Mushroom, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito with Avocado Salsa Verde

30 01 2018

I had some sweet potatoes and flour tortillas in my refrigerator and  a craving for Mexican food. This dish was the result. My friend said it was the best vegetarian burrito she has ever eaten and that I must put it on my website. Her wish is my command.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil (I actually used EVOO Chipotle Olive oil)

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (shiitake and portobello)

8 oz. baby spinach

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 jarred roasted red peppers, sliced

2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

Salsa:

2 ripe avocados

1 cup salsa verde

2 garlic cloves

1/2 to 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

water to thin as necessary

sea salt, to taste

6 flour tortillas

Garnish:

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded

1/2 red onion, minced

sour cream

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Squash, Fennel and Taleggio Galette

25 02 2017

I looked in my refrigerator and found a Kabocha squash and a head of fennel and got inspired. This is a classic French style galette, meaning an open-form tart. It is easy to make with store bought puff pastry. The texture and flavor combinations are sublime particularly topped off with the creamy Taleggio. It serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 small squash or pumpkin

5 tbsp. olive oil (you can use flavored oils as well like rosemary olive oil)

1 tsp mace, ground

2 small fennel bulbs

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp fennel pollen or fennel seeds, crushed

1 lb baby spinach

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tsp milk (for an egg wash)

1/2 lb Taleggio cheese, sliced

1 box puff pastry

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Vegetable Bebimbap

15 01 2014
This is my favorite dish from Korea. I love the flavor of all the vegetables and the spiciness of the condiments. You can substitute any vegetables you desire and adjust the spiciness to your taste. The key is to cook the rice perfectly with a little brown crust on the bottom. This is a one pot meal.
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Spinach and Romaine Salad with Tamarind Citrus Dressing and Pappadams

29 08 2011
This recipe was also part of my exploration of Indian food. Usually Indian salads are more of a small side dish, but I was looking for something that was more like our American salads with an Indian twist. I found it in this Tamarind Citrus Dressing. The crummbled pappadums made an interesting twist to the typical slivered nuts and bacon found on a spinach salad.

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Ratatouille Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Goat Cheese

3 08 2011
Ratatouille is a celebration of summer harvest. So, I cooked this dish to celebrate my friend’s birthday.  It was a huge hit. Often ratatouille is just presented as a stew, but this presentation gives a bit more elegance to the meal. You can make it ahead and even stuff the mushrooms. Then all you have to do is crumble goat cheese over, reheat and serve.

1 onion, chopped

5 garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

1 1-pound eggplant, trimmed, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Pinch of cayenne pepper

four 4-to-5 inch-diameter portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 10-ounce package ready-to-use spinach leaves

1 8oz log of soft goat cheese or goat cheese crumble Read the rest of this entry »





Green Drink Extaordinaire

24 05 2010
I just finished up a weekend cooking at a retreat center in North Carolina. One of my fellow chefs kept juicing up all these amazing green vegetables and coming up with a truly delicious green juice drink. This is fully packed with nutrition and even better, great flavor. Use all organic fruits and vegetables if possible. You will need a good juicer to make this. Vary the amount of apple to your taste. Thank you Martha Diane.

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Baked Polenta with Kabocha Pumpkin, Greens, and Sage

26 03 2010

I love making polenta. It is easy and so versatile. If you make a big casserole of polenta, it can be made ahead and serves lots of guests. You really can’t go wrong. I had pumpkin and swiss chard and spinach to use up in my refrigerator so I came up with this dish. You could also use butternut squash and any braising greens you like. I added in a smoked gouda at the end which gave it quite a nice smoky flavor. My husband said it reminded him a little of bacon. Of course, if you want a milder flavor so that you can taste more of the sage, use shredded mozzarella instead. I wanted to feature EVOO’s Sage and Mushroom oil in this dish but I think the smoked cheese was too strong for it. I did roast the pumpkin in that oil and it gave off a great aroma. So I think I can refine this dish by taking out the smoky flavor and accenting more with the sage which goes so beautifully with winter squash. 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 »




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 »




Spinach Sauteed with Olive Oil and Garlic

12 01 2010

Leave it to Marcella Hazan, the guru of Italian cooking, to turn a simple recipe into a gourmet delight. This spinach is so full of flavor and great as a side vegetable dish. Tonight I made it with a combination of spinach and beet greens. This is really good with any greens but if using tougher greens like kale, you may want to parboil it first.

2 pounds fresh spinach

Sea salt

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Discard the hard end of the stems of the spinach or if tough, remove the leaves from the entire stem. Rinse the spinach leaves in several changes of cold water and drain. Cook the spinach leaves in a covered pan with 1 tbsp salt.  Cook until tender. Drain well but do not squeeze.

Put the garlic and olive oil in a skillet, turn the heat to medium high and when the garlic becomes a light nut-brown color, remove from the pan. Add the spinach and toss in the garlic flavored oil. Taste to adjust seasoning for salt. Transfer to a warmed platter and serve at once.