Insalata di Farro (Spelt Salad)

I bought a package of spelt the other day (available near other cereal grains like oats in the supermarket), and I am so excited to try out some recipes with it. This ancient grain is incredibly versatile, and packed with nutrition - fiber, Vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as calcium and iron.

To start this recipe, make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons vegetable broth, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and 1 crushed garlic clove; set aside.

Rinse 1 and 1/4 cups uncooked spelt in a sieve, then drain and transfer to a saucepan. Add 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup water; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. The original recipe said to simmer for 25 minutes, but at the end of 25, there was still a fair amount of liquid left in my saucepan. This didn't make sense, since I knew I wasn't supposed to drain off any excess liquid, and assumed the spelt should have had time to absorb it all. A quick look online showed that spelt is often cooked for closer to 50 minutes. So I continued to let it simmer, and indeed, at the end of 50 minutes, the liquid had all absorbed.

Meanwhile, cut 1 cup of 1-inch green beans, and 3/4 cups of sliced carrot. Cook the vegetables in boiling water until crisp-tender (about 4 to 5 minutes), then drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again.

Combine the cooked spelt and the cooked beans and carrots in a large bowl with 1/2 cup frozen green peas (thawed in advance), 1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed in advance), 1/2 cup drained and chopped marinated artichoke hearts (such as Native Forest), 1/4 cup pitted ripe (black) olives, 1/4 cup pitted green olives, and 1 (7-ounce) bottle of drained and chopped roasted red bell peppers.

Note: the original recipe made it seem as though the olives should stay whole, but I chopped mine in half so they would be closer inside to the other tidbits in the salad.

Pour the dressing over the spelt mixture, and stir well to coat. You should let the salad stand for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before serving. However, it's actually even yummier if you make it a whole day in advance, so the flavors can blend. Then, serve it either chilled or at room temperature.

1 cup of salad is 240 calories. Look for some more spelt recipes soon!

Cost:
flat-leaf parsley $3.99
spelt $4.99
green beans $0.66
carrots $0.65
frozen green peas $2.00
marinated artichoke hearts $2.99
black olives $1.39
green olives $1.99
bottled roasted red bell peppers $2.79

Watermelon Gazpacho

We've had such a burst of early summer weather that when I thought of having soup tonight, I instantly though of gazpacho!

To make this yummy variation of the cold soup, combine 3 cups cubed and seeded watermelon in a bowl with 1/2 cup chopped and peeled English cucumber, 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper, 3 tablespoons chopped green onions, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped mint, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. hot sauce (such as the Hot Stuff from the Wizard), and 1 small minced garlic clove.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse about 4 or 5 times, until finely chopped. Return to the bowl and stir in 1/2 cup cranberry-raspberry juice. The recipe said to chill the mixture thoroughly, so I made the recipe about 3 hours before serving.

Two vegan cran-raspberry jucies to try are R.W. Knudsen or Apple & Eve.

3/4 cups of gazpacho makes a serving of 90 calories, and you'll have about 4 servings. You can double the recipe easily if you like though!

Cost:
watermelon $6.97
yellow bell pepper $1.98
mint $1.99
lime $0.50

Corn, 'Bacon', and Green Onion Tart

The original recipe for this tart called for Pillsbury's 10-ounce refrigerated pizza crust dough. Although vegan according to PETA's "I can't believe it's vegan" website, there are other things in the ingredient list (ahem, partially hydrogenated oils) that I like to avoid. So use the canned dough if you like, but I made my own from my recipe for Pizza Dough, from February 1, 2009 on this blog. If you do the same, remember that the dough will need two rises - the first one for 45 minutes, the second for 30 minutes. The rest of the ingredients for this tart can come together during that second rise.

Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Add 2, chopped vegan bacon slices (such as Light Life) and cook for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups corn kernels and 1/2 cup chopped green onions; saute for 3 minutes. Although the original recipe called for fresh corn, it's not quite the season yet in the supermarket, so I used frozen corn kernels and thawed them in advance.

Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl and add the following (or simply to the skillet, and mix everything there): 1 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk), 2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan (such as the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods), 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G); stir until blended.

Coat a 10-inch round removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray, and place on a baking sheet. If you use the canned dough, simply pat into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If you made the dough at home, roll it into about a 12-inch circle on a floured surface, than transfer to the tart pan and press into the bottom and sides. Pour in the filling, and sprinkle the top with an additional 2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing; the filling will continue to set as it cools.

Divide the tart into 4 servings of 400 calories each.

