Making Dolmades With Fresh Grape Leaves

Have access to fresh grape leaves? Make dolmades!

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Grape Leaves
I live in wine country and have a small vineyard with access to literally millions of grape leaves right outside my door. But for some reason I have never used them for cooking. I always go down to the Greek deli near our local post office when I have a craving for dolmades. So I finally took the plunge and tried making dolmades from scratch while the grape leaves are still young and tender. It was a snap!

The trick is to pick the leaves in late spring or early summer, before they toughen (and before my husband hedges the top of the vines). Pick grape leaves that are big enough to hold a filling and roll up and are as close to the top of the vine as possible. Usually that means the 3rd and 4th leaves. Only use organic grape leaves that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

I used grape leaves from my organic Sauvignon Blanc
plants but you can use leaves from any grape plant.

A single grape leaf contains
826 IU of Vitamin A and
26 mg of omega-3 fatty acid!

Pine Nuts
I gave up eating pine nuts a few years ago after getting pine mouth. This is a condition which causes everything you eat to taste like metal and originates from eating Chinese sourced pine nuts. So I'm going to try using Mediterranean pine nuts that I bought from Nuts.com. They are pricey but it's worth not getting pine mouth. 

These mediterranean pine nuts from Nuts.com
are grown in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

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Dolmades with Fresh Grape Leaves
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 36 pieces]
Requires 9"x13" casserole dish, a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot with lid, and a shallow, wide pan.

2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 large Rapunzel vegan bouillon cube*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1 1/2 cups finely diced onion
Grated lemon zest from 1 organic lemon
1 cup white basmati rice
1/3 cup Mediterranean pine nuts
36 to 40 fresh grape leaves**
2 tablespoons fresh dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

* you can substitute broth for the water and bouillon cube
** you can substitute canned or jarred grape leaves

Dissolve the bouillon cube in a pyrex with 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Or use 2 1/2 cups of ready-made broth. Set aside.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add onions and grated lemon zest and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the rice and pine nuts and stir until coated. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth and simmer, tightly covered, until the moisture is absorbed but not over 15 minutes. Set aside the remaining 1 cup of broth.

While the rice is cooking, bring a wide, shallow pan of water to a boil. Submerge the grape leaves in the boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Submerged grape leaves.

When rice is cooked, add fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Let cool.

You can substitute a smaller amount of dried dill in this recipe
but fresh dill is far superior.

Taste the filling and adjust seasoning.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a blanched and dried grape leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down. Place 1 tablespoon of filling near the stem end of the leaf. 

Fold the stem end of the leaf over the filling.

Then fold in both sides towards the filling.

Then roll up completely.

Place dolmades seam-side down in a 9"x13" casserole dish. Repeat until you fill the pan. You may have left over filling. 

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of lemon juice to the pyrex with the remaining cup of broth. Stir well and pour over the dolmades. 

Tightly cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the grape leaves can be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove from the oven and let cool with the foil remaining on the casserole dish.

Serve at room temperature or store in the refrigerator, covered, until needed.

Per serving: 42 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 34 mg omega-3 and 505 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 89 mg sodium (using a large Rapunzel bouillon cube and 1/2 teaspoons added salt). 

Romesco Sauce Makes A Wonderful Dip With Almonds, Red Bell Peppers & Tomatoes

Romesco sauce with almonds, peppers, and tomatoes.

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Romesco
This thick, tasty Catalan sauce can be made with various nuts and red bell peppers. I love it with raw almonds because they are such a great natural source of vitamin E. Vitamin E prevents oxidative stress and protects against heart disease, cognitive decline, cancer, cataracts and macular degeneration. It also helps supports the body's immune system. You cannot get too much vitamin E from food but you can over supplement which could lead to excess thinning of the blood and hemorrhage. So each your almonds and put away those supplements! 

Although most recipes toast the almonds, I shy away from roasting any type of nuts as it can damage and alter their polyunsaturated fats.

