Baked White Bean Cakes

3 cups cooked white beans (or canned)
2 eggs
1/4 cup grate Parmesan
2 Tbs. cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
salt and pepper
Tomato sauce (fresh or jarred spaghetti sauce) and pine nuts to go on top

Pre-heat oven to 375 and grease a baking sheet.
Put the beans in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
Add the eggs and whisk with a fork.
Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and golden. Stir in the rosemary and then set aside to cool a bit.
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into the beans. Add the onion/garlic mixture. Stir until combined. It should be the consistency of thick cookie dough.
Form the dough into 8 cakes on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Top cakes with tomato sauce and toasted pine nuts.

From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Special Apple Pie

This makes a big, rich pie, be sure and use a 10" pan or it overflows in the oven.

Crust: Combine 1 and 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 2 T. butter (one and 1/4 sticks), 1/4 cup water or apple cider. (can be made in stand mixer. It's worth using the apple cider, makes the crust delicious). Roll out the crust, ease into a 10" pie pan and flute.

Filling: 8 McIntosh apples (if they're big you'll only need 6-7), peeled & sliced.
Combine 1 and 2/3 cup sour cream, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1 egg, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. salt, and mix well. Stir in the apples and spread in the crust.

Bake: Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 'til slightly puffed and golden brown, 40 minutes.

Topping: Combine 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 T. cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1/2 c. butter. Mix until crumbly. Spoon over pie and bake 15 minutes longer.

The Best Lentil Soup

Cover 1 cup lentils with water. Boil 3 minutes and drain.

Add 6 cups of water (or 3 cups vegetable broth and 3 cups water), 1 large stalk celery finely sliced, 1 large carrot finely chopped, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 3/4 c. tomato sauce, 1 bay leaf.

(I usually enlarge the recipe a bit by using one and a half cup of lentils, 4 cups water, 4 cups broth, 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, a large onion, and a cup of tomato sauce).

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer one to one-and-a-half hours. Add more water if needed.

Add 2 - 3 T. red wine vinegar (helps to use a really good brand of vinegar), stir, and cook 10 minutes longer.

Macrina's Lemon Salad Dressing

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Buckwheat Noodles with Brown Butter and Cabbages

Katie recommends this quick recipe from Deborah Madison's The Savory Way:

6 T. brown butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, the leaves separated
1/4 cup water
salt
1 pound nappa cabbage, thinly sliced
10-12 oz. buckwheat noodles
3T. chopped parsley
1 bunch of scallions, including some of the green part, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup Gruyere or Fontina cheese
1 T. roasted black or white sesame seeds
freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and prepare the vegetables while it is heating.

Heat 2 T. of the butter in a wide skillet, add the garlic and Brussels sprouts leaves, and cook over medium heat, turning the leaves frequently until they begin to shine, after a minute or two. Add the water and a little salt and cook until the leaves are sweet and tender, about 3-4 minutes more. Add water, if needed, in small increments. Once the sprouts are cooked, add the cabbage and cook until it's wilted. Season with salt and set aside.

Salt the past water, then add the pasta. When done, drain and add it directly to the vegetables. Add the remaining butter, parlsey, scallions, cheese and sesame seeds, and combine gently. Season with pepper and serve.

Ruth Reichl's Peach Cobbler

Peel 4 - 5 large peaches, and slice them directly into a glass or ceramic pie plate, being sure to capture the juice. Squeeze half a lemon over the fruit and toss in a quarter to a half cup of sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch.

Mix a cup of flour with a teaspoon of baking powder, and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and salt. Cut in half a stick of butter and very gently mix in a third to a half cup of buttermilk. The dough should be like damp biscuit dough. Plop the dough onto the fruit, shake a little sugar over the top and bake in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour.

Tortellini with Kale and Garlic Bread Crumbs

The Crumbs
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (about 2 slices of bread)
1 Tbs. fresh mixed herbs, chopped (I used basil and rosemary)

The Pasta
1 lb kale
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. grated parmesean cheese

To prepare the crumbs, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs and cook until toasted, tossing often, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs. Scrape mixture into a bowl to cool. Don't wash out skillet

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini

Prepare the kale by ripping of the stems, then cutting the leaves into shreds. Put the kale in a large bowl of water to rinse.

In the skillet, heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Add the strips of kale without fully drying it so that the water goes into the skillet too. Stir to coat the kale in the oil and garlic then cover the skillet tightly and cook the kale until it's wilted and soft, about 5-7 minutes. There should be s few tablespoons of liquid in the pan- if not, add some pasta water. Stir in the balsamic, salt and pepper.

Stir the tortellini, parmesean cheese, and 1 Tbs of oilve oil into the kale mixture. Serve with a generous topping of bread crumbs.

From Simple Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook.