Waldorf Re-Mix

I'm a sucker for salads that include both veggies and fruit.

Add some toasted nuts into the mix, and I just may reach food nirvana (I just invented food nirvana. Don't question it.).

So when I stumbled upon a recipe for Waldorf Salad in my Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, I knew it would be a winner in our house.

This salad combines the best parts of an old-school Waldorf Salad (fruit + veggies + nuts), while nixing the less-than-desirable part (creamy over-the-top mayonnaise sauce). Instead of the creamy sauce, we go with a light, oil-free orange juice dressing.

Paired with spinach salad and a slice of Irish Soda Bread, this was an easy dinner to pull together. The salad is quite reminiscent of one of my ol' favorites: Apple-Almond-Bulgur Salad. I noted few differences between the two, although I found the Waldorf Salad a bit more filling and suitable as a "main course" salad.

Eat up, friends, and enjoy this hearty salad while it lasts. Tomorrow? We're talking homemade (and arguably "healthy?") peanut butter cups.

Stay tuned.

Waldorf Salad, Re-Mixed

(recipe adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)

The one things missing from this delightful salad? Grapes! If you have them on hand, I recommend halving a handful and tossing them right into the mix.

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 - 1/2 cups diced apple
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp. ground coriander

Directions:

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and stir to coat. Enjoy!

Vege-Tastic

A 6-day work week makes for a slightly exhausted Hungry Spoon.

It's rare that these 1-day weekends grace my work schedule--they're designed for our monthly Saturday programs, so they only come around once a month. And fortunately, I work with a group of sweet and enthusiastic high school students, so my work is quite fun--they keep me on my toes, and they definitely keep me energized.

Yet, walking in the door at 6pm on a Saturday, just as your work-week comes to a close, the last thing on one's mind is dinner preparation.

Thank goodness Adam can read my mind. His mind-reading talent really makes for a happy marriage.

Tonight the man whipped up a batch of vegan stuffed bell peppers. These babies were loaded with seasonings and spices. And unlike the usual stuffed veggie filling, there was no grain/carb component (rice, bulgur, etc.). Just veggies n' beans (thus leaving more room for dessert).

There is no under-estimating the vegan-licious-ness of this entree. It hits somewhere between "mind-blowing" and "epic" on the tasty-meter.

With that being said, I'm signing off for the night. Definitely need to catch up on some Grey's Anatomy via Hulu...while wearing sweatpants...and eating dessert. Sounds like a winning conclusion to a 6-day work-week to me.

Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers

(adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon)

This dinner is definitely one of those "I-want-to-show-my-friends-how-awesome-vegan-food-really-is" type of recipes. It's company-worthy. And seriously vegan-licious.

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, halved (with seeds and membrane removed)
• a dash of olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup of finely diced carrots
• 7 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen peas
• fresh parsley to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) Place the bell pepper halves in the boiling water and cover. Allow to boil for 5 minute; drain immediately and rinse them with cold water.

3) Meanwhile, heat the dash of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and carrot for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add the bay leaves, remaining herbs and spices, salt, tomatoes, beans, and peas. Cook for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced. Stir in parsley to taste.

4) Remove the bay leaves. Spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the mixture into each pepper half. Bake for about 25 minutes. You will have a large amount of leftover pepper filling. It's so delicious and stew-like, I recommend just serving it as a bowl of soup when you're hunting for leftovers the next day.