The Menu - Vegan Friendly
Tuscan-Style Rotini with White Beans
Kale Salad with Cherries and Lime Dressing
Raw Blueberry Pie
The Recipes
Tuscan-Style Rotini with White Beans
Serves: 4 to 6
This pasta dish, combining rotini with white beans, needs only a tossed salad and a steamed green veggie to complete the meal. Try this with whole-grain or spelt pasta for an even heartier result.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/pasta-and-noodles/tuscan-style-rotini/
8 ounces rotini, rotelli or other spiral pasta
(try a whole-grain variety, like spelt)
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into narrow, 2-inch strips
15- to 16-ounce can Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed
14- to 16 ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes, with liquid
1/4 cup oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast for topping, optional
Cook pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water according to package directions until al dente, then drain.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and bell pepper; sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is golden. Add beans, tomatoes, dried tomatoes, raisins, red pepper flakes, and oregano; bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, little at a time; simmer briefly, just until it wilts. Remove from the heat.
When the pasta is done, drain and combine in a large serving bowl with tomato mixture. Toss well.
Season with salt and pepper and serve. Pass around nutritional yeast, if desired, to top individual servings.
Kale Salad with Cherries and Lime Dressing
Serves: 4 to 6
Yearning for something a little different for dinner tonight? Try using kale instead of lettuce for a salad.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/salads/ colorful-salads/kale-salad-with-cherries-and-lime-dressing/#more-12599
Dressing:
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (or 2 teaspoons minced red/white bottoms of summer garlic)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed (not bottled) lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Several grinds of black pepper
Salad-
6 cups loosely packed kale leaves (try baby kale during warmer months—see Note)
1/4 cup sweet cherries, cut roughly in quarters
1⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut, either shredded or chips
In a small glass or metal bowl, whisk together with a fork. Set dressing aside while preparing kale.
Strip stems from leaves and reserve stems for another use. Tear or cut leaves roughly into 2” squares, then wash in a salad spinner and spin dry. Into a large serving bowl, place 6 cups loosely packed kale leaves Toss with reserved dressing. Over the top of salad, sprinkle the cherries and coconut. Allow salad to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving, so marinade can tenderize kale.
Summer Additions:
Sliced almonds* and fresh apricots (diced to 1/2”)
Chopped pecans* and fresh peaches (diced to 1/2”)
Winter Additions
Chopped walnuts* and dried cher- ries or cranberries
Chopped hazelnuts* and sultana (golden) raisins
* For best results, toast nuts before adding to salad. To toast, warm a heavy-bot- tomed saute pan over medium heat. Add nuts and cook and stir every minute or two until they turn lightly brown with a fragrant, nutty aroma.
Note:
Baby kale is available in late spring and early summer is a real treat, being very tender and al-most sweet. Because the stems are so small they don’t even need to be stripped, saving time. Any larger leaves should still be chopped roughly, though. Important note: Because baby kale is so tender, however, it should not marinate in the dressing for more than 5 to 10 minutes or it will become soggy.
Here are more recipes for colorful green salads.
Find lots more recipes on VegKitchen for kale, collards, and other hardy greens.
Mary Collette Rogers is the author of Take Control of Your Kitchen. In addition to writing, she offers kitchen makeover services, meal planning consultations, and classes on healthy cooking, in the hope of sharing her practical KitchenSmart habits and tools so busy people everywhere can enjoy wonderfully delicious and nourishing meals. Visit her at Everyday Good Eating.
Raw Blueberry Pie
serves 6
I haven’t had a blueberry pie in a real long time, and decided to make a healthier, but delicious version of the conventional pie.
http://www.goo dgirlgonegreen.com/recipes/raw-blueberry-pie
Crust
1 1/2 cups of pistachios
1 1/2 cups of walnuts
14-16 dates, pitted
*I think the next time I make this crust I will use almonds instead of walnuts or just almonds all together. I found the crust has a walnut after taste I am not a fan of. Perhaps adding more dates might remedy that.
Filling
1 cup of blueberries
2 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup
2 Tbsp of coconut oil, melted
1 cup of cashews, soaked over night
1 tsp if vanilla extract
Blueberry Sauce
1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of blueberries reserved
2 Tbsp if honey or maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Crust
Process the 3 cups of nuts in a food processor until it becomes a fine crumble.
Add the dates and vanilla extract until it all blends together and becomes slightly sticky.
Firmly press the crust in a pie plate, and put in the freezer to firm up.
Filling
Process all the ingredients in a food processor until it becomes smooth and creamy.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and return it to the freezer until it is firm to the touch.
Blueberry Sauce
Process the 1/2 cup of blueberries, honey and vanilla extract in a food processor.
Once smooth, pour the sauce over the 1 cup of blueberries in a bowl. Mix together.
Once the pie is firm, pour the blueberry sauce over the pie.
Place the pie in the fridge or freezer. If you opt for the freezer, let the pie thaw for a few moments before serving.