Romesco sauce is traditionally served with seafood and meats, but it's also wonderful on veggies and as a dip. I recently served this at a tapas and sangria party along with warm focaccia.

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Romesco Sauce
Vegan, Gluten Free (if made with gluten-free bread)
[makes eight (1/4 cup) servings]
Requires a food processor, such as a Cuisinart

2 Italian Roma tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 large slice crusty bread (or gluten free)
2 roasted red peppers (1 cup)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some for greasing pan
2 tablespoons cold-pressed hemp oil
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon mild pimenton (smoked paprika)
pinch or two cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tomatoes in quarters and place them in a slightly greased, small roasting pan with the garlic cloves. Place in the oven and roast until soft, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Tomatoes and garlic before and after roasting.

 Place the almonds in a food processor with an S blade and process them until they are ground. 

Processing the almonds until ground.

Lightly toast the bread. If you want the recipe to be gluten free, use gluten-free bread.

Break up the bread into pieces and process with the ground almonds until the bread forms crumbs.

Rinse the jarred roasted red peppers and pat dry. Add them, along with the roasted tomatoes and garlic, to the food processor.  

Mix the vinegar, oils, salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne in a small cup and stir until well combined. 

Process the roasted red pepper and tomatoes with the almond and bread mixture until it starts to combine. Through the top shoot, slowly drizzle in the vinegar and oil mixture. Process until combined.

Place in a small bowl and serve.

Per 1/4 cup serving: 131 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 536 mg omega-3 and 3,516 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, and 391 mg sodium.

Spicy Deviled EggsWhat To Do With Leftover Easter Eggs

Use red pepper aioli to spice up these deviled eggs.

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Leftover Easter Eggs?

It's the day after Easter and if you're looking at a pile of hard boiled eggs and wondering what to do with them, here's a simple and tasty way to use them up.

Remember my recipe for Spicy Red Pepper Aioli? Today we're going to use it to spice up those deviled eggs!

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Deviled Eggs with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli

Vegetarian

[makes 8 servings]

8 hard boiled eggs

3 to 4 tablespoons spicy red pepper aioli

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

Carefully remove the shells from your hard boiled eggs by cracking them gently all over and removing the shells. If the shells stick to the eggs, remove the shells under cold water.

Cut the peeled eggs in half, remove the yolks, and place them in a bowl. Set the egg halves aside.

Using a fork, smash the yolks. Stir in the aioli a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is smooth and reaches the desired consistency. 

Fill the egg halves, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Per serving (2 halves): 105 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 213 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 0 mg dietary fiber, and 145 mg sodium.

Blistered Padron Peppers With Nutritional Yeast - 10 Minute Vegan And Gluten-Free Appetizer

Padron peppers - some are hot, some are not!

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Be Prepared for a Spicy Surprise
I was recently introduced to these tasty little peppers at Woodfour, a new local brewpub in Sebastopol. The waiter warned me that most of these peppers are pretty mild but occasionally there will be one that will set your mouth on fire. 

The waiter didn't lie. We popped a few in our mouths and thought, what's the big deal? These are sweet and delicious. Then my husband, who has a high tolerance for spicy food, came across one of the hottest peppers he had ever eaten! The same thing happened to me a few peppers later.

Padron Peppers
Padrons, or Pimientons de Padon, are small green Spanish peppers from Galicia. Because you never know how hot the pepper is going to be, they have been called "Spanish roulette." So besides being a great appetizer, they become a very exciting one. But I would certainly warn your guests beforehand and I would only serve them to people who enjoy spicy foods. But hot or not, they are one of the  most delicious appetizers you can whip up in ten minutes - perfect for football season!

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Blistered Padron Peppers
Vegan, Gluten Free
Requires cookie sheet or shallow baking pan
[makes 6 servings]

1/2 pound padron peppers
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, or to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash and dry the peppers. Place them in a bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss until well coated.

Spread the peppers out on a cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle them with salt.

Roast until the peppers blister, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Blistered peppers

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the peppers with nutritional yeast. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 33 calories, 2 g total fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, and 2 g dietary fiber.

