A Veggie Venture: May 2009

Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Salad ♥ Recipe

May 31, 2009

Today's vegetable recipe: An unusual and refreshing salad, a bright mix of chopped fruits and vegetables tossed with no more than salt and pepper and a little cinnamon. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. Vegan. No added fat.

So why is it that 'vegetables' are usually served as a side dish and 'fruit' as dessert?

This salad really surprised me. Not only is it pretty -- isn't it pretty?! -- but instead of being a 'savory' salad, as expected, it's a 'sweet' salad, despite having no added sugar. The fruit alone adds so much sweetness to the crunch of the vegetables -- it made for a wonderful light dessert two nights in a row, and I can't wait to make it again.

The salad's texture was best shortly after it was mixed but the flavors melded beautifully after resting a few hours that I'm happy to say that it can be made in advance a few hours or even overnight. You could use any vegetables, I suppose, but the cantaloupe and apple, the cucumber and peppers, all mixed with the citrus, well, they were just perfect, just perfect.

MIXED FRUIT & VEGETABLE SALAD

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Makes about 4 cups

1 apple, skin on
1 cup cantaloupe
1/2 an English cucumber, skin on
2 bell peppers (I used 1 green and 1 yellow, red would have added color contrast)

1 orange
Zest and juice of a lime
Fresh basil, cut into ribbons
Cinnamon to taste
Salt & pepper to taste

Cut the apple, cantaloupe, cucumber and peppers into a small neat dice.

Zest the orange, then slice off the skin, cut the flesh into a small neat dice. Stir the orange zest, orange flesh and remaining ingredients into the fruit and vegetable mixture. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with a sprinkle of additional cinnamon and a piece of fresh basil.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup: 79Cal; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 10mg Sodium; 20g Carb; 4g Fiber; 15g Sugar; 2g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from my friend Nupur's blog One Hot Stove. Nupur is home visiting in India and her aunt made this lovely little salad. Thank you, Nupur, thank you, too, to her maushi! When I saw this salad, I just had to make it and I'm so glad that I did!

KITCHEN NOTES

A reader's comment (see below) reminds me to remind others to always wash cantaloupes (and other fruits) very well. It's easy for bacteria to collect on the rough skin and be carried into the flesh by the knife as the melon is cut.

A Veggie Venture - Printer Friendly Recipe Graphic

MORE RECIPES that MIX FRUITS & VEGETABLES
~ Celery & Apple Salad ~
~ Green Smoothies ~
~ Tomato & Cherry Gazpacho ~

~ more recipes that mix fruits with vegetables ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
© Copyright 2009

Barely Roasted Asparagus ♥ Recipe

May 19, 2009

Today's vegetable recipe: A lesson in timing, how barely roasting fat spears of spring asparagus turns out something entirely new: crisp with good 'snap', garlicky and glorious. Vegan, low-carb and Weight Watchers 1 point.

This is the time of year when a reader might complain, "Alanna, are you cooking anything except asparagus?" (Yes, it really happened, in 2007 with the oh-so-lovely Asparagus Omelet with Remoulade Sauce.)

Every year, my answer is the same. Well, no. The good news for readers is that this means that I've collected dozens of asparagus recipes.

But this year in particular, when I'm lucky to have asparagus five minutes from the dirt, there's just no getting enough of it. This new technique ranks right up there as a top-top favorite way to cook asparagus. It's also one of the easiest -- and quickest -- ways to roast asparagus.

When it comes to roasting asparagus, it's a question of timing, timing, timing.

TOTALLY ROASTED ASPARAGUS Try the verrry slow roasting of Slow-Roasted Asparagus, a traditional Italian method called 'hammering'.
TYPICAL ROASTED ASPARAGUS Here the asparagus is roasted for some while, the result is soft and cooked to perfection. An example is the Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan.
BARELY ROASTED ASPARAGUS And now, here, the asparagus is roasted for just a flash, just until warm but still crisp enough to 'snap' when you bite in. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

PS These asparagus? Be forewarned, you'll probably want to eat them with your fingers! You'll probably obsess about making them again for days. You'll probably want to cook nothing but asparagus for weeks. LIKE ME!

PPS This recipe is so simple -- and has been made so easily and so often, now without thinking, that it qualifies for brand-new collection of easy summer recipes that will be published all summer long over at Kitchen Parade, my food column.

BARELY ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1 pound fat spears of asparagus, washed well, especially the tips
Olive oil - a good dousing
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves, chopped fine
Dried bread crumbs - a tablespoon or two

Preheat oven to 400F. Peel the skins off the asparagus, then snap off the woody ends. Place in a shallow oven-safe dish two to three spears deep. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic and bread crumbs. Place in the oven for about 7 minutes, until asparagus are warmed through but still quite crisp.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving (assumes 1 tablespoon of the oil is consumed): 60Cal; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 14mg Sodium; 6g Carb; 2g Fiber; 2g Sugar; 3g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

KITCHEN NOTES

Don't be stingy with the olive oil, as most will be used for 'cooking' but won't be eaten. Do save the leftover oil, use for a salad dressing, cooking eggs, etc.

Save the skinny asparagus for another recipe, you really want a fleshy spear for roasting.

