Roasted Vegetables on Spaghetti with Pesto

Roasting has quickly become one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies. Before roasting, I marinate them with a mix of spices, herbs and oil. It helps bring out the flavors and also helps with the caramelization process.
This particular recipe has roasted bell peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes served on top of a bed of pasta with Pesto, but you can use any vegetables you like. I like to roast my vegetables under the broiler.
Serve the roasted vegetables on top of pasta with Pesto, and the mouth-watering combination of the bitter basil and caramelized veggies will have you scraping the last bits from the bottom of your bowl.

Ingredients:
2 large bell peppers, cut in strips (any color will do, I like to use orange or red just for the color)
1 large white onion, cut in strips
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half (any tomatoes work too)
1/2 cup Basil and Spinach Pesto
1 pound spaghetti (any pasta will do)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme

Preparation:
Chop all your vegetables and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle with oregano, basil, smoked paprika, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and the olive oil. (You can also use a prepackaged Italian herb mix instead.) Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 hour.
Boil and drain your pasta according to the package instructions, then mix in the pesto.
Spread the vegetables on a foil-covered baking pan, then place under a medium-high broiler setting (4 to 5 inches from the top) for 20 minutes, or until the vegetable skin starts to wrinkle and you see small burnt spots.

Presentation:
Put a bed of pasta with pesto in a bowl and cover it with a large scoop of the roasted vegetables. You can also sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Photograph by Michael Findley

Homemade Pizza Sauce

When it comes to pizza, it’s all about the dough and the sauce. It’s almost impossible to choose the wrong toppings, when you’ve taken care of those two things.
This is a sweet, slow-cooked pizza sauce with fresh basil and oregano I grew in my backyard.
I didn’t add any salt to the sauce, but because most of the meat toppings are salty on their own, you won't miss it.

Ingredients: Makes enough sauce for three to four 12” pizzas
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 large white onion, chopped
4 tbs fresh basil, chopped
2 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
Add onion and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add garlic and saute for another minute.
Add chopped basil and oregano and stir for about a minute.
Add the tomato paste and incorporate fully into the sauce.
Add the brown sugar, olive oil and the rest of the spices.
Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add the crushed tomatoes and the bay leaves.
Simmer for about 40 minutes with the cover slightly ajar.

Photograph by Michael Findley 

Basil and Spinach Pesto

This year I’m growing basil in my backyard. I have yet to figure out how to freeze fresh basil without it turning black from freezer burn, so instead I’m making several batches of pesto which will freeze better.
I started harvesting my basil three months ago. Within two weeks of picking the leaves, the basil plants were even bigger and leafier.
Basil pesto is super easy to make and can be used in so many different ways. Mix it with any kind of pasta or spread it on sliced toasted french bread as a base for bruschetta. You can also dollop some on top of baked potatoes or make a pesto pizza.
In this recipe I added spinach to increase the volume, without affecting the taste. Use 1 part spinach for every 2 parts basil.

Ingredients:
2 cups basil leaves, packed
1 cup spinach leaves, packed (Optional)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup walnuts
3 tbs chopped garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a hot pan, stirring constantly, toast the pine nuts and walnuts until they turn golden brown.
Add the basil and spinach leaves to a food processor along with the nuts and garlic. Pulse a few times till well combined. Add the cheese and pulse. Slowly add the oil until it’s completely absorbed, then add salt and pepper to taste.


Update (2011-11-12):
A great way to store the pesto for quick and easy re-use is to freeze it in ice-cube trays. When the pesto has frozen completely, empty the pesto cubes into a ziplock bag and return to the freezer. Now you can quickly access the pesto when you need it. I found that mixing the frozen cubes with the pasta just after its been drained and still hot, allows it to melt and coat all the pasta. 1 cube per person seems to work for me, but you may like more pesto with your pasta.

Now I can enjoy pesto all winter, long after the summer growing season has ended.

