Basil Pesto

Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy plants, flowers, the outdoors, and fresh herbs. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so I don't have a yard, but I got creative and constructed a small herb garden under the window in my kitchen. This lovely little herb garden has provided me with mint, cilantro, oregano, and basil, which is my favorite.

I'm a big fan of pesto. My dad always made it when out of the basil that he grew and it was delicious. When I was finally able to grow my own basil, I had one end goal in mind: make pesto. So that's exactly what I did recently. When my basil plant had reached a reasonable height and was nice and leafy, I clipped some leaves and made up a delicious batch of pesto. Of course, pesto is delicious with a serving of pasta, but I also love putting it on sandwiches and enjoy a spread of it on a veggie burger. Point is, the recipe itself is very simple. Deciding what to do with the pesto once it's made is the fun part.

Recipe

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

Blend basil leaves, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and garlic in food processor. While blending, drizzle in olive oil (about 1/4 cup) to make a paste-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until use.

Coucous Cakes with Salsa

As I believe I've mentioned that I made a New Year's resolution to myself to make at least one new recipe every week. This usually means that on Sunday, when I'm making up my weekly menu (yes, I actually do that), I end up flipping through one of my cookbooks for something that I haven't made before and that sounds intriguing. So recently, I was flipping through Better Homes and Garden 365 Vegetarian Meals and came across this recipe. I thought it sounded interesting, and worth a try. I ended up being happy with how it came out. I wasn't expecting couscous to go well with a Mexican-flavored salsa, but it did! This is a nice, light meal and great for summer. It has a couple components to it, so bear with me.


Recipe
Makes 4 servings
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teapsoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour fat-free milk*
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 recipe Black Bean Salsa
Nonstick cooking spray


*To make 3/4 cup sour fat-free milk, place 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough fat-free milk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.


1. In a medium bowl combine uncooked couscous, whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl beat egg with a fork. Stir in buttermilk and oil. Stir buttermilk mixture into couscous mixture. Let stand for 20 minutes (batter will thicken as it stands).


2. Meanwhile, prepare Black Bean Salsa; set aside. Preheat oven to 200 degree F.


Black Bean Salsa: In a medium bowl stir together 3/4 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed; half of a 15-ounce can black beans (3/4 cup), rinsed and drained; 3/4 cup salsa; 1/2 cup chopped, peeled jicama; 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro; 1 tablespoon lime juice; and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.


3. Lightly coat an unheated griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. For each cake, spoon 2 slightly rounded tablespoons of the couscous batter onto the hot griddle or into the skillet; quickly spread to 3 1/2-inch cakes. Cook about 4 minutes or until brown, turning once halfway through cooking or when bottoms are lightly brown and edges are slightly dry. Remove bean cakes from griddle or skillet. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining cakes.


4. To serve, top couscous cakes with Black Bean Salsa.

Falafel

Here in the Cleveland area, there is a legendary restaurant named Tommy's. It's a favorite of mine, and pretty much my entire family. The menu is loaded with lots of healthy vegetarian options, including the delicious falafel, which is a small, fried patty made out of chick peas. My favorite sandwich that features a falafel is called the Ceebee, which is pita bread with muenster cheese, falafel, hummus, green peppers, tomato, sprouts and sunflower seeds. Delicious! Ever since I first had the falafel at Tommy's, it's been one of my favorite foods. However, I can't always go to Tommy's when I'm craving a falafel. So I set out on a quest to find a suitable recipe so I could make it at home.


I found a good recipe in Better Homes and Gardens 365 Vegetarian Meals, which I adapted to suit my tastes a little bit more. I've made this recipe frequently since I first came across it. While it's not quite the same as a Tommy's falafel (I don't think anything ever will be), this recipe is very good and easy to make. I would highly recommend giving it a try, especially if you've never had falafel before!


Recipe
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons freshly snipped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon round cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil


1. In a food processor, combine the drained beans, flour, parsley, the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, halved garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper. Cover and process until finely chopped and mixture holds together. Some pieces of garbanzo beans should still be visible. Shape the bean mixture into four 3-inch diameter patties.


