My Auntie Blanche's Anise Cookies

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine:
2 eggs
2 tsp anise extract (or just use the whole bottle)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar

Add in:
4 cups white flour
6 tsp baking powder

Drop by tablespoon into cookie sheet and bake about 8 minutes.

Icing:
3 Tbsp milk
1.5 cups confectioner's sugar

Optional: sprinkles on top of icing

Baked Seasoned Tofu

This goes well with Curried Rice Noodles. This recipe is slightly adapted from one in Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. (Yes, I rely heavily on the Moosewoods.)

1 cake tofu
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp ground anise seed

Preheat oven to 375.

Slice tofu into 12 rectangles and lay on a cookie sheet in a single layer. (I like to cover the sheet with foil for easy cleanup).

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over tofu.

Bake tofu about 40 minutes and serve.

Curried Rice Noodles

From Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites. Serve with baked tofu and a steamed veggie on the side. I like green beans.

1/2 pound rice stick noodles

DRIED SPICES:
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander

SAUCE:
2 Tbsp dry sherry
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar

VEGETABLES:
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup peeled, julienned carrots
1 cup sliced yellow oe red bell pepper
4 cups thinly sliced bok choy or napa cabbage
salt and pepper to taste

GARNISH: (optional - one or some)
lime wedges
minced fresh cilantro, basil or scallions

METHOD:

Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl and set aside.

Mix together spice mixture, and in a separate bowl, sauce ingredients. Set aside.

In a large nonstick pan, combine garlic, ginger and oil. Sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add red onion and carrots and cook for 3-5 minuts more, stirring often. Add bell peppers and continue to cook another 4 minutes. Add cabbage and spice mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in sauce, cover and simmer for 2 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Drain the noodles and stir into the sauté. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish as desired.

Cape Cod Tofu Salad

This is my best guess of how a local chef, her company is called Cooking from the Heart, makes her tofu salad. I think my version is a pretty good replication of hers. This is really yummy on a sandwich, or straight out of the bowl.

7 oz package baked tofu, teriyaki flavor, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 large stalks of celery, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Vegannaise)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Falafel Burgers with Yogurt Tahini Dressing

This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. Much lower in fat than traditional fried falafel -- and extra protein from the tofu. Good wholesome food.

FALAFEL BURGERS
1 cup diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch of cayenne, or to taste
12 oz firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
1.5 cups cooked chick peas (15-oz can, drained)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a baking sheet.

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add peppers, turmeric, coriander and cayenne and sauté for 5 minutes more.

While the veggies cook, combine tofu, chick peas, lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil in food processor until well combined but not a paste.

Transfer tofu mixture to a large bowl. Stir in veggie mixture, parsley, tahini, bread crumbs and salt, until uniform.

Shape into 8 patties, using about 1/2 cup mixture per patty. Bake for 30 minutes until golden, juicy and firm.

Top with Yogurt Tahini Dressing.

YOGURT TAHINI DRESSING
1 cup plain yogurt or plain soy yogurt
2 Tbsp tahini
1-2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serve cold.

Sweet & Sour Carrot Salad

This recipe is from one of my yoga students. It's a chilled, marinated carrot dish that's best as a condiment or small side.

2 lbs. carrots, sliced
1 cup condensed tomato soup
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
1 tsp dry mustard
dash salt
1 large green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced

Steam carrots 5-8 minutes, until tender-crisp. Combine all other ingredients, and pour over warm carrots. Chill. Drain before serving. Keeps 2-3 weeks in refrigerator.

Fresh Tomato Zucchini Soup

This recipe, slightly altered from this version, came to me via an email from the Marshfield Farmers' Market. I made it with freshly-picked produce, and it was exquisite.

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
8 large tomatoes, cored
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced hot pepper of your choice (optional)
2 cups vegetable broth
fresh herbs of your choice, chopped (I use basil)
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute zucchini, onion and garlic. Set aside.

Puree tomatoes in food processor or blender.

In large pot mix puree, peppers and broth. Bring to boil.

Add herbs, zucchini and garlic. Turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add salt & pepper to taste.

Israeli Za'atar Salad

Also from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, with a few tweaks. An ideal salad for when you've just come home from the farmers' market and need to figure out what to do with all that fresh produce.

