What's Cooking in the New Year: Snippets from Our 2016 Kitchen

January 22, 2016

What's Cooking in the New Year: Snippets from Our 2016 Kitchen

1. Greek-Style Green Beans

For this delectable, soft and slow-cooked green beans, Cafe Drake HRV likes this recipe from the blog My Greek Dish. We also add dill and finish the beans with a spritz of lemon juice just before serving.

2. Chickpea Flour "Frittata", Salad, Black Beans, Mashed Tofu Salad and Oven-Roasted Tostones

Oven-baked tostones are almost as good as the deep-fried kind and a lot less trouble to make and clean up after. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Peel 1-2 green, unripe plantains and slice into rounds about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Place on a large, foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Toss to coat. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the tostones are golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and cayenne pepper and serve hot. The tostones DO NOT reheat well so make only as many as you'll need for one meal.

3. Ethiopian-Style Seitan and Peppers, Kale with Mustard Sauce and Steamed Millet

The recipe for the Ethiopian-style seitan and peppers can be found in Isa Moskowitz's essential cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.

4. Pasta with Broccoli, Tempeh and Roasted Peanuts, Romaine Salad, Steamed Kale, Roasted Tomatoes and Chili and Lime Cucumbers

This very hardy and nutritious pasta recipe is from the Thug Kitchen cookbook. It's a complete meal unto itself but we enjoyed leftovers with assorted sides and salads. For a quick Korean-style salad, simply peel and slice thinly some Kirby cucumbers and toss with a few drops of sesame oil, a splash of rice vinegar or lime juice, minced garlic and salt to taste. Sprinkle generously with red chili flakes just before serving.

5. Tunisian Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas, Kamut, Yogurt-Tahini Sauce and Avocado Salad

Cafe Drake HRV adapted a recipe from a recent issue of Vegetarian Times to craft our Tunisian Roasted Veggies and Chickpeas. Here's how we did it: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. while you add to a large mixing bowl 1 T. ground cumin, 1 T. smoked paprika, 1 t. turmeric powder, 1/2 t. ground cardamom and 1 t. raz el hanout. Add 3-4 T. olive oil and stir to combine. Now tip in 1 15-oz. can chickpeas (rinsed and drained), 1 large red bell pepper (cut into squares) and 2-3 large-ish Yukon Gold potatoes (cut into wedges, or steak fry shapes). Toss everything well and transfer to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and lots of black pepper and roast for 20 minutes. When the veggies are soft and browned on the edges, remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice. Serve as an entree with a grain or pita bread.

6. Homemade Crisp Breads, Turmeric Rice, Roasted Cabbage Wedges, Tofu Salad and Tahini Dressing