Savory Rice Crepes With Roast Beef
From Leisha, $2 per person (recipe to come—we hope!)
White Bean Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
From Jana Pickard-Richardson, $0.81 per serving, adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
2 c. dried white beans, cooked (about 3-4 c. cooked)
Tomato vinaigrette (see below)
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
¼ c small basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly milled pepper
About 15-20 olives (I used Spanish green and Kalamata)
Chard stems from a bunch of rainbow chard, diced (mine were tender; if your chard is big and mature you could steam the stems a bit)
Chives and fresh thyme to taste
Put the beans in a spacious bowl and pour on the vinaigrette. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently (once all ingredients are added!) with a rubber spatula. Serve over lettuce. Garnish with basil flowers and quartered hard-cooked eggs, if desired (and if your brother’s girlfriend turns out to be only veg, not vegan).
Tomato Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
4-6 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. homemade yellow tomato sauce (or 3 Roma tomatoes or ½ c cherry tomatoes, neatly diced)
In a small bowl, combine all but oil and tomatoes. Let stand for 15 minutes, then whisk in the oil and add the tomatoes. Taste and adjust balance if needed.
Shanta’s Eggplant Biryani
From Nirmal Daniere, $2.00 per serving
2 c. Basmati rice, cooked and cooled
3 long (Japanese) eggplants cut in cubes with the skin on
1/4 c. canola oil
2 small sticks cinnamon
8 whole cloves
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 c. tamarind water (can be found in Indian grocery)
Juice of one half lemon
Heat oil and add cinnamon and cloves. Add chopped onions; saute until limp but not brown. Add turmeric, coriander and cayenne pepper. Add chopped eggplants, tamarind water and brown sugar. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Cover and let cook on low heat till eggplant is soft. Add lemon juice just before mixing eggplant mixture with cooked rice.
Can be served as is with yogurt or as a side dish with other Indian food.
Tapenade
From Danielle Mollet, $0.50 per serving. Danielle does not follow recipes, so please just read through and wing it!
Olives
Capers (half the amount of the olives)
Garlic, at least 4 cloves
Herbe de Provence (thyme, basic, fennel, summer savory), fresh if possible
Good or excellent quality olive oil
In a mixer, crush all ingredients and taste. Add more oil if needed. Mix again. When it tastes good, refrigerate. Serve with French bread or crudités. Can also be used as a condiment.
Beets With Balsamic Vinegar
From Zac Miller, $2.00 per serving, recipe from Chanterelle restaurant via www.epicurious.com
8 medium beets (about two lbs)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. canola or other vegetable oil
6 Tb. balsamic vinegar
2-4 Tb. extra virgin olive oil, to taste
1 tsp. coarse (kosher) salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Trim the beets, leaving on the skin, an inch of the stem, and the wispy “tail” on the bottom of each, then scrub and drain. Place the beets in a small casserole dish just big enough to hold them. Pour the water and canola oil over the beets then cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until tender and easily pierced with a sharp paring knife, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Remove the casserole from the oven and uncover the beets, keeping your face averted from the escaping steam. Allow the beets to cool completely in the casserole.
4. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Taste and add more olive oil, if desired.
5. Peel the cooled beets with the back of a paring knife and cut into 3/8-inch slices. Add to the dressing in the bowl and toss gently but thoroughly to coat. Serve immediately or marinate, in the refrigerator, for up to 24 hours.
Chocolate Fudge Hummus
From Judy Kales, $0.40 per serving
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 – 3/4 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder (depending on how chocolately you like it)
1/2 – 3/4 c. sugar ( I use turbinado, but any will do.)
2 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
4-8 Tb. water (based on thickness you like)
Put everything in food processor and pulse to blend. Gradually add water in two batches. Scrape down sides and keep mixing. Check to see if it needs more sugar or water. Add till desired thickness and sweetness. (Another option is to top with chopped nuts.)
Serve with toast, graham cracker animals, marshmallows or fruit. Perfect for kids of any age!
Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
From Liz Canella, $1.00 per serving as main dish
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (1.5 lbs)
peeled and quartered lengthwise
Kosher salt
1 and 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Small onion, finely chopped
6 large eggs
2 Tablespoons broth or water
1. Slice the potato quarters thinly crosswise. Easiest in a food processor, but otherwise use a sharp knife. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels or clean kitchen towel. Rub slices with salt.
2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes (non-stick or seasoned cast iron is easiest). Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the potatoes and onions in even layers. Cook, stirring occasionally, to prevent the potatoes from sticking and browning for about 7 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes and onions are all soft, about 15 more minutes. Transfer potatoes and onions to a colander set over a heat-proof bowl and let them drain thoroughly and cool. Set aside 2 Tablespoons of the cooking oil. (You can strain/filter the rest for another use.) Season the potatoes with salt.
3. Mix eggs, broth or water and a couple pinches of salt in a large mixing bowl until just combined. Gently stir in the cooled potato mixture. Mash and stir the egg mixture with the potatoes gently with a fork to crush the potatoes a bit and mix them well with the eggs. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
4. Heat 5 teaspoons of the reserved olive oil in a heavy 8 inch skillet, preferably non-stick, over high heat until it is just beginning to smoke. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and flatten the potatoes with a spatula so that top is even. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, moving and shaking the skillet, running a think spatula around the edge and sliding it into the middle so that some of the egg runs under. Cook the tortilla in this way until the top is a little wet, but not liquid, 6 to 10 minutes. Run the spatula under the bottom to make sure it isn’t sticking. Cover the skillet with a plate that’s slightly larger than the skillet. Invert the tortilla onto the plate. Add the remaining olive oil to pan and slide the tortilla back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Shake the skillet the straighten the tortilla and tuck edges in with the spatula. Reduce the heat to very low and cook the tortilla until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 3-4 minutes. Invert the tortilla again, to cook on the first side for another minute.
5. Invert the tortilla onto a serving plate and pat the top with a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Allow to cool a little, then cut into wedges for main course or cut into squares to serve as a tapa (serve with toothpicks). May be served warm or at room temperature.
Kale Chips
From Aravinda Ananda, $0.05 per serving when you use homegrown kale, based on this recipe by Monica Eng)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash a bunch of kale (preferably organic, since conventional kale carries some of the highest levels of pesticide residue) and dry in a salad spinner. Tear into large tortilla chip-sized pieces and toss them in a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Lay kale pieces flat on a cooking sheet without overlapping and salt them lightly. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they just start browning at the edges. Cool and enjoy.
A few variations on the recipe and Aravinda’s personal notes:
-Don’t put too much oil on, otherwise they’ll get soggy.
-After I sprinkle the salt on, I also sprinkle on some nutritional yeast.
-I cooked my kale chips for only about 7 minutes. I think it varies by oven. The important thing is to not overcook them as they will get an ashy taste.
-I think they are tastiest right off the cooking sheet. Mine tended to get a strange taste and consistency when they sat for a while after baking.
