Menu: A Seasonal Veggie Extravaganza

Last night we hosted a Sister Somalia dinner party to raise funds and awareness for victims of gender-based violence in Somalia.  You can (and I hope you will) read more about Sister Somalia here, and more about why we felt it was so important to focus on local food sources here.  Almost everything that we put on the table was from our gardens, BUG Farms in Salt Lake, or the local farmers market.

But this is a recipe blog, so let me focus in on that part!  There are so many recipes here that I think I will just link to the other places you can find similar recipes online, rather than typing or cutting/pasting them all out.

Here's the menu that we came up with, and prepared with lots of help from family and friends:

Appetizers

Tomato-basil-kalamata bruschetta
Crostinis with carrot butter and radish microgreens
Crostinis with garlicky beet greens and crispy lentils
Watermelon-mint agua fresca (no sugar necessary!)

Main course:

Scarlet barley with beets, lemon and dill
Roasted potato salad with fresh corn, heirloom cherry tomatoes, lemon and basil
Grilled kale, red peppers, crookneck squash, baby bok choy, pattypan squash, eggplant, and zucchini (grilled simply with olive oil and salt)
Garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette

And for dessert we made coconut-lemon cupcakes with lemon zest glaze, but they all got eaten before we had a chance to take a photo!

*

You'll notice I didn't put a link on the crostinis with beet greens and crispy lentils... that's because we made that one up entirely.  Here's how you do it.

Wash beet greens thoroughly and chop the stems and leaves.  Put a couple teaspoons of oil in a big saucepan, then sautee lots of garlic in the oil.  (I used about 6 cloves of garlic.)  Put the beet greens in with a little bit of water and a tablespoon of soy sauce.  Cook them until they are soft and silky.  Taste for seasoning; you will probably want to add salt and pepper, and maybe a squeeze of lime for some extra kick.

For the lentils, soak green lentils in water for 4-6 hours. Then take them out of the water and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the lentils.  Cook them in the hot oil (avoid stirring too much), until they become brown and crispy.

To assemble, just put a spoonful of beet greens onto the thinly-sliced crostini, then put a few lentils on top.

Otsu

This is another recipe from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson: her "otsu noodles" (served here with a salad of romaine lettuce, red bell peppers, and grated jicama).  I love this recipe, and so does everyone else in my family.  The recipe calls for soba noodles, but I usually just use whole-wheat linguine because it is cheaper and easier to find.  Oh, and I leave out the cayenne because I am a wuss about spicy food.  I think if you use the full 3/4 t. of cayenne, this will be really spicy... just a warning.

Ingredients

Dressing

	~	Grated zest of 1 lemon
	~	Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
	1	Tbsp. honey
	¾	tsp. cayenne
	¾	tsp. fine-grain sea salt
	1	Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
	¼	cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
	⅓	cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
	2	Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
	2	Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Salad

	12	oz. dried soba noodles
	12	oz. extra-firm nigari tofu
	¼	cup chopped fresh cilantro
	3	green onions, thinly sliced
	½	cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
	1	small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
	¼	cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps

1. Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.
2. Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about ⅔ cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Kale Chips

This is like the gateway kale recipe.  Everyone I've ever served it to has liked it, even people who were uncertain about kale.  When you roast the leaves, they become light and crispy like potato chips.  Except good for you.

• 1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper (or seasoning salt) for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the thick stems from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food.

Detox Salad

Things like caffeine and sugar make me feel sluggish.  Things like this salad make me feel better.  I eat salads like this whenever I'm feeling a little off.  For this particular one, I shredded and grated:

1/4 head green cabbage
2 small beets
2 carrots
1 apple

Then I diced:

1 cucumber
1/2 avocado

Then I poured on:

1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. apple cider vinegar
A handful of sunflower seeds

You can use any healthy, detoxifying vegetables you have on hand.  The lemon juice and apple cider vinegar give it so much flavor that you don't even need to add oil or salt.  Trust me: you'll feel better after eating this.

Vegan Pancit Bihon

Pancit is a noodle dish that is very popular in the Philippines (where I lived for a few months in my early 20s).  It usually has at least one, often several, kinds of meat in it, but earlier this year I had a hankering for pancit so I devised a vegan version packed full of vegetables.  It's not extremely authentic, but it's tasty!

