Roasted Sweet Potato and Orange Salad

Image from Cooking Light

The smell of the sweet potatoes roasting with rosemary and garlic is mouthwatering!!!

Salad:

1 tbls chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed

1 1/2 pounds peeled sweet potato, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 cups orange sections (about 6 oranges)

1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion

3 tbls pine nuts, toasted

1 (6 oz) bag prewashed baby spinach

Dressing:

3 tbsp fresh orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp stone-ground mustard

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• To prepare salad, combine first 4 ingredients, tossing well. 
• Place potato mixture on a jelly-roll pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Remove from oven; cool. Discard garlic. 
• Combine potato mixture, orange sections, onion, pine nuts, and spinach in a large bowl.

To prepare dressing combine orange juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Maple Baked Apples

This recipe comes from the Real Simple magazine.

Image from Real Simple

Gala and Rome Beauty apples are ideal for baking because they retain their shape.

4 large apples

1/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) walnut pieces

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Ice cream (optional)

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• Using a paring knife, remove the cores and trim about a 1/2-inch slice from the bottom of each apple, so they sit flat. 
• Place the apples in an ovenproof skillet or 8- to 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with the syrup.
• Divide the walnuts and raisins among the apples, filling the cavities, and place any extra in the dish. 
• Dot the apples with the butter. Bake until tender, 40 to 50 minutes. 
• If using a baking dish, pour the liquid from the dish into a skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until it thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Spoon the sauce over the warm apples and serve with the ice cream, if desired.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Black Beans and Rice

A very simple recipe from RealSimple magazine:

Image from Real Simple

2 tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups long-grain rice

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 large green or red pepper, chopped (1 ½ cups)

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (1 tblspoon)

2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed

1 cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup sliced shallots (optional)

• In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with 1 tspoon of the salt and 1 ½ tspoons of the olive oil. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
• In a large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, green or red pepper, and garlic until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the beans, broth, vinegar, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, and remaining salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes; remove the bay leaves. Spoon the beans over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions, if desired. Serve warm.

Tip: For a quick black bean soup, follow this recipe. Then remove the bay leaves and process the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Instead of serving it with rice, spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each serving and sprinkle with sliced shallots.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Vegetable Tian (M. Stewart)

Image from Martha Stewart

6 tbspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, quartered lengthwise, rinsed, and cut into 1/4 inch slices (1 1/2 cups)

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 small Italian eggplant, unpeeled, very thinly sliced (1 cup)

1 zucchini, unpeeled, very thinly sliced (1 cup)

1 yellow zucchini, unpeeled, very thinly sliced (1 cup)

2 plum tomatoes, very thinly sliced (1 cup)

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the center. Coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. (You can also use round 9-inch baking dish)
• Heat oil in a large skillet, add leek and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, for about 4 minutes.
• Spread the leek mixture on a baking dish. Arrange the vegetables in leek in slightly overlapping rows, alternating eggplant, zucchinis, and tomato.
• Top with wine, 1 tbsp of oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• Bake 30 minutes, drizzle the remaining oil, and bake, until the vegetables are tender, 30 minutes more.

Spiced Chickpea and Tomato Soup

Another Martha Stewart recipe:

Image from Martha Stewart

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 dried hot red chilies, chopped or 1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp coarse salt

1/8 tsp caraway seeds

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 can (15oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup drained jarred roasted peppers, rinsed

3 1/2 cup vegetable stock

Parsley for garnish

• Using the mortar and pestle crush garlic, chilies, coriander, salt, and caraway to form a paste
• Heat oil in a saucepan; add garlic mixture and cook until just softened, for about 3 minutes
• Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often for 15 minutes.
• Pure soup, rewarm if necessary. Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream and spring of parsley.

Makes 6 cups.

Golden Lentil Stew (Martha Stewart)

Here is a recipe of a lentli stew from Martha Stewart. Do not be scared by the long list of ingredients, the soup os very easy to make. It is a very unusual combination of salty, sweet, and flavourful. The smell made me almost think of homemade apple-spice pie.

The recipe is slightly modified from its original.

Image from Martha Stewart

This slightly sweet Moroccan chickpea and lentil stew, known as harira, is brightened by spices and lemon.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
8 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought vegetable stock
4 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped
3 tsp coarse salt
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup yellow lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
5 oz orzo or vermicelli (or any other small pasta), broken into pieces
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus whole leaves for garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, stock, and water, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
• Mash garlic, finely chopped cilantro, and salt into a paste. Add garlic paste, celery, tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, lemon juice, and spices to pot. Simmer until lentils are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add pasta and dates, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Stir in coarsely chopped cilantro and parsley. Garnish with parsley leaves, and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6-8.