Roasted Vegetables with Walnut Gremolata, a la Bonnie

As most of us vegetable fiends already know, roasted veggies are amazing. However, when you top them with this delicious walnut-lemon zest-parsley-parmesan paste, the amazingness gets upped significantly! Also, the leftovers are fabulous served cold. Adapted from epicurious.com.

4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rectangles
4 parsnips, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise
2 medium turnips, peeled, halved, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
About 4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
zest of one lemon
1 small garlic clove

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots, parsnips, turnips, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons oil, or however much you need to make them slightly shiny. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet (or to multiple baking sheets, as it's best if all your veggies have at least one side touching the pan); sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender, shaking the pan every 15 minutes so they don't stick. It'll be about 1 hour. Basically, you want them to be soft, and for at least one side of each veggie to be browned - that means that they'll be sweet and delicious.

Now, for the gremolata! Pile the walnuts, parmesan, parsley, garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lemon zest into the food processor. Add some fresh pepper. Process for just a few seconds, until everything is coarsely ground together. The paste should be fairly dry; if it's wet, add some more walnuts.

Drizzle vegetables with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss. Sprinkle gremolata over vegetables just before serving.

Beet (or other) Greens with Caramelized Onions

Pretty much exactly how it sounds. Slightly sweet and delicious.

2 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bundle dark leafy greens (I used beet greens, but am sure it would also work with kale or other greens), washed and cut into ribbons.
a handful of chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat a small amount of oil in a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir fairly constantly until they begin to turn golden brown (about 5-10 minutes). Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring fairly constantly, until they're very brown and smell sweet and delicious. Add the garlic; cook for about 1 minute. Add the greens and cook just until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss in walnuts if using.

Ann's (Bonnie's Mom) Famous Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a family recipe that is sure to make you the celebrity of any potluck you attend. While absolutely vegetarian, these mushrooms come out savory and "meaty" because of the walnuts and breadcrumbs. They are also quite easy, making even the most amateur cook look like a seasoned chef :)

20 white button mushrooms
3 tbs butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 shallots or 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs (you can make these by putting stale or toasted bread in the food processor)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tbs dry sherry (always buy Spanish sherry)
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, cut away tough or dark ends, and chop the stems into 1/4 inch cubes or so. Melt butter in medium skillet. Add stem pieces, onion, and garlic. Saute until starting to brown slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is moist and hot. Use more sherry if it's too dry. Arrange the caps open-side up in a baking pan. Mound stuffing on top of each cap. It's OK to really mountain it up above the top of the cap. Bake 15-20 mins. at 400, until the mushrooms start to give up their liquid (they will look wet and a little shrunken instead of dry and stiff).

Serve hot. Yum.

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!

Pink pasta with beets, greens, & walnuts

From epicurious, with tweaks :)

1/3 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch beets with yummy-looking greens; beets peeled, each cut into 8 wedges, greens cut into 1-inch-wide strips
8 ounces whole wheat pasta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving


Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and onions to same skillet and sauté until beginning to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to sauté until onions are tender and browned, about 30 minutes longer. Add garlic and stir for about 5 minutes. Add greens to pan and cook, turning frequently, until they're bright green. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, cook beets in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. (You can also roast them to make them even sweeter, but it's 85 degrees out and I didn't even want to think about turning on the oven!). Using a slotted spoon, transfer beets to medium bowl. Now, you can do one of two things: if you want your pasta to be REALLY pink, you can cook it in the same water you used for the beets. You can also use fresh water, if you only want slightly pink pasta.

Stir onion-greens mixture and beets into pasta and divide into serving bowls. Sprinkle with pine nuts and grated cheese. Revel in the pinkness of your dinner.

Cheesy Mashed Potato-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Deeee-licious fall comfort food. Seriously. If I could eat this everyday, I would!

1 medium-sized acorn squash
5 medium-sized potatoes of your favorite variety
extra virgin olive oil
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP butter
1/4 C milk
3 scallions, sliced
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 C chopped walnuts, toasted
parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Start by halving and deseeding the squash. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees until tender, about 40 minutes. Wash potatoes well and chop roughly. Add to boiling water and boil until very soft, about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, get some olive oil heated in a skillet and saute the mushrooms, shallot, and garlic over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about ten minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and saute for another minute or two. Strain potatoes and return to pot. Add butter and milk and mash well. Add sauteed mushrooms, scallions, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, salt, and pepper, and stir until everything is combined.

When squash is tender, remove from oven. Fill cavities with mashed potatoes until overflowing. Smother with grated parmesan cheese. Return to oven for about ten minutes until cheese is melty and browned. Serve hot!

Yummmmm!

Zucchini Pancakes

So I haven't actually gotten to try this yet, but I just found it on Epicurious.com and it looks seriously tasty. It's hovering near the top of my "to cook" list this week . . .

1 pound zucchini, trimmed, coarsely grated

2 cups chopped green onions
4 eggs, beaten to blend
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried dillweed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (about 3 ounces)
Olive oil



Place zucchini in colander. Sprinkle zucchini with salt and let stand 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze zucchini between hands to remove liquid, then squeeze dry in several layers of paper towels.

Combine zucchini, chopped green onions, 4 eggs, flour, chopped dill, parsley, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in medium bowl. Mix well. Fold in crumbled feta cheese. (Zucchini mixture can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Stir to blend before continuing.) Fold chopped walnuts into zucchini mixture.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Cover bottom of large nonstick skillet with olive oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop zucchini mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoonfuls. Fry until pancakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer each batch of pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes hot.