2. In a large skill heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium-hgh heat. Add patties. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until brown and heated through turning halfway through cooking.


3. Serve up in pita bread with some cheese, tahini or hummus, and veggies of choice.

black bean quinoa bowl with peach salsa.

My quinoa obsession continues. Quinoa recipes are not difficult to come by, but I always like looking for something interesting that doesn't have some ridiculous ingredients that I don't always have on hand. When I came across this recipe, another creation from A Couple Cooks, I knew this was what I'd been looking for. The recipe is two-fold: one for the peach salsa, and one for the quinoa bowl itself. Let's start with the peach salsa.


the recipe
Peach salsa, serves about 4
4 ripe peaches
1/2 large red onion
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 lime
Handful fresh cilantro
Kosher salt


1. Peel and core the peaches; cut them into small chunks. Finely dice the red onion. Remove the stem, seeds and ribs of the jalapeno pepper and finely dice half of it. Chop the cilantro.
2. Mix all ingredients together and add the juice of 1 lime. Add a bit of kosher salt to taste. If you can wait, let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.


Quinoa bowl
2 cups quinoa
1 recipe peach salsa
2 cans black beans
6 to 8 green onions
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper


1. Rinse the 2 cups quinoa and drain completely. Place quinoa in a saucepan with 3 cups water and a few pinches of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 13 to 15 minutes, until the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and let sit covered to cool for about 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and add some salt and pepper to taste.
2. While the quinoa cooks, prepare the peach salsa.
3. Drain and rinse the beans. Chop the green onions, mix the beans and onions with 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.
4. When the quinoa is finished, dish the quinoa into bowls, and top with the black bean mixture and peach salsa.


substitutions
For the peach salsa, I didn't add the jalapeno, just because I made a half recipe for everything and didn't see the point in adding a fourth of a jalapeno pepper. For the quinoa bowl, I used cayenne pepper instead of chili powder. Though I included the green onions the first time I made this, the second time I didn't, and I really didn't notice much of a difference in flavor.


great with
The combination of quinoa and black beans makes for a filling dish and therefore, stands well on its own. This is a great one-dish meal.


the review
Mmm, this is so good. I realize that peaches aren't going to be in season for too much longer, so make this while you can! I love the combination of flavors in here. The spicy of the red onions combined with the sweetness of the peaches is delicious. The lime juice is a nice, subtle flavor in there too. And quinoa...well, I can't seem to find enough good things to say about it. This is a delicious, healthy recipe. Whenever I bring leftovers of this with me to work to have for lunch, people are intrigued!

creamy quinoa primavera.

Have you ever had quinoa? If not, I'd like to introduce you. Quinoa is a delicious and healthy South American seed that makes an excellent replacement for cous cous and rice. It's very high in protein, which is excellent for vegetarians. It's also gluten-free. Some quinoa recipes were popping up as I was browsing blogs looking for new dishes to make, so I thought I'd give quinoa a try. I'm so glad I did. It's my new favorite food. This particular recipe is from a blog called Let's Dish.


the recipe
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese


Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minutes, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.


substitutions
Didn't have any for this recipe. I will say though, that for the assorted vegetables, I've just been staying basic with some peas and broccoli, but you can use anything you want.


great with
This could make a great side for any meal. Sometimes I'll have it with a veggie burger or a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie. This is also filling enough to have as a single-bowl meal. I often bring some of this to work for my lunch.


the review
This recipe was my first quinoa experience and I must say, I thought it was really good. I like that this recipe has some vegetables right in it. Overall, it makes for a very healthy, filling meal. The cream cheese in this recipe is a nice touch also. It adds a really nice flavor and the meal itself is very smooth and creamy. If you haven't tried quinoa yet, I would definitely give it a shot.

roasted broccoli with garlic.

First of all, I've been super lazy about posting lazy. However, school started recently and for several weeks I was spending lots of time preparing for my students. I was preparing food also; I just wasn't posting it on here. However, I have lots of good recipes to share now.

