Rhubarb Pizza ♥ Fun Summer Recipe

Today's fruit pizza recipe: A thin cookie 'pizza' crust topped with sweetened and reddened rhubarb. Surprisingly good!

"Is it healthy?" asked the first taste tester, age eight, upon learning that the rhubarb atop her slice of rhubarb pizza -- yes, you've read that right, rhubarb and pizza in the same sentence -- is botanically a vegetable. Uh. No. Rhubarb pizza is hardly a 'health food' but it sure is 'fun food'!

But hey, if laughter contributes to good health, that qualifies rhubarb pizza as health food, yes? Okay, not. Still, this rhubarb pizza was truly much fun and it ranks right up there with the recipes for Kool-Aid Pickles and Green Smoothies as outright food oddities.

The recipe comes from my dear Auntie Karen, who always writes when she collects a big pile of rhubarb from a good neighbor. So when I made the rhubarb pizza, using a recipe she shared a couple or more years back, I wrote her too, saying, "I finally made your rhubarb pizza! It's excellent!" Imagine, a few hours later, my surprise while flipping through a box of old 3x5 recipe cards: the exact same recipe, clipped from a magazine many years ago. Ha! The universes collide.

Rhubarb pizza tastes much better than it sounds. It's essentially a thin cookie topped with rhubarb, with the color and sweetness bumped up by a box of strawberry jello. It's very sweet, but the sweet-sour mix of sugar-rhubarb was oddly addictive. I was muchly glad it didn't last long since all the taste testers loved it, kids and grown-ups alike.

4TH of JULY RECIPES So if the blueberries had been worth buying on the 4th, I would have added blueberries for a red-white-blue dessert. But I couldn't figure out what to use for the white. Any ideas?

MORE FRUIT PIZZA IDEAS And hey, what about 'pepperoni' made from kiwi slices too?! This could get really fun, a good project with kids. Let's get creative!

RHUBARB PIZZA

Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 3 hours
Serves a bunch

PIZZA CRUST
1 cup flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons milk

TOPPING
3 cups chopped rhubarb, about 12 ounces
3 ounces red gelatin powder (i.e., strawberry Jello, raspberry Jello, etc. sugar-free is fine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring
1/3 cup melted butter

CRUST Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a pizza pan. (If yours has tiny holes in it like mine, use a tissue to lightly butter the surface, otherwise little bits poke through the holes and land ALL over!) In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the butter until the dough becomes quite crumbly and the butter is well-distributed. (The technique is similar to making a pie crust except that you want the butter pieces to get very small versus large for a pie crust.) Stir in the egg-milk mixture to form a dough. With your hands, press the dough onto the pizza pan, working slowly, wetting fingers a bit if they're sticky. (Because of the holes, I found it easier to roll the dough with a rolling pin first, but finished with my hands.)

TOPPING Top crust with rhubarb. Sprinkle red gelatin evenly over the rhubarb. Mix the sugar, flour and butter, sprinkle over top. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until done. Let cool for an hour or more, then cut into pizza slices (or Imo's St. Louis-style, in squares, for smaller pieces).

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Made with sugar-free jello, cut into 16 pizza slices, Per Slice: 158 Cal (31% from Fat, 6% from Protein, 64% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 6 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 27 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 13 g Sugar; 44 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 116 mg Sodium; 27 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

Made with sugar-free jello, cut into 36 approx 2" squares, Per Square: 70 Cal (31% from Fat, 6% from Protein, 64% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 12 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 6 g Sugar; 20 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 52 mg Sodium; 12 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

KITCHEN NOTES
Both Auntie Karen's recipe and my magazine recipe say that frozen rhubarb will work too. My sense is that it would be better to start with frozen fruit rather than thawing it first.

