Our Veggie Kitchen

A couple weeks ago, I found myself with 120 lbs of tomatoes (Thanks MoonTime Farms). Among sauces, soups and salsa, I made Roasted Tomato Soup. The recipe that follows is the bulk, all fresh tomato version of the Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe I posted last year.



Roasted Tomato Soup
20 lbs tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
6 red peppers, seeded & chopped
24 cloves garlic, 4 oz
3 lbs onions, chopped
1.5 cups basil leaves
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 tbs salt
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tomatoes: Core each tomato and cut each in half. Place the tomatoes cut-side down on cookie sheets or glass casseroles. Bake in batches for about 20 minutes, until the skins begin to wrinkle. As the tomatoes come out of the oven, pour them(including skins) and liquid, in batches, into a blender. Blend each batch and push through a strainer into a 4-gallon stock pot.

Veggies: Combine the red peppers, onions and garlic into 2 glass casseroles or 2 large cookie sheet and toss with the olive oil. bake in the oven, tossing once, for about 20 minutes, until the onions begin to carmelize. Blend, in batches, adding a little of the vegetable broth and the basil. Push through a strainer into the stock pot. Add a little of the broth to the cookie sheet/glass casserole and scrape with a spatula to get the tasty bits cooked to the bottom.

To Cook: Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by almost half, or about 2 1/4 gallons (18 pints). I used two 2-gallon stock pots and cooked it down until nearly all the soup fit into one pot, with a few cups remaining. I think I simmered the soup for about 3-4 hours.  Stir in the sugar and salt to taste.

To Store:  Now you have 2+ gallons of soup. You can feed a hungry baseball team, refrigerate for lunches, freeze it, or some combination thereof. If you have a pressure canner, you can make it into 18 pints (1 batch in a 23 qt canner or 2 batches in 16 quart canner). I used the USDA guide for soups (published by Presto here), processing pints at 11 lbs pressure for 60 minutes.

18 Servings:  204 cal (5g fat, 39g carbs, 8g protein)

Christmas came early this year, as Daiya cheese made its way to Eugene.  So, in celebration, I picked up some cheddar and italian style and made this delicious lasagna.  I made a roasted red pepper tomato sauce and a spinach laden tofu ricotta to accompany the Daiya for an amazing pre-Christmas meal.

So now, I'm prepared to settle in, do a little prep for the big day, and to enjoy the rest of my end-of-the-year vacation.  It's just too bad there's not much left over to snack on.  I will be quiet until after the holidays.  So, I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season.



Spinach Lasagna with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Sauce:
2 red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
28 oz diced tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Spinach Ricotta:
2 bunches spinach, stemmed, washed & shopped
3 cloves garlic
16 oz tofu, drained & crumbled
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs miso

Other:
12 oz lasagna noodles (3/4 of a box)
3 cups vegan mozzarella cheese (or bechamel, see below)

For the sauce:
Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stems.  Place them skin-side up on a baking sheet, along with the unpeeled garlic and broil until the skin is charred, about 7 or 8 minutes.  Remove the peppers in a paper bag, or just set a side and allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove the skin.  They should peel right off.  Also remove the skin from the garlic.  Add the peppers, garlic and basil to a blender and blend thoroughly.

While the peppers cook, heat 1 tbs vegetable oil in a saute pan and add the onion and red pepper flakes.  Saute over medium heat until the onion has softened.  Add the diced tomatoes and wine and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and much of the liquid had cooked off.  Set aside if necessary.  Add the tomatoes & onions, along with the tomato sauce to the blender with the pepper mixture.  Pulse a few times until you have a chunky sauce.  Return to the pan, reheat and add the salt, to taste.  This can be made ahead of time.

For the ricotta:
Heat the oil in a sauce pan, set to medium.  Add the spinach, in handfuls, along with the minced garlic and cook until the spinach has wilted, just a couple of minutes.  Press between two plates, to extract the liquid and cool in the refrigerator.  Add the cashews and the lemon juice to a blender and blend thoroughly.  Add the crumbled tofu to a mixing bowl.  Pour the blended cashews, oil, miso and salt over the tofu and stir to combine.  Stir in the chilled spinach and set aside.  This is even better if made a day ahead of time.

Assembly:
Cook the pasta until the noodles are pliable, but not completely cooked. Pour off most of the hot water and add enough cold water or ice so you can grab the noodles with your hand.

Add enough marinara to coat the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. Add a layer of noodles, then half the spinach ricotta, 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining spinach ricotta, 1/4 of the cheese and 1/4 of the sauce.  Add the final layer of noodles, the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until bubbling, probably 30-45 minutes. Bake time will be longer if the sauces have been refrigerated. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

8 Servings:  504 cal (22g fat, 61gcarbs, 17g protein)

Bechamel Replacement for Cheese:
If you don't want to use vegan cheese, a bechamel (a simple white sauce) is a very suitable replacement.  It is a common practice in many lasagnas, vegan and omni and can be just as delicious.  Follow the directions below and use instead of the cheese in the recipe above:

2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/4 tsp salt

Melt the margarine in a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, until it begins to bubble. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until the flour begins to brown. Remove from heat and add the soy milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As soon as the sauce comes to a boil, remove from the heat and set aside. This can also be made ahead of time, but warm before using.

When fusion is done well, it can be beautiful. I made Indian moong dal dosas with a spicy spinach filling, based on my saag recipe, and added a savory Provencal red pepper sauce. The flavors were an amazing abundance of sweet, spicy, and savory engulfing an earthy crepe. Every aspect of tonight's dinner was satisfying.



Red Pepper Sauce
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Tomatoes
2 small shallots (2-3 tbs total)
1 clove garlic
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the red pepper in half. Remove the stem, and seeds and lay face down on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and lay face down on the sheet. Cut the shallots in half and place the unpeeled garlic and shallots on the baking sheet as well. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the pepper skins have charred. Allow to cool and remove the skins from the peppers, tomatoes, garlic and shallots. They should peel right off. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend into a creamy sauce. The sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

5 Servings: 82 cal (6g fat, 8g carbs, 1g protein)

Spinach Filling
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seed
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes, grated
2 bunches spinach, washed & chopped (or 2 packages frozen)
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz tofu, crumbled

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to sizzle. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until they begin to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the grated tomato, salt and spinach. Increase heat to medium high and cook until the spinach has wilted and the moisture from the spinach and tomato is cooked off. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbled tofu. This can also be made ahead and reheated.

6 Servings: 109 cal (6g fat, 9g carbs, 6g protein)

I grew up in a small town with a good sized Hispanic population. With that, came an amazing variety of delicious Mexican food. At one point, I worked next door to my favorite restaurant in town. And, while I added a healthy sum of padding around my belly, I spent my lunches in culinary bliss. My favorite dish was arroz con pollo, chicken, rice and mushrooms and a mild red sauce that would make all your worries fade with just a bite.

This sauce pays homage to that vivid memory. It's a mild sauce that starts with with annato seed and built upon tomatoes, peppers and cilantro. This sauce wasn't as good as it's inspiration (you can't best perfection), but it was very good. And it made for a winning plate of Tofu Enchiladas.



Sofrito - Tomato & Red Pepper Sauce
1 tsp annatto seed
2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
12 oz beer
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lime, juiced

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds and saute until the oil turns orange. Add the onions, and peppers and saute until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, then cook the tomato and cilantro until the tomato softens. Add the beer and wine. Boil rapidly for about 15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by about a cup. Add the lime juice and salt. Blend thoroughly the push the contents through a strainer. Makes about a quart.

5 Servings: 145 cal (6g fat, 15g carbs, 2g protein)