Aunt Tracy’s Bean Bowl

 A revamped version of my favorite bean salad, Aunt Bebe’s Bean Bowl.  Of course my Walmart had no wax beans (too fancy for Walmart?) which the original recipe calls for. I substituted canned beets and was pleasantly surprised! I could eat this stuff by the bowlful. 

• 1 can green beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• I can lima beans
• 1 can chick peas
• 1 can sliced beets
• 1 sweet onion sliced very thin
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/3 C red wine vinegar
• 1/3 C vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Dissolve sugar in vinegar over low heat. Add oil, salt and pepper. Pour warm dressing over onions and bring to room temp. Add drained and rinsed beans. Salad is better the next day when it has had some time to marinate. 

Curried Brown Rice Salad

A most delicious and unusual rice salad found in  "The Abundance Diet" by Somer McCowan. I had to swap out a few ingredients, but this salad is full of flavor! This makes a super lot! Maybe cut the recipe in half for a more reasonable amount for your family meal.

Here's what you need:
4 C cooked and cooled brown rice (that's about 2 C raw rice)
4 ribs celery, diced 1/4 inch
2 carrots, diced 1/4 inch
1 red pepper, diced 1/2 inch
1 small bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 C roasted cashews
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
1/2 C dried cranberries

Dressing:
3 T white wine vinegar
2 t dried curry powder
1 t dried cumin
1/2 ground ginger
1/2 garlic powder
1 T peanut butter

Also add to the dressing 1/3 C date paste: 1/3 dates, 2/3 water, high speed blender.

Summer Orzo Salad

Don't forget about orzo! It's perfect for this light summer salad. (I ate almost the entire thing....) Dress this very lightly - there are plenty of flavors to carry the pasta.

Here's what you need:
1 lb orzo prepared according to package
6 oz feta cheese minced
1/2 C red onion minced
handful fresh spinach chopped small
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces and boiled until fork tender
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

For the dressing whisk together the following:
1/4 C olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t dijon mustard
1/2 t honey

Peanut Sesame Noodles

What are the unusual ingredients lurking in the back of your pantry? I have a bag of millet in mine that I really need to use, but I'm not sure how. I also have a jar of raw, crushed, mild paprika from Poland. I have no idea how use it either. I have some really weird spices too : fenugreek, harissa, and black salt anyone?

I remember purchasing these black sesame seeds because I wanted them for sushi, but after my most recent sushi fiasco (read about it HERE), I'm giving sushi a rest for a while.

You have to admit that the black seeds look great on these peanut sesame noodles.

Nothing too fancy about this recipe; I sauteed onions and garlic and added them to the peanut sauce. Lots of raw veg gave the noodles a good crunch.  Thinning the sauce with pasta water helped keep the noodles nice and silky and made leftover less clumpy.

My guys thought it would be good heated up, but I served it cold. This type of noodle dish always goes over well - everyone loves it.

Peanut Sesame Noodles
Saute 2 small onions and 2 cloves of garlic in sesame oil. Place in blender.
Add the following to the blender and whirl till smooth
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C tahini
1/4 C lime juice
1/4 C soy (or less to taste)
2-4 T sriracha sauce
2  T honey

cook 1 pound of pasta until tender (more than al dente) reserving about 1/4-1/2 C of the starchy water. Add the water to the peanut sauce.

slice a red pepper as thinly as you can and also chop the tender parts of 2 stalks of broccoli.

3-4 scallions, cut in 1/2 inch slices

serve with fancy black sesame seeds or a handful of peanuts.

Citrus-Pistachio Couscous Salad

 Looking to lighten up your meal plans this coming month? Here's a light and delicious salad for you to try. I used to make this all the time when I was younger and for some reason, it slipped out of my regular rotation. You can see I have it scratched on the inside cover of my old-favorite "Moosewood Cookbook."

I remember eating this at a neighbor's house and asking for the recipe. She blurted out a few things and I ran home and scribbled them down. I'm not even sure I got it half right. And I know for certain that back then, couscous seemed very exotic! In fact, the woman herself seemed exotic to me .... I don't really remember why though. Her daughter and my daughter were little friends and would spend long afternoons playing together and eating at each others' houses. Mom and I were friendly and almost 'girlfriends,' so it was completely bizarre when we woke up one morning to find they had moved during the night! House was entirely empty of people and items! I have no idea what happened to them, but I whenever I see this recipe, I am transported back to that mysterious event and I will always wonder about it.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing (from Budget Bytes)

Well, I really pulled out the stops for this year's Easter lunch! I made tons of vegan sushi; I literally spent hours prepping veggies, cooling rice, rolling, rolling, rolling, and decorating. See how gorgeous my end result was! I'm telling you, I was mighty proud of these beauties. Look at them!

