Kale with Lemon Juice

Easy, Delicious, Nutritious.

Steam kale.
Squeeze lemon juice atop kale and season with salt and pepper.



Tastes best if you steam it until the stems are dull in color but the leaves still hold shape. If you cook it for a long time till it's wilted, it still tastes good but be sure to squeeze any excess water out.

Cornbread Stuffing with Wild Rice and Cranberries

I made this for the first time on Thanksgiving in the year 2007. I combined the elements of all the stuffing I had had in life and put this one together. Amounts of each thing don't matter too much, they just need to be mixed together in a pan so that not one ingredient totally dominates.

Cornbread (toasted, dried or stale is best) and any leftover or stale bakery bread lying around
Wild Rice cooked with butter and herbs
At least 1 onion
A few shallots (optional)
4-6 stalks celery
5 cloves garlic
Handful dried cranberries ("craisins")
Handful golden raisins (optional)
Fresh or fresh-frozen herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary
Vegetable stock
Salt and pepper


Prepare the rice, cornbread, and stock. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop the onions, garlic, shallots, and celery. Puree half this mixture.
Sautee the chopped and pureed vegetables in oil with the herbs and seasonings.
Mix the rice, cornbread, vegetables, dried cranberries and golden raisins in a baking pan. Moisten with vegetable stock.
Bake until the top is brown and crispy (about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how moist you make it).

Everything but the Tofurkey

We had Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Cooked all day and made nine dishes total for just two people. Even though it was vegetarian, it was pretty traditional, and it was probably the first time I ever really liked everything served at a Thanksgiving dinner.

We had:

Cornbread
Potato bread with black pepper
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Kale with Lemon
Cornbread stuffing with wild rice, cranberries and golden raisins
Wild Rice with herbs
Cranberry sauce/relish with orange
Spicy Tempeh Strips with sour cream
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

It was plenty, even without a bird or bird substitute.

Spicy Tempeh with Sour Cream and Lime

1 Package Tempeh
Cayenne Pepper
1 Lime
Sour Cream (real or fake)

Fry Tempeh in oil
Shake in bay with Cayenne Pepper until well coated
Squeeze lots of lime juice on
Serve with the sour cream as a dip, and serve with lime wedges, cause you can never have enough lime juice in this one.

Tomato Topovers

Tomatoes
Bread
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Slice tomatoes thickly and fry in oil.
Toast bread and top with fried tomatoes.
Top with salt, pepper, and a little more oil.

Recipe by Brian B of Pillowgoat.com.

Gingery Marinated Chickpeas

5 cups cooked/canned chick peas
5 to 6 Tbs. olive oil
3 to 4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tbs. finely minced ginger
2 to 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything, mix well, cover tightly, and let marinate practically
indefinitely. Stir from the bottom periodically during marination.

This recipe was given to me by Amy A. who was my roommate for a summer. She'd make this if there was a barbecue. I make it if I need to pack lunches for a few days in a row--it just gets better every day it's in the fridge and is a great picnic food.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Chocolate Chip
Makes about 1 quart

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped
1 1/2 cups raw cashews or cashew pieces (trader joe's has the best deal I've found)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup grade B bmaple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla flavor


Combine the cashews, water, syrup, and vanilla a blender. Blend on high until silky smooth, at least 1 minute. Place the blender in the feezer for 40 mins or in the fridge for at least one hour, until well chilled.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Remove the cover and blade from the ice cream maker and fold in the chocolate chips.

This recipe is adapted from a great book calledVice Cream by Jeff Rogers. It is full of delicious non-dairy ice cream. The catch is that cashews are pretty expensive, but if you can find a good deal, this is an all-around winner.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joe

1 pkg. Fake Ground Beef
1 Can Manwich
1 Package Hamburger Buns

Fry up fake beef.
Mix with Manwich.
Assemble on buns.

Brian's Special

Bowtie or other shaped pasta
Bell pepper, chopped
Small fragment of onion, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
Thin Asparagus, fried
Baked or fried tofu, or fried tempeh
Capers
Annie's goddess or other tahini-based dressing
Black peppercorns, crushed or ground

Cook the pasta.
Fry the asparagus.
Mix all ingredients together and toss.

Can also substitute other vegetables.

This recipe by Brian B. of Pillowgoat.com

Pizza Topping Combos

Running List-Check back:

Orange, Red, and Yellow bell pepper sliced into sticks with lots of tomato sauce

Basil, sun dried tomato, and fake sausage

Mushrooms and onions sauteed in chili flakes with sauce (and/or cheese)

Butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese

Sliced tomato, lemon zest, and a little lemon juice

Potatoes and Rosemary and flavorful olive oil with lots of salt and pepper (no sauce)

Pizza #3

This is a no-big-deal pizza meant to be made quickly, but is still good.
Pizza from frozen dough.

