Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

I got the recipe from a cook book that I bought from my favorite vegan restaurant “Native.” I promise, you will not be disappointed.
I served this dish with mashed potatoes…I love mashed potatoes. Or you can serve it over pasta or make some dumplings if you want it to be more authentic. Don’t forget some nice bread for dunking.

1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb seitan, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup paprika
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups canned, crushed tomatoes
2 cups bottles sauerkraut, drained
1 lb pasta (rigatoni)

Garnish:
Soy sour cream
Chopped fresh dill

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onion, garlic, red and green bell peppers about 4-5 minutes over medium heat until lightly browned.
Add seitan and paprika, and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, water, crushed tomatoes, and sauerkraut.
Let simmer, partially covered, 25-30 minutes.
Boil the pasta, according to package directions. Portion cooked pasta on plates and top with goulash. Garnish each plate with a dollop of soy sour cream and chopped dill. Enjoy!

Note: Seitan is a meaty-textured protein of wheat. You can find seitan right next to the tofu.

French Potato Salad

French Potato Salad

This potato salad is my favorite from one of my favorite cook books, “barefoot contessa.” Instead of using mayonnaise, she uses a nice herb vinaigrette.

1 pound small white boiling potatoes
1 pound small red boiling potatoes
2 tablespoons good dry white wine
2 tablespoons vegetable stock
3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced scallions
2 tablespoons, minced fresh dill
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes or until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in half or quarters if they are larger and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine, and vegetable stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the potatoes before proceeding.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to change this salad up a bit, here are some things you can add. Capers, cherry tomatoes, halved, black olives, hard boiled eggs, quartered.

Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Serves 6
This spinach is great with just a little squeeze of lemon. Gives the spinach great flavor.

1 ½ pounds baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Rinse the spinach well in cold water. Spin it dry, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it’s browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring until all the spinach is wilted. Lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter if desired, a squeeze of lemon and check for seasoning. Serve hot.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

This Tabbouleh is wonderful. Lots of flavor and you can serve it as is or with some baked tofu cut into cubes.

1 ½ cups boiling water
1 cup bulgur wheat
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt or Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and medium dice
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

In a heat-proof bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat. Add the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to stand at room temperature for on hour.

When the tabbouleh has absorbed all the water, add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 1-2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss to combine and serve or cover and refrigerate.

Asparagus and Zucchini Salad

Asparagus and Zucchini Salad
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis


This is a raw salad and goes great with a heavier pasta. It’s light and fresh and easy to make.

2 medium zucchini,i trimmed
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon, freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesano Regiano/vegan Parmesan

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. Put the sliced vegetables in a serving bowl and toss together to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Use the vegetable peeler to shave the Pecorino over the salad and serve immediately.