Pumpkin-Carrot Soup

I began chopping an onion this afternoon with the intention of making a completely different dish, but then I started musing on my daughter's recent, ahem, tummy troubles. Not to put too fine a point on it, she's in need of more fiber in her diet. It's hard to get her to eat fruits and vegetables lately because her palate is so temperamental, and all she really wants is cheese and crackers. The blueberries she gobbled down yesterday are spurned today. But I know she likes carrots, and I know she likes pumpkin pie (for now). Also, these two items contain loads of fiber, so instead of trying to force kale down her throat (haha!), I decided to create a soup just for her. I tend to think of onion as merely a flavor component, but maybe it's got some fiber too. But the nice thing about this soup is it's so easy to make, you can even do laundry and walk the dogs while it's cooking.

vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups baby carrots, chopped
1/2 cup applesauce
1 quart veggie or chicken stock (low-sodium)
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
1/3 cup sherry or dry white wine
salt and black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 c pepitas, toasted

In a large stockpot, saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft and translucent. Salt a bit to sweat the onion. Add the carrots and applesauce; saute another 5 minutes. I had half an apple that wasn't going to be eaten, so I chopped it up and threw that in as well (you can see the red peel in the photo below). Add stock, pumpkin, and spices.


Stir well, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat immediately and add bay leaf and cream. Simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, until carrots are quite soft. While this simmers, toast pepitas lightly, stirring to turn. Salt them lightly when still hot.


Remove bay leaf from stockpot. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper. Add some water if you want a thinner soup.

Serve sprinkled with toasted pepitas and a dollop of sour cream.

Artichoke-Spinach Dip

This is a very slightly healthier take on the cheesy classic.

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 block silken tofu
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 jars marinated artichokes, drained (6 oz each)
black pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp)
1/3 c. grated parmesan
2/3 c. thick Greek yogurt
1/2 c. mayonnaise

In a food processor, puree spinach, tofu, garlic, pepper, and artichokes. Separately, whisk together the yogurt and parmesan. Then combine spinach mixture with yogurt mixture, and stir in the pine nuts.


Using a spatula, transfer mixture to a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Let cool. When cool, stir in the mayonnaise. Serve with plenty of crusty bread.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Dark, hearty portobello mushrooms enrich this soup and give it a slightly mysterious, smoky flavor. It's perfect on a cold day like today (only 14 degrees!), especially with some toasted baguette and a glass of cider.

1 small onion
3 whole cloves
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
2 large portobello mushroom caps, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sherry
2 cups vegetable stock
4 strands thyme
1/2 tsp celery seed

First make a bechamel: melt the butter in an oven-safe saucepan. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking until incorporated and golden brown (this is a basic roux). Add the milk. Insert the cloves into the whole onion, and place into the milk mixture. Place saucepan into a 350 oven for 20 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile, chop the mushroom and saute in a little olive oil. Add the thyme leaves, the celery seed and cook down until mushrooms are quite soft and have reduced in size. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, and then add veggie stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook about 10 minutes.

Using a stick blender, puree the mushrooms into the stock until smooth. Retrieve the bechamel from the oven, discard the onion, and fold the sauce into your soup. Whisk to incorporate. Serve hot with several pieces of crusty bread.

Roast Veggie Napoleon

This hearty dish is very satisfying despite containing almost no fat (except for the cheese, which you can adjust by using less), no starch, and no meat. You could serve it with a side of chicken cutlet or perhaps some mild polenta, but I think anything else would seem like an afterthought, a needless addition. Perhaps, for a meal, you could start with an aromatic chicken and rice soup because it's light, and won't fill you up before this course.

3 medium zucchini
1 eggplant, peeled
tomato sauce (jarred pasta sauce is fine)
Manchego, grated finely
olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

I think it's not necessary to peel the zucchini because the skin gets so soft, but the eggplant skin can be a bit tough, so I get rid of it. Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini into long strips. To make the napoleon look fancier, you can get a super-thin slice by using a mandoline. I don't have a mandoline (yet), so my napoleon looks pretty rustic:


Brush a bit of olive oil on each side of the strips, arrange on a roasting pan so that nothing overlaps, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on the top rack about 20 minutes or until eggplant is tender, turning once to cook evenly.

