Recipes for Avocadoes, Peppers and Tomatoes

 

Debrah's Avocado Dip
Peperonata
Italian Tomato Sauce

Debrah's Avocado Dip*

2 ripe avocados
2-3 tsp. lemon or lime juice
1/2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp. each chili powder and garlic powder
Pinch pepper
2 tsp. chopped green onions (optional)

Scoop avocado flesh into bowl and mash until smooth. Blend in lemon/lime juice, tamari, yeast, chili powder, garlic powder and pepper. Stir in onions and adjust seasoning. *From Cooking Vegetarian. Published by Macmillan Canada.

Peperonata*

For this delicious Italian pepper stew, you can use all red peppers or a mixture of red, yellow and green peppers, which gives a particularly attractive results.

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp. butter or vegan margarine
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large red peppers
2 large yellow peppers
2 large green peppers
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onion in the butter or vegan margarine and the oil in a large saucepan for 10 minutes, allowing the onions to brown lightly.

Meanwhile, deseed the peppers and cut them into strip, then add them to the onion. Cover and cook gently for 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic and tomatoes, then cover and cook for a further 40 minutes or so, until the peppers are very tender and soft.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
*From The Complete Vegetarian Cuisine. Published by Pantheon Books.

Italian Tomato Sauce*

A well-flavoured sauce that goes well with many vegetarian savoury dishes.1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, scraped and finely chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
two 14-ounce cans tomatoes
1/2 tsp. each basil and oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (generous) red wine or veg. stock or water
salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauté the onion, celery and carrot in the oil in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and the red wine, veg. stock or water.

Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes have almost reduced to a puree.

Remove the bay leaf, the puree the sauce in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. *From The Complete Vegetarian Cuisine. Published by Pantheon Books.

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