Brussels sprouts in gravy

What a delicious dish we had! I had found this recipe on a very good Indian cooking blog, and saved it as a favorite; tonight we finally made it, with some amendations I'll detail.

Note that the measurements here are double what the original recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

* Brussels sprouts: a whole small bag of sprouts, which I think was about 2 cups
* Yellow Onion: 2 finely chopped
* Tomatoes: 4, or 1 large (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes, plus a smaller can (15 oz.) of diced tomatoes
* Cashews: 2 tbsps
* 5 dried Thai (bird) chillies rather or 2 large red chillies, finely minced. You may wish to adjust to your own tastes - we love heat!
* Cardamom: 4 crushed
* Cloves: 4
* Bay leaf: 2
* Fennel seeds: 2 tsps
* Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsps. We used equal amounts of minced garlic and ginger.
* Garam Masala: 3-4 tsps
* Salt as required it definitely did need some, but we added afterward
* Sugar: 1 tsp
* Coriander (cilantro) leaves for garnishing

this sauce would be fantastic with greens or chickpeas (or both!), or with dry-fried tofu and some fresh spinach thrown in.

Directions

1. Wash the Brussels sprouts in running water and slit open the bulb ends like "X". This helps in steaming the bulbs evenly. Steam the Brussels sprouts for about 7 minutes in a idli cooker until half done or in the microwave for about 5 minutes - depending on the size and amount of sprouts.

2. Meanwhile, puree tomatoes, red chillies and cashew in a blender. If you are using canned tomatoes, skip the pureeing step, and just blend the Thai bird chillies or red chillies and the cashews until they're nice and smooth - throwing in some of the crushed tomato from the can to help.

3. Heat oil in a pan, then add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, Fennel seeds and onions. Fry for about 3 minutes over medium heat and then add Ginger garlic paste and continue to cook, until the onion is light brown.

4. Now add the tomato puree, garam masala, sugar and salt and cook until raw smell goes off this took about 10 minutes for us.

5. Add the brussels sprouts and cook until the oil separates.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with your choice of bread or rice. We chose to serve it with quinoa, which was just wonderful with it! After some relatively rich fare over Christmas, I think we are both ready for some light and healthy meals.

Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip

Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip
copied from the New York Times

Yield 2 cups

Time 10 minutes using precooked or canned beans

Mark Bittman
Ingredients

* 2 cups cooked white beans, like cannelini, drained but moist
* 1 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled (my note: I used one large garlic clove, and should have used less - although I love garlic, the taste was way too strong in this. Maybe it was the garlic.)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
* Grated rind of 2 lemons

Method

* 1. Put the beans in the container of a food processor with 1 clove of garlic and a healthy pinch of salt. Turn the machine on, and add the 1/4 cup olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until the mixture is smooth. Taste, and add more garlic if you like; then, puree the mixture again.
* 2. Place the mixture in a bowl, and use a wooden spoon to beat in the rosemary, lemon zest and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Use immediately, or refrigerate for as long as 3 days.

Garlicky Cream of Celery Soup

This was originally posted at Vegetarian Recipes Around the World by Shari Clayton Brownlee. I have made several changes.

6 servings

* 12 large celery stalks
* 2 T margarine, divided
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 8 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 T unbleached white flour
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
* water
* 2 tsp salt-free herb-and-spice seasoning mix (I didn't have this)
* 1/4 c mixed chopped fresh parsley and dill (I used dried)
* 1/4 c celery leaves
* 1 to 1-1/2 cups soymilk, as needed
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* Chopped fresh dill or parsley for garnish

Trim 10 stalks of celery and cut into 1/2-inch dice.
Trim the remaining 2 stalks, cut them into 1/4-inch dice, and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of the margarine in a large soup pot.
Add the onion and garlic and saute over moderate heat until the onion is lightly golden.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir it in until it disappears.
Add the 10 stalks of celery, the potatoes, and just enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil, then add the seasoning mix, fresh herbs, and celery leaves.
Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the solid ingredients to the container of a food processor or blender and puree, in batches if necessary, until very smooth.
Stir back into the soup pot.
Return to very low heat and add enough soymilk to achieve a slightly thick consistency.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of margarine in a small skillet.
Add the reserved celery and saute over moderate heat until it is touched with golden spots.
Add to the soup, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve at once, or allow the soup to stand for an hour or so, then heat through as needed.
Garnish each serving with chopped dill or parsley.

The best hummus ever!

I've copied this from 101 Cookbooks, a wonderful blog - everything I've made from recipes found there is awesome. By the way, this makes a superb pizza base. I make the pizza crust from Vegan with a Vengeance all the time now, and even though Whole Foods has never bothered to restock the cornmeal crust I used to buy, I don't miss it. But if you spread this on the prepared crust, then top with onion, tomato chunks, green pepper, and bake - then top with cilantro and sprinkle with nutritional yeast - you will be happy, I promise!

Hummus en Fuego

A couple tips before you get started - rub the skins of the walnuts off a bit after you toast them, it's nothing I really pay too much attention to for a recipe like this, but the skins can be a bit bitter and tannic. And again, make the crushed red pepper oil a day or two ahead if possible.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
2 cups cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans, drained
1 medium clove garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup hot water

1/4 cup oil-cured olives, chopped
a bit of chopped cilantro

Make the hot pepper oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, ideally for a day or two - to let the flavor really develop.

To make the hummus, give the walnuts a spin in the food processor, just until they are a sandy texture. Add most of the garbanzos, 1 or 2 tablespoons of the red chile oil (oil only, no flakes), garlic, and lemon juice. Now process until smooth. Drizzle in the water a bit at a time and puree more, until the hummus is creamy and billowy. I tend to let the food processor run for a minute or so at this point, it incorporates air into the puree and makes it a nice texture. Taste, adjust the seasoning - more salt, more lemon juice, etc.

Serve in a shallow bowl, drizzled with plenty of the remaining oil and red pepper flakes. I like to add any remaining garbanzo beans at this point as well as some olives and a bit of chopped cilantro for the final touch.

Makes roughly 2 1/2 cups..

Brown gravy

Copied here from Book of Yum, this recipe is a gluten-free option (and I like the idea of the added onion & garlic powder, etc. We love Bryanna's brown gravy, but it is not the healthiest thing, made with all purpose flour!

1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp Braggs GF liquid aminos
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp onion granules
1/4 tsp garlic granules (if desired)
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

Heat brown rice flour and nutritional yeast flakes in a dry nonstick frypan on a medium temperature, and let them lightly brown and release their fragrance. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add water, braggs, olive oil and seasonings, whisking continuously until mixture is silky smooth. Return to heat and stir until gravy reaches desired consistency.

Notes

Christmas day, 2008

I think we are both still full from yesterday! This meal could have served at least 6 people and left remnants - as it is, we now have tons of food left over. We need to freeze what we can. Everything was totally delicious, and we had a lovely, laid-back day. Warning about that chocolate pie, though: it makes a LOT and it's VERY filling. Next time we make it, I think we'll cut the recipe and just make 1/4 or 1/3 as much.

Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup
Soy eggnog

Lunch

Creamy garlicky celery soup
with
toasted baguette slices, along with 2 toppings - one, adapted from epicurious.com - walnut/sundried tomato/garlic spread, original calls for goat cheese but I mixed 1/2 and 1/2 Tofutti cream cheese/sour cream. and the other, rosemary lemon white bean dip

Dinner

Appetizer Samosas with chutney
Main course The wonderful 'not mutton' curry
naan
jasmine or basmati rice
Salad with a light vinaigrette
Dessert Millennium Chocolate Almond Midnight pie

I've put Daphne's picture here because she is very ill. The house is so quiet without her. She had (we think) a very bad reaction to some eardrops (with gentamycin) and has not eaten nor taken in water for 5 days. She is with the vet being hydrated but now cannot eat. With cats, not eating can quickly turn into lipidosis, which can be fatal. Our next step may be to get her into a veterinary hospital for enteral nutrition as a preventive measure. Daphne was a feral cat who I adopted from a no-kill shelter. She was rescued after wild foxes killed her kittens, and it took me nearly 2 years to accustom her to being groomed and loved. She is a loving, vocal cat now who does not hesitate to demand food (even at 3 a.m.!)

