Hoppin' John: An Unassuming Fellow.

Oh Hoppin' John, how I lament that you and I never crossed paths before! I thought about dressing him up a little for the photo, but really, it is a very simple and satisfying dish that  just doesn't need anything else.

We met one day, by chance in a grocery store, when this tub of fresh black-eyed peas went on sale for $1.99

How can you pass that up? You cannot. I dare you to, try it. You can't do it.

Then I turned to the back of the box (the "Vegetarian" labeled box) and read this simple little recipe for Hoppin' John.  But why, oh why, did they call for chicken broth?? No matter, that 's easy to fix.

I really didn't know I would love this recipe so much. I did tinker with it a bit, taking out, obviously, the chicken broth, and adding celery and smoke flavor. And what resulted is something my husband would leave me for, if he knew how to make it, which he doesn't, so he has to stay here to get it. Follow? Right.

Hoppin' John, traditionally, as I found out, is made with a very large ham hock. Well, that certainly won't do, now will it? So smoke flavor stands in nicely.

Ingredients:
1 tub (about 1.5 cups) fresh or dried black eyed peas, cooked and drained
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups veggie broth
1 tsp smoke flavor
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a stock pot and saute the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add in the beans and the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

Go-To Veggie Sandwich

When I first became a vegetarian, some 10 years ago, I used to eat these all the time. Not sure why I got out of the habit, maybe because I'm not a huge sandwich eater to start with, but having one today brought back all kinds of memories.

The only thing I wish I had added (but didn't have on hand) was maybe some red onion or peppercinis.

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole grain bread

handful each of pea shoots and fresh spinach

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

1 small tomato, sliced

1 block of marinated, baked tofu, sliced (you can buy pre-packaged or make your own)

3-4 slices of cucumber

honey mustard dressing

Slather each slice of bread generously (trust me on this, be generous!) Top one slice with pea shoots, spinach and cucumber. Top the other slice with marinated tofu, tomato and avocado. Season with salt and pepper if desired and gracefully bring the two slices together. Be careful, those avocado slices are slippery little suckers and will try to escape!

Rejuvenation Salad

What a simple and easy treat. Perfect for post-yoga rejuvenation (hence the name!)

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, diced
1 tsp each toasted sesame oil and apple cider vinegar
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

Latkes and Broccoli Spinach Soup

Latkes aren't just for Hannukah! I topped mine with the leftover ginger/carrot slaw from lunch (see previous post) but the traditional way is to serve it with applesauce or sour cream.

Paired with a nice green soup, this dinner is savory and satisfying and packs a whollop of veggies into one meal.

Latkes:

1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp flour
1/4 pepper
1 tsp salt
1 onion
4 small potatoes
1 zucchini

Combine egg, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Grate the onion and add to the egg mix.

Grate potatoes and zucchini into a separate bowl. Turn contents out into a dry, clean dishtowel and squeeze the moisture out of the potatoes.

Combine potatoes to egg/onion mix and toss to coat.

Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a large skillet (make sure it is nice and hot before you add the latkes, or they will stick).  Form each latke by taking a small handful and pressing into pancake shapes about 2 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. Brown on each side.

Keep warm on a dry cookie sheet in 200 degree oven until ready to eat.


Broccoli Spinach Soup:

1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, diced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 cups of broth or water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup spinach
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 tbsp flour

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan.

Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add in the broth, broccoli, salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil.Continue to cook until the broccoli is tender and bright green, about 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer the soup into a blender and mix until smooth with the fresh spinach.

Place back in saucepan and bring back to a simmer.

In another bowl, add 1/4 cup cold water and the flour and whisk until smooth. Add to saucepan. Slowly whisk in the cheese (if using) and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Enjoy warm.

Vegan Detox Salad with Ginger Carrot Slaw

Holidays got you feeling a little sluggish? This salad is vegan and salt free (aside from what's in the miso) but doesn't lack for flavor! So give your digestion a little fiber and nutrient boost, guilt free. Remember, oil is not the enemy as long as it is a high quality oil like olive, coconut, avocado or sesame. Oils help lubricate your digestive system, cleanse the liver and keep the skin healthy.

Toss together a giant salad of your favorite mixin's. I used spinach, green beans and tomatoes, but use what you like!

The dressing is what makes it really special.

Slaw Dressing:

1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 inch section of cucumber, roughly chopped
2 inch peeled section of fresh ginger
1 tsp miso paste
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
about 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Finely chop your vegetables in the food processor. Add in the miso and the rest of the liquid ingredients and process until finely-chunky-smooth.  Dollop your slaw ontop of your salad and top with grated carrot and more chopped green onions.

Bean and Barley Soup

Soup is so easy, it's one of those things you kind of toss together, cook a while and then enjoy with leftovers enough to eat throughout the week or to freeze. If you haven't noticed, we eat a lot of soup 'round here. But this one is my go-to soup recipe for when the fridge is looking sparse or when I don't know what the heck else to cook tonight (which happens more than you think!)

I think this soup gets better the longer it sits, so leftovers the next day are twice as good!

Ingredients

1/4 cup each: dried white beans, black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans

1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup each: chopped celery and carrot
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 boxes of vegetable broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can or jar of stewed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Quick soak your beans: place the beans in a stock pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and cover, boil hard for 2 minutes. Turn heat off and leave covered, let sit at least 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans, set aside.

Saute the vegetables and spices until fragrant and soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.

Garnish as desired: I topped mine with a handful of fresh spinach and a tablespoon of chili sauce. The kids had theirs with shredded cheddar.

Pita Salad

I've been branching out of my usual salad repetoire (romaine does get boring after a while) and this one is a nice little side dish, really fresh and light. We had it with a simple minestrone soup.

I cheated by using pita chips, but you could just as easily toast your own.

Ingredients:

1 cup pita chips
1 diced English cucumber
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, chopped
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, diced (optional)

Combine in a bowl and toss with sauce (recipe follows). Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

sauce:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix well in a small bowl .