Cold Velvet Corn Soup

September 1st, 2010

This soup is so luxuriously satiny, you don’t need any additional cream, half-and-half, buttermilk or anything else to smooth it out. The corn blends with the stock and gives it an astonishing sweetness, without added sugar.

Ingredients:

6 ears of fresh corn, husked (don’t snap off the stalk — you’ll need it as a handle)

2 leeks, white parts only

4 cups vegetable stock (see recipe from 09/2007)

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

Chopped scallions or chives for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions:

Rub the husked ears of corn with a towel to remove the last silk threads. Grasping the stalk end, hold the cob pointing straight down in a large mixing bowl and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. Set the kernels aside. Break the cobs in half and place them in a stockpot.

Halve the white part of the leeks lengthwise. Rinse them, peeling back the layers to get at any sand trapped between them. Chop them coarsely and add them to the stockpot with all of the remaining ingredients except the corn kernels. Add a little salt to taste. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

Remove cobs and bay leaf and discard. Taste the stock for seasoning. Then add corn kernels and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Using a blender set on high, puree the soup in batches and strain it through a fine strainer or sieve, discarding any fibrous solids. Chill at least 4 hours.

Servings: 4 to 6

Nutrition Facts

N/A

Roasted Pepper and Olive Salad

August 1st, 2010

A salad with a light, fresh taste and the dressing is included in the recipe. The dressing of course contains no vinegar.If you include the optional nuts it also contains protein.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup pine nuts, or walnuts, optional

2 cups bottled roasted red bell peppers

1 lb packaged salad

3 tbsp cilantro, or parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, or green olives, pitted and chopped

1 tsp sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

Cooking Directions:

Combine packaged salad, roasted peppers, olives, and cilantro in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and salt  to taste in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously. Pour dressing over pepper mixture and toss. Top with pine nuts or walnuts if desired.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): Calories 260; % Calories From Fat 86.5%; Total Fat 25g; Saturated Fats 3.1g; Mono-unsaturated Fats 15g; Poly-unsaturated Fats 5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 85mg; Total Carbohydrates 7.8g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Sugar 3.9g; Protein 2.7g.

Spinach Raspberry Salad

July 1st, 2010

A delightful and delicious salad that boasts a salad dressing that contains no vinegar. In fact the dressing can used on other fruity salads.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup red raspberries

1-1/3 tbsp water

1 kiwi fruit, peeled, quartered and cut into 1 in. slices

2 tbsp pecan halves, toasted if desired

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red raspberry preserves

1 lb spinach leaves, washed and torn into pieces, tough stems discarded

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, preserves, oil and water in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously. Combine spinach, half the pecans, half the raspberries and dressing in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with kiwi fruit and remaining pecans and raspberries.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition (per serving): Calories 110; % Calories From Fat 42.5%; Total Fat 5.2g; Saturated Fats 0.6g; Mono-unsaturated Fats 2.9g; Poly-unsaturated Fats 1.3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 92mg; Total Carbohydrates 14g; Dietary Fiber 5.4g; Sugar 6.1g; Protein 4.1g.

Chilled Strawberry Soup

June 1st, 2010

A perfect soup for those dog days of summer. A low in calories delicious soup for any occasion. It is totally vegan.

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries

1/4 cup sugar, to taste

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Process strawberries in a food processor. Pour into a large bowl; add water and sugar to taste. Chill and serve.

Servings: 2

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition (per serving): Calories 190; % Calories From Fat 4.3%; Total Fat 0.9g; Saturated Fats 0g; Mono-unsaturated Fats 0.1g; Poly-unsaturated Fats 0.5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 4.2mg; Total Carbohydrates 48g; Dietary Fiber 6.1g; Sugar 40g; Protein 2g.

Mixed Rice Pilaf

May 1st, 2010

A mixture of brown rice, wild rice, and basmati rice that makes for a very interesting flavor and texture. A vegan recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1/3 cup minced red bell pepper

1/2 cup minced celery

1/2 cup orange or pineapple juice

2 cups long-grain brown rice

1/2 cup wild rice

1/2 cup basmati rice

4 cups basic vegetable stock

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried sage

1 Tbs low-sodium soy or tamari sauce

Directions:

In a heavy pot over medium-high heat, saute’ onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and celery in sherry until vegetables are soft (5 to 10 minutes).

Add brown, wild, and basmati rice. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add stock, thyme, and sage, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Lower heat to low, cover pot, and let pilaf steam until rice is tender (about 25 minutes). Stir in soy sauce.