This could be dough made from scratch and frozen, or dough purchased at Trader Joe's for a dollar a pizza. They have regular, whole wheat, and cornbread; they're all really good.

This is the pizza you make when you just want a normal night--a quick meal without big deal.

Ingredients:
Pre-made pizza crust dough
Sauce or fresh tomatoes
Onion
Whatever pizza toppings you have: mushrooms, bell peppers (red orange yellow combo is nice), basil or oregano, etc. Check "pizza topping" post for ideas, too.
Cheese, if you want

I usually saute the vegetables first but if you're in a rush, you can just put them on the pizza.

Spread out the dough on an oiled cast-iron skillet (or baking sheet, or pizza stone)
Add toppings.
Bake according to dough instructions- usually around 10-15 minutes.

Cut with a large knife applied like a guillotine with slow rocking pressure.

Cool and eat.


Notes: Non pizza type food might still work, like potatoes, canned corn, or butternut squash--If i have something like that, I usually surf the web to see how they are used by others. (For example, potatoes are usually used on non-sauce pizzas, corn is used with cheese, and butternut squash paired with sage and goat cheese.) If anyone makes a good one with no fresh ingredients, let me know, and we can post a "don't have to go to the grocery store" pizza.

Spring Rolls

Spring Roll Wrappers (Vietnamese)
Glass noodles (thin clear or white vermicelli), soaked in hot water to cook

Tofu or Tempeh, fried

Fresh herbs (basil, mint, and/or cilantro)

Raw Vegetables: Shredded carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, celery strips, just whatever you've got...

Prepare all ingredients in separate piles so they're ready to be added into the rolls. Setting up a station where everything is ready and within reach is key to being able to get in a good rhythm making the rolls.

Lay out a clean, non-terrycloth dish towel on a half of a cutting board. This will be used to dry out the spring roll wrappers.

Heat up a skillet or pan of water. It can be boiling (then turned off) or just below a boil. You want it pretty hot but it's easier if the water is cool enough to touch. Place the stack of wrappers in an accessible place near the pan.

To make a roll, submerge a wrapper in the water for a minute or so, and remove carefully with a spatula. Place on a plate to transport it from the stove to the work area with minimal dripping. Place the next wrapper in right away so it can soften while you assemble the roll.

Spread the wrapper out on the towel and flip over to remove excess water.
Move the wrapper off of the towel and fill with ingredients. Keeping the noodles on the top will improve the look of the finished spring roll (this way, carrots or herbs will appear on the outside).

Fold in the sides and roll the wrapper as you'd roll a burrito. Roll it as tightly as possible and seal the last flap with a little water if it doesn't stick tight.

Serve with lots of peanut sauce (see recipe on this site).

Eat within a day or two.

Peanut Sauce #1: Grateful Dead Peanut Sauce

3-4 tbs. Peanut butter
Soy Sauce or Tamari to taste (a few tablespoons)
Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. grated ginger
Water to dilute

Mix into a spreadable sauce. Can still be really good if all you have is peanut butter, water, and one or two other ingredients.

This recipe is adapted from Cooking with the Dead: Recipes and Stories from Fans on the Road by Elizabeth Zipern (St. Martins, New York, 1995). This one was by someone named Greg and it is a sauce for a tempeh sandwich.

It keeps for a while in the fridge--not sure how long but I've never had it go bad.

Peanut sauce on a sandwich, on noodles, on rice with vegetables, as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, on fried tofu or tempeh...


What else can this delicious food make more delicious?

Peanut Sauce #2: Senegalese

Peanut Sauce to go with rice:
3 tbs oil
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 -1tsp of your favorite piment (hot pepper)-
1/2 tsp salt
1 bullion cube-
1 cup water-or more depending on the density of the peanut butter you’re using
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup diced onion

Saute tomato paste, hot pepper, salt, onion and bullion cube in oil for a few minutes. Add peanut butter and water. All natural peanut butter is better than the processed type because it doesn’t have any sugar that clashes with the salt. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Makes enough sauce for 3 servings (1 1/2 cups dry rice). Serve with white sweet potatoes.

I got this from this site:
http://www.geocities.com/fon_is_fun/beninese_food_recipes.htm
I like to imagine that I was in the peace corps group with these girls, and when I make it, I always reminisce with fake memories of people I might have met in Benin.

