Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

In North America this time of year, when not much else is in season, winter squash is an easy vegetable to come by and prepare in an variety of different ways. You can steam, roast and bake them. You can enjoy winter squash in soups, salads, entrees or just all by itself, freshly baked right out of the oven — like this recipe.

Equipment
Rimmed cookie-sheet, unbleached parchment paper.

Ingredients
2 medium size butternut squashes.

Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F, line cookie-sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash and dry squashes, and trim off top stem along with a little skin.
2. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membranes with spoon.
3. Arrange halves on cookie-sheet cut-side down.
4. The time it takes to bake varies from 20 to 60 minutes depending on size, but begin checking after 20 minutes for smaller squashes, 30 for medium and 40 for large. Brown spots on the skin indicate it’s fully baked.

Notes
Bake squash until it has some brown spots on the skin when intended to eat right out of the oven or as puree for another dish, such as pumpkin pie.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes less when intended to be used in salads, so it can be peeled and diced into cubes. Poke skin with fork for doneness. The fork should poke trough somewhat easily.

Source: Vegetarian Organic Life

Last night I had dinner at my favorite and perhaps one of the most well known vegan restaurants in New York City, Angelica’s Kitchen. When I dine there and I am by myself I like to sit at the “community table” where I have met some very curious and delightful individuals. Angelica’s has daily specials that are usually so enticing that I rarely order from their regular menu. As was the case last night- I had the Saag Paneer, healthy & delicious. Supporting a business like Angelica’s is a pleasure because they have a great product and a philosophy of kindness and sustainability. Angelica’s Kitchen is truly an example of a green restaurant on a mission to help our planet and promote mindful eating and organic foods.

Not only is Angelica’s devoted to serving clean fresh and local foods, but they maintain direct relationships with the farmers and customers who support their business. Angelica’s Kitchen believes in fair trade and makes sure that it’s ingredients are purchased from vendors who use renewable sources of energy. They are active participants in the food donation program City Harvest, which collects food from restaurants throughout the NYC area and redistributes it to the homeless.

Visit them at http://www.angelicakitchen.com/

This recipe eliminates the messy, time-consuming process of preboiling the noodles—use any whole-wheat, brown rice, or regular lasagna noodles right out of the box. They’ll cook in the sauce.

Directions

1. To make Filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic in oil 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Add spinach, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer spinach mixture to bowl of food processor. Add tofu, cream cheese, basil, and nutritional yeast, and purée until mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

2. Spread one-quarter of Speedy Red Sauce recipe on bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover with one-third of noodles (4 or 5 noodles), then half of Filling, and ladle on another one-quarter of sauce. Repeat layer of noodles and remaining Filling. Spread sausage evenly over top, and top with one-quarter of sauce. Finish with final layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

3. Cover lasagna with foil, and bake 30 minutes, or until bubbling hot. Uncover, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, or until noodles are tender and topping is melted. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ingredient list-

Serves 8

Filling – Try to find organic and local versions of all ingredients for a greener version of recipe.

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 1 10-oz. bag fresh baby spinach
• 2 12-oz. pkgs. firm tofu, drained
• 1 8-oz. pkg. vegan cream cheese
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

Lasagna

• 5 ½ cups Speedy Red Sauce
• 12 uncooked whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 12 oz. vegan Italian sausage links, cut into thin rounds, or soy sausage crumbles, broken apart
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella flavor rice or soy cheese (3 oz.)

Nutritional Information

Per :

Source: Vegetarian Times

How do you picture a wonderfully unique dining experience in the city of New York? A place to unwind at an organic juice bar, where you can casually read your papers and sip on a cool glass of freshly prepared fruit smoothie. Become infused with raw energy. Take pleasure in a conversation with friends or neighbors at the community table over delectable morsels of quick bites. Relax and take in the scents of exotic food and spices. Watch an open kitchen come to life as invigorating music and warmth surround you. Celebrate the joy of eating with a nutritious meal from the innovative vegetarian menu, complemented by a fine glass of organic wine. Hear the sounds of laughter and delight as you are being treated like family.

     Intrigued? These sensuous adventures and more are waiting for you at GOBO where everyone is brought together in a cozy setting, reminiscent of a country kitchen that embodies big city life. It is a country kitchen with flair. From the eclectic West Village, the doors of GOBO restaurant open into a stylish, comfortable and vibrant space serving exciting vegetarian global cuisine that conveys the diversity of the neighborhood. An extension of New York in which your five senses enjoy constant stimulation, GOBO is an inviting scene for all people to share in the spiritual experience of healthy vegetarian dining. Take a journey to the GOBO country kitchen to discover “food for the five senses”. Leave with an awakening of both your body and mind!

Ingredients
2 to 3 cups organic butternut squash, roasted or boiled (use whatever winter squash is available)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced (about 1 ¼ cups)
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups organic apples, sliced
1 cup organic cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Method

1. Mash up squash. Spoon a good 2 to 3 cups of the squash into the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish.

2. Add olive oil to a skillet and sauté onions over medium heat. Add thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Stir onions and cook over medium heat for 7 minutes. The onions should be caramelized.

3. Add the onions on top of the squash.

4. Layer apples on top of the onions.

5. Add the grated cheddar cheese and bread crumbs to the top of the dish and add up to 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the cheese is melted and a little browned on top. Let it cool for a moment or two when you take it out because it will be very hot.

I highly recommend you double (or quadruple) this recipe because people will tear into it and it will be all gone in a flash.

Josie’s Restaurant has been a longtime favorite of mine for casual vegetarian dining, although their menu includes fish and poultry as well.  They have two locations, one on the upper west side of Manhattan and one in midtown.  I recommend the sushi appetizer, which is vegetarian, and absolutely scrumptious.  They offer free range meats and all organic produce from local vendors.  They also have a quite impressive juice bar selection and the freshness of their fruits is undeniable!  Both locations offer ambient, aesthetically pleasing  settings and the service is wonderful.  Josie’s is the perfect place to take a first date or a group of friends.  I have included a rave review from NY Magazine:

In these uncertain agricultural times, people question where their food comes from, and Louis Lanza, chef-owner of both Josie’s on the Upper West Side and its Murray Hill outpost, is full of reassuring answers, most of them printed right on the menu. The sleek design shatters every health-food-restaurant cliche. All appetizers and main dishes are dairy free but not necessarily meat free, so vegans can enjoy a veggie “meatloaf ” while meat eaters wolf down a natural, free-range meat dish. A mixed-eating-habit couple can put together a nice, inexpensive meal by ordering one entrée each and splitting an order of steamed dumplings in a creamy red pepper coulis or a side of mashed sweet potatoes with cranberries. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld