Monthly Archives: October 2013

Celery, Apple and Walnut Salad

Celery is kind of a forgotten vegetable.  I usually have it on hand so that I can make my husband’s favorite tuna salad, or to include in vegetable soups, but other than that it is used for very little else.  This week I got two huge, beautiful bunches of celery in my Full Circle Farms delivery.  It got me thinking about how I might expand my use of the vegetable.  This salad is a wonderful way to showcase celery.  I served it alongside Miso Noodles, but it would be a great compliment to a wide variety of meals.  I love vegan salads, especially if I’m serving a main course that contains dairy.  (I try not to include dairy in more than one course of a meal.)  This salad would be great alongside a pasta, lasagna, risotto or pizza.

Celery, Apple and Walnut Salad

Celery, Apple and Walnut Salad

This is a great crunchy vegan salad.
Servings: 3

Ingredients

For the Dressing

  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 2-3 TBSP olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard optional
  • salt and pepper

For the Salad

  • 2 stalks celery preferably one outer stalk and one inner stalk with leaves thinly sliced on the diagonal and leaves coarsely chopped.
  • 1/2 apple I like honeycrisp, gala, fuji or granny smith cored and thinly sliced.
  • 2 cups lettuce torn
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces toasted
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Combine dressing ingredients in small jar and shake to combine.
  • Combine salad ingredients in a serving bowl and toss with dressing.
  • Serve immediately.

Miso Butter Noodles with Shitakes and Baby Bok Choy

I was excited to try a new restaurant this week: TanakaSan.  Overall the meal (which included shrimp fritters, a coconut beet salad, and a hamachi sashimi with apple) was a little disappointing, with the exception of an amazing noodle dish with miso butter.  I decided to try making my own miso butter noodles with some beautiful baby bok choy and shitakes that came in my Full Circle Farms delivery.  

misobutternoodles

 

Miso Butter Noodles with Shitakes and Baby Bok Choy

Miso butter makes this super fast and healthy noodle stir fry interesting and special.
Servings: 3

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti
  • 1- 2 cups shitake mushrooms sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups baby bok choy or broccoli or a combination of both, coarsely chopped
  • 1 handful haricort verts frenched (OPTIONAL)
  • 1 TBSP canola oil
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 TBSP miso paste I like Westbrae Naturals Mellow White Miso
  • 2 TBSP margarine or butter I like Earth Balance
  • 1 TBSP tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 scallions chopped on the bias (green parts only)

Instructions

  • Combine miso, butter, and tamari in a small bowl and mask together with fork to combine.
  • Prepare noodles according to package directions.
  • Drain noodles, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
  • Add reserved cooking liquid to miso mixture and stir to combine.
  • Heat canola oil in large skillet on medium high heat.
  • Add shallots to pan and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add shitakes and stir fry for another minute.
  • Add bok choy and haricort verts and cook for 2 more minutes.
  • Add miso mixture and noodles and toss to combine.
  • Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans Two Ways

I use the words “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably.  I prefer yams though.  Garnet yams to be precise.  I love the combination of slightly sweet garnet yams and earthy black beans.  Here are two ways that I like to serve this vitamin-rich combination.  

I like to make these dishes at the same time, have the tacos for a Saturday night dinner or Sunday lunch and refrigerate or freeze the enchiladas for an easy weeknight meal in the future.  I make the cilantro pesto in my mini food processor, transfer it to containers, then use the unwashed processor bowl to make the black bean dip.  The black bean dip benefits from the bit of pesto remaining in the bowl.  

I went a little crazy with the pickled onions in the picture, but I do love them.  

sweet potato tacos

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Pesto

These tacos are vegan, but adored by meat-eaters as well.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
  • 3 TBSP rice vinegar I use seasoned vinegar, but unseasoned will work fine too.
  • 1 medium or large yam or sweet potato l like garnet yams, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 TBSP canola or olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ancho chile or chipotle
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 recipe Black Bean Dip
  • 1 recipe Cilantro Pesto
  • 6 corn tortillas

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Combine sliced red onion and rice vinegar in small bowl and allow onions to marinate and pickle while you cook the potatoes.
  • Toss potato pieces with oil, spices, and salt and pepper.
  • Arrange potato pieces on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure that potatoes are spaced and not touching each other so that they will roast and brown instead of steaming.
  • Roast potatoes for 15-20 minutes until softened and browned.
  • When potatoes are done, lightly grill tortillas on a cast iron grill pan until softened. (If you don't have a grill pan, you can put them in a skillet on medium heat until softened.)
  • Top tortillas with bean dip, potatoes, cilantro pesto and pickled red onions.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

All of the components of these tacos are great as leftovers, so you can keep the leftover components in the fridge and make the tacos for lunches and snacks until you have used up the leftovers.
Avocado slices are great on these tacos as well.

balck bean enchiladas

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Mole

If you're feeling motivated and want to make your own mole, I recommend an ancho and pepita or sesame based mole. However, Rick Bayless has a prepared mole that works great in this dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mole sauce
  • 1 batch Black Bean Dip
  • 1 large sweet potato cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ancho
  • 1 pinch chipotle
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 corn tortillas

Optional Ingredients

  • 1 small bunch kale or chard tough stems removed, chopped and sauteed in olive oil with garlic
  • 1/2 to 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Cilantro Pesto
  • Cliantro Lime Crema
  • sliced avacado
  • chopped cilantro or scallions

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Toss potato pieces with oil, spices, and salt and pepper.
  • Arrange potato pieces on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure that potatoes are spaced and not touching each other so that they will roast and brown instead of steaming.
  • Roast potato for 15-20 minutes until softened and browned.
  • When potatoes are done, assemble enchiladas by pouring a thin layer of mole into the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish.
  • Spread a few tablespoons of bean dip in the center of the tortilla and top with ~6 potato pieces. (If using kale or chard, add a few tablespoons of the greens to the tortilla as well.)
  • Roll tortilla into a tube shape and place it seam side down in baking dish.
  • Continue rolling process until pan is full.
  • Cover enchiladas with remaining mole.
  • If using cheese, sprinkle on top of the dish.

To Bake

  • Preheat oven to 350 and bake covered with lid or foil for 15 minutes.
  • Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
  • Serve garnished with cilantro pesto or crema, avacado, and chopped fresh cilantro or scallions.

Notes

Prepared enchiladas can be covered with plastic wrap for foil and refrigerated or frozen for future use. Defrost on the counter before baking.