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MORE RHUBARB RECIPES
~ howt to make rhubarb jam, it's easy easy ~
~ Custard with Rhubarb Sauce, my favorite simple way to use rhubarb ~
~ Rhubarb Pie, 100% straight-up rhubarb pie ~

~ more rhubarb recipes ~
~ more vegetable pizza recipes ~
~ more recipes for desserts made with vegetables ~

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

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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 2008

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Fish Taco Platter

These tacos are my entry in the Royal Foodie Joust, a competition that takes place between the food bloggers who participate in the Foodie BlogRoll. You can see the widget to the Foodie BlogRoll to the right, below the recipe index. I recently joined this very friendly and supportive group of food bloggers and I just love it!

I think of the Royal Foodie Joust as being similar to the Iron Chef competition. Each month, the hostess of the message board, Jenn (The Leftover Queen) announces the ingredients that must be used, and we all get to work, presenting a dish that includes those ingredients. Then all of the food bloggers on the board vote on the winners. Since I am new to the board, this is my first time in the competition.

The Joust ingredients this month were cilantro, seafood, and sesame. I knew I wanted to do fish tacos. I love fish tacos and they've been on my list of things I wanted to make for several months. I ended up adapting the recipe that appeared in Bon Appétit.

I was very proud of the results. As I photographed the tacos and accompaniments, I was praying that they would taste as good as they looked. But first things first. It's important to get the photos done as soon as possible, while the food is fresh and looks that way.

As soon as I finished the photo shoot (you wouldn't believe how many pictures I took) I made a fresh batch. And they did taste every bit as good as they looked! Maybe even better.

I will say that eating these tacos is like having an explosion of Latin flavors in your mouth! There are so many layers of flavor, and they work together - like you dream about! The roasted tomatillo salsa is amazing. It has a tart, complex flavor. Roasting all the vegetables before blending them with the fresh cilantro makes it incredible.

The salsa adds zip, and the red onion and jalapeño pickle, well, adds a lot of pickle. It's wonderful, but needs to be used sparingly in my mind.

The Baja Sauce is creamy and seems to pull all the flavors together.

And the fish is the star of the dish. The recipe calls for halibut, sea bass, or striped bass. Well, my local fish market is closed for vacation and I absolutely insist on having fresh fish, so I had a tough time getting the fish. The supermarket had snapper, so I bought it. I used the frying batter to introduce the third ingredient of the Foodie Joust, the sesame.

I don't think that people tend to think of sesame seeds in Mexican cooking, but they are actually very popular in some Mexican recipes. The most common example I can think of is any kind of mole (pronounced moh-lay). Mole is a complex sauce that changes from region to region in Mexico and is most often served on chicken or turkey. The most well known mole is Mole Poblano, from the state of Puebla.

The length of this recipe may look a little intimidating, but there are several components to this dish that can be made a day or more ahead of time:

• The Pickled Red Onion and Jalapeños
• The Tomatillo Salsa
• The Baja Cream

The other components of this meal are:

• Corn Tortillas (can be store-bought)
• Fresh Salsa (can be store-bought)
• Marinated and Fried White Fish (halibut, snapper, or sea bass)

Fish Taco Platter
Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine

I have put the components in the order that it most makes sense to me to make them. Remember, they don't have to all be made on the same day. It's easier to do this recipe by making the pickled onions and Jalapeños, the baja cream, and the tomatillo salsa a day or more ahead of time. If you are going to make the red salsa, that can be made ahead of time also.

Pickled Red Onion and Jalapeños

Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise, sliced thinly
5 jalapeños, cut thinly lengthwise
2 cups seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

To Prepare:
Place onion and jalapeños in heatproof medium bowl.

Mix the vinegar, lime juice, and salt in small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring until the salt dissolves.

Pour the hot liquid over the onion and jalapeños. Let it stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead). Cover and refrigerate.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

These are tomatillos as you would see them in the grocery store.





