cooking beets

Avocado Dip ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: A Middle Eastern avocado dip, smoother than guacamole but otherwise similar. Very impressive appearance when served in the empty avocado shells - positively gorgeous, if I may say so myself! Low-carb and vegan.

So May 5th passed without the hoped-for, planned-for, considerably-anticipated Cinco de Mayo party, something about a calendar mix-up and a dining room with fresh paint but so far, no floor. Oops. But I couldn't get the shouts for 'Mexican food' 'MEXICAN FOOD' 'MEXICAN FOOD' out of my head and so, piecemeal, put together a menu's worth of dishes over the course of the week, including this gorgeous Avocado Dip.

Funny thing is, this avocado dip isn't Mexican at all, but Middle Eastern! It adds tahini (the sesame paste) and is mashed to a smooth dip rather than the loose chunks of Homemade Guacamole, say. I found it quite luscious and very pretty partied up in the empty avocado shells, a snap to do.

AVOCADO DIP

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 1 cup

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe avocados, preferably the Haas avocados which dark green, nubbly skins
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice from 2 lemons, about 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Pimento, for garnish

TOAST In a small skillet, toast the cumin until aromatic, then grind in a mortar and pestle (see TIPS) or a spice grinder.

MASH With a mortar and pestle or the tines of a fork, mash the garlic and salt until the garlic becomes soft and almost creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mash until quite smooth.

TO MAKE AHEAD Transfer the mixture to a glass storage container, tuck a pit into the center. Cover with plastic wrap that directly touches the surface, then the cover.

SERVE Scoop all the avocado out of the skins, trim the edges with scissors if needed or to make slightly more shallow. Wash and dry, then fill with the avocado dip. Top with pimento, if desired.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 61Cal; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 41mg Sodium; 3g Carb; 1g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from a recipe for Middle Eastern Avocado Purée published in the New York Times, which came from a cookbook by Ana Sortun called Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean

KITCHEN NOTES

I've only had a mortar and pestle for a year or two but am surprised how often I pull it out. It's quite small, however, so after mashing the garlic and salt, and the toasted cumin seeds, I mixed the dip in a mixing bowl just using the back of a wooden spoon. Worked like a charm!

HOW TO RIPEN AVOCADOS: Grocery-store avocados are often not yet ripe enough for eating. Put them into a paper bag and leave out on the counter until the skin depresses slightly with a gentle squeeze.

Word Dancing: Who knew that we spell the plural of avocado as -- avocados, no 'e' -- not avocadoes, with an 'e'. I've fixed the post but it's been like this forever!

A Veggie Venture - Printer Friendly Recipe Graphic

MORE AVOCADO RECIPES
~ Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos ~
~ Spring & Summer Sliced Salad ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Tropical Salad Supper ~
~ Fruity Gazpacho ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ more avocado recipes ~
~ more dips & spreads ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
© Copyright 2009

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Cauliflower 'Spanish Rice' ♥ Reader Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: A low-carb and high-fiber 'rice' dish, made not with rice but cauliflower yet still tastes like rice! Weight Watchers 1 point.

When my friend Sally from the Iowa blog Tip of the Iceberg mailed this recipe, she wrote, "I've used this recipe for years and it truly is excellent. I hope you can share it with the world." Verdict? It is truly excellent and Here, World, it is!

It looks like Spanish rice. It tastes like Spanish rice. And yet it's not made with rice, it's made with cauliflower. So it's a perfect choice for people who watch their carb intake for diets or diabetes. And good news, this doesn't taste like 'diet food' -- it's just plain good! And it looks so beautiful on a plate, too, adding color and texture, very pretty!

PS This isn't the first time I've used cauliflower to 'fool' the table. Turns out, cauliflower can taste a lot like mashed potatoes, too, just see these Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes' from Kitchen Parade, the recipe which prompted Sally to share hers. Thanks, Sally, your cauliflower 'Spanish Rice' is a keeper!

READER RECIPE:
CAULIFLOWER 'SPANISH RICE'

Hands-on time: 25 minutes with occasional attention required throughout
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 5 cups

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped
Salsa to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

COOK THE CAULIFLOWER by steaming in a vegetable steamer or boiling in salted water, cooking to the 'al dente' stage where it's cooked through but not soft. Chop fine.

MEANWHILE in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM til shimmery. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir in. When the cauliflower is cooked, stir it in and continue to cook, breaking up the cauliflower and tomatoes with the edge of a spatula while stirring. After cooking awhile, stir in the salsa. Keep cooking, keep tasting, adding more salsa and salt and pepper as needed. The dish is 'done' when the liquid has cooked off, the salsa and seasoning are perfect, and the rest of supper is done too!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup: 92 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 257mg Sodium; 15g Carb; 5g Fiber; 7g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES

My cast iron skillet is about 10 inches across but a bigger one with a bigger cooking surface would have sped along the cooking process.

