Vegetarian Archives - Page 18 of 29 - My Lilikoi KitchenMy Lilikoi Kitchen

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Glory Bowl Salad

July 18, 2015

I bumped into a friend of ours, Lisa Tamaki, with whom I have a shared interest in cooking as well as home canning. She told me about a new salad recipe she thought I would enjoy. The dressing has nutritional yeast in it, one of my favorite foods. Lisa’s enthusiasm about the “Glory Bowl Salad” (named for a top ski bowl in Canada) made me eager to try it out right away. Thank you, thank you!

The original recipe comes from Shelley Adams who once owned Whitewater Ski Resort in Canada. This salad is one of her most requested recipes. Rachel also posted Sami’s version of this delicious salad. I followed her suggestion of seasoning the tofu with sesame oil and soy sauce before baking and it adds a wonderful flavor to the tofu. You can use almost any vegetables you want to in this salad. I opted for colorful red cabbage, crunchy snap peas, cucumbers, carrots and edamame. Don’t skip the toasted almonds. They are super in this salad. The dressing has a fantastic umami flavor due to the generous amount of nutritional yeast and soy sauce, so good you’ll be looking for things to pour it on once your salad is long gone.

I use my TofuXpress often. It presses out the water quickly. No more wasting paper towels!

It’s best to serve the baked tofu once cooled, however, you may bake it in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use. The texture won’t be quite the same (it softens once refrigerated) but it will still taste delicious. Just bring it to room temperature before serving.

Glory Bowl Salad

Adapted from Whitewater Cooks & The Conscious Dietician blog

Two generous salad bowl servings and 1 cup dressing

Ingredients

Salad Bowl:

1 cup short or medium grain brown rice

1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds (bake in toaster oven at 300° for about 5 minutes – watch so they do not burn)

1 package (14 ounce) extra firm tofu (Wildwood recommended) water pressed out

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 ounces sliced cucumber

1 ounce shredded carrot

1/3 cup cooked edamame

3 ounces snap peas

1 ounce shredded red cabbage

roasted black sesame seeds – optional

Dressing:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

freshly ground black pepper

Cook brown rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Toast slivered almonds for a few minutes to crisp up.

Press out water from tofu using the TofuXpress or a clean dish towel or paper towels (weighted down). Cut tofu into rectangles about 1/2 inch thick. Combine sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush mixture over tofu slices, or toss to coat well. Place tofu on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (I use my toaster oven).

Using an immersion blender combine nutritional yeast, water, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tahini paste, extra virgin olive oil, and canola oil. Or whisk by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

Assemble your salad by placing the rice on the bottom of your bowl, adding the vegetables and tofu over the rice. Drizzle a generous amount of the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle toasted almonds and roasted sesame seeds over the top and serve with extra dressing.

Breakfast, Eggs, Recipes, Vegetarian

Open -Face Omelets with Spicy Feta and Escarole

April 28, 2015

I always return to my eternally favorite food: eggs. I rarely make omelets, however I now have a new favorite weekend breakfast. This open-face omelet is so easy to prepare and very delicious. I had never tried escarole before and initially thought I might not be able to find it for this recipe. Mana Foods, my favorite market in Paia, has almost every type of vegetable and fruit you can imagine, but they didn’t have any. I tried Whole Foods as well, but our store on Maui is quite small with a limited selection. I was quite surprised to find it at Safeway. Recently Safeway in Kihei upgraded their produce section and it’s a considerable improvement from what they offered a year ago.

Escarole is a gorgeous green, belonging to the endive family. It’s definitely not as bitter, and is very good tossed with other salad greens. Each head of escarole has a pretty mix of bright and pale colored leaves.

A bit of feta and spicy jalapeños make this dish stand out. The recipe calls for za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend typically consisting of sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, oregano, marjoram and salt. I had purchased a jar in Napa at the Whole Spice shop (they spell it zahtar) and it sat in my refrigerator waiting to be used. If you can’t find za’atar at your local market, the recipe says to combine 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.

Open-Face Omelets with Spicy Feta and Escarole

Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons za’atar (or 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon dried oregano)

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I love Mt. Vikos sheep and goat’s milk feta. It’s mild and creamy and not too salty)

1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped

2 jalapeño nacho rings (you may use more if you prefer, or fresh jalapeño to taste)

3 extra-large eggs

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups shredded escarole

pepper

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the za’atar with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

In another bowl, mash the feta, scallion and jalapeño with 2 – 3 teaspoons of water until smooth.

