Spaghetti with Roasted Veggies, Tomato Sauce and Lemon Cannellini Beansi

I'd like to entitle this one: "Coco's got her groove back". Lately nothing has sounded good and I have not been thrilled with anything that I've made. I was pretty thrilled with this. Herbs de provence is a mixture of herbs popular in the South of France. The mix includes savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary and lavender.  , 

Tomato Sauce:

1 T olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped     

1 28 oz can of tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1/2 c veggie stock

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 1/2 t herbs de provence

Roasted Veggies:

1 eggplant, cubed

2 T salt

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 bulb garlic, cloves peeled

1-2 T olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Beans

1 can cannellini beans

1/4 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt and pepper

1 T parsley, chopped

1/2 box of spaghetti

red pepper flakes to taste

shredded cheese (i.e. parmesan)

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Sprinkle 2 T salt onto chopped eggplant.
• Heat oil in a large pot then saute onion for a minute or two. Add carrot and cook until onion is tender.
• Add tomato and tomato paste, stock, salt, pepper and herbs de provence.  Simmer for about 45 minutes.
• After eggplant has sat for approximately 20 minutes, rise and pat dry. 
• In a large bowl, toss together eggplant, bell pepper, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. 
• Place veggies in a roasting pan and roast for 40-45 minutes or until eggplant is tender.
• In a small pot, heat beans and add lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley.
• Meanwhile, boil salted water and cook spaghetti for 10 minutes or until tender.
• Arrange plate with spaghetti on the bottom, veggies, then beans and top with tomato sauce. 
• Serve topped with cheese and red pepper flakes.

Asparagus Mushroom Tempeh

I had this for breakfast this morning but it's a pretty versatile meal. I think it would make a good lunch or dinner as well. 

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 c sliced mushrooms

1 c asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 package of tempeh 

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T braggs

salt and pepper

Swiss cheese, shredded

sour cream

sprouts (optional)

• In a skillet, saute onion and mushroom  over medium heat, until onion is translucent.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add garlic, asparagus and tempeh. Cook until asparagus is tender
• Add salt, pepper and braggs.
• Top with swiss cheese, a dollop of sour cream and sprouts (if desired).

Roasted Red Pepper Black Bean Hummus

We had a ton of friends and family over for Passover and I made this hummus and the ginger hummus. The ginger is good, but I think this one won the popularity contest by a nose.

1 red pepper, roasted, seeded and peeled

1 small onion

4 cloves garlic

1/4 c tahini

juice of 2 limes

1/4 c cilantro

2 T cumin

1/4-1/2 t cayenne

1 can black beans

1 can chick peas

salt and pepper

• Saute onion and garlic until onion is slightly tender.
• Combine all ingredients in a large food processor or blender (may have to do in batches or 1/2 recipe).
• Serve with chips, crackers, pita and/or veggies. 

Blueberry Pecan Salad

I asked my friend, Risa, if she had any ideas for a delicious summery salad.  She came up with this beauty. The spiciness of the radishes, sweetness of the blueberries and saltiness of the pecans is nothing short of heaven. 

1-2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped into small pieces

1 1/2 c baby arugula

4-5 radishes, sliced

1/2 c pecans, toasted and salted

1/2 pint blueberries, washed

blue cheese (optional)

Dressing:

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt

pepper

• Toss together romaine,  arugula and radishes.
• Top with pecans, blueberries and blue cheese (if desired).
• When ready to serve, toss salad with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Gefilte Tofu

So, I'm not going to lie... I probably wouldn't make this for anything but Passover sedar. It is better than real gefilte fish, I'm sure, but the sauce is strangely gelatinous. I don't mean to scare anyone, I would make this again next year. 

Sauce:

1 quart water

3/4 c onion, chopped

1/2 c baby carrots

1/2 c celery

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 t thyme

1 whole clove 

1 bay leaf

2 t agar powder

Gefilte Tofu:

1 c onion, chopped

1/2 c carrot, chopped

1 package of tofu, crumbled

3 T matzo meal

1 T egg replacer

3 T almonds, ground

1/4 c parsley, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

• To make the sauce: Saute onion in a little oil for a couple minutes then carrots and celery, cook another 2 minutes. 
• Add water, salt, pepper, thyme, clove and bay leaf then simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
• Add agar powder to stock stir and cook for another few minutes (sauce will thicken when removed from heat).
• Preheat oven to 375.
• To make the gefilte tofu: blend onion, carrot and tofu in a food processor until smooth, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
• MIx in matzo, egg replacer, almonds, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Form mixture into balls. The size is up to you. I made them smallish (about 2 inches in diameter) but traditionally I think the balls are huge and disgusting,... use your own judgement.
• *Rolling the balls is a little easier if you have oil on your hands so the mixture doesn't stick.
• Bake the gefilte tofu for about 40 minutes.
• Transfer balls to a serving dish and pour sauce on top. Make sure the sauce is hot, it will turn into a frightening gelatinous blob as it reaches room temperature.
• Enjoy!

Summer Salsa

A couple of days ago the weather was absolutely beautiful. The warmth and sunniness inspired a meal of springy and summery dishes. All of the food was delicious, but this salsa stole the show, in my opinion. If you're worried about the avocado turning brown, you can always add it right before serving, but if you use fresh limes the problem should be pretty well avoided.

4 -6  tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 avocado, cut into chunks

1 pablano pepper

1/4 c cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1-2 limes

2 t red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

• Roast  and peel pablano. Once cooled, seed and chop the pepper.
• mix all ingredients together and chill. 
• Serve with chips, on top of salad, or whatever.

Mango-Ginger Nori Rolls

Some fellow Michiganders had a euchre party last weekend.  At this euchre party we ate sushi, therefore donning the party a sush-ucher party. I usually cut up a bunch of veggies and make rolls of different combinations. This time I tried a sweet roll that had fresh mango slices and crystallized ginger. They were a hit but I would suggest a variety of veggie rolls as well. Other rolls I made had roasted beets, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and green onion. Sushi rules! Get creative, the possibilities are endless.

1 c sushi rice or short grain brown rice

2 c water

juice of 1 to 1/2 lime OR

1-2 T apple cider vinegar

1-2 T maple syrup

1-2 T toasted sesame seeds

mango

crystallized ginger

nori sheets

sushi mat

• Prepare rice and add lime juice or vinegar, syrup and sesame seeds.
• I am not going to try to explain how to roll sushi, sorry. If you don't know how, I think it would be easiest to watch a video on youtube. 
• These were good all on their own, but that's not to say you can't try them with the traditional soy sauce, wasabi, etc.