Sticky Sesame Green Beans

I found this Sticky Sesame Green Beans recipe in a newsletter from Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, a nutritionist/dietitian in Chicago.  I'm continuously cooking green beans with slivered almonds and lemon a 'la Bethenny Frankel recipe. Might be a good time to switch things up and try another way!

Ingredients
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
 1 tbs hoisin sauce
1 tbs honey
2 green onions, chopped
1 lbs. green beans
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds Bragg’s amino acids, to taste (or light soy sauce)

Directions 

1. Sauté oil, garlic, and ginger for 1 minute
2. Stir in hoisin and honey
3. Add green onion and green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes
4. Cover and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes, until al dente (still slightly crisp)
5. Top with sesame seeds and Bragg’s (or light soy sauce)

Eggplant

Eggplant is in season July through October and since this is the last month for my second (or third attempt) with working with eggplant, I decided to take a stab at it. I ended up roasting the eggplant the last time I prepared it. Yesterday I picked up eggplant along with yellow squash and zucchini – it's Autumn after all which is prime time for squash!

I found this extremely helpful "How To" on cutting and treating eggplant. Eggplants are prone to browning, absorbing oil, and include bitter skins. The eggplant needs to be salt as to avoid the absorption of oil, glazed with lemon to avoid browning and skin peeled off since it's bitter.

1. Rinse eggplant under cold running water. Wipe dry. 
2. Trim stems off.
3. Peel skin with peeler.
4. Brush the peeled flesh with lemon juice.
5. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.
6. Cut each half into slices.
7. Brush immediately with lemon juice.
8. Sprinkle both sides generously with 1 to 2 tbs of salt.
9. Place slices in a colander in the sink or in a bowl. Stand for 1/2 to 1 hour.
10. Wipe salt from slices with a paper towel.
11. Squeeze slices to omit excess moisture.
12. Pat slices dry with paper towels.  
13. Eggplant prep and ready for recipe.

Next, I'm thinking or roasting the prepared eggplant along with the zucchini and yellow squash sliced following a Ann Gentry recipe I posted earlier, Savory Roasted Winter Vegetables.

Bean Soy Chorizo Spinach Avocado Breakfast

This is a quick high protein vegetarian breakfast I have been cooking in the morning since we've been obsessed with avocados and the delicious soy chorizo from Trader Joe's .

Ingredients

1 16oz. can black beans, unsalted
2 tsp Cholula sauce
high heat oil spray can
2 pinches of fine sea salt
2 cups baby leaf spinach
1/4 Trader Joe's soy chorizo
2 slices Ezekiel raisin bread
2 tsp non-dairy butter
1 avocado, sliced

Directions

1. Open can of black beans and rinse thoroughly. Heat in pan, tossing frequently. Lightly salt and add Cholula sauce.
2. Heat not-stick pan. Spray oil. Heat oil. Add spinach and a pinch of salt. Stir until spinach wilts. Add soy chorizo. Stir until hot.
3. Place black beans, chorizo/spinach mixture, avocado and buttered toast on plate and serve.
   

Savory Roasted Winter Vegetables

I found this recipe in Ann Gentry's "Vegan Family Meals" cookbook. It's a great recipe for the winter when I'm looking for ways of eating more vegetables. I had some leftover fresh rosemary that I didn't know what to do with, so this recipe worked great. I was at Trader Joe's and was unable to find parsnips, therefore I added more Brussels sprouts. I also omitted the yams since I was thinking of using sweet potatoes fries as an additional side. Serve with Gardein mandarin orange crispy chick'n.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dry
2 tsp fresh rosemary. minced
1-1/2 fine sea salt
1/2 freshly ground black pepper
1/4 kabocha squash (almost 2 lbs.) or 1 small butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 small yams (14 oz.), peeled and cut lengthwise into 1-inch pieces
3 medium carrots (10 oz.), peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
2 large parsnips (8 oz.), peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
12 oz. Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and sprouts halved
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree. Line 2 large, heavy rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl to blend.
3. Add the vegetables and toss to coat.
4. Arrange vegetable mixture over the prepared baking sheets.
5. Roast stirring every 20 minutes, for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.
6. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a platter and serve.
   

Blueberry Muffins

Here's a slight variation from the blueberry muffin recipe in Bethanny Frankel's "Skinnygirl Dish" book.

Ingredients
1-1/4 cup flour (preferably oat)
1/2 raw sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup almond milk (or soy)
2 tbs melted vegan butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 fresh blueberries


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin pan with 12 liners.
2. Combine the dry ingredients together except the blueberries in one bowl.
3. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir in the blueberries.
5. Drop equal amounts of batter to muffin liners.
6. Bake for 20 minutes rotating the pan after 10 minutes.
7. Muffins tops should be firm. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes.
   

Black Bean Soup with Jalapeño-Lime Crème

I made this delicious soup from Ann Gentry's "Real Food Daily Cookbook" last night without the Jalapeño-Lime Crème and it was still delicious! I cannot wait to make this recipe again with the crème!

Ingredients

For soup:
2 cups dried black beans, picked through and rinsed
1 (2- to 3-inch) piece kombu (a sea vegetable; available in Asian grocery stores)
6 cups Vegetable Stock or water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
5 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
5 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro


For Jalapeño-Lime Crème:
2 jalapeños, roasted
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup plain soy milk
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt


Preparation

1. To prepare soup, place beans and kombu in a heavy stockpot. Add enough water to cover by 3 inches, soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse beans, reserve kombu.
2. Return beans and kombu to the pot, add stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Decrease heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. Discard kombu and stir in salt.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, then the chili powder, cayenne and cumin. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften. Add the tomatoes to the beans, cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender and the flavors blend. Cool slightly.
4. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot and season to taste with more salt, if desired. Stir in the cilantro. Serve with drizzle of Jalapeño-Lime Crème.
5. To prepare Jalapeño-Lime Crème, add chilies, cashews, soy milk, lime zest, lime juice, oil and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth.

White Bean & Sweet Yam Soup with Kale

This is a soup recipe I found on Tony Horton's personal chef, Melissa Costello's, website.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 large garnet yams, peeled and cubed
3 cans white beans, drained & rinsed
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp thyme
6 cups veggie broth or 3 bullion cubes with 6 cups water
2 cups lacinto kale, chopped
1-2 tbs nutritional yeast depending on personal taste sea salt to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot over medium heat, sautéonion, garlic and celery in oil until soft.
   
2. Add sage and thyme and stir to combine.
   
3. Add yams, white beans & broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
   
4. Cover pot and simmer until yams are soft, about 20-30 minutes.
   
5. Add kale and cover to let it wilt.
   
6. Add sea salt to taste and stir in nutritional yeast. Serve hot.