I was out of green pepper but one would add to the authentic look and feel of Spanish rice.

I used a good half cup, total, of two mild salsas (one tomato and one tomatillo) but started with a couple of tablespoons. If you're short on salsa, pull out the hot sauce!

This would work as a vegan main dish but could also easily be adapted to a rustic main dish, by adding tiny slices of pork or chicken. Note to Vegetarians

This dish could be made ahead and then reheated -- and I bet the leftovers are fabulous!

MORE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES
~ Roasted Cauliflower ~
~ Cauliflower Tomato Medley ~
~ Curried Cauliflower ~

from Kitchen Parade
~ Cauliflower Risotto ~
~ Quick Cauliflower Soup ~

~ more cauliflower recipes ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

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Asparagus Risotto ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: A classic spring risotto, but instead of using just the tender asparagus tips, the entire asparagus stalk is used so the rice is filled with asparagus flavor and has a lovely light-spring green color. Vegetarian and easily adapted for vegan risotto.

Four days ago, the asparagus began to poke from the ground, appearing like alien spears during the night, some fat and sturdy, others as thin as straw. The first morning, there was enough for a raw asparagus salad for a post-breakfast snack, that night, plenty for just baaarely roasting, though we ate in the dark, so no pictures and thus I'll need to make it again (lucky me) to share the technique.

And then there was this risotto, which uses the whole spear to extract flavor, the woody ends get cooked and squeezed; the stalks get cooked and puréed into an asparagus stock; the tips are flash-cooked and then stirred in for texture contrast and color drama.

Dreamy stuff, this risotto.

BLENDER SAFETY Two important tips for using a kitchen blender. First, make sure the blender is turned off before plugging it in. Second, when putting hot liquid into a blender, never fill it more than half full. This is because the hot liquid will create pressure and the top will want to blow off. As many years as I've known this and been careful, not long ago I had a blender explode and experienced a minor burn and a huge mess. So now I've started to hold the top of the blender on tightly with a clean folded towel. It makes it easier to hold onto the top of the blender, plus, if there is too much pressure to contain, your hand is protected.

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Hands-on time: 1 hour (but with time off for making a salad, setting the table, etc.)
Time to table: 1 hour
Serves 4

ASPARAGUS STOCK
3 cups salted water
1 pound fresh asparagus, washed well, especially the tips

RISOTTO
2 tablespoons butter (reduced from 5 tablespoons, 2 was plen-ty)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup risotto rice, either arborio or carnaroli (see this Beet Green Risotto for an introduction to carnaroli)
2/3 cup vermouth (I used vodka, white wine would work too)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh herbs - I used dill, the recipe called for thyme

ASPARAGUS STOCK Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Break off the woody ends of the asparagus (this means to bend the spear near its base, moving up toward the tip, the spear will find its natural breaking point). When the water boils, cook these for 10 minutes, squeezing them with the back of a spoon to extract the asparagus juice, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Cut off the tips and cook in the same water just until tender, about 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Chop the remaining stalks and cook in the same water for 3 minutes. Transfer about half the liquid and chopped asparagus pieces to a blender and blend til smooth. You should have three cups asparagus stock, if not add water to make three cups.

RISOTTO While preparing the asparagus stock, melt the butter in a large deep skillet on MEDIUM until shimmery. Add the onion and cook until just beginning to soften. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with fat. Add the vermouth, reduce the heat to LOW and let slowly simmer until liquid is absorbed. Stir in salt. Return heat to MEDIUM and stir in about 1/3 cup of the asparagus stock. It should simmer briskly, stir occasionally to help it be absorbed into the rice. A third cup at a time, add more stock and let it become absorbed. When about 1/2 cup of stock remains, stir in the asparagus tips, then the last of the stock.

TO SERVE Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve and savor.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 277Cal; 6g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 15mg Cholesterol; 190mg Sodium; 48g Carb; 4g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 6g Protein; Weight Watchers 5 points

HOW MANY WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS IN RISOTTO? Restaurant risottos are notoriously packed with calories. Unfortunately, you have to KNOW this because when you're ordering, when you're eating, risotto can seem "not that bad" -- there's no meat, no cream, the butter is all absorbed into the rice. So risotto seems -- isn't this the case? -- halfway healthful. But oh no. As risottos go, this Asparagus Risotto is very low -- VERY LOW -- in calories. First, the portion size is quite moderate although very filling. Second, the fat is minimal. Third, this risotto has so much asparagus flavor that no cheese was needed, again, saving calories. I suspect that many risottos have three times, even four or five times as many calories than my Asparagus Risotto -- so risotto can add up to 15 or 20, even 25 Weight Watchers points, yikes, in a single plate.

