Category Archives: Vegetables and Salads

Where the greens and the fresh crunch come in.

Vegan Versions, Vegetables and Salads

Vegan Collard Rolls (aka Cabbage Rolls)

This recipe was inspired by Mom’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, which were a staple in our home when we were growing up. Now that I no longer eat animal products, this version made with beans and Portobello mushrooms, completely satisfies the urge for some of Mom’s home cooking, especially when topped off by rich Cashew Sour Cream. Just like the original Cabbage Rolls, they’re always better the next day!

Ingredients for Vegan Collard Rolls (aka Cabbage Rolls)

  • 12 large collard leaves, stems trimmed, blanched
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 2 Portobello mushrooms, finely diced
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp sage
  • 2 T chopped chives
  • 1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 2 tsp powdered kelp (optional)

Have ready the 12 trimmed and blanched collard leaves (you can use cabbage leaves if you’d prefer).

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice and beans.

In a skillet, fry the onion, peppers, and celery in a little olive oil until soft. Add to the rice/bean mixture along with the diced Portobello mushrooms Season with salt and pepper, the sage, chives, and optional nutritional yeast and kelp powder. Combine well. If it’s sticky, so much the better.

Set a collard leaf,, stem-end toward you, flat in front of you and heap a tablespoon or two of filling near the bottom edge. Roll forward, tucking the sides in as you roll, and finish rolling, leaving the final edge underneath the roll so the weight of it holds it closed.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce (below) on the bottom of a 9×13″ oven-proof dish and nestle the rolls together on top of the sauce so that they hold each other in place snuggly. Pour enough of the tomato sauce on top to cover the rolls and fill in some of the spaces. The sauce will keep your rolls moist.

Place in a pre-heated 350 F (180 C) oven for about 45 minutes, until much of the sauce is absorbed and bubbly.

Remove rolls carefully with a spatula onto serving plates and top with dollops of Cashew Sour Cream (below). Top with extra heated tomato sauce at the table if you’d like the rolls moister.

Seasoned Tomato Sauce:

  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 cups homemade or canned tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients over low to medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes to meld flavors.

Cashew Sour Cream

  • 1/2 cup soaked and drained raw cashews
  • 1/4 block (about 3 oz) silken tofu
  • 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
  • 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 T avocado oil or or 1/4 of a fresh avocado
  • sea salt to taste

Blend the cashews, tofu, lime/lemon juice, vinegar, avocado (or oil) and salt to taste in a small food processor or blender until smooth and fluffy. This will make a thick, stiff cream that will easily keep in the fridge (covered) for a couple of days should you have any left over.

Vegetables and Salads

Basque Spinach

  • 1-1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese
  • 3 cups spinach braised in stock
  • 1 lb. potatoes
  • 1 T anchovy paste mixed with 4 tbsp. softened butter and 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 3 T dried bread crumbs
  • 2 T melted butter

Mix 1/2 cup cheese with spinach. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/8″ thick slices. Boil in salted water 5-6 minutes. Drain. Spread half of the potatoes in bottom of baking dish, cover with 1/2 of anchovy mix. Spread half of the spinach over the potatoes. Repeat layers. Spread 1/3 cup grated cheese mixed with bread crumbs over top and pour on melted butter. Bake 30 minutes at 375ºF until browned.

Basque Spinach
The anchovies make the difference.

Eggs and Cheese, Vegetables and Salads

Zucchini and Eggs

Calabacitas con huevo

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups chopped zucchini or summer squash
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan, Gruyere or Manchego cheese

Heat butter, add zucchini, cover and cook 10 minutes. Drain. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a skillet. Beat eggs with water and combine with cheese. Pour over the zucchini, mix gently, and cook until eggs are set. This can also be done in the oven.

Meat and Poultry, Vegetables and Salads

White Bean and Ham Salad

White beans are very popular in Mediterranean cuisine. A number of bean varieties are referred to as white beans, and those include cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans, and baby lima beans. They all cook relatively quickly, have a mild taste, and are creamy and rich.

This recipe definitely gains flavor as it sits and chills. Consider preparing it well ahead of time, even the day before.

White Bean and Ham Salad recipe ingredients

2 cups cooked white beans
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cups cooked ham, julienned
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
5 large garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2 T Dijon mustard

How to prepare White Bean and Ham Salad

Combine beans, tomatoes, onion, ham and basil. Toss gently.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard until blended. Season to taste. Pour over bean mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information for Cannellini Beans

Nutritional information is available from the USDA FoodData Central – Cannellini Bean Nutrition Facts

Veganize your White Bean (no Ham) salad

Simply leave out the ham and add a half-teaspoon or more to taste of smoked paprika or liquid smoke.

white beans
Pickles and Salsas, Vegetables and Salads

Green Bean Mustard Pickles

Mom always preserved jars of tangy and savory green bean mustard pickles when the beans were being harvested in great quantities from our garden. They make a fabulous condiment and side dish, a way to bring garden beans onto the table when fresh beans aren’t available.

