Jun 11, 2025 | Appetizer, European, Soup, Starter, Vegan, Vegetarian
Gazpacho
Jessica Wilson, United States
Gazpacho is a favorite summertime dish my family enjoys when we eat out back in the hot weather. I love the delicious, refreshing vegetable blend. I've seen how some people blend it and drink it, but I prefer to chop it all and eat it chunky with a spoon.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 45 minutes minutes
Course Appetizer, Drinks, Salad, Soup, starter, Vegetarian
Cuisine European
- 6-7 medium tomatoes Choose your preferred favorite type of tomato and adjust the amount according to their size.
- 1 (each) red, green, yellow, orange sweet peppers
- 1 cucumber
- ½ white, red, or yellow onion I grab whichever I'm in the mood for that day.
- 1-2 clove(s) garlic Depends how garlicky you prefer it.
- 3 cups tomato juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup sherry or white wine vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
Wash and dry the vegetables. It's your choice to remove any peels or not.
Chop all vegetables into small cubes.
Peel and mince the garlic.
Add all chopped ingredients to a bowl and mix.
Mix in the tomato juice, olive oil, and vinegar.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
Season to taste.
Serve cold in glasses or in small bowls garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Kosher salt, or with other optional toppings. (I've read that some people like to add things like basil, Granny Smith apples, marinated cherry tomatoes, avocados, tart cherries, nectarines, strawberries, red onions, red bell peppers, cucumbers, croutons, or even hard boiled eggs.)
Keyword appetizer, soup, Spanish, vegetarian
Feb 7, 2025 | Entree, European, Main, Vegetarian
Palacsinta
Ann Szipszky, United States
This is Hungary's answer to the crepe. I have loved these since I was a kid. My mom would make them a lot, especially during Lent when you cannot have meat on Fridays.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
Course Main Course, Vegetarian
Cuisine European
Palacsinta
- 3 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Crisco to cook them in
Filling
- Cottage Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Raisins
For the Palacsinta
Mix all wet ingredients together, then add the flour and salt. Batter should be smooth and lump free, consistency of really thin pancake batter. I use an immersion blender which works perfectly.
I have a crepe pan I use (my dedicated palacsinta pan that I use for nothing else) but a non-stick frying pan will work well too. Put some Crisco in the pan, make sure it’s hot. I have a small ladle I use and it’s about two ladleful's of the batter. If I had to guess, maybe about a quarter cup or so. Just swish around in the pan and make sure you have a thin layer covering the surface.
Flip after the first side is cooked (if any of the area is wet it is not ready for flipping). I have this wooden paddle/stick thing (almost looks like a paint stick) I use to flip them but a spatula works fine. Just be careful if you are using a nonstick pan because a metal spatula will do not nice things to your pan. Sometimes the first one will come out a little wonky but after that you’ll be good to go.
When done put on a plate, add your favorite filling (directions for my favorite filling is below), roll and enjoy. Jam is also a great filling. You can also use things like Nutella and fresh sliced strawberries and/or bananas and then sprinkle some powdered sugar or even some lemon zest.
For the filling
- This is my favorite, but you can use jam or whatever else you might like. This is not exact as I eyeball everything:
- 3:1 ratio cottage cheese to sour cream. Cinnamon, sugar and raisins to taste.
Keyword crepe, entree, Hungarian, main course, vegetarian
Feb 6, 2025 | European, Pasta, Side, Vegetarian
Grandma's Spaetzle
Christopher A. Kaiser, United States
Growing up, I spent a tremendous amount of time with my Father's Mother (Grandma Kaiser). When she made a Goulash, Chicken Soup, Creamed Chicken, among other main dishes, she inevitably would whip up a bowl of spaetzle. Warm, drizzled with butter or added to the main, a deliciously comforting treat.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Course Pasta, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine European
- 1 cup Flour Your choice of brand
- 1 Egg
- 1 dash Salt
- 1 dash Pepper
- 1 pot Boiling salted water To a rolling boil
- Water Depending on how smooth you want the batter
Sift 1 cup of flour in a bowl.
Add egg in bowl.