The only horror was that I did not realize how yucky they would be after storing them over night in the fridge :( I mean, they were hard and crunchy and the nori was chewy. My family (bless their hearts) ate like champs, but all I could think of was how much they were chewing and chewing and trying not to frown at the Easter table.

My beautiful sushi did not satisfy at all. I knew we were hungry and cranky. So the next day, I made three power salads, enough to fill us to the brim and beyond.

Today I share an excellent recipe from Budget Bytes. See the original recipe here.  This stuff was amazing. In fact, it's probably my new favorite way to eat cauliflower. Many kudos to Beth and Budget Bytes.

Middle School Millet Salad

Vegan Month of Food 2017

"Lines and Light"

(a line or two of original poetry or a photo of light every day in the month of October)

Day 22: Weird Grains

I made this millet salad for my 5th and 6th graders because we are studying Africa. Lots of millet is eaten in Africa (and all over Asia as well). I have to be honest and admit that they really did not like it. I think a few kids only licked one tiny grain and called it good. I kept saying things like, "It's not spicy!" or "I think you'll like it if you take a whole spoonful," or, desperately, "Keep chewing!" Ha!

Mince onions and green peppers and garlic and saute. Whirl a carrot or two in a food processor until minced and almost juicy. Add carrots to the saute. Add millet and saute a bit. Add the correct amount of vegetable broth and simmer until nice and soft. Lots of chopped cilantro at the end. 

I thought it was delicious, but I'm weird that way - I love weird grains. (Is there even such a thing?)

Today's photo comes at the end.... my beautiful dog, Lucy. 

"Light on a nose"

The Best Vegan Ranch Dressing

Vegan Month of Food 2017
“Lines and Light”
(a line of original poetry or a photo of light every day for the month of October)

Day 8 : You do make friends with a salad- A salad to win anyone’s heart.(click HERE to see what others are sharing today)

"Light on a Tennessee River"

Here’s how boring I am: my favorite vegetable is lettuce. And yes, there is lettuce under this mountain of vegetables. Do you see that I used some raw veg and also some sautéed veg? Those are sautéed portabella mushrooms  there in the middle of the salad.

What make a big salad like this special is a homemade dressing. I used two of my favorites and mixed them together. (That’s a special secret – try mixing dressings, maybe a creamy one and a vinaigrette, for a new flavor.)

The Best Vegan Ranch Dressing:

1 C vegan mayo ( I love Earth Balance brand)

½ t garlic powder

½ t onion powder

½ t dried marjoram

2 T dried parsley

¼ t black pepper

1 t soy milk, or more if needed

Whisk together and chill well

Basic Vinaigrette
1 T red wine vinegar

1 t lemon juice

3 T olive oil

1 t Dijon mustard

1 t honey or agave

½ t dried tarragon

Whisk together and chill

Polenta Croutons

I’ve been known to boldly say, “Bread makes the sandwich.” And today, I boldly say, “Croutons make the salad.” Scatter these on your favorite Caesar and you’ll be thanking me.

Eat your salad and add these croutons!

It could not be easier to make these, but you do need a pizza stone to get the nice chewy edges on the polenta.

Start with a store bought tube of regular polenta. 

Use a sharp knife and turn the tube shape into a rectangular shape. This will not only make it easier to cut the polenta into cubes, it will eliminate the coating that exists on the polenta. Cut the polenta into ½ inch cubes. Drizzle with ½-1 teaspoon olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Carefully place the polenta cubes on a smoking hot pizza stone. (Well, at least preheat your stone in a 450 degree oven.) Bake for about 15 minutes, then turn the cubes over and bake for another 15 minutes or until the polenta is nice and crisp.

I found the best way to turn the cubes over, is to put them back in a bowl, toss them a bit, and then pour them back on to the stone. CAREFUL! Everything is 450 degrees!

It’s difficult not to eat the entire batch of polenta croutons before they even make it to the salad!  

Garlicky Grilled Corn and Bean Salad

Here's a great example of what I eat on a pretty regular basis - big ole bowls of veg. This particular bowl was very good and super garlicky and it actually has great potential to develop into a serious recipe. For now, though, it will remain a simple concoction I created one night when Mr. Living Cookbook was out of town.

