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Archive for recipes – Page 2

Harvest Grains Pilaf


By Leslie · Comments (6) · February 25th, 2013

I make dishes like this all the time, but I hardly ever write about them because sometimes I think they are too simple to even post… But my sister in-law was over last night for dinner when I made this and she convinced me to post it :)  It’s simple, but it really packs a flavor punch!  This dish also only takes about 15- 20 minutes to make so it’s an easy side dish or toss in a few more of your favorite veggies and make it a main dish.  I used one of my favorite items from Trader Joe’s: the harvest grain blend.  You can find it by the rices and pastas.  It’s just a good hearty blend of pasta and grains and is easy to work with.  Def feel free to sub out if you don’t have a TJ’s near by!

Harvest Grains Pilaf

1 lb. Trader Joe’s harvest grain blend (but you are welcome to use any plain grain or pasta you like)

2 1/2 cups plus a few tbsps. vegetable broth

2 tbsp. Earth Balance (vegan butter or real), separated

1 medium onion, diced

2 portobello mushrooms, diced into bite size pieces

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 cups of spinach, sliced

salt to taste

In a pot, boil 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth and add in the grains and 1 tbsp. of Earth Balance.  Bring back to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

While that’s cooking….

In a large frying pan, on medium heat, melt 1 tbsp Earth Balance with about 2 tbsp of olive oil and stir in the onions and mushrooms with a pinch of salt.  After about 1 minute add in the garlic.  Saute until the onions and mushrooms are soft.  Add in the grain mixture and the spinach.  Toss until mixed well and the spinach starts to wilt.  Add in a few tablespoons of vegetable broth if it’s too dry.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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Comments (6)
Categories : featured, Quinoa, recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan

You Make My Heart Beet Salad


By Leslie · Comments (4) · February 13th, 2013

Are you cooking for your Valentine tomorrow? Impress them with this super fancy, yet shockingly easy, salad!  The simplest way to make salad fancy is by using micro greens.  They are tasty and look super expensive and rare, but alas, you can find them at a Trader Joe’s near you!  In fact, I got everything for this salad at Trader Joe’s.  No you don’t have to cut the beets into little hearts, but they’re so cute and going the extra mile will score you major bonus points :)  You can also make this salad ahead of time, plate it, cover it and stick in the fridge until your honey comes home.  Then just dress and serve!

You Make My Heart Beet Salad

Serves 2

1 head of endive, sliced

a few pinches of micro greens

1 cooked red beet (you can cook yourself, or you can buy pre-cooked at Trader Joe’s)

1 navel orange, cut into segments

dressing:

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 tbsp. olive oil

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.  Plate the salad ingredients and dress when ready to serve.

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xoxo

Comments (4)
Categories : featured, recipes, Salad, Vegan

I Love You BERRY Much Smoothie!


By Leslie · Comments (1) · February 12th, 2013

Make her a smoothie she will love this Valentine’s Day!  My “I love you berry much” smoothie is packed with flavor and nutrients to make her feel better and live longer!  Berries can lower your risk of heart disease!  So show the love!

I Love You Berry Much Smoothie

Makes 2 smoothies

1 cup mixed berries

1 cup plain yogurt (soy, almond, or coconut)

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

optional (that I love!):

2 tsp. chia seeds

1 tbsp. baobab powder

Blend together and serve :)

xoxo

Comments (1)
Categories : Breakfast, featured, recipes, Smoothies

Ultimate Spinach Dip


By Leslie · Comments (10) · February 1st, 2013

Who needs those spice packets to make the ultimate spinach dip??  Did you know a lot of those packets contain monosodium glutamate?  Yes, they contain MSG!  Who needs that? This Superbowl, let’s ditch the packets and elevate this party staple to a new healthier level!

PS I served this to a bunch of meat eaters and no one realized it was vegan :)

Ultimate Spinach Dip

10 oz. frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

1 cup of vegenaise

1 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 can of water chestnuts, diced

3 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and serve cold or room temp in a bowl or bread bowl :)

Enjoy!

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Comments (10)
Categories : featured, Party Ideas, recipes, Vegan

3 Bean Chili


By Leslie · Comments (8) · January 11th, 2013

Days like this when it’s windy and cold nothing is more comforting than a nice big bowl of chili!  This chili is packed with flavor and healthy ingredients!  But no fear, this chili is hearty enough to satisfy the hunger of any football loving man!

3 Bean Chili

Serves 6

1 large onion, large dice

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 + cup water

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 ear of corn, zipped or small can of corn, drained

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 oz. of super dark chocolate (like 74% or higher)

2 Tbsp. chili spice blend

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

a dash of cayenne (or however spicy you like it)

salt to taste

In a large heavy pot saute the onion and peppers in a little olive oil until just getting soft.  Add all the other ingredients.  Starting with a cup of water and adding more later if needed.  Cover and let simmer on medium low, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.  You can leave on low for hours on game day ;)

OR Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker, mix and turn on!  And poof in a few hours, you will have delicious chili!  I would mix it a few times an hours to get the flavors all married.

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Comments (8)
Categories : Chili, featured, gluten free, Party Ideas: Game Day, recipes, Vegan

Raw Gazpacho


By Leslie · Comments (2) · January 5th, 2013

This recipe is super simple and super tasty!  It’s my Great Aunt Roses recipe.  (I made it raw today as part of a cleanse I’m doing.  Click here to find out more about it)  All I did was swap out the cans of tomato juice with fresh pureed tomatoes.  So easy!  This is perfect for a raw diet or regular.  I love enjoying it in the summertime after a long day at the beach just like I did in Long Island when I was a kid :)  I hope you enjoy!

