Soup: Yogurt and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup strained yogurt (we use Greek yogurt)
1 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 tsp turmeric
margarine or butter
salt

1. Heat a little margarine or butter in a saucepan and cook the garlic for a few minutes (don't let it burn).
2. Add the tomatoes and stir as they cook
3. In a bowl or blender, mix the strained yogurt with the flour and add the milk and water, turmeric and salt to taste.
4. Spoon the mixture into the saucepan and stir into the tomatoes and garlic.
5. Bring the soup slowly to a boil and simmer 10 min or so, stirring until it thickens.

Recipe adapted from The World in Your Kitchen, Troth Wells, copyright New Internationalist, 1993

Bestest Spicy Summer Salsa

This is my favorite simple summer salsa. It's got just enough heat, but feel free to adjust the number of jalepenos to suit your tastes. Include the pepper seeds/ribs for even more kick!

Ingredients:
3 c Tomatoes, chopped
3 c Onions, chopped
3 Jalepenos, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
1/3 c Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbs Sugar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for five hours. Allow to cool, then puree in batches. Refrigerate and serve chilled. Lasts for about a week in a covered dish in the refrigerator; freezes well.

Snack: Easy Banana Muffins! From Boston, with love.

This recipe is adapted from Gourmet Magazine, August 2003. It's originally from Flour Bakery and Cafe, my new favorite baked goods spot in Boston.

Makes 12 Muffins (or one loaf)

Blend together:
1 stick room temperature butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes (or put in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes).

Then put these ingredients on top of the butter mixture and mix them lightly together first, then blend in with the butter mixture:
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix these ingredients together in a separate bowl, and then add to the flour mixture. DON'T overmix. It will make the muffins tough:
3 coarsely mashed very ripe bananas
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoons vanilla

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and bake at 350 for around 25 minutes. They will be done when you can press lightly on the top of a muffin and it bounces back. (or when a toothpick comes out clean).

Here's the original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Bread-108415#ixzz0yz3vOyjz

Soup: Apple-Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive or canola oil
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
3/4 c Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 c yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 c celery, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried Sage
pinch Paprika
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 and 3/4 c vegetable broth
3 Tbs nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add apple, potato, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent. Stir in spices and cook about a minute more. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer soup, in batches, to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan, stir in yogurt, and heat on low until warmed through. Yum.

Dessert: Blueberry Pie

This is one of the best pies I've ever had!

First make the crust:

Stir together:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
Add:
3/4 cup chilled lard or vegetable shortening
3 Tbs cold unsalted butter
Work the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers,until it is pea sized. Sprinkle the dough with:
6 Tbs ice water
Blend the water into the dough, lifting it with a fork to allow the moisture to spread. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in refrigerator until you're ready to roll it out. After rolling out the dough, line the bottom of a 9-inch round pan with one half of the dough.

For the filling:
Preheat the oven to 425.
Combine:
5 cups of fresh blueberries (or thawed frozen berries)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
3 1/2 to 4 Tbs cornstarch (use 4 Tbs if you want to make a lattice crust on top; that will firm up the filling)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and cover with the other half of the crust. Prick it with a fork to vent it, or make a lattice tip by cutting the rolled out dough into strips and laying them across each other on the top of the pie. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for about 30 minutes more, or until the crust is browned and (if you made a lattice) thick berry juice bubbles up. If making a lattice, you may want to put a cookie sheet under the pie pan to keep it from bubbling over.

Recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking, by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, published by Scribner, Copyright 2006.

Main Dish: Ratatouille

Ratatouille
--(perfect with all those summer garden veggies!)

¼ c. olive oil
2 c. onion, chopped
4-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size eggplants, cubed
¼ c. dry red wine
¼ c. tomato paste, stirred into 1 c. water
¼ c. chopped fresh basil
½ t. dried oregano and chopped fresh rosemary
2 c. red bell peppers, chopped into large pieces
3 c. zucchini (or yellow squash), cubed
3 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
Grated Parmesan or other cheese optional)
Black pepper and salt to taste

--Heat olive oil in a large soup pot
--Add onions and sauté them for 5 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; sauté for 1 minute.
--Add eggplant, wine, tomato paste/water, basil, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
--Add peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Add a bit more water, if necessary. Simmer in the covered pot until all the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
--Top with your favorite cheese and fresh parsley (optional).

Main Dish: Beans and Rice w/ Mango, Cucumber, Tomato salsa

Mango, Cucumber, Tomato Salsa
(quick meal!)

Cook brown rice according to package directions
Heat up canned black beans
Cut up 1 large mango, 1 cucumber and 1 large tomato
Mix mango, cucumber and tomato together in a bowl to create “salsa”
Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve salsa over brown rice and black beans

This recipe was shared with me from a friend several years ago!

An Invitation to your Taste Buds

Welcome! After years of admiring each others' recipes, we decided to make a recipe-exchange blog! On this blog, you'll find a variety of vegetarian recipes that we've already tried; that way, you'll know that each recipe comes recommended. To search for recipes with a certain ingredient, use the query box in the top left-hand corner. We invite you to share recipes, too! If you want to contribute, we'll add you as an author; or you can email your recipes to either of us and we'll post them. Feel free to add pictures as well - we love to see smiling faces and yummy food. And be sure to provide a citation for any recipes you get from a cookbook!
Bon Appetit!

Your Friends, Veronica and Laura