Photograph by Michael Findley

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I’ve been wanting to try veggie burgers for years now, but I thought if they weren’t going to taste as good as regular hamburgers, then why bother?
But I stand corrected. Even though they don’t taste like meat, these patties were so good that after I ate my burger and fries, I ate 3 patties all by themselves. Now I plan to use this same recipe to make meatballs for spaghetti sometime soon.  I can already taste the marinara sauce on the black bean meatballs.
I’ve seen them made with various different beans and lentils, but I chose to use black beans because I thought they might look closer to real beef.  After I looked at the pictures I was surprised at how much these patties look like my mom’s meat patties with vegetables.
Serve this burger along with some crispy potato wedges for a truly yummy meal.

Ingredients:  Makes 8 bean patties
2 15 oz cans black beans
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 large white onion
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili
2 tbs crushed garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped yellow and red bell pepper
1 large jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped

Preparation:
Drain and rinse the beans. Pour into a bowl and smash with a fork.
In a food processor place the cilantro, parsley, onion, seeded jalapeños, garlic, and bell peppers.
Pulse a few times until everything is well chopped.
Add the spices and half the mashed beans. Pulse a few more times. Don’t puree the mixture, just mix it well.
Empty the contents of the food processor back to the bowl with the beans and mix thoroughly with fork. Add the eggs and bread crumbs. Mix everything well with a fork and form patties.
Heat olive in a large pan on medium-low heat. Cook patties till they’re golden brown and crusty on the outside.

Prepared on 2011-08-20 (Tulsa, OK), Photographs by Michael Findley

Southwestern Black Bean, Sweet Corn and Roasted Potato Salad with Mandarin, Lime and Garlic Dressing

I often like to experiment with vegetables that I happen to have on hand. I don’t always have a specific recipe in mind, although I usually know the direction I want to go in. This time I started with the potatoes and the dressing and went from there.
You’ll notice that I’m using more and more potatoes lately. Like I’ve told you before, I find it fun, easy and cheap to cook with them.
I added the corn, beans and bell pepper until I got the right look and texture I’d envisioned. The spiciness of the potatoes contrasted with the sweet kernel corn and mandarin-lime dressing worked very well in this case.
Inventing this dish gave me a chance to use basil, cilantro and oregano growing in my herb garden.
The potatoes were done almost exactly like the crispy potato wedges, but instead of russet potatoes I used new red potatoes. Although I used a mandarin here, you could also use a tangerine instead.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds new red potatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn (or use frozen whole kernel corn)
1 1/2 cups black beans (or 1 15 oz can of low-sodium black beans, fully drained)
1/4 cup bell peppers, cut into small slices
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1/2 large avocado, diced

Mandarin-Lime and Garlic Dressing:
1 tbs fresh basil
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh cilantro (optional)
4 whole cloves garlic, mashed
1 tbs fresh oregano
3 mandarin slices (mashed and strained)
Juice of 1 lime

Spicy potato marinade:
2 tbs canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the potato marinade and combine well with a fork. Make sure to whisk the marinade while adding each of the spices. to keep them from clumping up. Set aside to give the spices time to infuse into the oil.
In another mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for the Mandarin-lime and garlic dressing. Do this at least 30 minutes before adding to the salad so that the spices and juices have time to blend.
Cut each potato into 4 parts (these are pretty small potatoes; if yours are larger cut even more) and place in a large ziploc bag. Pour the potato marinade into the ziploc bag and let out all the air, toss around with your hand until all the potatoes are covered in the marinade and set aside so that potatoes have time to absorb the marinade.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Spread foil on a large shallow baking pan and spray with non-stick spray.
Lay the potatoes on the pan in a single layer; spread them out evenly. Bake 20 minutes (or until crisp and tender) and turn halfway through. When done, set aside to cool.
In a large salad bowl, put the beans, corn, bell peppers, green onion and diced avocado. Once the potatoes are warm but not hot, add them to the bowl. Add salad dressing and toss.
Serve immediately.