Update, 12/22/08: Daph is coming home tonight! She finally began to eat 3 days ago, is drinking, and able to stand with some measure of certainty, though still quite wobbly. She is so missed in this home! I hope she will be able to re-acclimate and claim her spaces, becoming more stable as she does so. It has been hard to think of her (perhaps feeling abandoned, certainly bewildered) in a small cage in a mobile vet's van for the entire last week.

I am not thinking of cost.

chimichurri sauce

copied from here

1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper, de-seeded
lemon zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
large pinch of salt
1 - 3 large glugs of olive oil
1 shallot, roughly chopped
water, if needed to thin things out

Whizzz up all ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust seasonings & measurements if necessary. Done. Makes almost a cup of sauce.

fragrant jasmine rice

(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites and copied here from http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/)

2 c jasmine rice
1 t canola oil
2 T minced lemongrass (stiff outer leaves removed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 small green chili, seeds removed, diced
1/2 t salt
1 c crushed pineapple, undrained
1 T fresh basil, chopped
2 1/2 c boiling water

Rinse rice and set aside to drain. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add in the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chili and salt. Cook over medium heat until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Dinner last night

I think I'm still full! We had some leftovers - Veganomicon's basil tofu ricotta, and a wonderful spinach walnut pesto. To use them up, we made:

- spiral pesto rolls (but with ricotta, instead*)
- whole wheat linguine with pesto**
- pan roasted brussels sprouts

* I have no doubt I'll make this again, but I'll have to remember to use less filling. These things are really substantial - in fact, tonight we're having them with salads as a full meal. If you make these, you might a) cut the roll into 8 rather than 6 portions, and b) use only 1/2 c. filling.

** The pesto is really good, but I found that it goes a long way when used with pasta. Next time, I'll thin it with some broth, I think.

A terrific meal!

Mexican Pizza

This was probably the best pizza we have made!

preheat oven to 425F

1/2 recipe Isa Pizza dough(from veganomicon) I of course make the full recipe, but then we like to put a different bunch of toppings on each one. This time we made one Mexican pizza, and one with basil/walnut pesto.

1/2 recipe vegan refried beans I really only used about 1/3 cup of this, so I now have a ton of leftovers, which I am not complaining about! - it will make fantastic calzone filling, methinks, perhaps with some chopped onion and greens added)
1/4 c Toffuti sour cream

1/3 c good salsa What we like is Pace 3-pepper salsa, but choose whatever you like, for this
1 diced onion
1/2 to 3/4 diced green pepper
5 sun dried tomatoes, reconstituted by microwaving for 2 1/2 minutes in water to cover, then diced

2 T minced pickled jalapenos
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1-2 T nutritional yeast
1 diced avocado which we left off because the damned thing was hard as a rock - call it an optional add


1. mix vegan refried beans with about 1/4 c. tofutti sour cream - what you're going for is to make the bean mix light and spreadable this would be a very wonderful sandwich spread, by the way.
2. spread about 3/4 c. bean mix on your unbaked pizza crust - you want about a 1/4" thick layer, or less, otherwise it can make the whole pizza soggy.
3. top with a thin layer of salsa, then sprinkle on onion, green pepper, and sun dried tomatoes.
4. brush the crust rim with olive oil (we used some chili-pepper infused olive oil)
5. bake for around 20 minutes or 'til the crust is browned nicely.
6. you'll want to leave this sit for about 10 minutes so the toppings firm up a bit.
7. top with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, minced fresh cilantro, and minced pickled jalapeno peppers!

Walnut-basil (and spinach) pesto

This is an adaptation of an adaptation of an adaptation, so at this point I think I'll just call it my invention! We used it as the base for a pizza, with tofu ricotta, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and some minced roasted red pepper.

makes about 1 1/2 cups

3 cups fresh spinach (I used a full package of baby spinach)
3 cloves garlic (2 might be better)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 cup walnut pieces or more
½ c fresh basil
1 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil

Wilt the spinach and fresh basil over boiling water for 1 minute, or in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Mince the garlic with the salt in a food processor. Squeeze any moisture from the spinach and basil, and add to the food processor along with the dried basil, flax seeds and walnuts. Puree until smooth. Add the olive oil gradually and process to a smooth paste.

Veggie Soup & Dumplings

posted at the PostPunk forum by bekajoi

Soup base:

1 leek, cut into rounds (white part only, or 1" of greens if they look good)
1 onion, chopped
4 small carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, halved, then chopped (to make them smaller)
1/4 t thyme (dry, or bunch fresh)
1/4 t parsley (dry, or bunch fresh)
1 bay leaf
veggie oil (couple Tbs, enough to saute' in)

Dumplings:

2c flour
1 t salt
1.5 t celery salt
4T melted margerine or oil
1/2 cup water
6 T (or 1/4c + 2 T) "milk"


Heat oil, add onion,leek, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley and cook on a low setting for 10-12m until soft and transluscent. bring up the heat to med or med-hi and add the rest of the veggies. Stir occasionally until carrots are done or mostly done.

Add 8 cups water (2 quarts), dash salt. Cover and bring to a boil.

While water is working up to a boil, put the dumplings together:

Knead on lightly floured surface for 1 min. Let dough rest 5 min. Roll out to 1/8" thickness and cut into 2 x 1" strips (or whatever size you find easy to work with, though they'll take longer to cook if they are bigger).

Drop into boiling broth, cover and simmer 30-45 min. (the non-egg version needed to cook longer than my original version, but I'm also high altitude. Taste for done-ness~ They'll seem mealy if they're not done yet. When done they are sort of like thick noodles or a biscuit or something. Yummy and hearty) If in doubt, let them sit another 5 minutes and taste again.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Collard Greens

From Peter Berley’s Fresh Food Fast. This was posted on the PostPunk Kitchen forum.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno with seeds, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and ground, or 1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
1 small bunch collard greens, tough stems removed and leaves cut in 1/2 along the rib, and then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add onion and pinch of salt, and saute until softened, for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add sweet potato, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, coriander, turmeric and saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water, the coconut milk, and 2 tsp. of salt, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
3. Add the collard greens to the soup and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add a bit of water if soup is too thick.
4. Ladle the soup into 4 wide soup plates, and top with a spoonful of jasmine rice. Squeeze lime over all and sprinkle with cilantro.

Semolina pasta

This recipe is courtesy of the Bob's Red Mill site (as is the Semolina I used). Followup note: what a great pasta recipe! I used the full cup of water, and started the mixture in my food processor, then finished it off by hand. I did find it needed even a touch more water, which I added while kneading by wetting my hands just a little. I roasted about 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes with 5 or 6 garlic cloves and 1 1/2 medium-sized onions, chopped up large. The onions and garlic were drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, then slow-roasted at 350F for maybe 40 minutes, then I added the halved tomatoes, and let it all continue to roast until the tomatoes were collapsed. With it, I did fresh limas boiled, then tossed in a chili-infused olive oil for a touch of heat. Those limas would be GREAT with the tomato-onion mix!

1-1/2 cups Semolina
1 cup White Flour, Unbleached
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 to 1 cup Water
1 tb Olive Oil

On a flat work surface combine flours and salt in a mound, add 1/2 cup water and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough. Add one tablespoon of water at a time while combining mixture, until desired consistency is achieved (moderately stiff dough). Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired.

Bring a large pot of water containing 1/2 teaspoon olive oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender (approximately 3 - 5 minutes). When making lasagna, no need to boil noodles. Add directly to your recipe.

soy yogurt substitution

full credit to 'celine' at the postpunk forum for this workaround:

6 oz soymilk + 1.5 TB cornstarch + microwave for 30 seconds + stir + microwave for 15-20 seconds + squeeze of lemon juice or splash of vinegar + 3 minutes = soy yogurt

peanut sauce & variation

The Moosewood Cookbook recipe (by Mollie Katzen) is really good.
http://recipes.redding.com/recipe.cfm?recordID=349

1/2 cup good peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
3 medium cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. cider vinegar (I use balsamic vinegar)
1 to 2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
cayenne, to taste
salt, to taste (if peanut butter is unsalted)

Instructions:
1) Place peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the hot water and stir patiently with a spoon or a small whisk until uniformly mixed.
2) Sir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Let come to room temperature before serving.


I sometimes like my dipping sauce a bit more salty and use this peanut-miso sauce.