Vegan Pancit Bihon

1 tsp - 1 Tbsp oil, for frying

3 cloves garlic

1/2 head green cabbage, sliced thin  

1 carrot, sliced or julienned

1 celery stalk, sliced or julienned

1 tsp grated ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

salt and pepper

1 package rice stick noodles

1 package tofu, seasoned and baked according to the tofu recipe on this blog

Prepare the rice stick noodles according to the instructions on the package.  (Usually you just put the noodles in very hot water for 15 minutes or so; it's easy.)

Heat a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add oil.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add fresh ginger and saute for 15-30 seconds more.  Add carrots and celery, and saute until carrots are tender, about 2 minutes.  Add cabbage and saute about 5 minutes more until all the vegetables are cooked and wilted.  As the vegetables are cooking, add the soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Once the vegetables are thoroughly cooked, toss them with the rice noodles and add salt and pepper to taste.  Top the noodles with the tofu.

I like mine with tons of lime juice squeezed on top.  You could also top them with cilantro or green onions, if you're in the mood.

The Best Tofu

This is the way I cook tofu for people who are scared of tofu: I bake it.

I started doing it this way after reading Mark Bittman's "tofu croutons" recipe.  If you follow the recipe exactly, you will come out with super-crisp little squares of tofu that can function as croutons on salads.  If you bake it for less time, you will come out with a firm-textured tofu treat, which is good for people who haven't eaten much tofu and are nervous about the texture. 

Also, this really is one of the easiest ways to cook tofu.  The recipe calls for firm tofu, but I like to use extra-firm.

Tofu Croutons (adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)

14 ounces firm tofu
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400F.
2. Cut the block of tofu in half lengthwise (so from a rectangle into two flatter rectangles). Use a kitchen towel to press the tofu dry (or dry-ish – you don’t need to put tons of effort into this).
3. Cut the slices into ½-inch cubes. Put the cubes on a parchment-lined baking mat and sprinkle with the salt and drizzle with the oil. Toss gently to coat.
4. Bake at 400F for about an hour, until evenly browned. There’s no need to rotate them; they’ll brown evenly. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.


Note: When I make it, I usually add more spices and flavor it up.  My favorite combination is soy sauce, seasoning salt, cumin, garlic powder, and turmeric.  (The turmeric makes the tofu a really nice shade of yellow.)

Barley with Green Onion Sauce

I looove the recipe for Farro with Green Onion sauce in Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Cooking.  Actually, I don't know for sure if I love it because I've never made it with farro.  I always substitute barley and it turns out great.  Last time I made it (according to the picture) I used barley instead of farro, and arugula and peas instead of asparagus.

The secret to this recipe is the green onion sauce.  When you saute the green onions in a little olive oil they take on an unusual oniony sweetness that, when pureed, makes a completely delicious sauce.  And the walnuts add a toasty crunch that goes perfectly with the other textures.  So even if you don't have farro and asparagus on hand, substitute any grain and vegetables you like and give this sauce a try.

Farro with Green Onion Sauce, Toasted Walnuts, and Asparagus


2 cups farro, picked over and rinsed
5 cups vegetable stock or water 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
12 green onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more as needed
1 bunch asparagus spears (about 1 lb.), trimmed and cut on a sharp diagonal into 1-inch pieces
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish



Combine the farro and stock in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour, or about half the time if you are using semi-pearled farro.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chopped green onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.  Stir in a couple pinches of salt.  If you have a hand blender, transfer to a small bowl and lightly puree them, but don't go overboard.  Alternatively, puree them in a food processor.  After a pulse or two, they will start to get nice and creamy, but you want to maintain some nice big chinks of green in there as well. When the farro is nearly cooked, stir in the asparagus.  Let the pot simmer for another couple of minutes, until the asparagus is a vibrant green.  Some stock will still be visible in the pot.  This is fine; the farro will continue to absorb the liquid once removed from the heat.  Stir in the lemon zest, walnuts, and  the 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add more salt to taste if needed.

Shredded Green Beans with Lemon-Lime Zest and Snipped Chives

Another great recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking.  This is a novel way to cook green beans.  As she points out in the cookbook, sometimes you can breathe new life into a vegetable just by cooking it a different way: in this case, by slicing them as finely as you can and sauteeing them, then tossing them with citrus zest and snipped chives.

