This little recipe came floating into my inbox yesterday via MNN...perfect since we had made plans with our garden friends to cook dinner with ingredients from our bounty. At this point we were able to supply the squash and basil, but we're hoping that the peppers and tomatoes will soon come from the backyard too!
We used rosemary sourdough bread (fresh from the store, no need for it to be stale) which added a ton of flavor. We also took the liberty of setting out some feta cheese to top it off. Note: Give yourself plenty of time--the finished bread and veggies need 30 minutes to marinate together before serving. 3 cups Sourdough Bread, cut into 1″ cubes (try rosemary) 3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped 1 Yellow Squash, sliced on a diagonal 2 Bell Peppers, seeded and cut into 1″ squares 6-8 Cherry Tomatoes cut in half 1/2 Red Onion, cut in 1″ squares 6-8 Fresh Basil leaves, cut in strips 3/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (optional) Vinaigrette 3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 1 tsp Dijon Mustard Salt and Pepper to taste Preheat oven to 350*. On a baking sheet, spread the chopped garlic, onion, squash, peppers and tomatoes and coat with one tablespoon olive oil (no need to overdo it on the oil). Roast for 15-18 minutes, stirring once, until just starting to soften and release juices. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil. Toss in the bread cubes and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the cubes are crusty and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. To make vinaigrette dressing, firmly whisk together all ingredients until blended. Season with salt and pepper. In a serving bowl, toss together the bread cubes and vegetables. Pour dressing over the bread and vegetable mixture and then set aside for thirty minutes to let it absorb the flavors. Before serving, stir in strips of fresh basil, and set out feta for diners to sprinkle on if desired.
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This is one of my Italian restaurant faves, with a few tasty veggies added. I got the recipe from my new friend Eowyn, a real Italian girl who's considering becoming a veg too. I told her to consider swapping half of the ricotta for tofu (like I do in the lasagne recipe). I just served this at my bf’s family Thanksgiving. Even his meat-loving uncle loved it! The kicker is the peanut sauce, which goes well with pretty much anything. Add it to a meal or serve as an appetizer. My friend Cynthia made these amazing calzones for my birthday picnic at Vail this year…I’ve never been able to make a good pizza dough, so I was excited to get her recipe. This is one of my favorite Greek dishes, so filling and wonderfully vegetarian! It comes from my friend Sophia, who is an awesome cook and is Greek herself :) She promises that this is the easiest (and easiest to make healthy) version to try. Ok, so I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and got excited when she was making what looked like a really tasty (and easy!) mac and cheese. Apparently I tuned in after the announcement that this was going to be “reuben” mac and cheese, complete with corned beef and sauerkraut (totally unnecessary). I really liked the cheese and breadcrumb additions, though, so I took the liberty of amending like so! I served with steamed broccoli. My grad school friend Joanna gave this to me, since she’s got a fabulous garden overflowing with pumpkins! She says peeling, seeding, and cubing the pumpkin is a little labor intensive, but worth it to have baked seeds afterward. But canned pumpkin would also work. Goes well with rice or cous cous. I got this from Ina’s Barefoot Contessa show, but altered it a bit so it’s less fried and serves more people…so easy and a fabulous way to eat eggplant. Everyone loved it at our last dinner/game night! This recipe is quick, flavorful, and especially good on a winter evening! Chili is great because it’s all veggies and beans–like a whole meal in one bowl. The meatless ground burger adds good texture, but isn’t necessary. You can even replace it with frozen corn. For a thicker chili, use crushed tomatoes; for a stewier one, use diced. A healthy variation on an Italian classic! My grandmother used to make these. Make the rice or quinoa ahead of time, then add to the mix at the end. |
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