Zucchini and White Bean Sautée with Polenta

Eating Well has a nice-looking polenta and ratatouille recipe, but I just don't like eggplant.  (Judge me if you so choose!)  Here's an eggplant-free version of theirs.

Ingredients

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, coarsely chopped
1/2 t. salt, divided
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced into half-moons
2 cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, any color
1/4 c. sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1 t. dried thyme
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 16-oz tube of prepared polenta, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1 T. capers
1/4 c. pine nuts (toasted if you have time, raw if you don't)

Method
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and 1/8 t. salt until the onion and pepper soften (5 - 7 minutes).  Add the garlic, and sauté another 1 - 2 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

In the same skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil.  Add the zucchini and 1/4 t. salt.  Sauté until the zucchini begins to brown (about 5 minutes).

Add the beans, cherry/grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, freshly-ground pepper, and the onion mixture to the skillet with the zucchini.  Stir to combine, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).

While the vegetables are cooking, heat the last 1 T. olive oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Spread the polenta in a single layer in the oil, and cook until it becomes deep yellow on one side.  Flip the polenta slices and cook until it becomes deep yellow on the second side.

Stir the capers and pine nuts into the vegetables.  Serve vegetables immediately with polenta on the side.

Serves 4.

Orzo with Cannellini Beans and Vegetables

This recipe is from a useful weeknight cookbook called Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.  Most all of the recipes in this book are fast, easy, and vegetarian...necessary for today's busy cooks.

Ingredients:

2 quarts water

3 T. olive oil, separated

1 large onion, chopped (about 1.5 c.)

2 - 3 carrots, peeled and diced (about 2 c.)

1 bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

1 c. orzo

1 6-inch zucchini

2 T. fresh basil, chopped (The recipe calls for a mixture of 1 T. mint, 1 t. dill, 1/2 t. marjoram.  I had basil on hand, so that's what I used.)

14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

15-oz. can cannellini beans (or other white beans)

14.5-oz. can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a large covered saucepan.

While the water heats, heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté the chopped onion and carrots in the hot oil.  In the meantime, seed and chop the bell pepper, and peel and mince the garlic.  Add the pepper and garlic to the onions and carrots and stir.

When the water boils, add the orzo and cook according to package directions.  When al dente, drain and stir in the remaining 1 T. olive oil.

With the orzo cooking, dice the zucchini and stir it into the skillet of vegetables.  Add the basil and artichoke hearts to the vegetables.  Gently stir in the beans and tomatoes.  Simmer for several minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the vegetables are hot, stir in the orzo, then season with salt and pepper.  If you final dish tastes bland, you probably need to add more salt.  I usually use around 1 t.

Serves 4.

Lemony Orzo with Vegetables

Here's yet another Food Network magazine recipe for a quick, light weeknight dinner.  As you can tell, I've found lots of vegetarian inspiration from that magazine lately!

This recipe originally called for the addition of a can of tuna at the end, which Scott added to his portions only (and enjoyed), but it is perfectly tasty without it.

Ingredients:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 14-oz. can petite-diced tomatoes

1/4 t. dried oregano (or 1 t. fresh)

1.5 c. orzo (This is a rice-shaped pasta.)

salt and freshly-ground pepper

1 14-oz. can cannellini beans (or other white beans...I used Great Northern.)

1 small bell pepper, chopped (The recipe calls for sliced, which you'll see in the photo, but you end up cutting these to eat them anyway.)

juice of 1 lemon

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Method: 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and half of the scallions.  Cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and oregano.  Cook, stirring, 3 minutes.  Stir in 2.5 c. water, the orzo, 1/2 t. salt, and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the beans.  Cover and simmer until  most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the bell pepper and continue cooking, covered, until tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with the remaining scallions.

Serves 4.

White Bean Purée with Sauteed Greens

From one of my favorite cookbooks to look at: Truly Italian by Ursula Ferrigno. The photography in this vegetarian cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. I always serve this white bean purée with sautéed greens, as the author suggests, and some type of starch. It's a delicious and satisfying light supper, and leftover purée can be spread on toasted crusty bread for a gourmet snack!

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for serving

2 t. fresh oregano, leaves only

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

grated zest of 1 lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 oz. pitted kalamata olives, halved

Method:

Heat the beans gently in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt to taste, and pepper to taste. Mash the beans in the pan with a potato masher. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more olive oil.

