Cucumber Soup (Crèm Doria)

We’re coming to the last day of the Vegetarian Tour de France and it’s been a long month of cooking. That’s why I’m still looking for simple recipes. This is a unique soup and is a great use for the summer cucumber crop. The next time I make this, I may play around a little with the amount of butter, cream and egg yolk that is in the soup. I think it could be made much lighter…which means it can be eaten that much more often. (And, that also means no worries about having to schlep extra poundage around on your weekend bike ride!)

Check it out on Veggin' here!

Green Bean, Mushroom, and Hazelnut Salad
(La Salade de Haricots Verts, Champignons, et Noisettes de Gallopin)

Rolling, rolling, rolling…Le Tour keeps a’rollin. Our vegetable delivery this week featured a nice bunch of green beans and I knew I wanted to create something light yet substantial. I stumbled upon this recipe - La Salade de Haricots Verts, Champignons, et Noisettes de Gallopin. It’s a lot of words to the name but this salad is worth that mouthful. This is a great addition to the Vegetarian Tour de France.

Recipe now posted on Veggin'

Chick-Peas Vinaigrette

This is fully loaded vinaigrette recipe is next up in this Vegetarian Tour de France. This recipe comes from what I find is in a cookbook amusingly called "Jean Hewitt’s International Meatless Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Recipes, Including Many for Fish and Chicken." Uh, yeah…anyways…

I substituted the red wine vinegar with champagne vinegar and it came out so good that we couldn’t wait the two hours to let the flavors soak in. In fact, it sat for about 15 minutes and was nearly eaten in one sitting. (I can’t really report on how the fully marinated leftovers tasted the next day as they were eaten by another party in this house…)

Check it out now on Veggin'

A Vegetarian Tour de France: Zucchini and Curry Soup (Potage de Courgettes au Curry)

This Culinary Tour de France would not be complete without a great soup. Trust me, I picked the right recipe…this Zucchini and Curry Soup is really good. By using hot curry powder, you can add an extra "zing" to it. I imagine having some of this soup on hand to help me warm up after a cold bike ride in the winter. It also doesn’t have a lot of added fat making it’s light yet filling. Check out the recipe on Veggin'.

French Baked Beets...

I’m still moving forward with the sprinters points on this Vegetarian Tour de France. I’m looking for fast and flavorful recipes and these beets fit the bill. As a bonus, they are so brightly colored that they’ll liven up any dull plate. (Rather than a sprinter’s jersey perhaps these should get the most aggressive jersey because of the deep red color?) They do have a strong flavor but they do take some of the "ick" out of the beet aversion some folks may have.

Recipe and details posted on Veggin'

Zucchini, Squash and Tomato Gratin

Moving right along on this Vegetarian Culinary Tour de France, I’ve adapted this gratin from a 1999 recipe featured in Fine Cooking. How appropriate. Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France the same year this recipe was published. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Either way, I have found a really good use for all the summer vegetables that are piling up in farmers markets and on my counter with this Zucchini, Squash and Tomato gratin. Spend some time cooking the onions slowly so they come out soft and not crisp. And, finally, if you don’t go overboard on the cheese, you can have a light dish with very intense flavors.

Check out the recipe and details here on Veggin'.

A Vegetarian Tour de France: Tomates à la Provençale (Braised Tomatoes)

Many of the dishes that I’ve done for the Vegetarian Tour de France take a long, long time to cook. It’s time to get some quick dishes into this tour. In other words, it’s time for me to work towards the green jersey and go for some sprints.

These Braised Tomatoes are done in no time flat with very little prep work. If you use fresh, local tomatoes, you’ll be treated to a flavorful side dish that’s very quick and easy to prepare.

It’s Friday and it’s time to bring back a recipe that I’ve done previously because it fits perfectly in the Culinary Tour de France - "Coq au Vin". Get ready to sacrifice a bottle of wine for this recipe. (It’s ok, cyclists sacrifice bottles of champagne all the time at the end of the race. At least you don’t have to get sprayed in the face with the wine!)

Check out the recipe and details here!

It may be the Tour de France but some stages do dip into other countries…as shall I. I’ve been focusing on French dishes but today’s stage ended in beautiful Barcelona, Spain. That means, it’s time to whip up a Paella!

Check it out on Veggin'