Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Walnuts ( A Turkish Recipe)

from turkishcookbook.com
( serves 4)

Ingredients
2 large eggplants
Juice from 1/2 lemon juice ( or acc to taste)
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
Topping:
1/3 cup walnuts, crumbled

Directions
Before putting them in the oven, make holes on the eggplants with a fork so that they will soften and roast better. Then place them on an oven tray and roast for about 25 minutes on broil. Alternatively, you can barbecue them until softened. Then peel them, remove any seeds and place in a strainer to drain.
Place the roasted eggplants in an ovenproof dish. Cut into small pieces with a knife. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and toss. Sprinkle the walnuts all over.
Place the dish on the second rack from the top in the oven. Grill for about 4 minutes until walnuts become lightly roasted.

Aubergine Ruffles


Ingredients
augbergines (eggplant)
olive oil
salt and pepper to season
Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Directions
Thinly slice the aubergines and brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Lay on a baking sheet and bake in a 500ºF/260ºC oven 15 minutes per side. Toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and freshly chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
These can be eaten as chips with Tahini sauce or used as burger in a sandwich.

Tuscan Bean Soup

From VeganYumYum
( Serves 2)

Ingredients
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
2 Medium Carrots, sliced into very thin coins
1 Medium Russet Potato, cut into a 1/4″ dice
2 Cups Water
1 Can White Beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northern)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Seitan, sliced thin (optional)
2-3 Large Kale Leaves, deveined and roughly chopped
2-3 tsp Lemon Juice
Fresh herbs for garnish, optional

Directions
Saute the onions over medium-low heat in a medium sized, heavy pot that has a lid. Slice the carrots into 1/8″ coins and add to pot. Cut potato into 1/4″ dice and add to pot, stirring occasionally. Add water and loosen any stuff that has stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add salt, oregano, tomato paste and stir. Cover and turn head down to a low boil.

Slice seitan and kale, drain and rinse the beans. Add seitan and beans to pot and stir. The stew should be quite thick. Add kale and lemon juice. Taste and season if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes until kale is tender. Carrots should be tender, and the potato should be soft but still hold its shape. Serve and garnish with fresh herbs, shown here with thyme.

Portugese Bean Soup


From Real Age Diet
( serves 4, makes about 7 cups of Soup)

Ingredients
2 t Olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped white onion
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup diced ( 1/2 inch) unpeeled sweet potato ( Diced and peeled butternut or delicata squash can be substituted too)
3 to 4 t chilli garlic sauce or chili puree with garlic
1 can diced tomatoes undrained ( or dice 2-3 fresh tomatoes)
2 cups cooked great northern or cannnellini beans
4 t balsamic vinegar (optional)
4 cups packed sliced Swiss Chard or Collard Greens ( Kale, turnip or beet greens can be substituted too)

Directions
Cook onion in heated oil in saucepan for three minutes or so. Add broth, sweet potato and chili sauce; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered five minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beans; return to simmer. Stir in greens. Simmer five minutes until greens or potatoes are tender. Stir in vinegar if desired and ladle into 4 serving bowls.
The soup maybe be purred if desired; or thickened to served over bed of pasta or baked potato or rice or grain for that matter.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Feta Stuffed Zucchini Boat


( serves 2 as main dish or 4 as side dish or 8 as appetizer)

Ingredients
2 zucchini, about 7 inches long, halved lengthwise, stem end left intact
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced ( or even regular 1/4 onion will do)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoon flour ( WW)
2 ounces feta, crumbled
Pimenton (Spanish paprika)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish. ( I used cookie sheet lined with foil)
With a small knife, cut around the zucchini, leaving a rim. Cross hatch the center, then scoop out with a grapefruit knife. ( can use spoon and small knife)
In a small skillet, heat the olive oil . Add the zucchini scoopings, shallot and garlic and saute until soft/bit brown. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the flour, feta and cooked zucchini. ( also put in some pepper and salt). Stuff the zucchini boats. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes till they look cooked and then brown slightly under the broiler.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes (Baigan Bharta)

(Serves 4)