Anyways, this is another delicious recipe from A Couple Cooks. I love a simple recipe like this one for roasted broccoli with garlic. It's not hard to make, it goes with almost anything, and it's delicious.

the recipe

Serves 4-6 as a side

3 heads broccoli

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Wash and dry the broccoli. Cut each garlic clove into quarters. Cut the broccoli into large florets.

3. Arrange the broccoli and garlic on a baking sheet and toss with a bit of olive oil. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

4. Roast the broccoli for about 20 minutes, until the tips are just browned.

5. In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

substitutions

Just regular salt instead of kosher salt. I feel like I should maybe get some of this kosher salt. It keeps popping up in recipes.

great with

I believe I've had this as a side for veggie burgers, pizza and pasta, amongst other things. This will go with pretty much anything.

the review

When I was a little girl, maybe six years old, when asked I would say that my favorite food was garlic. I still love garlic, so needless to say I enjoyed this recipe very much. It's easy to make, it's delicious and of course it's good for you too. I have found that, in general, I do not need to roast the broccoli for 20 minutes, as the recipe suggests. Honestly, mine's closer to about 12 minutes probably. Anyways, this is a highly recommended recipe. Easy to make and very delicious.

roasted red pepper pita pizzas.

I happened upon this awesome blog a couple of weeks ago called A Couple Cooks. Most of the recipes are vegetarian, and they cook with natural ingredients. Everything looks pretty tasty. I spent an abnormally long amount of time one night going through every single recipe (literally) and pulling my favorites for my binder of recipes that I keep in my kitchen.


With that being said, I love pizza--who doesn't? Since I've never made pizza I don't eat it that often. But when I saw the recipe for these Roasted Red Pepper Pita Pizzas on A Couple Cooks, I thought to myself, why yes, I can totally handle that. The couple behind A Couple Cooks makes their own pita bread, which is impressive. I'm not quite there yet. Baby steps.


the recipe
Makes 4 pizzas
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers
1 jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (with herbs, if possible)
Dried oregano
Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
4 whole grain pitas
Kosher salt


1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 F.
2. Drain the red peppers. Remove about one-half of a red pepper and cut it into thin strips to garnish pizzas.
3. In a food processor, place the remaining red peppers, 10 sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Puree for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
4. On each whole grain pita, spread 1/4 of the red pepper sauce and shredded Monterrey jack cheese. Top with sliced red peppers, dried oregano and a bit of kosher salt.
5. Place the pizzas on the pizza stone (or a baking sheet) and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.


substitutions
Well, to begin with, I did not buy roasted red peppers. Instead, I roasted my own. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, and totally worth it. I also used sun-dried tomatoes without the oil, and instead just added a little olive oil for step 3 when you're making the sauce. Easy enough.


great with
Pizza stands great on its own, of course, but I had mine with a salad.


the review
Make these. Your taste buds will thank you. Okay, so really, these are awesome. Pita is a great alternative to pizza dough. The pita ends up tasting like a crispy, thin crust pizza, which is delicious. Also, the sauce on this was great. Admittedly, though I do eat tomato sauce, if I'm given a choice between that and something else, I'll pick the something else. This sauce is a great alternative. I will absolutely be making these pizzas again. I also can't wait to make other pizzas on pita. Excited!

hummus.

I'm making an honest effort lately to buy and consume less processed foods. That means making a lot more things from scratch. It's extra time spent in the kitchen, yes, but I feel good about what I'm making and better then, about what I'm eating. Something that I'm basically addicted to is hummus. I have it constantly and I put it on everything. Naturally, I've always bought packaged hummus from the store, and it's delicious. But I decided that I'd make it for myself one day, just to see how it would turn out. And since the recipe came from my trusty The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook I knew I was in good hands.


the recipe
8 oz can chick peas
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Drain the chick peas, reserving the liquid from the can, and put them into a blender or food processor. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a small amount of the reserved liquid, if necessary.
2. Mix the garlic, lemon juice and tahini together and add to the blender or food processor. Process until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add 3 tbsp of the olive oil through the feeder tube or lid.
3. Add the cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Process to mix. Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Cover and chill.


