Portabella Mushroom Sandwich

This is my latest favorite take on the Portabella Mushroom Burger that exists in many different forms out there. This is simple and delicious. It goes well with salad or a side of steamed veggies.

For each sandwich:

• 1 portabella mushroom cap (stem removed) and wiped clean with a slightly damp towel
• 2-3 thinly sliced rounds of red onion
• 1/2 of a roasted red pepper (jarred are fine--if you have some that a pre sliced or chopped a tbs or two should be enough)
• 1-2 thin slices of smoked Gouda
• balsamic mayonnaise (1 tbs of balsamic vinegar whisked or stirred into 1/4 cup mayonnaise)
• 2 slices of bread, toasted (the mushrooms are so juicy that if you don't toast the bread, it can get mushy)
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• salt and pepper

Assemble all of your ingredients. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium until shimmering. Place mushroom caps in the skillet, gill/stem side down. Cook without flipping, pressing down on the caps occasionally with a spatula for 4-5 minutes, until starting to brown and juices just start to flow out and into the pan. Flip and cook 3-4 minutes, pressing with the spatula as before until browned, tender and juicy. Remove from heat, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Spread toasted bread slices with the balsamic mayonnaise. Place onion slices on one side, then the mushroom cap, cheese, roasted red pepper, and other slice of bread.

Tofu Burgers

This recipe has evolved over the years. It is based on a recipe for Happy "Chicken" Burgers from The American Vegetarian by Marylin Diamond, which as far as I know is out of print. It's a shame because it was a book with many great recipes like this one that easily become a staple menu item. If you see a copy second hand somewhere, grab it. It's easy to make, keeps well, and beats the heck out of garden burgers. You can serve them on buns as a burger, you can serve on buns or bread with barbeque saue and onions, you can serve them as a patty with mashed potatos and gravy, you can serve them as you would a moshu pancake with sweet and sour suace. You'll probably come up with your own ides also.

Tofu Burgers

2 cups of very thinly shredded cabbage (avoid any large pieces, and do not use more than 2 cups)
1 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup of minced green or red onion (the flavor will vary slightly based on which one you use)
1 tsp of minced or pressed garlic
2 tsp of vegetable oil
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 lb of firm or extra firm tofu
2 tbs of tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup of flour (whole wheat pastry, all purpose, or brown rice flour)
1/4 cup of nutrional yeast (optional, if ommitting, use an extra few tablespoons of flour)
1 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of dried tarragon

Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel for about 10 minutes to absorb some of the excess water. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet on med-high. Add onion and stir fry a minute and then add cabbage and carrots. Cook stirring frequently for about 7-10 minutes until the veggies just start to brown slightly. Lower heat to medium. Add garlic and sunflower seeds and cook stirring constantly for another 2-3 minutes. Set asside to cool slightly.

Take tofu and either thoroughly mash to a puree in a bowl with a fork or better yet a pastry cutter (it IS possible and very effective, it's what I did before I had a food processor) , or puree in a food processor. Mix in tamari, flour, nutrional yeast, and seasonings. Fold in the vegtabble mix.

Form into patties of desired size; it's really up to you. I tend to make larger ones if I am not putting them in a sandwhich. Plus with these you can custmoize them to the size of your bread.
Place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, and flatten slighlty with the back of a spatula. You don't really want them to be thicker than a quarter inch or so or the inside will taste raw. Bake at 350 degrees, for approximately 10-15 minutes per side, depending on how large you are making them. each side should be golden and lightly brown. Cook only the ones you need for your meal and store any leftover mix in an airtight container. Makes 10-12 3 inch diameter burgers.

Artichoke Cakes with Cajun Remoulade

These are similar in style to crab cakes, with the flavor of artichoke taking center stage. They might sound elaborate but they are really pretty easy to make.

Artichoke Cakes

3 (13.75 oz) cans of artichoke hearts, drained and minced (or pulsed in food processor briefly to minced consistensy)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of chopped roasted red pepper (jarred is fine)
2 tbls of chopped onion or green onion
1 cup, lightly packed of soft bread crumbs, plus extra in case they are needed
2/3 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup of cream or milk
2 tbls of fresh lemon juice
2 tsp of dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of soy sauce or tamari
oil for cooking, olive oil, or other vegetable oil

Squeeze liquid from minced artichokes in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels until just slightly moist. Place artichokes in a med bowl. Add eggs, pepper, and onion. Combine mayonaise and remaining ingredients in another bowl. Gently fold into the artichoke mixture. Cover and chill at least two hours or overnight. This allows the flavors to blend and the cakes to stay together better.

Heat a large lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat. Lightly oil a baking sheet (or two if you are making them all) and keep nearby. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Scoop artichoke mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls, if they are not keeping together, you can add some more bread crumbs to the mixture, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Place 4 at a time in skillet, flattening slightly with spatula ( if you put more in the skillet you will have a hard time turning them without mushing them). Cook about 2 minutes on each side until golden and slightly set. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve with cajun remoulade (below). Makes about 2 dozen cakes. You can refrigerate the mix for a day or so more and get two meals out of it.