Tuscan-Style Rotini with White Beans
Kale Salad with Cherries and Lime Dressing
Raw Blueberry Pie
The Recipes
Tuscan-Style Rotini with White Beans
Serves: 4 to 6
This pasta dish, combining rotini with white beans, needs only a tossed salad and a steamed green veggie to complete the meal. Try this with whole-grain or spelt pasta for an even heartier result.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/pasta-and-noodles/tuscan-style-rotini/
8 ounces rotini, rotelli or other spiral pasta
(try a whole-grain variety, like spelt)
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into narrow, 2-inch strips
15- to 16-ounce can Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed
14- to 16 ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes, with liquid
1/4 cup oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast for topping, optional
Cook pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water according to package directions until al dente, then drain.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and bell pepper; sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is golden. Add beans, tomatoes, dried tomatoes, raisins, red pepper flakes, and oregano; bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, little at a time; simmer briefly, just until it wilts. Remove from the heat.
When the pasta is done, drain and combine in a large serving bowl with tomato mixture. Toss well.
Season with salt and pepper and serve. Pass around nutritional yeast, if desired, to top individual servings.
Kale Salad with Cherries and Lime Dressing
Serves: 4 to 6
Yearning for something a little different for dinner tonight? Try using kale instead of lettuce for a salad.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/salads/ colorful-salads/kale-salad-with-cherries-and-lime-dressing/#more-12599
Dressing:
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (or 2 teaspoons minced red/white bottoms of summer garlic)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed (not bottled) lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Several grinds of black pepper
Salad-
6 cups loosely packed kale leaves (try baby kale during warmer months—see Note)
1/4 cup sweet cherries, cut roughly in quarters
1⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut, either shredded or chips
In a small glass or metal bowl, whisk together with a fork. Set dressing aside while preparing kale.
Strip stems from leaves and reserve stems for another use. Tear or cut leaves roughly into 2” squares, then wash in a salad spinner and spin dry. Into a large serving bowl, place 6 cups loosely packed kale leaves Toss with reserved dressing. Over the top of salad, sprinkle the cherries and coconut. Allow salad to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving, so marinade can tenderize kale.
Summer Additions:
Sliced almonds* and fresh apricots (diced to 1/2”)
Chopped pecans* and fresh peaches (diced to 1/2”)
Winter Additions
Chopped walnuts* and dried cher- ries or cranberries
Chopped hazelnuts* and sultana (golden) raisins
* For best results, toast nuts before adding to salad. To toast, warm a heavy-bot- tomed saute pan over medium heat. Add nuts and cook and stir every minute or two until they turn lightly brown with a fragrant, nutty aroma.
Note:
Baby kale is available in late spring and early summer is a real treat, being very tender and al-most sweet. Because the stems are so small they don’t even need to be stripped, saving time. Any larger leaves should still be chopped roughly, though. Important note: Because baby kale is so tender, however, it should not marinate in the dressing for more than 5 to 10 minutes or it will become soggy.
Here are more recipes for colorful green salads.
Find lots more recipes on VegKitchen for kale, collards, and other hardy greens.
Mary Collette Rogers is the author of Take Control of Your Kitchen. In addition to writing, she offers kitchen makeover services, meal planning consultations, and classes on healthy cooking, in the hope of sharing her practical KitchenSmart habits and tools so busy people everywhere can enjoy wonderfully delicious and nourishing meals. Visit her at Everyday Good Eating.
Raw Blueberry Pie
serves 6
I haven’t had a blueberry pie in a real long time, and decided to make a healthier, but delicious version of the conventional pie.
http://www.goo dgirlgonegreen.com/recipes/raw-blueberry-pie
Crust
1 1/2 cups of pistachios
1 1/2 cups of walnuts
14-16 dates, pitted
*I think the next time I make this crust I will use almonds instead of walnuts or just almonds all together. I found the crust has a walnut after taste I am not a fan of. Perhaps adding more dates might remedy that.
Filling
1 cup of blueberries
2 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup
2 Tbsp of coconut oil, melted
1 cup of cashews, soaked over night
1 tsp if vanilla extract
Blueberry Sauce
1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of blueberries reserved
2 Tbsp if honey or maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Crust
Process the 3 cups of nuts in a food processor until it becomes a fine crumble.
Add the dates and vanilla extract until it all blends together and becomes slightly sticky.
Firmly press the crust in a pie plate, and put in the freezer to firm up.
Filling
Process all the ingredients in a food processor until it becomes smooth and creamy.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and return it to the freezer until it is firm to the touch.
Blueberry Sauce
Process the 1/2 cup of blueberries, honey and vanilla extract in a food processor.
Once smooth, pour the sauce over the 1 cup of blueberries in a bowl. Mix together.
Once the pie is firm, pour the blueberry sauce over the pie.
Place the pie in the fridge or freezer. If you opt for the freezer, let the pie thaw for a few moments before serving.