Garlicky Grilled Corn and Bean Salad

Grill 3 ears of fresh corn on either an indoor or outdoor grill. Remove the kernels.
Saute 1/2 can of dark kidney beans in some warm olive oil
Mince a few cloves of garlic and add them to the beans being very careful to simply warm them - never brown garlic!
Add 2 carrots,finely grated

Mix it all together and eat while warm; if needed drizzle some more olive oil over the top.

(and yes, I actually do eat 3 ears of corn, 1/2 cans of beans, and 2 carrots at a single sitting.)

Celery Salad with Miso Dressing (deliciousliving.com)

Celery is surprisingly nutritious.  It's loaded with vitamins K and C. It's great in all kinds of soups and stews; I even put it in my chunky spaghetti sauce sometimes. I never really ate much celery as a kid and I often forget about eating it as a snack or raw vegetable now-a-days too. But I feel as if I have found the BEST way to eat celery! I made this salad about a dozen times this summer: small servings for my husband and me and large amounts for potlucks. Always rave reviews. 

The best thing about this salad is how unusual it is -  uncommonly delicious. Plus, it's gorgeous on a plate or large platter.

2 cloves minced garlic (or use a garlic press)

1 T light miso

1 T dijon

2 t agave

4 T olive oil

8 stalks celery, sliced diagonally into very thin slices

1/4 C toasted walnuts
coarsely ground black pepper for garnish

baby lettuce or bib lettuce

Whisk the dressing ingredients and pour over sliced celery. Mix well. Arrange celery over leaves of soft lettuce. Garnish with toasted walnuts and cracked black pepper. 

My garden salad

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden...
But though an old man, I am but a young gardener."

Thomas Jefferson, 1811

Do you have a small plot of earth that you can cultivate and grow vegetables? It has recently become so satisfying to me. I love to dig around, check under leaves and plan meals - what am I gonna do with all those jalapeno peppers???? 

 Above you see lettuce, roasted zucchini, roasted beets and kale chips. All from my tiny garden. 

Pasta Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

Have you ever heard those radio shows where people call in asking for certain recipes? Maybe it's for a particular cake they had at their book club. Or perhaps they're looking for a crock pot recipe using onion soup mix. Scalloped potatoes is always a favorite recipe that is shared on this type of radio show. Cheese, cheese and more cheese! (oh, and canned soup!) 

Another variation of this radio show is a 'copy cat' recipe - you know, Kentucky Fried Chicken, the famous biscuits from Red Lobster, the blooming onions. (OMG-- have you eaten those? DELICIOUS) 

Well, I totally nailed this copy cat recipe and I share it here on my little blog. I'm embarrassed to show you how much I paid for 2 pounds of this salad, but it is so, so good! My version has been veganized and is not quite as salty as the store bought. I also cut back on the mayonnaise. The most recent time I made this salad, I added some cashew Parmesan (recipe HERE) for a little bump in the cheesy flavor and a hit of salt. 

16 ounces penne rigate pasta - cooked more than al dente

1/3 C minced onion

1 C corn

1 C grated cheddar

1 t dried basil

1 T red wine vinegar

1 roasted red pepper

1/2 C mayo or more to taste

1/4 t cayenne pepper or more to taste

1/4 t garlic powder

Cook the pasta till soft, drain, rinse and set aside. Add in the onion, corn, cheese and basil. Whirl the dressing ingredients in a high speed blender, using a spatula to move it all down. Pour over pasta and mix well. Add Parmesan cheese if desired. 

Layered Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing

Layered Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing
I forgot to add the avocado :(

Are you ready to be the talk of the July 4th picnic? Are you the type who must always bring the most beautiful and delicious dish to the potluck? Are you a salad freak like me? Then I have the recipe for you! Basically, it's layer upon layer of fresh veggies and beans and a super simple creamy dressing made from your favorite salsa. Best part? It's low calorie.

Straight from a thread on my Facebook, and then linked back a thousand times to a FB page called "Eat Clean. Train Mean. Live Green," I bring you "Layered Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing." You're gonna love it!

I do recommend serving the dressing on the side, because it's not the prettiest looking dressing on the salad. Also, plan to have leftovers - another good reason to keep the dressing on the side. I actually doubled the dressing and plan to use it on burritos, quesadillas and some tasty corn fritters I have in mind. 

For the salad:

layer chopped romaine

black beans -drained and rinsed

fresh mango

frozen corn (thawed)

red onion

orange bell pepper

cherry tomatoes 

avocado

For the dressing:

1/2 C coconut milk (I used Silk brand)

1/2 C salsa

2 T mayo

1 T olive oil

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/2  t chili powder

1/4 t salt

fresh cilantro (maybe 2 T or more to taste)

Blend all the dressing ingredients, except the cilantro, well. Add in the chopped cilantro and blend it quickly one last time. 

