Roasted portobello mushrooms

These thick, meaty mushrooms are divine sandwiched between slices of focaccia with a bit of avocado and red onion dressing. If I'm serving this alongside a spinach salad (the one picture here also includes oranges, pecans, dried cranberries, and avocado), I'll often put some salad in with the mushroom. Alternatively, you could slice the mushroom and serve it atop the salad!

This recipe comes straight from Veganomicon.

Marinade:
1/2 c. cooking wine (I use white grape or apple juice)
1 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large or up to 4 small portobello caps.

Combine all ingredients in a glass pie plate. Place the mushrooms caps-up in the marinade and spoon marinade liberally into each cap to form a small pool. Marinate for 20 minutes; cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, flip the caps over, and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

Focaccia

This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma Breads. It tastes best hot from the oven; I like to split it in half for sandwiches.

2 1/4 t. quick-rise yeast
1 1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, plus a bit of extra
2 t. regular salt (I use sea salt)
3-3 1/2 c. unbleached bread flour (occasionally I'll substitute a cup of WW)
coarse salt for top of loaf
crumbled dried rosemary
**1 egg white

Dissolve the yeast into the water, stir in 2 T. oil and 2 t. regular salt. Gradually stir in 3 c of flour to make a soft dough that holds its shape. Knead by hand or with the dough hook of a mixer, adding flour as necessary. Knead until smooth and elastic (10 minutes by hand or about 6 with the dough hook).

Form the dough into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

Grease a heavy rimmed baking sheet (I use my jelly roll pans) with olive oil. Knead dough a few times on lightly floured surface, form into a ball and let rest on baking sheet for five minutes. Stretch or roll out the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover with a towel and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Uncover the dough. Using your fingertips, make a pattern of dimples at 2-inch intervals over the entire surface. Brush with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with coarse salt. OR, if you're adding rosemary and you'd like it to stick, brush the surface with egg white, then add rosemary and coarse salt.

Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Best when served warm!

Apple, peach, cranberry crisp with fennel topping

The topping in this recipe was inspired by the strawberry-plum crisp from Veganomicon, although I've jazzed it up a bit. The filling is a modification of a standard apple pie, with a few little additions to spice things up and make it a tasty little treat rather than a ho-hum standby. If you're nervous about the fennel, go ahead and give it a try--it's what really elevates this dish. The original recipe calls for anise seed, so you could substitute 1.5 t. of that instead.

Topping:
3/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. fennel seeds
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 T. canola oil

Process in a stand mixer until thoroughly combined and crumbly.

Filling
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
1 quart drained home-canned peaches (this is what I happened to have on hand; if you're using fresh, probably 3. Don't use store-canned peaches, as they're flavorless and too syrupy). If you're using home-canned peaches, drain out as much liquid as you can, but don't get too particular.
1 generous handful dried cranberries
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. white flour
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg

Stir together dry filling ingredients, then add fruit; stir to combine. Spoon filling into a deep-dish pie dish or a 9x9 glass pan; bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes or until the topping is browned and the juices are bubbling. Watch to make sure it doesn't burn!!

White bean soup with zucchini, rosemary, and kale

I originally posted about this several months ago; I received lots of requests for the recipe, but hadn't really noted things mentally as we cooked. When I prepared this soup on Friday evening, I paid more attention, and here you have it. This is a lovely light-tasting and hearty soup; all three of my children love it and eat it without complaining (which is the ultimate accolade). Unfortunately, we never have leftovers, so next time I'll double it

1 head kale, stems removed, cut into smallish pieces
2 15-oz cans navy or cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, diced
2-3 t. garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 c. light-tasting broth (vegetable or chicken)
1 zucchini, washed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 t. rosemary
1-2 t. lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, and rosemary as needed


Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and rosemary, saute for one minute, then add the onions and a scant teaspoon of salt and cook until tender. Add the carrots and celery and cook a few minutes more. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then add the beans and the zucchini. Simmer until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart (15-20 minutes). Add the lemon juice and a few grinds of pepper, taste, and correct the seasoning as needed. Stir in the kale until wilted into the soup, then serve with a crusty loaf of fresh bread and salad.

**Note: the broth will thicken somewhat with the addition of the beans.

Dakota Bread

This is one of my favorite breads. Everyone who eats it loves it too, so I have never actually gotten a picture of the finished product. It's gone that fast. So here it is on the dough hook, although this actually is a little drier than I usually make it (as in the sides of the bowl are usually not that clean, since it is a moderately sticky dough with all the whole-wheat flour. just a heads-up if you don't work a lot with whole wheat flour--your finished dough will be a lot stickier than a white flour dough).

