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It has been a fun summer in my garden and I have been using the produce plus great prices in the stores right now for many fruits to make preserves to enjoy throughout the rest of the year.

 

Most pickle and preserve recipes contain a LOT of salt and sugar and I don't eat refined sugar and keep to a very low sodium diet.  But I've found that you can substitute pureed dates or date syrup for some sweetness and eliminate or significantly reduce the sodium with some thought.

Two very successful recipes I've made this year are for salsa and mango chutney.

 

Here's the recipe for the salsa.  It was originally posted by Bryanna Clark Grogan on a VegSource message board.  My notes are in brackets.

Fresh Salsa
8 garlic cloves
1 large onion
1 large green pepper, seeded
1/4 cup drained pickled jalapeño peppers OR 2 or 3 fresh seeded hot green chilies OR use 1 Tbsp pureed canned chile chipotles[I used fresh jalapenos from my garden]
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, very well drained [I used equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes from my garden, peeled and seeded]
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup tomato paste [I used this]
2 Tbsp lemon juice or red wine vinegar [I used fresh lime juice]
1 - 2 tsp salt [I left this out]
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 Tbsp fresh) [I left this out]
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley [I used about 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro]
1 tsp dried red chile flakes (if you like it really hot--but remember that this salsa gets hotter as time goes on) [I left this out]

If you have a food processor, pulse the garlic cloves, then add the onion and green pepper, cut in chunks, and the jalapeños and pulse until minced. Add the drained tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and pulse until well mixed.

If you don't have a food processor, then you'll have to chop everything fine by hand.
Keep in tightly closed jars in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for several weeks. Some clear liquid will rise to the top. Pour it off or stir it in, depending on the consistency you like. [Because I was making this in bulk, I then proceeded to heat the mixture to boiling, then ladle into sterilized jars, sealed them, then processed in a boiling water bath for 30 min.]

I used this recipe from Saveur magazine for the Mango Chutney with a few alterations:

• I did not use the oil. I water sauteed the garlic, onions, etc.
• Instead of the habanero or scotch bonnet peppers, I used fresh chopped jalapenos.
• I left out the brown sugar.  Mango is sweet in its own right!
• Because I left out the sugar, I only used half the amount of vinegar and lime juice.

I'll post some of the other pickles and preserves I've been making in a separate entry.

I just love tomato season.  So many varieties; so little time to capitalize on them though!

I've been making tomato sauce from the plums/romas:

 

Shown above is a quick sauce made from sauteed onions, mushrooms, fresh tomato puree, garlic and Italian seasonings, served on top of "zoodles" (spiralized zucchini sitting in for noodles). Scroll down to the description of zoodles in this post.

I have a zucchini glut so also used some stuffed served with tomato sauce on top. I sliced a medium zucchini into chunks then hollowed the slices out with a melon-baller, and did a thinner zuke "boat". 



Here they are stuffed with a tofu "ricotta", fresh herbs and sun-dried tomatoes: 



They were great with the simple tomato sauce.

However, when the tomatoes are the sweetest most delicious heirloom varieties, simply sliced is the ticket for me. A 14 ouncer heirloom took center stage on my lunch plate today: 



Yesterday's feature was slightly smaller but oh so delicious: 

 

Both lunches were served with an adapted version of the Whole Foods' Health Starts Here Broccoli Salad with Almond Chili Dressing.

Summertime finds a certain amount of burger madness chez Susan.  I thought that a post featuring various vegan burgers would be fun and might provide you with some new avenues to explore.

There are many options for the base for a good vegan burger:  beans (including tofu), grains, mushrooms, etc.  Here are three of my current favorites.

Umami Mushroom Burger

 

I adapted this from a recipe found here.  I made a few changes to the recipe to improve its nutritional profile.  I altered the recipe by reducing the sodium (used half the called-for Tamari and used low sodium soy sauce instead, plus used only 1 of the 2 tsp of Worcesterhire sauce). I also didn't use the grapeseed oil. I water sauteed the shallots and garlic and only used a light spray of olive oil spray in the pan when cooking the burgers.

I didn't use parmesan cheese, of course. I substituted 2 TBSP of nutritional yeast. I used raw cashews, untoasted. I substituted rolled oats for the whole wheat flour, and pulsed the oats in the dry container of my Vita-Mix to make them more flour-like in consistency.

I saved the soaking water from rehydrating the porcinis and then used that liquid to moisten the burgers a bit while I was incorporating the oats. And I left them in the fridge for a good 45 min. before cooking.

Roasted Beet Tofu Burgers



These vibrant-looking burgers are from a recipe on fatfreevegan.  I've made them a few times and always enjoy them.  They are a more delicate burger so probably wouldn't be able to stand up to grilling, but when baked they are great.  If you wanted them sturdier, you could add some oat or whole wheat flour.

Lynne's Black Bean Burgers

I also really like a black bean burger recipe developed by Lynne, a member of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's member support forum.  Lynne uses black beans, very finely shredded carrots, and brown rice as the base of her burgers.  I served them on top of a grilled portobello mushroom, then topped with:  grilled onions, roasted red peppers, 1 TBSP low sodium salsa, and a dab of Dijon mustard.



Black Bean Burgers
by Lynne Murray

1 lb dried black beans, cooked (on the soft side)
1 medium onion, minced
1 large red pepper, minced
1 Tablespoon dried basil (Lynne uses Penzey’s and so do I!)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 carrots, peeled and shredded very fine on a box cutter
½ to ¾ cup pre cooked brown rice

Water sauté onion and red pepper and garlic. Once starting to get soft, add basil. After several minutes add carrots – they don’t need much cooking. Mash the beans with a potato masher until partially mashed. Mix in veggies and brown rice. Form into ball form, about the size of a small burger. Put on a plate, or plates, cover with plastic wrap and chill. Once chilled you can press into patty form.  Lynne cooks hers in her toaster oven on broil. Broil just enough to get hot through and a bit crispy on the outside without browning.