This one doesn't keep in the fridge for as long as Peanut Sauce #1 but has a richer flavor. It is better for dinner-type meals like beans and rice.

Risotto Cakes

Shape leftover risotto into small cakes.
Shallow-fry in olive oil.
Serve wrapped in lettuce or on a bed of spinach.

Inspired by a recipe in The New English Kitchen by Rose Prince. Hers added an egg to them but I like to keep my leftover heating up a little simpler.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients
4 cups stock (veggie or mushroom)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 head celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. olive oil
Fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for sprinkling on top
Fresh and rehydrated wild mushrooms (about 1/4 pound fresh and 1 handful dried is a good amount)
1 Potato (yukon gold is best), peeled
Oregano and thyme

Directions
1. Boil 4 1/4 cups water in saucepan. Add potato and let boil until potato is soft. Add boullion after potato is removed to make stock.
2. Rehydrate dried mushrooms by covering with warm water (just enough to cover mushrooms)
3. Mash up the potato and set aside. Chop fresh mushrooms if necessary.
4. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, 10-15 minutes. Add rice, salt and pepper, cook one minute, or until rice is slightly translucent, stirring constantly. Turn up heat to medium high.
5. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in a pinch of salt.
6. Add one ladle of stock (1/3 to 1/2 cup), cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. After stock is absorbed, add another ladleful. This process should take 15 minutes or so. Add mushrooms and potato about halfway through the stock. Add water from dried mushrooms along with the mushrooms
7. When all the stock is absorbed, turn off the heat, put on the lid and let it sit for 3 minutes. Then take off the lid and stir in the rest of the olive oil. Stir and serve with chopped fresh basil or parsley sprinkled on top.

The flavor comes from the fresh herbs and the rehydrated mushroom water. The potato gives it creaminess.

Base risotto recipe from http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=268

Butternut Squash Risotto

2 pounds butternut squash (I do half yams instead of all butternut)
2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup of dry white wine
7 cups stock
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped chives and shaved parmesan and basil oil to garnish.

Peel the squash and remove seeds. Cut into small 1/4 inch dice. Set aside.
Heat the butter and oil together in a deep saucepan and saute the onions and garlic until soft but not browned. Add the squash and rice and continue to saute and stir for 2-3 minutes longer. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring until absorbed. Continue adding stock and stirring until rice is creamy on the outside but has some texture to it. Gently stir in cheese, zest, nutmeg, and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately in warm bowls garnished with chopped chives, additional Parmesan and a drizzle of fresh basil oil, if desired.

This recipe was given to me by Lisa Dale Beevers, or Dale Beevers for short. We made it at her house in East Oakland in 2002 during a meeting where a few of us were sketching out ideas for an archaeological guide book to San Francisco.

We never finished the guide book but did get a good outline going, and I still make the risotto from time to time. Her email to me, dated Febuary 27, 2002, says this recipe is "Exported from MasterCook II" and is by "Cooking Right Show #CR9665".

Molasses-Ginger Cookies

Mix together:
3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg.

Sift together (or, mix well):
2 c flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt


Stir in dry ingredients
Chill.
heat oven 375
Roll dough into balls size of walnuts. Dip top in sugar.
Place on greased baking sheets about 3" apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen.

This recipe is from my grandmother; my dad's mom. I don not know where she got it but will ask. She used to have them made when we'd stay with her, and the feeling of sitting down in front of "you can't do that on television" with some milk and a ginger cookie is the coziest feeling ever. We didn't have Nickelodeon, so you understand...

Later my friend Jen B saw this recipe and noted the "Chill" step and thought it was so funny. Like this was the time in the recipe that we were all supposed to just "chill".

This is the only recipe I have that is properly written on one index card.

Kelly's Friend's Aunt's Doctor’s Moroccan Stew

2 cans garbanzo beans
garlic
onion
ginger
pimento (4 oz)
1 25 oz can of chopped tomatoes
25 oz vegetable broth
sweet potatoes
cumin
curry powder
chili powder
salt-n-peppa
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons of peanut butter
1/2 cup raisins
celery

Directions
1. Sautee the garlic, onions, pimentos, celery
2. Add the spices
3. Add the sweet potatoes and coat with the paste of the spices
4. Add the broth and garbanzo beans and tomatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove from heat and add peanut butter, raisins and cilantro.

My friend Kelly gave me this recipe. She got it from a friend who got it from an aunt. The aunt was sick with a major disease and the doctor gave her this recipe to help her stay healthy.