Stuffed Baked Tomatoes with Ricotta, Sweet Corn and Pesto

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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Can I just say that this dish is spectacular to make while the lovely summer tomatoes are still around! This is a great make- ahead tomato recipe. Once youve stuffed the tomatoes, you could keep them covered in the fridge for a day or two before baking.

vine-ripe-tomatoes

Juicy, round, vine ripened tomatoes are just perfect for stuffing. Red or green peppers will also be great for stuffing.

scoop-out-tomatoes

Cut the the tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh and membrane using a spoon. Be careful not to scoop all the way into the skin. Save the tomato flesh for another dish that calls for tomatoes. Dab the cavities of the tomatoes with a paper towel. You need to dab away all the juice and moisture inside the tomatoes.

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Mix together ricotta cheese, sweet corn, pesto, garlic and parmesan. Stuff the tomatoes with the filling. Then sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

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Place the stuffed tomatoes in a buttered or oiled baking dish. Drizzle a little butter or olive oil on top of the tomatoes. Bake till the tomatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Then broil till the tops are golden. Done!

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They come out warm, smelling like basil, juicy on the inside and crispy-golden on top. The ricotta is creamy and the little bursts of sweet corn are oh-so-yummy. A perfect dish!

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Serve these stuffed, baked tomatoes as a side dish. Or serve them with a green salad as a main course.

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A sprig of thyme makes things pretty..

Ricotta, Sweet Corn and Pesto Stuffed Baked Tomatoes Recipe
makes 12 pieces
6 small tomatoes
8 tbsp Ricotta cheese
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp store bought pesto
2 cloves Garlic, minced
6 tbsp Sweet corn
Salt, pepper (keep in mind that the parmesan and pesto already have salt)
10 tbsp Bread crumbs, I used Italian garlic and herb bread crumbs.
Butter or olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 f.Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Dab the tomato cavities dry (See pictures above). In a bowl, mix together all other ingredients except tomatoes, bread crumbs and butter/olive oil. Spoon this mixture into each tomato half. Top with bread crumbs (approximately 1 tbsp breadcrumbs per tomato half). Gently pat the bread crumbs down. Drizzle a little butter or olive oil on top of the stuffed tomatoes.

Place stuffed tomatoes in a buttered or oiled baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Then turn the oven to broil and broil till the tops are golden, about 1 minute.

Curried Tofu Salad with Carrots and Jicama with Cumin Vinaigrette

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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This salad is crunchy, healthy, filling and cumin scented all at the same time. And you can change it up or customize it however you wish. You could use baby corn, red peppers, arugula or cucumbers in this salad. Also try using tempeh or seitan instead of tofu.

curry-marinated-tofu-and-chopped-jicama,-carrot

Marinate tofu in curry powder and corn startch and pan fried it till crisp. I marinated the tofu over night, but you could skip the marinating if you are in a hurry. Use a good curry powder that you enjoy, it will make all the difference. Served the tofu on top of romaine lettuce, jicama and carrots.

cumin-vinaigrette

The cumin vinaigrette is easy and delicious. Just whisk together lemon juice, olive oil cumin powder and chopped cilantro.

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Curried Tofu Salad with Jicama and Carrots
serves about 2 as an entree
1 block firm tofu
2 tbsp corn startch
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 smal jicama, cut into match sticks
1 large carrot, cut into match sticks

Drain the tofu and pat dry. Wrap it in several layers of paper towels, place a plate over the wrapped tofu and place a few cans (tomato, beans, soup cans etc) over the plate. Let the tofu compress this way for atleast an hour to get all the moisture out of the tofu. Then cut tofu into pieces. Toss with corn startch, curry powder, turmeric and salt. I marinated the tofu over night, but you could use it right away if you are in a hurry. Heat oil in a skillet and pan fry the tofu till its golden on all sides. Serve tofu pieces over lettuce, jicama and carrots.

Cumin Vinaigrette

4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp mango powder (amchoor), substitute with extra lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt, pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Keep chilled. Serve with curried tofu salad.

Roasted Beet and Orange Dip with Walnuts

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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This recipe is a copycat version of the beet and orange dip at our local Wegmans grocery store. Wegmans don’t add walnuts to their dip. But I like the nutty, creamy muhammara-like flavor that the walnuts add to this dip. Its sweet, tart and great for dipping pita bread or in a vegetable crudite platter. I love the brilliant color of beets too. But if you don’t like beets, try this with carrots.

beets-with-greens

Dont throw away beet greens. They taste great chopped up and sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

fork-tender-roasted-beets-in-foil

I love the delightful earthiness of roasted beets. They take about an hour in a 400 degree oven to get fork tender. If you are in a hurry, use drained, canned beets. Once the beets are roasted, all you do is puree them with some toasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and garlic.