Shredded Green Beans with Lemon-Lime Zest and Snipped Chives 
Serves 4.  
From Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking

3/4 pound green and/or yellow beans, tops and tails trimmed
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  (I used a lot less oil than this, probably about a teaspoon.)
2 Tablespoons water
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Grated zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the beans on a diagonal into roughly 1/8-inch pieces.  If you are using a food processor, do them a handful at a time.  Either way the result should be tiny, angular zeros.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the beans and stir until coated with oil, then add the water.  Cover and cook 2 or 3 minutes, until the beans are brightly colored and tender; give the pan a good shake midway through to ensure even cooking.  Remove from the heat and stir in the zests and half the chives.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with the remaining chives. 

White Bean and Kalamata Salad

Here's a salad trick that I love.  (OK, first of all, you should know that I love salad tricks in general.)  But this trick is particularly good: flavorful bean salads.  You just make big batches of bean salads then they are ready to plop on top of big piles of lettuce.  They function as toppings and dressings simultaneously! Are you as excited about this idea as I am?  No?  OK, well, I still think you'll like this salad, either on its own or on top of lettuce.

It's super easy.  Just drain and rinse two cans of white beans, then toss them with a finely-diced red pepper, 1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives, and a handful of parlsey (chopped, of course).  Add red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Done!

Big Curry Noodle Pot

This is one of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks (Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson).  A big bowl of slippery noodles in a delicious coconut curry sauce, tossed with tofu and veggies.  Everything you need in a single bowl!

Big Curry Noodle Pot

8 oz of whole-grain noodles (I usually just use whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 onion chopped

1-1/2 tsp red curry paste

12 oz extra firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 14oz can coconut milk

2 cups veggie stock

2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tablespoons shoyu sauce

1 tablespoon natural cane sugar

juice of one lime

2/3 cup peanuts

1/3 cup slivered shallots

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook noodles in plenty of water until just tender.

Start making curry while noodles cook. Heat coconut oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, onion and curry paste and mash the paste around the bottom of the pan a bit to distribute evenly. Cook until fragrant - just a minute or two. Add the tofu and stir until well coated with curry. Stir in the coconut milk, stock, shoyu and sugar, bring to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice and add the noodles, jostling around a little.

To serve, heap big piles of noodles into individual bowls and top with a ladle or two of curry. Top with peanut and cilantro and shallots.

NOTE: I always add extra veggies, too: I toss in steamed broccoli or frozen peas or sliced bell peppers.  The batch pictured above has broccoli and peas.

Roasted Vegetables

Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite tricks.  Roasting brings out the deep flavors in vegetables, softens them on the inside and crisps up their edges, and results in a platter of veggies that even picky eaters will love.

Try roasting broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, tomatoes, jicama, kale, baby bok choy, or really nearly anything!)

It's more of a method than a recipe.  All you do is place the vegetables in a roasting pan and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Then put the veggies in a 400-450 degree oven and roast them until they are tender on the inside.  Depending on the vegetable this can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes.  Give them a stir from time to time so that they cook evenly.

(You can also add spices if you'd like: for example, I like cauliflower roasted with cumin and cinnamon.  Another great way to add a kick is to toss the veggies with citrus zest and juice after they finish roasting: try lemon zest with asparagus or orange zest with broccoli.)

This is a photo of quartered brussels sprouts and cauliflower florets, pre-roasting:

With this particular batch of veggies, I decided to toss them with pasta.  I think I added lightly-cooked tomatoes, white beans and kalamata olives to finish off the pasta.  I can't remember exactly how I went about it, but that's what I love about pasta: You can put pretty much anything on it and it always tastes good.

Sweet Breakfast Couscous

I whipped this up for breakfast one morning when we were out of oatmeal, and it became a family favorite.  Plus it's super-easy and faster than oatmeal to prepare.  You can make the whole thing in about 5 minutes.

