Meatless Monday: Stephanie's Beet Dip

Stephanie's Beet Dip

(adapted from this recipe)

In honor of the beautiful weather this past weekend, my dear friend, Stephanie, and I took a little stroll to the farmer's market and picked up some fresh beets. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead with beets, but Stephanie makes this seriously delicious beet dip that is the most beautiful magenta color I've ever seen. Served spread on slices of bread and cucumbers, it's a perfect summery snack to enjoy outside!

Stephanie's Beet Dip

Recipe...

• 1 lb. beets, scrubbed clean
• 4 Tbsp. tahini
• 1/2 c + 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin, plus more to taste
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
• S&P
• horseradish to taste

1) Cut tops off of the beets, quarter them, and cook them in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain and peel the skin off. Place the beets with the rest of the ingredients except the horseradish in a food processor. 

2) Pulse until smooth. Stir in horseradish to taste and adjust seasoning. 

Meatless Monday: Lemon Rice Soup

Lemon Rice Soup

(aka: avgolemono)

Have you ever been to a Coney Island? I hope the answer is yes otherwise there's a really good chance you are not going to appreciate this. Around here, there's a coney on every corner. Seriously, in my teeny tiny town, there's at least 4. And every single one serves lemon rice soup. It's also known as avgolemono, but you can't really put that on a menu because god knows nobody would be able to pronounce it. 

With a classic like this, where else would I turn to find a recipe but The Joy of Cooking? One thing, though- make sure you whisk the egg in really well.

Lemon Rice Soup
Recipe...

• 3 c chicken stock (or veggie stock)
• 1/2 c white rice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice (plus more to taste) or dry white wine
• S&P
• parsley, chopped

1) Place stock and rice in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover until rice is tender, about 20 min.

2) Whisk eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl just until combined and a uniform color. Stir 2 Tbsp. stock into the egg mixture. Slowly pour the eggs into the hot (but not boiling) soup, whisking constantly.

3) Season with lemon juice, S&P. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Meatless Monday: Retro Veggie "Pizza"

My mom tells me this veggie "pizza" was quite popular many (or maybe not so many) moons ago. Lucky for me, I'm benefitting from its comeback. It's simple, really. Crescent rolls, herbed cream cheese, veggies. Sounds good to me! It's a definite crowd pleaser and gets kids (I'm including myself in that category) to eat their veggies.

Veggie "Pizza"
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Recipe...

• 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 c sour cream
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c halved and thinly sliced radishes
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 c fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated

1) Spread crescent rolls on a baking sheet and gently pinch all the perforations together. Let stand 5 minutes and then perforate with a fork. Bake at 350℉ until golden. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine sour cream, cream cheese, garlic salt, and ranch mix.

2) Rest cookie sheet on cooling rack until completely cooled. Spread cream cheese mixture on dough. Sprinkle veggies on top, cover, and refrigerate. Cut into pieces and serve cool.

Meatless Monday: Zucchini Cakes

"This is not Meatless Monday. This is zucchini cakes." -Mom

I beg to differ. I was rather a fan of this simple dinner. It was light. It was delicious. And at only something like 38 calories per cake, it left room and calories for a sweet treat!

This is one of those recipes that we've held onto with a death grip. I came across it on Big Girls Small Kitchen a while ago, mentioned it to my mom, and it has become a go-to for summer. It's great for a warm day when you don't want to spend a lot of time slaving away over a hot stove. Or for Meatless Monday + dessert.

Sure, the Pender family's dinner plates have seen a variety of zucchini cakes, like this one from Ina Garten, but we keep coming back to this one. I especially like the sauce with it. Check it out, kids!