This vegan pesto was a great hit last night! The miso is a fine substitute for cheese; most could not even tell the difference!

1 cup pinenuts (use equal parts pumpkin and sunflower seeds for nut allergies)

1/2 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil

4-5 cloves garlic

3 tbsp. chickpea miso (or mild yellow miso if you are not detoxing or soy-sensitive)

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (1/2 – 1 lemon)

2 bunches fresh basil

Tear basil leaves from stem. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Thin with additional lemon juice, if desired.

Toss with spaghetti squash, use to flavor soups, or add onto sandwiches and pastas.

Italian-Style Swiss Chard

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 lb swiss chard
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced or pressed garlic
• 6 chopped anchovies (WITH bones for extra calcium)
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt & pepper

Instructions

Trim stem ends of chard. Thinly slice stems crosswise up to base of leaves; set slices aside. Reserve a few whole leaves to line serving dish; coarsely chop remaining leaves. In a 6 to 8 quart pan over medium-high heat, stir oil, garlic and anchovies until garlic is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add chard stems; stir until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chopped leaves (a little at a time if pan if full), cover, and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Mix in vinegar; season to taste with salt & pepper.
Garnish a serving dish with reserved chard leaves; spoon greens atop these leaves and serve.

Fettuccine with Swiss Chard, Walnuts and Lemon

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces rice fettuccine
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
• pinch of fresh chopped rosemary
• 3 cups Swiss chard, washed
• 4 ounces clear vegetable or chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons halved walnuts
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• juice of half a lemon
• OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Over high heat, place the oil and garlic in a large sauté pan and gently cook until the garlic turns golden brown. Add  roughly 3 pinches of salt, 2 pinches of black pepper, and 2 pinches of crushed red pepper to the oil, or flavor to your liking. Add the rosemary and Swiss chard. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still has a bit of bite to it (al dente).
While the pasta is cooking, add the stock to the Swiss chard and steam-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until reduced in size. Add the walnuts and cook for 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Taste for seasoning.
Strain the pasta from the water and add it to the Swiss chard. Toss it all together until most of the liquid is absorbed by the pasta. Add the cheese (if using).
The pasta should be slightly creamy, and no extra sauce should be apparent. Divide into two bowls and serve.

Swiss Chard Dahl

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Swiss chard
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 fresh red chili
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup stock
• 1 can peeled tomatoes
• salt to taste
• 1 small can tomato puree (to thicken)

Instructions

Chop the old stems tips off the swiss chard and compost. Slice the stems into 1/4 inch pieces.  Steam them in a large frying pan with a little water with add the chopped chili, garlic and the onion. When the onion is tender add the black pepper, cumin, turmeric, and coriander.  Cover and simmer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the remaining chard leaves and add to the pot with the stock. Add the red lentils and simmer for a couple of minutes more, then add the canned tomatoes; continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. The lentils should be soft but still intact. Add about half a can tomato puree and salt to taste. Simmer for another couple of minutes till the dahl has thickened.
Serve with brown rice.

This simple yet tasty dish is sure to impress dinner guests! Serve with a spinach salad and a grilled lean protein such as fish, chicken, or tofu. Pears will also work well in this recipe.

• 2 inches dry spinach or rice fettuccine, cooked according to package direction
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 medium apple, sharp and crisp
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola
• salt, to taste

1. Cook fettuccini according to package directions.

2. Cut the apple into 1-inch pieces. (Peel first if you like- it’s up to you.)

3. Melt one Tbsp of butter in a pan, and sauté the minced garlic until soft.

4. Add the rest of the butter to the pan, then the walnuts and apples and sauté until the apples are just heated through – make certain the apples do not become soggy!

This recipe is courtesy of Whole Foods. Several months ago they asked for recipe makeover requests for those with food intolerances. I emailed asking for a soy, dairy, gluten-free lasagna. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one! Below is the original makeover with the soy-free option (which I used). The eggs in the recipe cleverly serve to hold all ingredients together in absence of the cheese. While it lacks the gooey, chewy texture that only loads of mozzarella can provide, the flavors come close enough to satisfy this girl’s cravings. Happy with the results, I am sharing them with all of you.
Enjoy!

Two readers requested a gluten-free, dairy-free lasagna recipe. Surprising as it may seem, not all tomato, marinara or pasta sauces are gluten-free and some even contain dairy, so be sure to read the label carefully before making your selection. For those who cannot tolerate soy, this recipe can be made soy free by eliminating the tofu. Simply increase the number of eggs to four. Distribute the egg mixture in equal parts over each layer of noodle and top with sauce as per recipe instructions.

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 (14-ounce) package soft tofu (not silken), drained (omit for soy-free)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken (I used grass-fed ground beef)
• 3/4 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed, cleaned and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 4 cups gluten-free tomato or marinara sauce
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons garbanzo or fava bean flour (any gluten-free flour will be fine)
• 1 (16-ounce) package gluten-free lasagna noodles
• (always an improviser, I added carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and red peppers to my lasagna mix in place of the tofu.)