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Simply Italian

KITCHEN NOTES

The inspiring recipe called for stirring in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan at the end but I found the risotto plenty rich enough without. So it pays to taste before adding it!

Another time, I think I'd keep a splash of the asparagus stock in reserve, then pool it in the plates and put the risotto on top.

MORE ASPARAGUS RECIPES
~ Roasted Asparagus with Feta ~
~ Asparagus with Anchovies & Garlic ~
~ Asparagus with Farro & Green Onion Sauce ~

~ Cauliflower Risotto ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ more asparagus recipes ~
~ more rice recipes ~

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

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Win an HP Photosmart Wireless Printer

Please forgive, no recipe today. Instead a special give-away, just for the readers of A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade.

For just seven days, between now and April 27, 2009, BlogHer and HP are sponsoring a contest where an HP printer will be given away, ONLY to the readers of Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture. (Okay, well, anyone can enter the contest but I'm only telling my own readers about it.) This means that the odds of winning are very very high!

All it takes is leaving a comment! But you must do it on this page!
~ Win an HP Photosmart Printer ~

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Five-Minute Homemade Cocktail Sauce ♥ Recipe

Why would you buy cocktail sauce when it takes all of five minutes to make?

Today's homemade dip recipe: Homemade cocktail sauce, made with just a few pantry ingredients. Perfect for vegetables or cold shrimp.

"Dear Heinz Ketchup,

Please, will you make my life easier?

You see, I take a lot of guff for your regular appearance on my table. You’re the stuff of my childhood and I really don’t want to give you up. Eggs, macaroni and cheese, hashed browns and of course burgers and ‘ dogs, they’re just not the same without your cute little red squiggle. And I might get away with it, truly, if you were just a retro indulgence.

But please, I can’t defend the fact that your third ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. (You make this public, why not make it go away?!!) And oh yes, I’m well aware that not everyone believes that high fructose corn syrup is a trouble-maker. But the thing is, I work really hard to eat low on the food chain. If you’d just please return to the ketchup basics (you know, tomatoes, vinegar, plus a tiny touch of sweetness and those special Heinz ketchup spices) then I could proudly make room for you on my table, rather than sneaking in a squirt or two during the dead of night.

Your faithful ketchup lover,

Alanna, the ~~ketchup~~ veggie evangelist"

I'm sticking with ketchup, if only because it makes this very tasty homemade cocktail sauce, saving both money for my pocket and space in my fridge. This sauce practically threw itself together and was as good as any I've had in forever. On Day One it was perfect as a fresh veggie dip, on Day Two, we used it as shrimp cocktail sauce.

So I'll never buy cocktail sauce again and -- except for that ketchup thing -- neither should anyone else!

FIVE-MINUTE COCKTAIL SAUCE

Hands-on time: 5 minutes (really 3 minutes but that just seems like showing off, so I'm sticking with 5)
Time to table: 5 minutes (but does improve if left to rest for 24 hours)
Makes 2/3 cup (easily doubled or halved)

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise (Hellman's is my one-n-only mayo)
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cayenne pepper to taste plus a sprinkle for the top

Stir together. Serve with fresh-cut carrots, celery, cucumbers and other vegetables or with cold shrimp.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 29Cal; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 169mg Sodium; 4g Carb; 0g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 0g Protein; Weight Watchers 0 points (2 tablespoons = 1 point)

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from my new favorite party cookbook, the 1972 Southern Living Party Cookbook, full of make-ahead recipes made with nearly all whole ingredients

MORE VEGETABLE DIPS & SPREADS
~ Baba Ganoush ~
~ Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce ~
~ Homemade Onion Dip ~
~ Almonnaise - Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe ~

~ more dips and spreads ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

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How to Cook Edamame Right in the Shell ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable snack: Frozen edamame, quick cooked and served still in the shell. A kid favorite!

How long does it take to fill hundreds of eggs for the annual Easter Egg hunt? Hours! Nearing the end of the big job, the kids were fading and supper was still a long ways off. So I whipped out a bag of frozen edamame [pronounced ed-uh-MAH-may], still in the shell and threw them into well-salted water.

Soon the kids (and a few hungry grown-ups too!) were digging into a big pile of shells. The older girls already knew the technique: dip a shell in a little salt, put it between your teeth and drrrraaag, popping the edamame beans into your mouth. Yummy!

