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Easy Vegan Ambrosia Salad

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan heavy cream (store bought or home made – 1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces vegan sour cream
6 ounces vegan mini marshmallows, approximately 3 cups
1 cup clementine orange segments, approximately 6 clementines
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries

Preparation

 
Place the cream and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine. Add the marshmallows, orange, pineapple, coconut, pecans and cherries and stir to combine. Transfer to a glass serving bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

(Source: foodista.com)

Baked Leeks

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 medium leeks, halved lengthwise

  • Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x12 inch baking pan.
    2. Melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk and cheese until cheese is melted. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat. Arrange the leeks in a single layer in the prepared pan and cover with the cheese sauce.
    3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until leeks are tender and sauce is bubbly.

Bay Leaf Beet Soup

Ingredients

  • 4 large red beets, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped leek
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 5 bay leaves, broken in half
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch ground cumin
  • 1 pinch dried tarragon

  • Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.
    2. Bake the beets until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool, then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.
    3. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and cook the red onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the beets, bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, cinnamon, cumin, and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended, 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.
    4. Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender, and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the beets and broth moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree the beets until smooth, and pour back into the soup.

Oranges with Olives, Parsley and Paprika

Ingredients

  • 4 navel oranges
  • 1/4 cup Nicoise olives, pitted and halved
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more leaves for garnish

Directions

  1. Peel oranges: Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends. Carefully slice downward following the curve of the fruit to remove rind and pith. Slice each orange crosswise into about six rounds, arranging them in overlapping rows on a serving plate. Sprinkle with olives.
  2. In a small bowl, combine paprika and lemon juice; whisk in oil. Add chopped parsley, and stir to combine. Drizzle dressing over oranges and olives; garnish with parsley leaves, then serve.

(Source: marthastewart.com)

Asparagus Soup

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 1/2 in pieces

1 leek, sliced

6 cups water

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped

2 1/2 tbs. long grain white rice

Salt and pepper taste

1/2 tbs. lemon juice

Directions

  1. In a large stockpot, combine the water or stock, asparagus ends and separated leek greens. Heat over low heat and allow to simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  2. In a medium saute pan, heat the butter and oil. Add the leek ‘whites’, onion and rice and cook until the onion begins to color (about 8 minutes). Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook 10 more minutes.
  3. Strain the stock of the asparagus and leek ends and return to the stockpot. Add the contents of the saute pan to the strained stock along with the asparagus middles and partially cover the pot. Cook 12 more minutes.
  4. Transfer soup to a food processor and puree. Strain this back into the stockpot. Season and add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Meanwhile, drop the asparagus tips into boiling salted water and cook until tender (about 4 minutes). Serve the soup with a few asparagus tips on top for garnish.

(Source: allrecipes.com)

Braised Leeks and Mustard Greens

Ingredients:

4 leeks

2 tbs. unsalted butter

2 cups, washed, dried and chopped mustard greens

2 tbs. vegetable broth, or as needed

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Trim leeks so that about 1 1/2 inches of green leaves remain, and slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Separate leaves and pull the leeks apart to rinse away any dirt and sand in the layers, then chop leeks into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
  2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the leeks until they begin to separate and soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard greens, and pour in enough chicken broth to just cover the bottom of the pan and prevent leeks from browning. Cook the leeks and mustard greens until the greens turn bright green and start to soften, another 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt andblack pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Watercress Salad with Manchego and Orange

Ingredients

  • 1 navel orange
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 2 bunches watercress (about 5 ounces each), thick ends trimmed
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 2 ounces Manchego cheese, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

  1. Using a sharp knife, cut off top and bottom of orange and slice away peel. Working over a medium bowl, cut out orange segments. Squeeze 2 teaspoons juice from membranes into a large bowl. Whisk in vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add watercress, orange segments, and almonds and toss to combine. Serve with cheese.

(Source: marthastewart.com)

Glazed Sugar Snap Peas and Turnips

Ingredients

3/4 lb Sugar Snap Peas

2 Bunches Baby Turnips, thinly sliced

1 Onion, sliced

1 Clove Garlic, chopped

1 tbs sugar

Salt and pepper

Lemon

Parsley

Directions

Boil peas in salted water, 3 minutes. Add 2  turnips; cook 2 minutes, then drain. Cook onion and garlicin butter until soft. Add the vegetables, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt and pepper; cook until glazed. Top with chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

(Source: foodnetwork.com)

Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 6 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, plus extra, as needed
  • 2 packed cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
  • 16 (1/3-inch-thick) slices country-style white bread

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Lay the pancetta in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and bake until crispy and brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cool for 5 minutes and crumble. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the butter, cheeses, salt, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Blend until smooth, adding extra oil, as needed, until the mixture is spreadable. Add the spinach and pulse until just combined.

Preheat a panini maker. Spread the cheese mixture over 8 slices of bread. Top with the crumbled pancetta. Put the remaining bread slices on top. Grill the sandwiches, 2 at a time, until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, then cut each sandwich in half and arrange on a platter.

(Source: foodnetwork.com)

Beet Salad with Arugala and Oranges

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch medium red beets (about 1 1/2 pounds), scrubbed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
  • 1 bunch arugula (1/2 pound), trimmed
  • 2 oranges, peel and pith removed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beets on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil around beets and crimp ends to form a packet. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove beets from foil and let cool slightly.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 2 teaspoons oil with vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add arugula, oranges, and beets and toss to combine. Top with pistachios and serve.

Cook’s Note

The beets can be roasted a day in advance; toss everything together to serve.

(Source: marthastewart.com)

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