Vietnamese Sriracha Cole Slaw – Vegan Month of Food

Poesy and Plate
 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(check out the hundreds of VeganMoFo blogs HERE)
My goal: cook and blog about vegan food 20 times
  during the month of September. 
My theme: words and food

Affinity by Minnie Filson

I wonder if the cabbage knows
He is less lovely than the Rose;
Or does he squat in smug content,
A source of noble nourishment;
Or if he pities for her sins
The Rose who has no vitamins;
Or if the one thing his green heart knows –
That self-same fire that warms the Rose?

Asian Salad with Coconut Curry Noodles - Vegan Month of Food

A path near my house. 

The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Quintessentially American.
     Rugged New England.
         Mended fences and good neighbors.
                Little calves standing by their mamas.
 Horses that shake their harness bells on a snowy night.
       John Kennedy’s inauguration.
                 Robert Frost.

I think this might be my favorite poem: I love it for its simplicity. I love that it speaks truth to my heart. I love how it challenges me to live my life as I believe I ought, even in the face of pressure to conform. As I write these words I realize that one of my favorite Bible verses, really my life verse, is from the second chapter of Romans the 12^th verse. “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

“Way leads on to way,” and we can’t turn back time to re-live our lives. Make the most of every day….and serve your loved ones delicious and healthy food.

This salad is delicious. We ate it for dinner two nights in a row – the second time adding some teriyaki tofu.  And yes, the dressing has 16 ingredients. A simple poem. A complex recipe.

Here’s what you need: (adapted from Chris Scheuer at thecafesucrefarine.com)

For the coconut curry noodles:

1 can light coconut milk

2 T green curry paste

10 ounces long pasta noodles

2 t olive oil

For the salad:
6-8 C Bib or butter lettuce or Romaine

Cubes or slices of teriyaki baked tofu or other similar protein

1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced

1 -2 ripe mangos, peeled and sliced

½ C salted peanuts

For the dressing: Simple combine all the ingredients and mix well.

2 Cloves garlic – minced

1 T fresh, grated ginger

1 T red onion, minced

¼ C rice vinegar

1 t Dijon

1 1/2 T brown sugar

1 1/2 T honey

1 T soy

1 t sesame oil

1 t Sriracha sauce

2 T sesame seeds

2 T poppy seeds

1/3 C olive oil

¼ C Canola Oil

1 t salt

½ t pepper

Here’s what you do:

Combine the coconut milk and green curry paste in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over pasta and toss with two forks. Pour the coconut curry sauce over the pasta and set aside.

Prepare the salad by arranging the avocados, mangos and peanuts on a bed of lettuces. Serve the pasta in the same serving dish for a fabulous presentation. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce part of the salad. 

(printable recipe) 

Goddess Nicoise – Isa Chandra

Well, I ended up actually seeing a Snowy Owl the other day – he was just sitting there, looking right down at me. No need to mention that I spent an hour searching for him, drove down every single muddy country road in the county and ended up half-way down some farmer’s driveway just so I could get this photo. Admit it – it was worth it! Isn’t he great?

Mr. Living Cookbook (aka Tim) also spotted some of these gorgeous birds and his photos are spectacular – so I must share them also.

I think spring might be just around the corner *FINALLY* here in West Michigan, so I bet the Snowy Owls will head up north soon.

Warmer weather (that means in the 20s and 30s folks) means my taste buds crave salads. This one comes from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra. She does all things well. The dressing is excellent and can be drizzled on all kinds of stuff.  

Here’s what you need:

16 oz chick peas, drained and rinsed

½ pound of small red potatoes, quartered and steamed until fork tender

½ pound of fresh green beans, stems removes and steamed until fork tender (did you know you can steam the potatoes and beans in the same pot? Start the potatoes first and add the beans when the potatoes are almost done. )

Red onion – sliced super thin to taste (I think I left these out – not a huge raw onion fan)

1/3 C good black Greek olives, pitted – whole or sliced in half

8 C leaf or romaine lettuce

1 C cherry tomatoes

Green Goddess Garlic Dressing

2 average size garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 C fresh chives, cut in 1 inch pieces

1/2 C  fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

2 T tahini

2 T nutritional yeast

1 T white miso

1/3 C water

2 T lemon juice

Arrange the salad on a large platter. Blend dressing ingredients until smooth in a high speed blender or food processor. Drizzle dressing liberally over veg.

Note: Isa likes to smash the chick peas, but I prefer them whole. Isa likes to add capers, but I can’t stand them. Isa also likes more garlic, but I refrain from too much raw garlic. 

