Recipe #48 - Borscht, Vegetarian-Style

Granted, most borscht recipes call for meat, bones and beef stock, but our version omits all that. We use a rich "purple stock" which is made with trimmings from "red" veggies such as red onion, red cabbage, and of course beets.

Makes eight servings.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced2 red potatoes, diced
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
2 large or 4 small red beets, peeled and diced

4 cups purple veggie stock

Salt & pepper

1 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes over medium heat.

Add the cabbage, potatoes and beets. Saute for a few minutes more. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Continue to simmer the soup until the potatoes and beets are soft and cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in wide soup bowls (preferably white to better show off the deep red color of the borscht). Whisk the dill into the sour cream. Add a large dollop of dilled sour cream to each bowl of soup and serve with hot bread and green salad.

Recipe #47 - Mega-Veggie Pizza

We are utterly unable to make a simple plain pizza. Each one is different from any previous creation, and all are colorful and tasty. Sheri' is a pizza artista!

This is an example of a pizza which can make use of ingredients you might have already sitting in the vegetable and cheese drawers in the fridge.

1 premade pizza crust dough (we used one by East Coast Dough Co. of Seattle, Washington.)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves, cleaned and stemmed
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 cup kalamata olives, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets, bite sized
1 cup chopped asparagus
1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roll the dough onto a pizza stone that's been pretreated with olive oil and dusted with flour. Prebake the crust for five minutes in the oven.

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic and chili flakes. Saute for a couple minutes and add the tomato sauce. Heat to a simmer, then spread evenly across the pizza crust.

Scatter the parmesan cheese across the pizza. Carefully spread the spinach leaves in a single layer across the entire pizza.

Next, artfully and evenly spread the artichoke hearts, olives, broccoli, asparagus and roasted pepper strips across the pizza. Then spread the grated cheddar over the top.

Bake the pizza in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with a crisp green salad.

Recipe #46 - Penne Pasta with Spinach Sauce

Last week's recipe featured pasta with heavy cream and truffle butter. But sometimes you're looking for a creamy pasta dish without the fat and calories. This one hits the mark.

When you put the ingredients in the processor, it won't seem like the result will be "creamy." But have faith; it will surprise you.

You can have this with steamed or roasted veggies and a green salad. And while this is perfectly appropriate as the centerpiece of a great dinner, you could also serve it as an accompaniment to a protein main dish, such as fish, chicken or other meat.

Makes about six servings.

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 oz. goat cheese
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 lb. fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed
1/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. penne pasta

1/2 lb. fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and buzz briefly. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, spinach and salt, and process until smooth and creamy. Add a little milk if you need to make it a bit creamier.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the penne. Add a splash of olive oil and toss so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Put the rest of the fresh spinach in a large bowl. Add the hot pasta and spinach sauce and toss with tongs to wilt the fresh spinach. Add hot pasta water as desired to make it more creamy.

Serve with parmesan cheese. Delightful!

Recipe #45 - Truffle Butter Pasta

This is a rich and decadent (yet simple!) pasta dish. We recently served this for dinner with some neighbors, accompanied by some roasted vegetables and Caesar salad and warm bread.

The truffle butter isn't something you're likely to find at a standard grocery store. And it's definitely not cheap. But it's worth seeking out. This dish won't happen without it.

Makes four servings.

12 oz. fresh fettuccine pasta

1 cup heavy cream
5 oz. white truffle butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely minced chives

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta. Toss with a splash of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, heat the cream in a large skillet until simmering. Add the truffle butter and whisk gently until the butter is completely melted and assimilated into the sauce. Whisk in salt and pepper.

Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan and toss with tongs to coat. Add some pasta cooking water to make sure the pasta is very creamy. Toss the pasta some more, then place into a preheated serving bowl. Serve immediately, with grated parmesan and chives.

Recipe #44 - Mediterranean Tuna Wraps

This is a fresh (and light) take on your standard tuna sandwich. It makes use of Mediterranean flavors, goes light on the mayo, and it's terrific.

Makes four servings.

