Another of my mom's. These take less than fifteen minutes to make and keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, at least. They only get better the longer they marinate.
2 pounds green beans
4 oz can of chopped green chiles
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped scallions (or onions, or shallots - whatever you've got)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic
Trim and wash the green beans. Bring a half inch of salted water to boil in a large pot. While the water comes to boil, mix all the other ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add the beans to the boiling water and cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until they are bright green and still have some crunch. Drain the beans and spread them out in a large casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Pour the marinade over the beans while they're still hot and stir to coat evenly. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least two hours, or as long as you like.
Rice Pudding
This is my mom's recipe for rice pudding that originally came from one of the Moosewood cookbooks. It's much less runny than your typical rice pudding that you might find in an Indian restaurant. You can also make it with brown rice if you're feeling extra healthy.
2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
1 cup milk
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice
big handful of raisins (I think the golden ones are better.)
1/2 cup - 1 cup of plain yogurt or sour cream
Beat eggs, milk, and sugar together. Combine with cooked rice and all the rest of the ingredients except the sour cream/yogurt. Spread into a greased 8x8 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 24 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes. After cooling for ten minutes, stir in yogurt/sour cream. Serve warm or chilled.
Kerala-Style Chicken Curry
I made this recipe to use up leftover coconut milk. It was definitely worth it.3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
1 small onion, cut in thin half-rings
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 1/2 pounds chicken parts, skinned
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 T paprika
1 tsp salt
8 fresh basil leaves, torn (15-20 curry leaves if you can find them)
1 c coconut milk
Heat oil over medium heat, add cumin and mustard seeds. When they begin to pop (in seconds), add the onion. Stir and fry until onions have browned slightly. Add ginger, garlic, cayenne, paprika, salt, basil leaves, and chicken. Stir to coat the chicken, then add 1 cup of water, cover, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove cover and boil down most of the liquid. Add the coconut milk and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Serve over rice or with naan.
Sauteed Kale
This is the most delicious thing I've recently made. I could seriously eat a pound of this.
1 huge bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (not too small)half an onion, diced
two cloves of garlic, diced
olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 T red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
red hot pepper flakes
Heat 1 T of oil in a skillet, then add onions and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add kale and broth, toss to combine, turn heat to medium-low, cover, and cook five minutes or until liquid is almost completely evaporated. Stir occasionally. Turn off heat, add salt, pepper, and a dash of the red pepper flakes to your taste and the red wine vinegar. Stir and serve.
Berry Good Smoothie
1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 cup almond milk
1 banana
1 TB honey
Blend. Sip. Enjoy.
Pesto Polenta with Sauteed Portobello Slices from Vegan Planet, by Robin Robertson
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup pesto (if you want this to be vegan, use vegan pesto. Obviously)
3 T olive oil
black pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large portobellos, stems removed and caps cut into 1/4 inch slices*
(balsamic vinegar, if you wish)
1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce the heat to medium, add the salt, and slowly whisk in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about 30 minutes. Near the end of the cooking time, thin the pesto with 1 T olive oil and stir it into the polenta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled, shallow pan (I used 8x8, you can use whatever you want), and spread it evenly. Refrigerate until firm, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the mushroom slices - and a brave splash of balsamic vinegar if you're using it - then season with salt and pepper and allow to cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the polenta is firm, cut it into 4 squares. Place in a lightly oiled pan with sides (a sheet pan, or a 9x13 baking pan, or something. These babies will slide.) Brush with the remaining 1 T of olive oil and bake until hot and golden brown, about 30 minutes. If, after cooking, you want more browning, pan sear them in a nonstick pan for a couple minutes per side.
5. Serve each person a polenta slice with the warm mushrooms on top
*We found that this amount of mushrooms was only enough for two people (i.e., two slices of polenta). So if you want to be generous with the mushrooms, I'd go with four instead of two.
Zesty Tomato Bean Ragout (excellent on leftover polenta) from ME!
Olive oil
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes (with basil is ok)
1 15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini, you could also use Great Northern)
Salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes to taste (easy on the red pepper flakes, the heat will develop as it cooks)
1. Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil for five minutes, until onions are translucent.
2. Add the beans and the tomatoes (chopped roughly) to the pot over low heat. Add the spices and taste for seasoning.
4. Serve a large heap of ragout over the polenta. Grate parmesan cheese on top if you so desire.