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I served this dip with carrot and celery sticks and toasted mini whole grain pita bread.

Here are some other ways to use this dip:

Use as a sandwich spread
Mix it into hummous for a gorgeous light pink colored dip
Serve as a platter with vegetable crudites, melba toast, olives, crackers, apple wedges

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Dont have walnuts? Try these beet dip recipes

Beet dip with tahini from Lovely Morning
Yogurt and beet dip from Shabak’s Kitchen
Cream cheese beet dip from Vegetarian Times

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Roasted Beet and Orange Dip with Walnuts Recipe
makes about 1 1/2 cups

12 oz beets (2-3 medium beets)
3/4 scant cup walnuts
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar, depending on how sweet the beets are
2 pods garlic
3 tbsp orange juice
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp orange zest

Wash and dry the beets. Wrap them in foil,place in a baking dish and bake in a 400 degree f oven for 1 hour or till the beets are fork tender. Let the beets cool a little and peel the skin.

Toast walnuts in a pan over medium heat till they are light brown. Place the roasted beets, toasted walnuts and all other ingredients, except orange zest in a blender. Puree till smooth. Adjust vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Transfer the dip to a bowl and mix in orange zest. Serve chilled with pita bread and vegetable crudites.

Crispy Polenta with Morel Mushrooms and Broccoli

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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This is a great meal for a week night. Its filling, tasty, and doesnt take too long to make. I used store bought polenta to speed things up. If you havent tried morel mushrooms, you absolutely must! They are earthy, incredibly flavorful and have a great texture. Fresh morels are only in season very briefly in the spring. But you can buy dried morels all year long. I used Melissa’s brand morel mushrooms. They are little expensive but well worth the splurge. Chanterelles or porcini mushrooms will also be great in this recipe.

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Here is a trick for getting extra flavorful sauce: Instead of soaking the mushrooms in water, soak them in half water and half vegetable stock. Then use this liquid to make the sauce.

store-bought-polenta

Saute soaked morels and broccoli and set aside. Then make a sauce with the morel soaking liquid, vegetable stock, a little wine and a few spoons of any soft, creamy cheese. I used Emeril’s vegetable stock which I received from foodbuzz. For the cheese, I recommend Alouette cheese spread for a wonderful creaminess. You could also use cream cheese, goat cheese, blue cheese or heavy cream. Store bought polenta makes this recipe easy to pull together. Just cut up the polenta into rounds, dredge in flour and pan fry till its crispy and golden.

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Garlic and thyme add great flavor tot his dish. This photo goes to Jugalbandi’s Click event, this month’s theme is allium.

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You could add the sauteed vegetables back in sauce and then top the polenta with it. Or..

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…top the polenta rounds with the vegetables and pour the sauce over.

Crispy Polenta with Morel Mushrooms and Broccoli Recipe
serves 3-4
1 tube (1 lb) store bought polenta
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp corn startch
2 tbsp oil

Cut the polenta into about 3/4th inch discs. Mix the all purpose flour and corn startch together. Dredge the polenta rounds in flour. Pan fry them till golden brown.

1 cup vegetable stock + 1 cup water
1 oz dried morel mushrooms
2 cups broccoli florets
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pods gralic, minced
4 tbsp white wine, optional
Salt and pepper
4-6 tbsp alouette cheese spread or any soft cheese or heavy cream
3 tbsp butter or oil

Bring the stock and water to a boil. Turn heat off and add the dried mushrooms to the stock. Let it soak 20 minutes. Squeeze out the mushrooms, reserving the stock.

Heat butter or oil in a pan. Add the broccoli and soaked mushrooms, saute on medium for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook another minute. Then add the wine if using, salt and pepper and cook on high for 1 minute. Pour in the mushroom soaking liquid and the cheese spread. Simmer on low for a few minutes till the mixture thickens. Serve over crispy polenta rounds.

Watermelon Juice for the Purist

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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Life doesn’t get simpler than this. Watermelon juice with nothing in it except….watermelon! I just cut up a seedless watermelon, removed the rind, put the fruit in a blender and then strained the juice out. Its even easier if you have a juicer; you don’t have to do the straining separately.

I decided not to add anything to the juice because it tasted fresh, fantastic, super fabulous all by itself.

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But here are some great additions to watermelon juice:

Sugar, honey or any other sweetener
A pinch of Indian black salt, which always pairs well with fruits
Lemon or lime juice
Lemon or lime zest
Mint
Basil
Alcohol (highly recommended!) – rum, tequilla or cahaca (my favorite)
A little club soda to make watermelon spritzer (thanks Aparna!)

You cant go wrong with mixing and matching any of the above.