substitutions
None! I used this recipe exactly as is.


great with
Let your imagination go wild. I love dipping crackers into it for a snack, or spreading it onto a sandwich or veggie burger. The veggie burger  might sound strange, but I had it at a restaurant once and I've been doing it ever since.


the review
Mmm...as it turns out, homemade hummus it delicious. It's ridiculously easy to make too, so there's really no excuse to not be making it yourself. The first time I made this, I was hosting some friends for the weekend, and they seemed to like it. I made it for myself a second time and added one less tablespoon of lemon juice. To me then, it tasted perfect. I know people are very specific about their hummus, so this could be a good recipe to start out with and tweak as necessary. Very easy, very delicious. And I don't think I'm ever buying hummus from the store again.

pierogies.

No, I did not make these pierogies from scratch. Please, I wish I was that talented. These were bought at a local farmer's market and trust me when I say they were delicious. They're filled with cheese and potatoes, and I sauteed them in butter with some onion and snap peas. Delicious. They were so pretty, I just had to share.

stuffed green peppers.

One day, I had the burning desire to make stuffed green peppers. This is weird because I've never made them before, and I honestly don't remember the last time I had a stuffed pepper. Regardless, turned to Google and did a search, to happy results. The following recipe was found on allrecipes.com.


the recipe
serves 4
1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and seat aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.


substitutions
Brown rice instead of Arborio rice, spring onions instead of green onions, dry Italian dressing powder for the Italian seasoning, and no tomato.


great with
I thought at first that this was going to be filling enough to have on it's own, but the peppers I got were pretty small, so I quickly realized that wasn't going to work. I had one stuffed pepper half with a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie.


the review
Regardless of the fact that my picture of the pepper doesn't necessarily make the pepper look very pretty, you really must believe me when I say that these were very good. Very flavorful and for the most part, healthy. I like this recipe because I think there are a lot of different things that you could do with the rice mixture, depending on what your tastes are. I certainly changed it from the originally recipe, and it was great. I've already bought another pepper, so I'm looking forward to having these again.

lemon garlic spaghetti.

I'm still continually searching for new and wonderful pasta recipes. I found this one online. It's from a blog called i nom things, which I think is hilarious. Anyways, let's move on to the recipe. It's simple and delicious.


the recipe
serves 2
4 oz dry spaghetti
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts
5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded


1. Start your garlic oil. Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low heat, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve. While that's starting, boil pasta.
2. Chiffonade basil leaves, then take the leaves, cheese and pine nuts and add to a large bowl with the garlic and garlic oil. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add the pasta and toss until combined. Crack black pepper to taste.


substitutions
Not much. I used pasta instead of spaghetti...big deal, I know. I also just used bottled lemon juice instead of an actual squeezed lemon. And I couldn't find pine nuts at the grocery store, so no pine nuts. SAD FACE.


great with
As usual, pasta stands well on its own, but I almost always have my pasta dishes with a salad.


the review
I love pasta, but when a pasta dish is really heavy, my stomach feels like it's going to explode. So with that said, I have some good news: this is not one of those pasta dishes. This is light and summery and delicious. Very yum. I wouldn't have ever thought to put lemon on pasta, so I'm really glad that this recipe came up in my search. 


Can I also just say that it's so nice to have a recipe that is actually made for only two servings? It's so nice. Trust me. Since I'm only cooking for one person, I either end up with a ton of leftovers, or I have to cut the recipe in half, and that involves me doing math, which is a bad thing. So this was nice and simple--both the food, and the recipe.

summer corn chowder.

Have you ever had the summer corn chowder at Panera? It's really good. I haven't had it in like, a year, but I was sitting around, thinking about what to make for dinner one day and instantly I decided I wanted summer corn chowder. I figured I'd go to Panera, but then I though, screw that, I'll just find out how to make it.