MORE FAVORITE ASPARAGUS RECIPES
~ Gorgeous Raw Asparagus Salad ~
~ Roasted Asparagus & Mushrooms ~
~ more asparagus recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding ~
~ Roasted Salmon & Asparagus ~
~ more asparagus recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

Avocado Dip ♥ Recipe

May 11, 2009

Today's vegetable recipe: A Middle Eastern avocado dip, smoother than guacamole but otherwise similar. Very impressive appearance when served in the empty avocado shells - positively gorgeous, if I may say so myself! Low-carb and vegan.

So May 5th passed without the hoped-for, planned-for, considerably-anticipated Cinco de Mayo party, something about a calendar mix-up and a dining room with fresh paint but so far, no floor. Oops. But I couldn't get the shouts for 'Mexican food' 'MEXICAN FOOD' 'MEXICAN FOOD' out of my head and so, piecemeal, put together a menu's worth of dishes over the course of the week, including this gorgeous Avocado Dip.

Funny thing is, this avocado dip isn't Mexican at all, but Middle Eastern! It adds tahini (the sesame paste) and is mashed to a smooth dip rather than the loose chunks of Homemade Guacamole, say. I found it quite luscious and very pretty partied up in the empty avocado shells, a snap to do.

AVOCADO DIP

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 1 cup

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe avocados, preferably the Haas avocados which dark green, nubbly skins
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice from 2 lemons, about 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Pimento, for garnish

TOAST In a small skillet, toast the cumin until aromatic, then grind in a mortar and pestle (see TIPS) or a spice grinder.

MASH With a mortar and pestle or the tines of a fork, mash the garlic and salt until the garlic becomes soft and almost creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mash until quite smooth.

TO MAKE AHEAD Transfer the mixture to a glass storage container, tuck a pit into the center. Cover with plastic wrap that directly touches the surface, then the cover.

SERVE Scoop all the avocado out of the skins, trim the edges with scissors if needed or to make slightly more shallow. Wash and dry, then fill with the avocado dip. Top with pimento, if desired.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 61Cal; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 41mg Sodium; 3g Carb; 1g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from a recipe for Middle Eastern Avocado Purée published in the New York Times, which came from a cookbook by Ana Sortun called Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean

KITCHEN NOTES

I've only had a mortar and pestle for a year or two but am surprised how often I pull it out. It's quite small, however, so after mashing the garlic and salt, and the toasted cumin seeds, I mixed the dip in a mixing bowl just using the back of a wooden spoon. Worked like a charm!

HOW TO RIPEN AVOCADOS: Grocery-store avocados are often not yet ripe enough for eating. Put them into a paper bag and leave out on the counter until the skin depresses slightly with a gentle squeeze.

Word Dancing: Who knew that we spell the plural of avocado as -- avocados, no 'e' -- not avocadoes, with an 'e'. I've fixed the post but it's been like this forever!

MORE AVOCADO RECIPES
~ Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos ~
~ Spring & Summer Sliced Salad ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Tropical Salad Supper ~
~ Fruity Gazpacho ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ more avocado recipes ~
~ more dips & spreads ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

Cauliflower 'Spanish Rice' ♥ Reader Recipe

May 5, 2009

Today's vegetable recipe: A low-carb and high-fiber 'rice' dish, made not with rice but cauliflower yet still tastes like rice! Weight Watchers 1 point.

When my friend Sally from the Iowa blog Tip of the Iceberg mailed this recipe, she wrote, "I've used this recipe for years and it truly is excellent. I hope you can share it with the world." Verdict? It is truly excellent and Here, World, it is!

It looks like Spanish rice. It tastes like Spanish rice. And yet it's not made with rice, it's made with cauliflower. So it's a perfect choice for people who watch their carb intake for diets or diabetes. And good news, this doesn't taste like 'diet food' -- it's just plain good! And it looks so beautiful on a plate, too, adding color and texture, very pretty!

PS This isn't the first time I've used cauliflower to 'fool' the table. Turns out, cauliflower can taste a lot like mashed potatoes, too, just see these Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes' from Kitchen Parade, the recipe which prompted Sally to share hers. Thanks, Sally, your cauliflower 'Spanish Rice' is a keeper!

READER RECIPE:
CAULIFLOWER 'SPANISH RICE'

Hands-on time: 25 minutes with occasional attention required throughout
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 5 cups

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped
Salsa to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

COOK THE CAULIFLOWER by steaming in a vegetable steamer or boiling in salted water, cooking to the 'al dente' stage where it's cooked through but not soft. Chop fine.

MEANWHILE in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM til shimmery. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir in. When the cauliflower is cooked, stir it in and continue to cook, breaking up the cauliflower and tomatoes with the edge of a spatula while stirring. After cooking awhile, stir in the salsa. Keep cooking, keep tasting, adding more salsa and salt and pepper as needed. The dish is 'done' when the liquid has cooked off, the salsa and seasoning are perfect, and the rest of supper is done too!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup: 92 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 257mg Sodium; 15g Carb; 5g Fiber; 7g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES

My cast iron skillet is about 10 inches across but a bigger one with a bigger cooking surface would have sped along the cooking process.

I was out of green pepper but one would add to the authentic look and feel of Spanish rice.

I used a good half cup, total, of two mild salsas (one tomato and one tomatillo) but started with a couple of tablespoons. If you're short on salsa, pull out the hot sauce!

This would work as a vegan main dish but could also easily be adapted to a rustic main dish, by adding tiny slices of pork or chicken. Note to Vegetarians

This dish could be made ahead and then reheated -- and I bet the leftovers are fabulous!