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I served this watermelon juice, chilled, in mini flower vases with a sprig of mint.

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What will you add to watermelon juice?

Chocolate-Banana Yin-Yang Cupcakes

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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When life gives you bananas, you wish they didn’t all ripen at the same time. But because your wish will never come true, you should banana cupcakes! Or rather, half banana, half chocolate cupcakes. These are banana-chocolate, yellow-brown, yin-yang cupcakes. This recipe was born out of a need to use up overly ripe bananas and some baking chocolate that was nearing its expiry.

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Cake flour makes things light and airy because of its lower protein content. If you don’t have cake flour, just use all purpose flour; you’ll have slightly denser, but tasty cupcakes.

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Beat sugar, eggs and salt together. Then beat in butter and vanilla. Fold in cake flour, baking soda and baking powder. This is your basic cake mixture.

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Divide the batter in half. Add a mashed banana to one half and melted chocolate to the other half of the batter.

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Now you are ready to make your yin yang, half and half cupcakes. Just place a spoon of the chocolate mixture to one side of a cupcake or muffin tin. Then place a spoon of the banana batter on the other side, so that the muffin cup is filled one half with chocolate and one half with banana batter.

You could also make banana-chocolate swirl or marble cakewith both these batters. Spoon the banana and chocolate batters alternatingly onto a cake tin. Then using a spatula, gently make swirling patterns through the batter to get the marbled cake effect.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes and you’ll have banana-chocolate cupcakes!

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes. The mashed banana keeps the cupcakes incredibly moist.

chocolate-banana-cupcakes

Note: there is a consistency difference between the banana and chocolate halves of the cupcake. I find that the chocolate part is a bit brownie-like (maybe because I used melted chocolate and not cacao powder?). Next time, to even out the consistency, I may mix the mashed banana into the entire batter and then stir in some cacao powder to one half of the banana batter.

The secret to perfect cakes

Don’t over mix the batter. Only fold/mix the batter till the ingredients have just combined. Don’t over handle or over mix the batter.
Don’t over bake the cake. You’ll land up with dry cakes if you over bake them. If your kitchen smells like cake, it means its ready to come out of the oven in a few more minutes. (A tooth pick inserted into the cake must come out clean).

Chocolate-Banana Yin-Yang Cupcakes
Makes about 12 cupcakes

6 tbsp butter at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar (use upto 3/4 cup if you want it sweeter)
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
¾ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup cake flour or all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
½ cup mashed ripe banana (1 large ripe banana)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted over a double boiler.

Preheat oven to 350f. If you are not using a non-stick muffin tin, grease the tin with a little butter and dust it with a little flour.

Using an electric beater or stand mixer, whisk butter, sugar and salt on high speed for about 1 minute. Then add eggs and vanilla and whisk for about 4 minutes of high or till the mixture is pale and fluffy. Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Fold this gently into the egg mixture. Don’t over mix. Divide the cake batter in half. Mix in mashed bananas to one half and melted chocolate to the other half.

Spoon the chocolate and banana batters into muffin tins as shown in the pictures above. Bake for about 18-22 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Squash with Kalyn’s Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

grilled-zucchini-squash-and-creamy-tomatillo-sauce

Call me crazy..but I grilled outdoors on a blazing hot, 98 degree day. I could have made my no-cook double layer summer vegetable sandwich instead, stayed indoors and stayed nice and cool. But I was really, really in the mood for some grilled summer squash/zucchini skewers with chipotle and lime.

When the wonderful Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen posted a recipe for creamy tomatillo dressing, I simply had to make it and serve it with grilled zucchini. Kalyn’s Café Rio inspired tomatillo dressing is tart, creamy and refreshing. But let me tell you about the chipotle lime grilled squash first.

thread-squash-on-skewer

Use both yellow squash and green zucchini for colorful skewers. Red onion goes well with the squash and is always wonderful on the grill. Red onion is one of my favorite things to grill – it gets sweet and roasted and incredibly flavorful. Cut the squash and onion and thread them alternatingly on soaked bamboo skewers.

Then grill the skewers on an outdoor grill. Towards the end, baste the skewers with a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, chipotle powder, cumin and salt. Chipotle powder burns easily, so only baste in the last minute or so of grilling.

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Meet my grill. We got an incredible deal on it a few years ago in Sears. Among the many things we’ve grilled, we really like grilled limes and they go great with this dish.

tomatillos

grilled-tomatillos Now, onto Kalyns creamy tomatillo dressing. This is really easy to make. You’ll need a couple of tomatillos. Remove their husk and wash away the sticky coating on the tomatillos. Pat them dry. Then throw the tomatillos on the grill. When they are soft and blistered, put them in a blender.

