Perfectly Pink Roasted Beet Hummus

Brilliantly pink. Ultra creamy. With that deliciously earthy flavor that only comes from beets and a slight smokiness from the addition of cumin. How in the world did I not think of this sooner?!?!?

This recipe will make a party-sized batch. Feel free to reduce it...or just plan to consume large quantities of hummus over the next couple of weeks! It's a real hardship, I know...

3 medium-sized beets
3 C cooked garbanzo beans (I start with dried...you could also use canned)
1/3 C tahini
1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 - 1 tsp cumin
sea salt, to taste
1/4 C plus 1 TBSP olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your beets on a large piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with about 1 TBSP of olive oil, and fold up the foil to make a nice secure packet around your beets. Roast the beets in their foil packet for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. When they have cooled, gently use your fingers to slide off the skins. Quarter the beets and toss them into your food processor with the cooked garbanzos, the tahini, the grated garlic, the lemon juice and zest, the cumin, and several nice pinches of sea salt. Turn your food processor on and let it do it's thing while you slowly drizzle in 1/4 C of olive oil. Stop the food processor, scrape down the sides, and taste for seasoning. Adjust your salt, cumin, garlic, and tahini levels to suit your taste and process a little longer. Use your best judgement with the oil and if it seems like you need more to get a nice creamy consistency, add more.

Dip into it with chips and veggie sticks, scoop it onto a big green salad, spoon it on pita, spread it on crackers topped with thinly sliced veggies...ohhhh the possibilities are endless!

(See the pretty pink hummus in the back there? Topped with cucumber? SO GOOD! Also, those crackers in front with goat cheese, sliced peach, and balsamic? Not so bad either!)

NOTE: If you are waiting around while your beets are roasting, consider using that time to pop each and every one of your garbanzos out of their skins. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that this made the smoothest and creamiest hummus...but figured that only a crazy person would intentionally put herself through that variety of torture. Well, I had time to kill while my beets were roasting and figured I would give it a shot. The verdict: I felt ridiculous while I was doing it and it was definitely time consuming AND Chris made fun of me a whole lot BUT holy crap this is the creamiest hummus I have ever made!!!

Cilantro Pesto

A summertime favorite...equally delicious when mixed into a bowl of pasta, slathered on some grilled veggies, or thinned with water/oil/vinegar and drizzled on a garden salad. This recipe is straight out of Mama Steinhauser's repertoire...


2 C packed cilantro (thin stems are ok)
1 clove garlic, squashed or finely grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C olive oil/canola oil/peanut oil
4 TBS unsalted peanuts

In the bowl of a food processor, combine your cilantro, garlic, salt, about half of the oil, and about half of the peanuts. Turn the food processor on and let it run until well blended, slowly drizzling in the rest of the oil as you go. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and run the food processor for another couple of seconds. Add in the remainder of the peanuts and pulse 7-10 times or until the peanuts are broken up a bit.

One batch will make about a cup of pesto. It will last in the fridge for a week or so but if you plan to store it longer it keeps great in the freezer! Just pour it into an 8 oz mason jar, stir it and tap it a bit on the counter to get out any air bubbles, top it off with about a 1/2 tsp of olive oil (to keep the color from changing) and pop it in the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge the day before you plan to use it.

Bonnie's Super Awesome* Easy Olive Tapenade

*(note from editor: I know it's super awesome because I ate it, and it was yum).

I had some leftover kalamata olives from a picnic and was wondering what to do with them, and a google search led me to a recipe for olive tapenade that inspired this little number. My end result was nothing like the original recipe, so I'll just credit it for inspiration. This recipe results in a rich and creamy olive spread that can be used as a yummy snack on breads and crackers. I can even envision something fancy like little toasts with the spread on top and a cut kalamata or two arranged just so...

A few notes: You'll need a blender or a food processor that is able to grind nuts. Otherwise the creamy texture isn't going to be possible. Also, the end result is super potent, so you won't need much on your bread/cracker/whatever you choose to eat it on. I thought I had gone wrong until I actually put it on a piece of bread. Finally, I didn't measure anything, so feel free to be flexible with these directions.

Ingredients:
1 tub of kalamata olives, drained. (If you want to make this lower in fat, set the olive juice aside and sub it for some of the oil)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but you can use whatever)
1 clove garlic, chopped or garlic-pressed
Olive oil (I didn't measure, I probably used about a tablespoon. whatever you prefer)

That's all! the original recipe had feta cheese, so if you wanted it cheesy you could add some.

Put all of your ingredients into the blender, making sure the nuts are closest to the blade. (This gets kind of thick, so if the olives are first they are just going to keep grinding while the nuts sit on top) Grind the mixture until it reaches a creamy consistency. If it's too thick, add more oil/olive juice and blend some more. This should make about a cup of tapenade. Enjoy!