When veggies have cooled enough to handle, you can start the napoleon. You can do these individually, or as one casserole; it's up to you. I recommend another roasting pan with sides, so no juices drip. Begin with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle a bit of Manchego. Lay down eggplant and zucchini strips. Cover with a thin layer of sauce. Repeat until you have no more left, and finish with a generous sprinkling of Manchego. To make this lower-fat, just alternate layers of sauce with layes of the roasted veggie strips, and put the cheese on only at the end.

Bake at 350 about 20 minutes, until cheese has melted throughout and is browned and bubbly on top.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

As usual, I have lots of random veggies in the fridge and no plan of how to prepare them, or for what part of the meal. Since we are going away for about a week, I wanted to use them up before they rot, and a veggie-rich spaghetti sauce is the best way to do that. However, cauliflower does not go well in red sauce, so I had to come up with something else. I was reading the New York Times and saw a recipe for cabbage soup that looked good, so I adapted it for cauliflower. It came out very well, and is very comforting without being too heavy.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, grated
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 russet potato, grated
about 1/4 cup water
1 quart veggie broth
2 cups low-fat or skim milk
3/4 cup grated Manchego
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper


First, in a small dutch oven, saute the onion in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potato, and drizzle enough water to prevent the potato from sticking to the bottom. Cook about 3 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower and the veggie broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook covered about 30 minutes. You want to make sure that the cauliflower is thoroughly cooked so that it is soft.

Remove cover, add milk, cheese, celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste. Using an immersion blender, process thoroughly until there are no chunks and the texture is smooth. This should not take longer than about 3 minutes.

Taste again, and add more salt & pepper as needed. If you like the slightly smoky, dark vegetal flavor of celery seed, by all means add a bit more. It is one of my favorite spices (if a seed can really be considered a "spice"), and I am trying to incorporate it into more recipes lately...

Instead of Mashed Potatoes

What do you do when you have a giant pile of roasted vegetables that you can't bear to eat one more night? Throw it into the food processor! This is another one of those recipes that I created in an attempt to find something my toddler would eat (she refused), and discovered something that I would not be surprised to see on a plate at an elegant restaurant. I don't cover mine with foie-gras stuffed poached prunes and a port wine reduction sauce, however...

2 fennel bulbs
1 med. red onion
2 shallots
4 parsnips
4 carrots
spray olive oil
kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 can chick peas, drained
1/4 cup water (or more)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Wash and chop all the raw vegetables. Arrange in a large roasting pan, and spray with olive oil. Toss to make sure veggies are thinly coated in oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Roast about 30 minutes on the 2nd highest rack in the oven on broil, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Onion and fennel should have caramelized, and the parsnips and carrots will be quite soft.

Working in batches, transfer roasted veggies to food processor. Ad chick peas. To ensure an even distribution of all ingredients, divide the chick peas in commensurate amounts to the veggie batches. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides and adding drizzles of water and olive oil to attain a smooth consistency. Just before serving, stir in parmesan cheese.

I recommend serving this as a side dish alongside a nice steak or lamb chop, with a dark leafy green such as kale.

Best Vegetarian Chili Ever

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 each: red and yellow bell peppers, chopped
3/4 yellow onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 sm. can tomato paste
1 carton mushrooms, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 medium yellow squash, diced
10 baby carrots, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1-1/2 cups sweet corn
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper
2 cans beans (I like one each of black and kidney), drained
heaping tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, mashed to a paste, more if you like it very spicy
salt and black pepper
pinch sugar

Heat oil in a large stockpot. Saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook down. Add chopped tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, carrots and broccoli. Saute about 10 minutes, then season with Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Pour in one can of crushed tomatoes, and cook until hot. Then add the corn, tomato paste, and the other can of crushed tomatoes. Heat through, then add drained beans and chipotle paste. When everything is hot and bubbling, add cumin and chili powder. Finally, let simmer about 10 - 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Taste one more time and season again with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

Serve with rice, tortilla chips, or a dollop of sour cream.