Peanut-Miso Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

terrific mayo-based sauce

I think I saw this recipe on Vegan Dad's blog, but I'm not sure - I'll go check later. We love his burgers (they really are wonderful!) and this sauce, together with slices of onion and tomato on english muffins, is absolutely incredible. juicy, flavorful, addictive. I promise. and you don't even have to be all that careful about the amounts.

4 T vegannaise
1 T pickled jalapeno, diced (or to taste)
2 t lemon juice

mix. that's it! now slather and drool..er, whatever it is you do with a burger!

thanksgiving meal - planning

• Roasted root veggies: carrots, onions, garlic, rutabaga, turnip, tomato. maybe radishes.

last year we did veg in a wonderful chipotle-garlic-olive oil marinade, and may repeat that.
We also had a fancy roulade stuffed with root veg and I don't really feel the need to repeat it, though it was very good.

(what, we need something else?) I'm thinking about it.

• what about the perfect soup - with the above goodness, just a very light broth-based something (like the fennel soup somewhere on this blog) with home made croutons or garlic bread? or a good loaf of home made bread, warm from the oven, with an herb-butter spread. this might be a good starter.
• spinach salad
• fresh green beans with sesame seeds (a request)

to be continued!



dessert. right, dessert ;) ONE of us wants strawberry-rhubarb pie, and though I think this is more a spring thing, I have no serious objections. he does make a mean pie! I insist on a home made crust, though.

tomato and garlic bread soup

(cadged from epicurious some years back, and tweaked) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TOMATO-AND-GARLIC-BREAD-SOUP-102453

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) (my note - no way I use this much oil start with 1/4 c.)
9 garlic cloves, minced (well, yah. best method is to throw garlic & oil in the processor 'til combined and creamy. ad stuff here, if you want, like herbs, hot pepper flakes. live!)
8 ounces crusty white sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (just buy a round loaf of any good rough peasant bread, cube it (best if a touch stale), then mix it up with your oily garlic mess in a very large container. throw in some good sea salt, too.

3 large onions, finely chopped (or more)
8 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth (even when I was omni I used veg broth)
2 28-ounce cans peeled plum tomatoes, drained, crushed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if you're going to use cheese, this is where you want your reggiano. it counts bigtime in this dish. it's all about fresh, savory flavors - mouth heaven, baby)

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (for garnish)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings (like I said. also, use a veggie peeler, pass the chunk of cheese round the table)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix 1/2 cup olive oil and 3 minced garlic cloves in large bowl. Add sourdough bread pieces and toss to coat. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring once, about 20 minutes. Set garlic-bread croutons aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until very tender, about 25 minutes. Add remaining minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Simmer soup uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add garlic-bread croutons to soup and cook 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil and Parmesan cheese shavings. (er, not. don't add the croutons before serving. let people build their soups, building little piles of garlic croutons, basil, and cheese fragments. you'll thank me, really)

this stuff freezes so well. and it's great to take to lunch, just pack your go-withs separately. I can guarantee your coworkers will be asking for the recipe. could it be simpler?

Miso gravy

Miso Gravy from here


Makes about 1 ½ cups

Here's a gravy that's as savory and pleasing as my mother's creamy gravy made from pan drippings. The primary difference is that this one is cholesterol free and low in calories. And protein-rich miso is a potent healing food. It's an anticarcinogen and it reduces the effects of radiation, smoking, air pollution and other environmental toxins. This gravy is great over mashed potatoes, steamed cauliflower, a grain entrée or biscuits.

1 tablespoon mellow white miso
1 cup unflavored soymilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons whole wheat or barley flour
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the miso and 2 tablespoons of the soymilk in a small bowl and purée with a spoon or fork. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is lightly browned. Add the thyme and flour and sauté, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until aromatic and the mixture is lightly colored and creamy rather than grainy. Reduce the heat if necessary to prevent browning.

Whisk in the remaining soymilk all at once, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the miso purée and cook an additional 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or keep the gravy warm until ready to use.

May you be well nourished,

Rebecca Wood

Daphne, craving attention

Chocolate chip cookies!

Copied from Vegweb, this wonderful recipe:

Recipe submitted by Denise

Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (optional)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:

VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.

Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.

Serves: almost two dozen

Preparation time: 15 mins?-10 to 12 cooking time

Farmer's market dinner

We'd walked the 2 miles or so to the local farmer's market, which runs all year round. Bought greens fresh from the fields, turnips, shelled limas, heirloom tomatoes, a gorgeous bouquet, and more. Oh - and a puffy, fresh sourdough loaf from a local Swiss baker.

For dinner, we cubed parsnips, onion, several tomatoes, a sweet potato, and roasted them slow, simply sprayed with olive oil. Next time we'll plan ahead and roast even slower - this was 400F for about an hour. We boiled the fresh limas in lightly salted water for about 10-15 minutes, then drained them and tossed with earth balance, adding fresh cracked pepper. We dry-fried thin tofu triangles, adding a chili-lime glaze at the last, and accompanied this bounty with thick slices of sourdough, toasted and rubbed with garlic, buttered.

There was no question that this meal was one of the best we have had in a very long time - and that's saying a lot.

Vegan dumplings for stew

3 T shortening or oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
3/4 cup soy milk
optional: about 1 T finely minced chives

METHOD
Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot vegetables in boiling stew. Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook about 10 minutes longer.

Strangely reminiscent of...

Emmenthaler cheese. That's what I said to Mike after trying Esme's special sauce, which I had copied a while back and just made last night. Folks, this is not a low-fat sauce. It is also very rich, and there is a savory... unctuousness to it. I think in future it will do well as a sauce over veg, such as roasted potatoes, on the side.

Last night, with little interest in cooking and less in trotting 2/3 mile to the store & back (no car - we've not had one for around 4 years now and believe me right now this is not a bad idea), I decided to try this out.

We cooked up some soba noodles, then tossed in a good half-bag of frozen chopped spinach, about a cup of frozen peas (told you we were lazy!) and finally, a can of drained & rinsed cannelini. It went together like that (snaps fingers unsuccessfully - I never could do that well) and in no time at all we were laid back, overstuffed. This is a comfort food. Curry's better (curry is ALWAYS better) but this is fast.

Tostadas!

This was the easiest and nearly the tastiest meal I've had this week! I'd bought some tostadas caseras the other day, and intended to simply cook up black beans with cumin, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and mash'em up a bit, then top with taco toppings of simple guacamole (take 1 avocado, mash), chipotle sauce (mince chipotle, add equal amounts of mayo and sour cream), chopped tomato, onion, lettuce. But I thought I'd look for a recipe for refried vegan beans, first - and I'm so glad I did! The recipe was more complex and makes a wonderful base for the toppings.

Vegetarian Refried Beans (courtesy of The Savvy Vegetarian)

* 1 cup dry pinto or black beans (my note: the ratio is 1 c. dried = 3 c. cooked. We used 1 can and halved the recipe for everything, perfect for 2)
* 3 -4 Tbls ghee or olive oil
* 2 tsp. gr. cumin
* 2 tsp gr. coriander
* pinch cayenne
* 1/2 tsp dried ginger
* 1/2 tsp gr. fennel seeds
* 1 tsp paprika
* pinch of garlic salt OR asoefetida (My note - we used asefoetida. Always great to find a way to use this wonderful spice!)
* 1 tsp salt (My note: this could have stayed out. Braggs is already plenty salty)
* pepper to taste
* 1 Tblsp Braggs liquid aminos, or soy sauce

Directions:

1. To cook beans:* soak 3 or more hours, rinse, cover with cold water (no salt). Bring to boil, skim foam, cover and simmer 1 - 2 hrs, until tender. Drain and reserve the liquid. (My note: if using canned beans, drain & rinse well, then run through food processer. Add 2-3 T water)
2. Mash the beans with a potato masher, in a food mill, or food processor. Add enough liquid to make a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil or ghee on low in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add spices and heat for 5 minutes. Add the bean paste and blend with the spices. Add Braggs or soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

The Toppings

1 avocado, cubed & mashed
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 small onion, minced
1 tomato, diced (we were out of the good ones so I used about 1/2 c of canned diced tomatoes, drained)
(about) 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
enough vegan mayo to combine everything, about 1/3 c
(about) 2 T adobo sauce or 1 minced chipotle
1/4 c. or more cilantro, chopped

Combine everything, adding enough nutritional yeast to thicken the mix to spreading consistency.

