Cranberry Apple Compote

This simple compote is best served warm, as a desert. If you don't like anise, substitute a small amount of cinnamon instead.


4c sliced, pared, and cored apples
1/2c fresh cranberries
1/4c raisins
1/4c coarsely chopped walnuts
2T brown sugar
5T apple juice or water
2 star anise
dash nutmeg

mix all ingredients in a 2qt saucepan. Heat until boiling. Cook covered on low heat 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool to serving temperature.

cauliflower soup

This soup is easy and fast, and a great solution for cool evenings.
2 head cauliflower
4c vegetable broth
4T oil
1tsp dry thyme
1/4tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Steam cauliflower just until soft, reserving 1c cooking water. Blend cauliflower and broth in blender or food processor (may take several batches). Use reserved water if needed. Saute thyme and red pepper in oil over high head 1 minute. Add blended cauliflower and reserved water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Banana chocolate chip muffins

these muffins are an easy morning treat. Both the chocolate chips and nuts are optional, adjusts the amounts as desired. Use very ripe bananas, almost black, for the best flavor. I apologize for not having a photo, my family at them literally as they were coming out of the oven.
1 1/2c flour
1 1/2t baking powder
1/4t baking soda
3/4c sugar
2c mashed bananas
1/3c oil
3T water
dash cinnamon
dash allspice
2/3c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2c chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork. Add bananas, oil and water. Mix with fork until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated (batter will be slightly lumpy). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Put in well greased muffin pan. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly brown on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12 standard size muffins.

Pasta bean salad

This is a great salad that can be made quickly and is perfect for summer dinners. Feel free to add other vegetables as available.

8oz macaroni or salad pasta, cooked and cooled
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1/4c finely diced red onion
1-2 dill pickles, diced
2-3T prepared mustard
1T olive oil
1T raspberry vinegar or other vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill before serving.

Mushroom Risotto

1/3c oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8+oz mushrooms, sliced
2c white rice
2c vegetable broth
1tsp pepper
water
salt to taste

Cook garlic, onion and mushrooms in oil until onion is clear. Add rice, broth and 3c water. Add pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmer 25 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium high. Add additional water a bit at a time, and stir constantly until rice is soft and begins to loose its shape (about 5 min, make take 1-2c water). Salt to taste.

donuts, not quite as pretty, but so much tastier

2c lukewarm water
1T dry yeast
2T oil
1c sugar
5-6c flour
oil for frying
granulated sugar, powdered sugar, or glaze (recipe follows)

Mix water, oil, and 1c sugar in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on and let sit for 3-5 minutes, until yeast dissolves and activates (smells like yeast or starts to foam). Stir in 5-6c of flower until a dough is formed, knead with bread hook or by hand until cohesive and smooth, about 6-10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, punching down as needed.

In the morning, heat about 3 inches of oil in a medium saucepan (the high sides protect against splatters) to 350 degrees F (use a frying thermometer). With greased hands pull small amounts of dough from the bowl and roll into a short cylinder 2-3 inches long. Carefully drop by ones or twos into oil, being careful to maintain proper temperature. Donuts will turn themselves over partway through cooking. When top and bottom are the same color remove from oil and drain for a few minutes on paper towels. Roll in granulated or powdered sugar, or drizzle with glaze. Eat warm.

glaze for donuts
1c powdered sugar
2-3T hot water

Stir water into sugar until it forms a glaze about the consistency of pancake syrup. Drizzle over hot donuts. Can be saved for a few days in an airtight container, reheat for 5-10 seconds in microwave to return to proper consistency.

kidney bean cabbage soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 15oz can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 25oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
8-10oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2-3T olive oil
1tsp dried oregano
1qt vegetable broth

Saute onion and oregano in oil until onion starts to become clear. Add mushrooms and saute 1-2 minutes further. Add broth and both colors of beans and bring to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot.

Broccoli Soup

1/2 large onion, diced
4T oil
3c vegetable broth
4 broccoli heads, cut into small florets
1/4c apple juice
3T flour
salt and pepper to taste

saute onion in oil until clear and golden. Add broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until broccoli is tender and falling apart, 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Mix flour with apple juice and stir into soup, breaking up large florets with the spoon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Penne with summer squash

2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
12oz penne
3T olive oil
1c vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t thyme
1/2t black pepper
1/4t salt

cut the squash and zucchini into rounds or half rounds, steam until tender. Bring water to boil for penne, cook. Meanwhile saute garlic and thyme in oil until fragrant. Add broth, pepper, and salt. Boil until reduced to a syrup. Drain penne and mix with vegetables and broth reduction.

Onion Mushroom Sandwiches

1-2T oil
8-10oz sliced mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped
1/4c apple juice
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat bread, lettuce, mustard, etc.

saute onions in oil until soft and browning, add mushrooms and continue to cook 1-2 minutes. Add apple juice and bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Uncover, salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat and boil until liquid is almost all gone, stirring occasionally. Serve on bread with sandwich fixings. Makes 2-3 sandwiches.

caramel apple bake

4 apples, pared and sliced
2T water
1c sugar

Preheat oven to 400, put the apples in two 16oz ramekins. Bring sugar and water to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil until syrup becomes a light brown, remove from heat and cool until no longer boiling. Pour over apples and bake for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.

Pasta with onion and white kidney beans in a tomato sauce

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz white kidney beans, rinsed (sometimes called cannellini beans)
2T olive oil
2T apple juice
1/4t dried oregano
1/4t red pepper flakes
1 small onion
12oz Farfalle (bow tie) or other mid-sized pasta

heat water for pasta. mix all ingredients except pasta and onion in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, reduce to a low boil. Cook pasta and drain. coarsely dice onion and add to sauce for last 2 minutes. Mix sauce and pasta, serve. About 20 minutes. Add more red pepper flakes for a spicier sauce.

The joy of salad

I don't care much for salad. Salad in my mind, has three flaws, it is covered in oil, nothing fits on your fork, and it is mostly lettuce.

To address the first problem, avoid the oil entirely, substitute some pepper and salt and use the dampness of the salad to help it adhere to the vegetables. In addition to tasting better, removing dressing makes salad a healthy food rather than a guilty indulgence.

To solve the second problem, cut everything into fork sized pieces. Restaurant chefs don't understand that it takes between one and five minutes to get a cherry tomato on a fork. Cut the tomato in half, and it takes about a tenth of a second. Make sure that the item can also fit into the mouth easily. Whole green beans do not fit in the mouth, even if they can be speared easily.

The third problem is more fundamental, and requires rethinking salad entirely. Lettuce is a perfectly acceptable vegetable, but there are 600 or so other nice vegetables. A salad that is iceberg, grated carrot and two cucumber slices is a waste. Cut the lettuce in half, add mushrooms, onions, cauliflower, beets, oranges, soybeans, ....

A salad following the above guidelines will be more interesting, more flavorful and much healthier.

Post One

Plants are all around us and form the basis for our food. This blog is a place where I post recipes, created by me, that use plants. I will never post a recipe that includes an animal ingredient (including milk). People choose to eat plant only food for a variety of reasons. I am not blogging about reasons to eat only plants, just about food. Prepare to find a lot of great food made just with plants. I may occasionally post information about foods that have animal products in them, but that is informational only, the main point of this blog is really good food.