I’m Emily.
I blog, write, teach, and cook.

Adapted from Vegetarian: Over 300 healthy and wholesome recipes chosen from around the world.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 plum tomatoes
• Basil leaves (10-12 leaves)
• balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions

>>Preheat the broiler

1) Cut the eggplant lengthwise into thin slices, discarding the two outermost slices. (This is pretty tricky… to make things easier, partway though I cut the eggplant in half width wise, then cut the slices. They’ll make smaller rolls, but that’s fine!)

2) Brush the eggplant slices with oil. Place on the grill rack, or on a cookie sheet. Broil for 8-10 minutes, turning once. The eggplant should be tender and golden.

3) If using longer slices of eggplant… Place a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and a basil leaf in the center of the eggplant. Fold the left and right sides over the eggplant.

If using shorter slices of eggplant… Place a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and a basil leaf on one side of the eggplant. Fold the other side over top. Press down so it stays.

4) Place back into the broiler and cook until it is heated through and the mozzarella begins to melt.

5) Serve with drizzled balsamic vinegar.

Adapted from Vegetarian: Over 300 healthy and wholesome recipes chosen from around the world.

Ingredients

• Two 1-pound eggplants
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds (can be found at Indian grocery store, or in a pinch you could use yellow mustard seeds, which you can get at most grocery stores)
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 4 ounces button mushrooms, cut into thirds
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped into very small pieces (if you want it spicier, you could use a chili pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• One 14-ounce can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped, plus some to garnish

Directions

>>Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1) Brush the skin of the eggplants with 1 tablespoon of oil. Prick both eggplants all over with a fork. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the eggplant is very soft. (I baked mine for 35 minutes and it appeared soft on the outside, but the inside wasn’t gooey enough.)*

2) While the eggplants are baking, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Saute the mustard seeds for two minutes, or until they begin sputtering/”popping.”

3) Add the scallions, mushrooms, garlic, and chili pepper. Cook for five minutes.

4) Add all of the spices: the chili powder, cumin, coriander, and tumeric. Cook for three minutes.

5) Add the tomatoes and simmer for five minutes.

6) When the eggplants are ready, cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Let them cool a little bit–they will be HOT! Scoop out the softened insides into a bowl and mash them with a fork. If there are any large pieces that can’t be mashed with your fork, cut up with a knife.

7) Add the mashed eggplant and chopped cilantro into the pot.

8) Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. The curry should thicken.

9) Serve with fresh cilantro on top.

*Another option is to wrap the eggplants in tinfoil and bake for an hour.

David has a cold (which I had last week), so I made this for him tonight. It’s really, really good, but it was pretty time consuming. I adapted the recipe from Vegetarian: Over 300 healthy and wholesome recipes chosen from around the world, edited by Nicola Graimes.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 1 celery rib, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 potatoes, pealed and chopped into small pieces
• 4 cups hot vegetable broth + 2 1/4 cups hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3/4 cups peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 zucchini, chopped into small pieces
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cups cannellini beans (one 15.5 ounce can)
• 3 tablespoons pesto sauce (can be found at grocery store in tomato sauce aisle, or you can make your own)
• black pepper
• Parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large pot. Stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes.

2) Add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3) Add the potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.

4) Pour in the hot vegetable broth and water — 6 1/4 cups total. Add the thyme and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

5) If you are using fresh peas, stir them in, along with the zucchini. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6) If you are using frozen peas, add them, along with the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer for 8 minutes.

7) 15 minutes before serving, uncover the pan and stir in the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.

8) Stir in the pesto sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

9) Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe is adapted from easy vegetarian: simple recipes for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

>>>The book says this serves 4, but I think it’s more like 6+.

Ingredients

• 2 tablspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, choped
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 potato (I used a red potato), chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 4 cups of vegetable broth & 1 cup of water (or 5 cups of vegetable broth)
• 1 15.5 oz can any kind of navy/white beans (I used cannellini)*
• 8oz of dried pasta shapes (orecchiette is traditional, but I couldn’t find them, so I used bowtie)
• 2 pinches of hot red pepper flakes
• A pinch of dried thyme
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onion, garlic, and potato. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened and slightly golden.

2) Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3) Add the broth (4 cups, plus 1 cup water), beans, pasta, red pepper flakes, thyme, and salt and pepper.

4) Bring to a boil, then simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the pasta and potato are cooked.

Serve with Parmesan.

*Could use two cans, according to your taste!

This is unbelievably good! One of the best dinners I’ve made in awhile! I adapted the recipe from easy vegetarian: simple recipes for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The list of ingredients is long, but it’s a pretty simple recipe and I already had many of the ingredients. The spices in this recipe make it so flavorful.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, cut into wedges
• 2 shallots, peeled and cut into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamon

• 4 carrots, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1″ chunks
• 2 zucchini, thickly sliced
• 1 yellow squash, thickly sliced

• 15 oz can of whole tomatoes (I sliced them in half)
• 15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

• sea salt and ground black pepper
• cilantro to put on top when serving

• 2 cups dried couscous (I used whole wheat couscous, which you can find at Trader Joe’s). You could also use quinoa.
• 2 tablespoons of butter (to cook with couscous)

Directions

1) Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add the onions, shallots, and garlic. Cook for two minutes, then add the paprika, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and cardamon. Cook for three more minutes.

2) Add the carrots, butternut squash, zucchini, and yellow squash. Cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. You want to make sure the vegetables get coated with the spices.

3) Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins, and broth. If the vegetables aren’t covered with liquid, add more water (or broth). I had to add almost a cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. I sprinkled some sea salt and pepper on top.

A closeup after I've added everything except the broth.

4) Cook the couscous according to the directions on the box. My couscous needed to be cooked 1 part couscous, 1 part water, with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. After bringing the water and butter to a boil, I took it off of the burner, added the couscous, and let it sit for five minutes. Then I fluffed it with a fork.

5) Serve the couscous with the vegetable mixture on top. I used a spoon that has holes so it drained the liquid, but you could also pour a more soupy mixture on top. Add cilantro and more pepper.

The veggies and couscous mixed together.

For Christmas, my sister gave me the BEST vegetarian cookbook, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. It is truly an encyclopedia of cookbooks. Aside from recipes, there’s a wealth of information in the book, from equipment to techniques to how to improvise dishes (soup, cookies, and more). There are dozens and dozens of charts on topics ranging from 17 ingredients to add to any yeast bread; to a chart on apples with information on what different varieties look like, their flavor and texture, and what they’re good for; to a chart on grains, their cooking time, a description, and forms and varities. It’s just shy of 1,000 pages!

I made corn and black bean empanadas last night, based on recipes in this cookbook. One thing I really like about the cookbook is that Bittman provides you with the recipe for the outside of the empanadas, then gives you a ton of possibilities for how you could make the filling, referring you to numerous other recipes in the cookbook.

Ingredients

Outside

• 1 1/2 cups flour, plus extra*
• 1/2 cup fine cornmeal flour*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup-1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup-1/2 cup milk

*I would use less cornmeal flour next time and more all-purpose flour so that the dough is easier to work with and not so dry and crumbly. I’d recommend 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal flour. You could also just use all-purpose flour (2 cups).

Filling

• 2 cans of black beans (3 cups of beans)
• 2 cups of corn (I used frozen…fresh is not available in the winter in New England)
• 1 cup of choped onion (one medium onion)
• 1/4 cup corn or vegetable oil
• Pepper/salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin (or more!)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more!)
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1) Mix the flour, corn meal flour, and baking powder together. (The recipe book recommends you do this step, and the next, using a food processor. I don’t have one, so I did it by hand.)

2) Add the 1/2 cup of oil, followed by the water. Add the least amount of water possible; the dough should be fairly dry.

3) Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes or more.

4) While the dough is resting, to make the filling, put the 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook. Stir often until the onion is light brown.

