Category Archives: vegetables

Happy Birthday Julia Child — French Potato Salad

Posted on August 23, 2013 | 1 comment

photo (8)photo (4)photo (2)Every year on August 15 Julia Child comes to mind since it is her birthday and would have been 101st Birthday. She was such a huge influence on all of us who cook and enjoy eating so I try and make one or two of her recipes every year on this day.  This is a most delicious light “very French” potato salad. I am not a huge fan of potatoes swimming in mayonnaise so this was such a welcome treat. It is moderately difficult and that just means there are a few steps involved. It’s worth the effort, her cooking was never effortless but well worth it.

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces–just good food from fresh ingredients” Julia Child

Ingredients:

1 lb. “boiling” potatoes, all the same size and shape if at all possible

2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped/minced

Kosher Salt

White Pepper, freshly ground if available, if not use Black Pepper and I promise not to tell

1/4 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 1/2 Tbsp. White wine vinegar

2 – 3 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped or small little pieces

2-3 Tbsp. light olive  oil

Directions:

Fill a 3 quart saucepan half full with cold water. Wash the potatoes. One at a time peel a potato , and if it’s round and fat rather than long and thin, cut it in half lengthwise. I just cut 1/4 ” slices and left them like that. After you cut potatoes , drop the slices into the pan of water, to prevent them from turning an ugly color while you prepare the rest.

I cooked potatoes and made salad within 1/2 hour to prevent the possiblility of them turning grey.

Then drain out the water the potatoes sat in and add clean water to cover potatoes and add a good bit of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for probably 15 / 20 minutes depending on potatoes, just until fork tender–keep testing by eating a small piece of potato to be sure.

Crunchy undercooked potatoes are dreadful, and overcooked potatoes will just fall apart.

Drain out the cooking water. At once cover the pan and set aside for a few minutes ( about 5 minutes) just to allow the slices to firm up. Then uncover the potatoes and start to season them as follows.

Get a nice roomy bowl and toss gently with the shallots, add the stock, vinegar and parsley. Let sit for app. 10 minutes or so, tossing gently a few times. Then correct salt and pepper seasoning, toss with the olive oil. I let the potatoes sit for about 1/2 hour to absorb the flavors at room temperature.

The salad should keep a day or two covered in the fridge.

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Corn and Tomato Soup – no cream

Posted on August 15, 2013 | 4 comments

DSCN0358DSCN0382DSCN0381The corn is so delicious right now that I had to make this soup. I was going to save this recipe for the Fall but I used the fresh Olathe corn at the market now and couldn’t wait to share. When the corn is not as fresh and sweet you can definitely use frozen . I used fresh tomatoes from the farmers market and fresh Olathe corn ( local in Colorado) but I happen to know Long Island has particularly good sweet local corn. So while the getting is good and you can get fresh vegetables please do so. Farm to Table here we go again.

I made this soup for dinner as an appetizer. I think it would be good cold but I prefer it warm.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots , coarsely chopped or 1 large one

1 teaspoon kosher salt ( more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( more to taste)

3 1/4 cups corn, or 1 lb. bag of frozen corn thawed it’s approximately 5 – 6 ears of fresh corn

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian

2 beautiful medium size tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces*

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

Directions:

In a large dutch oven ( Le Creuset) type of pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, salt and pepper, cook stirring occasionally until shallots are soft, app. 5 minutes. While this is going on cook up the corn as follows.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and just cook corn till it turns yellow for 1-2 minutes, then I throw into an ice bath to stop the cooking. When corn is cooled down cut kernels off cobs.

Place the cooked shallots, corn and chicken stock into the blender.

Pour the corn mixture back into the pot. Bring the mixture to a low simmer , cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, just to heat through.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tomatoes and basil, let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.  Taste for Salt and Pepper.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve!

*to seed the tomatoes, cut them in 1/2 horizontally and using a small dessert spoon, scoop out the seed and discard. The seeds make the soup too watery.

