Veggie Day - Asian Ratatouille

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Every day should be a Veggie Day but considering today's the National Holiday I thought I'd share a recipe which makes vegetables the star! Ratatouille is a great dish which is so easy to make but can look so elegant. You can make it with ingredients you have on hand and can substitute in whichever veggies you prefer.

ASIAN RATATOUILLE

  • 1 pound mixed grilled vegetables (cucumbers, peppers, onions, zucchini, and eggplant)
  • 3 tablespoons Chinese marinade
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 packages of Wasabi rice crackers or any other rice cracker
  1. Mince all the vegetables fine or combine ingredients and pulse a few times in a food processor; do not over process.  You want to mince the vegetables and puree them.
  2. Spoon a small teaspoon per rice cracker or serve in bite size portions on spoons.

*Variation:

Asian Ratatouille Dip:

Prepare as above adding a cup of sour cream or Mediterranean yogurt; taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little lemon juice if necessary.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  (You may prepare this recipe in advance; refrigerate, well wrapped or in a covered container for up to a day before serving.)  Serve with vegetables or crackers.

Alix's Cauliflower

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My good friend Alix Jaffe shared this amazing recipe with me. Here's my twist on it.

As my friends often say, I "Lulu-ized it!"

 

1/2 cup oil (sunflower,grape seed,or canola) 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons turmeric 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper Sea salt 3 heads of cauliflower—halved, cored and cut into 1-inch florets 4 cups chick peas 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup white raisins 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons chopped mint

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, combine the oil, cumin, turmeric, crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, drizzle the cauliflower with the spiced oil and toss well to coat; season with salt. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer and bake for 30 minutes until browned and tender; switch the baking sheets halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, in a pie plate, bake the pine nuts for about 1 minute, until toasted. Let cool. Transfer the cauliflower to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, raisins,cilantro and mint. Ready to serve!!!

 

Just an idea: Great to put over a piece of fish or chicken. Or use it for a bruschetta

Lulu's Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

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Serves 6 to 8

  • 1 pound asparagus, washed and trimmed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Blender Hollandaise Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 2. Spread the asparagus on a jelly roll pan. Pour 1 tablespoon water and the olive over the top. 3. Bake for 10 minutes, turning the asparagus once. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Makes 1¼ cups

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 4 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco

1. Melt the butter on low heat in a small saucepan until very hot, but do not let it brown. 2. Combine the egg yolks, heavy cream, lemon juice, salt, and Tabasco in a blender. Turn blender on low speed and blend. 3. With blender on low speed, remove the cover and pour in hot butter in a steady stream. 4. Use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze. To freeze, transfer the sauce into a freezer container, leaving ½-inch space. Let cool, cover, and freeze. To reheat, heat the sauce in the top of a double boiler.