Lemony Raw Kale Salad with Tomato and Avocado

I know, I know. Raw kale. It sounds weird. But this salad is fresh and amazing - the kale and sunflower seeds make it crunchy, the avocado makes it creamy, and the lemon juice gives it a delicious tartness. SO perfect for summer.

1 large bunch of kale, leaves stripped off the stem and cut into ribbons
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado, chopped
a handful or two of toasted sunflower seeds
1-2 lemons, depending on how tart you like it
a sprinkle of salt
olive oil
dulse (dried seaweed), optional

Put the kale ribbons in a big bowl, and squeeze the lemon or two over it. Sprinkle some salt on as well. Then, stick your fingers in and mush the lemon juice into the kale. (Really, mush it!). You'll start to feel the kale wilt, as if it's cooking down - so cool! Once it's "cooked" down enough, drizzle a little olive oil on top and mix that in, too. Then, add the tomatoes, avocado, sunflower seeds, and dulse. Gorgeous and delicious.

Priya's masala-roasted vegetables

So it turns out that grad school not only eats your soul; it also eats your palate. Over the past year I've had less and less time to cook, and have therefore turned to the world of frozen burritos and food court meals to sustain me. Even now that my last paper has been turned in, I've had ZERO motivation to cook fresh veggies and have still been poking around the frozen prepared food section of my grocery store whenever I'm hungry. TV dinners are addictive. (Cue audible gasp from readers who are aware of the amount of vegetables I normally consume).

But then, last night, I was saved by a certain lovely lady named Priya, who cooked up these delicious veggies for me and made me remember how much I love veggies AND cooking AND her.

For those of you who aren't into spicy food, this would be delicious with just olive oil, garlic, and salt, though the masalafication makes it extra yummy. You can also of course pick and choose which vegetables you'd like to roast.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
a handful of brussel sprouts, halved
olive oil
salt
a few cloves of garlic, chopped (2 if you only kind of like garlic, 4 if you think it's fan-tabulous)
garam masala or curry powder (preferably MTR brand, if you can find it, but any other kind will do)

Preheat oven to 425. Toss veggies with the garlic, a few glugs of olive oil (mush it around with your hands until all the vegetables look a little shiny), a sprinkle of salt, and a sprinkle of garam masala. Spread veggies out on a shallow pan or two. Roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes, then pull them out and taste one. If it's still crunchy, put it back it for another 5-10 minutes. Continue until they're starting to brown a little on the bottom and are soft and delicious.

Spinach and soba noodles with lemon-ginger dressing

Tangy and ginger-y and oh so yummy. This is adapted from Steamy Kitchen (steamykitchen.com), which was discovered by the lovely Lupe and is now one of my new favorite sources of inspiration!

For the dressing:
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
1 bunch spinach
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles until just tender. Toss in the spinach for the last 10 seconds or so, just until it wilts.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba and spinach with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Toss until well combined.

Cranberried Kale

Over the past two days, I've consumed two entire bunches of kale all on my own, because this recipe is so darned unexpectedly good. Also, it takes about 7 minutes to prepare, from start to finish. Thanks to Minda for creating this . . .

3 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
1 bunch kale leaves, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
handful of sunflower seeds, toasted
handful of dried cranberries
salt

Saute the garlic in a little bit of olive oil; add the kale and cook for a few minutes, until it's no longer raw but still bright green. Add salt to taste, then throw in the sunflower seeds and cranberries; toss to combine.

Carob Tofu Cream Pie

Posted for Eric so that he might impress a girl with his "tofu robotics"...(!)

2 lb soft or medium tofu
1/2 C safflower oil
1/3 C honey
2/3 C roasted carob powder OR cocoa powder
2 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp instant coffee
2/3 C hot water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mash tofu and mix with oil, honey, carob or cocoa, corn starch, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Dissolve coffee in hot water and mix with tofu mixture. Blend in blender until smooth (you might have to do this in two batches). Pour into unbaked 9" pie crust and bake for 35 minutes or until crust is done and filling has jelled.

NOTE - This would be totally delicious with any of these add ins: a couple TBSP peanut butter, a couple drops peppermint extract, a shot of frangelico or amaretto, etc...or just leave it as it and top with fresh whipped cream and raspberries! Yum!

Baby Turnip and Avocado Salad

A note on turnips: check out the selection of fresh turnips from your local farmer's market and choose the small ones - they will be unbelievably sweet and tender! They are wonderful eaten raw on their own, dipped in hummus, or in this lovely simple salad.

