Tag: no dairy

Eggplant with Ancient Sweet Peppers Bake

I love eggplant.

I had a bumper crop this summer. I picked four last week and there are three more almost ready to be harvested. And all this from just one plant!

I have always been fascinated with this shiny purple fruit.

The growth process of eggplants is interesting. It starts with a freshly pollinated flower shaped like a star that hangs downward like a pendant light. The flower is the most beautiful shade of violet and develops into a small egg-shaped fruit within a few weeks. As the fruit matures it turns into a stunning shade of deep purple when ready for harvest.

I recently found out the flowers and leaves of the eggplant are poisonous. The fruit itself contains a compound called solamine which is toxic when consumed in large quantities. For this reason eggplant should not be eaten raw. Baking or roasting significantly reduces the amount of solamine. I now know why the deer in my backyard feast on the tomato and zuccini plants but never touch the eggplant.

That gorgeous shade of violet
The egg shape is how the eggplant got it’s name. I love how glossy and purple-black the flesh is.

I typically just grill eggplant slices and eat them that way. Last week I started thinking about my mother’s eggplant parmesan. It was hands down one of my most favorite childhood meals. It was considered a healthier alternative to lasagna because the eggplant slices replaced the noodles but all that mozarella cheese cancelled out any possible health benefit! So I came up with my own healthy version of eggplant parmesan which is 100% plant based and 1000% delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggplant cut in thin slices (leave skin on)
  • 2 ancient sweet pepper cut in rings (or red bell pepper)
  • 10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 2 14 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsps. tomato paste
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup plant based milk
  • 1 cup kale ribs removed cut into small pieces
  • 10 fresh basil leaves cut in thin strips
Crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, eggplant, sweet pepper, cherry tomatoes, basil, kale, garlic, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes (almond milk not pictured)

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. In a large oven proof or cast iron skillet add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, plant based milk, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir together. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes stirring intermittently. Add the kale and basil leaves and simmer for another 2 minutes.
Look at that wonderful creamy sauce!

3. Arrange the eggplant, ancient sweet pepper rings and cherry tomatoes in the creamy tomato sauce mixture. Sprinkle a little extra oregano, back pepper and ribboned basil leaves over the eggplant. 4. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until eggplant is soft.

Leave the skin on! The skin of the eggplant is edible and contains nasunin which is a special antioxidant that helps preserve and protect cell membranes
Everything about this eggplant bake is absolutely delicious. It is so full of flavor and I don’t even miss the cheese.
Impossible not to take seconds!
Veggie comfort food at it’s best!

Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho

When it is too hot to cook – don’t.

Sometimes in the heat of the summer there is nothing more refreshing then a nice bowl of gazpacho.

Gazpacho, originating from Spain, is a cold soup made from raw blended vegetables. Traditionally, gaspacho is an uncooked mixture of tomatoes and green pepper but it can also be a mixture of summer fruit like melons and berries or even summer greens.

The idea of a cold soup never crossed my mind until temperatures soared to 90 degrees last week. The thought of making a refreshing chilled dinner seemed incredibly appealing. It took about 10 minutes to whip this soup up in a blender and then like magic – instant dinner! I paired this soup with toasted Ezekiel sprouted 100% whole grain bread that I buttered with a little pureed avocado.

Creamy Cumber Gazpacho

Ingredients

  • 4 large unsliced cucumbers roughly cut
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp. fresh dill plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Vegetable broth (optional to adjust thickness of soup)
Cucumbers, avocado, basil, dill, lemon, garlic, black pepper, vegetable broth

Directions

  1. Cut up the cucumbers and avocado
  2. Add ingredients to a high powered blender
  3. Blend until creamy
  4. Add vegetable broth, if desired, for a thinner soup
Roughly cut pieces
Enjoy!

Winter Vegetarian Borscht

The inspiration behind this soup was a beautiful Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven given to me recently by my son and daughter in law. What a perfect gift, I must say, for the soup nazi that I am! Well – I wanted to make a soup that was bold and also a complimentary color to my new pea green pot. So I’m at Rainbow Farms, my new favorite hang out market in Madison, and happened across the most beautiful bunch of red beets. That’s it! Beet soup. But it’s in the 20’s and snowy here in NE Ohio so I wanted something really hearty. Then it came to me – hearty, piping hot winter Borscht!