Ingredients:
1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed and tomatillos washed
4 scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 jalapeños, seeded and deveined
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 1/4 cup cilantro


To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 375. While it is heating up, put the first 4 ingredients (tomatillos through jalapeños) in a roasting pan. Pour 1 Tbs. olive oil on it, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Mix it around with your hands to cover all the vegetables with the oil and seasonings. Roast for 20-25 minutes. they will look like this when they are done:


Don't throw away the juices. Add everything (including the juices), to a blender. Also add the lime and cilantro to the blender. Pulse to blend into a thick liquid. Here's my sauce:





Baja cream

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. finely grated lime peel

To Prepare:
Mix together and refrigerate. I put some in a squeeze bottle because you have more control of how much you use and it looks better that way when you put it on the taco.

Marinated and Fried White Fish

Ingredients for the marinade:
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (hot red sauce is fine)
1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

2 pounds fish (halibut, sea bass, stripped bass, or snapper)

Mix all the marinade ingredients and add the fish in the mixture for 1-3 hours.

Ingredients for the sesame seed batter:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup fine cornmeal
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Frying the fish:
Remove the fish from the marinade. Put it in white flour only. You only want a the slightest coating of flour on the fish. Just a dusting.

Put the fish in a bowl of 2 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup of the fish marinade.

Put the fish in the sesame seed batter.

From there, the fish goes into either a fry-daddy or a pan with 1" of heated oil. The temperature of the oil should be about 350 degrees.

Note on the tortillas:
Tortillas are more pliable and taste better if you put a drop or two of oil in a pan, swoosh the tortilla in it, and lightly toast it on both sides (very lightly). See my previous post on Taco-Making 101 for visual examples.


Here's the fun part!

To assemble your taco, take a tortilla, add some fish, salsa, pickled onion & jalapeños, baja cream, and tomatillo salsa. Garnish with the onion and jalapeños and a slice of lime.

And then you have some delicious tacos!

¡Buen Provecho!

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How to Keep Fresh Vegetables Fresh Longer

Today's tips: How to store fresh vegetables to stay fresh longer, to keep longer, all to minimize waste.

One way to save money on groceries -- something we're all paying considerable attention to thanks to skyrocketing food prices -- is to follow Ben Franklin's maxim, Waste not, want not. I'm especially aware of this during summer, when the temptation of the Saturday morning farmers market surpasses my inclination to cook once home. I've learned the hard way that my best rhythm is to limit purchases to just a couple of days, then, with any luck, visit the Wednesday market for the rest of the week.

So I pored through the fresh produce tips in the July-August 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated in an article called, "How to Keep Produce Fresher Longer". Here's a sampling but I do recommend picking up an issue for the complete story that includes tips on keep fruit fresh, too, also some of the science behind their tips about keeping produce fresh longer.
Keep Reading ->>>

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Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce

This recipe was suggested to be part of a New England Fourth of July meal. I've lived in New England for about 20 years now, and even though I eat a lot of salmon, I don't particularly think of it as a New England seafood. New England makes me think of Cod, or Scrod (the mysterious white fish), lobster, and clams. But Cooking Light tells us that salmon was once common in the waters of the northeast!

Whatever the case, the ingredients looked like a wonderful combination! Salmon really tastes great with tangy sauces, and this one is pure tang! It has tangy Greek yogurt, eye-opening horse radish (yum!), and mouth-puckering lemon. But all that tang is balanced by the coolness of the cucumbers and the smooth creaminess of that Greek yogurt. And the dill and green onions deepen the flavor and make it awesome!

I invited my friend, Maureen, over for this patriotic salmon lunch. She, too, is a big fan of salmon.

One wonderful thing about this recipe is that it's quick and painless. I didn't start preparing it until she arrived. The recipe didn't require deep thought, so we had pleasant conversation while all the ingredients came together. All we had to do was make the sauce. Maureen helped and it was ready in just a few minutes.

I pre-cut my salmon into individual portions. That makes it easier to work with on the grill. The original recipe called for an enormous salmon steak, to be turned over in one fell-swoop. Well, I'm not one to set myself up for such a disaster!