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 204.8 calories; 11% calories from fat; 2.7g total fat; 4.8mg cholesterol; 243.0mg sodium; 318.7mg potassium; 32.7g carbohydrates; 2.2g fiber; 4.5g sugar; 7.1g protein.

Tri-Color Mediterranean Salsa

April 1st, 2010

Excellent as a topping over grilled vegetables or as a dip for pita bread triangles.

Ingredients:

½ tsp olive oil

1 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup diced yellow bell pepper

2 Tbs capers

1 garlic clove, minced

3 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil

2 Tbs lemon juice

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add peppers, capers and garlic; sauté until tender. Remove from heat; stir in basil and lemon juice. Before serving add thyme.

Serves 4

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 25.0 calories; 23% calories from fat; 0.6g total fat; 5.0mg sodium; 4.0 carbohydrates; 1.0g fiber; 0.5 protein.

Jicama Salad

March 1st, 2010

For those who still haven’t met the humble, homely in appearance vegetable called jicama from Mexico, this salad will make your first meeting a memorable one.

Ingredients:

4 oranges, peeled and sectioned

1 orange, juiced

2 cups jicama, peeled and julienned

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

2 cups cantaloupe, peeled and cubed

½ cup red onion, sliced into thin rounds

¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley

2 Tbs fresh mint

½ tsp hot chili powder

¼ cup lime juice

Directions:

Peel and section oranges over a bowl to collect the juices. Juice the remaining orange. Place the orange sections, jicama, cucumber, cantaloupe, red onion, cilantro (or parsley) and mint into a large bowl.

Combine the orange juice, lime juice and chili powder. Pour over the jicama mixture. Toss gently, cover and chill. Serve on a lettuce leaf.

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving) : 115.0 calories; 10.0mg sodium; 25.0g carbohydrates; 8.0g fiber; 3.0g protein.

Baby Greens Salad with Oranges and Olives

February 1st, 2010

Add the blood orange sections just before serving. Over mixing can cause their festive color to bleed into other ingredients

Ingredients:

12 cups mesclun or other mild salad greens

3 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs blood orange juice or regular orange juice

2 Tbs lemon juice

8  thin slices red onion, separated into rings

2 cups blood orange and/or regular orange sections (8 blood oranges or 6 regular oranges)

2/3 cup mixed country olives or regular kalamata olives

1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

Place greens in a large salad bowl. For dressing, whisk together olive oil, orange juice, and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Pour dressing over greens, gently tossing to mix.

Divide mixture among eight  salad plates. Top with onion rings,  orange sections, and olives.  Lightly sprinkle with salt. Makes 8 servings.

Serves 8

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving) : 103.0 calories; 58% calories from fat; 7.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 170.0mg sodium; 10.0g carbohydrates; 3.0g fiber; 1.0g protein.

Zesty Tomato Salad

January 1st, 2010

A simple but delicious tomato salad. Naturally vegan and it needs no dressing.

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes, chopped 1/2″ pieces (or 2 pints smaller tomatoes)

1 medium cucumber, seeded, and chopped into 1/2″ pieces (or use a seedless cucumber)

1/2 medium red onion, chopped 1/2″ pieces

1 Tbs lemon zest

1/2 tsp table salt

Directions:

Toss tomatoes, cucumber, onion, zest and salt together in a large bowl; allow to stand for at least 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 11.7 calories; 9% calories from fat; 0.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 196.0mg sodium; 1 15.2mg potassium; 2.4g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 1.2g sugar; 0.5g protein.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

December 1st, 2009

A “cream of soup” without any dairy at all. This vegan cream of soup uses the Basic Vegetable stock from the September 2007 recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup minced onion

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tsp dark sesame oil

1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped zucchini

1/4 cup chopped celery

4 cups Basic Vegetable Stock (see recipe for September 2007)

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp chopped fresh dill

Directions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute onion and green onion in sesame oil and pineapple or orange juice for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add parsley, zucchini, and celery, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour in Basic Vegetable Stock, and add oats, salt, thyme, and dill. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender in small amounts and puree until thick and smooth. Return to pot. Taste for seasoning, reheat, and serve.

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 112.1 calories; 28% calories from fat; 3.7g total fat; 4.8mg cholesterol; 640.9mg sodium; 323.1mg potassium; 12.5g carbohydrates; 1.1g fiber; 4.7g sugar; 5.0g protein.