Chili Cheese Dip

This is soooo bad for you, but so yummy. Chili recipe is up next.

2 pkgs cream cheese
16 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend
3 cups chili

Preheat oven to 375. In a casserole pan, spread the cream cheese across the bottom until it's about one inch thick. Then spoon over the chili. Top with shredded cheese and bake 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Wish This Were My Lasagna

This is based on a gorgeous lasagna that my friend made for me several weeks ago. She, at first, based it on my original recipe, but couldn't resist changing things to suit her palate. I think it is a superior lasagna to mine, and I only wish I had another one sitting in my fridge right now. I also wish I'd taken photos before it was devoured.

The essential difference between hers and mine is fresh, farmers' market tomatoes picked at the height of ripeness at the end of the season. I generally use canned or even (gasp!) a jar of spaghetti sauce, mixed with a few fresh, pureed tomatoes. However, she used 4 pounds of the reddest, ripest, most burstingly perfect tomatoes I have seen in a very long time. The tomatoes didn't even come from NJ -- they were grown in northern California! Additionally, what also may have contributed to the intense flavor was the fact that she chopped these tomatoes very slowly while chatting outside, inadvertently allowing the tomatoes to warm somewhat in the sun. I think that she and the tomatoes were out sunning on the deck for about 45 minutes in total, but I have no scientific proof that this additional sunshine changes the recipe any. I believe, however, that chopping while having a leisurely chat at least improves the cooking process.

3 boxes no-boil lasagne noodles
28 oz. ricotta
2 eggs
1 c. parmesan cheese
handful fresh italian parsley, chopped fine
4 cups shredded mozzarella

for sauce:

1/2 small onion, minced.

2 cloves garlic, pushed thru press

4 pounds fresh, very ripe tomatoes.

5 leaves or so fresh basil.

1 sprig fresh oregano

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

For the sauce:

First, cut tomatoes into 8ths, set aside. Saute the onion in olive oil over low heat, season with a sprinkle of salt, wait a few minutes, and add garlic. Saute until onions are translucent and a tad brown. Add tomato paste and cook till brown and thick- 5 minutes.

Pour in a bit of the juice from tomatoes and scrape up the sides. Sprinkle with more salt and add a grinding of pepper. Add tomatoes and let simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

Get out the stick blender (or put half of the sauce in a blender then put back) and give it a few rounds; taste for salt and pepper. Cook another five minutes. Chop up the basil, it's best to do it right before and tear apart the thyme. Add to sauce; cook 5 more minutes. Finally, add two or three tablespoons of really good olive oil and stir well.

Meanwhile, mix together ricotta, eggs, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper.

The single most important thing to do when making lasagne is this: first spray your lasagne pan with spray oil (preferably olive oil). Then spoon down a layer of tomato sauce, and to make it even better, follow that by a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. This ensures that the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan (and then burn).

Layer the pan this way:
sauce
noodles (do not let noodles overlap - break them to fit)
ricotta mixture
sauce
noodles
ricotta mixture
etc.

Finally, top with more parmesan and a thick layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for about 45 minutes, at 350. Remove cover and continue baking another 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbling.

Roasted White Vegetable Soup

I would love to include pictures of this soup, but it seems that I have packed up my card reader, so I have no way of transferring photos from my camera to the computer at the moment. Sorry!

4 parsnips
2 large potatoes
3/4 head cauliflower
5 cloves garlic
spray olive oil
1 pkg thawed winter squash
1-1/2 tsp celery seed
4 strands saffron

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
3 cups chicken or veggie stock

1/3 c. dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 tsp sage
handful fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and black pepper

Chop raw veggies into bite sized pieces. Arrange on a roasting pan with garlic and spray with olive oil, and toss to coat. Roast in oven on broil, turning occasionally, until veggies are golden brown and soft.

