Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Asparagus

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Asparagus

• 2 cups Brussels sprouts cut in half and quick blanch
• 2 cups asparagus cut into 3 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 zucchini large julienne cut
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Toss Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bell pepper, and zucchini with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast on top shelf of oven for 25 minutes or until golden in colour. Make sure to blanch Brussels sprouts, this will make sure they cook evenly with the other vegetables. Try adding parsnips, carrots, pearl onions or shallots to kick it up a notch. Let me know how they come out.

Vegetarian Jade Pearl Sushi Rice

Vegetarian Jade Pearl Sushi Rice

• 2 cups cooked jade pearl rice
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 1/3 cup dulse flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion
• 1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbs toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbs minced pickled gari (ginger)
• 1 tbs tamari

Cook the rice according to the directions. While still warm, mix rice with oil, dulse, tamari, and ginger. Let sit for 10 minutes. Fold in the edamame, sesame seeds and scallion. Serve it with your best teriyaki tofu or spicy chili ginger tofu. You must try it. All my customers went crazy for it today, I hope you do too.

Vegetarian Blog Carnival

Welcome to the April 23rd addition of the Vegetarian Blog Carnival. My name is Erik, and I will be hosting on behalf of Veggie Chic. Go to the Veggie Chic Carnival to submit an article for the next addition.

Lets get started with some great recipes!

• Theo @ Organic Test Kitchen submits Make your own Organic Signature Seasoning, great ideas for making your own spice seasoning mix. Now we can all cook like the pros!

• Laksh @ A Reluctant Chef submits Melange of Vegetables in Creamy Coconut Sauce. A must try, talk about making something out of nothing. Laksh took some leftovers and created quite a dish.



• Jen Carlile @ Modern Beet submits Potato Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Leek. I'm a huge fan of potatoes cooked this way, this recipe lives up to it.



• Naomi Stevens @ Diary From England submits BRITISH KIDS SAY NO TO VEGETABLES. Great way to get your kids to try vegetables.



• Vera Nadine @ Vegetarian Frugal Housewife submits Tasty Thai Butternut Soup. I love making soups with butternut squash! Vera's recipe looks absolutely incredible.



• Beatrice@ Ginger Beat submits Sandwich With Provolone, Olives and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Who doesn't love ciabatta bread. Great sandwich!

• Vegalicious submits Three-bean salad with spicy salsa verde dressing. Looks like a great BBQ salad, vibrant and healthy. Make sure you try it!

• Andrea @ Kitchen Elixr submits AeroGarden The Latest in Plant Technology. A great way to grow your fresh herbs indoors, no matter how cold it is outside. Small and compact, this herb garden is a great idea.

• Alex @ Home Life Weekly submits Free Weekly Menu Planner. Now we can plan weeks in advance. Helpful to plan and eat healthy, stay one step ahead.

• Monique Sharp @ Veggie Recipes & Meal Plans submits How To Maintain Your Perfect Weight & Health And Still Eat You Favorite Foods. Great tips! Eating organic is the way to go.

• Eccentric Vegan @ Vegan Soapbox submits Truth In Advertising: What The Meat, Dairy, And Egg Industry Doesn’t Want You To See. Exposing some hardcore truths. Honest transparency of the meat, dairy, and egg industry would probably do more damage to the industry than any animal advocacy group could ever do.

• Marilyn Terrell @ Intelligent Travel submits Veg Out in New York City. A great guide for vegetarian dining in The Big Apple. Marilyn's making it easy for us to just get in a cab and get a great meal. I have to get to Angelica's Kitchen again, they have the best vegan dishes.

I hope you all enjoyed this episode of the Vegetarian Carnival. Make sure to leave comments on the recipes you visit. I had a great time putting this together, and I hope it gets you in the kitchen cooking it up!

Southwest Style Quinoa Salad

Southwest Style Quinoa Salad

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup fresh corn (frozen will do)
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (Meyer lemon is possible)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper. It doesn't get any easier than that! There's so many options for this salad. Try jalapeno, cumin, mango, or tomatillo.

Sunburst Salad with Sea beans

Sunburst Salad with Sea beans

• 1 golden beet grated
• 1 cup sea bean
• 1 cup carrots shredded
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 2 tbs ginger grated
• 1/3 cup key lime juice
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbs honey
• pepper to taste

Soak sea beans over night to remove some of it's salt taste. Mix onion, sesame oil, vinegar, and key lime juice. Let marinade for 10 minutes. In a large bowl toss sea beans, carrots, beets, and dressing. Season with pepper. The dressing is one of my all time favorites. Sea beans tend to be on the salty side so make sure to soak them overnight. Your going to absolutely love this salad! What do you think of it's cool name I came up with?

