I've been remiss in posting one of my best-kept secrets: Grilled Vegetables. They are my go to summer filling for tacos, enchiladas, salads, and wraps. Grilled veggies pair nicely with garlicky hummus to make for a light summer lunch, especially when watermelon is served as a side.
Here's the best way to prepare the bounty of summer.
The other night I came home from work and was really tired. Still, I had to get dinner on the table. I had one can of coconut milk left on the shelf. In the refrigerator there were some left-over diced veggies, smoked tofu, and rice. I have a well stocked pantry, so I gathered up some spices, and went to work. And I came up with Smokey Tofu and Veggies, with Magic Coconut Sauce.
Have you ever faced the produce section in the grocery store and wondered about all that squash? The different varieties, how to cook them, what they even are? And what about that pumpkin you carved a few weeks ago for Halloween? Was that actually edible?
The cooking method remains the same. Bust them open-- carefully! -- with a very sharp knife. Clean out all the seeds, chunk them up and then roast or bake them in an oven. You can then transform the squash into soups, purees, pies, and other delicious dishes for meals.
The weather is turning cooler and the cooking mind turns to comfort food: soups. I love lentils in stews and soups. This recipe that I developed is one of my favorites so far. You can also find it in my cookbook Delectable Vegan Soups.
Enjoy this soup on a cold winter's day with warm tortillas or crusty bread.
We had guests over the weekend. I like to cook for people when they stay with me. However, these folks were busy with a conference, so they were in and out all weekend. I figured Sunday would be a good day to cook for them. (I did not know that they would be having dinner at the conference as well).
I planned to make Spring Rolls, and an orientalish fried brown rice. A light but filling “snack.” I had all the ingredients but one. Red Fresno (or red jalapeno) chilis. I live in Southern Arizona, I ought to be able to find a fresh red chili somewhere.
Here’s tonight’s dinner. Stuffed Zucchini with quinoa and roasted asparagus with a yellow pepper sauce.
The stuffed zucchini has sauted peppers, zucchini middles, and bits of tofu. I used pulverized almonds for the “glue.” This provides a gluten-free alternative to using bread crumbs.
The quinoa has sauteed peppers, onions and garlic, with turmeric, cardamon and mace added for flavor. The roasted red pepper sauce is yellow and green peppers and onions broiled then peeled. I pureed them in a blender, adding a bit of chili oil I had on hand, lemon juice and salt. I used olive oil to blend it together (not much though). If I had some veg stock on hand, I would have added that instead.
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