I've been loving a sort of ad hoc black bean soup I've been making lately.

It is based on a recipe from the Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexico - One Plate at a Time. His recipe includes Masa "Gnocchi", which I didn't make or add to the soup, but I bet they'd be great. Interesting concept. I just wanted straight soup with no other starch but beans.



Ad Hoc Black Bean Chipotle Soup

Ingredients:

1.5 cans cooked black beans (I ran out of dry... they are much better if you cook them yourself).
4 med sized roma tomatoes
1 med sized red onion
4-5 whole garlic cloves
2 tsp of chipotle in adobo sauce (or more to taste)
3 oz raw baby spinach
Chopped tomato, onion, cilantro for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Halve tomatoes and set them in a baking dish lined with parchment paper, along with whole garlic cloves and onion very roughly chopped. Use a dish with some lip on the sides so the juice of the tomatoes doesn't run off. Roast veggies until they are mostly soft and you can pick the skins off the tomatoes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, put black beans (with liquid) in a med sized sauce pan and bring to a low simmer.
3. Remove skins from tomatoes and add them along with any accumulated juices into a high speed blender along with the garlic and chipolte. Puree until smooth. Add cooked onion chunks and blend on low speed for a short time just to chop them a bit more finely.
4. Add puree to simmering beans. Cover and simmer until mixture -20 thickens a bit (approx. 15- 20 min.).
5. Remove cover and stir in baby spinach. Cover and let wilt, stirring every few minutes to incorporate the spinach into the soup.
6. Serve topped with chopped onion, tomatoes, cilantro and a dab of leftover savory salad dressing if you have it. I used some leftover "caesar" dressing made with roasted garlic and cashews.

I tried another recipe from the Whole Foods' Health Starts Here collection - Eggplant Bolognese.

Click here for the recipe.

 

I thought this was excellent.  Instead of serving it on pasta, I served it on spiralized zucchini which was very lightly steamed.  To make the zucchini "pasta"  I used a Spirooli.  See below for everything that you've always wanted to know about spiralizing vegetables and more.

This is a naturally tart/sweet juice that tastes just like it sounds, like lemonade with a twist - of green, that is.


 
I'm told this recipe was originally published by Natalia Rose, but I don't have her books so can't be sure. It has been circulating on internet cooking forums for years in various forms.

This recipe requires a juicer, not a blender.

Green Lemonade

Ingredients:
2 organic Fuji apples (or similar)
1 whole organic lemon, peel on
1 big head of organic Romaine lettuce
5 stems organic lacinto kale (or other greens)

Just juice, stir, and enjoy!

If you see these in the market:



buy some!  These are fiddleheads, which are actually the shoots of the ostrich fern.  They are a short-lived delicacy.

Steam them lightly, add a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and serve with a bold nut-based sauce.

Early Spring is fiddlehead season!  These are foraged, not commercially grown usually.

I've been browsing my way through the fledgling Whole Foods' Health Starts Here recipes.  You might have seen some displays, books, and discussion about this new initiative launched by Whole Foods.  The initiatve is focusing on bringing ideas, literature, recipes, and prepared food (only in some of the stores) that support a nutrient-dense, health-promoting message. 

None of these efforts work if food doesn't taste fabulous and have curb-appeal.  This one definitely passes both tests.

 

The broccoli is lightly steamed, then combined with an excellent dressing.  Click here for the recipe.

I made a few changes to the recipe:

Instead of the 1/2 cup of almond butter I used 2 TBSP raw almond butter for 3 med stalks of broccoli. I served it on a bed of baby greens instead of noodles and/or bean sprouts. I think bean sprouts would be great with this but I didn't have any. I did use 1/2 a serrano pepper, deseeded.

I'm sure it would be delicious with the whole 1/2 cup of raw almond butter but that would be way too rich of a recipe for me.

I thought it was great and will definitely make it again.

I've been playing with a new salad dressing that is quickly becoming my new favorite.  It is based on the Green Goddess recipe in the cookbook Veganomicon.  I've expanded on it to include way more vegetable content.



It is creamy and tangy with cilantro and some fresh garlic.  The recipe is easy to make in a high speed blender.



Here's my recipe:

Susan's Green Goddess Salad Dressing
Yield: 6 generous servings

1 medium zucchini, chopped coarsely (5 5/8 oz weight)
1/2 cup water
4 whole green onions, trimmed and coarsely chopped (white and green parts)
4 green onions, white and light green part only, coarsely chopped (all green onions together weighed 2 5/8 oz)
1 cup flat leafed parsley, including non-woody stems (1 oz weight)
1 cup cilantro, including non-woody stems (1 oz weight)
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 TBSP lower sodium miso
3 TBSP raw tahini
3 TBSP fresh meyer lemon juice (use less if using other lemons)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Add ingredients in order listed to container of high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth.

It thickens a bit after blending so adding some water to thin leftovers is probably good idea.

One benefit of Winter in my area is the fabulous vegetables that are in season. Kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and brussels sprouts are some of my favorite vegetables.

Many Winter greens actually taste sweeter if they've had a nip of frost.  This is especially true of the humble brussels sprouts.  I love it when I can buy them still on the stalk.

 

You can steam them, add them to soups or stews, quarter or shred them and do a fast steam-fry (just add a couple of TBSP of liquid into a wok or saute pan heated to med-high and saute until tender-crisp).

They are also easy to prepare by simply roasting them.

 

Toss them in a little bit of good balsamic vinegar for the last few minutes of cooking.  I often make a meal of them.