Hummus-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Quick Vegan Hummus Caprese - Two Easy Recipes For Your Garden Tomatoes!

Stuff cherry tomatoes with store-bought hummus
for a quick and easy appetizer!

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Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Hummus

If you have a cherry tomato plant in your garden you are probably buried in these little fruits. Besides popping them in your mouth or tossing them in a salad, here's a quick and easy way to turn them into a tasty appetizer.

Start with large cherry tomatoes - the real tiny ones are not good candidates for this.

Use large cherry tomatoes for stuffing

If you are in a hurry, buy some ready-made hummus in the grocery store. Hummus is very easy to make but it's even easier to buy. So if you have some last minute guests and a bunch of cherry tomatoes, pick up a tub. I've seen some very interesting flavors too. Whole foods has their own brand that's very well priced (less than $3.00) and comes in several flavors including lemon, garlic, red pepper, olive, and traditional. Get a brand that is firm so it holds up in the pastry bag.

Cut the tops off of the cherry tomatoes and hollow them out. I gently dislodge the seed cluster with a tomato knife and then scoop the seeds out with a tiny spoon. Remove all the moisture. 

Cherry tomatoes ready for filling

Place the hummus in a pastry bag with a pretty large tip so that the hummus will flow through it easily. Fill each cherry tomato.

Fill the cherry tomatoes with hummus using a pastry bag.

If you really want to get fancy, you can serve them on their tops!  Warning: It's a bit tricky to get them to stay on.

Served on their tops

Vegan Tomato Caprese with Hummus

If you're lactose intolerant like me you have to avoid mozzarella, the main ingredient of Tomato Caprese salad. But there are several ways to still enjoy this wonderful Italian dish.

You can substitute a spoonful of firm hummus for each slice of mozzarella. Just slice the top and bottom from a nice heirloom tomato and cut the rest of the tomato into 3 thick slices. Use one tomato, 3 heaping tablespoons of hummus, some chopped fresh basil, 1 teaspoon of hemp or olive oil, and some  freshly ground black pepper for each serving.

Build the Caprese salad by placing one slice of tomato on a small plate. Place a heaping tablespoon of hummus over the tomato slice, then another tomato slice, another layer of hummus, a final tomato slice, and a final layer of hummus.

Sprinkle some chopped fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper over the tomatoes and drizzle a teaspoon of cold-pressed hemp oil or extra virgin olive oil over each salad. Serve immediately. 

Hummus Caprese Salad

To make a vegan caprese that tastes more like cheese, see my recipe for Raw Vegan Caprese Salad that uses a simple cashew "cheese" to replace the mozzarella. 

If you enjoyed these ideas, check out my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen!

Miso And Ginger Glazed Eggplant - Vegan And Gluten Free!

Miso-glazed eggplant makes a wonderful appetizer or side dish

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Miso
When in a Japanese restaurant, I always order miso soup or have something that's been glazed with miso. But to be honest, I haven't cooked a lot with it at home. But this week I've been experimenting quite a bit with miso. Yesterday I failed to recreate a good miso soup but made a pretty good miso-tahini dressing (I'll blog that in the future when I perfect it). Today for lunch I used miso, in combination with grated ginger, to glaze and then broil eggplant, and it came out great! It took less than 30 minutes so it would be a pretty easy appetizer or side dish when entertaining. Although most people sprinkle sesame seeds on this dish, I use raw hemp seeds to get a bit of omega-3 into the recipe.

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Miso-Ginger-Glazed Eggplant     
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]
Requires large, shallow, roasting pan

Spray organic olive oil
1.5 pounds Japanese eggplant
1/4 cup unpasteurized, organic, mellow white miso
1 packed teaspoon finely grated, peeled, fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons sesame oil 
2 teaspoons gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon raw hemp seeds
1 scallion, thinly sliced (1 tablespoon)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease roasting pan with olive oil or olive oil spray.

Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and place in the roasting pan. Spray the top of eggplant with olive oil. 