Raw Gazpacho

Serves 4-6

9 large roma tomatoes

9 sun-dried tomatoes

2 small cloves of garlic

1-2 cups water

1 English cucumber, diced

1 sweet onion, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

2-3 tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno -Optional

1 avocado -Optional

Other great add-ins are zucchini, corn, squash, celery, and carrots.

In a blender, puree the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Or for a spicy gazpacho, add the jalapeno as well.  Add a little water at a time until you reach desired consistency.  In a large bowl combine the tomato puree with the chopped vegetables and serve chilled.  I like to dice some avocado on top of mine :)

note: you are welcome to add salt and pepper to this recipe.

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Comments (2)
Categories : featured, recipes, Soup, Vegan

Kale Chips


By Leslie · Comments (7) · January 3rd, 2013

With 2012 behind us, it’s time to get healthy for 2013!  My 2 recommended resolutions for this new year are 1) To eat smarter and 2) To cook more at home!  When you cook at home you always know exactly what’s going into it and can control the amount of fat, salt, etc.  Here is one of my favorite snacks to make at home.

It seems like kale chips are everywhere right now!  They are such a crunchy, yummy snack!  But to buy in the store you are going to spend a lot, so why not make them at home? It’s way fresher and way less expensive! Just watch how easy they are to prepare!

Crispy Kale Chips with Leslie Durso

Kale Chips

10 kale leaves, broken into bite size pieces

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, massage the kale with the olive oil for about 60 seconds.  Stir in the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper if you desire.

Lay the kale leaves on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crunchy.

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Happy New Year!

Comments (7)
Categories : Dasani ECOmmunity, featured, recipes

Raw Lasagna


By Leslie · Comments (4) · January 2nd, 2013

First off, apologies for the quality of the photo… I only had my phone with me to snap a shot.  I’ve had many a raw lasagnas in restaurants and most of the time very good and very filling.  I wanted to make mine, still satisfying, but a little lighter.  I also wanted to highlight the flavors of each ingredients as opposed to making a smashed pile.  I assembled each lasagna individually on the plates to avoid messing cutting when serving.  This recipe does take a good deal of prep time, but because you’re not cooking it for 30-40 mintues, think of all the time it actually saves :) By the way, the sun-dried tomato sauce turned out so good I think I’m going to incorporate it into some of my “cooked” cooking as well!

And ps I made this for my meat-loving very skeptical Mom and Dad and they both enjoyed it!

Raw Lasagna

Serves 4

2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise

3-4 cups of fresh spinach

8 mushrooms, sliced

Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

1 3.5 oz. package of halved dried tomatoes

3 roma tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

water if needed

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender till smooth.  Add water by the tablespoon as needed.

Pesto

about 2 oz. or a big handful of fresh basil leaves

1/8 cup pine nuts (or raw almonds)

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. water

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until fine.

Cashew Cheeze

1 cup of cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour and drained

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley leaves

1/2 cup water

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.

To assemble: Lay 3 slices of zucchini on the plates.  Follow with a layer of tomato sauce.  Next, the spinach, then lay 3 slices of yellow squash going the opposite way of the zucchini.  Next is the cashew mix, then the mushrooms, followed by the last layer of zucchini laid the opposite of the yellow squash.  Top off each lasagna with an extra dollop of tomato sauce and finish with some sliced basil.

Enjoy!

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Comments (4)
Categories : Ethnic: Mediterranean, featured, recipes, Vegan

Rockin Raw Nachos


By Leslie · Comments (4) · January 2nd, 2013

If you’ve never had raw nachos before you probably think I’m crazy, but raw nachos are awesome!  Even if you don’t want to try these nachos, I highly recommend eating guacamole and salsa with thinly sliced jicama instead of chips.  Infinitely more nutritional and better for you!  I wish I could take credit for inventing jicama chips, but my favorite Sun Cafe offers you the options of jicama in their delicious nachos.

Raw Nachos

Serves 4-6

1 jicama peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

Salsa:

1/2 sweet onion, finely diced

6 roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, finely diced (for less heat, remove the seeds and ribs)

10-15 sprigs of cilantro, leaves, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Guacamole:

1/2 sweet onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 -1 jalapeno, finely chopped

3 avocados

1/8 cup chopped cilantro

the juice of 1/2 lime

Mash avocados in a bowl and fold in the other ingredients.

“Cheeze”

1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour then drained

1 garlic clove

1/8 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. lemon juice

1- 1 1/2 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Start with the 1 cup of water and add more if necessary.

To assemble the nachos, arrange the jicama on a plate and  layer the guacamole, then salsa, then drizzle with the “cheeze” and sprinkle with chopped green onions.  Enjoy!!

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Comments (4)
Categories : Ethnic: Mexican, featured, gluten free, Guacamole, recipes, Vegan

Holiday Recipe Round-Up


By Leslie · Comments (2) · December 20th, 2012

I love the Holidays and I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipes to make for a party or get together :) Enjoy!


Kizoa slideshow: Holiday Recipes – Slideshow
Spiced Apple Cranberry Chutney
Pomegranate Mint Sparkler
Italian Layer Dip
Avocado Stuffed Tomatoes
My Aunt Rose’s Caponata
Panzanella Salad
Chi-Chi Bean Toasts
Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Creamed Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
xoxo!
Comments (2)
Categories : featured, recipes
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