Presentation:
Garnish with chopped basil.

Prepared on 2011-06-07 (Tulsa, OK), Photograph by Michael Findley

Crispy, Spicy Baked Potato Wedges

I love to cook with potatoes and I plan to use them a lot in the coming months. They can be used in so many ways, and with the price of food going through the roof these days, a potato is one of the cheapest foods you can buy.
These potato wedges are simple to make and they can be a side dish to just about any food you can imagine. It takes a lot of self control on my part to keep from eating them before I put them on the table for everyone else.
I can even serve these to my vegetarian/vegan friends. I like to leave the skin on the potatoes; it adds a lot of texture to the wedges and since the potato skins have a lot of vitamins, they’re also healthier. Double the amount of cayenne pepper if you want these wedges really really spicy (my sister would probably want me to triple the amount).

Ingredients: ( 3 servings)
3 large russet potatoes (1 per person)

Spicy Marinade:
2 1/2 tbs canola oil (vegetable oil)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp crushed cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried crushed oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Preparation:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil and all the spices. Whisk constantly with a fork while adding each spice, to keep them from forming clumps in the marinade.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F while you scrub and rinse potatoes, until all the dirt is washed away (they will get several shades lighter when you’re done).
Cut the potatoes lengthwise in as many wedges as you want (if you cut them into 4 wedges try to do the same with all the potatoes; different sized wedges will not cook evenly).
Place the raw potato wedges into a large ziploc bag, then pour the marinade in. Seal, removing as much of the air as possible and work the marinade into all the potatoes with your hands. Keep the potatoes in the bag until just before cooking.
Place all the potato wedges onto a greased shallow baking pan.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes, turning once halfway through. You can test the potatoes with a sharp knife while in the oven to see if they are cooked all the way.

Prepared on 2011-06-05 (Tulsa, OK), Photograph by Michael Findley

Crockpot Lentil Soup

One Monday, while on vacation in Peru, I was served a plate of lentils and told “for your good luck this week.” I didn’t think anything of it. Over the next three Mondays I’d be served with lentils cooked in some form or other, and always told it was for my good luck. So one day I asked Mari, who works at my grandma’s house, why we ate lentils every Monday, and JUST on Mondays. She told me that if you eat lentils every Monday, then you are guaranteed to have enough money in your pockets, and enough food in your belly for the rest of the week. Soon after that, I discovered that everyone in my grandma’s house subscribes to that superstition. Since then I’ve done a little digging and found out that its not just in my grandma’s house, but in all of Peru. Although this recipe did not come from my grandma, it was inspired by all the different lentil dishes I had in Peru every Monday.
Since I pureed half the batch, it’s both a smooth and chunky soup.
Oh and by the way, I ate it on a Tuesday; I wonder if it will still bring me luck.

Ingredients:
1 pound lentils
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2/3 cup finely chopped bell peppers (green, yellow, or red)
2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 quarts vegetable broth (use a bouillon if you don't have the broth)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
3 large cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tbs butter (optional)
2 tbs olive oil

Preparation:
Add all the vegetable ingredients to the bottom of a large crockpot, then add the spices, butter and olive oil. On top of this, add the lentils and then the broth.
Cook on high until it starts to boil, then turn to the crockpot’s lowest setting and simmer for 3 or 4 hours until the lentils break apart when mashed against the side of the pot. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Let the lentil soup sit for an hour to cool down.
Puree half the mixture in a blender and return it back to the crockpot and stir one final time.

Presentation:
Ladle soup into a soup bowl. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice on top and garnish with grated parmesan cheese, cilantro, and diced green onions.