Working in batches, transfer veggies to food processor and add milk and stock to liquefy. Add the thawed squash (this will turn the soup more yellowish, but whatever.) Process till smooth. When all veggies, milk and stock have been blended, pour into a large pot to heat. Stir in wine, parmesan, herbs, butter, and saffron, and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Elbows with Spinach, Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce

1/2 pkg elbow noodles
1 pkg chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pushed thru press
olive oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 small white onion, diced small
salt & pepper

For the sauce, begin by sauteeing onion and garlic in about 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, long enough for the onion to turn translucent. Add red pepper and tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes up a bit in the pan with a potato masher. Add another 2 tbsp olive oil, and cook at a low simmer about 1/2 an hour. When tomatoes are very soft and mushy, stir in half the spinach. See how it goes - you might like it with less, you might prefer more. I like the whole package. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. When pasta is ready to eat, stir the shredded mozzarella into the sauce, and toss with the pasta. Yum!

Roasted Corn Salad

You can do this the easy way, or if you want to spend more time in the kitchen and feel all virtuous and authentic, you can do it the hard way.

2 cups roasted corn
1 diced English cucumber
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced very small white onion
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
1 tsp cumin powder
cayenne pepper powder to taste (about 4 shakes)
juice of 1/2 a fresh lime

The hard way: Soak 2 ears of corn in water for at least one hour. Grill over medium heat about 7 minutes, turning every 2 minutes to cook each side. Let cool, then shuck and slice corn kernels off the cob.

The easy way: Buy a bag of Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn. Scoop out 2 cups corn, and don't bother to thaw.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. The frozen corn will chill the other ingredients. If you use fresh roasted you will need to chill the salad for an hour.

Alfredo Sauce with Secret Veggies

Yet another toddler-fooler, which is rich and delicate enough to impress adults. I'm a fan of pouring it over spinach-cheese ravioli.

8 ounce container low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup whole milk (you could use heavy cream for better flavor, but it is fattening)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups baby carrots
1 head chopped broccoli
1/2 green bell pepper
1 can chick peas

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil. When golden brown, remove and set aside. In same saucepan, combine ricotta, milk, and parmesan cheese. Add milk as necessary to thin out.

Steam carrots, broccoli and bell pepper until just tender, but NOT MUSHY. It's important not to overcook this, or the texture of the whole sauce gets mealy. Shock with ice water to stop the cooking process. Then place in food processor, add drained chick peas, and garlic. Process all together until it forms a smooth paste.

Add about 1 cup of the veggie mixture to the ricotta sauce, and whisk gently until incorporated. Save the remaining veggie mixture for other "veggie-secret" recipes.

Heat the sauce through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over ravioli and serve.

Easy Ratatouille

This dish is so simple to make and requires so few ingredients that it hardly bears the need to write the recipe down. However, there are a couple of reasons why it's helpful to have a guide, and the main one is that cooking eggplant can be a pain in the ass unless you do it right. I suggest par-baking to eliminate cooking time and also to cut down on the grease. Also, traditional recipes call for green bell pepper, but I think that this has too sharp a flavor, and prefer to use red, orange or yellow pepper for a bit more sweetness.

2 small to medium eggplants
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 to a whole red bell pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 - 3 cloves garlic, pushed thru press
1 medium zucchini
14 oz. (1/2 large can) crushed tomato
olive oil
pinch of rosemary
large handful of fresh basil, shredded


Preheat oven to 375. Slice the eggplant into thin disks. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil, and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake on middle rack about 20-25 minutes, turning once midway through, until disks are tender and the oil has been absorbed.

While eggplant is baking, slice zucchini into thin coins, then quarter. Dice bell pepper, and halve the grape tomatoes. Mince the shallot and open canned tomato.

In a large, deep saute pan, saute shallot and garlic in about 1 tbsp olive oil until shallot is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add another tbsp olive oil, then the zucchini, bell pepper and tomatoes. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. By now the eggplant should be done, so take it out of the oven, let cool a couple of minutes, and then cut up the disks into at least quarters, to make smallish, bite-size pieces.