Place eggplant in the oven and roast until they soften, about 15 minutes.

Spray oil is a way of using much less oil on eggplant, a vegetable known for absorbing large amounts of it.
Sesame oil is used for the miso glaze.

While the eggplant is roasting, make the glaze by combining miso, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and cane sugar in a small bowl. If it's too thick to spread, add a tablespoon of water. Set aside.

Westbrae white miso is made with cultured organic white rice, organic whole soybeans, water, and sea salt.

Remove the eggplant  from the oven. Spread miso glaze uniformly over the eggplant. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Spread glaze over the eggplant.

Carefully, wearing oven mitts, raise the oven rack to about 5 inches from the broiling element. Place the miso-glazed eggplant under the broiler and broil until brown and bubbly, about 4 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't char.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle the eggplant with hemp seeds and scallions, and serve immediately.

Sprinkle with hemp seeds and scallions.

Per serving: 117 calories, 5 g total fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 356 mg omega-3 and 2,136 g omega-6 essential fatty acids, 5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, and 762 mg sodium.

Check out my ebook, Health Begins in the Kitchen!

Garlicky Red Pepper Dip With Basil And Cashew Cream - Why Cruciferous Veggies Fight Cancer When Eaten Raw

Raw Vegan and Gluten Free Red Pepper Dip
shown with broccoli, radishes and purple bell peppers.

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Creamy and Garlicky Appetizer 
At the end of the day, Doug and I enjoy sitting on the back deck that overlooks Turtle Vines, our organic Pinot noir vineyard. Right now the grapes are starting to turn purple and harvest is only six weeks away. While we sit and count the humming birds, we like to enjoy a little glass of wine and have an appetizer. This one was so yummy and hearty, it pretty much turned into our dinner!

Being allergic to cheese, I love anything that's creamy yet dairy-free. This one fits the bill. Raw Cashews provide a creamy base for this easy-to-make red pepper dip. Garlic, lemon, basil and red pepper provide the delicious flavor. With just a handful of simple ingredients and a good blender, this appetizer will please anyone - even those who are gluten free!

Raw Benefits
Everyone has heard that eating broccoli is good for you. It's a cruciferous vegetable and contains phytochemicals that helps the body fight cancer cells and prevent tumor growth.  Broccoli contains the enzyme myrosinase that helps convert these phytochemicals into their most potent, cancer-fighting forms. Unfortunately, this enzyme is destroyed by heat. So the best way to take advantage of these health benefits is to eat raw broccoli.

Broccoli retains most cancer-fighting
chemicals when eaten raw

Don't Like Raw Broccoli? Dip it in This!
I don't really enjoy raw broccoli as much as I like it steamed. But for some reason, I totally love raw broccoli when it's coated in this yummy dip! So if you want to get the most health benefits out of broccoli, radishes, cauliflower, daikon, and other cruciferous veggies, try dipping them in this creamy appetizer.

Red Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are another vegetable (they are actually a fruit) that are best eaten raw. They are an excellent source of vitamin C but this critical vitamin is extremely heat sensitive. That's why I use raw red bell pepper (and not roasted red bell pepper) in this recipe.

Eat red peppers raw to get the most vitamin C.

1 medium bell pepper contains:
37 calories
2.5 g dietary fiber
75% daily requirement of vitamin A
253% daily requirement of vitamin C
Also a good source of B6 and folate

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Garlicky Red Pepper Dip with Basil and Cashew Cream
Vegan, Gluten Free
Requires a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec)
[makes 4 servings]

Allow 6 hours for soaking cashews.

1 cup raw cashews
1 medium fresh red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 3 if you love garlic)
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
Water as needed (about 1 tablespoon)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

Soak the cashews for 6 hours. Rinse well and place in a high-speed blender with bell pepper, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth. Add about a tablespoon of water, if needed, to achieve the desired consistency.

Remove the mixture from the blender and place in a bowl. Stir in the basil and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with sliced raw veggies - broccoli spears, radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, etc. 

