Farmer's Market Friday!

On Fridays during the Fall, Bon Appetit dining services here on campus hosts a lovely Farmer's Market right in the quad outside of the Bookstore.

Being the veggie lover that I am, I usually head out and buy something; one, because I can always use it, and two, because I want to show support for their event.

Today was extra special because there were samples that I could eat. (The last few weeks had been artisan sausages and local cheese). This week was pea greens from Allen Farm in Westport, MA, a 50 acre farm run by Debbie Barrett.

Debbie's sweet delicate pea greens have become quite well known here in southern New England, and are often found in many restaurants here in Providence.

Today the new Chef de Cuisine, John, was featuring the pea greens in a colorful salad that was making my mouth water. He was even kind enough to make a small batch withOUT the cheese so that I might have a taste!

I am not sure of exact amounts, and I'm never too strict when making up a salad, but you can see all the ingredients here below:

Toss together ingredients above with a generous amount of the fresh pea greens, salt and pepper to taste, and some home made Lemon Vinaigrette.

Basic Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon agave
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together until well combined.

Here is my cheeseless sample on an adorable bamboo bite size plate!  I was so thrilled that Chef took a moment to make up a batch with out the cheese that I bought all the ingredients to make the salad this weekend at home.

Just look at these beautiful carrots:

Thanks again, Bon Appetit, for another great week! Keep up the good work. ^_^

*** Here is my recreation of Chef John's salad at home. This one is the undressed version still in the bowl. It looked a little better on the plate ;)))

Pasta with Zucchini in Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

Still looking for some creative ways to use up your garden zucchini?  Try this recipe out!

Pasta with Zucchini and Lemon Cream Sauce

1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions
(today we have pipette pasta by Barilla)

Their shape is somewhat similar to macaroni, but the tube is wider and bends in the middle, just like a pipe!

1 large zuchini, diced into small cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, optional



For the Zucchini Sautee:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Add olive oil and garlic, and heat until garlic is golden and fragrant.
Add in crushed red pepper if using.
Next, toss in the diced zucchini, and stir to coat with olive oil and garlic.
Add Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Sautee 8-10 minutes, or until soft but not mushy

For the sauce:

2 cups water

1/2 cup raw cashews

¼ cup nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons tahini

Juice and zest of 1 1/2 lemons

Combine all the ingredients above into a blender, and blend until super smooth, and no bits of nuts remain. If you have a decent blender, there is no need to soak the cashews for this sauce.  My blender is an Oster, nothing fancy like a Vitamix or Blendtec, and it handles raw nuts quite well.
Pour the blended liquid into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Be sure to whisk continuously.  Reduce to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until thickened.

*SHORTCUT: I have been experimenting with microwaving sauces and gravies at 1 minute, 30 second intervals to thicken them, instead of simmering on the stove.  I use my pyrex 4 cup glass measuring cup which is microwave safe , and holds a good amount of liquid. My microwave is weak, so I start out at 1 minute 30 seconds, to get the mixture hot, (sometimes it doesn't always get there, but sometimes it does) and then do 30 second increments from there, whisking in between, until the sauce is thick.  

It worked like a charm with this sauce, and it left me free to sautee the zucchini on the stove, without having to constantly whisk the sauce.

Pasta should be boiling at this point, in plenty of salted water.  Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl.

Pour thickened lemon sauce over cooked pasta and gently mix, then top with your garlicky, sauteed zucchini.  
Enjoy ^_^

Lemon Gem Cupcakes!

Let's dust off some old recipes...

I was asked to bring a (vegan) dessert to a dinner I was invited to.  After mulling a few ideas around in my head, it was suggested that I bring cupcakes.  Great! I haven't made a batch of cupcakes in a while.  I was then suggested:   "How about those lemon cupcakes you made that time..." 

Would you believe the last time I made these was FOUR years ago?!  What a fool I am, because these are one fabulous cupcake.

If you don't have Veganomicon already, you can see the cupcake recipe here, and then run out and buy yourself a copy, because it truly is an amazing cookbook...

Lemon Gem cupcakes truly stand up to their name.  They are sunny, bright, and full of amazing lemony flavor, mostly from the FRESH lemon juice and zest that goes in to the cupcake batter.  I had gotten a nice bottle of pure lemon extract, and I added 1/2 tsp of that too, just for good measure.

This time, I added a splash of vanilla and lemon extracts to the frosting as well, which really added a nice touch ^_^

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I had these beautiful stalks of fresh rosemary left over from New Years Eve, and half a bag of potatoes, so I threw together this:



Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed (this time I used organic russet)
Zest of 1 lemon, removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
freshly ground black, pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475.  I use my Pampered Chef large stone bar pan, and preheat the pan right in the oven.  The preheated stone cookies with a nice even heat, and gives whatever you roast on it, a gorgeous brown, caramelized color!

While the oven heats up, place the olive oil and lemon zest strips in a microwave safe dish, and gently warm 30 seconds at a time, until fragrant.  I think I did mine for a total of 1:30.  (You can also do this in a small pot on the stove over low)

Add chopped rosemary and let sit in the warm oil for 10 minutes.

Toss cubed potatoes with the flavored oil on the preheated bar pan, spread evenly,  and add salt and pepper to taste.

Great side dish for chickpea cutlets!!

Roast in oven for 10- 15 minutes, flip potatoes, and roast an additional 5-10 minutes, or until tender

Recipe Testing: Greek Creamy Lemon Rice Soup, “No”govlemano

"The Greek classic egg-lemon chicken soup gets a vegan makeover with the help both white beans... and a touch of arborio rice". 


Warm, comforting and delicious, with just the perfect amount of lemon!  This recipe is a winner, and I will be making it often.  When L walked in the house, she said it smelled just like when her mom made it, so I'd say this recipe definitely stands up to Greek approval There is a version of the recipe with asparagus here on Terry's blog, for anyone who might like to recreate this at home  ^_^ 


Cannot WAIT for Terry's cookbook to come out... !!

Recipe Testing: Lemon Coolers!

I'm not sure WHAT possesd me to take on another recipe testing project, but when I saw a tweet asking for testers for VEGAN Holiday recipes, it was all I could do to contain myself!

These lovely little cookies are from Joni Marie Newman's (Self-appointed Queen of Veggie Burgers) upcoming cookbook: Vegan Food Gifts.

How exciting is that?!  The bulk of my holiday gifts are baked cakes and cookies.  Last year, I even made up batches of home made cinnamon granola.  Testing for this book is a treat, because I already socked away forty of these lovely cookies in my freezer for the end of the month.

Think of these as a lemony twist on the holiday butterball cookie.  The coating on these has a special suprise ingredient that adds a hint of tart to these sweet and lovely lemon cookies ^_^