Thanks for being so willing to try something new, E, K and E (pictured) and also B, AJ and D! You all get A+!

Edamame works great for grown-ups too, especially for casual outdoor gatherings. These are a real winner!

EDAMAME in the SHELL

Hands-on time: 2 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 6 hungry kids

Well-salted water
1 pound frozen edamame, still in the shell
Kosher salt

Bring the water to a boil. Drop the edamame into the water and let cook until done but still bright green. Drain and place on a plate with a pile of salt on the side -- you'll want a second plate for the shells, too.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
For the entire 1 pound bag, which yields 1-1/2 cups of beans: 360Cal; 15g Tot Fat; 3g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 30mg Sodium; 24g Carb; 15g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 30g Protein; Weight Watchers 8 points
For six servings, about 1/4 cup of beans (they're filling): 60Cal; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 5mg Sodium; 4g Carb; 4g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 5g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

MORE EDAMAME RECIPES
~ Easy Refrigerator Salad ~
~ Asparagus & Edamame Salad ~

~ more edamame recipes ~
~ more vegetable appetizers & snacks ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

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Creamed Eggs with Spinach ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: A great way to use up leftover Easter eggs, hard-cooked eggs in a cheesy sauce, served over quick-cooked spinach. Beautiful color, hearty enough for supper. Low carb. Weight Watchers 5 points.

Okay, so we tried, we really did. My friend Mary and I spent four hours on Sunday making what we hoped would be beautiful Easter eggs using natural dyes like turmeric and onion skins. Harumph. What did we get? Three dozen ~~outright ugly~~ amateurish-looking Easter eggs.

And what else? Well, yes, three dozen leftover hard-cooked eggs, many already cracked, needing to be used up. Do we share this pain?!!

But whoa, was I ever happy with the first recipe, something created out of 'air' but definitely to be repeated. There's just something magical about the combination of astringent spinach and creamy eggs.

GETTING RID OF LEFTOVER EASTER EGGS If you too have a surfeit of hard-boiled pre-cooked Easter eggs, I've added a collection of cooked egg recipes to this list of Easy Egg Recipes. The recipes are from my own sites but also from other food bloggers, great classic recipes for eggs.

FOR THE CRAFTY SORTS Mary is an artist and her hand-painted Easter eggs are just beautiful, painted on paper mache eggs from Hobby Lobby. For photos, see Easter Eggs on Flickr.

EASTER RECIPES Easter is a big deal for cooks! See all the Easter recipes ideas on Kitchen Parade, my food column, including my favorite recipe for Hot Cross Buns which are traditionally made on Good Friday, Choereg, the traditional Armenian Easter bread, and an Asparagus Custard Tart which I remade last week and loved once again! It uses a commercial pie crust so no pastry skills required.

CREAMED EGGS with SPINACH

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4

CREAMED EGGS
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup skim milk
2 ounces Gruyere or another good melting cheese
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (save a little chopped yolk for garnish if you like)
Salt & pepper to taste

SPINACH
About 4 inches of well-salted water
1 pound fresh spinach (see NOTES), washed very well, stems removed, roughly chopped

CREAMED EGGS In a saucepan, melt the butter until shimmery. Add the onion and cook until just soft. Stir in the flour and let cook a minute. Add the milk slowly -- a tablespoon at a time at first, stirring in each new spoonful before adding the next. Add the cheese and let melt. Stir in the eggs and let warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH Bring the water to a boil. Add the spinach, a handful at a time if necessary. Let cook until done, just a couple of minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain.

COMBINE Arrange the cooked and drained spinach in four serving bowls. Top with the creamed eggs. Garnish with a bit of chopped yolk. Serve and savor!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 217Cal; 12g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 235mg Cholesterol; 259mg Sodium; 11g Carb; 3g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 16g Protein; Weight Watchers 5 points

KITCHEN NOTES

For better texture for cooked spinach, start with raw curly spinach rather than the more tender baby spinach that's better for raw salads than for cooking.

If you need to cook the eggs first, I have great luck with this recipe for Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs.

MORE EGG & SPINACH RECIPES
~ Baked Eggs in Cream with Spinach ~
~ Easy Spinach Nests ~
~ Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs from Kitchen Parade ~

~ more spinach recipes ~
~ more egg main dishes from A Veggie Venture ~
~ more egg main dishes from Kitchen Parade ~

~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~

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Pages

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AVOCADO DIP

READER RECIPE:CAULIFLOWER 'SPANISH RICE'

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

FIVE-MINUTE COCKTAIL SAUCE

EDAMAME in the SHELL

CREAMED EGGS with SPINACH

READER RECIPE:
CAULIFLOWER 'SPANISH RICE'