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Farmers Market to Table Gazpacho

Posted on August 11, 2013 | 1 comment

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Delicious fresh vegetables from the local farmers market went into this gazpacho. This time of year you must take advantage of the awesome selection of fruit and vegetables at your local farmers market. In Colorado there is so much local produce it would be a pity not to . I bought the tomatoes , cucumbers, peppers, garlic and red onion all from our local farmers market. Whole Foods also sells many local products which is so amazing. I don’t want to preach and there are so very many foods that I am particularly fond of that come from very foreign shores ( shrimp for one) . It’s just quite the thing to put food on your table from your own garden or at least from one within 100 miles of where you live. Farm to Table . Simply put it’s the best .

Ingredients:

1 cucumber or 2 – 3 Kirby size cukes, halved and seeded , but don’t peel . If not Kirby cukes you can use a hothouse cucumber. Go organic, because you are eating the peel.

2 yellow bell peppers, cored and seeded. Of course you can use red bell peppers, but not green.

4 tomatoes , use what you can find. I went to local farmers market for mine . If you use plum tomatoes use 4.

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced or throw them into the food processor along with vegetables

3 cups Spicy V8 or use regular tomato juice

1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno depending on how spicy you like it, remove seeds from jalapeno

* cilantro, chopped is a nice touch for garnish

*avocado cut up is also nice garnish

*shrimp is also a nice garnish

Directions:

I cut up cukes, tomatoes, bell peppers and red onions into app. 1 inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor with steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not make baby food, don’t over process.

After each vegetable is chopped up combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic ( if you haven’t already) , juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. It’s a good idea to chill for a while, the longer it sits the more the taste develops.

The second night I added shrimp and avocado.

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Burnt Broccoli

Posted on August 3, 2013 | 5 comments

photo (4)photoWhile I’m on the broccoli rant I just want to say that this is one of my most favorite side dishes ever. I discovered it a long time ago in the Italian Restaurants on Long Island which are very popular for this sort of thing. I am pretty sure this recipe started out quite by accident but it caught on and is super popular back east, we even put it on our pizza! Once we started spending so much time out in Colorado I was missing my native food so just started to make it myself. All you need is some broccoli, salt and pepper, olive and oil, a very hot oven, and yeah a smoke detector that doesn’t keep going off. This is really delicious and sort of fool-proof.

I served it alongside my spatchcocked chicken. Super yummy.

Ingredients:

Broccoli ( at least 1 head for 4 people)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Olive Oil – you’ll want to start out with app. 2 tablespoons of olive oil, I like to use my hands and make sure that the broccoli is covered enough. If not enough oil it will just dry out and burn out. On the other hand don’t let it swim in oil.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I spray a cookie sheet with Pam cooking spray, cut up broccoli into smallish pieces ( see photo) cut off any very thick ends. Pour some olive oil* over the broccoli and with clean hands get oil over the broccoli, sprinkle well with salt and pepper.  Put tray in oven for at least 40 minutes, then turn oven up to 500 and keep broccoli in for another 10 minutes. Everyone likes varying degrees of burnt broccoli , if you’ve never had it you’ll have to figure it out for yourself. This is very yummy.

*Don’t overdo the olive oil, just make sure that there is oil all over the broccoli, not swimming in it. That being said, you’ll need enough to crisp it up and for flavor, so don’t skimp on it either.photo (10)

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Vicki’s Rockin’ Raw Broccoli Salad

Posted on August 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Hummingbirds swarming feeders

Hummingbirds swarming feeders

finished product with nuts and avocado

finished product with nuts and avocado

I am always so happy when a reader submits a recipe to me . If the recipe appeals to me  I will try and  make the recipes as soon as I can from when I receive them which isn’t always easy. I did make this one and lost some of my photos on my camera. and had to make it again and re-do the photos which ended up OK because this is such a delicious healthy salad choice I was happy to eat it again.  This one comes from Vicki and I want to thank her so very much for this delicious raw salad. Super healthy and tasty. While it might not be for everyone ( Joel ) I really enjoyed it. This was how I did it. And again thanks Vicki and keep Cooking with Candi. This also couldn’t be any easier,  I put the whole salad together in 15 minutes from start to finish. Now that’s a salad you can get behind.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli, chopped or thinly sliced ( I used my food processor but you can do by hand and just chop small thin pieces )

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 heaping tbsp. stone ground mustard

1 scooped out avocado , cut into chunks

1 handful chopped raw almonds ( Vicki leaves her almonds whole and just throws them into salad, whichever you prefer)

Directions:

I used about 3/4 of a head of broccoli this particular head of broccoli seemed super huge, I think ordinarily you would use 1 whole head .  I chopped it in my food processor. In a separate bowl I whisked together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Pour the dressing over the broccoli, and right before serving add the chunks of avocado and chopped nuts , mix and serve.

