Farro Vegetable Salad (recipe, pareve) #meatlessmonday #shavuot

 

Farro Vegetable Salad P Serves: 10-12

Farro is a grain that is very healthy and easy to prepare. It has a chewy texture and a somewhat nutty taste. When you toss farro (or any grain) with dressing right after it has finished cooking, while still warm, the grain absorbs the flavor more fully. Add an assortment of colorful vegetables and herbs after it has cooled and you have a healthy, delicious, beautiful side dish for dinner. Serve it with some wonderful crusty bread and you have a great lunch.

As with any recipe, my proportions and vegetable choices should serve as a guide. Experimenting with different combinations is part of the fun of cooking.

Ingredients

12 ounce package of farro-prepared according to package directions and drained

1/3 cup mustard vinaigrette

2 small colorful sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange)

1 bunch scallions

10 ounce package frozen peas-defrosted

¾ cup cried currants

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives-diced

1 small bunch Italian parsley

1 small bunch dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper-to taste

Equipment

Medium pot with cover

Large mixing bowl

Directions

1. Pour vinaigrette over drained warm faro and mix well. Taste. Add more dressing if necessary. Cool completely.
2. Wash and core peppers. Cut them into strips and then dice them. Scrape into mixing bowl.
3. Cut stems off scallions and rinse well. Slice both the white and green parts and add to peppers.
4. Add defrosted peas, currant, and olives to vegetables.
5. Mince enough parsley and dill to equal one half cup each. Rinse and dry herbs and add them to vegetables. Toss vegetables and herbs together lightly. Add cooled faro and toss again. Taste. Add salt and pepper if necessary.  Pour into a serving bowl and serve at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip-Orange Biscotti (recipe, pareve)

Chocolate Chip-Orange Biscotti P Yield: about 48 pieces

This is a one bowl recipe that can be made by hand or with an electric mixer.

Prep time: 20 min.  Baking time: 35-45 min.  Cooling: 20 min.

Slicing & toasting: 30 min.

Ingredients           

1 cup sugar                     

3 cups flour                     

1 teaspoon baking powder           

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1 tablespoon orange liqueur

¾ cup non-dairy mini chocolate chips

Equipment

Electric mixer

Large cookie sheet lined with baking parchment

Cooling rack

Directions

1. Pour sugar, flour and baking powder into bowl of electric mixer. Mix on low speed for one minute. Make a well in the center and add the oil, eggs, orange liqueur. Add chocolate chips as you start mixing ingredients on slow speed. Stop mixer when ingredients are well blended.
2. Preheat oven to: 350 F.
3. Divide dough into thirds. Knead each third on a flat surface and then shape dough into a loaf about 7” long and 1” thick. Repeat process until you have placed three loaves on cookie sheet. Bake 35-45 minutes until loaves have browned. Remove from oven and cool about 20 minutes. Do not turn off the oven.
4. Use a sharp knife and cut loaves into ¼ inch slices. Arrange slices neatly on cookie sheet. Return cookie sheet to preheated oven and toast slices 10-15 minutes. Cool Biscotti on rack.

Eggplant Sandwiches (recipe, dairy) #shavuot

What a wonderful vegetarian dish and just in time for Shavuot!

Eggplant Sandwiches D Yield: 6 Sandwiches

How can I describe the taste of a fried eggplant sandwich oozing with cheese and sundried tomatoes or greens? It’s just amazingly delicious and so easy to prepare. Try it.

Ingredients

1 eggplant- about one pound

Two ¼ inch slices of Mozzarella

2 sundried tomatoes-drained

Two ¼ inch slices of goat cheese

10 small leaves of baby arugula-stems removed

Two small  flat pieces of blue cheese

10 small leaves of baby spinach-stems removed

½ cup flour

2 eggs-beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil

Optional: 2 cups tomato sauce

Equipment

3 shallow bowls

Medium skillet

Spatula

Directions

1. Peel eggplant and cut off the top. Cut eggplant into six ¾-1 inch rounds. With a sharp knife, partially slice each rounds in half with knife parallel to the cutting surface so that you leave a one half inch hinge at one spot.
2. For mozzarella and sundried tomato sandwiches: Halve sundried tomatoes. Squeeze one slice of mozzarella and two halves of tomato in each of two sliced eggplant rounds. Press down on the top slightly.
3. For goat cheese and arugula sandwiches: squeeze one slice of goat cheese and about five leaves of arugula into two eggplant rounds.
4. For blue cheese and spinach sandwiches: squeeze blue cheese and about five leaves of spinach in eggplant rounds.
5. Dredge all the rounds in flour. Shake off any excess. Dip floured rounds in egg. Let any excess egg drip off. Coat rounds (top, bottom and sides) in bread crumbs and set aside.
6. Pour enough oil in skillet to come up about one half inch in the pan. Heat oil over medium-high flame. Place no more than three eggplant sandwiches in the oil at a time. Put no more than two in if you want to keep track of the type of filling each one has. Brown eggplant rounds about three minutes on each side. Keep turning them to get them as brown as you like. Drain fried sandwiches on paper towels before arranging them on a platter. Serve tomato sauce on the side.

Tofu with Mixed Fruit Sauce (recipe, pareve) #meatlessmonday #tofu #vegetarian

Tofu with Mixed Fruit Sauce P Serves: 2

The tofu absorbs all the wonderful flavors of the fruit, allspice and liqueur and makes a very satisfying meal. Serve it with couscous, farro or rice and the vegetables of your choice. Your vegetarians (and even some carnivores) will be very happy.

Ingredients

14 ounces extra firm tofu-pressed, drained, and sliced into about 8 slices

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2/3 cup black currant preserves

10 ounces cranberry juice

1/8 cup cornstarch

Juice of one half lemon

½ teaspoon allspice

9 ounces assorted defrosted fruit of your choice: sliced peaches, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries

Optional: ¾ teaspoon crème de cassis

Equipment

Large skillet

Oven to table serving dish

Directions

1. Mix flour with salt and pepper. Dredge tofu slices in flour and set aside.
2. Pour vegetable oil into skillet. Heat over medium flame. Carefully place dredged tofu into oil and brown well on each side. Place browned tofu into serving dish.
3. Pour out any remaining oil in skillet.
4. Mix cornstarch and cranberry juice well.
5. Put all remaining ingredients including cranberry juice mixture into skillet and melt together over medium heat until the sauce thickens somewhat. Stir in fruit. Add crème de cassis –if desired.  Spoon mixture over tofu.  This dish can be baked immediately for about 20 minutes in 325 F oven or can be left over night in the fridge and baked the next day. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh fruit.