Snow Peas with Ginger and Garlic

Snow Peas with Ginger and Garlic

• 1 lb snow peas
• 1 inch ginger minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 scallions chopped
• 2 tbs toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbs sesame seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat sesame oil, add ginger, garlic, and scallion. Saute for 5 minutes, add snow peas, season with salt and pepper. I like my snow peas al dente, if you like them softer cook for 5 minutes longer. Garnish with sesame seeds. I love snow peas with Asian style tofu, and jasmine rice.

GREENS BEAN ALMONDINE

GREENS BEAN ALMONDINE

• 1 lb green beans
• 1 cup almond slivers
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Make sure to salt your water. Blanch to green beans to your liking, I like them al dente. Heat the oil with almonds until they become golden in colour, set aside. Drain your beans, toss with oil and almonds. Season with salt and pepper. I love green beans with almost ant meal. Try it and let me know what you think!

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Pesto

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Pesto

• 1 lb rinsed and diced Yukon potatoes
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup your favorite pesto sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Toss potatoes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan and roast on top rack for 20 minutes or until tender to the touch. Toss with pesto and serve immediately. For a little twist you can add pine nuts, diced Roma tomatoes, or field greens.

Watercress Salad with Blue Cheese

Watercress Salad with Blue Cheese

• 1 lb watercress
• 1 granny smith apple
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 1 cup your favorite blue cheese
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, and onion. Let marinade for 10 minutes. Toss watercress, and apple with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Top with blue cheese. Serve with toasted baguette.

Fresh Fennel and Baby Spinach Salad

Fresh Fennel and Baby Spinach Salad

• 1 fennel bulb sliced thin
• 1 lb baby spinach
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix onion, olive oil, and vinegar. Let marinade for 10 minutes. Mix with spinach, fennel, salt, and pepper. This salad can be served immediately or let it marinade for 24 hours so that the flavors infuse together. Make sure to let the onions sit with dressing. This will mellow out the strong raw onion flavor and also turn onions a bright red color. Great for hot summer BBQ!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice

• 2 cups day old short grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1/4 cup sting beans
• 1/4 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 cup garden peas
• 1/4 cup fresh corn
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 inch fresh ginger minced
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a hot frying pan add sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and scallion. Saute for 3 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Add broccoli, carrot, string beans, corn, and peas, saute for 3 minutes. Add brown rice, saute for 5 minutes. Seson with salt and pepper. You can add 1 tbs of tamari for more traditional flavor. Try scrambling an egg for a little more pizzazz. Make sure you use day old rice. It will be dry, that will make it possible for frying.

Quinoa with Yams and Cranberries

Quinoa with Yams and Cranberries

• 2 cups cooked quinoa cooled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped scallion
• 1 cup roasted yams small dice
• 1 tbs orange zest
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This makes a great side dish for a number of meals. For a little twist you can add golden raisins, toasted almonds, or roasted pear. Let me know how it turns out.

"Hey Mom! Look At Me!"

"As a health food store with a fairly large deli, we wanted people to be able to experience many different types of foods and still keep it healthy," Kralyevich said. "Thanks to our chef, Erik, he is the creative genius when it comes to inventing many varieties of foods. And it sure seems like the customers really enjoy it because they keep coming back, so he must be doing something right."
Erik Laracuente, the chef, also has had a hand in the health food business for many years. For seven years he was the chef at Café Metro in Denville. Prior to that he worked as a chef in two different health food places in Ridgewood and had his own business cooking health foods for families.
"All I have ever cooked is health foods since I was 18 years old," Laracuente said. "I love it here, and I have the freedom to be very creative and to create an endless variety of dishes." Click here to read the whole article.

Spicy Ginger Miso Tofu

Spicy Ginger Miso Tofu

• 1 block tofu diced
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot
• 1 cup Sweet Ginger Chili sauce by Ginger People
• 1/2 cup miso paste
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 tbs. sesame seeds
• enough oil to fry tofu
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl mix flour, arrowroot, and a pinch of salt. Toss tofu with flour mixture being careful not to break up tofu. Let sit for 5 minutes and give it another toss. Add oil to frying pan and carefully place tofu in the pan. Once tofu is golden brown remove from pan and place on oven sheet pan. Bake tofu for 20 minutes or until crispy. In large bowl mix sauce, scallion, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Remove tofu from oven and drain excess oil. Toss with sauce mixture. I like to eat this tofu with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. Put enough oil to fry tofu without submerging. There's so many way to make this dish. Try teriyaki, general Tso, vindaloo curry or your favorite tomato sauce.