40 Meatless Meals Guest Post: Roasted Garlic Soup

Guest Post by Mrs. N.

Cannellini beans are what takes this garlic soup from being a pleasant starter to a satisfying and nutritious main dish. To round out your meal add some crusty bread or toast for dipping and a nice green salad.

Serves 4 as a main dish; 6 as a side.

• 3 heads of garlic
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cans cannellini beans(or 3 cups cooked)
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. salt(optional)
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup whipping cream
• Parmesan rinds(if you have them around)

Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top 1/2 inch off of two of the bulbs of garlic so that the tops of the cloves are exposed, drizzle each head with olive oil and wrap them individually in foil. Bake them for 45 to 60 minutes or until the cloves are soft and light brown, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool off.

In a medium stockpot start heating the vegetable stock with the pepper, salt (depending on how salty your stock is) and parmesan rinds. Peel the remaining head of garlic and add all the cloves to the stock. Rinse and drain the beans and add them to the pot, simmer until the garlic cloves are tender. You may need to add additional stock or water at this point depending on how much the beans absorb.

Fish the parmesan rinds out of the soup and discard them. Squish all of the cloves of roasted garlic out of their heads and add them to the soup along with the parmesan and whipping cream.

Puree the soup either in batches with a blender or in the pan with an immersion blender. At this point you can run it through a sieve to remove any remaining bits of bean if you have picky eaters. Otherwise dish it up and top each serving with some additional parmesan.

40 Meatless Meals Guest Post: Savory Crepes

I'm very excited to have some recipes this week from guest blogger Mrs. N. She's cooked up some fantastic meatless dinners to share with you! -T

Crepes stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese and veggies are surprisingly easy to make. You can use any vegetables you like, we've enjoyed fresh spinach, roasted asparagus, and roasted red peppers. If you're in a rush you can easily use pre-made ricotta, just warm it gently in the microwave before stuffing your crepes.

Crepes

• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cups milk
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried herbs or ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs

Whisk all crepe ingredients together, let rest for 30 minutes. Heat a small nonstick pan and coat lightly with butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl to spread it around; cook for 30 seconds, flip and cook another 10 seconds. Continue until all the batter is used.

Filling

• Ricotta (recipe below)
• Veggies

Ricotta

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1 pint cream
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

In a large pot, heat milk and cream to 190 degrees, stirring to keep the bottom from scorching. Once the milk mixture reaches 190°, slowly add the lemon juice. Stir until white curds separate and are floating in the yellow-ish whey. Pour curds and whey into a colander lined with 3-4 layers of cheesecloth. Let drain for several hours. Store cheese in an air-tight container. It will keep for up to two weeks.

40 Meatless Meals: Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

(adapted from.)

Don't worry if you've never cooked with poblano before; they have a very mellow flavor. All of the heat in this dish comes from the salsa, so feel free to ramp that up if you like.

Serves 2-3.

1 poblano chile, cut into strips

2 red bell peppers, cut into strips

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, halved and slivered

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

3 T olive oil

1½ tsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c salsa

2 oz baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)

5-6 corn tortillas

2½ cups shredded cheese

sour cream and thinly sliced scallions (green onions) for garnish, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and onion onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top; toss to coat, and spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30–40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and brown in spots. Stir every 10 minutes, and add the corn in the last 10–20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Grease a deep 8" or 9" square baking pan. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Repeat this order once more; cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes with the foil and 10 without, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Rest for 5 minutes before serving with sour cream and scallions.

40 Meatless Meals: Fusilli With Spinach, Ricotta, and Raisins

I love this recipe for being very quick-and-easy, but still interesting enough to serve for company. The whole thing (including thawing spinach) only takes as long as cooking the pasta. I was inspired by Jen's account of eating pasta with golden raisins in Rome, and couldn't be more pleased with the recipe I turned up.

12 ounces fusilli pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 10-ounce box box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of excess moisture
2 scallions, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup whole or part-skim ricotta
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, spinach, scallions, raisins, basil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss with the pasta to combine. Fold in the ricotta, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and pine nuts.

Notes: In the past, I've substituted a healthy splash of cream for the ricotta, and cashews for the pignoli, so go ahead and work with what you have; The main interplay of flavors is between the raisins, spinach, and vinegar. If you use a kitchen scissor to slice the basil and scallions right into the bowl, you can save on dishes, too.

40 Meatless Meals: Swiss Chard Tart

1 pizza crust, unbaked
2 T olive oil
1 shallot or red onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 heads swiss chard, thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
salt
1 cup grated mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 420. Spread crust in pan.

In a dutch oven or large stockpot, Sautee shallot in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, heat through. Reduce heat, add swiss chard, and cover for 5 minutes or until chard is slightly wilted. Fold in raisins. Season to taste.

Spread chard mixture over crust and bake 15 minutes. Top with cheese and bake until bubbly.