To prepare the filling, coarsely crumble tofu onto two layers of a lint-free dish towel. Wrap tofu in the towel and lightly press out excess moisture; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion until tender, about 4 minutes. Add turkey and cook, stirring frequently, until just brown, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. In two batches, add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes each. Stir in basil and tomato sauce. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Whisk eggs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Add flour and whisk until well blended and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Unwrap tofu, crumble it into small pieces and add it to egg mixture. Stir to fully coat. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions in salted boiling water, but reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes. The noodles should be slightly firm, as they will continue cooking in the oven. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.

To assemble the lasagna, preheat oven to 350° F. Ladle 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish and spread it out evenly. Place 3 lasagna sheets on top of the sauce. Place 1/3 of the tofu mixture on the lasagna sheets along with about a 1/4 of the sauce, distributing it evenly. Repeat layering two more times with 3 lasagna sheets, 1/3 of the tofu mixture and 1/4 of the sauce. (If going soy-free, pour a little of the beaten eggs over each layer as well) Finish with a final layer of noodles and remaining sauce, taking care to spread the sauce evenly all the way to the corners. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Info

Per serving (About 16.5oz/472g-wt.): 570 calories (170 from fat), 18g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 30g protein, 69g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 115mg cholesterol, 880mg sodium

Nabbed from Recipezaar.com and originally credited to Sunset magazine, this recipe will be excellent on a warm summer evening.

• 8 oz. farfalle (bowtie) pasta (can use brown rice spirals or other shaped GF pasta)
• 12 oz. crimini mushrooms
• 4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. butter, Earth Balance, or toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3tbsp. fresh ginger
• 3 tbs. fresh minced garlic
• 4 cups shredded raddichio
• 1 cup cooked, shelled edamame (Trader Joe’s has this available in their frozen foods area) or use adzuki beans if soy sensitive
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (use 2 tsp. salt if soy sensitive)
• shaved fresh parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.  Slice all mushrooms and saute in 1 tbsp. butter or oil for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add remaining butter/oil to pan. When melted, add ginger and garlic and stir for one minute, or until it becomes fragrant. Add radiccio adn edamame and stir until radicchio wilts – about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard and soy sauce until combined. Add cooked pasta and mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper. This may be served warm or cold, and topped with freshly grated parmesan just before serving.

Serves 4

t’s really criminal how the brain tortures us. My chocolate cravings have given way to macaroni and cheese. I did not grow up on the “good stuff”, but rather the boxed Kraft brand that is Cheeto-orange and probably stains one’s intestines.
Regardless, I have been wanting it all – boxed mac and cheese, frozen mac and cheese so I can put it in the oven and gnaw on the crispy burnt edges, and the ultra-greasy, mega-cheesy variety in the Whole Foods hot bar that, until now, looked positively disgusting (I’m not a fan of greasy food).

I had forgotten about the recipe from my vegan days for a cheese sauce until a new review for it was posted on Recipezaar. Now that it has come across my path again, I see rice elbow noodles and carrots in my future….

Shockingly Good Vegan Mac and Cheese Sauce

I obtained this recipe from someone named Tracy over the vast Internet, at a website I cannot recall since I was doing a search through many at the time. Combining the below ingredients sounds wretched, but it was shockingly good! Could this be Kraft’s secret?

6 servings

15 min 10 min prep

1. Blend all ingredients together in a Vitamix or blender.
2. Pour into pan and stir until boils and thickens.
3. Take off heat and pour into rice noodles, over broccoli or potatoes, etc.

Source: adapted from www.whfoods.com

This tasty pasta salad is a wonderful way to celebrate Springtime! Asparagus is a member of the lily family, and the portion we consume is actually a shoot from an underground crown that can produce for up to twenty years! Asparagus is rich in folic acid – a B vitamin necessary to reduce birth defects and keep the heart healthy. It also is a good source of potassium (making it an ideal component to a post-workout meal) and contains inulin – a fiber that is used as fuel by the friendly bacteria in our digestive system (like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli). Asparagus is best enjoyed in April and May, when the tender stalks are in season.

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 1 large bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths, (remove fibrous bottoms and discard)
• ½ medium red or sweet onion, minced
• ½ basket cherry tomatoes, quartered (squeeze gently to remove seeds)
• 5-6 medium cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
• 3 TBS chopped fresh basil
• 1 TBS chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt, cracked black pepper to taste
• *optional – 4 oz reduced fat feta cheese

Directions: Cook pasta according to instructions on package. While pasta is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place everything but asparagus in a bowl and set aside. When pasta is about 3 minutes from being done, add asparagus to cooking pasta. (If asparagus is thick you may want to add at 4 minutes. Or if it is thin, add at 2 minutes. 3 minutes is for medium thick asparagus.) Drain and rinse in cold water through a colander when done. Make sure it drains well so the final flavors are not diluted. Toss with rest of ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4