Cajun Remoulade

1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onions, shallots, or green onions
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3/4 cup mayonaise
1 tblsp paprika
2 tblsp capers chopped
2 tblsp prepared horseradish or 1 tblsp grated fresh (this can be left out and it's still very good)
1 tblsp Dijon mustard
1 tblsp ketchup or tomato paste
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tblsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tblsp cider vinegar
1 tblsp hot sauce or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp salt

Finely chop the celery, onions, and parsley, or pulse in food processor until coarsely chopped. Drain in a strainer (Or else it will make everything soupy). Combine with remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least an hour or for up to 5 days.

Mexican Rice

This delicious rice goes perfectly with the Refried Back Beans recipe. They use some of the same ingredients so it makes them a great pair.

adapted from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated

Mexican Rice

2 large onions, peeled and quatered
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 jalepeños, minced
2 cups of long grain brown rice
1/4 cup + 1tbs of canola or sunflower or safflower oil
4 med sized garlic cloves minced or pressed (aprox 4tsp)
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut in wedges

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In food processor, puree onions with all but one tbs of the tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water. Note: If you do not have a food processor or blender, just mix the tomato paste with the water to form a sauce and add the onion, finely minced. You should have around two cups of liquid.

Remove seeds and ribs from 1 jalepeño and mince. Mince the two remaining jalepeños, seeds and all, and set asside. Note: If you prefer a less spicy dish, remove the seeds and ribs from all the jalepeños.

Place the rice in a strainer (fine enough so that the rice does not esacpe) and rinse under cold water for about a minute (the water should be clear). Shake vigorously to get rid of the excess water.

Heat the oil on med-high in a heavy, large (12 inch) dutch oven or other pan that is oven safe (No plastic handles! If you don't have a pan that is oven safe, use it on the stove top and have a casserole or other lidded baking dish that is large enough ready and transfer to this when the pan goes in the oven in the next step.) Drop a few grains of rice into the oil, when they sizzle, the oil is ready. Add the rice and stir fry until golden,(but not brown) about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, and all but a couple of tsp of jalepeños, and cook stirring constantly until fragrant about 1 minute. Add the onion tomato puree, broth, remaining tomato paste, and salt.
Bring to a boil.

Once the liquid has come to a boil, cover the pan and put in the oven. Bake until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, stirring once after 15 minutes, usually about 40 minutes TOTAL, but it is best to check after 30 minutes. Stir in the reserved jalepeño and the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Refried Black Beans

These are not quiet the tradional recipe refried beans, they contain no lard, for instance. However they are very good. They are a favorite in our kitchen with rice and tortillas.

Adapated from a recipe in "The Quick Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated

Refried Black Beans

1 large red onion, minced
1 med-large jalepeno pepper, minced, seeds ribs and all (Note: if you prefer a less spicy dish, omit the seeds and ribs)
4 tbs of vegetable oil
3 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tsp of ground cumin
pinch of cayene or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 25oz cans of black beans, drained
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

If you have a food processor, process the beans with the 1/2 cup water until smooth. If you don't have one, you can just mash the beans in a bowl with a potatoe masher or a fork, adding water a bit at a time to reach a consistency that you like.

Note: If you have a food processor for the beans, this is even easier. You can also chop your onions and jalepeno and not wash the bowl and then go ahead and process the beans.

Heat the oil, onions and jalepeno in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Saute until onion just starts to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, cayene, and salt. Saute until fragrant about 1 minute. Stir in the beans. Reduce heat to med-low and cook partially covered (this has a tendence to bubble and pop so if you don't cover it, it can be messy) for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

This dish keeps very well for several days and reheats nicely. I usually reheat it covered in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. It also makes a tasty filling for Quesedillas, or a warm dip for corn chips.

Fruit Salad for 2

This makes a great breakfast. It's more of a concept, than a recipe. Vary the fruits,seeds, and dried fruit or dates to your preference and what's freshest and most readily available. You can halve it (or use small fruits) for 1 person.

Fruit Salad for 2

1 large red apple diced
1 large orange or 2 small tangerines peeled and sectioned
1 large bannana peeled and sliced thin into rounds
8 dates pitted and chopped
2 tbs sunflower seeds
1/2 c soymilk, fruit juice, or milk

Use two cereal or soup bowls. Layer the fruit, dates, and seeds in equal portions: a layer of apple chunks, oranges, bannana, dates, seeds and repeat. Add liquid, 1/4 cup to each bowl, or more if you prefer. Stir gently and enjoy.

This is a dish that needs to be eaten soon after being made as the apples and bannanas will start to turn brown.

Carrot Soup

Yes, carrot soup. Simple and delicious.

4 tbs of butter (or margerine or oil)
1 large onion minced
3 tbs of tomatoe paste
1/4 cup of raw rice (brown or white, what have you)
2 1/2 quarts of broth (or broth and water mixed to total 2 1/2 quarts)
1 1/2 lbs of carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup of cream, milk, or 1 cup soy milk + 1/2 tbs of tahini
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high (medium if your stove runs hot like mine). Add the minced onion and cook, stirring constantly for about five minutes until onions begin to brown a bit. Stir in the tomatoe paste; add the rice and stir to coat with butter/oil.

2. Gradually stir or whisk in the broth. Add the carrots and reduce heat to low/med-low and simmer uncovered until the carrots are tender (but not mushy) about 40 minutes.
Carefully mash up carrot pieces with potatoe masher, back of spoon, what have you OR puree in batches in a food processor or blender (be careful about doing this with hot liquids, don't over load the appliance or hot soup will be flying), or with a stick blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and swirl in the cream.