orange Glazed Veggie Stir Fry

Serves 2
Serve with rice!

2 garlic cloves
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 TBS orange juice
1 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 TBS soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
Half a red pepper, sliced into strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sliced mushrooms
20 baby carrots, halved lengthwise
small can of watercress, drained

- In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, water, and sugar.

- In a small skillet over medium heat, saute the green onion and ginger. In one minute, add the garlic and saute briefly. Don't let the garlic caramelize- it will get very bitter.

- Meanwhile, in a wok or large skillet, add peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots and watercress over medium heat

- Add the sauce mixture to the garlic, onion and ginger. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes and then add into veggies.

- Cover skillet or wok (I used an upside-down plate, which worked okay). Let sauce reduce with the veggies for a few minutes, and enjoy while hot. Serve over rice to absorb the extra liquid.

Ehhh....

One thing I ate lots of as a child was macaroni and hamburger casseroles. I'd drench it in ketchup (so annoyed, in my childish way, that our bottle had spelled it "Catsup"), smear it all together in a nauseating mess, and happily eat away. Well, tonights "Hamburger" and Macaroni Casserole was a valiant attempt at re-creating an easy, homey, filling meal. You win some, you lose some...this one's lost like a child in the forest without breadcrumbs. So instead of posting that superlatively sickening recipe, it seems appropriate to introduce you to James Lilek's Gallery of Regrettable Food.

"This is a simple introduction to poorly photographed foodstuffs and horrid recipes. It's a wonder anyone in the 40s, 50s and 60s gained any weight; it's a miracle that people didn't put down their issue of Life magazine with a slight queasy list to their gut, and decide to sup on a nice bowl of shredded wheat and nothing else."

Spinach Salads

"On the subject of spinach: divide into little piles. Rearrange again into new piles. After five of six maneuvers, sit back and say you are full."
Delia Ephron, How To Eat Like A Child

Vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, iron, magnesium, riboflavin, folate; all these benefits make spinach a wonder-food in my book. Here is a great place to learn more about the health benefits of spinach. On some days when you don't feel like a big meal, a delicious, light salad fits the bill perfectly. From March until May, spinach is in season and can be paired with fruits for the most mouthwatering salads. Here are two favorites!

Note: Be sure to wash the leaves thoroughly to protect yourself from e. coli. If you like to play fast and loose with spinach-washing, just take a minute to think about how e. coli gets on the spinach. Either way, here's some brain soap to get that image out of your mind: kitten with dandelion.

Sumptuous Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 red or yellow bell pepper cut into strips
1/4 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 orange, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 TBS sesame seeds
2 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
1 TBS orange juice concentrate
1 TBS water

Trim the spinach stems and carefully wash the leaves. Dry with paper towels, then tear any large leaves into bite-size pieces. Place in a salad bowl along with the pepper, onion and orange slices.
Toast the sesame seeds in a 400 degree toaster oven or oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and grind into a powder. Add the vinegar, orange juice concentrate, and water. Blend to mix. Pour over salad and toss just before serving. Serves 4-6.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

12 oz fresh spinach leaves
1 qt fresh strawberries- hulled and quartered
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. grated onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika

-Wash spinach and dry between paper towels. Tear into bite-size pieces. Toss together spinach, strawberries, and sesame seeds in a large bowl; set aside.
-In a separate bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vinegar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
-Pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Tamale Pie

Probably one of the most difficult parts of converting to a vegan diet (when you've all grown up on fast food), is coaxing along the more vegan-reluctant family members.
Where the sometimes-unfamiliar foods and ingredients are concerned: I like to stick to dishes that aren't too far away from the usual fare such as pastas, beans, rice, etc., for my guys here at home, and experiment with the more exotic meals for myself when I'm feeling brave. Step by step we're all developing new palates, and some families are more adventurous than others! This recipe is one of the staff-of-life dishes that I tried out from "The Mother Earth News" magazine (Jan.-Feb. 1985!). If you live in Redding, you can find lots of these great back-issues of it at Cal's Books.

Tamale Pie

Group 1:
2 cups rinsed canned pinto or kidney beans
1 TBS tomato paste
3TBS water
2TBS oil
1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup corn
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 chopped celery

Group 2:
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup soy cheese shreds (or more as needed)

Grind the beans in a blender, combine the tomato paste with the water, then set these aside while you saute the onion in the oil. Combine all the Group 1 ingredients and let them cook over medium heat, stirring to prevent the beans from sticking. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Next combine all the ingredients in Group 2 except the cheese, in a heavy skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cornmeal thickens and comes to a boil. Then spread 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture over the bottom and sides of a greased 8x8 pan...pour the bean mixture into the cornmeal crust...and spread the remaining cornmeal on top. Sprinkle the top crust with the cheese and cook in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Serve with IMO and hot sauce if desired.