Mayocoba Bean and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Citrus Dressing

When I was scouring the county last month for authentic achiote powder for my Cuban Christmas, I came across these unusual Mayocoba beans. 

Turns out, they’re not all that unusual in the Peruvian culture, but they sure were new to me. Making beans at home could not be easier: cheap, healthy, tasty and so versatile. Plus they freeze like a dream.

Rinse the beans. Bring them to a rapid boil in lots of unsalted water. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain, rinse, cover with more water and simmer until tender – maybe 2 hours. That’s it! This method is pretty much the same for all types of dried beans.

As far as this Citrus Dressing goes, you MUST trek to your nearest Trader Joe’s and purchase a dozen bottles of their Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar! Drizzle it over absolutely everything – from fruit, to vegetables, to avocadoes, to Mexican, to soup, to fish, to chicken, to bean salad. It’s excellent! Order it on line if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby – you won’t be sorry!

Here’s what you need:

Some white beans – I used mayocoba, but you could canned cannelloni beans or even navy beans

Some grilled vegetables – I used onions, green peppers and corn

Some cilantro

Some dressing:

¼ C Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

2 T olive oil

½ t cumin

½ t coriander

Salt

½ t sugar

Here’s what you do:

Grill the veg. Whisk the dressing. Serve over lettuce or in a tortilla or next to a grilled chicken breast or over rice or in a bowl of broth or on toast for breakfast.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad – Isa Chandra

Even in the middle of the Polar Vortex, I craved salad.

Was it cold last week where you lived? We were way below zero and I still craved salad.

Did you have to shovel out from 4 feet of fresh snow fall? I did, and I still craved salad.   

Schools closed; state highways and freeways closed; I stay in the house for three days straight…. And I craved salad.

The fireplace was on; the car was under two feet of snow; hot tea was constantly in my mug…. And I craved salad. ... and yes, I had nori in my pantry. ..... and edamame in my fridge.

Isa never fails, but.... I think her salad needs MORE nori and LESS green onion. My changes are reflected here. 

Our lighthouse. January 2014 (this is not my photo and there are many more great Lake Michigan Polar Vortex photos on the internet. Actually, it was really beautiful - just too darn cold!)

Here's what you need:

1 C edamame beans

1 t rice vinegar

1 t agave

6-8 C chopped crisp lettuce

2 C cooked brown rice

1 small cucumber, sliced

1 carrot, sliced
4 t sesame seeds
2 sheets nori, chiffonaded - cut into very fine strips
1 avocado

Green Onion Miso Vinaigrette
1/4 C light miso
1 C chopped green onions - green and white parts
3 T rice vinegar
2 t fresh ginger (or more to taste)
1 clove garlic
2 t agave
2 t sesame oil
1/2 C water

Here's what you do:
Mix 1 t rice vinegar and 1 t agave and pour over edamame beans. Arrange all salad ingredients on a large platter. Mix all dressing ingredients in a high powered blender and whirl until very smooth. Add more water if needed. Drizzle over salad. 

Garlicky Mexican Salad with Fresh Tomato Dressing

It’s probably too chilly to be thinking about cold salads, but this one is worth making no matter what the weather. Right now, for example, the white stuff is gently falling from the grey sky right outside my window and I am drinking hot coffee, but I still love to think about getting cold, crunchy, light salads into my weekly menu. The way I look at it – you can always throw in a grilled quesadilla or some toasty garlic bread to balance out the flavors and temperatures. Plus, don’t some of you live in warmer climes? Lucky.

This is a riff on Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Big Fat Taco Salad. I added roasted potatoes and fresh avocado. Sometimes I add a little Ranch Dressing (or try Isa’s Sanctuary Dressing, which is a riff on traditional Ranch….)and it’s delish!

Here’s what you need:

Iceberg lettuce – cold and crispy

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Fresh avocado

Roasted potatoes – Yukon

1 pound fresh tomatoes – maybe 3 average size tomatoes

¼ C fresh cilantro

A clove garlic, grated

1 T red wine vinegar

2 t cayenne hot sauce

Black pepper and salt to taste

Here’s what you do:

Cut the potatoes in quarters and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast them in a 400 degree oven until crispy – about 30 minutes. I like to turn my over so they toast evenly on all sides.

Meanwhile, chop lettuce and get beans and avocados ready.

To make the dressing, chop the tomatoes very small and try to keep all the juices. Add the cilantro, garlic, vinegar and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and allow to sit for a while to blend the flavors. The original recipe says to mush it with your hands, but I just leave it chunky.

(printable recipe)