When everything is mashed and mixed and the right texture, and it's warmed through, serve with sautéed greens and the starch of your choice. On your fork, take some greens, add a little bean purée with a piece of olive, and bite into Italian loveliness!  Serves 2, but doubles easily.

Dilly Spinach Dip

A big thank-you to my neighbor Kim who gave me this recipe from Real Simple magazine.  I've made some minor tweaks, but it's pretty much as originally given to me.  This vegan dip is delicious, healthy, and filling.  Spread it on crackers or crostini, dip it with tortilla chips or pita chips, or do like I did today and spread it onto crusty European bread with sliced tomatoes and roasted red peppers for a delicious vegan lunch.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, coarsley chopped

1 15.5-oz. can white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, etc.), rinsed and drained

1 12-oz. bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/4 c. fresh dill sprigs (or to taste)

juice from 1/2 juicy lemon

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.  In a small saucepan, heat the oil with the chopped garlic over medium heat until fragrant, 2 - 3 minutes.  Let cool.

2.  Squeeze the excess water from the thawed spinach.

3.  In a food processor, combine the garlic, oil, beans, spinach, dill, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper, and purée until smooth.

Kale Calzones

Serve these with your favorite tomato-y pasta sauce (from a jar or homemade), and no side dishes are necessary with this entrée! I wouldn't describe this dish as "easy," but only because it's time-consuming. It is well worth the effort!

about 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced (optional - I had one freak zucchini left over from gardening season.)
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and minced (NOTE: A clove of garlic is one section of the head of garlic. Some people don't know.)
1 bunch kale, washed and destemmed then torn into bite-sized pieces
1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pizza dough for 2 pizzas (This can be your favorite homemade dough or store-bought refrigerated dough. Be sure to check ingredients if you need a vegan dough.)
your favorite tomato-y pasta sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini (if using) to the oil, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and some salt, and sauté 2 minutes more. Add the kale and stir to coat. Keep stirring until the kale has wilted down but not dried out. (You may have add the kale in batches, depending on how large your skillet is. If your skillet gets full of kale, let it wilt down some, and add more. Keep repeating until it's all in there.)

Once the kale is wilted down, add the beans and stir so that everything is mixed. Add salt and black pepper to taste. (Remember that too little salt makes a dish bland, so unless you're watching your salt, taste it and add more if it's bland.) Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to the proper temperature for your pizza dough, just as if you were cooking pizza.

Divide your pizza dough into halves, then divide each piece into halves, then divide each piece into halves again. You should have 8 equal-sized pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll the first piece into a large circle. Put 1/8th of the kale and bean mix in the middle of the first circle, then fold the circle in half so that it looks like a half moon with the kale mix as the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press the edges of the top and half of your calzone together. Prick the top of the dough several times with the fork, and move it to a baking sheet or pizza pan. Repeat this process with the remaining 7 circles of dough.

Bake your calzones until they are golden brown. In the meantime, heat up your pasta sauce.

Serve the calzones warm, covered with the warm sauce.

Tuscan Beans with Tomatoes and Sage

 This is a recipe I adapted from Ursula Ferrigno's Truly Italian cookbook - an excellent Italian vegetarian cookbook. It is highly recommended not only for the recipes, but for the beautiful photographs of Italy.

This particular recipe is deceptively simple. Eat as a side dish, over gnocchi or polenta, or atop crusty European bread as a snack. YUM! 

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance.)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 t. dried/rubbed sage
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter together in a medium saucepan. Add the sage and garlic and fry in the oil/butter mixture for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice, the beans, the salt, and the pepper, and simmer together for 5 minutes until heated through.

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian pasta stew with beans)

This is a recipe I modified a little from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by The Moosewood Collective. It's a really cool cookbook with recipes from various ethnic regions (including the Southeast US!) and countries.  The original recipe that I modified is in the Italy section.

Ingredients:
1 lb. pasta (short, chunky variety, like penne)
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 bunch kale, washed, de-stemmed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 28-oz. can CRUSHED tomatoes (and with basil, if available), with liquid
1 can cannellini or Great Northern beans, with liquids
2 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 T. dried basil
oregano, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Start cooking the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for a few minutes until the celery is tender. Add kale. Stir until the kale is wilted down but not drying out. Add tomatoes with liquids, beans with liquids, and herbs. You can add water to make it thinner if you like.  Simmer until the pasta is ready.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain and mix with the bean and tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn out into a serving bowl, and serve hot.