Ingredients for Green Bean Mustard Pickles

  • 5 lbs. green beans
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2-1/2 lbs. brown sugar
  • 1 cup dry mustard
  • 2 tbsp celery seed
  • 2 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 t salt
  • pinch garlic powder
  • 3 pints vinegar

Preparing Green Bean Mustard Pickles

Wash and cut beans into small pieces. Cook in salted water 20 minutes. Mix flour, brown sugar, mustard, celery seed, turmeric, salt, and garlic powder. Add vinegar and blend till smooth. Boil 5 minutes. Add beans and bring to boil. Bottle at once in hot sterile jars.

Our House
Our House by Rayna, 2008

Appetizers, Vegetables and Salads

Garlic Bean Spread

A vegan recipe for a savory spread or dip made from white cannellini beans, often known as white navy beans or haricots and in Mexico called alubias.

  • 2 heads garlic
  • 2 cups cooked white cannellini beans, drained (reserving liquid)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Remove loose skins from garlic heads and place whole heads, root-side down, in a 350 F oven for 1-1/4 hours, or in microwave for about 5 minutes, until soft. Squeeze the soft garlic into a blender or food processor, discarding skins.

Add beans, oil, salt and cayenne. Blend until smooth.  If the mixture doesn’t blend easily, add a bit of the reserved bean liquid.  Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve as a spread for crackers or as a dip for veggies. Will store up to 3 weeks.

Separated garlic cloves can also be roasted in their skins in a cast iron pan on the stove top. Shake the cloves often while toasting so that they don’t burn. They’re ready when they are soft.

 

Meatless Main Dishes, Vegetables and Salads

Chiles Rellenos de Queso o Frijoles

Chiles Rellenos are Mexican stuffed peppers. They are made with mild Poblano peppers and can be stuffed with ground meat mixtures, cheese, potatoes, and a variety of of other ingredients. You can often find seafood-stuffed peppers in coastal regions. The stuffed peppers are usually dipped in egg, fried in hot oil until browned, then smothered in tomato sauce.

This version uses Manchego cheese (or mozzarella) and refried beans to fill the peppers.

Chiles Rellenos de Queso o Frijoles

 Ingredients for Cheese or Bean-stuffed Chile Peppers

  • 6 chiles Poblano (dark green, slightly hot fresh chiles)
  • 3 cups refried beans or 6 large sliced of Manchego  or mozzarella cheese
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • Flour
  • Oil for frying
  • 1/2 cup thick, seasoned tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Hold chiles on a fork over heat (this is usually a gas flame in Mexico) until skin blisters and darkens. Wrap in a damp cloth or a paper bag for half an hour. Peel.

Slit the chiles down one side and remove the seeds. Stuff each pepper with either beans or cheese or a combination of the two. Seal with a toothpick.

Beat egg yolks until thick; beat whites until stiff and shiny. Fold yolks into whites. Dust chiles with flour and dip into eggs.

Fry chiles in hot oil until brown. Place on a serving plate and cover with preheated tomato sauce and a dollop of cream.

NOTE: If all the above sounds too hard, cut open the chiles and layer them with the cheese and beans in a casserole. Mix the eggs and flour together with the cream and pour over the layers. Bake at 350º F. for about 30 minutes or until set. Pour tomato sauce over the top (use only enough to moisten without drowning the layered chiles), and top with 1/4 cup grated cheese, if desired. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to stand 15 minutes or so before serving. Serve with additional warm tomato sauce.

Vegetables and Salads

Greek Salad

Crunchy, chunky, savory Greek salad with olives, basil, and oregano can be eaten as a side dish or a meal in itself. Greek salad always reminds me of Anna.

Greek salad ingredients

Ingredients:

Greek salad
That looks like an olive tree in the background… (by Anna)

  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, in strips
  • 1 red pepper, in strips
  • 1 cucumber, pared and diced
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T lemon juice or vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1 T fresh basil, minced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. thyme
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 12 large black olives
  • 1/4 lb. feta cheese, cubed

Toss vegetables together. Mix oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and seasonings. Shake. Pour over vegetables and chill. Toss with feta cheese and olives and serve.

Vegan version

Easy: Just omit the feta cheese or substitute cubes or crumbles of well-drained tofu that’s been marinated in a mixture of oil, vinegar or lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, oregano, and other herbs to your taste.


Eggs and Cheese, Vegetables and Salads

Potatoes Gratin

  • 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
  • 1/2 to 1 cup consomme
  • 1/8 lb. butter
  • 4 large potatoes

Peel and slice potatoes. Add salt. pepper, and a pinch ot nutmeg, Butter a baking dish. Put in 1 layer of potatoes, cover with half the cheese, add another layer of potatoes, and cover with remaining cheese. Pour over this the consomme. and sprinkle with lumps of butter. Place in 375°F oven until done, with the consomme absorbed. Servings: 4

Soups and Stews, Vegetables and Salads

Cabbage and Potato Soup

  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 2 T butter
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1/4 cup chopped cabbage
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 t salt
  • 2 cups diced potato
  • 8 oz. medium cream
  • Minced parsley
  • Dash of paprika

Cook onion slowly in butter until golden. Add cabbage, water, salt, and potato. Cook until tender (15-20 minutes). Add cream and reheat, but do not boil. Serve sprinkled with minced parsley and a dash of paprika.  Servings: 6