40 Meatless Meals: Clamtastic Casserole

All the great taste of stuffed clams- with no shells! Clam casserole with pasta (skip the bacon).

40 Meatless Meals: Pistachio or Arugula Pesto

I first tasted pistachio pesto in Sicily, and quickly became a fan of its bright green patina. The creamy cashew tempers the pepper bite of arugula pesto.

Pistachio Pesto
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves

Arugula Pesto
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups baby arugula

Cooked pasta

With a food presser or mortar and pestle, crush garlic into olive oil. Work in nuts until a rough paste forms. Work in leaves until desired consistency is reached. Toss with fresh pasta.

Serves 4-6

40 Meatless Meals: Gratin of White Asparagus

Asparagus is one of the very first signs of new life in the spring, coming into season as early as March. Enjoy this asparagus gratin to celebrate the passing of winter.

(recipe source)

• 4½ T unsalted butter, melted
• 15 white asparagus spears
• small bunch of lemon thyme, leaves only
• generous 3/4 cup crème fraîche*
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 3½ ounces Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp minced curly parsley

Preheat the oven to 450°. Brush a copper or ceramic gratin dish with a little of the melted butter.

Trim the ends of the asparagus, slice the spears in half lengthwise, and lay them in the buttered gratin dish. Sprinkle with most of the lemon thyme leaves, saving a few for garnish.

Put the crème fraîche and mustard into a heavy pan and place over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat slightly and let bubble to reduce by about a quarter. Season the reduced mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Put the bread crumbs in a bowl, add the Parmesan, parsley, and some pepper, and toss with your fingers to combine.

Pour the crème fraîche over the asparagus, then scatter the crumb mixture on top, distributing it evenly. Drizzle with the rest of the melted butter. Bake the gratin on the middle shelf of the oven until the top is crisp and golden and the cream bubbles up around the sides of the dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves and serve. Be careful not to overcook—the asparagus should still have a bit of a bite.

*Note: For homemade crème fraîche, combine four parts heavy cream with one part buttermilk (~1 1/3 c and 1/3 c, respectively) in a covered container and let it stand at a cool room temperature (65 to 70 degrees) for 24 to 36 hours, until it thickens and sours slightly. Stir it well and refrigerate.

40 Meatless Meals: Macaroni with Leek Greens

Leek greens are often discarded as inedible, but they respond well to braising and other tenderizing cooking methods. Here, they lend flavor to an otherwise ordinary baked mac-and-cheese dish. This recipe comes from an article entitled "A Thrifty Cooks Guide to (Almost) Free Ingredients," including uses for carrot tops, and orange and potato peels. Do you have any favorite uses for otherwise-discarded foods?

(recipe source.)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 bunch leek greens (from 1½ pounds of leeks), thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups half-and-half or whole milk
• 10 ounces shredded cheese (2½ cups)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the leeks and cook over high heat, stirring just until slightly wilted, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and bring to a boil, whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 2 cups of the cheese, season with salt and pepper and whisk the cheese sauce until melted.

In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until nearly al dente. Drain well. Add the macaroni and the cheese sauce to the leek greens and stir until combined.

Transfer the macaroni to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes, until bubbling. Turn the broiler on and broil the mac and cheese until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes. Let stand before serving.

40 Meatless Meals: Farmhouse Vegetable Soup

Shown here with Basil Bread.

The mushrooms and soy sauce in this recipe combine in this recipe to lend a savoriness and body that is often lacking in vegetable-only soups. If you scrub the vegetables before paring, all of the peelings and ends (potatoes excepted) can be used for stock; keep a container close by as you do your chopping. I made a stock with only the scraps from this soup, half an onion, and a rather sad carrot, and it was one of the best stock pots I've ever put together. The leek greens can either go into the stock pot, or in tomorrow's macaroni and cheese.

With all of these lovely ingredients, I just couldn't resist a mise en place photo.

Source: Cooks Illustrated Nov & Dec 2011.

Serves 6-8.

• ⅛ oz dried porcini mushrooms, ground into a fine meal
• 8 sprigs fresh parsley plus 3 T chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T butter
• 1½ lbs leeks, light parts only, sliced ½" thick and washed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½" pieces
• 2 ribs celery, cut into ¼" pieces
• ⅓ c dry white wine
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 6 c water
• 4 c vegetable broth
• ½ c pearl barley
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" pieces
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into ¾" pieces
• 1½ c chopped cabbage
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Using kitchen twine, tie together parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Melt butter in 6-quart or larger pot; add leeks, carrots, celery, wine, soy sauce, and 2 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and celery is softened, about 10 minutes.

Add water, broth, barley, herb bundle, garlic, and porcini powder (reserve remaining for another use); increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes.

Add potatoes, turnip, and cabbage; continue to simmer until tender and barley is cooked, 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and remove herb bundle. Stir in peas, lemon juice and remaining parsley; salt and pepper to taste.