What else is needed: chopped lettuce, good salsa. vegan sour cream, if you have it (I'm out, and didn't really miss it)

Putting it together: Spread the refried bean mix, top with the avocado mix,then lettuce and salsa. Eat and repeat. Enjoy! We'll make this again - super easy (or did I say that already?

 

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

from the creative Vegan Mouse blog, shown on the postpunk forum:

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

2 TB canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 TB green curry paste (this is spicy so use as little or much as you like - store the leftover paste in a little ziploc bag in the freezer)
2 cans coconut milk
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
juice of one large lime


Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for a while until onions are browned and a bit soft. Add potatoes, carrots and green curry paste. Stir around to coat, then add coconut milk and stir. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli, red pepper and zucchini. Add soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Lower heat to medium low. Add tofu cubes. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or so or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Serve over hot rice.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins

Bryanna Clarke Grogan's recipe!

Wet Mix:
1/2 C smooth applesauce
1 1/2 C soymilk
3 Tbsp light tasting olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1 1/2 tsp KAL brand stevia

Dry Mix:
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Additional:
1 1/2 cup diced rhubarb, can be frozen (mine wasn't)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare muffin cups by greasing or spraying with pan spray (I use special unbleached parchment papers because I like low fat baking and do not want the muffins to stick to the paper and rip apart). Combine the wet mix in the blender or food processor. In a medium bowl combine the dry mix. Add the wet to the dry and stir briefly just to mix. Spoon evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. C Cool the pans on racks for 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the muffins with a table knife and turn them on their sides to cool a bit more before serving. These vegan muffins are quite tender when they are very hot, but they firm up with cooling.

esme's special sauce

copied with gratitude from the postpunk forum

esme25 wrote

i make a sauce for pasta that's equal parts:
tahini
miso
soy sauce
olive oil
nooch or mustard
lemon juice or vinegar
and a few cloves of garlic.
eta: if i have mirin i sometimes throw that in, too.

mix it all up and add to hot pasta. it usually winds up being about 2 T. of each item. sometimes i add some spinach or something.

i usually use the sweet white [miso], but any kind will work.

it's really good with any kind of green veggie thrown in (like spinach, arugula, brocolli, scallions - that kind of stuff).

eta: when i say 2 T. of each, i don't measure. i get out my big soup spoon which i use interchageably with a tablespoon in non-baking recipes and use heaping tablespoons of everything.

and a quick trick. since the sauce is so easy to make, i boil the pasta, drain it, put the pot back on the warm stove, make the sauce in there, then add the hot pasta back to it. the heat of the pan and the pasta helps melt down the tahini and miso so that it works through the pasta better.

Ravioli fillings

I'm trying the first recipe, and one with the tofu ricotta, though I have added finely minced leek and another clove of garlic, plus a few drops of hot sauce. I'm also going to try the white bean idea, using it in place of tofu: cannelini plus herbs & garlic, and some greens. Over all that we'll have the famous 5-minute tomato sauce, and a green salad.

• 
  
• Smashed white beans with garlic and herbs, plus maybe some steamed and finely chopped greens
  
• Basic Spread Mixture for vegan boursin (from Bryann's blog):
  

1 (12.3 oz.) box extra-firm SILKEN tofu, prepared as instructed in recipe text below
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces, ground very fine in a coffee/spice mill or mini-chopper (I don't have this so will leave it out)
1/2 cup original Earth Balance
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon miso (not the very dark variety)
1-2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

To prepare the tofu (important step!):

Crumble the tofu in a clean tea towel or piece of cotton sheeting, gather the ends up and twist, knead, and squeeze for a couple of minutes to extract as much of the water from the tofu as possible.

Whirl the squeezed tofu and the rest of the Basic Spread Mixture ingredients in a food processor at high speed for several minutes. Be patient-- it has to be VERY smooth. You may have to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the sides and push the ingredients that have accumulated under the blade towards the middle.

When as smooth as possible, add the Basic Flavoring, or whatever additions you prefer. Process again if you want them well-incorporated into the spread

• basic tofu ricotta recipe (from Vegan with a Vengeance) with added finely chopped (reconstituted) sun dried tomatoes and garlic, plus hot pepper sauce to taste (4 or 5 drops)
• Vegan dad's burger recipe mixed with steamed, squeezed-out finely chopped greens

'Asian' noodles

This was just posted by ficbot at the ppk. Of course I won't be able to leave well enough alone, but if this works, it's a good canvas for added veg & & &t:


ASIAN NOODLES

1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp liquid sweetener (e.g. agave)
2 tbsp soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
1 packet rice noodles

Boil some water, pour over the rice noodles, let sit for five minutes. Meanwhile, melt the PB in the microwave for about 20 seconds, stir in other ingredients, whisk well. Drain the noodles and toss with the sauce. Serves 1. This is a very quick and easy lunch with some fruit on the side. I tried making it with soy butter (my workplace is nut-free) and it was not as good.

Black beans & rice with sweet potatoes

Oh man was this good! I think next time I'll add lime quarters to squeeze over everything. We had steamed collards on the side, from frozen - these turned out to be a perfect foil to the juicy, slightly spicy dish. Don't skimp on the heat, either - or the vegan sour cream. It's all part of the taste.

http://veggie-terrain.blogspot.com/2007/12/black-beans-rice-w-sweet-potato-cubes.html

Golden Gravy a la Real Food Daily by way of PostPunk Kitchen

Itngredients:
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage, or 1 tsp. rubbed dried
4 c. water
1/4 c. tamari
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tap. ground black pepper

Stir yeast and flour in heavy skillet over medium heat for five min or until fragrant.
Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, saute for 10 mins, or until it begins to brown. Add garlic, thyme, sage, and saute for 30 secs, or until fragrant. Whisk in flour mixture thoroughly, then whisk in water, tamari, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, and continue until reaches desired thickness. Strain into a bowl to serve.

Sausage-filled tortellini with 5-minute sauce

I wrote before about a fantasy meal (I know, pathetic, right? - deal with it) and then never did anything about it other than looking, realizing that it would probably take a while to do the pasta part, and something more expeditious to cook. So I finally reached some kind of tipping-point, and followed through - success! This is the sort of thing you want to make a double batch of, because it takes a bit more time, AND because you will definitely want to have it again (and again). I would serve this proudly to guests, including omnis.

The pasta for tortellini is Bryanna Clarke Grogan's recipe:

VEGAN HOMEMADE PASTA
Makes slightly over 1 lb.

1 and 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
OR 1 c. unbleached white flour plus 2/3 c. wholewheat flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour OR full-fat soy flour
2/3 cup water
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
My note: I added a pinch of hot pepper flakes and oregano to the dry flour prior to adding in liquids. This was a great move :)

TO MAKE THE DOUGH IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, mix the flour, chickpea or soy flour and salt, if using, in a dry processor bowl, then add the water (or water and pureed vegetables, mixed together) through the top with the motor running. Process for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth ball forms. (The dough may seem a bit sticky, but you'll be flouring it as you work.) Place the dough in a plastic bag and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

TO ROLL AND CUT WITH A HAND-CRANK PASTA MACHINE OR ELECTRIC PASTA-ROLLING MACHINE, divide the dough into eighths, keeping the portions you aren't working with in the plastic bag. Flour the dough well and run it through the first setting of the machine. Now, flour it lightly again, fold it into thirds, and run it through the first setting again. Do this until the dough looks smooth. Then flour the dough and run it through each successive setting twice, until it is the desired thickness.

Next, there's the filling. I had just made a batch of Julie Hassan's sausages, with sweet potato - here's the variation I had done:

2 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
4 T. chickpea flour
4 t. unchicken broth powder (I used chicken seasoning, and you could just use sage)
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. hot pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper

2 c. grated sweet potato (1 medium sized)
3 chipotle chiles, minced
4 t. adobo sauce
2 T. canola oil (I used olive oil)
2 T. black strap molasses
2 c. cool water

To quote Julie:

Before mixing your ingredients, get your steaming apparatus ready, bring water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.

Have ready 4 sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans until no whole ones are left. Throw all the other ingredients together in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide dough into 4 even parts (an easy way to do this: split the dough in half and then into quarters). Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will snap into shape while it’s steaming because this recipe is awesome.

Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. That’s it! You can unwrap and enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

So, I had this sausage done already. I know, I know, at this point it's sounding like this recipe will NEVER get done. Bear with me a moment. We're almost there. Next is the actual filling - this part's easy.