First, place 1 1/2 cups of vanilla almondmilk or vanilla soymilk in a saucepan.  As it begins to heat, add in a cup of dried fruit and nuts.  (Anything will work: I've used varying combinations of raisins, dried cranberries, dried dates, dried cherries, diced dried apricots and apples, slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.)  When the milk begins to boil, stir in 1 cup of couscous and a teaspoon of cinnamon, then cover the saucepan and remove it from the heat.  Let it sit for 3-5 minutes.  Take of the lid and fluff it with a fork.  That's it!  I also like to sprinkle a few teaspoons of flaxseed on top and serve it hot.

Green Smoothies

This is easily one of my most-requested recipes.  I know a lot of people drink green smoothies, but if you've never tried one, rest assured:  The taste of the spinach is hidden by the taste of the fruit.  It tastes like a fruit smoothie, but has all the added nutritional benefits of being packed full of greens.

My basic recipe:

Put 2 ½ cups of water in your blender.  Add lots and lots of spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, and let it blend for at least a minute until smooth.  I usually keep adding spinach at least until the blender is full to the 5-cup line.  Add two tablespoons of ground flaxseed.  Add one or two bananas, an apple and a couple of handfuls of frozen fruit.  Blend until it’s creamy.

This recipe is endlessly variable.  You can use any greens you want (kale, lettuces, cabbage, dandelion greens, arugula, etc.), although spinach is the most mild.  You can also use any fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand.  It is a good idea to use something to make it creamy: a banana or two, an avocado, or some coconut milk. 

Healthy Kid-Friendly Lunch and Snack Ideas

(I have two small kids, so I know it's easy to get into a snack rut.  Here are a few lunch/snack "recipes" that my kids love.  Most of these ideas are adapted from Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks for kids.  Check out Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes, and Salad People and More Real Recipes, for detailed instructions and other ideas.)

·      Make your own hummus, then let your kids create wraps on whole-wheat tortillas with the hummus, carrot sticks, red pepper slices, spinach, sprouts, and other veggies.

·      Make “salad people” out of fruits and vegetables.

·      Create mini pizzas on top of pita bread, English muffins, or refrigerated biscuit dough.

·      Lay out a salad bar and let kids assemble their own salads.

·      Try a soup bar.  Fill bowls with cubed tofu, beans, corn, little pastas, carrots, peas, etc.  Let the kids put what they want in their bowls then pour heated broth over top.

·      Make fruit juice pops with Dixie cups and popsicle sticks

·      Create “bagel faces” by topping a bagel half with nut butter or another spread, then fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

·      Build “tiny tacos” with refried beans, salsa and olives on top of tortilla chips

·      Create peanut butter pictures by spreading a slice of bread with peanut butter and letting your kids make designs with raisins and banana slices.

·      Put some (nondairy) yogurt in a bowl and let kids top it as they wish—with berries, fruit slices, granola, etc.

·      Place a dollop of applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of a bowl of oatmeal and let the kids swirl it in.

·      Kids love smoothies—including green smoothies!

·      For a quick snack, whiz up some banana milk or strawberry milk.  Place a cup of soymilk or almond milk in the blender, then blend in a banana or a handful of fresh or frozen strawberries.

·      Kids also love dipping:

o   Raw or steamed vegetables dipped in homemade hummus

o   Carrot sticks, apple slices and pretzels dipped in peanut butter

o   Toast sticks dipped in applesauce

o   Fruit slices dipped in (non-dairy) yogurt

o   Tortilla chips with salsa

o   Raw vegetables or tortilla chips in mashed black beans mixed with salsa or some cumin and lime juice

o   Anything in guacamole (just mash an avocado with lime juice and salt)

Brown Rice Salad with Kiwi and Apple

I still don't have a camera.  I probably should have dealt more fully with that issue before launching this blog... but in the interest of not losing steam, I'll just go ahead and post some of my favorite recipes sans photos!  This brown rice salad is one of my favorites in the summertime when I can't stand to eat anything hot.  Also, it is very pretty, although you will just have to take my word for it.

New Zealand-Style Brown Rice Salad with Kiwifruit and Apple

(from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein)

1 cup brown rice, cooked

2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced into thin half-rounds

1 Fuji apple, cut into ½-inch cubes

½ cup thinly sliced celery

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients until well combined.  Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, then toss again.  Serve at room temperature.  (You can also refrigerate it and serve it chilled.)