5) Add the cumin, then the beans and corn. Cook until the beans and corn are warm and starting to get a little mushy. Add the cayenne, plus salt and pepper to taste.

6) On a floured surface, roll the 12 balls of dough into circles. Mine were approximately 5″, but would have been better if I’d been able to roll them thinner (more all-purpose flour, less corn flour!).

7) Divide the filling amongst the 12 empanadas, placing it in the center of the dough. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

8) Fold the empanadas in half. Using a fork, press into the dough to seal at the edges. Brush each empanada with milk and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

9) Cook for 20 minutes, until hot and golden brown. Serve with salsa.

Over the past few days, I’ve made one loaf of raspberry bread and two loafs of mixed berry (raspberry, black raspberry, and blueberry) bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg (beaten with fork)
• 3/4 cups orange juice (if making raspberry bread, I might try lime juice next time!)
• Berries (approximately 12-16oz of frozen berries, or a pint of fresh berries). You can really use any berries you want. I preferred the loaf with just raspberries.

Directions

>>Preheat oven to 350 F

1) Stir dry ingredients together.

2) Add butter, egg, and juice.

3) Gently stir in berries.

4) Butter and flour a 9″ loaf pan. The flour is important, or the berries on the bottom of the loaf will burn.

5) Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a fork comes out clean.

I’ve had so many cookies and chocolates over the past week. These are my mom’s favorite!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Approximately 1 cup slivered almonds
• Jam or preserves for filling (I always use raspberry)

Directions

>>Preheat oven to 375 F

>>Yields approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1) Beat together the butter and sugar.

2) Add the flour and vanilla, then beat until well-mixed (will be somewhat clumpy).

3) Finely chop the almonds. I used a nut grinder, then used a knife to make the pieces smaller.

4) Roll the batter into approximately 1″ balls. Roll the balls in the chopped almonds until lightly covered.

5) Place the balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, approximately 2″ apart. Make a thumbprint mark in the center of each cookie.

6) Fill the thumbprint marks with the jam.

7) Cook for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly brown around the edges.

While these aren’t quite as round or quite as beautiful as Martha’s Stewart’s, I adapted this recipe from her site.

Ingredients

Whoopie pies

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream cheese filling

• 3 cups confectioners sugar (*Next time I might try using only 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

>>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

>>Makes approximately 12 whoopie pies

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and oil. Then add the pumpkin puree, followed by the eggs and vanilla.

2) Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until fully combined.

3) Scoop the batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper; set the pies approximately 1″ apart. You can use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, or, as I did, use two spoons to scoop the batter out. Then use the back of one spoon to smooth the batter out into the desired shape. You won’t be able to fit all 24 on two sheets, so you will have to do two batches.

4) Cook the pies for 17 or so minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the pies are starting to crack on top.

5) While the pies are cooking, make the filling. Beat the butter until smooth, then add the cream cheese. Next, add the confectioners sugar and vanilla, beating until well combined.

4) Once both batches of pies are complete, scoop filling onto one half, then smoosh other half on top. Keep the whoopie pies refrigreated until they are consumed.

Last Monday, Columbus Day, David and I went apple picking again. I used a few of the apples to make crepes.

>>Makes four 8″ crepes

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

For the filling:

• 3 medium (or larger) apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

• Cinnamon to sprinkle on top
• Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or french vanilla yogurt

Directions

1) Whisk together the eggs, milk, and melted butter.

2) Add the flour and sugar.

3) Heat an 8″ frying pan over medium heat. Pour the batter in so it covers the pan–not too thick. When the underside is light brown (the dough has formed into a circle, and the crepe can be flipped), flip and cook on the other side.

4) While cooking the crepes, warm a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples and sugar. Toss the apples in the sugar, and sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Toss and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and the apples have softened. Add the melted butter. Cook until the apples are of the desired consistency.

5) Divide the apple mixture between the crepes. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt. Sprinkle cinnamon on top!