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Add some cilantro, garlic, a Serrano chili (Kalyn uses jalapeno or Tabasco sauce), lime juice, a packet of ranch dressing mix and a cup each of milk and mayonnaise.

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Blend everything together and your sauce is done.

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Served chipotle grilled squash with creamy tomatillo sauce and grilled limes.

Chipotle Lime Grilled Squash recipe with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
makes 4 skewers
2 squash (preferably 1 yellow squash and 1 green zucchini)
½ medium red onion
¼ tsp ground chipotle
¼ tsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
four 12 inch bamboo skewers

Soak the skewers for 15 minutes in warm water. This will prevent them from burning on the grill.

Heat an outdoor grill to about 350f.

Cut the squash into rounds (about 8 rounds per squash). Cut the onion into chunks. Thread the squash and onions onto the skewers alternatingly – about 4 pieces of squash and 3 pieces of onion per 12 inch skewer.

Mix chipotle powder, cumin, lime juice, olive oil and salt together. Place squash skewers on the grill and grill each side till browned. Brush the chipotle-olive oil mixture on the grilled squash in the last 1 minute of grilling.

Serve with creamy tomatillo sauce.

Kalyn’s Creamy Tomatillo Sauce recipe inspired by Café Rio
about 2 ½ cups (you’ll have left over sauce)

2 large or 4 small tomatillos
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 serrano chili (Kalyn uses jalapeno or Tabasco sauce)
1 packet Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise

Toss the tomatillos in 1 tso of oil and grill on an outdoor grill or in the oven till soft and blistered. Place the tomatillos along with all other ingredients in a blender. Blend into a sauce. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve.

If you want to use prepared/bottled ranch dressing, use 2 cups of the prepared dressing instead of the ranch dressing mix, milk and mayo. If you don’t have tomatillos, Kalyn recommends using store bought salsa verde.

Double Layer Summer Vegetable Sandwich with Hummus and Pesto

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

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This is an easy sandwich for a sweltering hot day, when you don’t feel like turning on your stove. With all the raw summer vegetables and brown bread, this sandwich is healthy too. Its a double layered sandwich, so its quite filling. I love the combination of creamy hummus and the basil pesto in this sandwich.

basket-of-garden-vegetables

You’ll need a carrot, some baby radish, cucumber and tomatoes. All you have to do with the vegetables is slice them thin and toss them in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Store bought hummus (I used Tribe 40 spice hummus) and pesto act as sandwich spreads. Use whatever bread you like. I prefer soft brown bread slices or pita pockets for this.

See my new flexible chopping mat from Bed Bath and Beyond in the pictures below? I recently bought two of these and I love them! They’re great if you are cutting a small amount of stuff. They’re flexible, take up no space at all and the best part is, you can throw them in the dish washer!

hummus-and-veggies-on-sandwich

You’ll need 3 slices instead of the usual 2 slices of bread. Start with the first slice. Spread some hummus on it. Then pile on the chopped carrots, cucumber and radish. I like to load the sandwich with lots of veggies!

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Put a little more hummus on the second slice of bread and place it over the veggies, hummus side down. Then spread some pesto on top of the second bread slice. See where I’m going with this?!

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Now come the tomatoes. Place them on top of the sandwich. Spread more pesto on the third slice of bread and top the tomatoes with it. I like to put the tomatoes on the top layer of the sandwich and spread pesto on the top slice of bread. The science behind that is that tomatoes taste great with pesto. Just like how I think the vegetables taste great with hummus. So each sandwich layer is assigned its own vegetable-spread pairing!

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Press down on the sandwich gently to compact everything. Then cut it in half. This sandwich will get soggy on you if you let it sitting around. So serve it immediately.

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Double Layer Summer Vegetable Sandwich with Hummus and Pesto Recipe
makes 3 sandwiches (or 6 if you slice each in half)

9 slices of bread
1 small carrot
4 baby radishes
1/2 an English cucumber
1 small tomato
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
about 5 tbsp store bought Hummus or enough to spread on the bread slices
about 4 tbsp store bought Pesto or enough to spread on the bread slices
Salt and Pepper
Slice the carrot, radishes, and cucumber into thin slices. You should have about 2 cups (loosely packed) of chopped vegetables in total; chop less if you want fewer veggies in your sandwich. Combine the chopped vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice the tomato into rounds.

Place one slice of bread on a work surface. Spread about 1 tbsp hummus on it. Arrange the vegetable slices on top. Spread a little more (about 1/2 tbsp) hummus on the second slice of bread and place it hummus side down on the vegetables. Spread about 3/4 tbsp pesto on the second slice of bread. Place tomato slices on top. Spread a little more pesto on a third slice of bread and place it pesto side down on top of the tomatoes.