Vegetarian

“Cream” of Carrot Soup

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From The Occasional Vegetarian by Karen Lee with Diane Porter.

  • 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (about 2 medium), cleaned before chopping
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups chopped unpeeled carrots
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 cups vegetable stock or stock of your choice
  • 2 Tablespoons minced fresh dill

In a large, heavy-bottom pot, sauté the leeks in the olive oil over medium-low heat until they’re wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the carrots, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir.

Add the stock and turn the heat to high.  Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer the soup until the carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.

Lift out the solids with a wire strainer of slotted spoon and put them in a food processor with a little of the liquid.  Puree.  Return the carrot puree to the pot, add the dill, and stir.  Serve hot.

Can be refrigerated for two days.  Reheat before serving.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course.

Polish Beets

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Submitted by Julie Lichtenberg Stern, who got it from her friend Linda Hahn, who got it from from Mary Kramer’s Illustrated Guide to Foreign and Fancy Foods.

  • 1 bunch beets, cooked (I cut the leaves from the beets, leaving about two inches of stems on the beets. Then, I cook these in boiling water until done. Depending on the age and size of the beets, this can be anywhere from 20-40 minutes. If you want to use the leaves in Spinach/Chard Sauté, cook them separately in a couple inches of boiling water for 10-12 minutes and then add them when you would add the chard.)
  • 3 Tablespoons margarine
  • 1 Tablespoon flour
  • 1 Tablespoon regular vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Grate the cooked beets coarsely. Melt butter in skillet and add the flour and stir. Remove from heat and add vinegar and sugar to flour mixture. Add the beets and return to moderate heat. Stir while simmering for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Can serve warm, hot, or cold.

Spinach/Chard Sauté

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Submitted by Julie Lichtenberg Stern, who got it from her friend Linda Hahn, who got it from from Mary Kramer’s Illustrated Guide to Foreign and Fancy Foods.

  • 2 bunches of spinach, leaves only (or you can use two bags of pre-washed spinach – a lot easier. Last night, I combined some chard with this. I cooked about 8 leaves (minus the stems) in about two inches of water for 4 minutes after cutting the chard into 2 inch pieces. Then I drained the water, which is rich in nutrients, and put it in the freezer to use later as soup stock)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon salad oil
  • ½ cup to 1 cup of chopped onion
  • 1 clove of garlic, or more
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • salt to taste

In a large skillet melt the butter and oil. Sauté the onions, caramelizing them, for about 20 minutes. During the last five minutes, add the garlic. Then, add the spinach a handful at a time and stir-fry until wilted. If you have used chard, add it now. Combine lemon juice, sour cream, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir sour cream mixture through spinach. Heat but do not boil.

 

Serves 4.

Corn and Basil Salad

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Submitted by Julie Lichtenberg Stern, who got it from her friend Linda Hahn, who got it from from Lauren O’Connor, CSULA dietetic intern.

  • 2-1/2 cups of corn (I cook mine for 3 minutes, but I know some people who don’t even bother to do that)
  • ½ cup of red onion, diced (I used mild, sweet Walla Wallas in ours last night)
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips (or chopped)

In a large bowl, combine everything except the fresh basil. Add this right before serving.

Makes 5-6 ½ cup servings.

Cauliflower Northern Italian Style

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Submitted by Diane Caylor Jasper, who writes:  “I got this recipe from my good friend, Margit Rezabek.  My kids never used to like cauliflower until I made this recipe. Maggie would eat a whole head of cauliflower if I made it this way.”

  • 1 small head cauliflower

  • 2Tabelspoons olive oil or butter
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2Tablespoons water

Separate cauliflower(florets). Heat wok or fry pan for 30 seconds. Add oil (butter) and garlic; Sauté garlic until slightly brown.  Add cauliflower; stir fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add pepper, vinegar and water.
Cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes.

4 one cup servings
5 grams fat
78 calories per serving

Holiday Muffins

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Submitted by Diane Caylor Jasper, who writes:  “On the first day of school each year my quilting group “The Material Girls” and I would bake 6 different types of muffins and drop them off at the teachers’ lounges at all the schools in the district (Granted there is only one high school/middle school and two elementary schools). This was by far the teachers’ favorite!”

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar

  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 large apple finely chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 1 cup oil

Mix it all together.  Fill muffin tins 3/4 full
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Maple Pumpkin or Squash Pie

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Submitted by Diane Caylor Jasper, who writes:  “This recipe is from Sally Jasper, my husband Hank’s mom. The Jaspers homesteaded their farm over 140 years ago. “Jasper’s Sugar Bush” has been making Maple syrup for 4 generations.”

  • 1 cup pumpkin or winter squash
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon melted butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/3 cup real maple syrup
  • 2 eggs, beaten

Beat pumpkin or squash until smooth.
Add cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; Mix thoroughly.
Add melted butter, milk and maple syrup and mix.
Stir in eggs

Pour into 9-inch unbaked pie shell and bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees and then lower to 325 degrees and continue baking for 40 minutes or until done.

You will know it is done when a clean knife blade is inserted and it comes out clean.

Cucumbers A la Marsha

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Submitted by Joyce Bayer, who got this from Marsha Avrushin.

 

  • 1 C water
  • 3/4 C vinegar
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste

 

Peel and slice cucumbers. Put them in layers, alternating with the onions, sprinkling each layer with salt.

Mix the dressing until all sugar granules have disappeared.

Thoroughly rinse all salt off cucumbers. Make sure all salt has been rinsed off. Don’t let any salt remain on the cucumbers. Squeeze onions and cucumbers until all liquid is out.

Pour dressing over cucumbers. Seal container. Allow to sit in refrigerator at least overnight.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

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Submitted by Mandy Mills.  From Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 cups Chopped onion
  • 1 ½ – 2 lbs Sliced mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 – 3 teaspoons dried dill
  • 1 Tablespoon mild paprika
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup milk at room temperature (can be low fat)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup sour cream
  1. Melt the butter in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onions, and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, dill, and paprika. Stir well and cover. Let cook for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice.
  2. Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Cook and stir another 5 minutes or so over medium-low heat. Add water, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Stir in milk; add black pepper to taste. Check to see if it needs more salt. Whisk in the sour cream, and heat very gently. Don’t boil or cook it after this point. Serve hot.

Serves 4-5

Cream of Broccoli Soup

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Submitted by Mandy Mills.  Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Heat in a soup pot over medium-low until the butter is melted:

  • ¼ cup water or stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • Add and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 5- 10 minutes:
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced

Stir in:

  • 4 ½ – 6 cups stock
  • 1 large head (1 – 1 ½ lbs) broccoli, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the broccoli is tender, 15 – 20 minutes. Puree until smooth (an immersion blender makes this simple). Return to the pot (if you didn’t use an immersion blender) and stir in:

  • ¼ – ½ cup cream, half-and-half, or milk
  • salt and pepper to taste

Warm briefly, but do not allow to boil after you have added the milk.

Serve with warm, crusty bread.