Pan-Fried Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes

If you have a habit, like me, of growing a bit too much zucchini squash in the summer, then you probably have your own zucchini repertoire. This is one of my favorite simple zucchini recipes.

Ingredients

3-4 cups sliced or cubed zucchini
2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1 cup chopped red peppers
½ cup chopped onions (or 1 tbsp. onion powder)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 cloves crushed garlic (depending on size of cloves)
3 tbsp. fresh chopped basil (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano (or 1 tsp. dried oregano)
½ tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Cut up the vegetables. Put the tomatoes, onion, and olive oil into a deep-dish frying pan and heat over medium heat until the juice starts to bubble (a couple of minutes). Then turn the heat down to low and add the squash, pepper, and the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the mixture on low to medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently for approximately 15 minutes. The squash should be soft when poked with a fork but not soggy. If you cover the pan, the vegetables will steam and become soggy so leave the lid off. You want the squash to be just cooked, still a bit crispy, but not at all raw.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Gluten-Free Cornbread

The biggest challenge to giving up gluten for my husband and myself was finding satisfying bread. We both love bean dishes and nothing goes with beans like a good cornbread. So I developed this cornbread recipe that’s gluten-free. Many of my friends prefer my gluten-free cornbread to the traditional variety.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour
3 tbsp. maple syrup
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
½ cup water
¼ cup melted butter

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Beat the eggs. Melt the butter. Combine the wet ingredients. Put the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend just until moistened and no dry pockets of cornmeal and flour remain.

Put the batter in an eight-inch square baking dish. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425º for 20-25 minutes. Insert a knife to see if it’s done and continue to bake for a few more minutes if the inside is still wet.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously.

Hummus Dip

I once cooked for a dinner party that I called “Food from the Land of the Bible.” It was all Middle Eastern delights. A good hummus is the centerpiece for such a meal. I like to put a little tahini in my hummus and then serve it with Greek olives. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

16 oz. can of chick peas (or 2 cups soaked and cooked chick peas)
¼ c. tahini
¼ c. olive oil
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large clove crushed garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
½ tsp. cumin powder

Directions

Whirl the ingredients together in a food processor. Adjust the texture to your liking by adding small increments of olive oil. If you are a big fan of garlic, add more to your taste.

Serve with olives (of course) and whole wheat pita breads, crackers, or sliced vegetables (e.g., celery, carrot, jicama, cucumber, red pepper, raw asparagus). The best companion for hummus is falafel. And by-the-way, in my experience, children love a good hummus. I have even been able to get vegetable-haters to eat hummus on sliced vegetables.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Cucumber Dill Salad (With or Without Tomatoes)

This is an exceptional summer vegetable dish that goes well with barbecue and is unbelievably easy to make. Great for those hot, hot days.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
1 tbsp. dried dill or 3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/3 c. mayonnaise (for a vegan version, use a vegan mayo substitute)
3 tomatoes (optional)

Directions

Scrape the skin from the cucumbers. Slice thin. I think this salad is even better with sliced tomatoes, but it also works well without them too. If you want to include tomatoes, slice them (and be sure to capture their juice in the salad). Toss the cucumbers (and tomatoes) with the mayonnaise and dill. Refrigerate the salad (covered) for at least an hour before serving. This salad needs to sit for awhile to let the vegetable juice(s) mingle with the mayonnaise so plan ahead.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Collards and Portobello Mushrooms

Vegetarian collard greens could easily turn out dull and uninteresting, but a little garlic and orange juice do the trick nicely to punch these up. The mushrooms stand in for meat and fill out this totally gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan dish, which goes exceptionally well with pasta or as a side dish vegetable.

Ingredients

2 large bunches of collard greens (see below for preparation instructions)
1 Portobello mushroom sliced thin
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. grated orange peel (fresh-grated is best)
juice from one fresh-squeezed large orange (do not substitute orange juice—if you don’t have an orange handy, use a lemon, preferably a sweet one like a Meyer)
salt to taste

Directions

Fill a large pot with enough water to amply cover the collards once they are chopped, add a teaspoon of salt and bring the water to a boil.