Cost:
bacon $3.39
corn $1.69
green onions $0.99

Farfalle, Zucchini, and Bell Peppers in Pesto

Here's a quick pasta for an easy weeknight meal - it's a great way to use up leftover dry pasta in your pantry.

Cook 8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta according to package directions; drain, then return to the pan. (I used the farfalle from Whole Foods' house brand).

The original recipe called to add 3 tablespoons commercial pesto. It can be awfully hard to find bottled pesto that does not contain cheese (although options do exist). Much more readily available, however, is concentrated pesto (the kind sold in a tube), which is basically just basil and oil. Since it's concentrated, however, I used half the amount called for - only 1 and 1/2 tablespoons - whisked into 1 and 1/2 tablespoons water. Add to the cooked pasta, and stir to combine.

Add 2 cups shredded zucchini, 1 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

Stir in 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan (such as the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods).

Place 2 cups of pasta on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with an additional tablespoon of 'cheese'. Each serving is 350 calories.

Cost:
pesto $4.19
zucchini $1.94
red bell pepper $2.11

Cauliflower Soup

I found this Austrian recipe for cauliflower soup interesting because most soups I've encountered made with cauliflower are pureed. Here, the vegetables are simply rendered tender but left whole in a yummy broth.

Melt 1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a saucepan; add 1 cup finely chopped onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2 and 1/4 cups cauliflower florets, 1 and 1/2 cups diced and peeled baking potato, 1/4 cup finely chopped carrot, and 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently - the cauliflower should be just starting to brown.

Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add 1/4 tsp. salt and just a dash of black pepper before serving. You can make this soup a little bit ahead of time, but it's best if you serve it on the day you make it - double the above quantities easily to feed a larger crowd! 1 and 1/2 cups makes a serving of 170 calories.

Cost:
onion $1.22
cauliflower $4.50
baking potato $0.84
carrot $0.23
vegetable broth $3.49

Note: There's a new non-dairy frozen dessert on the market! At least, it's the first time I've noticed Almond Dream next to the Soy Dream and Rice Dream in the freezer section. I currently have a query into the company to make sure the Almond Dream line is vegan, but I can't imagine it wouldn't be, so enjoy!

Marinated Onion Rings

This simple side dish would round out any picnic menu - the marinated onions are great on their own, or as a topping for veggie burgers and vegan hot dogs (such as Tofu Pups).

Thinly slice 3 cups sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla) and 1 cup peeled English cucumber. Place in a large bowl.

In a saucepan, combine 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/3 cup raw sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 tsp. dried dill; bring to a boil, then continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onion and cucumbers, and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours, and up to overnight - I thought mine was perfectly marinated after 9 hours. 1/3 cup of the mixture is 60 calories.

Cost:
sweet onions $2.38
English cucumber $2.49

Easy Sangria

You can make this sangria ahead of time, for easy entertaining. Because it appeared in an article about Spanish food, I chose a Spanish red wine, but any vegan dry red wine of your choice would work just fine: you'll need one, standard 750 ml bottle for this recipe. As always, I recommend theorganicwinecompany.com for their selection of vegan wines.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup dry red wine, 1 tablespoon brandy, 1 tablespoon Triple Sec, and 3 tablespoons raw sugar; microwave for 1 minute, then stir to dissolve the sugar (which I forgot to do, so hopefully most of it had dissolved already!)

Transfer the sugar mixture to a large pitcher, and pour in the rest of the bottle of wine, 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice,1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice, and 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

The recipe called to add 2 whole cloves and 1 whole allspice, and I swear I had cloves in my spice cabinet! In fact, the last time I used my cloves I remember thinking, 'I will never reach the bottom of this bottle.' But today? I couldn't find them anywhere! So I used 3 whole allspice and omitted the cloves. Also add 1 small cinnamon stick.

Chill for two hours, then strain the mixture into a bowl or different pitcher; discard the spices. You can return the mixture to the fridge until ready to serve, at this point. Just before serving, stir in 1 cup sparkling water, 4 orange wedges, 2 lemon slices, and 3 lime slices.

About 3/4 cup of sangria is 200 calories; the recipe doubles easily if you want to serve a crowd.

A note on liquors: the Triple Sec from Hiram Walker is vegan, according to the company. As for brandy, I can never find any indication online that it might not be vegan, so you should be safe with whatever brand you choose. (Although rather hilairously, if you Google for vegan brandy, you will learn that pop singer Brandy is a vegetarian).

Cost:
dry red wine $19.99
oranges $1.00
limes $0.66
lemons $0.50
whole allspice $2.85
sparkling water $1.99