Category: Vegetarian

Our dear friend Nicky gave me a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, a cookbook of exquisite vegetarian recipes. We were also fortunate to have a meal at his restaurant Nopi in London (thanks to Preeti) and enjoyed this flavorful roasted eggplant dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 large and long eggplants
1/4-cup olive oil
Fresh rosemary
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds
Sauce
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish
1 garlic clove, crushed or 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
1 pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise. Also, cut some slits inside the eggplant.
2. Place the eggplant, cut-side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, till soft and browned.
4. Either cut a fresh pomegranate or buy pomegranate seeds.
5. Whish the milk, yogurt, olive oil, and garlic. Salt to taste.
6. Spoon the sauce on roasted eggplant. Drizzle with some olive oil.

Recipe adapted by Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty.

The earliest versions of pizza were actually from ancient Greece, where flat bread was topped with vegetables, potatoes, spices and olive oil. Later in the 18^th century Italy, flat bread was sold to the poor in Naples and called pizza. The chef of Queen Margherita took this peasant bread, which she enjoyed, and added fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes leading to Pizza Margherita. It is reported that over 90% of Americans eat pizza once a month. My sister, Preeti recently sent me some almond flour pizza crust dough, so I figured we would give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 12-inch round of almond flour crust pizza dough (see below)
• 3 tablespoons pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper, eggplant, garlic spread (Trader Joes)
•  Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 long purple eggplant, cut into thin slices
• 1 red onion, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• Salt to taste

1. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to 450F. Let it heat 10 minutes. After rolling out the dough on top of parchment paper, use the circular top of a pot to make the circular shape.
2. Preheat the stretched dough in the oven at 450F for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the eggplant slices with olive oil and salt till browned.
4. Then sauté the red onion slices with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar till browned or caramelized.
5. Remove the stretched dough from the oven and spread the red pepper spread followed by the pizza sauce evenly across the surface.
6. Lay the eggplant slices followed by the caramelized onions.
7. Drizzle with olive oil over the top.
8. Add mozzarella or goat cheese if desired.
9. Bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes for a crisp crust.

The Arabic people in the Middle Ages introduced rice to Italy and Spain. It reached culinary maturity in Milan, which was under Spanish rule for almost two centuries. These factors led to Risotto alla Milanese, slow-cooked short rice with spices especially saffron. Traditionally the dish is built on rice and a creamy sauce (made up of chicken stock, onion, butter, wine, Parmesan and the spices). I decided to take this classic dish and substitute rice for cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 large head of riced cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil

½ cup diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

Salt & black pepper to taste

2 tbsp tomato paste

1-cup chicken or vegetable stock

1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish

1. Cut your cauliflower, remove stems, place into a food processor and pulse. Otherwise, you can buy riced cauliflower from the grocery store.
2. Heat up oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, and then add garlic until onion is translucent.
3. Add in riced cauliflower, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin. Stir continuously to mix the cauliflower. Add in tomato paste and mix together. Add one-cup stock, and cook slowly over medium-low heat. Add some lime juice for acid. Serve hot with garnished parsley and salt to taste.

We have been trying to cut down our carbohydrate intake this past month. So here is a simple but flavorful replacement for pasta. Zucchini noodles can either be purchased from a grocery store or you can make them yourself with a simple spiralizer tool. We got one for $10 from the grocery store, below is a link for purchase on Amazon.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 chorizo slices, chopped small
• 3 zucchini, spiralized or julienned
• 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1-2 shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• Grated parmesan, if desired

1. In a large stainless steel pan heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add chopped shallots and garlic to the pan until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped chorizo till it starts to brown.
2. Add tomatoes, water, red pepper flakes, basil, paprika, and milk. Bring to boil and then simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the zucchini noodles in and stir in for 5 minutes, leaving a little bit of crunch. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

We had leftover summer zucchini and yellow squash so I decided to make a classic ratatouille. The Japanese eggplant is thinner and can be found at most asian markets. This is great for a vegetarian family meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Sauce

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp garlic

2 red bell pepper, charred, peeled, seeds and ribs removed

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (28 ounces) can peeled San Marzano Tomatoes

1 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp herbes de Provence

Salt, pepper to taste

6 fresh basil leaves

Vegetables    

2 yellow squash, sliced

2 zucchinis, sliced

2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants, sliced

2 Tbsp spicy tomato oil to season over vegetables (optional)

Directions:

Roast bell peppers over the flame, and place the roasted peppers in a freezer bag to let them steam for 15 minutes, then remove stem, membranes and seeds. Chop them and set aside.Chop onion, celery, carrots and mince garlic. Heat up a large skillet, add butter and olive oil and sauté for 10 minutes on medium high heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, canned tomatoes, thyme, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Cook the sauce for 20 minutes.

Gently puree the ratatouille sauce in a food processor with the basil and pour into ovenproof dish.Preheat oven to 280°F.

Cut zucchinis, yellow squashes, eggplants into rounds. Arrange a strip of alternating slices of yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant over the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and the spicy tomato oil. Cover the ratatouille with foil. Cook ratatouille slowly for 3 hours at 280°F. Remove foil and cook for 45 minutes at 350ºF. Sprinkle fresh basil on top and enjoy.

There is an abundance of fresh vegetables this time of year. This is the perfect time to combine sweet corn with fresh herbs in a bright colorful bell pepper. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 Bell peppers total, 1 used for stuffing, any color you like.

Herb mixture
1/2 cup Panco bread crumbs
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
10 basil leaves, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil.

Stuffing

3/4 cup cooked rice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium size onion
extra bell pepper, diced
fresh thyme, wrapped in twine
2 ears of corn, grilled
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup kalamata olive, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

optional: cheese, tomatoes, black beans and pine nuts.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Cut off the 3 peppers’ tops. Remove the white membranes and seeds. Place peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and precook for 40 minutes.

Stuffing: Grill corn over the flame, wrap in paper towel and place in large ziplock bag.  In a hot skillet, add butter and olive oil and sauté the onions and diced bell pepper and thyme bouquet for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add corn kernels and cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer mixture into a large bowl. Remove the thyme bouquet. Add rice, olives, and herbed crust mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly:
Fill the precooked bell peppers generously with the stuffing. Bake stuffed peppers for 20 minutes. Place bell peppers hats back on and serve warm.