*this was very tasty when dressing sat on broccoli and had time to seep in . I would add dressing at least an hour before serving. Then right before serving add avocado . If time allows, if not it was just fine.

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Ranch Dressing – BLT Salad

Posted on June 28, 2013 | 1 comment

photo (2)DSCN0290photoDSCN0292One of the best things to come out of writing this blog is being in touch with so very many different people and getting inspired by their ideas as well as my own. Bree emailed me to tell me about this dressing that she made from Ina Garten. I was so happy for the email and a new dressing to make. I followed the salad dressing recipe decreasing the salt and changing the salad to a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato salad. So yum, and thanks again Bree for thinking of me and writing to me, I love that you thought of me and that you inspired me to make this new dressing.  This is one helluva great dressing and it would make one helluva great dip. Another perfect summer salad. Thanks!

Ingredients:

3 scallions, white and green parts , chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup good mayonnaise ( you can use light but not fat free please)

1/2 cup Greek style yogurt , I used 2%

1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken ( you can use lowfat)

Salad Greens:

for 6 people you will use 3 small Bibb Lettuces, or Boston Lettuce or Romaine. Whichever you prefer. I could only find Romaine so that’s what we had. We like our lettuce chopped so that’s what I did.

2 large ripe tomatoes or small grape ones, whichever you prefer.

6 slices of Bacon ( I used microwave Bacon) it’s awesome–no fuss no muss

*1 red onion thinly sliced ( optional)

*avocado cut into chunks ( also optional)

I made all the salad dressing because it will keep in fridge for a few days , I used less lettuce and less other ingredients just for the two of us. I used the red onion and avocado for my 1/2 of the salad.

Directions:

Place the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic , salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree for about 20 seconds till smooth. Add the mayo, yogurt, and buttermilk and blend till smooth. Transfer the dressing to a container and refrigerate for at least an hour till flavors blend together . Put together salad ingredients and pour dressing on it. So delish! Great with protein on it, and this salad dressing would make a great dip for raw veggies! I love this dressing, we ate it 3 nights in a row!

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Posted in Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

Broccoli Slaw and Bowties — Vegan Style

Posted on June 26, 2013 | 5 comments

DSCN0239DSCN0243DSCN0247DSCN0241DSCN0261My new obsession seems to be this broccoli slaw. It is so easy to use, has a lot of crunch and tastes delicious in different ways with different dressings. This one is super easy to put together, and I used Vegenaise but you can clearly use Mayonnaise if you don’t care , either or. Ingredients are easy to obtain in almost any supermarket today. I used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and it had a bit of kick, if you don’t like the kick take it down a notch or omit it entirely and it will be just fine. This is a great raw summer slaw/pasta salad packing nutrients, crunch and sugar and spice. I used about 6 oz. of farfalle ( bowtie pasta) and again you could probably make this and leave out the pasta entirely if that’s the way you’d like it. I would then double the slaw. I bought the broccoli slaw in a 12oz. bag.

I love this salad. We ate it with my Lemon grilled chicken breasts for dinner

*easily serves 6 – 8 as a side dish and easily doubled

Ingredients:

6 – 8 oz. of farfalle noodles ( bowtie)

1 bag of broccoli slaw ( mine was 12 oz. use up to 16 oz.)

1 cup sunflower nuts ( roasted and unsalted) you don’t need extra salt or slivered almonds would be nice

1 cup dried craisins ( you can use raisins, cherries or whatever dried fruit you prefer)

1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt – Fage is perfect

1/4 cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar ( you need to neutralize the acid in vinegar)

*1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( use at your own discretion) you know we love it spicy

app. 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of the black pepper mill — use a little at a time, and taste.

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions for al dente. Cool.

I put broccoli slaw, nuts and dried craisins in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, I whisked together the yogurt, vegenaise, cider vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. I tasted dressing for salt and pepper, adjusted accordingly and ended up adding a little more salt, bringing the salt to the 1/2 tsp. I started with 1/4 teaspoon. Remember you can always add salt but you really cannot take it away, so be mindful.

