Browsing Category

Vegetarian

Appetizers, Dressing, Eggs, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Sauces, Vegetarian, Veggies

Nobis Dressing

August 17, 2016

Nobis Dressing

San Francisco is a city that offers superb dining options.  We look forward to returning to our favorite restaurants year after year. While always visiting our favorite places, we enjoy trying new restaurants as well. On our last visit we tried Volta, a French restaurant with Scandinavian influences.  We went for lunch, and it was just divine so we changed our plans for that night and returned to Volta for dinner.  It’s a gorgeous restaurant with a menu that features many appealing dishes.  I chose an endive & watercress salad with nobis dressing as my starter.  The nobis dressing was absolutely delicious: so much so, I contacted the owner Umberto Gibin and asked for the recipe.  He was gracious enough to have his chef pare down the ingredients for me.

Soft Boiled Egg

The ingredient that makes this recipe stand out is the egg.  Poached or soft boiled, either preparation works well.  The egg adds depth and richness to the dressing, along with the tangy mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, chives, and a hint of garlic.  It reminds me of a Caesar salad dressing but without the cheese and anchovies. It’s so good I can eat it right out of the jar.

Poached Egg

Endive Salad with Nobis Dressing

Nobis dressing on endive salad with watercress and radishes.

Grilled Artichokes with Nobis Dressing

Nobis dressing for dipping grilled artichokes.  It’s also delicious drizzled over steamed asparagus.

Nobis Dressing
 
Save Print
Adapted from Volta restaurant recipe
Author:
Serves: ¾ cup
Ingredients
  • 1 soft boiled or poached egg
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic (use a microplane)
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground white or black pepper
Preparation
  1. Place soft boiled egg in a 1-pint mason jar or comparable sized container that your immersion blender fits snugly in.
  2. Add the other ingredients and blend with an immersion blender until dressing is thick and creamy, about 30 seconds. If you don't have an immersion blender use a small food processor or blender.
  3. Serve as a salad dressing, dipping sauce for artichokes, or drizzled over asparagus. I bet it would be delicious as a sauce for grilled or pan fried fish, or chicken.

 

Recipes, Salad, Vegetarian, Veggies

Pea Salad with Feta, Mint & Lemon-Dijon Dressing

July 15, 2016


Pea Salad with Feta, Mint & Lemon-Dijon Dressing

This light and refreshing salad is ideal for those days when you want a change from your typical bowl of mixed greens.  Sweet and crisp sugar snap peas are the perfect companion to the slightly peppery radishes, lemony dressing and feta cheese.  Scatter some fresh torn mint leaves over the salad just before serving.  It’s a beautiful side dish to serve at a small dinner gathering this summer.

Thinly Sliced Radish

I’ve been appreciating radishes more and more these days.  They are especially good in salads or served on top of tuna tartare with avocado.  A quick soak in ice water and the radish slices become delightfully crunchy.

Radish Slices in Ice Bath

Hydroponic Watercress

Hydroponic watercress works very well in this salad because of its mild flavor, delicate leaves and stems.  If you are on Maui, our local Whole Foods store regularly carries this item.

Pea Salad with Radishes & Feta - 1 (2)

The sugar snap peas are blanched for 30 seconds then transferred to an ice bath.  Once cool, they are sliced in half to reveal the tender peas within.

Pea Salad with Feta, Mint & Lemon-Dijon Dressing

Pea Salad with Feta, Mint & Lemon-Dijon Dressing
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Dressing
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • Salad
  • ½ cup green peas, defrosted if frozen or blanched for a minute if using fresh
  • ½ cup shelled edamame, boiled for 5 minutes, cooled in ice water
  • 1 small bunch hydroponic watercress, washed and stems trimmed - optional
  • 3 ounces sugar snap peas, blanched for 30 seconds, cooled in ice water and sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 small radishes, sliced very thin, soaked in ice water for 15 minutes
  • 1 ounce crumbled feta
  • handful of fresh mint leaves
  • *Drain and place blanched and chilled vegetables on paper towels, carefully pat dry before using.
Preparation
  1. Whisk together Dijon, honey, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. Dressing can be made a day in advance.
  2. In a medium wide salad bowl, gently mix together the green peas, edamame and watercress.
  3. Scatter sliced sugar snap peas and radishes over the top of the salad.
  4. Sprinkle salad with feta and fresh torn mint leaves (tear the mint leaves right before serving as they can turn brown if torn in advance).
  5. Drizzle salad with dressing just before serving.

 

 

 

 

Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Miso Turmeric Dressing

May 26, 2016

Miso Turmeric DressingThis is a beautiful and versatile dressing.  It’s delicious with chopped iceberg lettuce and cucumbers, or drizzled over a crisp watercress salad.   It’s the perfect match for a cool summer soba salad with finely shredded red cabbage and pan-fried tofu.

White MisoThis Hawaiian Style Mellow White Miso is perfect for this dressing.  It has a semi-sweet flavor that compliments the rest of the ingredients.

White Miso

Ground Turmeric

Shredded Ginger & CarrotThe dressing can be prepared in less than 10 minutes.  All the ingredients are whisked together in a small bowl.  That’s it!  It will keep nicely in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.

Miso Turmeric Dressing with Soba Salad

Miso Turmeric Dressing
 
Save Print
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
Author:
Serves: about 1 cup
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2½ tablespoons finely grated carrot
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
Preparation
  1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve over crisp salad greens such as iceberg lettuce, watercress, chopped cabbage or use as a dressing for soba salad.