Add eggplant to mixture and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and rosemary. Stir frequently while cooking another 10 minutes. (This is the time to open the wine and pour the first glasses. I recommend a pinot noir, or even a muscly rose, if it's summertime.)

One minute before serving, stir in the shredded basil. You might want to reserve a tiny bit to throw on top when you plate the meal.

I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and roasted fennel. You can use the same cookie sheet for the fennel as you used for the eggplant, and use a little spray oil to keep it from burning. Roast about 15 minutes, and sprinkle a large spoonful over the mashed potatoes, but not on the ratatouille. The fennel and potato work beautifully together, especially if you mash the potatoes with heavy cream and a respectable amount of butter!

Summer Bliss

Perfect Guacamole

2 ripe avocadoes
1 small tomato, diced small
1/2 yellow onion, diced tiny
2 cloves garlic, pushed thru pres
juice of 1/2 to a whole lime (to taste)
scant 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
kosher salt to taste

Mash together all ingredients except salt. Allow to chill one hour. Add salt to taste.


Perfect Margaritas

1 part Jose Cuervo Gold tequila
1 part Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice

Pour all ingredients over ice in a shaker, shake to chill, and pour straight up into a martini glass. Garnish with lime or orange wedge.

Pea-Potato Soup

This soup is actually quite light, due to the absence of dairy, but still feels rich and comforting because of the potato. It's very very simple to make and very tasty.

2/3 bag frozen peas, thawed
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 medium red potatoes, peeled
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 strands fresh thyme
1 tbsp olive oil

First, peel and chop the potatoes and boil until tender/soft, but not mushy. Then saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil 5 minutes, then add thyme. Saute another 3 minutes.

By this time the potatoes should be ready. Drain, and place in food processor. Add the thawed peas, onion mixture, wine, salt, pepper, and stock. Process until smooth, but not too long or the potato will get gluey. If you want it really smooth, you'll have to push it through a fine sieve by hand, but I don't have the patience for that.

Taste and add more salt & pepper as needed. Return to saucepan and heat through.

You might want to finish this with a splash of cream, or toss in a double handful of tiny cubes of Canadian bacon, but you might not. It's good as is.

Zucchini-Potato Latkes

This is a great side dish for summer, especially if you serve a cold soup such as gazpacho with it. You can amp up the protein quotient of the soup if you throw in a bunch of chick peas, and then you have a complete meal!

2 glasses good red or white wine, depending on the season and heat of the day
1 med-large zucchini, grated
2 med. red potatoes, grated
½ med yellow onion, finely diced
1 sm handful fresh parsley, minced
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
about 1/3 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs (Progresso)
salt and pepper to taste
spray oil (preferably olive oil – I use Pam)

Pour a glass of wine. Drink it while grating and mixing. Grate the zucchini, sprinkle with salt, toss, and let sit 7 minutes. Press liquid out through a sieve. Grate the potatoes and rinse with cold tap water. Sprinkle with salt, toss, let sit 7 minutes, and press liquid out thru sieve.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, yolk, and parsley, plus some salt and pepper. Mix zucchini, potatoes, and egg mixture in a large dry bowl. Resulting mixture should be pretty wet and gloppy. If it isn’t, add another egg. If it seems too wet, sprinkle in more breadcrumbs.

Pour another glass of wine. Drink while cooking. Heat a nonstick skillet and spray liberally with oil. Form patties in the pan with a spoon. Each should be no more than about 3 inches in diameter. Fry about 4 minutes over med to med-high heat, then turn and cook another 3 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure it isn’t burning. You want to fry it slowly enough so that the potato is cooked through; this might be aided by covering the pan. Collect all patties in a heated dish in the oven until all the mixture is used up. Serve with salt and sour cream or applesauce.

Asian-ish Veggies with Almond Sauce

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, and incredibly healthy for you.

