Rigatoni with Cauliflower,Curry Powder, and Coconut Milk

Another winner from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen! This was quick and easy and made a great weeknight dinner. At first I was worried that it wasn't flavorful enough but I was wrong. It was delicious- the cauliflower shone through and the curry was just right. I used Hot Curry from Penzey's and sprinkled just a bit more at the table. I also served mine over more spinach.

4 flamingos

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 4 cups- you could add more if you like)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (I used a serrano and through the whole thing in and maybe could have thrown another!)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, preferably light
1 pound rigatoni
3 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the cauliflower, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat the veggies with the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chile, garlic, and curry powder and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring once, until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the empty pot and add the cauliflower sauce, baby spinach, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Stir just until the spinach is wilts, about 30 seconds, adding more cooking water if needed to moisten the pasta. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste, and serve immediately.

BLT

An old favorite made even more delicious and almost vegan- I read the label of my bread more closely just now and noticed that it contained honey :( :( :( I love a BLT esp with fresh homegrown tomatoes. I had the best one this morning thanks to a tomato from my csa box and a tip to try fakin bacon.

The sandwich:

2 slices of Trader Joe's sprouted multi-grain bread, lightly toasted (well, I'll be looking for another bread- I'm sure there are more good choices out there but I really loved the nutty chewiness of this loaf.)

with Vegenaise Dressing from Follow Your Heart http://www.followyourheart.com/vegenaise.php
lightly spread on both slices. (This is good stuff and I'm not a mayo fan.)

Smokey Tempeh Strips http://www.lightlife.com/smokey.html I thought this tasted delicious- grainy and chewy but I like that. DH said it was ok- he liked the flavor but not the texture.

romaine lettuce

fresh ripe tomato

YYUUUMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Strawberry picking!

Today I'm going strawberry picking! I haven't gone since I was in fifth grade and I'm very excited. The strawberries in my csa this week were a bit of early summer heaven. All pink inside and very sweet. Below are two of my favorite strawberry recipes that let the flavor of the strawberry shine. And I found one new one to try- Strawberry Proseco Soup!

Spring Strawberry Pie
The classic strawberry pie is updated with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Crust:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Cooking spray
Filling:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cups small strawberries
Topping:
3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts or almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl, tossing with a fork until moist. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the filling, combine strawberry slices and vinegar in a medium nonstick skillet. Place the berry mixture over medium-high heat; cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar. Combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to pan, and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in juice. Cool completely. Arrange whole strawberries, stem sides down, in crust. Pour cooled strawberry mixture over whole strawberries. Cover loosely, and chill 4 hours.
To prepare the topping, combine 3 tablespoons cracker crumbs, nuts, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons melted butter in a small bowl. Place crumb mixture in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes or until golden brown; cool. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pie. Top each serving with whipped topping.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and 1 tablespoon whipped topping)
CALORIES 229 (35% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.8g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 2.3g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 34mg; SODIUM 176mg; FIBER 3.5g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37g

HINTS
Save some nicely sliced strawberries to arrange over the top of the pie. It will look prettier.
I haven't ever made the topping- this pie is great without it.
Cooking Light, MAY 2001

STRAWBERRY, MASCARPONE, AND MARSALA BUDINI
These parfaits (or budini — Italian for "puddings") of ultra-creamy mascarpone layered with Marsala-soaked strawberries perfectly illustrate the way of dessert in Italy: utterly simple, not too sweet, and delicious.

1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese*
6 tablespoons sweet Marsala (preferably imported)
3 tablespoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups sliced hulled strawberries (about 15 ounces)
2 1/4 cups coarsely crumbled amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons; about 4 1/2 ounces)*

Combine mascarpone, 3 tablespoons Marsala, cream, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Stir gently until well blended. Combine strawberries, remaining 3 tablespoons Marsala, and 1 tablespoon sugar in another medium bowl; toss to blend. Cover mascarpone and berry mixtures; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Place 2 tablespoons crumbled cookies in each of 6 goblets. Divide strawberry mixture with juices among goblets. Top berries with mascarpone mixture, then remaining cookies. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
*Mascarpone (Italian cream cheese) and amaretti cookies are available at Italian markets and many supermarkets.
Makes 6 servings.
Bon AppétitMarch 2003
Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

STRAWBERRY PROSECCO SOUP
1 lb strawberries, chopped (3 cups)
1 cup Prosecco
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
Garnish: cracked black pepper

Toss strawberries with Prosecco, tarragon, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Let macerate, chilled and covered, 1 hour.Purée mixture in a blender until smooth, then set aside 1 cup purée. Blend remaining mixture with yogurt and sugar to taste. Serve soup drizzled with reserved purée. Makes about 4 cups.
Gourmet August 2006

My first all vegan party!

I had a few friends over last Saturday and served an all vegan lunch. It was delish and they all loved it- some even asked for recipes. Two of the dishes were things that I've been making for years but one new one was a hit. I do have to say that there was a funny with this meal- I forgot to put out the carrot and celery sticks! So that really blows the all-vegans-eat-is-carrots-and-celery-sticks!

definitely 5 flamingos!

Menu
Cashew Rice Salad (Beyond the Horn of the Moon)
Tomato and Mango Salad with Curry-Orange Vinaigrette (A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen)
Herbed Boursin Spread (Even More Special)
Red Chile Hummus (store bought)
whole wheat pita pieces
crackers
pistachios
apricot halves with cream cheese (rice milk cream cheese) sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios- created from an appetizer that I saw (but didn't taste) at my school's cocktail party
dark chocolate covered espresso beans
ginger cookies from Whole Foods

Black Bean Enchiladas

adapted from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop

Filling
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)
2 ounces drained pickled jalapenos, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
10 6-inch corn tortillas

Quick Red Chile Sauce
follows

For the filling; Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, abouot 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, orange juice, and salt to taste and cook until the beans have softened slightly and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Scrape the beans into a medium bowl and cool to room temp. Add the pickled jalapenos and the cilantro to the bowl with the beans and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread half of the chile sauce evenly across the bottom of aa 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (I used stone). Arrange the tortillas on a work surface. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the bean filling across the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla very tightly (the ends will be open) and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Spoon the remaining sauce over the filled tortillas, making sure the sauce coats each tortilla from end to end.

Cover the baking dish with foil and place it on the upper-middle rack of the oven. Bake until the enchiladas are hot, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and uncover the pan.

Garnish with chopped romaine, avocado, and fresh lime juice.


Quick Red Chile Sauce
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons), with 1 tablespoon sauce
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground corinader
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chipotle, adobo sauce, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste, The sauce can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for a day or two.

A great enchilada dish

I made the Black Bean Enchiladas from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen and they were fantastic! Even DH couldn't stop saying how good they were. Not too hard at all and you can make the sauce ahead of time. It's easy to leave the cheese out of the mix since DH prefers flour tortillas and I prefer corn- easy to tell the difference. I'll post the recipe later. (I felt bad about not posting in a while but its been leftovers and tried and true's lately.)