 

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Crunchy Cabbage & Ramen Noodle Salad

May 15, 2016


Crunchy Cabbage & Ramen Noodle Salad

This is the perfect salad to take on a summer picnic or potluck party.  Everything can be prepared in advance and put together in one bowl just before serving.  I love the crunchy texture of the cabbage, ramen and almonds.  Sometimes I’ll add leftover shredded rotisserie chicken to the salad.  You could also add baked or pan-fried tofu for a tasty vegetarian lunch.  This is a salad, with its refreshing ingredients and delicious dressing, that I will never get tired of eating.

Ramen Noodles

Though the ramen is already baked, I prefer to enhance it just a bit to make it very crisp. I toast the crushed ramen in my toaster oven for 4 minutes before adding it to the salad.

Slaw Mix

Crunchy Cabbage & Ramen Noodle Salad

 

Crunchy Cabbage & Ramen Noodle Salad
 
Save Print
Adapted from the kitchn blog recipe
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 cups shredded green cabbage (about 7 ounces)
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage (about 3 ounces)
  • 1 cup shredded carrot (about 3 ounces)
  • ¼ cup shelled edamame
  • ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil (Kadoya brand recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds, white, black or a combination of both
  • 1 (3-ounce) package ramen noodles, crushed and toasted (discard seasoning packet)
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Preparation
  1. Place shredded cabbage, carrot and edamame in a large bowl.
  2. Combine seasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil, canola oil, honey, and sesame seeds in a jar. Shake to combine ingredients.
  3. Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 325 degrees. Spread crushed ramen noodles on a foil lined baking sheet and toast for about 4 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.
  4. Toast sliced almonds for 4 -5 minutes. If you use your oven, you'll have enough space to toast the ramen and almonds at the same time (on separate pans). The ramen and almonds should be slightly toasted with just a hint of golden color.
  5. Add dressing to the cabbage mixture by the spoonful. Toss, then fold in ramen, green onions and almonds. Toss again and serve right away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers, Bread, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Pita Chips

April 13, 2016

Homemade Pita Chips

Having recently discovered the superlative quality of homemade hummus as opposed to the store-bought version, I thought why not make my own pita chips too?  They are one of the simplest snacks to make and all you need is a bag of pita bread plus olive oil and salt, items that we all have in our pantries.

Pita Bread

You can opt to use all the pita breads in the package, or make a smaller batch using just three.  The pita chips bake for just 10 minutes and come out of the oven perfectly golden brown.

Pita Bread Halved and Split

I tried splitting the pita bread, and not splitting the pita bread.  Conclusion – splitting the pita bread is the way to go if you want thin and crispy chips.  The pita chips that were not split were a bit tough and didn’t seem to hold their crunchy texture for very long, which brought to mind the time I purchased a bag of Stacy’s Pita Chips at Mana Foods.  They were nice and crisp.  Later, I saw a giant bag at Costco so I bought it, after all it was a good deal.  Once I took a bite of Stacy’s Costco version, I was sorely disappointed.  The chips were really hard and not delicately crispy as I had expected them to be.  Curious about why there was such a variation of the two bags, I contacted Stacy’s customer service department and was informed that the pita chips sold at Costco (in the giant bag that’s such a deal) are not split, and the ones at the market are.  So there you have it!

Pita Bread Halved and Split + Olive Oil & Maldon Sea Salt

Brush or dab a little olive oil on the rough side of the pita bread.  Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, such as Maldon.  I like to sprinkle a bit of dried oregano over the pita bread but it is optional.  You could also season the pita chips with pepper, or other dried herbs.  Bake until completely crisp.

Ready to Bake Homemade Pita Chips

 

Homemade Pita Chips

 

Pita Chips
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 36 chips
Ingredients
  • 3 pita breads, about 6" diameter each
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
  • dried oregano
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut each pita bread in half, then split each half making 4 pieces per pita bread
  3. Stack the halves and cut into thirds, making 12 chips per pita (36 wedges total)
  4. Brush a bit of olive oil over the rough inner side of each piece and sprinkle with salt and oregano.
  5. Place wedges on foil-lined baking sheet making sure not to overlap.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, checking at the 8 minute mark as oven temperatures vary.
  7. Pita chips should be golden brown and crisp. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Serve with homemade hummus.

 

Appetizers, Beans, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Easy Homemade Hummus

April 4, 2016

hummus - 1 (6)

Hummus and pita chips are a great snack any time of the day.  I have purchased hummus from our local markets in the past, but I’m always disappointed. Most of the time it’s because there’s too much garlic in the hummus for my taste.  When it comes to using raw garlic, especially in hummus and pesto, I prefer a light garlicky flavor, just enough to give the dish a nice zing, but also allowing the other flavors to shine.  This simple recipe does just that.  You taste the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a bit of garlic.  A few dashes of cayenne pepper adds a delightful touch of heat.  This snack will take you just 10 minutes to whip up in your food processor.

chickpeas - 1

I’ve tried a number of brands of canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and finally decided that I like Eden the best (so far).  The beans have a nice color and a good texture.

hummus - 1 (7)

Easy Homemade Hummus
 
Save Print
Ready in just 10 minutes!
Author:
Serves: 4 - 6 as an appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained, 2 tablespoons of liquid reserved (you may reserve a few beans to sprinkle over the hummus)
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons reserved liquid from the beans
  • 1 very small garlic clove, pressed (scant ¼ teaspoon)
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • few grinds of black pepper
  • few dashes of cayenne pepper
Preparation
  1. Place chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon reserved bean liquid, garlic, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If the hummus seems too thick, add the other tablespoon of reserved bean liquid and process for a few seconds. Taste and add more salt and cayenne pepper if you desire.
  2. Before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with a bit of cayenne pepper or paprika and reserved garbanzo beans. Serve with pita chips.

 

 

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: