Quinoa Cucs and Toms

2 cups of quinoa
vegetable broth
Himalayan sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper

3/4 large cucumber
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

Prepare quinoa as the package calls, using vegetable broth for the liquid. After it is done, add Himalayan sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Then slice up cool cucumber and cooled cherry or grape tomatoes. I always try to put them on top of the quinoa right before serving so the tomatoes don't get hot and soggy. The dish tastes so good because you are mixing hot with cold and salty with sweet :)

By Teal Jonutz at the February 2012 potluck

Thai Green Curry Lentils with Spinach

by Janine (at November 2011 potluck)

Ingredients:
1 17.6 oz package Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils
1 13.5 can coconut milk
1 T Thai Kitchen green curry paste
1 T olive oil
1 lime
1 T honey
1 T Braggs liquid aminos
1 bag fresh spinach

1. Combine 1/4 of coconut milk, olive oil and green curry paste and saute in a sauce pan until well mixed.


2. Add remainder of coconut milk, honey, juice of 1 lime, liquid aminos and lentils and stir until well mixed.


3. Cover lentils with the whole bag of fresh spinach and stir. No need to heat the spinach, it will wilt when you cover the pan.


4. Stir before serving and...enjoy!

Parsnip Hummus

Made by Carolann Wedlund
September 2011 Potluck

Ingredients

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds parsnips, trimmed, peeled and cut into equal-size chunks
• 1/2 cup organic tahini
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• Paprika, for decorative sprinkle
• An assortment of raw and blanched vegetables

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt and add the parsnips. Boil until the parsnips are as soft as butter, 10 to 15 minutes. If certain pieces are still hard while others are tender, pull out the tender ones, and allow the tougher ones to cook another 5 minutes. It's really important to cook the parsnips until they're lusciously soft, or else your hummus will be stodgy.

Drain the parsnips, saving about 1 cup of the hot water. Toss the parsnips into a food processor along with the tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of hot water. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning, and depending on how salty your tahini is, adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little paprika and parsley. Serve alongside a platter of vegetables.

Persian-style carrots with dried apricots

Made by Deanne at Sept 2011 Potluck

From "Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian"

2T olive oil
1 small onion
4 medium carrots (I used purple carrots to get purple/orange contrast) cut in slight diagonals
6 whole dried turkish apricots (deseeded and chopped finely).
(These apricots are available at Maiwand Market on Fremont Blvd in Centerville)
A little honey, to taste
1/4 t salt
1/4 pint water or vegetable stock

Method:

Put oil into a large frying pan and set over medium-high heat.
When hot, put in the onion, carrots and apricot halves.
Stir and saute for about 5 minutes or until all ingredients just start to brown.
Add the honey and salt and stir for 10 seconds.
Pour in stock/water and bring to the boil.
Cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the carrots are tender.

Stir-fried green cabbage with spicy red paste (Sumatra)

Made by Deanne at Sept 2011 Potluck

From "Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian"

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 smallish red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (I use Tohum Red Pepper Paste, 1t)
http://www.southrivermiso.com/store/p/19-Tohum-Red-Pepper-Paste.html
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
5 T oil
1 lb dark green outer leaves of cabbage (I used greens from Beetroots) mixed with inner leaves, very finely shredded into thin, long strips
3/4 -tsp salt

Put garlic, shallots, red pepper, cayenne pepper and 3 to 4 T of water into food processor. Blend until you have a coarse paste.

Put the oil in a large frying pan and set over high heat. When hot, put in the spice paste.

Stir and fry it for 5-6 minutes or until it turns dark. Add the cabbage and salt. Stir to mix.

Cover tightly, turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little water from time to time if the cabbage seems to be sticking. Serve hot.

Black-Eyed Beans with Herbs(Morocco/Syria)

Made by Deanne at August 2011 Potluck.
From "Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian".

Often eaten with greens and rice, or served as a stew garnished with finely chopped parsley. Crusty wholewheat breads and a tomato salad would be a welcome side dish.

Ingredients:
8 oz dried black-eyed beans, picked over and soaked
2 T olive oil
1 dried red chilli
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 bay leaves
1 t dried oregano or 1 T finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 t dried thyme or 1 1/2 t finely chopped fresh thyme
1 t paprika
1 1/2 t sea salt

Method:
Drain beans and bring to boil in saucepan with almost 2 pints water. Cover, tun heat to low and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Put oil in a frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the whole chilli. Sir once. The chilli should darken and puff up immediately. Quickly put in the garlic and stir again. Now add the black-eyed beans with all their liquid, the bay leaves, oregano, thyme, paprika and salt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, on low heat for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Serves 6-8

Moroccan Potato Stew with Tumeric

Made by Deanne at August 2011 Potluck.
From
Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian"

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
3 oz finely chopped onion
2 oz peeled, seeded and finely diced tomato (I didn't seed)
1 lb 2 oz red-skinned waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 t ground turmeric
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t paprika
large pinch cayenne pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh coriander

Method:
Put oil in pot and set on medium=high heat. When oil is hot, add onion. Turn heat to medium and saute until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except fresh coriander) and stir. Pour in 16 oz of water. Mix well. Turn heat to hight and bring to the boil. Cover pot, turn the heat to low and cook gently for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Crush one or two potato pieces in pot to make the sauce thicker.
Add fresh coriander a few minutes before serving. Serve hot.
Serves 4.

Potato Leek Pancakes

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 large leek, topped, tailed, rinsed, and minced
2 t. minced fresh oregano or 1 t. dried
1 cup kale, finely chopped
1 T. evoo

Steam potatoes and leeks until very soft. (Pressure cooker not recommend because the potatoes absorb the water which makes the batter too runny). Then place them in a food processor and add oregano and kale. Whiz together until smooth.

Grab a tennis-ball size of dough and shape firmly into a ball. Repeat until the dough is all formed. Preheat a large cast iron skillet. Pour in oil. Reduce heat to medium and place tennis balls in it, pressing them into pancakes as you go. Let the pancakes brown, about 4 minutes on each side. If your pan isn't well seasoned, you may need more oil to prevent sticking.

by Elizabeth, June 2011

Quinoa with Veggies

1 cup quinoa
1 cup emmer wheat

Prepare both grains according to package directions.

Mix with cooked grains:
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 bell peppers, diced (yellow, red, or orange)
3 green onions, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 T. grated lemon zest
1/2 cup EACH fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped
1 T. cumin
2 t. salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Dressing:
1/4 cup evoo
2 T. flaxseed oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 t. ground turmeric

Put all ingredients in jar and shake well. Pour all on top of veggie mixture and toss well.

Serve warm or cold.

By Elizabeth at the May 2011 potluck

Persian Rice

Made by Deanne for June 2011

(I overcooked the rice, but with a little more attentiveness, this dish could be light, fluffy and fragrant)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Coarse Salt
2 cups brown basmati rice
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds (from about 3 pods)
1/2 cup butter (I used olive oil, but coconut oil might be lovely)
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons diced dried apricots
2 tablespoons dried sweet or sour cherries or golden raisins (I used green raisins from the Afghani store but next time I would try sour cherries from Trader Joes)
1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Fill a large saucepan with 6 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt, return to a boil, and stir in rice, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom seeds. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender ( about 10 minutes for white rice so my guess is around 15 or 20... don't overcook at this point). Drain and let stand in a sieve.
3. Cook onions and saffron in a skillet with olive oil until golden (8 minutes?). Spread onion in an even layer in a small oven safe pot (say 2 or 3 quart)
4. Add apricots and raisins to rice. Spoon rice mixture over onion, spreading evenly. Press down firmly to compact.
5. Drizzle reserved olive oil (coconut oil?) evenly over top.
6. Cover pot with lid or, if no lid, use foil pressed down over the rice.
7. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour.
8. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and invert a large round platter over the pot. Carefully turn the pot over and empty contents onto the platter.
8. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve.

Dehydrated Almond Toast

Made by Deanne for June 2011

From "I am Grateful" cookbook from Gratitude Cafe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soaked almonds (soak for 12 or 24 hours)
2 cups almond nut milk pulp (I thought using pulp made it a little dry, so I would use less pulp and more soaked almonds next time.... or just use soaked almonds and grind some finely and some medium... and add a little more vegetable pulp)
1/3 cup flax meal (grind flax seeds in vitamix)
I cup veggie pulp (I used just carrot but next time I would try a little carrot/celery/kale in combination)
1 teaspoon of garlic, crushed (I use a mortar and pestle) to a paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup carrot juice (or whatever juice you have left from making the veggie pulp)*

*I use my Omega juicer to obtain juice/pulp.

Method:

Chop almonds to different consistency (fine, medium and a little chunky)
Mix all ingredients except carrot juice.
Add carrot juice slowly to make a bread dough consistency.
Roll it out into a log (say 3 inches wide and 2 inches high).
Slice (like a loaf of bread) and put slices on a dehydrator grid.

Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour and then lower the temperature to 115 degrees.
Dehydrate till crisp (12 to 24 hours, depending on thickness and moisture content).

Variations on this recipe.

Rosemary Garlic: add 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil and 3 tablespoons of dried rosemary.

Pumperickel Rye: 1 tablespoon caraway seed, 3/4 cup raw carob powder, 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Sundried Tomato Basil: 12 sun-dried tomato halves, 20 large basil leaves (chiffonade the basil), 1/4 cup olive oil

Teriyaki Almonds

( made by Deanne at June 2011 potluck)

2.5 cups soaked almonds (I soaked for 24 hours, changing the water, but you can do 8 or 12 hours)
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup tamari (you can use Nama Shoyu too, but it has wheat in it)
1.5 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger.

Rinse and drain almonds.
I put the dates, garlic and ginger through my juicer on puree, rather than juice to form a paste.
Add tamari to the paste and toss it over the almonds.

Dehydrate almonds (145 degrees for 1 hour and then turn down to 115 degrees) till crispy. It may take 2 days.

Add to salads or eat straight up.