1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed cucumbers
2 cups cubed fresh tomatoes
1.5 caups chopped yellow or green bell peppers
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tsp za'atar (a spice blend, look for it in the ethnic section of your grocery)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/ tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3-4 slices multigrain bread, toasted and cut into 1" squares

Combine everything but the bread in a bowl. Prepare the bread, and stir into salad. Eat. It's yummy both when the bread is crunchy and when it has soaked up some of the salad juices.

Cucumbers with Arugula-Caper Dressing

This is so simple and so yummy. It is based on a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, leaving out a couple of dressing ingredients. Lately, it's one of my favorite things to snak on while making dinner.

3 cups cucumber crescents
1 cup fresh arugula leaves
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Combine arugula, capers and olive oil in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste, if desired. Pour over cucumbers, or place in a dish and dip cucumbers into it.

Chick Pea Sandwich Spread

This recipe is from the Kripalu cookbook, in which it is called Chick Pea of The Sea. It think it's meant to be a vegetarian substitute for tune salad. It's an easy-to-make, delicious spread that could be used as a sandwich filling or an alternative to hummus/dip. My version contains only slight variations.

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise or soy mayonnaise
3/4 Tbsp canola oil
3/4 Tbsp prepared brown mustard
1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 Tbsp celery seeds
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsp chopped scallions

Combine everything except celery and scallions in a food processor, pulsing until chick peas are chopped and everything else is well-distributed. Add celery and scallions and pulse until uniform. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4-1/2" cubes
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup spanish olives, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
lime juice to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Green Beans with Mushrooms

This week our CSA share from Rise and Shine Farm included a heaping portion of fresh green beans. Here's one easy and delicious way to serve them. This recipe is adapted from one the Penzey's catalog.

1 lb. fresh green beans
8 oz. container of fresh mushrooms, white or brown, sliced
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Stem and wash the beans. Steam them for about 15 minutes until tender-crisp. Set aside. Melt butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic, pepper and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden and fragrant. Five minutes before serving, add the green beans, tossing well to coat. Cook until the beans are heated through.

Fresh Cherry Chutney

My friend Karen shared this recipe with me. It's meant to be used with pork, but being a vegetarian, I tried it on a fake chicken cutlet instead. Truth be told, I also ate several spoonfuls directly from the pan.

1/2 cup cherry preserves
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix preserves, vinegar and allspice and set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion and sauté 1 minute. Add cherries, cayenne and preserves mixture. Boil chutney until thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Let cool, and serve.

Pepper Bean Salad

This recipe is from the Penzey's spice catalog, one of my favorite new sources for good food ideas. The salad was a big hit at a gathering last weekend.

salad:
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. bag super sweet frozen corn, thawed (or 2 cups fresh corn kernels)
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

dressing:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp aleppo pepper (i used ancho chili instead)
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)

Combine salad and dressing ingredients separately and then combine. The recipe says to combine just before serving, but I prefer to let it marinate for a few hours.

Brown Rice with Sweet Potatoes & Cilantro Pesto

I made this recipe up tonight, inspired by what was leftover in the fridge. We all agreed it was yummy.

2 cups cooked brown rice
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup sweet potato, diced
salt to taste
1-2 Tbsp cilantro pesto (see recipe from earlier this month)

Warm oil in sauté pan and add onion. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions soften. Add sweet potato and continue to cook a few minutes. Add some water if the potato sticks to the pan. When potato is cooked, reduce heat to medium, stir in rice and cook until heated through. Remove from heat. Add salt and pesto to taste.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Why buy salad dressing when you can make your own so easily and cheaply? This recipe is adapted from Annie Somerville's Fields of Greens. When I make it, I usually double it, and keep it in a jar in the fridge.

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
a few grinds of black pepper
a few splashes of sherry

Combine all ingredients in a jar, secure lid, and shake well. Makes about 1/3 cup.

Cilantro Pesto

This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden book. I use this pesto on burritos and quesadillas, mostly. It's very flavorful, so you only need a little bit.

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed (I include stems too)
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, loosely packed (I cinlude stems too, and I use Italian parsley)
1/3 cup whole almonds
1 small fresh chili, coarsely chopped (jalapeno is good)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
salt and pepper to taste

Chop almonds in food processor. Add parsley and cilantro and pulse to combine. Add everything else, except oil, and process until uniform. Add oil in a steady stream and mix well.