I took one of the sausages (you want about 1/2 cup total sausage stuff) and ground it up in the food processor, adding half a package of frozen spinach, which I had thawed and squeezed out pretty well to get out as much water as possible, and about 2/3 c. of nutritional yeast. That's it for the filling. Set aside.

Now for forming the tortellini. You cannot go wrong following this method, though note that I used my hand-cranked pasta machine, and rolling pasta out to a setting of 5.

Finally (!) I made the 5-minute tomato sauce">5 minute pasta sauce.

outrageous behavior

I am vegan for health, but I've been eating this way for over a year now. Curious about the ethics and production aspects surrounding the animal industry, I've read a number of well-known texts to learn more - including the occasional foray to the PETA site. I have not been in sympathy with their sexist marketing tactics, but - no, there is no 'but'. I am not in sympathy with their alienating and offensive tactics. I know all about the theory that shock brings attention, that old end-justifies-means argument that carries no water around this house.

How you live, who you are to your fellows - this counts. Every word you say, smiles, a hand when needed - these things construct your character over a very long time (if you're lucky). Small tradeoffs. Screwing someone over, expeditiously - the little-considered impulse to self defense. We do err. Trite thoughts come to me about repenting at leisure, and other bullshit. We do mess up. But an accretion of poor decisions - slight course adjustments - are capable of altering not only the path of the journey, but the point of arrival.

It is not enough, ever, to trade off human dignity no matter what the ends might ideally be. Today PETA attempted to run an ad following the beheading of a young man on a Greyhound bus. Intentionally, representatives of this organization created an ad modeled on this horrific crime, pointing out the horror of our slaughter of innocent animals. Their justification?

Yesterday, we mentioned an advertisement that we wanted to run in a Canadian newspaper in the wake of a shocking stabbing murder and possible cannibalism in Manitoba. Countless people have contacted us with their concerns, so we'd like to explain why we wanted to run the ad that no newspaper will touch with a 10' pole.

Yes, of course we were horrified (who wouldn't be?) when we heard the details of this barbaric, incomprehensible killing. And obviously, everyone's good thoughts go out to anyone affected by this violent act. That's all a no-brainer. Now, remember, PETA is known for being provocative—that's our job. The animals don't benefit from our silence. So our thought is always: How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!

We see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root. We understand that such comparisons may be uncomfortable for many people, but they're not inaccurate.

Responding to violence with anger is also natural, but just being angry solves nothing, does it? Real change comes about when we channel anger or sadness into action. (Quoted from here)

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? The exploitation of human pain only increases the pain, regardless of the validity of the objectives.

There is no guarantee that PETA's move will succeed in any way in convincing people that killing animals is wrong. I could not disagree more with PETA. My voice counts too, here in this strange country of blogging.


Meanwhile, my strong feeling is that I would like to send my caring thoughts and support towards the McLean family, who have lost their son, Tim. It is this loss that is even more incomprehensible and unbearable, and no political posturing should obscure the tragedy, or draw attention from it. As a parent I cannot begin to understand this loss, and it is in realizing my inability that I begin to sense the depth of the void that has been created.

Our responsibility to one another: to be kind. Isn't that all we've got?

Bangon Aloo: Eggplant with potatoes

Oh yum! - copied from fatfree, with gratitude! the only change I've made is to specify soy yogurt.

3/4 lb. eggplant
1/2 lb. potatoes
1/3 cup sliced onion
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp roasted and crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp grated ginger root
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp soy yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar
1-2 green chilis, chopped
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Wash the eggplant. Cut it into quarters lengthwise, then, holding the pieces
together, cut them across into 1/2 inch chunks. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly
and don't peel them. Cut into quarters and cut quarters twice so you get 12
bite size pieces from each tater. Very slowly dryfry onion until it turns
light brown (slowly carmelizing the onions)Add cumin and coriander seeds, stir
for a minute, then add ginger, half garlic, chili powder, tumeric and cook
over very high heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water as necessary
to keep the spice paste from sticking. Spices should deepen in color, this
should not take more than two minutes. Add eggplant, yogurt, sugar, and green
chilis. Mix all togetherand cook 2-3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of water, lower
heat and and simmer 15 minutes, with lid firmly on. Add taters, peppers, and
tomatoes. Make sure lid is very tight, simmer another 10 minutes, checking
occassionally so it is not burning or sticking.. If too dry, add a bit more
water. Lastly, add cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice, cook 1 more minute,
gently stir to mix, then turn off heat.

Mushroom tart

This is converted from the recipe provided at the Hollow Legs blog (and isn't that a great blog name?!) Sounds really yummy - can't wait to try this lovely light meal, with a salad.

5 large closed cap mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated (I will be using portabellas instead)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp tofutti cream cheese, mixed with
1 tbsp tofutti sour cream (the original recipe calls for 3 T creme fraiche)

Enough puff pastry to make 2 6"x 4" tarts - I used 1/2 a block of unrolled pastry

Preheat your oven to 400F. Fry the garlic until softened, then add all the mushrooms. Fry until softened, making sure there isn't too much liquid. Add the tofutti mix and the parsley and take off the heat. Season to taste. Roll out the pastry and make an indentation about 2 cm from the edge, all the way round. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then spread the mushroom mixture on the base. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Wasabi pea-encrusted tofu

Another one from the interesting VegCooking blog - you can sure tell where I've been roaming! I love wasabi peas, with their sudden heat - and savory after taste. Just imagining their crunchy spike against the creamy blandness of tofu - sounds good to me! We'll try it baked.

Wasabi Pea-Encrusted Tofu

1 16-oz. pkg. extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wasabi peas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

•Press the block of tofu with paper towels to remove excess water, then cut it into four equal pieces, each about the size of a deck of cards.

•In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic, then stir. Add the tofu, being sure to cover it completely, and let marinate for 15 minutes. If the liquid is too shallow to cover the tofu, turn it often.

•In a blender or food processor, blend the wasabi peas until they reach the consistency of coarse salt, then pour onto a plate.

•Dip each piece of tofu into the wasabi peas, coating each side.

•Pour the oil into a skillet and bring the temperature to medium-high heat. Add the coated tofu and flip after the wasabi peas turn into a crunchy golden crust, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Thai tofu wraps

Courtesy of the Veg Cooking Blog, this is an extremely tasty and satisfying meal

Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps

1 small Thai pepper, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 lime (plus more for garnish)
1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
8 iceberg lettuce leaves

•Sauté the minced pepper and garlic in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the soy sauce, water, and lime juice, stirring until well combined. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer over low heat until the tofu is ready.

•Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick 12-inch skillet.

•Add the tofu and cook, stirring frequently (stir-frying), until heated through and browned on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the sauce and chopped basil, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.

•Scoop a spoonful of tofu onto each lettuce leaf, top with basil, garnish with lime juice, if desired, and serve.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings

Sunday dinner

Yay! My good friend Susan's coming over! She'll be staying over so we get a chance to visit, and we plan to feed her well. I sorely miss our lunches together since I moved 20 miles away & ended my coursework (I am perpetually mid-lit review at this point). You might think I was becoming totally unsocialized (and you'd be right, not uncommon from what I hear about doc students!) Err, anyway. We decided to keep it simple and yummy (and I will add that she's not vegan, but has loved the curries and samosas and calzones we've served her.

- Vegan Dad's awesome burgers, on jugalbandi's sundried tomato sourdough buns (haven't tried these yet), with fixins
- roasted potato wedges, with olive oil, garlic, and smoked paprika
- Kittee's fresh strawberry pie
- maybe a small salad, or some sauteed collards. I'd prefer asparagus but they are SO expensive this year - I never even got any. I can't bring myself to pay almost $4 per pound.

I don't think anyone will leave hungry. And I might remember how to socialize - here's to staying in touch with good friends!

Lunch!

Checking out 2 new recipes at once for lunch, reports to follow!

1. Smoky Miso Tofu
Notes:
- Coating the thin slices of tufu worked best for me by dipping them in the marinade and turning to coat - use your fingers!
- I ended up having to turn the heat up to 450F, turning the tofu pieces over gently. I also had to cook these for about 3 times as long. I wonder if the oven rack was too high? It's possible that having my baking stone and my cast iron skillet beneath the cookie sheet these were baking on may have necessitated the change in cooking time.
- This is really good, room temp or cold, with vegan mayo and lettuce and mustard on a bun.

