Recipes

Mediterranean White  Bean Soup (from The Joy of Cooking)

Pick over and soak 1 cup of white beans. I use navy.

Add to a pot along with:
7 cups water
8 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
3/4 tsp. dried rosemary

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer until the beans are cooked, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Add:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

At this point I puree about 2/3 of the soup and return it to the pot to warm through.

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Carrot Lentil Casserole
shared by Jenny H

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
3/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil, and oregano
1/4 teaspoon each salt, rubbed sage, and garlic powder
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions
1. In a 3-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray, combine the onion, carrots, lentils, rice, cheese, green pepper and seasonings.
2. Stir in broth and tomatoes.
3. Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hours or until the liquid is absorbed and lentils and rice are tender.

Darcy's note: Since I eat vegan as much as possible I used soy cheddar cheese when I made this recipe.

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Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Bethenny Frankel


1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 c. soy milk
1/2 c. banana puree (1 medium)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until well combined.

Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment or wax paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned, rotating the sheet halfway through baking.

Note: These cookies freeze really well and I even enjoy eating them straight from the freezer.

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Orzo Salad, Greek Style (from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)
serves 4


salt to taste
8 ounces orzo
1/4 cup, plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
black pepper
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup mixed fresh herbs (basil, mint, parsley, oregano)
1/2 cup grated aged feta or ricotta salata (optional)

Cook the orzo according to al dente then  rinse in a colander under cold, running water. Transfer the cooled, drained orzo to a large mixing bowl.

Dress with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Taste and add more acid or salt as necessary.

Add the tomatoes, scallions, olives and herbs to the orzo; toss them through once or twice. If possible let the salad rest at room temperature for an hour before serving. If using, add the cheese just before serving.

Note: Owing to my profound dislike of raw tomatoes I used red bell pepper here in its place and omitted the cheese to make it a vegan salad.


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Joy of Cooking Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake (page 932 in the 1997 edition)

 "This is a delightful simply chocolate cake whether or not you observe dietary restrictions.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour one 8x8-inch pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.

Sift together in a large bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose, both organic)
1 cup plus 2 T sugar
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

Combine and add:

1 cup cold water
1/4 vegetable oil
1 T white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

Stir until smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan  and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a slim knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off paper liner, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.

Serve plain, dusted with powdered sugar."

When I made the cake I added a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips (vegan from Whole Foods) over the top of the batter after I had spread it out in the pan. I didn't measure the chocolate chips but I can guess it was somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. Just sprinkle on an amount that looks yummy to you.