Whisk in water until smooth consistently (like cake batter).
Use a cutting board and place a little on the board.
Cut (using a knife) a bit at a time and let fall into boiling water.
When that board is done stir Spaetzle in the water.
When they rise and float, take out and put in a bowl.
Begin next batch.
Spaetzle is very forgiving. You can eat in soups, like noodles, or as a side dish with butter or plain. Many cultures call these dumplings, noodles, pasta. Try many times and have fun. Even your mistakes will be good.
Dec 17, 2024 | Americas, Caribbean & Atlantic Islands, Latin American, Soup, Vegetarian
Frijoles Negros
Yolanda Izquierdo
Receta de Nitza Villapol, Cocina criolla (Recipe by Nitza Villapol, Cocina criolla)
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Cuba, Latin American
- 1 lb Frijoles negros 1 lb. black beans
- 10 tazas Agua 10 cups of water
- 1 Ají grande 1 large pepper
- ⅔ taza Aceite de oliva 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1 Cebolla grande 1 large onion
- 4 dientes Ajo 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 cdtas. Sal 4 tsp. salt
- ½ cdta. Pimienta 1/2 tsp. pepper
- ¼ cdta. Orégano 1/4 tsp. oregano
- 1 hoja Laurel 1 bay leaf
- 2 cdas. Azúcar blanca 2 tbsp. white sugar
- 2 cdas. Vinagre 2 tbsp. vinegar
- 2 cdas. Vino seco 2 tbsp. cooking wine
- 2 cdas. Aceite de oliva 2 tbsp. olive oil
Lave los frijoles y póngalos a remojar con elagua y un ají. (Wash the beans and soak in the water with the large pepper.)
Cuando estén bien hinchados póngalos a cocinar en esa misma aguahasta que se ablanden–aprox. 45 minutos. (When they swell cook them in that same water until they are tender–approx. 45 minutes.)
En una sartén caliente el aceite. Sofría la cebolla y el ají picaditos y el ajo machacado. (Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the chopped onion and pepper and the crushed garlic.)
Eche una taza de los frijoles en la sartén y aplástelos bien. (Add a cup of the beans to the pan and squash them.)
Échelo todo en la cazuela con el resto de losfrijoles. (Add all this to the pot with the rest of the beans.)
Añádales sal, pimienta, orégano, la hoja de laurel y azúcar. (Add salt, pepper, oregano, the bay leaf and sugar.)
Déje los hervir aprox. una hora más. (Boil for one more hour.)
Añádales luego el vinagre y vino seco y cocínelos afuego lento durante otra hora para que cuajen bien. (Add the vinegar and cooking wine and simmer for approx. one more hour.)
Al servirlos les puede añadir 2 cucharadas de aceite y cebolla cruda picadita. (When serving them you can add 2 tbsp. olive oil and minced raw onion.)
Dec 11, 2024 | Entree, European, Main, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetarian
Vegan Spinach Lasagna
Nicole Paternoster, United States
This lasagna is a great comfort food and an awesome replacement if you cannot eat dairy or choose not to.
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes
Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Course Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian
For the Ricotta:
- 1 16 ounce container of vegan ricotta Tofutti, Kitehill
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the Lasagna:
- Ricotta
- 1−2 pounds fresh spinach lightly steamed
- 8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
- 7 cups pasta sauce of your choice or make your own
- ¼ cup soy parmesan or vegan parmesan I like "Follow Your Heart"
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
To make the spinach, steam at least 1 pound of fresh spinach (I preferat least 1 and 1/2 pounds) for about a minute or two, just until slightlywilted.
Drain well, the mix the spinach into the ricotta.
To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Then cover the sauce with a layer of noodles.
Next, spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, and top with2 more cups of the sauce.
Add another layer of noodles, the rest of the ricotta, 2 cups more of the sauce, and the rest of the noodles.
Spoon the remaining 2 cups of sauce over the noodles (make sure youcover all the edges), and sprinkle some parmesan over the top.
Cover with parchment paper and then with foil.
Bake for 60 minutes and remove parchment and foil for last 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15-30 minutes.
Keyword vegan, vegetarian