Per serving (dip only): 170 calories, 12 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 29 g omega-3 and 2,198 g omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 439 mg sodium.

If you enjoyed this recipe ....
take a look at my ebook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan Plus Raw Food Cleanse.

Healthy Vegan And Gluten Free 7 Layer Bean Dip With Walnut Taco Meat - Perfect For Superbowl Sunday!

Make this healthy version of 7 layer dip on Superbowl Sunday!

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A Classic Revisited
What's a Superbowl without 7 layer bean dip? Surprisingly, this can be quite a nourishing dish.
Here's what you can do to make a healthy version of this classic:


* Start with vegetarian refried beans. They are low in fat and high in fiber and protein. Make them more flavorful by mixing them with diced fire roasted chiles.

Vegetarian refried beans are not made with lard.

* Make your own guacamole with a few simple ingredients - no fillers. The healthy fats in avocados promote the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein that are in the other ingredients.

It's easy to make your own guacamole.

* Tomato salsa is low in calories and packed with antioxidant rich lycopene, vitamins A, C, K, molybdenum, manganese and potassium. This is where you'll get your heat so select mild, medium or hot depending on your taste. 


* Instead of sour cream, try dairy and gluten free Tofutti. But use it sparingly to avoid adding unnecessary calories to the dip. Also check the package to make sure it has zero transfat. The ones in Whole Foods had no transfat but the ones in Safeway had slightly different packaging and contained some transfat. I can't imagine why!

Tofutti is my favorite sour cream substitute.

* Try topping the salad with taco meat made from heart healthy walnuts.

Make heart healthy taco meat by grinding walnuts with chili powder and GF soy sauce or Bragg's!

* Instead of cheddar cheese or fake vegan cheddar, grate some carrots on top. They look like cheese and you'll never miss the fat and calories. Plus, you'll get a good dose of beta-carotene and lutein - antioxidants that are good for eye heath.


* Select healthy chips that are gluten free and made with whole grains. Better yet, serve slices of bell pepper or jicama to scoop up the dip.

There are many healthier chips on the market these days but serving sliced veggies is an even better option.

7 Layer Bean Dip with Walnut Taco Meat
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]


For the bean dip
16 ounce can vegetarian refried beans
4 ounce can fire roasted mild green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 t granulated garlic
For the guacamole
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne
For the taco meat
1/2 cup raw English walnuts
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon GF low sodium soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
For the rest of the dip
1/2 cup chunky tomato salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1/2 cup Tofutti or your favorite vegan sour cream
1 small carrot, finely shredded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion


Warm refried beans and fire roasted green chiles in a non-stick fry pan on low heat. Mix in cumin and garlic until well blended. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat and mix beans and chiles with spices. No oil needed.

To make the guacamole, mash avocados in a small bowl until fairly smooth. Stir in onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and cayenne. Set aside.


To make the taco meat, place walnuts, chili powder and GF soy sauce in a food processor fitted with an S blade. Process briefly until the walnuts look like taco meat. Set aside.


You can assemble the dip on a flat plate or in a glass pie pan. If people will be sitting on the couch watching the game, you can make it in individual ramekins so people aren't leaning over and dripping this colorful dip on your carpet.


Start by spreading the bean dip on the bottom layer.
Next, spread the guacamole on top of the bean dip.
Top the guacamole with salsa.

Layer the ingredients in whatever order you desire.
I layer to optimize the contrast of colors.

Stir the Tofutti sour cream with a spoon until it becomes more spreadable and drizzle over the salsa.
Sprinkle the taco meat and shredded carrot over the Tofutti and top with cilantro, red and green onion.
Serve with chips or a vegetable crudité. 

Enjoy with healthy chips or scoop it up with slices of bell pepper, jicama or other veggie slices.

Per serving (without chips): 179.8 calories, 10.4 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, 0.8 g ALA omega-3 and 3.3 g omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 5.1 g protein, 17.4 g carbohydrates, 4.8 g dietary fiber and 538 mg sodium.