Garlicky Kale with Mushrooms

I just realized that two out of my first four posts contain kale recipes.  This blog's title is not a joke, people.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  I made it for the first time a couple of days ago.  I've made braised kale many times, but for some reason it never occurred to me to add this much garlic to it.  Turns out, the garlic makes it over-the-top delicious.

I liked this recipe so much that after making it with cremini mushrooms on Tuesday night, I decided to make it again Wednesday night.  I didn't have any more mushrooms, though, so I made the kale as directed and threw in some steamed broccoli at the end.  It was great, and I think you could probably substitute pretty much any vegetable for the mushrooms and expect it to turn out garlic-licious.

So here are the ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound kale, coarse stems removed, leaves sliced or torn into pieces
• Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper 

And here is the procedure:

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic in the oil for about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Spray it with a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle on the salt. Let them cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the moisture has released and the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the kale and pepper, and use tongs to sauté for about 10 more minutes. Add splashes of water if the pan seems dry. The kale should be tender and cooked down pretty well. Serve immediately. 

Wheat Berry & Strawberry Salad

This is an easy and filling weeknight meal that I threw together today.  It starts with making a simple wheatberry salad.  If you've never tried wheat berries, you totally should: They are sturdy and filling, and (of course) super-nutritious.



Wheat Berry & Strawberry Salad with Citrus Dressing

1 1/2 c. wheat berries

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 orange, sectioned

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

1) Rinse the wheat berries well, then place them in a pot of water that covers them by about two inches.  Add a pinch of salt to the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for about an hour.  When the wheat berries are tender and chewy, drain the water.

2) Toss the wheat berries with the juice of 1 orange and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.  (You can add olive oil at this point if you'd like to, but I try to avoid using oil unless it's necessary for a methodological reason in a recipe.)

3) When the wheat berries are cooled, add in the sliced strawberries and the orange sections.  (It would also be great with other kinds of fruit, or with fresh herbs like basil or parsley.  Give yourself permission to be creative!)

The wheat berry salad is done!  It takes a little while because of the long cooking time of the wheat berries, but it's very little hands-on time; it's a cinch, actually.

To assemble:  Lay out a bed of leafy greens on a plate.  I used some gorgeous mixed lettuces from my mom's garden, but fresh spinach would be good too.  Layer the wheat berry & strawberry salad over the top of the greens, and top it off with a generous sprinkling of roasted chickpeas.  (It would also be great topped with some toasted walnuts or pecans or sunflower seeds, if you prefer.)

Roasted Chickpeas

I make these crunchy roasted chickpeas all the time.  They're one of my most-utilized recipes, in fact.  My kids eat them like popcorn, I put them out as party snacks, and I love using them as "croutons" on top of salads or soups or anything that calls out for a little extra crunch.  Not only are they delicious, but they are also rich in protein, fiber, and minerals.  Plus they only take a few minutes of hands-on time to make.  They're a win-win-win, is what I'm saying.

It's more of a method than a recipe.  All you need is chickpeas, extra-virgin olive oil, and a seasoning blend of your choice.  Here's what you do:

1) Get the chickpeas ready.  If you're using the dried kind, that means soaking them overnight then cooking them for 1-2 hours.  If you're using the canned kind, it just means opening the can then draining the chickpeas and rinsing them well.  (I don't recommend making less than 2 cans at a time-- Trust me, they will all get eaten!)

2) Lay the chickpeas out on a baking sheet or in a Pyrex baking dish.  Drizzle them with olive oil.  Most recipes call for 1-2 tablespoons of oil, but I usually just use about a teaspoon.  That's plenty to get the job done.

3) Sprinkle the chickpeas with whatever seasonings you like.  I normally use salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano.  Or you can just use a seasoning salt blend.  After you've oiled and spiced them, taste one: If it tastes well-seasoned before you cook it, it will taste delicious afterward too.

4)  Roast the chickpeas in a pre-heated 400-degree oven.  It will take 30-45 minutes, so you'll want to reach in with a spatula and give them a stir every ten minutes or so.  You'll know they're done when they are crispy and crunchy, and perhaps some of them will start to split down the seam.

I just ate these for dinner and I already want more.

