There are plenty of reasons to eat more vegetables, but only one that really counts: They taste good. Especially this time of year. Hit up your local farmers market, or pick up some Colorado Proud produce at your supermarket, and make one of these vegetarian entrees for a meal this week.
Grilled Vegetable Stacks
From “Saveur Cooks Authentic American,” by the editors of Saveur Magazine (Chronicle Books). Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a side dish.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing vegetables
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
Directions
Sprinkle eggplants with salt and layer in a colander. Weigh down with a plate and set aside to drain for 20 minutes. Brush salt off eggplant with paper towel and pat dry.
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill, or place a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush all vegetables with oil, then grill, turning once, until tender and slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side for tomatoes, 2-3 minutes per side for eggplant, squash and zucchini.
Whisk together oil, vinegar, parsley and basil in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To assemble stacks, place 1 eggplant slice on a plate, then top with a tomato slice, a second eggplant slice, a squash slice and a zucchini slice. Repeat process to use up all vegetables, then drizzle vegetable stacks with dressing and top with diced red peppers.
Kidney Bean and Yam Stew with Oranges
From “Everyday Indian,” by Bal Arneson (Whitecap). Don’t break your bank buying big jars of the all the spices in this dish, unless you’re sure you’ll use them all. Instead, visit Savory Spice (several area locations, see ) or another bulk-spice vendor and buy only what you need. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon garam masala (spice blend)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary, dried or fresh
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 can crushed tomatoes (about 15 ounces)
2 cups cubed yams
1 cup water
1 can kidney beans (about 15 ounces)
2 cups cubed oranges
Directions
Place the oil, ginger, garlic and fenugreek seeds in a big pot over medium-high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cumin, garam masala, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, turmeric and salt, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, yams, and water; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 7 to 9 minutes. Add the kidney beans and the oranges and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and cover with a lid for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Eggplant Caponata
From “Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm,” by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann (Ecco Books). Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a side dish.
Ingredients
2 large eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups olive oil, divided
6 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 bulb fennel, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup drained green olives, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup drained capers
1/2 cup sultana or golden raisins
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup whole raw almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup minced fresh basil
Directions
In a colander set over a large bowl, toss eggplant with salt. Let drain 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
In a large, deep pot, heat 1 cup olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add celery and fennel, saute for 1 minute. Add zucchini and saute for 3 minutes. Add eggplant and saute until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add remaining oil and saute garlic and onion over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, raisins, pine nuts, vinegar and sugar, cook 10 minutes. Stir in reserved vegetables and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a wide, shallow dish and let cool for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Serve sprinkled with almonds and basil.
Monster Zucchini Casserole
Yes, that huge zucchini can taste good — if you treat it right. Cook the rice for this recipe vegetable or chicken broth for richer flavor. If you’ve got a 2-pound zucchini, double the recipe and use a 13x9x2 pan. (And if all this is too much work? Make this recipe using just the zucchini, basil, garlic, olive oil, fontina and salt and pepper. Still works; still yummy.) Recipe by Susan Clotfelter. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 big zucchini, about 1 pound
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cooked blended-variety rice or mixed-grain pilaf
1 clove crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon prepared chopped garlic
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
6-10 medium to small home- or farm-grown tomatoes
1/2 pound fontina cheese, cut into half-inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (400 if making a double batch). Cut the ends off of your big zucchini; peel it and half it lengthwise. Cut each half into slices about 3/8- to 1/4-inch thick; quarter the slices. Layer the slices in a colander, sprinkling each layer with kosher salt. Set aside to drain for a half hour.
Oil an 8×8 open casserole (or a 13×9 if doubling the recipe) with a teaspoon of the olive oil. Spread the cooked rice in a layer on the bottom of the pan; sprinkle with the garlic bits. Roll and chop the basil leaves; distribute across the rice. Rinse the zucchini wedges to remove the salt. Spread roughly half of them in a layer across the rice and dot with half of the cheese chunks. Drizzle with half the remaining olive oil. Slice, wedge or halve the tomatoes; distribute half across the zucchini. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, tomatoes, cheese and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for an hour or until the squash has slumped and the cheese is beginning to brown. If the squash appears to be getting too dry, drizzle a little more olive oil across the top.
Bibimbap (Mixed Rice Bowl)
From “Quick and Easy Korean,” by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (Chronicle Books). Find Asian sesame oil and chile paste in the Asian section of the grocery store. Mix and match your own favorite vegetables into this dish — soybean sprouts, zucchini, shredded lettuce, etc. If desired, top each bowl with a fried egg. Serves 5.
Ingredients
FOR SPINACH
2 bunches spinach, trimmed and well rinsed
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
FOR MUSHROOMS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 shiitake or other mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
FOR CARROTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
FOR SERVING
5 cups hot cooked rice
2 pickling cucumbers, grated
5 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
Chile paste if desired
Directions
Make the spinach: Bring about ¼-inch water to a boil in a large pot. Add the spinach, cover, and steam until the leaves are just wilted, about 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water. Squeeze the water from the spinach. Combine with the sesame oil, garlic and salt. Set aside.
Make the mushrooms: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are limp and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Season with salt, toss and set aside.
Make the carrots: Using the same skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and saute until the carrots just turn limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Season with salt, toss and set aside.
To serve: Spoon 1 cup rice into each of 5 serving bowls. Arrange the cooked vegetables and grated cucumbers on top of the rice, dividing them evenly. Spoon 1 teaspoon sesame oil over each serving and pass the chile paste at the table.
