Ginger Garlic Salad Dressing

Delicious, tangy, super easy to make and no added sugar which I LOVE!
1 oz peeled ginger root,cut into chunks (weigh it after it's peeled)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
1 cup rice wing vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2  Tbsp. water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Combine all ingredients, including a pinch or two of salt, in blender and process until fairly smooth

**Adapted from recipe on Food.com

Homemade Ginger Dressing

If tangy is your game, this is for you!  This is a variation on a recipe for dressing for the commercial brand Makoto Ginger Dressing.




1 oz peeled ginger root, cut into large chunks
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 six oz.can Tomato paste
pinch of salt and more to taste

Combine ingredients in blender and process until fairly smooth.  Add more salt if needed.

Store in refrigerator.

Adapted from Food.com recipe

Veggie Lasagna

Not vegan but for the dairy consuming vegetarian, go to town!  :)  This is a great dish to give someone, unbaked, because they can pop it in the freezer and then thaw it out and bake it at their own leisure.






Ingredients:
Oven baked vegetables (see previous recipe)
5 cups favorite pasta sauce
1 cup water
15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for later use
salt and pepper
dried basil and/or oregano
1 box no boil lasagna (DeBoles gluten free is good)
8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix sauce and water together in a bowl.
Mix eggs, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl.
Have cooked veggies ready.

For using a 9x13 baking dish/pan:
Pour 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of pan.
Line pan with lasagna noodles
Put 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top and spread along noodles (NOTE!! NOT 1/3 CUP BUT 1/3 OF THE ENTIRE PORTION.  SAME BELOW)
Put 1/3 of the veggies on top
Cover with 1/3 of the sauce
Cover sauce with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese
Add a few shakes of Parmesan and a few shakes of dried basil and/or oregano.
Repeat layers twice.
Bake, covered, at 350, for 45 minutes and then uncover and bake until middle is hot and cheese is bubbling.
If you have refrigerated or frozen and then thawed the lasagna, it may take a bit longer.
Once it is ready to take out of the oven, give yourself enough time to let it set for 10 minutes and settle before serving.
If you want to freeze or refrigerate to serve later, don't bake it first! 

I have found this is a recipe that benefits from having time to experiment with pan sizes.

If  you find your pan is too shallow, it will be just as good with 2 layers instead of three.  I've read that some people look for pans that are 13x9 but deeper than the standard 2 inches.

For those who have the time and patience and don't want a huge, 13x9 pan of lasagna,  I recently began buying disposable aluminum poultry pans, with dimensions of  9 3/8 x 9 3/8 x 2 3/8 and dividing everything above into two pans.  The middle layers of cheese and sauce and veggies may need to be reduced a bit to give you enough ingredients to make two smaller lasagnas or you can anticipate that ahead of time and buy extra of everything.

In the end, lasagna is something that ends up all mushed up on people's plates so I find the aesthetics are secondary, so long as it's yummy!  :)

**For the carnivores: You can replace the veggie layers with cooked Italian sausage.
**Leave out the veggies and its a great cheese lasagna

Oven cooked veggies

When I make these, I cook them in a baking dish, which results in a moister texture.  If you are looking for a drier consistency, then I suggest spreading them on a cookie sheet before baking.


In a large bowl. combine the following vegetables in a large Tupperware bowl with a lid (all veggies cut into large chunks) :

1 1/2 cups onion
1 1/2 cups peppers NOT GREEN - but that's just me :)
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 1/2 cups zucchini
1 1/2 cups yellow squash

Combine all veggies in a Tupperware bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped rosemary.

Put lid on bowl and shake until well coated.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste 1 piece and determine if it is the desired consistency.  If not, continue to bake, checking every 7 minutes until satisfied with consistency.
Makes roughly 4 cups veggies.

Optional: Include 1 1/2 cups eggplant.

Oatmeal - Redux Part 3

Yes, yes the oatmeal continues to evolve.  It was pointed out to me a few months ago, that a banana is sweet enough to really hold its own as the only fruit in this.  I also substituted the almond milk with soy milk, to increase the fat content slightly.  Simpler, in my opinion, usually equals better!



1/3 cup quick, 1 minute oats
2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 banana (the riper the better)
Dash of cinnamon

Mash the banana and combine with other ingredients in a deep bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute, stir.  Microwave for another 30 seconds.  Stir again and serve.
Times on the 2nd microwave go-round may vary, depending on your microwave.

Sugar Free Vegan Banana Milk Shake

Simple and delicious!!
The ingredients are:
8 oz. unsweetened soy milk
1 banana, the riper the better

There are two different ways to prepare.

For a frothier shake, combine the soy milk and banana in a blender, along with 4-6 ice cubes until combined.

For a thicker shake, freeze the banana for an hour or more and combine in blender with soy milk but don't add ice cubes.

Either way, really great and no added sugar of any kind.

Israeli Salad with Pickles and Mint

I first had this in a Mediterranean restaurant in NY City and fell in love with it.  This is the first thing in my life that has made me want to buy/cook with/consume pickles!   Another recipe that may take some experimenting to find what your taste preferences are, as far as how much of each flavor you want to come through.  I found, with the measurements below, the flavors blended nicely.

• 1 lbs. Persian or English cucumbers, (the ones I bought didn't say Persian or English, they were just the mini cucumbers with fairly soft peels, so I didn't peel) diced
• 1 lbs. ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 large dill pickle spears, diced  (maybe 3/4-1 cup after diced)
• 15 fresh mint leaves, chopped 
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp.  fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, dill pickles and mint in a bowl.  Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Toss to coat.  

Taste the salad.  Add additional salt and/or lemon juice to taste if deired.  Toss again before serving.

Can be served on a bed of spring greens.  Goes well with hummus also.