Carrot & Parsley Salad

A summer favorite. From Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. The radishes are my adaptation, inspired by a trip to the farmers' market. I have been known to devour this by the mixing-spoon-ful immediately after mixing it together.

3.5 cups grated carrot
2 cups (or so) chopped parsley (i prefer italian flat-leaf)
1 bunch radishes, cleaned & chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients and toss well. Chill before serving.

Moosewood Fudge Brownies

For years, I've had a favorite, tried and true brownie recipe. But recently I decided I prefer fudgy brownies to cakey ones. So I had to find a new recipe. This one is from the Moosewood Restuarant Cooks at Home book, which means it's fast and easy. And so yummy!

1/2 cup butter
3 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup white flour

Preheat oven to 350. Prep a 8 or 9 inch square pan.

In a heavy large pot, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally. While they melt, assemble the rest of the ingredients.

When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove the pot from the heat. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat by hand or with an electric mixer. Beat the eggs separately, and then stir them in. Stir in the flour, and mix until the batter is thoroughly blended and smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the brownies are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, and are fudgy in the center.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The recipe for these cookies is from Health magazine, once again by celebrity chef Bethenny Frankel. I brought them to a playdate today, and all the kids AND adults loved them. Plus, no wheat, no dairy, no butter, no eggs.

1 cuo oat flour
3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 ripe banana, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut)
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together oil, soy milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir to combine with dry ingredients. Fold in banana, nuts and chocolate.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spoon dough onto pan. (20-24 cookies)

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning baking sheet halfway through. Cool on wire rack.

Note: instead of using bananas, walnuts and chocolate, you could try raisins and a pinch of cinnamon; or dried blueberries; or dried cranberries with 1/2 tsp orange extract; or slivered almonds and 1/2 tsp almond extract.

“Cinnabon” Cinnamon Rolls (via bread machine)

I make these every year on Valentine's Day. I only make them once a year because they are hard to resist (and yes, a little involved to prepare). But they are so yummy! Totally worth the work. You can substitute white flour for the whole wheat for a somewhat lighter roll, but I prefer the heartier version with some whole wheat. I've made a different, low-fat version of the same roll, but it's just not worth it. Make the buttery version -- and enjoy them, or wrap them up and share them with friends and family (that's what I do).

Rolls:
2 eggs
1 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees)
1/3 cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

Put all ingredients except yeast in a bread machine, in the order given. Make a well in the flour mixture, and add the yeast. Set bread machine to “Dough” setting, and turn it on.

After the machine has done its business (mine takes 90 minutes), remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. No need to knead. Roll it out to a rectangle about ½ inch thick.

Filling:
1/3-2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 ½ tsp cinnamon

Spread the butter evenly over every inch of the rolled out dough. Mix the brown sugar & cinnamon together, then sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough. Start on one of the long edges of the rectangle and roll the dough into a log. Then cut it into approx. 1 inch wide slices. Place the rolls in a greased 9x13” pan, with the “open” sides up, and the outer edges of the rolls touching each other.

Now let the rolls rise. Cover the rolls with a warm, damp, clean dish towel, sprayed with cooking spray on the side that will be over the rolls. Place in cold oven, then turn oven on to 150 degrees or so, just for a minute or two. Let rise until the rolls double in size (about a half hour for me) – or until they reach your desired size.

Remove rolls from oven and uncover them. Heat oven to 375, then bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, until lightly brown on top, crisp on the edges and cooked in the middle.

Icing:
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cream cheese
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Spread over warm rolls.

Oatmeal Brownie Drops

These cookies are very chocolately, so they definitely fulfill the chocolate urge when it arises. The oats give them fiber, so they're not the most horrible cookie you could eat. Now, how to control oneself in front of them . . . that's a challenge. From the Hershey's Homemade cookbook.

3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and blend thoroughly. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add dry to wet and blend thoroughly. Stir in oatmeal and chips. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 7-8 minutes or until cookies begin to set. Do not overbake. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Japanese Udon and Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. So nice on a cold winter's night. I served it with tofu marinated and baked in Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce (teriyaki) and some carrot chunks stri-fried with garlic. Yum.

4-5 cups mushroom broth (or veggie broth)
1 package fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup finely chopped leeks, white parts only
2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
4 oz udon noodles
2 cups washed, stemmed and chopped spinach
2 Tbsp light miso (I like Westbrae Mellow White Miso)
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Bring the broth to a boil. Add shiitake, leeks, ginger, soy sauce, and mirin. Cover and simmer until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook the noodles until al dente.