My gorgeous bunch of red beets

There are innumerable versions of this soup which is of Eastern European origin. I sieved through many recipes and ended up using Carole Clements recipe from What’s Cooking: Soups. I did tweak it up a bit – sorry Carole. Many recipes use potatoes but I ommited this only because I wanted it on the lighter side. I also debated whether or not to keep it chunky or pureed. I really agonized over this but in the end opted to puree. Maybe next time I will do a chunky / puree combination. To season borscht you absolutely have to have dill – fresh dill – and lots of it. There is something quite amazing about the pairing of beets with dill. Something I never knew, quite honestly, until making this soup.

Borscht is a sour soup. To achieve the sourness I used lemon juice but red wine vinegar works too. I tried a small sample using both and ended up going with the lemon juice which I felt was less harsh. I also noticed something interesting about the taste – sort of sweet and sour. Then it came to me. This was because of the sweetness of the carrots.

Traditionally Borsch is served with a dollop of sour cream. To maintain compliance with the plant based theme of this website, I substituted with Silk plain almond milk dairy-free yogurt.

There are so many reasons to love the star ingredient in this soup – beetroots. Beets are low in calories but super rich in nutrients. They are loaded with fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamins B and C. They also contain folate which is good for heart health and manganese which is good for brain function and metabolism. According to Healthline, beets have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and blood pressure (although this effect is temporary) but a good reason to make plenty of Borscht.

Now if you’ll excuse me I am going to curl up on the couch with a nice big bowl of my Winter Vegetarian Borscht and watch the snow fall!

My pea green (the actual color is called avocado) Le Creuset dutch oven proudly showcasing the hearty ruby red Borscht!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 large green cabbage coarsley chopped
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 carrots thinly sliced
  • 3-4 beets peeled and cubed
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 14 oz. can peeled tomatoes in juice
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Non-dairy yogurt
Green cabbage, onion, carrots, beets, peeled tomatoes in juice, vegetable stock, bay leaves, fresh dill, lemon, black pepper, non-dairy yogurt

Directions:

  1. Cover the cabbage with cold water in a pan. Boil for 3 minutes then drain.
  2. Saute the onion in a small amount of water in a cooking pot.
  3. Add the broth, tomatoes, carrots, bay leaf and blanched cabbage. Stir. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr 15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
  4. Allow the soup to cool slightly then transfer, small batches at a time, to a high speed blender and puree.
  5. Return to the soup pot, add the dill, black pepper and lemon juice and stir. Add more broth or water to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve piping hot with a dollop of non-dairy yogurt.
Blanched cabbage
Adding all the vegetables
After simmering for 1’15”
And then the dill!
Would you just look at those complimentary colors!
To get the cool ribboned look of the yogurt I used a frosting decorator bottle with tip

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew

There’s nothing better then walking through the door after a hard days work to the smell of veggie stew that’s been cooking all day long. This easy peasy stew is one of my standard weekday meals during brutally cold winter months in NE Ohio. With temperatures below freezing I decided this hearty stew was going to be on the Tuesday menu. I loaded up the slow cooker the evening before, plugged it in this morning and off to work I went. Around the 2 o’clock hour I started thinking about my little stew doing its thing in the cooker. I came home, took a warm shower, got into my jammies, robe and fluffy slippers (yes at 5PM), got a nice fire going and plopped in front of it with a nice piping hot bowl of this delicious and healthy stew. Winter evenings do not get any better than this – in my opinion. It’s the simple things in life that make me the happiest.

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 28oz. can whole tomatoes
  • 2 cans reduced sodium tomato soup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 carrots peeled and cut in small pieces
  • 4 large celery stalks cut in pieces
  • 1 10 oz. package frozen pearl onions or large onion chopped
  • 1 large package white mushrooms
  • 3 red skinned potatoes cut in pieces and unpeeled
  • 1 small bag frozen peas (or green beans)
  • 1 package extra firm and pressed tofu cut in small cubes
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika

Directions

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except the tofu. Set on low for 8 hours. Add the tofu the last 30 minutes. If you prefer a thick stew add a few tbsps. cornstarch and mix together. Serve with Wasa multi grain crisp bread.