In a small non-stick skillet (9 – 10-inch works well) heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. In a 2-cup measuring cup, beat the eggs with the flour, salt and 1 tablespoon of water (it’s OK if a few lumps remain). Pour half the mixture into the skillet and swirl the pan to form a thin omelet. Sprinkle half the escarole and half the feta mixture evenly over the eggs; cook over moderately low heat until the escarole starts to wilt, the feta melts and the omelet is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Slide onto a plate and season with pepper. Repeat with the remaining oil, eggs, escarole and feta mixture.

Drizzle za’atar oil over the omelet and serve. Side of bacon please!

Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

April 11, 2015

Freekeh, an unusual grain with a novel name! The first time it caught my attention was in Berkeley at the Pasta Store. I like cooking with many different types of grains. They make interesting side dishes, and in this case, a great salad. The name Freekeh is a process which means “to rub” in Arabic. The wheat is harvested when young and green then roasted, dried and rubbed. It has a subtle smokey flavor and a pleasant, chewy texture. It’s delicious.

Freekeh looks a bit like bulgur once it is cooked. In fact, if you can’t find freekeh, you could substitute bulgur but freekeh has a chewier texture and more interesting flavor.

I included Madagascar pink rice in my salad. I love the color and texture it added to the salad. This beautiful rice cooks in just 20 minutes.

Fresh herbs are scattered over the salad just before serving.

I am a big fan of any dressing that contains tahini and lemon juice!

This salad is so good I made it three times in a one week period. I packed it up for my work lunch and tossed the beans, freekeh, rice and walnuts with the dressing just before I sat down to eat.

Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup cracked or uncracked freekeh, rinsed

1 cup Madagascar pink rice (optional)

6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed

1 very small garlic clove, finely grated (I used my microplane zester)

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint (or 1/2 teaspoon dried mint)

1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts (I baked them in the toaster oven for 5 minutes)

a few sprigs of dill, cilantro, flat leaf parsley

crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

Cook freekeh in a medium saucepan of salted simmering water until al dente, 12 – 15 minutes (uncracked freekeh will take longer to cook, 30 minutes or so). Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside. You will not use all the freekeh for the salad.

Cook Madagascar pink rice if using, following directions on package. (I make 1 cup of rice at a time and serve leftover rice with mock chicken tofu the following day).

Cook haricots verts in a medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes (very thin haricots verts may take just 2 minutes to cook). Drain and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain and pat dry.

Whisk garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil, tahini, mint, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl; season with salt. Taste, add more lemon juice if desired.

In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup each, cooked freekeh and pink rice if using (use more freekeh if you skip the pink rice). Add green beans and toss with enough dressing to coat everything nicely. Season with salt. Divide on to two plates, top with toasted walnuts, small sprigs of dill, tender leaves of cilantro and parsley. Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over the salad and serve.

Lactose Free, Recipes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Golden Soup

February 9, 2015

Bonnie Mandoe, a former Maui resident, published her cookbook Vegetarian Nights: Fresh From Hawaii in 1994. It is still one of my favorites. Her recipes are very simple to make, and full of rich flavors. I recall ordering a veggie burger many, many, years ago at Maui Coffee Roasters, which still exists today. The burger was topped with green chile pesto, a recipe found in her cookbook. It made that burger so special. One of Bonnie’s dishes that I have made many times is her delicious Golden Soup. Golden from turmeric and nutritional yeast, it’s a breeze to make. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your favorite health food store. I love it. I always have some in my pantry and use it to make mock chicken tofu as well.

Red lentils are usually orange in color. They don’t hold their shape well, and are best suited to thicken soups, as is the case with this recipe. So don’t be disappointed when this happens, it’s part of the plan.

Lots of tasty vegetables go into the soup, beautiful orange carrots, celery and creamy potatoes. I’ve made this soup Bonnie’s way, using vegetable bouillon cubes however this time I used chicken broth because I didn’t have the bouillon cubes in the pantry. So that means it isn’t a vegetarian soup, but you can easily make it the original way for a vegan meal. Also feel free to add cup of diced zucchini once the potatoes have cooked through a bit. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just perfectly cooked. Add the parsley and nutritional yeast.

Golden Soup

Adapted from Vegetarian Nights cookbook

6 Servings

Ingredients

3 cups water if using chicken broth

2 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes combined with 6 1/2 cups water

1 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 cup red lentils

1 cup diced celery

1 1/2 cups diced carrot

1 cup diced potato (I like to use Yukon Golds)

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

Preparation

Bring water and chicken broth or water and bouillon cubes to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the onion, garlic, turmeric and bay leaf to the pot. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Wash the lentils thoroughly in several changes of water until they stop foaming. Drain and add to the soup, along with the celery, carrots, and potatoes. Simmer another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. The cooking time will depend upon how large or small you cube your potatoes. I go for a fairly small cubes for this particular recipe.