Anyway. This bread is called Dakota Bread, and it is SO good. It's a really flavorful bread with a great texture and crumb, plus it is studded with all kinds of goodies so it has a very artisanal feel. And like I said before, total crowd-pleaser (in fact, I'm posting it here by request).

Credit for this bread goes to Gena Petersen, a friend of my mom's.

Dakota Bread

2 c. warm water
1/3 c. honey
3 T. walnut or sesame oil (I just use extra virgin olive)
4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. dry milk
1 t. salt
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. each sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pepetas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. (at least! I like more) dried cherries or Craisins
1 T. each millet, poppyseed, flax, sesame seeds

Mix water and honey. Sprinkle yeast over water and allow to proof. Add oil to water. Stir milk, flour, and salt into water (I like to add all the wheat flour first and let it knead for awhile to really work the gluten). Add nuts, seeds, and fruit to dough and knead 10 minutes (or just until it looks "right"). Allow to rise until double; punch down, shape into round loaf. Let rise on greased baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes (35 in my oven) at 350.

The seeds, nuts, and fruit in the recipe are just guidelines--add whatever you have on hand or sounds tasty to you! I make this differently every time. In the loaves I made this evening for a party, I used sunflower seeds, pepitas, Craisins, millet, and flax, and I used probably a quarter-cup each of millet and flax rather than just a tablespoon, because a tablespoon really gets lost between two loaves. The best place to buy sunflower seeds, pepitas, millet, flax, etc. is probably your local health food store, where you can buy in bulk rather than teeny little boxes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. It's tasty, but I also really like the one from Veganomicon (which doesn't use cheese or butter). Anyway.

24 large fresh mushrooms, 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter

1/4 c. sliced green onions (2)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. butter

2/3 c. fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 c. shredded cheddar, smoked Gouda, or crumbled blue cheese (2 oz) **note: I've had this with Gouda and feta, both were excellent**

Rinse and drain mushrooms. Remove stems; reserve caps. Chop enough stems to make 1 c.

In a medium saucepan cook the chopped stems, green onions, and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese. Spoon crumb mixture into mushroom caps. Arrange stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet; bake in a 425-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through.

Ratatouille

This recipe is from The New Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas. It makes a lot, but it's so heavenly that I wouldn't cut it in half! And while it isn't the most attractive dish in terms of color or firm texture, it is seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. It makes me want to move to Provence right this second.

2 lbs young, firm eggplants

salt to taste

2 lbs zucchini

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 large onions, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1.5 lbs red and green peppers, seeded and cut in 1/2 inch dice

2 c. Summer Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

2 T. olive oil

handful chopped fresh parsley

handful chopped fresh basil

1 T. balasamic vinegar

fresh-ground black pepper to taste

3 large, red tomatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces

• Peel the eggplants and cut them in 1/2 inch dice. Toss the cut eggplants with a generous amount of salt and drain in colander for at least 45 minutes. Trim the zucchini and cut into similar-sized pieces, toss with salt, and put in another colander to drain.


• While the eggplant and squash drain, prep the other vegetables and/or sauce.


• Heat the olive oil in a large stew or stock pot. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the chopped onion and a dash of salt, then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and just beginning to color.


• Rinse the eggplant and swuash in cold water, pressing gently against the colander to squeeze out excess moisture. Add the eggplant and zucchini to the onions with a scant teaspoon of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for 6-7 minutes. Stir in the peppers and tomato sauce, cover, reduce the flame, and simmer for about 20 minutes.


• Uncover the pan and stir. If it looks too soup, simmer uncovered, stirring often, until it is a thick stew. Add the chopped herbs, the balsamic, more salt if needed, and a generous grating of black pepper. Stir in the cut-up tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes to heat through.

**I use about 1 lb peppers, no parsley, and extra basil. I also like to serve this with crumbled feta, dark purple grape juice, and lots of good-quality French bread.**

Summer Tomato Sauce

3 lbs ripe tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute to loosen skins. Remove skins, cut out cores, and process to a rough texture in a blender.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic. Saute for a minute, then pour in tomatoes. Add basil and a little salt and pepper, then cook on medium flame for about half an hour, or until reduced by about a third (I cook it longer so it's a really thick and pungent sauce).

Use at once or keep in the 'fridge for several days.