Ingredients
2 Medium eggplants
2 tablespoons water
3 medium onions -- peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic -- peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root -- minced
2 green chiles -- or jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder -- or garam masala ( or 1 T sabzi masala instead of cumin and curry powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh peas -- (or frozen)
2 tomatoes chopped
1 cup diced peppers (mixture of green,yellow, orange, red) (optional)
2 tablespoons cilantro – chopped
1/3 green lentils dry (then cooked) (optional)
1 cup cooked chickpeas (optional)
½ T olive oil (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prick each eggplant with a fork in two or three places. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, arrange the eggplants. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the eggplants are tender and the skin begins to char. Let cool. Carefully peel away and discard the skin. Chop the pulp coarsely and set aside. ( you can mash eggplant too)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the water or oil if using. Add the onions and sauté for while till bit brown. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are mushy. Then add green chilies, and cook for 2 more minutes, until the whole thing wet solid. Add spices, salt, peas, peppers and simmer over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the mashed eggplant, lentils, chickpeas and chopped cilantro. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the flavors are well blended.
You can prepare this dish 2 days in advance. Refrigerate, then reheat before serving. Eat with flat bread or baked pita chips.

If used as appetizer, one can omit chickpeas and lentils. For main dish, these protein sources can be added.

Low Fat Banana Bread

( makes 2 loaves, 24 slices)

Ingredients
1 ¼ cup sugar ( I used 1 cup )
½ cup softened butter or atleast 65% vegetable oil stick margarine
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup mashed very ripe bananas ( 3 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk or low fat yogurt
1 t vanilla
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup frozen blueberries ( optional)

Directions

Make sure that oven rack is such that tops of pans are in middle of oven. Preheat ovean to350 deg C. Grease (only bottoms and not sides, so that bread is round on top ) two pans of either size 8 ½ X 4 ½ X 2 ½ inches or 9 X 5 X 3 inches.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in Bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt just until moistened ( don’t mix too much). Stir in nuts and divide batter evenly between 2 pans.

Bake 8 inch loaf pan for about hour and 9 inch one for 1 hr 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack. Loosen pans, and remove loaves from pan to wire rack. Cool for 2 hrs and then only slice ( if not cooled properly, slices might crumble). Wrap tightly and store at room temp for 4 days or in fridge for 10 days.

Dr Weil's Barley Salad (Tabbouleh )

(serves 4)

This summer salad combines barley, a satisfying, nutty grain, with fresh vegetables. Flavored with mint, parsley, garlic and lemon, it might remind you of tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern dish traditionally made with bulghur wheat. Barley has one of the lowest glycemic loads of any grain, and parsley has carminative (intestinal gas-relieving) and diuretic properties, making it an excellent tonic ingredient. Look for the flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, which has a more pronounced flavor than the curly leaf variety. This dish makes a healthy alternative to the usual picnic or potluck potato salad. Try it as a light meal all on its own, or as a wonderful accompaniment to other dishes.

Ingredients
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup pearl barley or hulled barley
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
1 bunch radishes, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (or 1/4 cup dried mint)
1 cup kidney beans ( optional)

Dressing:

3 T extra-virgin olive oil or less ( I used 1 T )
3 T fresh lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed
Salt to taste

Directions
Bring to a boil the vegetable stock (or water). Add barley and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Drain well and place in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over barley.
Allow barley to cool, then add the parsley, scallions, radishes, cucumber, red pepper and mint. Mix well and chill for several hours before serving.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Lentil Walnut Feta Salad

(serves 4)

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry lentils
1/2 cup walnut pieces
3-4 green onions
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2- 3 T red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1/2 t dijon mustard
salt and pepper acc to taste
crumbled goat cheese (30 - 50 g per serving)
1 T olive oil
1/2 cucumber deseeded and cut into pieces
3- 4 mushrooms
1 tomato cut into pieces without seeds
Any other kind of vegetables like peppers, radishes etc

Directions
Wash the lentils, then place in pot with bay leaves and enough water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and discard bay leaves. Let cool for a few minutes.Meanwhile, heat cooking oil, add shallots or onions, garlic, and 1/2 t salt, and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until lightly colored. Add 2 T red wine vinegar and cook another 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a 325° oven for 5 minutes or a frying pan over medium heat, until golden. Whisk together remaining T vinegar, bit salt, mustard, pepper, and olive oil. Combine lentils, shallots, walnuts, and dressing and other vegetables in the medium bowl, then gently stir in cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.