Tomato Sauce with Black Lentils (Bolognese-style)

4-5 servings

 

Ingredients: -2 cans Kirkland Organic Diced Tomatoes -2 cups water or broth -1 cup black lentils, dry, rinsed, 1 TB dried Basil 1 TB dried Thyme 2 tsp dried onion powder 2 tsp dried garlic powder salt/pepper to taste (optional) 1 TB olive oil some finely-diced raw carrots 1 TB tomato paste (optional, for richer flavor) Directions : Add olive oil tomatoes, water or broth, lentils, herbs, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer, with the lid slightly ajar to vent the bubbling sauce. Stir every 10 minutes. If it gets too thick before the lentils are tender, add a little more water. When the lentils are soft, taste and add salt & pepper, if desired. For a smoother sauce, mash a small portion of the lentils with the back of a spoon. This sauce is high in protein and fiber. Try this over pasta (gluten free). Make a double batch and freeze one. A great sauce over pasta, roasted vegetables or baked sweet potato.

Gluten-Free Oat Sandwich Bread

 Gluten-Free Honey Oat Sandwich Bread 

Recipe by Frank Tegethoff - King Arthur’s recipe database 

 

Total Time: more than 2 hours 

Yield: 1 loaf

 

Ingredients:

 

-3 cups (360g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour

-1/2 cup (45g) Gluten-free rolled oats, old-fashioned or quick cooking oats

-1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast (Red Star is not GF, Use Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast)

-1 teaspoon table salt

-3/4 cup warm milk 

-2 tablespoons honey

-4 tablespoons butter, softened

-4 large eggs

 

My notes:

-I used almond milk, Country Crock with Olive Oil Butter and added caraway and chia seeds (next time try up to 2 Tb caraway, 1 Tb chia seeds) 

-Although King Arthur does not recommend using Measure-for-Measure Flour for yeasted breads, it works in this recommended recipe 

 

Below are my instructions, which are more specific than the original directions in the recipe

 

1.        Take the butter out of the refrigerator, set aside

 

2.        Dry Ingredients:

3.        Weigh the flour, or measure by gently spooning into a cup, sweeping off any excess. Place the flour, oats, yeast and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

 

4.        Whisk together the four eggs and put in a measuring cup to pour at a later step

 

5.        Whisk together the warm milk & honey using the stand mixer at low speed.  

 

6.        Add the dry ingredients into the mixer bowl with the warm milk & honey, beating all the time; the mixture will be crumbly.

 

7.        Add the softened butter and beat until blended.

 

8.        Slowly pour the eggs, beating all the time. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl, (add optional seeds), then beat at medium speed for 3 minutes to make a very smooth, thick batter. 

 

9.        Cover the bowl for the first rise of the batter for 30 minutes. 

 

10.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, gently deflating the batter in the process.

 

11.  Use parchment paper to line a 9” x 4” gluten-free bread loaf pan

 

12.  Scoop the dough into the pan using a spatula or wet fingers, mounding the dough into a dome-shaped loaf 

 

13.  Cover with greased plastic wrap or re-usable wrap, and set in a warm place to rise to within ¾” of the rim of the 9” x 4” pan.  This should take 30-60 minutes, depending on the warmth in the kitchen. Turn on the oven, to baking temperature, 350° to warm the kitchen during proofing. Read on for more information about rising and the “poke test.”

 

a.         How long to let yeast bread rise? Yeast bread typically needs to rise for 1-3 hours total but the time varies like the room temperature (a warmer environment is better), the amount of yeast (less yeast requires more time), and the recipe (doughs with more fat or liquid will take longer to rise than lighter doughs). To check if the dough is ready, use the “poke test,” if the indentation from your finger slowly bounces back(about ten seconds), it’s ready for baking. If the indentation springs back quickly, it needs more time to rise. If the dough doesn’t spring back at all, it may be over-proofed, a different issue, when the dough has risen for too long and it can collapse in the oven, lack structure, may be sticky and develop an off-flavor (sour) from the yeast’s activity. Check the dough, not the clock, as rising times can vary.

 

14.  Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown, internal temperature between

190-200° 

 

15.  Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and thoroughly cool before slicing

 

Store bread wrapped in plastic at room temperature for 24 hours or slice and freeze for longer storage

 

Zig - Zag Squash Fries

I purchased a bag of fresh yellow squash crinkly cuts for fries at Trader Joe's, a seasonal specialty item. 

A great side dish.

Don't make them the way I did, try this way, using an air fryer.  Season first with a spray of oil, salt pepper, garlic and/or onion powder. Toss.

They will be tasty if they are not well done.  Set for 10-14 minutes at 375°, turning the pieces over at halfway.  I tried at 400° and they cooked too fast for my control and too well done. 

Stuffed Vegetables - Fork and Knives Magazine Fall 2024

Roasted Vegetables

 I had a basket of beautiful vegetables fresh from the farmer’s market. I wanted something different from the usual stir-fry and yearned for the deep-roasted flavor.  I pulled out a heavy Le Creuset oven roasting pan with a lid.  Sprayed the pan with olive oil spray and added a couple of teaspoons of minced ginger from a jar.  Chopped up the vegetables to be approximately the same size: mushrooms, eggplant, summer squash in various colors and forms; crookneck and patty pan, red and yellow long peppers, a glorious variety.

Roasted at 375 degrees for an hour. Halfway in, about 30 minutes, added a can of diced tomatoes with their liquid.   

Served over jasmine rice, sprinkled with grated Parmigiana cheese. The vegetables were flavorful without added seasoning! 

