Heirloom Tomato + Peach Salsa with Goat Cheese

Its unfortunate that I dont have a photo of this because its quite beautiful to look at.  Its also quite delicious to eat, so perhaps thats the reason why I wasn’t quick enough with the camera when Red, Mikey and I were picnicking yesterday, amidst our adventure and eventful bike ride along the river!  I know I will be making this again before the heirloom tomatoes and peaches trickle out of season, so Ill be sure to snap a photo then.  Until then, use your colorful imagination as you find yourself heading to your local farmers market to grab your produce and whip up this simple, summer pleasure.

serves 3 hungry, bike-riding adventurers

Ingredients

• 2 heirloom tomatoes, preferably from the local market
• 2 peaches, again from the local market
• 2-3 mint leaves
• 1/2 log of goat cheese
• whole wheat pita or flat breads

Instructions

Chop the tomatoes, peaches and mint and combine into a colorful blend.  Serve on flat bread (or on a bed of arugula) with goat cheese.

mangia!

Crispy Kale and BBQ Tempeh

Im back in the kitchen, after a short hiatus.  The many visitors in town over the last couple weeks kept me busy entertaining, however not busy cooking. (Lucky for me though, we enjoyed some fav DC restaurant spots including Founding Farmers, 2Amys and Sawatadee).

Tonight, I started with kale and tempeh and ended up with two delicious recipes to share.  Prior to this, Ive primarily used a simple olive oil and sea salt marinade for the kale – which is good, but basic.  I have to say the noosh + lemon juice + cayenne add something special.  Crispy and light, salty and spicy.  You never knew kale this good.

Crispy Kale

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast + 1/3 cup water
• sea salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, cayenne (all to taste)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place kale in a large bowl and set aside.  Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix until blended.  Pour marinade over kale and coat it completely.
Lay out kale on cookies sheets and place in oven for about 1 hour or until kale is crispy.*

*Note: cooking on low heat for an extended period of time is an alternative to dehydrating.  To get the kale very crispy, it is important to use this method.  However, if you are short for time or prefer the kale in a more soggy, marinated form, cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Tempeh soaked in Homemade BBQ Sauce
serves about 2

Ingredients

• 1 package of tempeh

For the BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 agave nectar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small sauce pan over medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tempeh into strips and combine with 2/3 of the BBQ sauce and let sit for a couple minutes.  Set aside the other 1/3 of the sauce to serve with later.  Place BBQ sauce soaked tempeh on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with extra BBQ sauce on small buns or solo with kale.

mangia!

Homemade Spinach Linguine with Basil Pesto, Spinach and Roasted Tomatoes

Cooking up a storm seemed appropriate given the weather.  Matt and I decided a rustic, hearty Italian-style dinner was just what we needed.  Homemade bread + pasta + pesto (all vegan!) left the kitchen covered in flour, but the effort was worth it.  Nonna would have been proud.

Homemade Spinach Linguine with Basil Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes

Spinach Linguine  (pasta maker required)

serves about 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup water
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and pureed

Instructions

Combine the flours, spinach and salt and add water gradually until a nice dough ball forms.  Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, using your palms and then separate the dough into small tennis-ball size balls.

Follow instructions for pasta machine as instructed.  I found it helpful to flour the dough very well prior to rolling through the machine, as the spinach made the dough very sticky.  Let pasta air-dry for about 15 minutes on a cooling rach (or if your lucky enough to have your own handmade pasta dryer from your father, use that :) ).

To cook pasta: Boil about 5 cups of water on medium heat.  Add a dash of salt.  Place pasta in water and cover and simmer until pasta floats to the top (about 5-8 minutes).  Strain pasta in colander and topwith Basil Pesto, Spinach and Roasted Tomato topping.

Basil Pesto 

makes about 1 cup of pesto

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts (or pine or almonds)
• hefty handful of basil leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional, but preferred)

Instructions

Combine nuts, basil and garlic in food processor and process until blended.  Slowly add oil, salt, pepper and yeast to taste and texture.

Pesto, Spinach and Roasted Tomato Topping

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Basil Pesto
• 1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved and roasted
• olive oil

Instructions

To roast the tomatoes, place them on a baking sheet and cook on 350 for about 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned and skin is soft.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on medium heat.  Add pesto, spinach and roasted tomatoes and cook for about 5-7 minutes (just until flavors are blended).  Top pasta with mixture and serve with a Rustic Loaf.

mangia!

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

A delicious topping for pizza, pasta or polenta! When I made this, I sautéed polenta circles and topped with roasted red peppers, the pesto and fresh, chopped basil.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup of water
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash of fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a low boil and simmer until soft (about 15 minutes).  Grind the almonds in a food processor.  Add the tomatoes (and 1/2 cup of the water), garlic, oil, salt,  and pepper and puree.  Stir in the chopped basil.

mangia!

Indian Salmon with Chapati and Raita

A fairly-quick Indian-style lunch for two, a tasty break from the standard soup and sandwich.  It was our first time making Chapati and they came out surprisingly well! Next time, I will let the dough sit for an hour and see how that works out.

Chapati (Indian Flat-breads)

makes about 8 small flat breads

Ingredients

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup yogurt (greek or soy is best)
• ghee, as much as needed

Instructions

Mix flour and yogurt and knead dough. It should sit for an hour (I was short on time and didnt let it sit and it turned out fine).

Split into small balls (about 1/2 of a fist), coat with flour and roll flat into ovals about a 1/4 inch thick.  Brush with melted ghee.

On medium heat, cook flat breads in a saute pan for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Indian Salmon

serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-2 6 oz Atlantic Salmons
• cumin, pepper, paprika, cinnamon
• olive oil

Instructions
Combine spices and oil and marinate salmon in mixture.  Grill or lightly saute over medium heat until cooked through.

Dipping Sauces and Sides (Raita  + Chile and Onion + Sliced Veggies)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yogurt (greek or soy)
• lemon juice
• mint sprigs
• fresh ground pepper, paprika, salt, sugar
• red onion, chopped
• 1 red or green chile, chopped
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced

Instructions

For Raita: combine yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, mint and spices to taste

For Chile and Onion: finely chop and combine

For Veggies: slice and serve as a compliment or substitute for the salmon.

To serve: Top the flat breads with salmon and/or veggies and serve with raita, onions and chiles.

mangia!

White Bean Hummus

I’ve learned that white beans, particularly cannellini or great northern, are the secret weapon to making a creamy hummus.  Adios garbanzo!

makes 1 medium bowl of hummus

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz can of white beans, rinsed
• water, as needed
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• lemon juice, to taste
• salt, pepper, to taste
• olive oil, as needed

Instructions

Combine beans and water and blend in food processor until smooth.  Add tahini, garlic and lemon juice and continue to process until blended.  Slowly add oil and/or water (depending on how oil-based you like it) until it hit a nice creamy texture.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and extra oil or lemon juice if desired.

hummus variations: Add and blend roasted red peppers, fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes or kalamata olives for alternate flavors.

mangia!