Posts tagged vegetarian
Posts tagged vegetarian
It’s a warm early spring day here in NYC, and I’ve been craving gazpacho. This recipe worked great. Since tomatoes still aren’t at their peak I followed the recipe’s advice and used canned fire roasted tomatoes. I also roasted my own red pepper, which gave a great bright red color to the soup. Finally, I had some nice mango salsa sitting in my fridge that added a great hot / sweet flavor. I saved a little bit of the chopped veggie mixture (along with some chopped avocado) for garnish. The soup went great with some black bean and cheddar nachos on the side.
Pasta with White Beans, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Here’s another good, quick, weeknight meal. I used some ramp pesto that was leftover from the Pasta with Fiddleheads that I made a few nights ago. Serve over cavatappi pasta with a good bottle of Italian wine, and you can’t go wrong.
Grilled Goat Cheese Panini
I made these lovely little sandwiches for lunch today. Didn’t follow a recipe, but it all came together pretty intuitively. I sauteed some green onions in olive oil and then folded the warm onions into some goat cheese. I spread the goat cheese on bread that I’d buttered on the outside, and then added some strips of roasted red pepper. I used a grill pan to toast the sandwiches and then added arugula before slicing diagonally and serving with green olives.
Pasta with Fiddle Heads, Ramp Pesto and Avocado Cream Sauce
Ramps and fiddle heads are both in season now. It’s spring on a plate! The ramps added a great tang to the pesto. And I’d never heard of an avocado cream sauce before, but it actually worked out (avocados just melted into into the butter and milk). It’s hard to add this to the “regular rotation” since ingredients aren’t available for long, but this was a fun spring recipe to try.
I forgot to snap a picture before plating, but this dish is a great “one skillet” meal. You broil the asparagus an onions in the pan and then push them to the side and crack 4 eggs in the middle. Another minute under the broiler and dinner is ready. I served the dish over polenta and dressed with lemon juice and grated parmesan.
A tasty and inexpensive weeknight meal. Quinoa is a complete protein in and of itself, but added some toasted walnuts and goat cheese for garnish anyway. Oh, and the garlic cheesy bread made a nice side, too!
It’s been more than a year since I last made this soup, so I figured it was overdue. One tip: this is not one of those soups that gets better the longer it’s cooked. I ended up letting it go a little too long this time and it ended up more “boiled green” than “bright green”. Still tasted fine, but next time I’ll make sure to add the greens late and not overcook.
Tofu Stir Fry with Bok Choy, Bell Pepper and Bamboo
I’ve perfected my stir fry technique to the point where I don’t really need a recipe anymore - just ingredients. I always start by cubing my tofu and pressing the water out. Then I toss the tofu in soy sauce and fry until golden. Tofu comes out of the pan so vegetables can go in. Aromatics like garlic, ginger, and green onion go in first. Then it’s red bell pepper and bamboo. Finally toss the tofu back in to warm and add the greens. Always have everything chopped in advance so can keep the heat high and add the next ingredient quickly. And don’t forget to start a pot of rice while the tofu is cooking (like I almost did this time!). Everything gets finished by mixing a little flour with soy sauce and rice vinegar and pouring that into the pan to give it a little sauce that will thicken and perfectly coat the veggies.
Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms and Mascarpone
Phew! Work got pretty busy for a while there. I didn’t have much time to cook, and I was worried that the package of wild mushrooms in my fridge wouldn’t wait for me. Luckily, it did. So tonight I put down my Blackberry and whipped up this recipe. Only modification was to add some sliced shallots. The mascarpone added a nicely creamy and sweet finish. This is categorized as a “first course dish” on Epicurious, but I thought it was hearty enough to work as a main dish for a weeknight meal.
There’s nothing like hot soup for lunch on a cold winter Sunday. My husband loves beets, so I knew this would be a hit. I didn’t have buttermilk, so I just substituted a little regular milk and fresh squeezed lemon. Finishing garnish is some creme fraiche and fennel.