Also, if you're not familiar with dulse, now's the time to acquaint yourself with this delicious, chewy sea vegetable. It's super tasty...and a great source of veggie protein, iron, potassium, and bunches of other trace elements, enzymes and phytochemicals. You can buy it as whole leaves (in which case, you really ought to eat it lightly toasted with melted chedder cheese on top...my favorite elementary school after-school snack) or as flakes - perfect for topping soups and salads.



6-8 baby turnips, tops removed, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP dulse flakes
2 TBSP parsley, chopped
1/4 C rice vinegar
3 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, gently toss together all ingredients. Serve immediately. Yum yum!

Lemony Butternut Carrot Soup

Well, fall is officially back. I recognize it not only by the cooler temperatures and a handful of yellow leaves, but also by my burning desire to turn colorful vegetables into warm creamy soups. And this soup, eaten with a good chunk of crusty bread, is certainly a new favorite.



1 medium butternut squash
splash olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8-10 cloves garlic
1-2" ginger root, peeled and grated
1 lb carrots, roughly chopped
3-4 C veggie broth
2 C water
2 C unsweetened soy milk
juice from one orange
zest from one lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Chop the squash into quarters, deseed, and place in a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water. Roast in a hot oven (450 degrees) for about an hour until squash is very tender. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil. Add onions, whole garlic cloves, and grated ginger and saute until onions are fragrant and translucent. Add in carrots and stir well. Pour on veggie broth and water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow carrots to simmer about 30 minutes. When squash is cool enough to touch, peel off the skins, roughly chop squash, and toss into the soup. Simmer all an additional 10 minutes.

Using an immersion or standing blender, puree the soup and return to the pot over low heat. Stir in soy milk, juice from one orange, zest from one lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer an additional five minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve hot topped with any combination of sliced scallions, chopped fresh parsley, yogurt, or spicy toasted squash seeds. I served mine with all four, and it was awesome!

This makes a wonderful, colorful meal when accompanied by some delicious crusty bread and a plate full of Cabbage, Carrot, Broccoli Slaw.

Simple Roasted Root Veggies

Oh so easy to do, and definitely one of the best things about autumn. Use any of the fabulous fresh root veggies you find at your local farmers market.

Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Parsnips
Carrots
Beets

Olive oil
Lots of garlic, minced
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Allspice
Salt
Pepper

Chop all the veggies you want to roast to approximately the same size pieces. Big chunks are beautiful but keep in mind, smaller pieces will roast much faster. Combine all in a large glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and minced garlic. Now sprinkle on all the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and pepper that you like. Stir well until all veggies are coated. Roast in a 450 degree oven for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your pieces. Check for tenderness at regular intervals to determine doneness. Your veggies should be tender on the inside but glazed and maybe a tad crunchy on the outside.

Spicy Fried Tofu

Perhaps my favorite way to cook tofu. The unbelievable flavors in this dish will make even those most adamantly against soy enjoy tofu.

The trick in this dish is to drain the tofu well before you begin cooking to eliminate as much water as possible! If you don't drain it well enough and the pan accumulates a lot of water while the tofu is cooking, use a spoon to remove some of the water and allow the tofu to cook a little longer until all liquid has evaporated and tofu has a chance to brown up before adding the spices.

2 lbs tofu, drained well and diced into 1/2" cubes
vegetable oil
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2-3/4 tsp curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 TBSP soy sauce
1/4-1/3 C nutritional yeast

Heat 2-3 TBSP vegetable oil in a skillet. Add tofu and fry on medium-high heat stirring frequently for 5-10 minutes until tofu is browned. Reduce heat to medium and add tumeric, stirring well until tofu is coated. Next add dill, thyme, salt, basil, cumin, and curry powder, stirring well between each addition. Add garlic (and a little bit more oil if tofu is sticking) and stir again. Increase heat to medium-high and add soy sauce, stirring constantly. Sprinkle on nutritional yeast and stir well, continuing to cook an additional couple minutes until golden.

Serve over brown rice.

Fattoush Salad

This Lebanese salad, with slightly sour dressing and crunchy pita chips tossed in, is SO GOOD (even with raw garlic, which I generally despise).

2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, diced small
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley, leaves only, no stems
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, no stems
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
2 pieces of pita bread
a few tablespoons olive oil
za'atar

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper

Brush pita with olive oil, sprinkle with za'atar, and toast 'till it's crispy. Break into pieces the size of a quarter.

In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well.

Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.

Scrambled Tofu

From the amazing www.theppk.com -- look it up if you haven't already :)

Ingredients:
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 carrot

spice blend:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes more. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to get all the garlic and spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Add lime juice and nutritional yeast and mix it up. If it seems too dry, add a splash or two of water.

Grate the carrot into it and fold. I served this with roasted potatoes (the cute little fingerling kind!! yummy!) and a green salad. Deee-licious.

Lettuce-Wrapper Tofu

Yummy, and easy if you toss everything in a blender/food processor!