2 heads baby bok choy
1 head broccoli
1/2 bag baby carrots
1 pkg sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 pgk firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp sesame oil
1 pkg soba noodles

Sauce:
1 can light coconut milk
3 heaping tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Wash and chop all veggies to bite size.

First, prepare soba noodles according to package directions. To make sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over med. heat, and stir frequently to prevent sticking. Play with the ratio of soy sauce and cayenne to suit your taste. Once combined, turn heat to low, just enough to keep warm.

In a very large saucepan or deep frying pan, saute the tofu in a little veggie oil, and add some sesame oil for flavor. Maybe dash a few drops of hot sauce over the tofu (I find tofu pretty flavorless). When tofu is getting slightly golden, slide into a bowl and set aside. In same saucepan, pour a little water, maybe 1/4 cup, and then toss the remaining veggies in. Turn flame to high, and steam/saute until tender-crisp.

Serve in a bowl, with noodles at bottom, then veggies, then ladle sauce over everything. Yum!

Lettuce-less Salad with Divine Dressing

This is derived from a salad I've had in many French bistros. All veggies should be very fresh and of course, washed and dried thoroughly.

Salad:
1 large bulb fennel, diced
2 heads endive, halved lengthwise and then sliced thinly
1 head endive, leaves separated for serving
grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/3 cup broken walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 firm pear
(if you do not have a good pear, you can use 1/2 an English cucumber, cut into coins and then quartered, it will give the same cooling, neutralizing effect)

Dressing:
2 tbs warmed honey
1 tbs country dijon mustard
small handful fresh parsley, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
about 3 tbs canola oil
1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp white wine
salt & pepper

First, heat the honey so it is easier to incorporate into the dressing. Whisk it together with the rest of the dressing ingredients. It should be thin, sweet and slightly tart from the wine & vinegar. Let stand on the counter for a couple of hours so the flavors meld.

Peel and quarter pear and remove center and seeds. Slice each quarter on an angle so you get bite-size pieces that are about 1/4 inch thick. Grill the raw pear slices in your toaster oven about 2 minutes per side. If you are in a rush, don't bother to grill it, raw is delicious too.

Chop fennel, tomatoes, and endive as directed above and toss with walnuts, pear slices, parsley, and dressing. Arrange 5 whole endive leaves on plate in a star pattern, leaving a space in the center, and fill each leaf with dressed salad. Mound additional salad in center of star. Garnish with blue cheese crumbles.

Veggie-Rich Red Sauce

One of my favorite things to both make and eat is homemade pasta sauce. I don't really adhere to a particular recipe because each time I tend to open the fridge and use whatever I have on hand as ingredients. Lately I have been sneaking extra vegetables into the sauces I make because my toddler is utterly dead-set against consuming any green vegetables, so I have to disguise or hide them from her. The best way I have found to do this is to use the food processor! Here's my toddler-fooling pasta sauce:

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 pkg portobella mushrooms, chopped
1 sm/med zucchini or summer squash, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
olive oil
1 scant tsp oregano
salt & pepper
1 bay leaf

Saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano until onion is soft and slightly golden and mushrooms have cooked down to about 1/2 their regular size. Dump into food processor. Add 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and puree until smooth. Transfer from food processor to large saucepan.

In same saute pan, add a bit more oil and saute zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper with a tiny bit of salt and pepper until broccoli is tender. Carrots should be getting soft, but definitely not mushy. Dump into food processor. Add remaining 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and puree until smooth. You may need to add a drizzle of olive oil to get a better consistency. Transfer from food processor and combine with onion/tomato mixture. Add bay leaf.

Heat tomato sauce to bubbling, stirring to prevent it from burning or sticking to the pot. Add tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes so all flavors can blend. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add water. If you like it thicker, let it simmer down on the stove.

Serve over the pasta of your choice, and smile to yourself as your family eats their veggies without even knowing it!!!

Note: sometimes I will leave some of the sauteed veggies out of the food processor for the adults who like them. In the pic above, there are visible pieces of red bell pepper and mushrooms.