For the grilling I used the technique I learned on America's Test Kitchen. The steps are in the recipe below. But I made a mistake. I hope you don't make the same one. I brushed my fish with oil, but I didn't spray the aluminum-foil pan/boat. You really need to do that. I lost my pretty grill marks because the top of my fish stuck to the pan and flipping it over wasn't what it should have been.

As for the point of doneness, some people like their salmon on the drier side, as did Maureen. But some people like theirs much more rare. It's a personal decision. I'm flexible, so I let my guest decide when she felt it was done.

Salmon is wonderful. I didn't used to be a big fan, but I trained myself and now I love it. It was worth the training, because every time I eat it, I feel like I'm doing something good for my body. It's fairly low in calories, high in protein, high in vitamin D and B vitamins, and it's high in omega 3 fatty acids.

Health Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids:

* greatly reduce risk of heart disease
* stimulate blood circulation
* reduce rate of inflammatory diseases like arthritis and migraines
* reduce the clogging up of the arteries with cholesterol plaque
* lowers risk of cancer

So eat your salmon, readers, and make it tasty with a great recipe such as this one!

Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

1 cup cubed and peeled English cucumber
1 1/2 cups 2% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1.5 pounds salmon fillet (about 3/4 inch thick)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking spray
Dill sprigs (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Combine the first 7 ingredients (cucumbers through salt) in a medium bowl. Stir well. Cover and chill 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into the chilling time, start up your grill on high. You need to heat it up for about 10 minutes to get the grates good and hot!

Cut the salmon into portion-sizes. If you like, remove the skin. Brush the salmon with olive oil. Then salt and pepper it to your liking.

For the grilling I used the technique I learned on America's Test Kitchen. There are pictures of me using the technique in my post for Saucy Grilled Salmon.

Fish Grilling Steps:

1. Create little pans of aluminum foil. Use the heavy-duty foil. Cut off a piece and fold up the edges into a pan shape.

2. Spray the aluminum foil pan with a substantial amount of cooking spray. Don't skimp!

3. Turn the flame down on the grill to medium.

4. Put the fish on the pan, presentation side down (aka: face-down). You will need to grill it now for about 4 minutes.

5. When the fish is half done, flip it over. You will only flip once, so choose the right moment!

Serve the salmon with the yogurt sauce, dill sprigs, and extra lemon wedges if desired.

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Farro with Beet Greens ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: Beet greens tucked into farro, a high-protein grain.

Setting: Farmers market on a busy Saturday morning, the busiest booth, a line of people behind another shopper and me.

Other Shopper, eyeing a fat bunch of beets: "Will you cut off the greens for me?"

Farmer, eyeing me with a conspiratorial grin: "The greens are the best part. I bet this young lady can tell you how to cook them up fast and easy."

Other Shopper, eyeing me suspiciously, looking decidedly dubious: "How?"

Me, with evangelist fervor: "Just chop the greens up really thin, then sauté with garlic and onion in a little olive oil. They're great."

Other Shopper, obviously disgusted: "She can have my greens."

Sure, go ahead and laugh, the farmer and I did!

But the truth is, greens are overwhelming for many cooks. Even at my house, greens too often go to waste -- a waste of nutrition, of money, of scarce resources. So I'm constantly on the hunt for easy ways to cook fresh greens. Honestly, the recipe I 'cooked' was the stuffed chicken thighs which were good enough but not something to make again. But at the last minute, I tucked the leftover greens into the farro intended as a bed for the chicken -- now farro with beet greens, that's delicious!

WHAT IS FARRO? Farro is also called 'emmer wheat' and is much-appreciated in Italian cuisine. I love with this grain for its nutty and hearty puff. I see it at Trader Joe's and Amazon sells Farro Perlato by La Valletta. In St. Louis, I find farro at Global Foods in Kirkwood, in the rice section at the front of the store. The 'pearled' or 'semi-pearled' farro has some of the husk removed and cooks more quickly.