Start with:
1 block of extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled.

For the tofu marinade, combine the following ingredients:
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp water
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of pepper

Pour over tofu and stir to coat; let stand for 15 minutes.

Now, prepare cooking sauce:
2 1/3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs dry sherry
2 tbs water
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine ingredients and set aside.

Finally -- the real ingredients! All of these need to be minced; you can toss all of them into the food processor.
8 medium-sized mushrooms, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, minced
1 can water chesnuts, minced

To cook:

Stir-fry marinated tofu for about 3 minutes, until hot. Set aside.

Add about 1 tbs of oil to pan and heat. Add ginger, garlic, and onion and cook for about one minute. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chesnuts to pan and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Return tofu to pan. Stir cooking sauce, add to pan, and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens.

To serve, you'll need:
about 30 lettuce leaves, washed and drained
hoison sauce
brown rice

Spread each leaf with hoison sauce; add a spoonful of rice and a spoonful of the tofu mixture. Wrap up in a little package and eat!

Lentils and Quinoa with Avocado

According to a guy who works at Murray's Bagels on 8th Ave, eating lentils will make you live forever. Here's to heart health! Woohoo!

1 pound lentils
6 C water
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cremini mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves
6 kale leaves, chopped
2 splashes apple cider vinegar
4 splashes soy sauce
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 C quinoa
2 C water
salt
black pepper
avocado
fat-free or dairy-free sour cream (optional)

In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 C water, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, a solid pinch of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes with lid tilted. Add kale, vinegar, soy sauce, cardamom, and coriander, stir well, and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, squash garlic cloves against the side of the pot, and stir. Meanwhile, as lentils are cooking, bring 2 C water to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt and cook for 15 minutes covered on low heat.

To serve, layer a scoop of quinoa and a scoop of lentils in a shallow bowl. Arrange avocado slices on top of lentils and finish with a dollop of sour cream. Heart-healthy and oh-so tasty...

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salad

Farmer's market veggies are muy importante for this recipe.

2 small-to-medium zucchinis, chopped
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1-2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
handful of chopped herbs: I use a combination of basil, parsley, chives, and oregano, but you can experiment :)

Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a 425-degree oven until the zucchini starts to brown and smell yummy (about 20-30 minutes or so). Give it a stir halfway through so the corn doesn't burn.

Let cool for a bit, then toss with the herbs. Tastes like summer!

Kung Pao Tempeh

My new favorite tempeh recipe, courtesy of Amanda and "The Whole Soy Cookbook." Peanut-ey and rich, but not overwhelming. It comes together really quickly, despite the long ingredient list.

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 1/3 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound tempeh
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy milk
vegetable of choice; swiss chard was super-yummy, but broccoli or asparagus would probably be great too

1. Whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, 1/4 cup sherry, stock, honey, and set aside.
2. Cut tempeh into small squares and, in a steamer basket set over boiling water, steam for 5 minutes.
3 In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup sherry, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Add the tempeh and let marinate while sauteing the remaining ingredients.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; add garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the peanut butter, soy milk and soy sauce mixture. Add the tempeh along with its marindae and simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes. Add the veggie at some point, depending on how crisp you'd like them to be.

Service over brown rice.

Cabbage Curry- South Indian style

Welcome Cabbage (wannabe) lovers,
Here is a favorite recipe of mine with cabbage made the traditional South Indian way.

1 cabbage (shredded as thinly as possible)
Handful unsweetened shredded coconut
Salt

For Seasoning,
2-3 TBSP canola/ corn oil,
1/2 TBSP mustard seeds,
1/4 TBSP cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida powder,
2 Indian or Thai green chilli, finely diced (can de-seed them if you are avoiding spice)
Curry leaves (2-4 nos)

A one-stop-shop for all these ingredients will be your local Indian grocery store.

Preparation:
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
Add the above seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned and fry for a minute. Then add the shredded cabbage, some unsweetened shredded coconut (which you can get at the baking aisle), salt (according to taste) and cook for 10 minutes (take care to not stir too much while cooking to avoid making it mushy).
Sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves and voila! You have some absolutely delicious cabbage.
Can be had with tortillas, rice, or just plain yogurt.

Miso Soup

8 C water
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
3 TBSP dried wakame seaweed
1 lb soft tofu, cubed
4 scallions, white and green parts sliced thinly
3 TBSP miso (or more, depending on flavor)
Fistful of buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to directions on package

Mix garlic, ginger, and seaweed into the water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook about 5 minutes until seaweed is tender. Add tofu and scallions and simmer 2 minutes. Remove about one cup of liquid to a small bowl and dissolve miso into the broth. Add back to soup and mix well. Add soba noodles, simmer another 2 minutes, and serve hot.