I went to Google and searched "summer corn chowder recipe" and after reading some reviews, decided to make the first recipe that came up, which is from epicurious.com and can be found by clicking here.


the recipe
Makes 4 to 5 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, cut in 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups fresh vegetable broth
2 russet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
2 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice, for garnish
1/2 cup thinly slivered fresh basil leaves, for garnish


1. Place the oil and butter in a pot over low heat. Add the diced onion and wilt for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion; cook, stirring, for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the corn, red and green bell peppers, salt, pepper and half-and-half; cook over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Ladle 2 cups of soup into each bowl. Before serving, place 1 tablespoon of diced tomatoes in the center of each and top generously with slivered basil. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I didn't have a green bell pepper, so I just used a red one for both amounts. I also didn't feel like messing around with garnish, so I skipped the tomatoes and basil. Also, after reading the reviews on epicurious.com, I noticed that some of them said this recipe was a little bland for them. I added some red cayenne pepper and thyme for flavor.


great with
Soup is pretty stand-alone, to me anyways. I like bread for dipping though, so I usually toast a piece of whole grain bread and then put a little bit of butter and garlic powder on it.


the review
Well...I was craving Panera's summer corn chowder and I basically got Panera's summer corn chowder. This is one of my new favorite recipes. This was really easy to make and it's so, so good. I know you might be thinking, it's summer, why in the world would I want soup? But seriously, that has a perfect taste for summer. This was hearty and filling (and not bland at all--no clue what those reviews were talking about) and my goodness, even though I made a half recipe, the amount of soup I got out of it was huge. Make this. You will not regret it.

tortellini with nutty herb sauce.

I believe I've mentioned that I come from a very Italian family, which means that we serve up pasta every single Sunday. Now don't get me wrong. I love pasta. But isn't it nice to do something with pasta besides just pouring a little tomato sauce on it? I recently got a new cookbook called Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day, which has lots of tasty-looking pasta recipes in it. One Sunday, I decided to give the following a try.


the recipe
500 g (1 lb) cheese tortellini or ravioli
60 g (2 oz) butter
100 g (3 1/2 oz) walnuts, chopped
100 g (3 1/2 oz) pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons cream


1. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan until foaming. Add the walnuts and pine nuts and stir for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the parsley, thyme and salt and pepper.
3. Beat the ricotta with the cream. Toss the sauce and pasta together and top with ricotta cream. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I don't typically buy tortellini or ravioli, so I just used plain rigatoni. I also did not have pine nuts, so I used some extra walnuts, and just a few cashews as well.


great with
Of course, pasta stands well on its own. However, I always love to have my pasta with a salad.


the review
I think the best way I can describe this dish is by outlining what I was thinking as I took my first few bites of this dish:
1st bite: Hmm, this is unusual.
2nd bite: It's not bad though.
3rd bite: It's actually pretty good.
4th bite: I think I burned the nuts.


This definitely has a different taste to it. I've never had pasta with a nut flavor before, and it's very interesting. I can definitely see why this is meant to be served with tortellini or ravioli--I think it really needs the cheese in those pastas to make the dish complete. I'm sure I'll be making this again, and I'll be using tortellini or ravioli next time I do.


And I won't burn the nuts next time either.

roasted tomato feta scones.

I spend a lot of time on a website called Etsy, which allows seller to sell their handmade and vintage goods online. It's a fun site and I've enjoyed selling some of my handmade cards over the last few months. Anyways, the website also posts articles, which I honestly don't usually read because a lot of them are weird or pointless, but when I saw the picture of these scones, I had to click on the article. The recipe for these savory scones is from the blog Savory Sweet Life, which you should also check out. There are some good-looking recipes on there. It's not exclusively vegetarian, but there are several veggie-friendly recipes, and many that I think would not be difficult to substitute ingredients.

the recipe

Makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 4 oz package feta cheese

1/2 cup roasted red tomatoes, chopped

2 green onions, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour, baking powder, garlic salt and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers.

Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream and egg, mixing the dough by hand until it comes together. Add feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and green onions. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough in a 1 inch disk and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Bake for 15 on a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

substitutions

First of all, I cut this recipe in half because I knew it would take me ages to finish off an entire recipe of these things myself. Additionally, I didn't have the roasted tomatoes, so I just seeded some regular tomatoes and used that instead. I also didn't have green onions, which is a shame, because I think it really adds some of the color to it. I just used some sweet onions instead, for flavor.

great with

Considering that you could eat these for pretty much any meal, your options are wide open. I had two for dinner, accompanied by a salad. I also brought one to work for lunch, along with an apple and some greek yogurt. 

the review

Let's first take a moment to marvel at how much mine do not look like the picture featured with the original recipe. Seriously, how hilarious is that? No matter--these were still really good. Mine definitely do not look as pretty, and I'm thinking that had something to do with not having exactly the right ingredients. Like I indicated before, I think the green onions and the dark red of the roasted tomatoes would really make a nice color combination in food. Honestly though, even with the substitutions, I thought these were really good and I enjoyed both making and eating them. I think next time, I'm going to use green onions, and possibly sun-dried tomatoes. I don't know, I just think that sounds really good.

greek cheese and potato patties

About two weeks ago, I was preparing to donate blood for the first time. I was nervous, so I was just trying to do everything that I was told--drink lots of water, eat a hearty breakfast the day of, and intake lots of iron in the days leading up to the donation. I do the first two on most days anyways, so I began focusing on the third one, especially since I know vegetarians can sometimes have difficulty keeping their iron levels up. Every day the week before I donated blood, I made sure I ate something that contained spinach. 

Therefore, when I found the following recipe, another one from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook, I decided to add spinach and see what happened. 

the recipe

serves 4

1 1/4 lb potatoes

4 oz feta cheese

4 spring onions, chopped

3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

flour for dredging

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water until soft. Drain, then peel while still warm. Place in a bowl and mash. Crumble the feta cheese into the potatoes and add the spring onions, dill, lemon juice and egg. Season with salt and pepper (the cheese is salty, so taste before you add salt). Stir well.

2. Cover the mixture and chill until firm. Divide the mixture into walnut-size balls, then flatten them slightly. Dredge with the flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the patties until golden brown on each side. Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once.

substitutions

Honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin. I only had one potato, so that made things interesting right from the beginning. I added spinach--not sure exactly how much, I just broke off part of a block of frozen spinach. Since I didn't have enough potatoes, I added a little bit of flour to help with the consistency, since I was noticed that mine was clearly too runny. And I know this is going to sound ridiculous--probably because it really is ridiculous--but my family has a strange vendetta against dill that's a little hard to explain. Anyways, I ditched that particular seasoning and went with some oregano and pepper instead. As you can tell, there was a certain point where I just started ignoring the cookbook and basically started doing whatever I wanted.

great with

If I'm remembering correctly, I had some of this with a Morningstar Farms Chicken Pattie one night. I had the leftovers another night with just a salad. Both dinners were good.

the review

So this is one of those recipes that, once I got into it and realized just how much of the recipe I was not following, I was sure it was going to taste awful once I was done. I was surprised. These didn't taste awful. In fact, they tasted pretty good. I really liked being able to taste the lemon juice, although it was subtle. I also usually love anything with feta in it. Overall, the taste reminded me of something that I've had before, but can't quite place. Perhaps a spinach souffle (but only because I added spinach--I have no idea what it would taste like otherwise). Anyways, I look forward to making these again, hopefully with a little less stress.

And maybe I'll get over that thing with the dill. We'll see.

garlic, chick-pea and spinach soup.

Supposedly, it's spring. Therefore, soup would be considered somewhat anti-seasonal. However, I'm not entirely convinced that it's spring, considering that it's still been very cold in good old Cleveland, Ohio. So warm up a little bit with one of my new favorite soups, once again from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook. 

the recipe

serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

5 cups vegetable stock

12 oz potatoes, peeled and finely chopped

15 oz can chick-peas, drained

1 tbsp cornflour

2/3 cup double cream

2 tbsp light tahini

7 oz spinach, shredded

cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, or until they are softened and golden brown

2. Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for a further minute.

3. Pour in the stock and add the chopped potatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chick-peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until the potatoes and chick-peas are just tender.