Rebecca's "Israeli" Fish

 

This is the first time that I've baked fish since I became a pescatarian five years ago. Although I enjoy consuming fish in restaurants, my preference has been to only prepare vegetables at home until I tasted this fish dish,  It is flavorful, and smells great, a very satisfying meal of baked red snapper which I served with slices of slow-baked creamy potatoes. Pictured above is just one portion, about 3 ounces of fish topped with a thick vegetable sauce of tomatoes, onions and peppers. 

The fish recipe is from Rebecca Chanin Gilbert's recipe treasury who notes that " this recipe is fairly flexible. You could use leeks or shallots instead of an onion, for example. You could add smoked paprika to this, too."

"Israeli" Fish

yield: 3 - 4  servings

olive oil

salt & pepper

1 lb of firm white fish fillets (red snapper, but cod, haddock, or halibut would be great)

1 medium-large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 of a large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, and chopped small (I used a 4 oz. can of Ortega diced Jalapenos, drained liquid, and rinsed)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 Tb cumin

2 Tbs tomato paste

1 small can of tomatoes ~ 14 oz

1 small vegetable bouillon cube or a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon 

Handful of chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

NOTE: Choose a saute pan that you can also put into the oven.

Saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper in olive oil until the vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and tomato paste and stir for a minute until the spices are fragrant.

Add the tomatoes. If they are whole, use a fork or potato masher to break them up.

Add the bouillon and simmer the sauce for 30 mins over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

While the sauce cooks, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Taste sauce and correct seasoning as needed. Add the fish to the sauce, loosely cover the pan with foil, and cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until the fish flakes with a fork.

Remove the pan from the oven. If desired, remove fish and simmer the sauce to thicken (optional).

Serve garnished with the chopped cilantro/parsley.

NOTE: You can make the sauce ahead of time and cook the fish in it later.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

 Your satisfaction with any salad dressing depends on the quality of the ingredients and this is especially true with Balsamic dressings.  I really like Colavita Balsamic Vinegar of Modena 16P, Italy.

Lauren's Recipe "Light Balsamic Vinaigrette"

Yield: 6 servings - 2 TB per serving

Ingredients

• ▢1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (60g)
• ▢2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (30g) can sub for white distilled
• ▢2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (30g)
• ▢2 Tbsp water (30g)
• ▢1 Tbsp honey (21g)
• ▢1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• ▢1/4 tsp salt
• ▢1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients, some separation will occur. 

Kimchi Soup

Sometimes Kimchi is just too intense a flavor when it is not accompanied by a meat protein. As a pescatarian, I still want to enjoy Kimchi.  The label on this jar did not indicate its level of heat like salsa when it's labeled 'hot.' Looking for a savory idea, I thought soup. It turned out to be a delicious cabbage soup with additional mild, white cabbage.   The next day, I sauteed some green squash and mushrooms and added the cooked, soft vegetables to the leftover soup and loved it.  Also, I think that this would be great served cold, like a Japanese-type gazpacho.

Yield: 4 cups, two servings 

Ingredients:

1 C Jongga Nappa Cabbage Kimchi 

1 C shredded green or white cabbage, any variety

1 TB Better Than Bouillion Reduced Sodium Vegetable Soup Base (1 tsp per cup of water)

3 C Water

Bring covered water to a boil with Soup Base, add Kimchi and cabbage.  On medium heat, heat covered soup to a boil, then lower temperature and simmer for ten minutes, until cabbage is thoroughly softened.

  

Banana Everything Cookies

 This is a recipe that I have modified from New York Times Cooking.

Cookie calories depends on the batch yield. Total Calories: 2196 without real sugar.

 Ingredients:

nonstick cooking oil spray

1 very ripe medium banana

⅓ cup Canola Oil

2/3 Alternative Baking Sugar (or Sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup plus 2 TB all-purpose flour, or as needed

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼  tsp cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

½ C chopped walnuts

½ C chocolate chips (or less)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use Silpat liners or spray two baking pans with oil. 

Using one large bowl, mash banana well. Add oil, sugar & vanilla, and mix with a strong fork. Add flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon, and mix until just moistened.

Add oatmeal, walnuts and chocolate chips. Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix well until oats are well moistened. (If dough is very slippery, add one or two extra TB flour.)

Using clean, wet hands, re-wetting as needed, roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball, about 1 ⅓” in diameter. Flatten slightly (important) & place 2” apart on a baking sheet.

Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minnutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

11-01-2022 batch was 36 cookies, 61 calories each.   

 

Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing

 Calories: 28 calories per TB

Yield: ⅔ Cup = 10 TB

Ingredients:

½ C Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar

1 TB low sodium Soy Sauce

1 TB Avocado Oil (or other neutral oil)

2 tsp Maple Syrup

1 TB dry minced ginger bits (or 2 tsp powdered ginger) or more

Mix in food processor or blender 

Refrigerate

Oil-Free Mustard Salad Dressing

 This recipe of from ordinaryvegan.net

Double up, it's that good!

yield: ⅓ Cup

ingredients:

¼ C water

1 ½ TB cider vinegar

1 small shallot or red onion slice, chopped

2 ½ tsp dijon mustard (or more)

2 tsp maple syrup

¼ tsp salt

ground black pepper

1 TB fresh parsley, chopped

Combine all ingredients except the parsley into a food processor or blender.

Process until smooth. Add the parsley, taste and adjust seasonings.

Cover. Refrigerate. Will keep 4-5 days refrigerated.