2. Pinto Bean & Brown Rice Cakelets
Notes:
- I discovered at the last minute (Mike had gone to the store without his phone) that I had no canned pinto beans, so subbed a can of cannelini beans. Otherwise, this came together very easily even though I did have to make some brown rice (I used basmati).
- I wonder if these will need a dipping sauce, and I'm wondering if baking would work as opposed to frying.
- The recipe makes a LOT so I'm wondering if I can make the patties and freeze them (or cook them partway and then cool & freeze). I will be trying to do this as there is no way two of us will eat all this for lunch!
- I didn't add salt and they do need it (though there is plenty in the soy).

followup note: these cakelets were good, but not good enough to warrant the fat content.

why do I get the feeling we will be too stuffed for dinner?

The best vegan burger? - oh yeah

Now, this is sort of a holy grail deal. Do you know how many different versions of veggie burgers are out there? Some have oats, rice, beans, peanut butter, vital wheat gluten, or a plethora of other ingredients to create that elusive juicy, tender inside and firmer outside, flavorful enough to stand on their own yet not be subsumed by lots of toppings. Men have died in pursuit of this, and fingers, burned (ok, slight hyperbole).

The grail has been found, and Vegan Dad has done it. I'm quoting his posting here, but you will benefit by checking out the rest of his blog - I have it as a feed to my Google Reader. He's inventive and yet gives attention to the need for simple, inexpensive food that appeals to a broad audience (such as kids - thus, the implications of the blog title).

INGREDIENTS
- 1 8.5 oz pkg tempeh, coarsely grated
(If you find tempeh has a "taste," simmer it in boiling water with 2 tsp soy sauce for 10 mins to cut down on the bitterness. Cool before grating. This will increase the water content of the tempeh, so you might want to increase the wheat gluten to 1/2 cup, or not add any extra water.)
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tsp ground fennel seed
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp HP sauce note: I don't have HP so used catsup instead, with a touch of vegan worcestershire sauce.
- 1/4 tsp browning sauce (optional)
- 2-4 tbsp water
- oil for frying

METHOD
1. Mix grated tempeh, bread crumbs, flour, and spices in a bowl. Add in soy sauce, HP sauce, and enough water to make a firm yet pliable dough. Knead for a few mins to mix everything well.
2. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape into patties by pressing into a metal ring.
3. Cook in a thin layer of oil on med-lo heat for about 5 mins per side. The trick is to make thin patties and to fry them low enough to cook them through before burning the outside.

vegan tamales

for some weird reason I've been wanting to experiment with making tamales - but I'd like to make them less fatty. after a lot of looking around at different recipes, I found the following - this is copied direct from isa's post on the ppk forum:


Everyday Chipotle Vegetable Tamales
Makes 24-30 tamales (or 18 largish ones!)

This tamale recipe is as flexible as you want it to be; add roasted corn kernels, finely chopped chilies or scallions to the dough if you feel like it. I’ve kept the filling a basic bean, peppers and corn with essential addition of smoky chipotle chilies in spicy adobo sauce. Seasonal vegetables like zucchini, finely chopped steamed pumpkin, poblano chilies and even small bits of sautéed seitan would make perfect additions too.

Tamale Tips:
Canned chipotles in adobo sauce, corn husks and masa harina can be found in most large groceries with an “ethnic” section nowadays. Larger Latin American stores may have everything in stock too, as well as gourmet stores. Be sure to get masa harina mix (ground corn flour specially treated with lime water); don’t substitute with corn meal, it simply is not the same and will not work!

While preparing the dough and filling is simple enough I will not lie to you; tamale assembly can be tedious work. Don’t do it on 2 hours of sleep after pulling an all nighter, or an hour before that big date or before surgery. Enlist the help of a dear friend and promise them the warm, soul-embracing experience of eating adorably wrapped handmade tamales bursting with vegan love. Which means you’ll have to give them a few you greedy mustard.

Tamales freeze well after steaming, just wrap tightly in paper and pack in freezer bags.

If you can’t find dried corn husks for wrapping the tamales is, less attractive substitutes might be tinfoil or wax paper.

Dough:

4 Cups Masa Harina tamale flour
1/4 Cup olive or good quality corn oil
2 tsp. Baking powder
4 Cups vegetable broth, water or a combination of the two, warmed my note: I used our veg broth - note that this may change the color of the masa!
Salt to taste (needed less if using all broth) my note: for me this was about 1/2 tsp. but I tend not to cook with salt, and add it later, and there is no salt in our home made broth. this amount was fine.

Chipotle bean filling:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped small
1 small carrot, peeled and diced small
1 Cup frozen corn kernels
1 15oz. Can pinto or black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 C veggie broth or water
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1-2 T of adobo sauce (from a 7oz can of chipotles in sauce)
3 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt to taste

Dried corn husks for wrapping tamales

First, place corn husks (you don’t need to separate them just now) in a pot large enough to cover completely with water. Cover with warm water and allow to soak for at least 20 minutes till husks are soft and pliable. Keep covered in water entire time as you use them. my note: I used the sink, and put a dinner plate on top of the husks to keep them immersed. Another recipe I looked at called for a 2-hour soak. The briefer soaking time works well, mostly - but not for all the husks. Make sure to gently separate these after they've been soaking for a while.

In a large bowl combine masa harina, broth or water, salt, baking powder and oil. Stir to mix with a large spatula. If you have an electric mixer (hand or otherwise) now is the time to use it. Beat the mixture till it forms a dense, moist, fluffy dough and the side of the bowls are clean. If you don’t have a mixer beat it like hell with that spatula. Tamale dough steams up extra light and puffy when beat with an electric mixer but still tastes great when beat by hand. Cover bowl containing dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside.

my note: I did not use this filling recipe, but used another one.
In a large heavy bottom skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add pepper and carrot and sauté for 3 minutes, then add beans, corn, broth, chipotles (the more chipotles and sauce the hotter) and adobo sauce, tomato paste and cumin. Sautee and simmer till most of liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Salt to taste and allow to cool before assembling tamales.

Depending the size of the corn husks you will need to use 1-2 husks per tamale. There are a billion ways to wrap a tamale: I like this way since it’s simple and makes super-cute traditional tamale shapes. Take corn husk and lay flat; spread about 2 T of dough about off-center, leaving about an inch and a half of space on the top and bottom. Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on top, and on top of that dab about 1 T more of dough. Carefully roll up tamale, making sure to completely encase filling in corn husk. Tie both ends securely with either heavy duty kitchen string (maybe try different colors for different flavors), or simply tear a corn husk lenghth-wise into thin strips.

Prepare a large steamer basket and loosely pack tamales into it. Steam for 35-40 minutes. Tamales will expand and feel firm to the touch when done. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving (they will be really hot when unwrapped!). Serve with your favorite salsa, guacamole or make a whole affair out of it and serve with sides of rice and beans.

Sauce for tamales

I found a terrific recipe that I will use for other things. It would be fantastic over rice or roasted vegetables, I know it would be, or as a taco or hamburger topping. I'm thinking about using it to fill some calzones today.

Sweet and Smokey Chipotle Sauce
from Vegetarian Journal 2006, Issue 4 my note: this recipe includes the very simple recipe for the sweet potato filling I used, but I added adobo and sauteed onion.

(Makes filling for 36 tamales)

Though this tomato-based sauce is quite spicy, there is sweet relief in the sweet potatoes and molasses.
Sauce

* One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
* 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (available in the international foods aisle of many supermarkets), minced my note: use all 3!
* 2 teaspoons leftover adobo sauce
* 2 Tablespoons molasses
* 1/4 cup orange juice my note: I skipped this as I didn't want that sweetish note (figuring the molasses would suffice), and I'm glad I did. I added an extra splash of broth, instead.
* Olive oil to cover bottom of medium-sized skillet
* 1 medium-sized onion, preferably a sweet variety
* 4 garlic cloves, crushed
* Salt to taste
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

In a large saucepan, combine crushed tomatoes, peppers, adobo sauce, molasses, and orange juice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer.

While the tomato sauce is simmering, pour oil into a medium-sized pan and sauté onions, garlic, and salt. When onions are slightly brown, add the pan’s contents to the tomato sauce. Add cumin and cilantro and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Pour sauce into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth.