Add the parsley and whisk in the nutritional yeast. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner, Fish, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado-Lime Sauce Vierge

January 31, 2015

This fantastic recipe from Bon Appetit is a winner. Sauce Vierge is a French sauce literally meaning virgin sauce because it is not cooked. There are so many variations, often using tomatoes as the base of the sauce. The main ingredients found in most of the recipes are olive oil, fresh herbs and lemon juice. This recipe includes luscious avocado, the juice and pulp of a lime, and jalapeño pepper. Brilliant!

The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup olive oil and a half of an avocado. I switched it around a bit and used a whole avocado and 1/4 cup of olive oil. I don’t care for sauces or dressings that are heavy on the oil so this worked out perfectly.

The article suggests serving this sauce with grilled fish, roast chicken, or huevos rancheros. We served it with a roast chicken and dipped tortilla chips in the leftover sauce the following day. It was so good, I made more right away.

Avocado – Lime Sauce Vierge

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 medium avocado, pitted, diced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot

1 – 2 limes, halved (our limes from the garden are large and juicy so I used just 1 lime, taste as you go)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Dice avocado and place in a medium bowl. Coarsely crush some of the avocado. Stir in olive oil, jalapeño, garlic, and shallot. Squeeze limes into avocado mixture. Using a spoon, scrape pulp out of limes into mixture. Stir to combine. Do Ahead: Sauce can be made a few days in advance. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of sauce. Cover and refrigerate. Bring sauce to room temperature before continuing.

Stir basil and cilantro into sauce just before serving. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with extra olive oil if desired.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sesame Tofu

December 15, 2014

I’m always thinking of new ways to prepare tofu. It’s far more versatile than most people realize, which is one reason I just love it! Sliced and sprinkled with fresh ginger, green onions and a drizzle of soy sauce, baked with herbs, sprinkled with nutritional yeast, or pan-fried in a number of ways, tofu is one of my favorite foods. Roasted sesame seeds are another favorite food of mine, and combined with tofu, they can be transformed into the perfect meal.

Extra firm tofu, water pressed out (I love my TofuXpress) is most important for this recipe. Served with brown rice and a crunchy chopped salad, tofu skeptics will be thoroughly surprised at how satisfying this meal can be. Try it! If you do not have a TofuXpress, drain your tofu between a clean, lint free kitchen towel or a thick layer of paper towels. Place a cutting board over the top with a few canned goods, a book or a heavy skillet for about 1/2 hour.

A quick dip in the marinade, then pan-fried until the sesame seeds are super fragrant and crunchy, this is a quick, savory and simple dish. It keeps well for a few days and is a tasty home lunch.

Sesame Tofu

Serves 2 as a main dish

Ingredients

1 14 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained and water pressed out (Wildwood extra firm is recommended)

4 tablespoons lite soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil (Kadoya recommended)

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger root

1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds, white and black mixed

1 tablespoon corn starch

Preparation

Slice pressed tofu into seven even slabs, or just under 3/4 inches thick. Slice each piece in half, lengthwise. Place on a paper towel while you make the marinade.

Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Place tofu slices in dish, in a single layer. Turn to coat all sides of tofu. This may take just a few minutes.

Transfer the tofu slices to a plate and cut each piece in half, crosswise, to make shorter sticks.

Mix 1/2 cup sesame seeds with corn starch in a shallow bowl or plate. Place a few pieces of tofu in the sesame seed mixture and press gently to coat both the top and bottom. Remove to a plate and continue to coat all of the tofu.

Heat a tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat in a skillet large enough to hold all tofu pieces in a single layer. Once the oil is hot, gently place tofu in the skillet. Cook the tofu until nicely browned, about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed. Check a piece to make sure the sesame seeds and garlic are not burning. Turn the tofu pieces over to brown the other side for another 4 – 5 minutes or so. I find it best to use a thin spatula to turn the pieces. Just be careful when doing so as the sesame seeds have a tendency to fall off. I quickly browned the two sides that are not coated with sesame seeds, by turning the pieces on their side for just a minute.

Serve warm with brown rice and a chopped salad. If you have leftovers, the tofu keeps well for at least 3 days.

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Vegetarian

Glory Bowl Salad

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Open -Face Omelets with Spicy Feta and Escarole

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Haricots Verts and Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

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Golden Soup

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Avocado-Lime Sauce Vierge

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Sesame Tofu

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