Here’s a vegetarian recipe that’s healthy, filling, and not pasta or tofu based: Kale and White Bean Soup.  I got this recipe from epicurious and thought it was fast and easy to make.  It just has a little olive oil in it, and that’s all for “unhealthy”  ingredients, and the beans give protein for a vegetarian diet, while the kale gives some protein and iron.

• 1 1/2 pounds kale leaves, center ribs and stems removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped peeled carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans (preferably organic), drained
• 4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as tarragon, parsley, and chives)

Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop kale. (I skipped this step and just added the chopped, raw kale in at the end and found that the 5 minutes of simmering cooked it)

Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic; cook until soft, stirring, about 15 minutes (do not brown vegetables). Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. Add white beans, 4 cups broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin stew, if desired. Mix in Sherry wine vinegar and chopped fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Kale-and-White-Bean-Stew-351254#ixzz1sM4jSYCx

I made this recipe from epicurious yesterday for dinner and thought it turned out pretty interesting.  The mix of jalapeno, raisins, tomato, and feta cheese was unusual.  I just so happened to need to use up some green onions, beets, and swiss chard from our vegetable box, so this recipe was great for accomplishing that.  People on epicurious RAVED about this, so I gave it a try even though it sounded a little funny.  I wasn’t as blown away as many of the other reviewers, but I would make it again if I had these veggies on hand.  Served with some crusty bread or pita, this is a healthy vegetarian meal.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds red beets (about 3 large)

• 4 pounds Swiss chard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I skipped this one)
• 1 51/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled  (or you can use feta)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)

Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The epicurious photo by Pornchai Mittongtare looks a little more appetizing

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Swiss-Chard-with-Beets-Goat-Cheese-and-Raisins-233410#ixzz1rfv8Owjo

I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and really love it, so I wanted to share it today. Normally I like to try and share a vegetarian main entree recipe on Tuesdays, but I haven’t made anything too exciting for dinner over the past week, but keep making this beet cake or some variation of it every week (we’ve been  getting beets in our CSA box each Thursday for the last few weeks).  It sounds weird, but is really dense and chocolaty. I don’t think it tastes like beets at all, but the beets give the cake batter a nice deep red color.

I found the recipe on epicurious.  I don’t have a bundt pan, so I just use a 9 inch cake pan and it works out just fine.  Also, I don’t normally have exactly 2 cups of boiled, pureed beets, and it’s turned out fine using a little more or a little less than that recommended amount – I just add in however much I get from my CSA box, which is usually 3-4 medium sized beets.  To get the beets ready for this recipe, you need to wash them really well and then quarter them and throw them into a small pot. Cover them with water and boil until soft, about 30-40 minutes.

Here’s the recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5), and lightly oil a Bundt pan (or 9 inch cake pan).
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together oil and brown sugar. Add beets, melted chocolate chips, and vanilla, and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet beet mixture, and stir until just combined.
4. Pour into prepared Bundt/cake pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar and top with blueberries, if desired.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Beet-Bundt-Cake-354070#ixzz1qMBgsgRY

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Beet-Bundt-Cake-354070#ixzz1qMBQ8YpV

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lentil-and-swiss-chard-soup

For this week’s vegetarian recipe, I have something to share from Food and Wine, which my CSA (Johnson’s Backyard Garden) had recommended on their facebook page.  I gave it a try and thought it turned out really well. I used my own vegetable broth that I had made and frozen earlier this month, and along with one bunch of chard, I also added in one bunch of beet greens since I had those on hand as well, and didn’t add lemon juice. It turned out great and there’s a lot of room to make your own changes and still have this turn out well.  Here’s the recipe without my modifications:

• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 bunch green Swiss chard (1 1/4 pounds), ribs removed and reserved for another use, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils with the water, stock and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the lentils are barely tender, about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, crushed pepper and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chard leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the chard to the lentils, cover partially, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, season with pepper and olive oil and serve

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Melt  butter in large pot over medium heat. Stir in garlic, then flour; stir constantly 1 minute (don’t let the flour burn). Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Add cheese. Stir until cheese melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne and nutmeg. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch baking dish. Cook chard and spinach in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute (may have to cook in batches). Using slotted spoon, transfer veggies to plate; cool. Reserve pot with water. Squeeze water from chard and spinach.

Return water in pot to boil. Add macaroni; cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir macaroni into warm cheese sauce. Place macaroni in dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over mac and cheese.

Bake mac and cheese until breadcrumbs are golden and edges are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Spread tortillas with avocado and top with lettuce and tomato. In a bowl, combine carrot, spinach, onion and cabbage; toss with vinegar; add salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among tortillas and top with cheese. Fold tortillas around salad.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/California-Garden-Roll-230231#ixzz1l4wSRVao

I will admit though that it’s not entirely vegetarian as I used chicken stock rather than water, which I think made the soup.  Reviewers had noted they used vegetable broth rather than water and credited that substitution with giving the soup flavor, so I decided to use some home-made chicken stock I had on hand.  I think veggie stock would be just as good too though, just so long as it’s flavored well.   Also note that the original recipe calls for 6 cups of water, but I only used 4 cups of stock.  I think 6 cups of either water or stock would make it way too watery.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides. Add fennel, onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add leafy greens (but not spinach) and water (or stock) to pot and simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook, uncovered, just until wilted, about 1 minute.

Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) until smooth, then return to pot. Stir in cream and lemon juice and reheat over low heat. Season with salt.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Fennel-and-Greens-Soup-358114

I didn’t take a picture but Epicurious had a nice one on their website, above.  It’s not super filling though, so I made some biscuits and sweet potato fries to eat with it.  Very tasty!

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Fennel-and-Greens-Soup-358114#ixzz1jl5g8xrZ

Here’s the epicurious recipe:

Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups broth, barley, and 1 scant teaspoon sea salt to boil in large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed onions and remaining 6 cups broth to pot with barley. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

Add kale and chard to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach, green onions, dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice, thinning with more broth, if desired.

Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, drizzle with oil, and serve.

But wait! What’s that delicious-looking little roll in the background, bringing visions of Red Lobster to your eyes? It’s a cheddar dill biscuit, which was pretty easy to make with a food processor and made the whole meal more filling.  I had more dill to get rid of, and these biscuits helped me use up a little more.  This is also an epicurious recipe:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

• Pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add Cheddar and dill and pulse until just combined. Whisk together yogurt and milk, then add to food processor and pulse until dough just comes together. Spoon 12 (1/4-cup) mounds of dough about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased large baking sheet and bake until puffed and pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

The soup was really easy to make once all the veggies are washed, and I think it’s a good recipe to make on a weekend and then eat leftovers of for the rest of the week.  Making my own biscuits was fun but a little more work than usual for me (I usually would just buy some crusty bread at the store to go with soup), so I don’t think I would get around to making these ever during the week, but for a nice meal on the weekend when you have time to relax in the kitchen, it’s a nice touch.   We also had some rutabaga pie for dessert (recipe here) to use up the rutabaga from the box, which was surprisingly delicious but unlike any pie I’ve ever had before. All in all a great vegetarian/local meal!

Ingredients