Add bowties to slaw, and add the dressing and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper again. I didn’t add any this time around.

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Posted in Raw, Salad, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Macaroni and Peas

Posted on June 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here is a delicious vegetarian pasta which is a perfect pasta for the warm summer nights and quite frankly hearty enough for the winter. It’s a sort of pea pesto , perfect at room temperature or hot . Here’s the thing, Joel has been on a very strict no carb diet for a while now and he would hate this anyway, he wouldn’t ever touch anything this green. He told me it looked like it belonged in the Exorcist movie. Once again, he doesn’t know what he’s missing, his loss but a perfect time for me to make it since he wouldn’t eat it anyway. I must say I loved it but you gotta love peas. This is also a great dish for kids, they get macaroni which they all love and all the vitamins from the peas.

Season liberally with salt and pepper and don’t be stingy with the parmesan cheese. Not a lot of ingredients but all super flavorful. This one is very heart warming and comforting to me somehow.  If you’re looking for a new take on basil pesto this could be the new one . I did use 3 tablespoons of butter and I know some of you are wincing but it’s a box of pasta it’s not all going into one individual serving. This can serve 4 -6 as a main dish and probably 8 as a side. All I can say is yum.

Ingredients:

1 pound shelled small peas, fresh or frozen will do ( I used frozen )

10 ounces pasta, I prefer the small shapes for this. Macaroni, fusilli, cavatappi, penne etc.

3 tablespoons butter ( unsalted)

1 garlic clove , chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely grated (more for topping)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – I would start with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill. Season according to your own taste.

Directions:

In a saucepan add enough water to just cover the peas, bring to a boil and cook until tender– about 3 minutes should do. Drain the peas–but reserve the cooking water.

Cook the pasta according to directions for al dente. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan over low heat; add the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes. Remove butter from the heat.

Put half of the cooked peas in a blender or food processor  with 6 tablespoons of their cooking water, the butter and garlic, and the 1/4 cup grated cheese. Puree unti smooth, adding more cooking water if necessary. Combine with whole peas that you didn’t pureeDSCN0200DSCN0211DSCN0208DSCN0203DSCN0214 and season liberally with salt and pepper. As I said I started with 1/4 tsp. of Salt, it was enough for me. I gave pepper mill a few grinds , you will season according to your own taste.

Drain the pasta and toss with the pea sauce. Serve with more grated cheese if you like.

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Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes and Lots of Good Stuff – Vegan

Posted on June 13, 2013 | 3 comments

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199Most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight. totally vegan. I am not a vegan so I was grilling steaks for dinner and wanted to do a cold salad on the side. I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side. By the way Joel took a bite but too much healthy stuff going on in here for his liking, although he’s gotten better he’s not quite up to this yet, it’s OK because there was more for me with leftovers.

I was inspired for this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for Guacamole Salad. The corn was my idea.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, sides, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas – Vegan

Posted on May 24, 2013 | 1 comment

DSCN0013DSCN0019 DSCN0024DSCN0025I am still cooking my way through Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook, ” It’s All Good”.  I have made a few recipes and this is the latest one. I love cauliflower, Dijon mustard and chickpeas, so how bad can this possibly be?

So so good, that’s how good.

I couldn’t get Joel to even touch it except to eat one chickpea and he refused to touch the cauliflower. Oh well, once again, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. This is a perfect side dish and very healthy, to boot. Completely vegan, protein packed and very filling. I’m certain it would be delicious with broccoli as well. Give this a try!

Thanks again to Gwyneth Paltrow for an amazing cookbook with lots of new recipes. It is all good!

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained and then dried in a kitchen towel.

1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed and discarded, cut into bite size florets.

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup of olive oil

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard–I love Maille brand Dijon Mustard for just the right bite, but any Dijon mustard will do.

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard ( if you don’t have whole grain , just use all Dijon) it just adds a nice texture and looks good.

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

*sprinkling of about 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the rack in the middle.

Toss the chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of kosher salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until everything starts to brown up nicely, and the cauliflower is quite soft (about 45 minutes.)

Meanwhile, whisk together the mustards, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil, and a few healthy grinds of black pepper. I didn’t think it needed more salt, the mustard was salty enough as was the cauliflower.  While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and if you like, add a little sprinkling of parsley.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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