1 7 oz. can albacore tuna, packed in water
2 small shallots, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
Pinch sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

1 cup mesclun salad greens
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

4 small flour tortillas

Flake the tuna into a mixing bowl.

Saute the minced shallots in olive oil for a couple minutes, until just translucent, not browned. Stir the shallots, mayo, parsley and olives into the tuna.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hard boil the eggs for about ten minutes; allow to cool a bit, then peel and chop coarsely.

Pour 3/4 of the lemon dressing into the tuna mixture and mix well. Dress the salad greens with the remaining dressing and toss lightly.

To assemble, lay out the four tortillas and put 1/4 of the tuna mixture evenly down the length of each tortilla. Put dressed greens, sliced tomato and chopped egg down the length of each tortilla evenly. Wrap each tortilla tightly, slice in half, and serve.

This goes well with rice pilaf or Mediterranean stewed lentils.

Recipe #43 - Sheri's Slow-Cooked Black Beans

Almost any time we make any kind of Mexican food, this black bean recipe is part of the mix. The key is to cook it for a long time, which allows the flavors to meld nicely.

This goes with fish tacos, enchiladas, you name it.

Makes eight servings.

1 large shallot, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups rich vegetable stock
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 small can diced green chiles
Salt & pepper

Sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil until translucent.

Add wine and simmer for a coupleAlmost any time we make any kind of Mexican food, this black bean recipe is part of the mix. The key is to cook it for a long time, which allows the flavors to meld nicely.

This goes with fish tacos, enchiladas, you name it.

Makes eight servings.

1 large shallot, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups rich vegetable stock
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 small can diced green chiles
Salt & pepper

Sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add wine and simmer for a couple minutes.

Add the black beans, stock, spices and chiles. Raise heat unil gently boiling. Lower heat and simmer for one to two hours, stirring often. Toward the end, use a potato masher to roughly mash up the beans.

If it's still too soupy, you can add some corn starch mixed with a little water to thicken up the bean mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want the beans to be spicier, you can add a bit of cayenne pepper. minutes.

Add the black beans, stock, spices and chiles. Raise heat unil gently boiling. Lower heat and simmer for one to two hours, stirring often. Toward the end, use a potato masher to roughly mash up the beans.

If it's still too soupy, you can add some corn starch mixed with a little water to thicken up the bean mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want the beans to be spicier, you can add a bit of cayenne pepper.

Recipe #42 - Multi-Color Sushi Rolls

This sushi roll is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Wrapped within the white of the sushi rice and the dark outer wrapping of nori are the colors yellow, green, orange, deep red and off-white.

Makes four servings.

4 sheets nori

2 cups cooked sushi rice

1 yellow bell pepper

1 ripe avocado

1 medium carrot, peeled
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 lb. wild & fresh sushi-grade ahi tuna

1 cup enoki mushrooms

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. prepared wasabi paste

Place the sheets of nori on a dry, flat surface. Spoon 1/2 cup prepared sushi rice on each and spread it out on the front half of the nori sheet.

Meanwhile, cut the yellow bell pepper into four slabs and remove any remaining seed or pith. Place the pepper slabs on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the skin becomes quite charred, about 10 minutes. Immediately place in a paper bag, close it up, and allow the roasted pepper to cool. After it's cooled a bit, remove from the bag and pull the skins off with your hands. Cut the roasted pepper into thin strips and set aside.

Peel and pit the avocado. Slice thinly, then slice the slices thinly so you have a bunch of "batons" of avocado.

Blanch the carrot in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Whisk the cayenne pepper into the rice vinegar. Cut the carrot into thin "batons" and place in the marinade, and allow to sit for up to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Trim any skin, dark parts or connective tissue away from the tuna. Cut into thin strips, then cut the strips so you end up with thin "batons" of ahi tuna.

Put the soy sauce and wasabi paste in a small blender and process until smooth.

Place the batons of yellow pepper, avocado, carrot and tuna evenly along the length of the sushi rice. Place a line of enoki mushrooms along the same way.

Roll the sushi rolls tightly, then carefully slice into eight pieces for each roll. Serve with the soy-wasabi sauce in individual dipping bowls for each serving.