When the leeks are tender, add the spinach and simmer for another minute, until the spinach has wilted but is still bright green. In a small bowl, combine the miso with some of the warm broth and stir until smooth. Add to the soup pot.

Drain the noodles and divide them into 4 bowls. Top with soup, then garnish with scallions and cilantro.

Udon Noodle Stir Fry

Adapted from a recipe in “Fields of Greens” by Annie Somerville. You could use pretty much any other protein in place of the seitan.

¼ lb fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 package seitan, in bite sized chunks
1 large head bok choy
salt
6-8 oz udon noodles
2-4 Tbsp canola oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 jalapeno chiles, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
1 scallion, sliced
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp toasted sesame seed

Set a large pot of water to boil. Remove mushrooms stems and cut caps into ½ inch slices. Slice Bok choy stems diagonally, ¾ inch thick, and slice leaves into 2-inch wide ribbons.

When the water boils, add 1 tsp salt. Add the noodles and cook as directed on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp of the canola oil in a large sauté pan. Stir fry the seitan until it is heated through, and a little crispy on the edges. Scoop seitan out of pan and set aside. Heat remaining oil and add shitakes and ¼ tsp salt. Saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic, ginger, chiles and bok choy and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Drain the pasta. Reduce the heat under the sauté pan and add the scallion, sesame oil, mirin and soy sauce. Toss in the noodles and seitan. Top with cilantro and sesame seed.

White Bean & Black Olive Soup

This recipe is adapted from one in the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. It is a cold-weather standard in our house.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 heaping cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1-1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp marjoram
1 ½ tsp basil
1 small (5-“ long) zucchini, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
fresh black pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth
3 oz. (half a small can) tomato paste
¼ cup dry red wine
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 cup sliced black olives
minced parsley

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and herbs. Sauté over medium, heat 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

2. Add zucchini, green pepper and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes more. Grind in some black pepper.

3. Add broth, tomato paste, and wine and stir until paste has integrated into soup.

4. Add remaining ingredients, except parsley. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

5. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Blueberry Kuchen

This is a really easy-to-make -- and really delicious -- dessert that showcases fresh blueberries. If --like me-- you have a freezer full of blueberries from the summer, it's a good way to use them up. My friend Karen, the source of many good recipes, passed it along to me. I believe it is from The Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, defrosted)
1 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon

Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and extracts. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until mixed. Don’t overwork the dough.

Chill dough for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Press dough into a buttered 9-10” tart pan (or a springform pan).

Mix blueberries, cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Spread over dough. Bake for about 40 minutes, until crust is golden.

Spring Vegetable Sauté

I don't know what makes this so delicious, but whenever I make it, I end up going back for seconds . . . and thirds. The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, with one minor revision.

4 medium carrots (about 2 cups)
1 bunch of asparagus (about 3 cups, chopped)
14 oz can artichoke hearts
1 bunch scallions
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp unbleached white flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup frozen shelled edamame

Have all the ingredients prepared and close at hand before you start to sauté. Peel the carrots and cut them in half lengthwise (into quarters if they are very large) and then into 1/2 inch chunks. Break off the woody stems of the asparagus, rinse, and cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Drain the artichoke hearts and cut into quarters. Cut the scallions into inch-long pieces.

Warm the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the garlic, thyme, and salt and sauté and sauté for half a minute. Stir in the carrots and asparagus and sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the artichoke hearts, cover, and simmer on low heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift the vegetables out of the pan juices into a bowl and set aside.

Turn up the heat to high and whisk the flour into the juices in the skillet. Add the vegetable broth and stir until the liquid bubbles and thickens. Add the scallions, edamame, and stir in the cooked vegetables. Cook until everything is well coated and hot. Add salt to taste.

Blueberry Muffins

I still have a few bags of blueberries in my freezer, from all of our blueberry picking excursions this summer. Gotta use 'em up before they deteriorate. This recipe is only slightly modified from the one in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen.

1.5 cups unbleached white flour (can substitute 1/2 cup oat or whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed & drained)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt into a medium sized bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a separate container, beat together all remaining ingredients except the berries. Pour this mixture into the well, and stir gently until blended, gradually adding the berries. Fill the muffin cups just to the rim.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.