But -- farro isn't necessary, although wonderful and wonderfully healthful. Stir cooked greens into brown rice or pasta or any other 'hot' starchy something.

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VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more leafy green recipes ~
~ more grain recipes ~

FARRO with BEET GREENS

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

8 ounces farro

1/2 cup golden raisins soaked in sherry while cooking (optional but nice texture, flavor contrast)
1 pound of beet greens, soaked, rinsed, washed well (they really hold grit in the crevasses so clean very well)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the farro according to the package instructions. Be sure to salt the water well.

Heat the olive oil on MEDIUM HIGH in a large skillet til shimmery. Chop the beet stems and cook along with the garlic. Add the garlic and let cook til just beginning to turn golden.

Stack five or six leaves atop one another, roll into a cigar, then cut cross-wise, as thin as you can. Stir the greens into the skillet, turning to coat with fat. Cover and let cook, stirring often, until greens are fully cooked. Stir in the raisins and cooked farro. If needed, let cook a bit to cook off the liquid. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Even though it cooks down, a whole pound of cooked greens might be too much green for some tastes. Just stir in what seems right, save the rest for tomorrow's salad. Once it's cooked, the greens will hold for a day or more.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With raisins, Per Serving: 216 Cal (15% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 73% from Carb); 7 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 40 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; NetCarb35; 13 g Sugar; 143 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 276 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 4 points

Without raisins, Per Serving: 151 Cal (21% from Fat, 17% from Protein, 62% from Carb); 6 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 24 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb20; 1 g Sugar; 133 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 273 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

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

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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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 2008

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Black Bottom Summer Tarts

I love going to a pot-luck party. In addition to good drinks, karaoke, and fun friends, I get a chance to make a really sinfully fattening recipe that I can share with others instead of eating it all myself.

This was just the perfect dessert for sharing! It has a somewhat crunchy and slightly salty chocolate shell. The filling tastes sweet from the fresh whipped cream and has a note of cream cheese. The two flavors combine and create a light-textured, decadent layer of goodness. I used fresh strawberries for a beautiful presentation, and they were bursting with the flavor of summer that matched the fruity aroma.

My inspiration for this dish came while sitting in the waiting area of my doctor's office, leafing through the pages of the May issue of Martha Stewart Living. The original recipe would have been too fancy for the event, and I wondered if it would melt on a hot day without refrigeration. So I made some changes, doing a take on the Mascarpone Cream that I've used in other recipes.

The crust is just as easily rolled out and cut into cookies that can be topped with the filling and berries. It makes for a beautiful, individual treat.




By the way, this dessert was a big hit and was the first to completely disappear from the dessert table. That's quite an accomplishment because this particular annual crowd tends to focus on the clams, ribs, burgers, and hot dogs, and doesn't tend to feast on the sweets.


Black Bottom Summer Tarts
Chocolate crust adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Yield: 2 tarts

For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 oz cream cheese - softened
1/2 cup sugar
fresh strawberries

Make the crust:
Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. The butter will appear as a crumbly meal. Turn the machine on (no pulse) and pour the water through the top in a slow, steady stream. The dough will start to hold together in places. You can turn off the machine and test the dough. While it looks crumbly, like in the picture below, it will hold it's shape if you clump it together in your hand.

On a lightly floured work surface, shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic. Each disk will be enough for one tart in a 9 x 9 pan. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).

When you are ready to work with the dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough between wax paper. Don't worry if you can't form a square, you can trim the excess off later. The dough should be 1/4" thick.

Remove one sheet of wax paper and transfer the dough to the pan.

Remove the other sheet of wax paper and press the dough into the corners of the pan. Trim off the excess dough. If there's enough, you can make cookies with the excess!

Poke the dough that is in the pan with a fork. Then cover it with either parchment paper or oil-sprayed aluminum-foil and with the top down with dried beans. By weighing it down, the crust won't rise and bubble up as it bakes.

