Cauliflower & Red Lentil Curry

from Eating Well

Another good recipe found with a Google search, this time the search was for “1/2 cup red lentils.” It’s not the most appetizing, imagine a sprinkling of cilantro on top perhaps. I’m not sure if the purple cauliflower improves the appearance or not but I thought it was quite cute when I saw it in the co-op. The recipe is somewhat involved, the lentils and onions alone cook for 45 minutes but you don’t have to keep too sharp an eye on the stove while it cooks.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder, preferably Madras
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 cups water
• 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped, or one 14-oz. can tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

1. Combine lentils, onions, curry powder, salt, turmeric and water in a large saucepan over low heat; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes, cauliflower and jalapeno peppers and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for about 10 seconds. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in cayenne and immediately add the oil-spice mixture to the cauliflower mixture. Stir in lemon juice, cilantro and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt and cayenne.

Great Vegan Dressing

from Mountain View Living

This recipe is adapted from a random website. I’ve made some changes to the recipe, omitting a few ingredients here and there and reducing the amount it makes since we never seem to finish the odd little jars of dressing in the fridge. This very garlicky and creamy dressing however will have you digging out the carrots way back in the crisper just to get every last drop of dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Vegenaise
• 2 tbsp cup soy milk
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 garlic clove, minced

In a medium bowl whisk all ingredients until smooth.

Vegetable Tian

from Barefoot in Paris

*I forgot to mention that the cheese is very optional in my opinion. Without it, the recipe is vegan and at this time of the year the veggies are tasty enough to shine on their own.*

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Good olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
• 3/4 pound zucchini
• 1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
• 2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Summer Grilled Cheese

I used to make these in college on a contraband George Foreman grill. This isn’t so much a recipe as it is a few directions. Take a slice of bread (baguette, ciabatta, something like that), add a few mozzarella slices, then slices of tomato, and thinly sliced basil ( so you don’t pull out a large basil leaf on your first bite). I drizzle it with basil olive oil but it’s really just for show. Plunk the second slice of bread on top and press in your panini grill or brush both sides with olive oil and cook in a medium heat pan. Either way, they’re done when golden brown and the cheese is melted.

If you happen to have tomatoes, basil and mozzeralla but no bread you can make a caprese salad finished with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Spanish Tortilla with Kale

from Epicurious

This is the sort of meal I imagine eating late at night, leaning against the kitchen counter. It’s what I would like to eat after getting home from a long flight. Unfortunately, though the ingredients are minimal, the recipe is a bit involved.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boiling potatoes
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 lb kale, center ribs discarded
• 7 large eggs

Preparation

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch dice (2 1/4 cups). Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook potatoes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blanch kale while potatoes cook:
Cook kale in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain again, squeezing handfuls of kale to extract excess moisture, then coarsely chop.

Add kale to potato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain vegetables in colander set over a bowl, reserving drained oil, and cool 10 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl, then stir in vegetables, 1 tablespoon drained oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 tablespoon drained oil to skillet, then add egg mixture and cook over low heat, covered, until sides are set but center is still loose, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.

Shake skillet gently to make sure tortilla is not sticking (if it is sticking, loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula). Slide tortilla onto a large flat plate, then invert skillet over tortilla and flip it back into skillet. Round off edge of tortilla with plastic spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 10 minutes more. Slide tortilla onto a plate and serve warm, cut into wedges.

Pesto Niçoise Salad

from Rachael Ray

Boiling the green beans in the same pot as the potatoes saves time and dishes.

4 Servings * Prep 15 min * Cook 15 min

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds baby potatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound green beans, snapped into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup pesto (I used leftover nettle pesto from the freezer)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup niçoise olives
• Salt and pepper
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the green beans and cook until bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, stir together the pesto, olive oil and vinegar. Add the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and olives; toss. Season with salt

Tomato, Zucchini Pasta with Basil Olive Oil

• 2 squash sliced and quartered (I used one zucchini and one yellow squash for a little color variety)
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes sliced in half or quartered
• olive oil for sautéing
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb angel hair spaghetti or pasta of your choice
• basil olive oil

Mom and I attended a cooking class at my co-op last month. Actually, it was less of a cooking class and more of a tasting session but I had no objections to that. We sampled sheep and cow’s milk cheeses, several wines and flavored olive oils. I’ve never been a fan of flavored oils. They always brought to mind those “make your own Christmas present” projects with peppers and spices and odd floating bits stuffed into a decorative bottle filled with mystery oil. Their shelf life is questionable and their practical use even more so. How often do you reach for jalapeno pepper, orange, and anise olive oil?

Chickpea Salad and Bruschetta

Chickpea Salad with Provencal Herbs and Olives

from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1/4  cup  red wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2  (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 3/4  cup  diced red onion*
• 1/4  cup  pitted niçoise olives
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Combine chickpeas and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over salad, tossing gently.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

• 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.

2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.

3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.

Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch

Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili and Cornbread

C and I are preparing to move and I’ve been trying to clean out the cupboards by using up the odds and ends in our pantry. I can’t remember what recipe I had originally intended to use the bag of wheat berries for but I’m assuming that perhaps the other ingredients got used up in something else or sadly, went bad in the fridge before I had a chance to make use of them and my particular intended recipe was lost in the fog that is my brain. Luckily, there is google and a search for “wheat berry+vegan” serendipitously lead me to this awesome chili. I know, wheat berry chili sounds a little, well, fruity. Chili has such a tough guy, pile on the meat and spices, reputation and vegetarian chili always seems lacking overflowing with beans and red peppers yet still more soup than chili. This, is different. The wheat berries cook up chewy yet tender and the adobo pepper adds just the right amount of heat and oomph that honestly, you don’t miss the meat. It has such a great, rounded flavor you really should try it.

In keeping with the vegan theme I made vegan cornbread from the Post Punk Kitchen’s website. Cornbread is one of those things that I like the idea of better than the actuality. That being said, the recipe produced cornbread. Somewhat dry (but isn’t all and at least this recipe isn’t sweet), but with good corny flavor. As I was nibbling a square with my chili I was already thinking of turning the cornbread into toasted, tasty cornbread croutons.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/wheat_berry_chili.html

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=39

One Pot Wonder

I used to think of the crockpot as your go-to, hands free, one pot dinner machine but it turns out that rice cookers can also be used for more than rice. And what’s even better, your old rice cooker beats those new fancy machines at the task.

This recipe is a great Monday night meal. It has all of our favorite ingredients for an easy stir fry: rice, veg, and tofu without the hassle of chopping lots of vegetables and it’s healthy, affordable, and vegan.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine from January 2006

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 ounce sliced dried shiitake mushrooms (buying these in bulk at our co-op is super reasonable at about $1.30 an ounce!)
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 dried red chile, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces baby spinach (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (about 6), white and pale-green parts only
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. Stir together rice, 3 cups water, the mushrooms, tofu, ginger, garlic, chile, and salt in the bowl of a rice cooker. Cover with lid, and cook until machine switches to the warm setting (about 45 minutes). Let rice stand 15 minutes to finish steaming.
2. Stir in spinach. Cover, and let steam 1 minute with machine still on warm. Stir in scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.