Date and Nut Truffles!

nuts of choice - walnuts are my fave - soaked for 8-10 hours
dates


This is the easiest recipe ever. Blend up the nuts. Blend up the dates. Mush them all together in a big bowl. (If you're feeling a little lazy you can use tahini or nut butter instead of fresh nuts.) With your hands, scoop out some of the date-nut mixture and roll it into a cute little ball. Then, to be extra fancy, roll the ball in the coating of your choice - cocoa powder, coconut, sesame seeds, whatever! You can even get all nouveau and roll them in crazy stuff like curry powder. Anything goes! Enjoy.

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

I've been really into quinoa lately . . . it's really good for you (lots of protein in a grain -- woohoo!) and also really inexpensive. It has a slightly nutty flavor (yum), and it takes all of 10-15 minutes to cook.

Serves 1

anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup quinoa, depending on how hungry you are
pinch salt
about 1/2 cup chopped apple
about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted if you like
brown sugar to taste
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
splash of milk or cream (optional)

Boil water (1/2 cup water if you're making 1/4 cup quinoa) and add a pinch of salt (very important! Makes it much tastier). Add quinoa and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook until the water is absorbed and the outside germ of the grain is visible (it'll look like a little ring around it. Personally, I like leaving it a teeny bit crunchy). Remove from heat; stir in walnuts and add milk or cream, if using.

Best eaten on a chilly morning :-)

Laurel's Famous Tofu Balls

Alex requested this recipe, so here is a close approximation. My mom made various versions of these when I was little but never actually measured the ingredients. I've been making them for about four years and of course I've never actually measured the ingredients either, so you might have to futz with the wet/dry proportions a little. Sooooooo delicious as a vegetarian alternative to meat balls on spaghetti. (Just make sure the boys in your life don't eat eight and make themselves sick. For real. Not only are sick boys no fun, but you totally want to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.)

Basic ingredients:
1 package firm tofu
1 medium onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 large eggs
3/4-1 C bread crumbs
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh/dried basil
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Magic ingredients:
splash soy sauce
toasted sunflower seeds
chopped walnuts
handful of poppy seeds
sauted diced mushrooms
chopped olives
parmigiano
any other spices that sound good to you

Saute onion and garlic together in the olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent and fragrant. Drain tofu well and crumble it into a large bowl. Add sauted veggies, eggs, bread crumbs, herbs, and salt and pepper. (Note on the breadcrumbs: if you don't have any lying around, feel free to throw crackers or stale bread into the blender and pulse until crumbled. And for the gluten-free among you, rice crackers work great for this!) Here's the fun part: with your hands, mush and crumble all ingredients together until well mixed. If it feels too wet, add another small handful of bread crumbs. Now, you want to think about adding a magic ingredient or two. These balls are delicious just like this, but everybody likes a little magic, and I've had great success adding various combinations from this list. The walnuts are probably my all-time fave, but add whatever sounds good to you. Of course, if you have a stroke of genius and come up with another amazing ingredient addition, by all means do it and post a note about it. Mix thorougly.

Roll the mixture between your hands in medium chunks to form about a dozen balls. Heat a good amount of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan, and when hot, add half the balls. Allow them to brown on the bottom (usually 4-5 minutes depending on the heat of the oil), before turning to the next side. I think I end up browning them on four sides usually, so they come out of the pan looking a little bit like little pyramids.

Serve over pasta and sauce with plenty of parmigiano sprinkled on top! Yummy!

PS - This is your new favorite recipe.

the best squash recipe ever. for serious.

We've been eating this for the past three nights . . . and I just made more because Priya told her lab partners that they HAD to come over to try it. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, skip the yogurt, the lime, or the fresh cilantro.

1 butternut squash
1 large shallot (or 1/4 large red onion)
2 tbs olive oil
about a tablespoon of curry powder, preferably the sweeter kind with more cinnamon in it -- adjust to taste
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup lentils
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
fresh lime juice to taste

Halve, peel, and seed squash (much easier if you stab it a few times and then stick it in the microwave for 2 minutes before attempting to peel) and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop shallot/onion and in baking pan toss with squash, oil, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. Bake squash mixture until almost tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Cook lentils.

Chop walnuts and sprinkle over squash. Return to oven and bake until squash is tender and walnuts are toasted.

Combine squash mixture with lentils and squeeze lime juice over the whole thing. Serve hot with yogurt and cilantro on top.

Priya made roti to go with this, which was soooo good . . . but would also be tasty in pita bread or over couscous.

Yuuuuuumy!!!

The best tofu burgers EVER

This recipe is adapted from Moosewood . . . it'll make anyone who says they don't like tofu change their minds. (Well, at least it's made my meat-and-potatoes-kinda-guy Dad actually ask me to make tofu). You can also use the mixture to stuff portabello mushrooms.

Serves 4

1 cake firm tofu
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup peeled and grated carrots
1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons light miso
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Drain the tofu very well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onions, carrots, peppers, oregano, basil, dill, and sage for about 7 minutes, until the veggie are just tender. Crumble the tofu in a large bowl. Stir in walnuts, bread crumbs, tahini, miso, soy sauce, mustard, and veggies. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and generously oil a baking sheet.

Form the burgers into four patties and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes until burgers are firm and browned. Yummy!