Menu: Vegan Summer Buffet: Grilled Kale, Quinoa Salad, and Roasted Red Potato Salad

Yesterday was my brother's birthday, so we had a big family party (as we are wont to do) and fed everyone.  By doubling and tripling recipes, we were able to set out big bowls of salads and foods for a satisfying buffet.  I took photos of it, but it seems there was a problem with my camera and I lost most of the photos (though luckily my brother took some pictures of the grilled kale; see below!)

It might be hard for some people to imagine what you'd make for a vegan buffet, especially when there is a barbeque grill handy.  But our buffet was colorful and satisfying.  Here are the things we made:

1) We made a green salad with sundry lettuces and radish microgreens from local BUG Farms (harvested by my brother and his gal-pal Sharon).  We threw in some ripe tomatoes from my uncle's garden, plus sliced almonds and dried cranberries, then we dressed it with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

2) Of course, in true summer fashion, there was a huge bowl of watermelon and cantaloupe.  It isn't a buffet without fruit salad!

3) Grilled Kale

As I'm sure you've guessed from the title of the blog, kale is pretty much my favorite vegetable.  It's an under-used ingredient for most people, which is a shame because it is so robustly nutritious and versatile.

My brother has a few healthy kale plants growing out in the garden, so we decided to try something new and grill it up.  First we cut some Red Russian Kale and some Curly Kale out of the garden...

Then we washed the leaves well and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper...

Then we placed the leaves, with their stems intact, onto the grill, turning them frequently.  The curly kale held its structure better than the red Russian, and the leaves also got more pleasantly crispy.  (Next time I do this I'll only use curly kale, I think.)  We also threw some thick lemon slices onto the grill.

Once the leaves were crisped up, we squeezed the grilled lemon over the top and ate the kale like lollipops.  (You probably don't want to eat the stems, but leaving them on makes them easier to grill.  It's easy to just nibble around them.)

4) Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Beans and Avocadoes

Quinoa salads are one of my favorite things to make, because the recipes are endlessly variable.  The first quinoa salad I ever made was from Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, but once you have the method down you can just use whatever you have in the fridge and pantry and whip up something delicious.  We made a gigantic bowl of quinoa salad yesterday, so I'll reduce the proportions here: This would probably serve 4-6 people.

2 c. quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 lb. sweet potatoes, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can black or kidney beans
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
A handful of black olives, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 lime
Salt and pepper

If you've never made quinoa before, it's super-easy.  Use the same proportions as you would use to make rice: 1 c. quinoa to 2 c. water, plus a pinch of salt.  It only takes about 15-20 minutes to cook up.

And roasting sweet potatoes is easy, too.  Just peel and dice the potatoes, and toss them with a tablespoon (or less) of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast them in a 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they are tender.

Once you've got the quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes prepared, the rest is easy.  Just throw all of the ingredients into a bowl, squeeze on the lime juice, apply salt and pepper to taste, and voila!  Quinoa salad.  Done.

5) Roasted Red Potato Salad with Lemon and Basil

We kind of made this one up as we went, and it turned out delicious.  Roasting the potatoes and lemons gave it a really deep but slightly sweet lemony flavor, and the tomatoes, corn and basil turned it into a summery-tasting dish.  It got devoured and it will definitely be in our regular rotation this summer!
2 lb. red potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
1 lemon, cut into eighths
2 T. olive oil
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. defrosted frozen corn
1 or 2 handfuls of basil leaves, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

First, place the potatoes and the lemon pieces in a roasting dish with the olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Roast the potatoes at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork and crispy around the edges.

When the roasted lemons are cooled enough to handle, squeeze their juice over the potatoes.  Let cool.  Toss the cooled potatoes with halved cherry tomatoes, corn, and basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with lemon zest.  Serve at room temperature.

And 6) Dessert was lime cupcakes with lime zest frosting and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter-swirled frosting.  My mom made them and they were amazing, and I have good news for you: She caters cupcakes, both traditional and vegan!  She's working on getting a website up, and I'll let you know when it's ready for you to peruse.

Welcome!

I was going to write the inaugural kale-vangelical post today... but then I got in a water fight and played Monopoly until 1:30 a.m.  So it will have to wait until tomorrow.  See you then!