Tuscan Bean Dip

Cannellini, also known as white kidney beans, are the star of any Tuscan bean dip. They provide the creamy base, to which just about anything complementary can be added for spice or texture.
They are also remarkably healthy. One 15-oz can has 0 grams of fat, 35 grams of fiber, 28 grams of protein, and only 3.5 grams sugar. They are also rich in calcium and iron.

You won't want to eat a whole batch yourself - it's too filling - but you could, without guilt.

Key Ingredients

• 1 15-oz can of cannellini beans, partially drained
• 2 cloves garlic (or two cubes frozen, or 2 Tbsp from a jar)
• Cumin, to taste
• Italian herbs (fresh, if possible; otherwise dried) to taste
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (unless you use an option, below, that has oil in it)
• Salt, to taste
• Optional Ingredients:
• 6 to 8 good black olives (such as kalamatas)
• Roasted red peppers
• Dried tomatoes
• Parsley

Easy Prep Steps
Toss the key ingredients into a food processor, and blend til smooth.
Add any optional ingredients desired, and blend lightly to leave some small chunks for texture and color.
Taste and adjust.

Serving Tips
As a dip:
* Pretzel chips, pita chips and thin bread slices all work well.

As a sandwich spread:
* Toast slices of a good bread (an artisanal olive or rosemary, for instance)
* Spead a layer on, as thin or thick as you prefer
* Top with raw or roasted veggies, such as sweet red peppers
* Enjoy open-faced, or with a top.

Vegetarian Tapas Recipes

Vegetarian tapas recipes alone can easily meet your appetizer needs or provide your whole tapas party menu. Though Spaniards love ham, sausage, and salt cod, they also revel in nuts, veggies, and cheeses.

Tapas are traditional Spanish bar food. Long ago, a wine glass arrived on the table with a tapa, or cover, to protect the wine. Now the word means any appetizer served on a small plate, to accompany your wine, beer, or sangria. Usually ordered a few plates at a time, each offers 3 to 4 people a nibble.

The fun of tapas lies in the variety; but it can be easy to fill up more quickly than you realize, especially with the salty stand-bys. For a party at home, make 6 to 10 selections, with enough for seconds on some.

My Favorite Vegetarian Tapas Recipes

Spanish Cheese Plate
Manchego cheese, cabrales, and mahon are the easiest to find in US stores. If they prove elusive, try a small wedge of a mild Romano, a creamy French chevre or blue, and a Dutch Gouda.

Roasted Garlic spread alone on bread, or paired with other tapas.

Roasted Almonds
A small bowl of lightly salted pre-roasted almonds will do. But if you can, find them raw and then oil, salt, and roast them yourself.

Almond Gazpacho
A creamy, cold soup with a touch of garlic. Savory and addictive.

Tosta
Similar to canapes, crostini, or bruschetta. Start with good, fresh bread thinly sliced and toast lightly in the oven at 275-300 degrees. Then top with:

• Goat or cream cheese with tapenade (olive paste) or strips of roasted red peppers
• Roasted Garlic
• Manchego cheese, or gruyere, with roasted red peppers
• Cooked asparagus spears with manchego or fontina cheese, lightly toasted.
• Aioli with fresh tomato slices, or marinated artichoke hearts, or roasted red pepper strips.

Catalan Spinach
A very simple medley of spinach, raisins, and pine nuts.

Olives
Buy an assortment of unpitted, marinated olives. (Usually near the deli, or in jars.) Kalamatas and manzanillas are favorites; but experiment with what you can find. Rinse off any excess marinade, microwave (10 seconds!) or saute very briefly to warm them. Place in a small pretty dish, 8 - 12 at a time. Refresh dish periodically.

What are your favorites?

Aioli - not your average Mayo

Making your own mayonnaise is pretty darn simple, and yields a noticeably fresher-tasting spread. You control the ingredients, including cage-free eggs, gluten-free mustard, or any other aspects of special importance to you. And you can add any flavorings you like, such as the garlic that defines aioli.

Image: Epicurious

Aioli is a staple of northeast Spain (land of tapas), southern France (the better butter of Provence), and parts of Italy.
For tapas, it is usually spread on bread, then topped with veggies.

Cooking Tip:
Prepare ahead and keep some on hand. Stores well for a week or more in the fridge.

To Prepare:

• Peel 4 to 5 garlic cloves and chop coarsely.
• Crush in a pestle, or blend in a food processor, with 1/2 tsp salt.
• Add 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of white or lemon pepper.
• Mix well.
• Use immediately, or refrigerate promptly.

Variation: for a milder flavor, try using roasted garlic instead of raw (may require a few more cloves).

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is served many ways - spread on bread, added to homemade salad dressings, and mixed into any dish that calls for garlic but needs a creamier texture and milder flavor. Especially popular in recipes from Spain, France, and Italy. As a condiment or ingredient, the cloves add very few calories, no saturated fats, and both dietary fiber and phytonutrients.

Cooking Tip:

Image: Simple Daily Recipes

Prepare ahead and keep some on hand. Stores well for a week or more in the fridge.

To Prepare:

• Start with 2 to 4 whole heads of garlic.
• Remove a bit of skin, but not so much the cloves separate.
• Cut the top half-inch off of each head.
• Place in the oven on aluminum foil or a baking dish.
• Add 1 Tbsp water and seal the foil pouch or cover the dish.
• Bake 45 to 60 minutes at 375 degrees. (longer if temp lower)
• Test for doneness - they should be very soft to the touch.
• Cool and serve by squeezing cloves out.

Bonus Points: Try making roasted garlic in a solar oven.

Catalan Spinach

In the spring and summer, this vegetarian tapas dish provides an alternative to fresh, raw spinach salads. In the winter, it assuages my craving for dark greens.

Catalan Spinach, or espinacas, is quick, easy and full of flavor. It's packed with phyto-nutrients, but not fat or calories. As you might guess, it's from the Catalan region of Spain.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup raisins
20 ounces spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed
1 ounce good basalmic vinegar




Prep:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan, and throw in the pine nuts.
2. When they begin to smell beautiful & sing, add the raisins.
3. Let the raisins plump for a minute, then add the spinach.
4. Toss for a minute while the spinach wilts.
5. Splash on the basalmic vinegar, and toss for another few seconds.
6. Salt to taste.

The spinach should be wilted, but still very green.
Serve immediately.

Almond Gazpacho

Almond gazpacho at Lolo, in Portland, OR

For those of us who think narrowly of gazpacho as a cold, tomato-based soup, the wide range of imaginative gazpachos can be startling. Also delicious.

The one we tried at Lolo was thick and creamy, with a drizzle of olive oil on top, and sweet, crunchy grapes for a garnish (offset nicely by the savory hints of cumin and cardamom).