Slice the Portobello mushroom into thin pieces. First slice up the mushroom and then cut each slice in half again the long way so that you have long thin mushroom pieces. Set the mushroom aside. Squeeze the juice from one orange and set that aside too.

Remove the central stem from the collards. Place 4-6 leaves on top of each other and roll them up width-wise into a tight tube, then slice them into thin strips. Follow this pattern with all the collards until they are all cut into thin shreds. When the water comes to a boil, simmer the collards, uncovered, for 8 minutes. While the collards are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice water. After the collards have cooked for 8 minutes, drain them in a colander and place them into the ice water, which will help them retain their bright green color.

Put the oil into a deep dish frying pan and bring it to a high heat, then turn it back to medium and place the garlic and mushrooms in the pan. Sauté the garlic and mushrooms, turning gently, for 2-3 minutes (until the mushrooms are cooked but not slimy). Add the collards (and ½ teaspoon of salt if you are a salt eater) and the grated orange peel. Continue to sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the orange juice and cook for another 30 seconds to warm up the juice. This dish is best if served immediately.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Red Lentils and Butternut Squash with Garam Masala

This East Indian dish is a perfect companion for any curry dinner. Try it with the Curried Potato and Vegetables dish, a cucumber/yogurt raita, and a mango chutney. Heaven. It’s vegan and gluten-free. You’d be surprised how many children like it. It also goes well with a pan-fried tofu.

Ingredients

1½ cups red lentils
2 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped (see directions)
3 cups water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1 tbsp. Garam Masala

Directions

Scrape the skin off the butternut squash, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds. Chop the butternut into sections about 1/8 inch wide and no more than 2 inches across. Whatever squash you don’t use in this recipe, you can freeze for later use or cook up separately. For this recipe, use about 2 cups of chopped butternut.

Bring the water to a boil. Add the red lentils, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and the butternut squash. Simmer on low heat, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning to the bottom of the pot. When lentils and squash are thoroughly cooked, mash them together so that they are blended well (it is not necessary to put this through the blender unless the slightly chunky texture bothers you).

While the lentils and squash are cooking, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a small frying pan. When the oil is hot, toss in the cumin seeds and fry them gently, turning frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the cumin seed and Garam Masala to the cooked squash and lentils. If you don’t have a good source for Garam Masala, you can make your own by combining the following spices: coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Go lightly on the cloves and heavy on the coriander.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Chile Relleno Casserole

For years I made chile rellenos in the pan, carefully frying each one, taking great pains to coat them well with the flour mixture and not burn them, until I discovered the casserole version, which is so much easier and tastes just as good if not better, all fluffy and cheesy. If you can’t eat gluten, substitute the wheat flour in this recipe with either rice flour or teff flour. The teff is heavier than the rice, but has a nice flavor. Which substitute flour works better for you is a matter of taste.

Ingredients

1 two-pound can of whole green chiles (about a dozen to fifteen chiles)
8 eggs, with whites separated from yolks
3/4 cup milk (lactose-free works fine)
1 cup flour (wheat, rice, or teff)
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 lb. Monterey jack and/or cheddar cheese
1 tsp. chili powder
1 bunch cilantro (about ½ cup), washed and chopped
2 tsp. oil to grease the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat an oblong baking dish with vegetable oil.

Cut the cheese into chunks about 1/8-inch wide and stuff the chiles generously with the cheese. Place each cheese-stuffed chile in the baking dish. Reserve ¾ cup of grated cheese for the top of the casserole.

Once all the chiles are stuffed and in the baking dish, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Set the egg whites to one side. You don’t need all the egg yolks. About 4 or 5 is sufficient. Combine the egg yolks with the milk and beat together. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and chili powder. Next add a touch of salt to the egg whites and beat them up stiff and fluffy. Once they are beaten stiff, fold the flour mixture into the egg whites then mix in the egg and milk mixture. When all these ingredients are well-combined, pour them over the chiles. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top (cheddar makes for a nice color) and then sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top of that.

Bake the chile rellenos for 45 minutes or until no longer wet.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!