Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Quinoa

14 03 2010
I love the flavors of Morocco, particularly a good tagine served over couscous. I saw this idea to use quinoa instead of couscous and I thought that would be great for people who are gluten-free. I discovered quinoa makes a perfect substitute. Remember, when making a stew, you can substitute any vegetables you have on hand. This stew also would have been good with some garbanzo beans in it. You can make it less spicy and then add harissa in, (a Moroccan chili paste), to your own liking. Read the rest of this entry »




Tofu, Spinach, Broccoli Enchiladas

12 03 2010
This is a wholesome enchilada recipe that is delicious made with either corn tortillas or whole wheat flour tortillas. I used the following Enchilada Sauce to cover but any salsa will work. This is great served with homemade guacamole and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt on top. Read the rest of this entry »




Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

1 03 2010

Risotto Stirring

We made this Risotto style dish at the cooking class. It was delicious and a nice twist on the classic risotto made with Arborio rice. Of course, the technique is exactly the same so you could always substitute rice for the barley. We found this dish to be quite rich tasting. It would work well as both a main course or as a side dish. The key is a good selection of mushrooms and a flavorful vegetable stock.

Read the rest of this entry »





Baked Cheesy Polenta with Greens and Spicy Tomato Sauce

24 02 2010
I made this for a dinner party and it was a huge success. The sauce is particularly yummy and very easy to make. I use it on lots of dishes besides polenta, like pasta and pizza. The other great bonus to this recipe is you can make it 24 hours in advance. I love that particularly when I am too busy the day of a party to get all the cooking done. Read the rest of this entry »




Wehani and Wild Rice Stew with Cremini Mushrooms, Winter Squash, and Kale

21 02 2010

You can actually use other types of mushroom as well as any type of whole grain rices or other grains in this recipe. Experiment and see what combinations work best.

1/3 cup Wehani rice

1/3 cup wild rice

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced into thick rounds

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp coarse sea salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil

1 large onion, diced

½ pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thickly sliced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced fresh sage

1 small or ½ large winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 4 cups)

1 small bunch kale, tough stems discarded, leaves sliced into thin strips (4 cups)

1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds Read the rest of this entry »





Baked Portobello Mushrooms with blue cheese, pecan crumbs and sage and smoked paprika aioli

21 02 2010

These mushrooms make a good side dish or main course with a salad or roasted beets  on the side. An aioli is a garlicky mayonnaise. This one is reddish in color due to the paprika. Use the leftover aioli to make a yummy tuna or salmon salad sandwich.

4 cloves garlic

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

9 oz olive oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice to taste

½ lb butter

1 bunch sage leaves

¼ cup pecans

1 slice whole wheat bread

4 large Portobello mushrooms

2 oz. Blue cheese Read the rest of this entry »





Thai Green Curry of Eggplant, Chickpeas, and Green Beans

19 02 2010

This is an easy curry if you have Thai green curry paste on hand that you can buy in jars in the Asian section of the grocery store. Of course, you can use any vegetables you have on hand. If you find kafir lime leaves, add one or two to the stew for a nice flavor. These leaves are used in the same way we use bay leaves to flavor stocks. Serve over brown jasmine rice. Read the rest of this entry »





Raw Tacos

19 02 2010

This raw food recipe came from a friend who attended the Hippocrates institute. As in many raw food recipes, it requires you to soak nuts which become the basis, or the meat, of the recipe. In this case, soak the walnuts overnight and then dehydrate to regain their crunch.  You can serve this walnut taco meat either wrapped in lettuce or cabbage leaves, or if you are not ready to be completely raw,  you can put it in traditional taco shells. Read the rest of this entry »





Braised Kale with Sweet Potatoes

17 02 2010

If you enjoy kale and sweet potatoes, you will love this recipe. I never understood the American obsession with sweetening sweet potatoes. They are already beautifully sweet, just as God made them . This recipe calls for a little orange juice which does sweeeten a little bit but mostly adds a lovely depth to the flavors. This dish can be eaten as a side dish or as a main course with a side salad.

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ onion, diced

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, minced

2 pounds kale, washed, tough ribs removed, leaves stacked and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup vegetable stock

1 orange

1 to 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 medium tomatoes

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Read the rest of this entry »





Farfalle with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Kale

9 02 2010
I needed to throw together a quick dinner with ingredients I had on hand and this easy winter pasta dish is what emerged.

4 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 lb of mixed mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used baby bella, shiitake, and another mixed wild mushroom blend.)

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1/3 cup dry white wine or sake

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg

1 lb farfalle pasta or any other short pasta shape like penne

1 head kale or spinach, washed and chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Read the rest of this entry »