Prepared on 2011-05-17 (Tulsa, OK), Photograph by Michael Findley

Fresh Salsa with roasted garlic and green chilies (Pico De Gallo)

When I lived in Colorado, I had a hiking and camping buddy who created gourmet meals for us to eat after a long day’s hike. He wanted us to start a tour guide business. We would take tourists on a tour of the San Juan Mountains (part of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado) and show them all the interesting sites. He wanted to set us apart from all the other tour guides in the area by providing the tourists with a custom shot video of their adventures and a gourmet meal.
He was a great cook and had some pretty awesome ideas for different meals to prepare. Among his creations were an excellent potato salad, various cold sandwiches, and garden-fresh salsa served with tortilla chips.
The tour guide business never really took off, but out of it came one of my favorite vegetables recipes — his garden-fresh salsa. I love to eat it with tortilla chips, on top of toasted garlic bread and in quick nachos. It’s also great on turkey sandwiches; I like to spread it between turkey slices. This salsa should keep for about 4 to 5 days (although its so delicious I really doubt you’ll have to worry about it lasting that long). In Mexico this salsa is also known as “Pico De Gallo”. Feel free to experiment with any vegetables you like. Use this recipe as a base and add diced bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, or any others you like. Add finely diced jalapeno and/or habanero peppers to make it spicy. Please leave me a comment on what variations you've tried.

Ingredients:
3 cups diced white onion
4 cups diced tomatoes
4 tbs roasted garlic, mashed
1 large jalapeno, seeded, deveined and finely diced (optional)
1 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 2 lemons
1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
salt to taste

Preparation:
Add onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and green chilies to a large bowl.
In a separate small bowl, mash the roasted garlic with a fork, then add the lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk this dressing while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Dump the dressing onto the bowl of vegetables and mix until everything is well combined.
Pour the salsa mixture into an airtight container and set in the refrigerator overnight. Every now and then, stir it a bit since the juices tend to settle in the bottom of the container.

Prepared on 2011-05-14 (Tulsa, OK), Photographs by Michael Findley

Crispy Flavorful Falafels

The falafels pictured above are the first ones I’ve made on my own. Many years ago I watched my late friend Bob make them. Actually, he taught me many cooking basics, and he was also quite a character, so someday I’ll tell you more about him.

Even though I used many spices, these falafels were not all that spicy, just full of wonderful flavor. Mom liked them so much, that she asked me to make them as often as possible.

Half were fried and the other half baked (the greener ones you see above were baked and they tasted great, but were not as crispy as the fried ones). I found that frying them was difficult. At first my oil was too hot and the outside would crisp too quickly, leaving the center raw. Perhaps in the future I’ll bake them for a bit first, then finish them by frying.
There are so many ways you can use falafels. Put them in salads, falafel-humus sandwiches or just eat them as snacks.
This is my first vegetarian recipe on the blog, and if you’re vegan you can skip the breadcrumbs (or use vegan-friendly bread).

Ingredients:
4 cups raw (soaked overnight) garbanzo beans
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp dill
2 tbs flour
1 tbs bread crumbs
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed coriander seed
canola oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a food processor, chop the garbanzo beans until you get a crumbled mixture with pieces about the size of sesame seeds.
Move this mixture to a bowl. In the food processor place the parsley, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, onions, garlic and 1 cup of the crumbled garbanzo beans. Chop until well combined.
Spoon the blended mixture into the bowl with crumbled garbanzo beans along with the flour, cumin, crushed coriander seeds, baking soda, and about 1 tbs of salt. If you chose to use cayenne pepper add it at this time too. Finally add some black pepper to taste.
Combine everything thoroughly with a spoon. Squeeze a small amount of the mixture in your hand. If it falls apart, add a few drops of water.
Form the mixture into 25 to 30 balls. If you’ll be baking, place them on a baking tray covered with olive oil.
To fry: In a deep frying pan, on medium heat, add enough oil to cover the falafels.
When the oil is hot, fry them 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
To bake: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the falafels on the center rack of your oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, turning the falafels over halfway through.

Prepared on 2011-04-13 (Tulsa, OK), photograph by Michael Findley