4. Blend together and cornflour, cream, tahini and plenty of seasoning. Stir into the soup with the spinach. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Service immediately, sprinkled with a little cayenne pepper.

substitutions

I use regular white flour for the cornflour, and have also substituted milk for the double cream. All works the same. I also want to point out that I usually cut this recipe in half, as it makes quite a bit, and I'm usually only cooking for myself. 

great with

This stands really well on its own. I usually like dipping something into my soup, so I'll usually toast some whole-grain bread and add some butter and garlic powder onto it. If I'm having it leftover for lunch the next day, I'll pack it up with a handful of Wheat Thins.

the review

This is a delicious and filling soup that I absolutely love. I've never cooked with cumin or coriander before this recipe, and now, I really love both of them. This soup has an excellent flavor and several healthy ingredients to feel good about eating. I made this several times in the winter months, including for some dinner guests, and everyone enjoyed it. Soup has turned into one of my very favorite things to make, and this particular soup has become a stand-out.

frittata with sun-dried tomatoes.

Once again, I bring you another fantastic recipe from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook. It really is the best-ever cookbook, and this recipe has quickly become one of my favorites.

the recipe

serves 3-4

6 sun-dried tomatoes, dry or in oil and drained

4 tbsp olive oil

pinch of fresh thyme leaves

6 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the tomatoes in a small bowl and pour on enough hot water to just cover them. Soak for about 15 minutes. Lift the tomatoes out of the water and slice them into thin strips. Reserve soaking water.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick or heavy frying pan. Stir in the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the tomatoes and thyme and continue to stir over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Stir in 3-4 tbsp of the tomato soaking water and the grated Parmesan cheese.

4. Raise the heat under the pan. When the oil in sizzling, pour in the eggs. Mix them quickly into the other ingredients and stop stirring. Lower the heat to moderate and cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, or until the frittata is puffed and golden brown underneath.

5. Take a large plate, place is upside down over the pan and, holding it firmly with oven gloves, turn the pan and the frittata over on to it. Slide the frittata back into the pan and continue cooking until golden brown on the second side, 3-4 minutes more. Remove from the heat. The frittata can be served hot, at room temperature or cold. Cut into wedges to serve.

substitutions

I don't usually have thyme leaves, so I use a little bit of oregano instead. Also, I usually make this recipe a little smaller, usually using 3-4 eggs, and adjusting the rest of the items accordingly.

great with

Honestly, this is something that is pretty filling, so it can stand pretty well on its own, depending on what size frittata you make. I sometimes just have a salad or some snap peas with it.

the review

This...is so good. Seriously, I cannot emphasize how good it is. It's filling and hearty, and the sun-dried tomatoes, onions and cheese are just such a great combination. I will warn you that flipping the frittata can be a little messy--I usually have some egg on the flipping plate, but I'm not concerned, because the picture in the book does too. This recipe is in the "light lunches" section of the cookbook, but I make it for dinner all the time. It also makes fantastic leftovers--I'm the envy of my co-workers when I have it for lunch.

oriental green beans with peanut sauce.

This is a recipe that I got from my mom. I think it might be from one of her vegetarian cookbooks, but I'm not sure which one. Anyways, my mom made this once and I thought it was delicious. I've been making it ever since. 

the recipe

serves 4

1 10-ounce package frozen French-style green beans

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook green beans according to package directions. While beans are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with a fork or wire whisk until well blended. When beans are finished cooking, drain them and place in a serving bowl. Spoon peanut sauce evenly over beans and serve right away. 

substitutions

This recipe also works well with snap peas instead of greens beans. That's what I used for the picture for this entry. I also don't usually have ground ginger, so I just eliminate that item.

great with

Serving the green beans over some brown rice is delicious. I also usually like to have a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie with this recipe.

the review

I may be slightly biased since I'm a sucker for anything that has peanut butter in it, but I love this recipe. All the ingredients in the peanut sauce combine so well for an incredibly flavorful topping. I absolutely love it. It's also so easy to make. While this does keep and reheat pretty well, it's definitely best when it's first made. Enjoy!