Easy Kale and Coconut

kale and coconut with figs
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

This is one of our favorite ways to eat kale. The coconut adds a nice nutty flavor that complements the taste of the greens really well (or, at least, we think so!). It's dead easy to make, takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and our 2-year old gobbles it up and almost always asks for more!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale (our favorite is dinosaur kale)
• ~1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
• dash of salt
• ~1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

De-rib kale and cut in coarse chiffonade.

Sautee kale in olive oil over medium heat until slightly wilted (approx. 2-3 minutes).

Add in coconut and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add lemon juice and a dash of salt to taste.

Stir-fried Green Beans with Leeks or Scallions

We were able to get in late on Live Earth Farm's CSA shares this season, and we have been thoroughly enjoying our weekly bounty! A couple of weeks in a row, we got an abundance of green beans; Dylan loves green beans, but he can't eat them all up on his own, so we decided to try one of the recipes included in the Live Earth Farms weekly newsletter.

This is modified slightly -- we reduced the amount of sugar and, for my bday dinner, we added ginger and basil to the flavor mix!

The secret to this recipe is in the sauce -- we had not yet been able to hit the soy sauce to rice vinegar ratio in our stir frys until this recipe gave us the key: 2:1.

The first time we made this (without the basil and ginger), it smelled so good cooking up, we just ate it immediately with some rice and left the rest of dinner unmade! The aroma matched the taste. It was yum.

Ingredients

• ~ 1 lb. green beans, stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• red pepper flakes (make as hot as you wish!)
• 2 tbsp. peanut or canola oil
• 2 leeks cut into thin wedges (or some scallion equivalent -- so far, we have only made this with leeks)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• a large handful of basil chiffonade
• some ginger (about half as much as the amount of garlic)

Super yummy sauce: Mix soy, vinegar, sugar, hot pepper flakes and 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl.

Green beans prep: Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok over high heat.

Add green beans and cook until slightly charred and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Add leeks (or scallions) and cook until charred and beans are tender, another 3-4 minutes.

Make a well in the center of the pan and add garlic and ginger.

Mash with 1 tsp. oil with back of spatula, about 5 seconds.

Add sauce and toss vegetables and garlic until well coated.

Turn off the heat and toss in the basil.

Basmati Rice with Dried Fruit, Toasted Almonds and Coconut

Mom passed along this yummy, yummy rice dish that she brought to Mike's bday celebration this past weekend! Thanks, mom!

Ingredients

• 2 c. brown basmati rice, cooked as directed
• 2 c. dried apricots, cut in quarters
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 1 c. unsweetened flaked coconut (if you can't find this, get a package of shredded coconut at Marina or any Asian market
• 2 c. slivered almonds, toasted
• 3/4 c. Smart Balance vegan margarine
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. each red and green bell pepper
• 2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. grated orange peel
• 1 tsp. grated lime peel

Cook rice

Preheat oven to 350 (to brown the coconut and almonds)

In a bowl, combine apricots and cranberries, cover with boiling water, let stand until plump (15 minutes). Drain well.

Place coconut and almonds in separate pans (like pie pans). Bake, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes for coconut, 8-10 minutes for almonds.

In a pan heat, margarine, saute onion and peppers until onion is limp.

Reduce heat, add ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper, orange and lime peel, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir until aromatic (30 seconds).

Stir in rice and dried fruits.

Add the coconut and almonds when ready to serve so they stay crunchy.

Note: If you are carrying it to another house, and it needs to be reheated, put the almonds and coconut in plastic bags and add them after reheating.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

(modified from Sunset Magazine, July 2006)

This was a big hit at Heather and Assaf's the other night.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and chopped
• 2 15 oz. cans of unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 c. chopped sweet onion
• 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Mix chickpeas, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl or jar, combine olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Shortly before serving, whisk or shake oil mixture well and pour over chickpea mixture.

Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Heather's Prize-Winning Cornbread

Heather won an award for this when she was in 4th grade!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• equivaleant of 2 large eggs (using egg replacer)
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup soymilk (substituted for buttermilk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 8" square pan. Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg replacer, beating in well. Sift dry ingredients. Alternate adding dry ingredients and soymilk. Bake 25 minutes.

Spanakorizo (Greek Rice and Spinach)

(adapted from VegNews)

Simple and delicious rice dish....

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ~ 1 lb. of fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 c. uncooked long grain white rice
• 3 c. hot water or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. fresh dill or 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• juice from 1 lemon
• kalamata olives
• 1 tomato
• vegan "feta" (optional)

Heat oil in large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

Chop spinach and add to the pot. Cook until wilted (about 1 minute).

Stir in the rice, water or broth, dill, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked (about 20 minutes).

Add desired amount of chopped kalamata olives, diced tomato, and vegan feta.

Drizzle with lemon juice just before serving.

Vegan "Feta"

Marinated tofu that tastes good in salads and in Spanakorizo, but doesn't taste at all like feta....(from VegNews)

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 8 oz. extra firm tofu, drained

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Mix well.

Cut tofu into small cubes and add to the marinade.

Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate until needed.

Basmati Rice Pilaf

Goes well with Curried Cauliflower.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. Basmati rice
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Soak 1.5 cups of basmati rice in 2.5 cups of water for about 10 minutes. Drain the rice completely and set aside the water.

In a nonstick pot, saute the rice over medium heat in about 1 tbsp. of olive oil until the rice seems pearly in color (about 3 or 4 minutes).

Stir constantly to avoid burning and sticking.

Add the rice water, salt to taste, and 3 or 4 of the following:
* 1 tsp of toasted cumin seeds (recommended). Note: If your cumin seeds are untoasted, add them to the rice in the last minute of sauteing.
* A pinch of saffron
* Chopped cilantro
* A cinnamon stick (recommended)
* 10 to 12 black peppercorns
* A couple of cardamom pods, just cracked open (recommended)

After the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the water is absorbed.

Turn off the heat and let the rice stand for five minutes.

Take out the cinnamon stick (if you put on in), crack open the cardamom pods completely (if you used them) and scrape the seeds into the rice, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

Apple and Date Haroset

This is our version of haroset recipes from vegsource.com and vegkitchen.com, with some additional modifications added by Heather.

Well-liked by everyone!

Makes a small side-dish for 6-8 people.

We served this at last year's seder along with Turkish Eggplant Stew, Sabbath Rice Pilav with Saffron, Orange and Olive Salad, and Sauteed Carrots with Almonds.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup minced dried apricots
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup minced dried apple
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 tbsp. orange juice
• 3 tbsp. sweet red passover wine

Combine all ingredients, except for liquid, in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Stir in orange juice and wine. Serve with matzo.