Recipes Of The World

About this time of year we start having cucumber salads almost every night with dinner. The cucumbers are growing a bit out of control in the garden, climbing up the tomato cages and all over the zinnias that line the raised beds. Every other day I bring in a handful, peel them and chop them up for a simple salad consisting of nothing more than the cucumbers, some rice vinegar, either dill or basil, and salt and pepper. You don’t even really need the herbs; cucumbers are crunchy and cool with just some vinegar, salt and pepper. But added dill or chopped fresh basil will elevate this simple cucumber salad to something just a bit more interesting. I like adding a mix of regular basil and Thai basil (the one that tastes somewhat licorice-y).

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Recipe submitted by JessHaze, 07/29/09

The Best and Easiest Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 cup sugar
    1 cup peanut butter
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    3 ounces applesauce
    1/2 cup flour
    1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar and peanut butter until well combined. Add baking soda and mix. Then add in applesauce and mix until combined.  With mixer running add in flour until the mixture forms a doughy, almost dry, texture. Turn off mixer and fold in chocolate chips. 

3) Roll into one inch balls and flatten slightly.  Place onto UNgreased…

Just got back from the BlogHer conference to find a 3 pound zucchini in the garden! Fortunately I remembered this recipe from our recipe archive (originally posted in August 2007). Have a favorite stuffed zucchini recipe? Please let us know about it in the comments. ~Elise

If you grow zucchini in your garden, and you’re the kind of wonderful person who brings your neighbors a share of your bounty, and such bounty includes foot-long several pound zucchinis, might I suggest that you include a recipe to accompany such a welcome gift? I’m not kidding! Seriously, we have such a wonderful neighbor, Pat, who not only brings over freshly picked, glorious produce, but tried and true recipes as well. The following stuffed zucchini recipe is adapted from one that Pat brought us last week, along with a 2-pound zucchini, and we loved it. It tastes like it is stuffed with Italian pork sausage, but the stuffing is actually lean ground turkey with garlic, herbs, and mushrooms. Enjoy.

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Recipe submitted by dessie, 07/17/09

Not lil' Debbies Oatmeal Creme pie

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
    3/4 cup dark brown sugar
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon molasses
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3 eggs worth of Ener-g Egg replacer (follow box instructions), or ground flaxseed + water
    1 1/2 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 1/2 cup ground up quick  oats, ground in a food processor or blender
    Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins.
   
    Cream Filling
    2 teaspoons hot water
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    Half a container of vegan marshmallow creme (I use RiceMellow)
    1/2 cup ve…

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Recipe submitted by EmbraceLife, 07/13/09

Chili Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies of Death!

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
    2-1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup agave nectar
    1/2 cup canola oil
    1/3 cup pure maple syrup
    1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    3/4 cup chocolate chips
    1/3 cup raw almond slivers
    1-1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved

Directions:

These cookies are moist and a bit spongy and soooooooo delicious I cant even tell you!

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baki…

I do believe these are the best black beans I’ve ever eaten in my life. My friend Suzanne has been teaching me some of her favorite recipes this summer (lucky me!), and this spicy black bean recipe is one she couldn’t wait to share. Suzanne usually makes a big batch for her family (husband and three hungry teenagers included) with enough for some leftovers during the week. The beans have layers of chili flavor, balanced with zesty orange, lime, and cilantro. They are spicy, but you can control the level to your taste, depending on which and how much chili to include.

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Have you ever cooked with quinoa? It’s a South American grain that one prepares in a fashion similar to rice, simmered in water until the liquid is all absorbed. I first started cooking with quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) when I lived in San Francisco years ago. It has this wonderful nutty flavor, that actually doesn’t need much added to it; I used to make a quick batch, pour on some flax seed oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and gobble it up. If you have never tried it, I encourage you to track some down. It’s inexpensive, easy to make, tastes great, and is surprisingly high in protein. For those of us who are sensitive to the gluten in wheat or barley, it’s entirely gluten-free. You can find it at Trader Joe’s or at Whole Foods.

The following is a quinoa pilaf recipe based on one given to me by my friend Steve. The first time I made it I thought I would improve upon it by using chicken stock in place of the water. Bad idea. The pilaf ended up tasting like chicken stock, not quinoa. All of the lovely nuttiness of the quinoa was drowned out by the chicken flavor. This time I stayed with water, and instead added fresh herbs from our garden, and a just-picked lemon cucumber. I served it cold, more like a pilaf salad, though it would work warm too.

Do you have a favorite quinoa recipe? If so, I would love to hear about it.

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