Vegan Corn Chowder

• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped (~1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 small red potatoes (or 1 small russet), quartered (peeling, optional)
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 3 ears corn (or 1.5 cans), kernels sliced off
• 2 cups low sodium veggie broth
• 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (or regular milk if not vegan)
• 2-3 green onions (garnish), chopped
• paprika

To a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add potato, season with a little salt and pepper, and cover to steam for 4-5 minutes. Add most of the corn, reserving a little for garnish, and stir.

Add broth and almond milk, cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook until the potatoes are soft and slide off of a knife when pierced - about 5 minutes.

If blending, add 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Transfer soup back to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cook for at least 10 minutes to let thicken. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be.

To serve, top with chopped green onion, remaining fresh (or lightly sauteed) corn, and black pepper. Add a sprinkle of paprika for color.

Serves 3; 220 calories

VERDICT:  Surprisingly good flavor for the small number of ingredients and minimal seasoning.  I doubled the recipe to use up the last of the (not-red) potatoes from the garden and a bunch of leftover almond milk.  Eight cups of liquid seemed like a lot for the amount of potatoes and corn, so I only put five in, which turned out fine.  Keep!  From the Minimalist Baker.

Creamy Edamame Dip

• 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen shelled edamame (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Carrots, for dipping

Boil edamame in salted water until tender, 8 minutes. Transfer to an ice-water bath; drain. Puree in a food processor with cottage cheese, cilantro, serrano, lime juice, oil, 3 tablespoons water, cumin, and salt until creamy. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and carrots for dipping.

Yield: 2 cups.

VERDICT: Super easy, healthy, and good!  I didn't read the recipe in advance and just thawed the edamame, and it hasn't killed me yet.  I used a jalapeño from Jen's CSA instead of serrano--seemed fine.  Keep!

Black Rice Pudding

• 200 g black rice
• 1 ripe mango
• 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon blanched hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
• 2 ripe bananas
• 200 ml hazelnut milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• manuka honey, optional
• 4 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
• 2 wrinkly passion fruit

Cook the black rice according to the packet instructions, overcooking it slightly so it’s plump and sticky, then drain and cool.

Meanwhile, peel and destone the mango, blitz the flesh in a blender with the lime juice until smooth, and pour into a bowl.

Separately, toast the hazelnuts and coconut in a dry frying pan until lightly golden, then bash up in a pestle and mortar.

Peel the bananas and tear into the blender, then blitz with the hazelnut milk, vanilla extract and two-thirds of the black rice – depending on the sweetness of your bananas, you could also add a teaspoon of honey.

Once smooth, stir that back through the rest of the rice – this will give you great texture and colour. Divide between four nice jars or bowls.

Spoon over the blitzed mango, squeeze half a passion fruit over each one, then delicately spoon over the yoghurt and sprinkle with the hazelnuts and coconut.

Serves 4; 277 calories.

VERDICT:  Good!  Very slightly sweet.  I used regular milk, skipped the coconut, and used thawed frozen raspberries instead of passion fruit; it would probably be even better as written.  From Everyday Super Food.  Keep.

Jalapeño Paloma

• 2 oz jalapeño simple syrup (recipe follows)
• 1 oz lime juice
• 4 oz mezcal
• 4 oz grapefruit juice
• 4 oz club soda

Combine all the ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into two glasses. Garnish with grapefruit and jalapeño slices.

Jalapeño Simple Syrup: 

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ water
• 2 jalapeños, coarsely chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 15 mins. Strain and reserve.

Serves 2.

VERDICT:  Mezcal is not for the faint of heart; we dialed it back a bit.  The recipe says you should include the club soda in the shaker, but that seemed odd, so we shook up the rest of the ingredients and then topped off with club soda.  Delightful--keep.  From What Should I Make For....

Spinach Feta Slab Pie

• 2 bunches spinach (1 pound, 6 ounces), tough stems trimmed, washed, with water still clinging to leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, divided in half
• 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, such as Polly-O, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces feta, crumbled (1/3 cup)
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of red-pepper flakes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Place spinach in a large pot over high heat; cover. Steam until just collapsed, about 3 minutes; transfer to a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water; roughly chop.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with a rack in lower third. Brush a 9 1/2-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out and stretch one piece of dough into a thin 10-by-13-inch rectangle. (If dough is springing back, let stand 5 minutes.) Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Arrange mozzarella over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with spinach and sprinkle with feta. Season with salt and red-pepper flakes. Roll out and stretch remaining portion of dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Pinch edges to seal; slash a few vents in top. Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake until golden brown all over and filling is bubbling through vents, 40 to 45 minutes. (Check color of bottom crust by lifting corner with a spatula.) Immediately slide pie off sheet onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. Before serving, cut into squares.

Serves 12.

VERDICT:  I couldn't find the sesame seeds I thought I had, and instead off egg wash, brushed with olive oil.  It was a royal pain trying to get the dough as large as it said it was supposed to be, and I did not love the texture once it was fully cooled.  Warm, though, it was good, and I like the prefab nature of the recipe.  Probably toss, anyway.

Nectarine Blackberry Bars

CRUST :

• 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds 
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal 
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 cup sugar

FILLING

• 12 ounces plums (about 6), preferably Italian prune, cut into a 1/2-inch dice (1 3/4 cups)
• 1 cup blackberries (4 ounces) 
• 2/3 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup, if plums are very sweet) 
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 cup blackberries (4 ounces) 
• 2/3 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup, if plums are very sweet) 
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Crust:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch cake pan. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; butter parchment. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet; toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then coarsely chop. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt.

Beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture; beat until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together. Press 3 cups of dough mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Stir almonds into remaining dough mixture.

Filling: Stir together plums, blackberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Pour into crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over top, squeezing to create clumps. Bake until bubbling in center and crust is golden, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent with foil after about 50 minutes). Let cool 1 hour. Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into squares.

Serves 16.

VERDICT:  The recipe suggested that nectarines would be a nice substitute for plums, and they were.  A rare egg-free baked good that is actually good, especially served with ice cream.  Keep.

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

Post navigatiIS

• 2 large shallots, 1 halved, 1 finely diced,
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 cup dry small green lentils (see Note up top for varieties)
• 1 small bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed to a paste (I use less)
• 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil
• 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed if salted, drained if brined, and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
• 1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.

Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.

Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.

Serve alone, with a soft-cooked egg on top, or as a side to a larger roast, chop or sausages. Reheat as needed. If you plan to make this at the outset of several meals and would like to eat it warm, I’d keep the dressing separate, warming only the lentils and potatoes and stirring in the cold dressing to taste.

Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  I made this to use up a mish-mash of leftover potatoes.  I also used up shallots and garlic from the Jen's CSA, scallions from the farmer's market, parsley from Jen's garden, and thyme from mine.  Yay! I didn't want to buy a whole thing of gherkins for two tablespoons, so I left it out.  The dressing is nice and tangy, and it has survived well in the fridge.  Keep!