Afternotes

Because I've been having problems with the soy and beans I've been eating (hello again, colitis), I decided to fill the tamales with a sweet potato recipe I'd found elsewhere - turns out you can vary tamale recipes infinitely. That was just 2 sweet potatoes, baked til well done, then mashed with just a little salt. I added about a tablespoon of adobo sauce, and maybe 3/4 of a large onion, sauteed til soft.

I used Isa's recipe for the masa, and varied the sauce recipe by adding another 3/4 of a large onion, sauteed - this sauce truly rocks! Use the full complement of 3 chipotles - you won't be sorry! We ate this with a side of steamed quinoa, with half a bag of frozen spinach thrown in at the last - that was super, with the great sauce on it especially!

However, the filling was not such a success. The mashed sweet potatoes just don't have enough substance for me - too mushy, and I don't really like that sweetish taste in there. I do have some thoughts about what to do next time (and there will be one - this may seem time consuming, but it's well worth it). I'd like to try using something that gets firmer, but not as firm as the masa when it's cooked. I am considering crumbled tempeh, mixed with onion, garlic, and chipotle, so it's a good thickish paste (you want something that's roughly the consistency of mashed potatoes. in fact, I think if you took some leftover spicy chilli and added some kind of thickener (nooch, rice, masa) or even just mashed the beans up a bit, you'd have something really delicious. Other ideas: greens! quinoa with greens and sauce! oh yeah.

Even better might be to use a variation of Julie Hassan's sausage mix as I did for the tortellini filling (scroll down to see the variation I used for tortellini, with added spinach and nutritional yeast), spicing it with cumin and chili powder and garlic, maybe mixing in minced onion and pickled jalapeno bits. Imagine that against the creamy, firm cornmeal coating, covered by the sauce - I think this might be a winner.

Chili-Lime Dipping Sauce

1 to 2 cloves garlic
1 long fresh red chili (like Holland, Fresno or cayenne), or 1 tablespoon bottled chili paste (sambal oelek)
3 tablespoons lime juice (3 key limes)
Pound the garlic and chilies in a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a small food processor, until a coarse paste forms. Add lime juice and mix well.
http://theasiangrandmotherscookbook.wordpress.com/

Ginger/Garlic Savoy Cabbage

* 1 head savoy cabbage or Chinese cabbage, cored, shredded across in approx 3/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 tablespoons lite olive oil or other oil
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* salt & pepper
* 1 1/4 tablespoons ginger, minced
* 1 lime, juice of (1 1/2 T)

Directions

1. Heat wok or large skillet medium high heat, wait until oil is hot.
2. Add cabbage and stir fry until cabbage just starts to wilt (do nor overcook).
3. Add garlic, salt and pepper cook 1 minute.
4. Add ginger cook 1 minute.
5. Drizzle with lime juice and serve.

from http://www.recipezaar.com/15832

Veganomicon ricotta

I finally got it right. The baking stone I ordered from Cooking.com arrived, and I was anxious to christen it with a pizza, so I used the V'con recipe for 'Isa Pizza'. This is wonderous, yeast-risen stuff, to which I added a handful of fresh herbs: sage, basil, chives), topping it with scads of slow-carmelized onions (nearly an hour!), lots of garlic, my chipotle-mayo base, heirloom tomatoes, and for the first time, the ricotta recipe from the same cookbook.

Starting from a base of pressed, mushed-up tofu, lots of good things are added, including more garlic (never enough!), fresh basil, and lemon juice - the result is a light, bland mixture that still misses by just a hair what it might be, if eaten alone. However, when added in small lumps to a pizza with lots of other stuff going on, the blandness works very well, adding a sort of unctuous savory (hey, I don't know how else to describe it!)

Having some leftover (about a cup), last night I used it up and was pretty pleased with the results. I blended it with leftover cooked collards (which had a bit of quinoa, so this is a very healthy mix!), then rolled the mixture up in filo. Baked (at 350F for about 20 minutes) and topped with a light and spicy tomato sauce, these were really wonderful! The sauce:

1 large onion, cut in chunks and chopped very fine
1 T olive oil
3 or 4 l. garlic cloves, chopped very fine
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
10 large basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp or more oregano
1 tsp (or to taste) hot pepper flakes
2 tsp lemon juice

Heat onion in olive oil, stirring whenever you think of it, for longer than you think it should take to get it sweet and lightly browned, cooking off nearly all the liquid.

Add garlic, sautee for longer (lower heat and pay attention here - garlic turns bitter, fast.

Add all other ingredients except lemon juice; simmer on low heat for at least 1/2 hour.

Before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Thai Peanut Sauce

Generously shared by Hedge at the PPK Forum and altered to US measures, plus my notes.


3 1/2 T crunchy peanut butter (if all you have is creamy, this is fine too)
2 L cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can (8 oz) of light coconut milk
half L onion, chopped roughly
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, in slivers
1 carrot, sliced into thinnish 'coins' or ovals
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped medium-small
1 teaspoon of chili powder*, or to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons of peanut oil

*note that this is not the same chili powder we use in the US to make the soup, chili, but rather a ground hot pepper flake. I suspect you can also substitute cayenne here.

Finely chop the onion and fry it in the peanut oil until soft then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the peanut butter and chili powder. Then add the coconut milk and continue to stir for about five minutes.
Finally, stir in the soy sauce and take off the heat. You will want to taste it at this point and maybe add more soy sauce.

For seitan satay, the original author's notes: I always make satay with this by slicing baked seitan into long strips about half an inch wide and placing in a lightly greased oven proof dish. Pour over the peanut sauce and heat through in the oven for 5-10 mins.

My note: I will be using soy curls, marinated first in vegetable broth with a touch of soy sauce, then sauteed in olive oil, until it starts to get a bit crusty. From there I will add in carrots, bell pepper, and (lastly, just to heat through) frozen peas and the slivered basil - and serving over basmati rice, garnished with a few more basil slivers and (if you have it) a sprinkle of chopped, roasted peanuts. Serve with a size of steamed broccoli or sauteed bok choi.

Sweet chili lime tofu with collards and quinoa

Wow - this one's truly a keeper! I haven't made any changes yet so I will just post the link to the recipe on Vegan YumYum's lovely blog. I love the complementary tastes and textures, especially the tofu with its amazing glaze (and I can't help but think this would be adaptable). The technique used for the tofu was new to me - no added fat! This is something I'll do for other tofu recipes as well.

Strawberry pie/food of the FSM

a la incredible Kittee, from the blog Cake Maker to the Stars

Strawberry Pie
What You Need:

* A pre baked and cooled pie crust
* 1/4-1/3 tub Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
* Approximately 1 1/2 quarts of fresh strawberries (enough to fill an entire pie plate, plus an extra cup to mash), washed and with the hulls cut off. Cut the tops as straight as you can so the strawberries stand up easily in your pie plate.
* 1 cup unbleached granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/2 cup water

What You Do:

1. Mash up enough strawberries to make one cup. Mash them really well, or throw them in your food processor and pulse them a bit, go slow so you don't end up with soup. I used an immersion blender and went well.
2. In a medium saucepan, blend together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water and mashed berries.
3. Over medium high heat, cook stirring all the while until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat so you don't get splattered and keep stirring for one minute. Remove from heat and cool.
4. While the jam you made cools, stir the cream cheeze until soft, and spread it onto the bottom of the cooled pie crust.
5. Top the Tofutti with your strawberries, pointy side up. I started in the middle and worked my away around in circles. You will want to place them along the edges too. I found that putting the tallest in the center is best, because the jam is deepest there. You might have to rearrange them a bit to get it to look the way you want, but don't worry about making it look perfect since the jam covers up a lot and fills in any gaps (especially on the sides).
6. Pour the cooled jam evenly over the whole thing and refrigerate several hours until set.

Naan with variations

Copied from W4E, and amended to be vegan.

Yield: 6-8 portions

2 t yeast, active dry
3 T soy milk, heated to between 110-115°
1 T sugar
4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c soy milk, heated to between 110-115°
1/2 c soy yogurt
1 egg replacer (use flax or ener-g for this)
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 salt

1. Mix yeast, milk and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes to activate yeast.
2. Add flour to yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour. Beat milk, yogurt and egg replacer together well. Add to center of flour, along with oil and salt.
3. If using a mixer, beat with dough hook about 10 minutes till smooth. To mix by hand, bring ingredients together with a fork and then knead till smooth, about 10 minutes. Form a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
4. Punch dough down with your fist and knead lightly. Cut into 8-10 equal portions and roll into balls. Cover and let rise until doubled again in a warm spot.
5. Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 475-500°
6. Roll dough into oblong circles. Brush with water, oil, or margarine and sprinkle with a garnish. Roll the garnish into the dough.
7. Bake in batches on preheated baking sheet for about 5 minutes till golden brown.

