1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 pounds yellow onions, sliced into wedges 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Fresh ground white pepper

In large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions until translucent (approx. 5-6 minutes). Add the vinegars and a pinch of white pepper. Lower heat, add the sugar and cook until the liquid is almost completely reduced and the onions have melted into a jam (this will take 20-25 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the fresh thyme leaves

I love a meaty flavor to soups, stews and gravies, what in cooking is called the taste of umami.  To cut down on fats, I’ve eliminated most meats from my diet.  Now I can have the best of both worlds. I asked Pam Partridge Jacobs for the recipe for her savory veggie stock and here it is.  She says, “You can grind two or three dried porcini mushrooms to get the amount of mushroom powder you need to use in this stock…gives it great flavor!” Continue reading →

I’ve got to call myself on it when I do it! Tonight’s dinner was a tater tot sandwich on a toasted white bread onion roll with mixed greens. And yesterday I ate half a Zero bar. See? I don’t always eat healthy stuff. “Half a Zero bar?” a pal asked. Yes, I took a few bites of the Zero bar, then had a friend hide it in their freezer. Then I nabbed it when they weren’t looking and had more bites. Then I gave them custody of it overnight and that was the last I saw of it… Now that’s a true friend.

The other day I made hummus and roasted a bunch of vegetables in my new convection oven. Now they are stored in the fridge, so today’s brunch will be easy.  Cooked with oil and highly spiced, we’re talking massive flavor.  Today, I’ll take a large corn or flour tortilla and heat it in a pan a few moments on each side to soften it, so it doesn’t break when I fold it. Then I’ll spoon down a stripe of parsley garlic hummus and top it with a 3″ stripe of roasted veggies.  Another day I’ll add rice and cheese. I like to also add 1 teaspoon of fruit jam and a tiny stripe of Sriracha Sauce, then top with romaine and fresh tomato slices. Then I fold the tortilla over the filling to make a nice envelope. Place in a heated nonstick pan and toast until golden on each side.

I love an acorn squash and sweet potato soup.  I like it highly flavored, sometimes chunky, sometimes blended with a hand mixer to make a creamed soup. Here it’s chunky and I’ve added fresh thyme, rosemary and sage to give it a smoky flavor.  Made with vegetable broth, it’s vegan!  Continue reading →

3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, or egg substitute
4 oz low fat mozzarella cheese or vegan cheese
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 cup flour
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper
1 large head cauliflower, cored, broken into 1-inch florets

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop the raw cauliflower small and steam for about 15 minutes or until soft.

IMPORTANT: After steaming the cauliflower, strain in a colander and then pour onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool 15 minutes. Then wrap it up in the dish towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.  If you don’t do this, your crust will be chewy, not crispy.

Place it into a food processor and blend until it’s the texture of mashed potatoes. In a bowl, stir together cauliflower, eggs, cheese, flour and spices.  Lightly spray a baking pan with olive oil and cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Press the mixture down into the paper until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. I used a rolling pin to make it very thin and yet leave no gaps.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes until the top browns.

Let cool, cut and enjoy.
I may grate some oven baked tostones (green plantain chips) into the batter next time.

Cheesey Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I bought an Oster convection oven and tried it for the first time the other day.  I was going to roast some 1″ x 2″ chunks of eggplant, onion, red pepper and zucchini.  In a regular over, it would take about 60-80 minutes at 400 degrees.  I was told to use a lower temp for a shorter period, so I experimented.  First I hit the BAKE button for 20 minutes at 375. Not much seemed to happen. Then I discovered the TURBO/CONVECTION button and did that at 375 for 35 minutes more. They were perfect.  Next time I’ll cook at 375 for 45 minutes.  Roasted veggies, I like eating them alone, or wrapped in a tortilla as a burrito or taco, over rice or noodles.  I make a dip with the roasted veggies blended with 1 tbsp tahini, 1 can of garbanazos (with some of the juice)  2 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of cumin and smoky paprika.

I heat 2 cups of vegetable broth in a saucepan. You can also use chicken broth or hot water into which a tablespoon of white barley miso paste has been mixed.

Grate in 3 tbsp of fresh ginger

Squeeze in half a lemon, with zest

Chop and add a few scallions

2 tbsp of Fish Sauce for umami

1/4 tsp of Vietnamese chili garlic sauce for a kick

I use this dressing on most of my salads

Oriental Dressing Recipe:
3 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp grey poupon
1/8 tsp sesame oil

Applebee’s Oriental chicken salad contains chopped romaine, red cabbage, Napa cabbage, carrot, sliced almonds chow mein noodles and is topped with either fried or grilled chicken breast.

I use the dressing for most of my salads. Pictured is a fave salad of chopped romaine, beets, garbanzos, strawberries, mini cucumbers and carrot shreds, topped with gomasio, which is kelp and toasted sesame seed.

Crispy tofu, here with asparagus

Saturday we went to Pho Cali Vietnamese Noodle House in Mebourne and had crispy tofu with broccoli and brown garlic sauce. I tasted it and thought “I can make that!”  So tonight I did. I cut the tofu larger than normal, which resulted in it not getting as crunchy as I like.  The coating was crisp, and it was good, but I like the crispy crunchiness of the savory tofu I usually make. I cooked half the tofu last night and will do the other half tonight.

I’ll cut it in smaller bites. It’s been in the fridge basking in panko crumbs so it will be perfect.  And, another head of broccoli to test it out on! Maybe I’ll add some apricot or nectarine to the sauce, maybe some peanut butter.

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