Bake until edges are dry, about 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until just darkened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks. Here's what it should look like:

Make the filling:
Pour the cold cream into a medium-size metal bowl. Beat the cream on high speed, so that it whips up firm. Add the softened cream cheese and sugar to the bowl and beat on high again to blend and maintain the whip.

Spread the filling into the tart using a rubber spatula.

Decorate with strawberry fans, or sliced strawberries.

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Almonnaise - Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: A spread with the consistency of mayonnaise. Made with toasted almonds, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and optional fresh herbs. Can be used as a vegan mayonnaise but useful for omnivores too. Low carb.

The summer I stopped eating meat, it was more on a whim than with a plan. A friend's pointed question had forced the realization that more meat passed my lips than realized: a chicken sandwich for lunch, a steak on the weekend, they add up unless paying close attention. Within just a few days, I was lost. Many of my favorite recipes were no longer relevant. I didn't know where to turn.

It's hard to believe, yes? But this was not only before the Internet, it was also before there were bookstores on every corner. I was already shopping at Store #2 or #3 of a small company called Whole Foods but it was a hippy-dippy place then, a resource for only the most motivated and educated cooks. Anyone care to guess the year? It wasn't that long ago. :-)

A few weeks later, my cousin Laura, a long-time vegan, pressed a cookbook into my hands. "You need this," she said. "It'll help." It was her own copy of The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond, many pages penciled with notes. What a gift! For eight years, it was my only cookbook and my own notes far outnumber hers.

(Note to Vegetarians)

When I began to eat meat again, more mindfully this time, it was as an occasional food, once or twice a week. I put Laura's cookbook away. Especially as food magazines began to feature more and more vegetarian meals, it just wasn't necessary.

But a few weeks ago, when Lisa from Show-Me Vegan and Nupur from One Hot Stove were coming for supper, I wanted to make a seven-layer salad suitable for those who don't eat meat, eggs or dairy. It was easy enough to leave out the bacon and sliced eggs but the gorgeous Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing wasn't vegan either.

So I made a simpler, fresher version of the cookbook's vegan substitute for mayonnaise, one that starts with almonds. My notes read, '#1 - Wow. Especially with cilantro' and '#2 fresh dill' and '#3 dried dill' and '#4 cinnamon!'. Clearly this was a winner.

And sure enough, it is, it STILL is. And yes, this almonnaise is vegan. But it's also its own category of sauce that's entirely plant-based but has the consistency of mayonnaise. I served it last week -- there's irony here, yes? -- spread on rolls for BLTs. It's just delicious. I'd recommend it to anyone who plain likes good food, vegan, omnivore or otherwise.

"No meat, no eggs, no dairy. It's not just for vegans anymore."

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IDEAS for using ALMONNAISE
~ Green Beans with Mayo-Soy Sauce ~
~ Chipotle Chickpea Salad ~
~ Summer Dill Salad ~

~ more Dips, Spreads & Pestos ~

ALMONNAISE

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup

3/4 cup (2 ounces) sliced almonds with skins on
1/2 cup soymilk (can also use water)
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons good vinegar (I used sherry vinegar)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Optional: 1 bunch of fresh cilantro or other herbs
Salt & pepper to taste

In a small skillet, toast the almonds until golden brown, stirring often and watching very carefully so not to burn. Combine almonds, soymilk, garlic and vinegar in a food processor until smooth. (The skins make this quite grainy, not the smooth consistency of mayonnaise. But they add both flavor and fiber and thus are a good thing, to my taste anyway.) With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl in a thin stream, letting the mixture slowly gain volume. Once it becomes light and fluffy, add the cilantro or other herbs. Season to taste. Will become thicker once refrigerated.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 54 Cal (84% from Fat, 8% from Protein, 8% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 1 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 11 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Per Two Tablespoons: 109 Cal (84% from Fat, 8% from Protein, 8% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 7 g Mono Fat; 2 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 1 g Sugar; 22 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 5 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

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

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

---

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 2008

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