VARIATIONS

* Possible garnishes: mustard seeds, cumin seeds, kalonji (onion seeds), fennel seeds, coarse salt, chopped cilantro, sauteed garlic.
* To Make Stuffed Naan: Roll the dough balls into a circle, place 1 Tbsp of your stuffing of choice in the middle. Fold the dough in half and roll out into an oblong shape. Proceed with the recipe.
* Onion Kulcha: Saute some minced onion with cumin seed, garam masala and chopped cilantro. Stuff the naan, roll out and garnish with some more chopped cilantro.
* Other possible stuffings: chopped mint, minced jalapenos, shredded coconut.
* Naan is often made without yeast, using baking powder instead. This is faster and easier too. Simply eliminate the yeast and the initial proofing. Sift 2 tsp of baking powder into the dry ingredients. Beat the wet ingredients together. Mix wet and dry to form a dough. Proceed with the recipe, eliminating the second rising after portioning the dough.

Aloo Paratha

Recipe and directions are from Manjula's Kitchen - she has a whole collection of the most wonderful videos, too!

(for 6 parathas)

1-cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
Canola oil

POTATO (ALOO) FILLING
1-1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon chopped green pepper
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder (optional)

Also needed
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for rolling
Oil to cook

Method

Dough

1. Mix flour, salt and water together to make soft dough (if the dough is hard add a little more water). I like mixing the dough by hand.
2. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly greased surface to make smooth and pliable dough.
3. Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes.

Filling

1. Boil 2 medium potatoes with 2 cups of water. After the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Let the potatoes cook until they are tender.
2. Once tender, remove them from the water and let them cool down. Note: Do not cool the potatoes under running water because the potatoes will become too soft.
3. After the potatoes are cold enough to handle, peel the skin off and mash the potatoes.
4. Mix green chilies, cilantro, cumin seeds and salt to the mashed potatoes.

Making paratha

1. Divide the dough and potato mixture into 6 equal parts. The potato balls should be about 1 1/2 times larger than the dough balls.
2. Roll the dough into 3 inch diameter circles. Place the potato balls in the center. Seal by pulling the edges of the rolled dough together to
3. make a ball. Proceed to make all six balls.
4. Let them settle for 3 to 4 minutes before rolling them.
5. Heat the skillet on medium high. Note: An iron skillet works best. To check if the skillet is hot enough, sprinkle a couple of drops of water
6. on it. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.
7. To make it easier to roll the balls, first roll them in dry whole-wheat flour.
8. Lightly press the ball on the sealed side and keep it on the topside when rolling. Roll the ball light handed in to 6-inch circles. Whenever the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly sprinkle dry whole-wheat flour on both sides of the semi-rolled paratha.
9. Place the paratha over the skillet. After a few seconds you will see the
10. paratha change color and puff in different places.
11. Then flip the paratha over. You should see some golden-brown spots on the topside. After a few seconds, spread 1 teaspoon of oil on the paratha. Again, flip the paratha and lightly press the puffed areas with a spatula.
12. Flip again and press with the spatula making sure the paratha is golden-brown on both sides.
13. Cool the parathas on a wire rack so they don't get soggy.
14. Parathas can be kept outside for up to 2 days wrapped in aluminum foil or in a covered container. For later use, parathas can be refrigerated for 5-6 days or freezed (wrapped in aluminum foil) for a month. Re-heat on a skillet or toaster oven.

Variations

Try substituting chopped cilantro with a 1/4 cup of finely chopped mint leaves. You can use a variety of herbs in this recipe. Make sure to remove
all excess water when adding your choice of fresh herbs.

Serving Suggestions

1. Parathas can be served with tomato chutney, plain yogurt, any gravy subji, or spicy pickle.
2. Make it like a Mexican Quesadilla by topping it with cheese and sliced tomatoes, then folding it in half.

Sweet potato salad

Copied from The Slow Cook, an omni blog with some interesting and delicious recipes.

Or, you can treat sweet potatoes as a salad ingredient, as in this recipe. For 10 servings, peel 3 pounds of sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes, toss with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on one or two baking sheets. Bake in a 350-degree oven until just tender (I poke them with a metal trussing skewer to test for doneness).

While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the dressing. Whisk together 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Set aside.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked through, remove from the oven to cool. Meanwhile, toast 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, the toasted pecans, 1/2 cup chopped scallions, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup golden raisins and 1/4 cup dark raisins. Stir in enough dressing to coat lightly.

The salad can be made ahead and refrigerated. Serve at room temp.

tortellini with 5-minute sauce

At this point, this is just a fantasy meal. But hey, it's got to start somewhere, right? I'm on the heels of a very frustrating soup-making experience (more about that in a minute) and need something truly delicious to cheer me up.

I found a yummy-sounding 5-minute tomato sauce - simple, pure, and I have all the ingredients on hand. I mean, look at it! If you have any love at all for tomato sauce, it's a must-try. Perfect for topping a simple tortellini (once I make it - I have to do some recipe-hunting, first). I am not satisfied with what I've seen of whole wheat pastas - too thick, too crumbly. Here, I'm a traditionalist: al dente, beautiful smooth semolina-based pasta. And then there's the filling. I'll keep working on this. I'm thinking about: the vegan tofu ricotta I've seen, with basil; the small tin of mushroom Tartex I'd ordered from Food Fight along with other stuff, and haven't opened yet; other ideas (spinach with mushroom).

So, back to my previously mentioned soup dilemma. We had a (very) large bundle of collards that were getting long in the tooth, and thought - hey, soup! So I carmelized several onions, adding in lots of garlic for the last few minutes, and slow-roasted up a bunch of veggies in order to get that wonderful sweetness that only comes that way - carrot, rutabaga, 2 different sorts of squash. Chopped up half the huge batch of collards, and threw it all in my big dutch oven, where I'd just done a large batch of veggie broth, heavy on the leeks.. Added in bay leaves. Simmer simmer simmer simmer (about 2 hours); blend with stick blender. Add Bragg's, tahini (about 1/4 c), hot pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, several tablespoons of brown sugar. It is bitter. The topnotes are delicious, but there is an overwhelming bitter taste and I know it's from the collards. Damn it. Hopefully I can rescue it - there's a lot of it! Pretty frustrating experience. I have learned from it, though - a) old collards can be bitter, and b) old collards, in particular, have a very assertive taste, best used in small amounts as part of something like a soup. I think it would've been a lot better if I'd added 1/3 as much as I did.

Coconut tofu with curry dipping sauce, basmati rice & fresh peas

After seeing the delectable-looking coconut tofu on the Postpunk forum by the inimitable Tofu666, I just had to try this! So I stuck it in my recipe sidebar (under recipes to try) and every so often would look at it, think 'hmm...' and then go make something else. It's not low-cal, mind you. Finally I had a what-the-hell moment or two and proceeded to follow his recipe to the letter. Oh my my my - this is not something you want every day, but when you do make it, you'll savor every crunchy, flavorful bite. This would be lovely as 'grazing' food, especially with the wonderful curry sauce (no wrong curry, in my lexicon!)

From the original source:

1 block of extra firm tofu cut into 32 pieces
1 tbs. tamari

Marinate the tofu strips in tamari for 15 minutes.

Then we used the three pan method.

Pan one:

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. black pepper

mix all the ingredients together

Pan two:

1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs. water,
1/8 tsp. green curry paste

mix together until a slurry forms

Pan three:

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (my note: all I could find was sweetened, and it still worked - I've since gotten some unsweetened to have on hand)

Roll the tofu in the seasoned flour, then the cornstarch slurry, finally in the coconut flakes. Be sure to press down a bit on the coconut to make sure it coats the tofu completely.

Deep-fry the tofu in peanut oil @ 385F for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. (my note: I do not deep fry, but this was a sort of shallow fry, about 1/2" of the oil. It still works.)

Green Curry Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 tsp. of curry paste (or to taste)
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp. tamari

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat.

We have been very much enjoying fresh peas and beans from our local farmer's market - boiled til crisp-tender, then tossed with carmelized onion, a bit of margarine, and cracked pepper.