Naturally Fermented Raw Brine Pickled Watermelon Rinds

Submitted by Idy for June 2011 potluck

Recipe:

http://www.tealightfullyours.com/raw-brine-pickled-watermelon-rinds-or-half-sours-raw-cultured-vegetables/TeaSmittenMomma

Spicy Asian Cool Nodles

Just scroll way down to the bottom of this link for the recipe:

http://www.tealightfullyours.com/tea-with-archana-and-himani/TeaSmittenMomma

submitted by Idy for June potluck

Green Pulao Recipe

from February Potluck

submitted by Idy


Here is the recipe for the rice recipe I brought. I just left out the red bell pepper so it would be a green pulao:


http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/20/vegetable-rice-pulav/

Maple-Glazed Apple and Sweet Potato Gratin

Made by Deanne for Jan 2011 Meeting

Please note. The gratin will reduce in size so make more than you think you'll need.
Adapted from "The Thanksgiving Table" by Diane Morgan.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour or any other thickening agent, even cornflour)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large dark- orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs)
3 Granny smith apples (about 1.5 lbs), peeled, cored and thinly sliced (an apple corer would come in handy!)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a circular pyrex baking dish with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add the flour to the pan, whisking constantly, until the flour is blended and cooked through, about 1 minute.
Add the maple syrup and salt. Simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

Arrange a row of alternating sweet potato and apple slices around the pan until filled.
Pour the reserved sauce evenly on top. Cover the dish tightly with foil or the lid and bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and baste the sweet potatoes and apples with the juices that collect in the bottom of the pan. Bake the gratin, basting every 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and nicely browned at the edges, about 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a low oven for up to 30 minutes. Baste just before serving. (The gratin can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover, and set aside at room temperature until ready to bake.)

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This Recipe came from 'Tis the Season Holiday Cookbook by Mary Engelbreit.

1/3 cup olive oil

4 punds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 to 3 inch chunks

Grated Zest of Orange

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450

Pour oil into a large roasting pan and heat the pan in the oven for 5 min. Remove pan and add the sweet potatoes. Carefully stir to coat them evenly with the hot oil and return it to the oven. Roast the sweet potatoes, shaking the pan or turning the potatoes every 10 min., for 50-60 min, until browned and crisped.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the orange zest, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.

Drain the potatoes briefly on a paper towel-lined platter and transfer them to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the orange zest mixture. Toss to coat, and serve immediately.

Recipe for Curried garbanzos, good enough for a crowd

4 Cups Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas (soaked overnight in plenty of water); throw water for soaking out.

Pressure cook beans with a couple bay leaves till soft but not mushy ( about 30 minutes ) Put water enough to cover it 2 inches above. If in a regular pot, about 1 hour , seasoning midway through cooking with salt . Strain and save liquid from boiling the beans.

While beans are cooking, fry in about 2 tbsp coconut oil:

6 garlic cloves ground into paste with knob of ginger ( 2 inches )
¾ cup coriander seeds
1 tsp. black peppercorns

Let this cook till aromatic and coriander seeds are slightly crispy and light brown.

Then add and sauté one by one :
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp Tomato paste plus 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp. tamarind paste or 1 tbsp. Amchur Powder (dry mango powder) or lemon juice
4 green chilies for heat and extra flavor (optional)
2 tsp sugar
Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Whole bunch of chopped Cilantro leaves for garnishing
2 tsp. Garam masala
sliced red onions (optional)

Cook until oil begins to separate. That means the spices are tempered. Set aside to cool. Puree it in a blender with 1 ½ cups cooked garbanzos and some of the liquid. Add drained garbanzo and mix till incorporated and simmer for a few minutes. Add some of the reserved liquid and simmer till nice and thick like gravy.

Just before serving, add 2 tsp . garam masala ( optional ) and sliced red onions. You can find garam masala in any Indian grocery or regular grocery. I make my own but that’s another recipe. I can give you my recipe if you want to bother making your own. Just let me know.

Top with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.

Quinoa Papaya Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa
1/2 ripe papaya, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lemon
1 lime
salt & pepper

Cook quinoa per package instructions. Combine cooked quinoa, papaya, red onion, and cilantro in large bowl. Squeeze lime and lemon over mixture, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Good warm or cold.

Note: best if use really flavorful papaya. If yours is bland, don't use. Other options would be pineapple, mango, red bell pepper, tomato, or avocado. Experiment and see what combinations you like!

By - Elizabeth

Sprouted Quinoa Salad

Sprout the quinoa by soaking it for 3 hours and letting it sit in a fine mesh strainer on the counter for a day or two—just rinse it twice a day until you use it.

2 cups sprouted quinoa
Juice of 3 small or 2 large limes
1 small apple (pink lady, fuji, jonagold)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. dried mint leaves (or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups sliced red grapes
6 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
3 green onions, sliced (include most of the green part)
2 cups diced broccoli or 2 red peppers, diced
1 cup raw cashews, chopped

In blender, puree lime juice, apple, olive oil, mint leaves, salt, and pepper. Toss
dressing and all ingredients except cashews. Marinate a few hours in the fridge if time allows. Add cashews right before serving.

Taken from GSG 12 steps ch. 2
Served by Elizabeth