by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Vegetables
I love this simple Red Pepper pasta, with a little kick of red pepper flakes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp oil (EVOO)
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (use less if you have an aversion to spice)
- 15 fresh basil leaves (sliced)
- 1 box of spaghetti (300 grams) or 300 grams of fresh spaghetti
Instructions:
Boil water for pasta. I have my fresh pasta here which I will post the recipe to in a couple of days. Be sure to salt the water after water boils. Julienne the peppers into ¼” wide strips. Chop the onion into same size julienned strips. In a large skillet add the oil and butter to medium high heat, then add the onions and peppers, sauté for approximately 10 minutes until both are slightly browned. Add salt and toss. Add in the cream and the red pepper flakes and cook down till cream thickens. Pasta should be timed so that they are finished around the same time. Using pasta tongs, add spaghetti to the pan of peppers adding in some of the pasta water so that it dilutes the sauce a bit, so it’s not too thick. Stir pasta to coat all of the spaghetti. Place the pasta into bowls then add the sliced basil to the bowl. And voila!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables
I wanted to make a gazpacho that was thirst quenching, nutritious and refreshing, so I married some juicy heirloom tomatoes, seedless watermelon, with the traditional bell peppers and cucumbers. All of which have a high water content, making it unnecessary to add tomato juice. This recipe was pretty simple even though the list of ingredients seems a bit daunting. As long as you have the right measuring tools it’s quite simple to make. Optional: make a big batch and store in the fridge for up to five days.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of diced heirloom tomatoes + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 ½ cups of diced cucumbers – seeded and peeled + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 ½ cups of diced red pepper – seeded + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 cup of diced onions
- 2 cups of chopped watermelon – seeded + 2 tbsp diced for garnish
- 1 cup of croutons
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp for drizzle on garnish
- 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp diced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill the soup for minimum 4 hours but can be stored in the fridge over night. Mix all the reserve garnish (tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, and watermelon) with olive and salt. Place a tbsp onto each serving. Serve with a cool cocktail, perhaps a watermelon margarita or mojito.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Dips, Favorite Recipes, Vegetables
Here is a fun appetizer I created using some (store bought) pizza dough, ricotta, and some veggies. It’s not too heavy and you can make a little extra whipped ricotta as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
For the Whipped Ricotta
- 16 oz. ricotta
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
- 4 small cloves roasted garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
For the Flatbread
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- flour for dusting surface and pizza spatula
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sliced zucchini (with cheese slicer)
- 5 Roma tomatoes (sliced same thickness as zucchini)
- 8 leaves of basil (sliced into strips)
Directions for Whipped Ricotta:
Place ricotta, rosemary, roasted garlic, salt, and goat cheese crumbles into the blender, blend on low speed, and slowly add in the olive oil until you reach a smooth consistency.
Directions for Flatbread:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees or grill. (I normally cook pizza on a pizza stone.) Roll out the pizza dough on a smooth floured surface, stretching on the edge of a counter then tossing in the air, as my husband normally does, (getting flour all over the place) until the pizza dough is evenly thinned out. You can leave the edges thicker (similar to regular pizza), which can be used for dipping into the sauce. Place 1/2 – 1 cup of whipped ricotta onto the center and spread to within one inch of the edges. Sprinkle with salt. Add the tomatoes and zucchini. Place onto the pizza stone and cook until the edges brown, and the center is cooked – approximately 5-10 minutes. Remove flatbread and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with the basil. Serve the extra whipped ricotta on the side. Slice into 3″ pieces and serve. Enjoy!!! Serves 4 as an appetizer.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Vegetables
I was slacking off in the kitchen for a while, and I can tell my husband was really looking for something new in our culinary lives, so I whipped up his favorite type of greens (or rather yellow ;-). Endives! I personally think they are a little bitter, so I added some balsamic reduction, a little sweetness to balance it. In addition, the stinky gorgonzola “paired” really well with the sweet pears. And for a little crunch, I added in the chopped walnuts. This is a super easy and simple appetizer to make, as long as you’ve made the balsamic reduction ahead of time. (Click here for that recipe). Enjoy!
This only took a couple of minutes to throw together. Using the Endive as the serving utensil, you can scoop up the ingredients for a single bite, without the double-dipping.
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
- 1 head of endives (10-12 leaves)
- 2 tbsp gorgonzola
- 1 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 bosc pear (cubed)
- a drizzle of balsamic reduction
Mix all above ingredients in a bowl, except for the endives. Place the endive leaves on a plate, and add the mixture into the center, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Vegetables
Haricot Vert are a thinner and smaller version of the standard American green beans. I cooked these last night as a side dish to my fried trout with brown sage butter (I’ll post that recipe tomorrow). The flavor combinations came from the “affinities” listed in my go-to “Flavor Bible“, pretty much my inspiration for a majority of these recipes. For a Paleo version, just omit the Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of haricot vert
- salt for water
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Directions:
Boil 5 cups of salted water in a medium sized saucepan. Add in haricot vert and blanch them for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter, add in the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the haricot vert, stir frequently. After 5 minutes add in the almonds and saute until beans are tender. Remove from heat, and sprinkle the beans with parmesan cheese. Serves 4
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Paleo, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables
It’s finally winter, and I really wanted to something that was hearty, healthy and warm. It’s been years since I’ve made this Ayurvedic dal (Dahl), but it has always been one of my favorite dishes. I learned this recipe over 18 years ago when my husband and I visited the Deepak Chopra Center in La Jolla, Ca. We stayed there for a week and attended spiritual classes, yoga classes, daily massage treatments, and Ayurvedic cooking classes, and even had a chance to meet Deepak in person! A truly “life-changing” experience! The recipe we made at the Center was a mung Dal, but I could only find Chana Dal at my local grocer. Channa Dal is a small relative of the chickpea and has a yellowish color. Its flavor is slightly sweet. If you can’t find channa dal use yellow mung dal, or yellow split peas. In preparing Dal, it is important to soften it well and cook it long enough so that it takes on a creamy consistency. ( I ended up soaking mine for 2 hours, then cooking for 2 more hours).
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry Chana Dal
- 5 cups water
- 2 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
- 1 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 2 tbsp pureed ginger
- 2 tsp of mustard seed
- 2 tsp of coriander
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of cumin
- salt to taste
- a sprinkle of asafoetida (helps with digestion) – get online or Indian Market
- cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Wash Chana Dal; drain. Soak in water for 2 hours. Cook Chana dal in water in a medium-sized saucepan covered over medium heat until soft, about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the dal! In a small frying pan heat the ghee and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add in the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, making sure not to brown the garlic. Add it all of the spices, and stir so the onions are covered. Then add the spice-onion mixture to the chana dal pot and stir. Add salt and asafoetida. Cook for additional 10 minutes. The texture of the dal should be creamy. Serve with a garnish of cilantro. If not concerned about paleo, you can serve with garlic Naan or basmati rice.
Here are some other great resources for Ayurvedic Meals:
“The Ayurvedic Cookbook” – by Amadea Morningstar
“Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living” – by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda and Johnny Brannigan
“The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well” – by Kate O’Donnell and Cara Brostrom
