Thanksgiving thinking

In past years, we've gotten very overfed, made tons too many roasted veg, and spent time making gourmet dishes (fun!) This year - who knows? For some reason I'm attracted to the idea of a soup (something not often made, like perhaps that fennel soup) served in a small roasted squash or pumpkin, accompanied by a special salad (last year we had a spring mix with apples and candied walnut bits, which was great), and a light dessert.

thoughts:

SOUPS

Carrot and Parsnip soups with tarragon-cashew sour cream
Millennium Cookbook, p.66


Fennel & Fava Soup

Polynesian Peanut Soup With Toasted Coconut
http://www.wftv.com/fourthofjuly/3742553/detail.html

Sweet Potato-Ancho Bisque with Apple-Pecan Salsa & Roasted Red Pepper Cream
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/holidayrecipe … etail.html

Yukon Gold Potato Soup with Black Olive Caviar [skip the egg topping, just olives and chives)
http://www.nbc6.net/news/2124732/detail.html

Alternatively, it would be great to have potstickers, a light and spicy broth-based chinese soup, and ... something something for dessert. More on this later.

Carmelized tofu 
withschezwan green beans and shallots
butterscotch pudding
apple slaw
fresh fruit

SALADS

Strawberry & Spinach salad with a balsamic dressing

Chilled asparagus in dilled mustard sauce 


Green beans in vinaigrette

DESSERTS

Vegan pumpkin pudding garnished with sesame lace tuilles (millennium, p. 210)

Strawberry pie, but made into just a few cupcake-sized tarts, with a puff pastry base and drizzled with chocolate, or the vanilla sauce from Millennium, p.223.

menu items for next week

Crockpot ratatouille http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=791877 with garlic bread
Vegan tamales with roasted peppers & tomatoes http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1199920 with beans
Samosa wraps http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/06/es-samosa-wraps.html (in sparks as http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1141795 ) with salad
Eggplant, Potato and Okra Sabji http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=617306 over rice or with naan
Pav Bhaji (Indian mixed vegetables) http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=11811 on buns with chipotle-roasted carrots
Portabella pepper steak http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1125051 with rice
Vegan dad’s burgers, salad, roast potatoes

Pav Bhaji Masala (converted from the recipe provided here)

3.5 T red chili
3.5 T coriander seeds
5 ¼ tsp cumin seeds
5 ¼ tsp black pepper
.8 oz cinnamon
5 ¼ tsp clove
4-5 black cardamom
5 ¼ tsp dry mango powder
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
Roast all the ingredients separately. When cool, grind it. Shift them and mix dry mango powder, turmeric powder and fill in the bottle.

Check out this free giveaway!

Robin Robertson of Vegan Planet is giving away TWO (yep, count'em) copies of her new cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap! Hie thee hence and add your voice to the fray!

Tofu triangles in creamy nut butter sauce with scallions

I never recorded this here, but Mike and I joined SparkFeople.com a few weeks back. We both have weight to lose, and want very much to continue to enjoy our life together. We just got married, too! Anyway - here's another change in our nutrition, and we both want to continue to enjoy our food, as we both love to cook.

Here's one great recipe from Epicurious.com, originally a recipe by Deborah Madison. We thought the combination was terrific - the best nut sauce we've had and that's saying something. However, we've amended it to cut both fat and salt, so I'm posting it here:

Tofu Triangles:

* 1 carton firm tofu, drained
* 2 scallions including the greens, thinly sliced on the diagonal
* 1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds


The Creamy Nut Butter Sauce:

* 3 Tbs soy sauce, or tamari, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (which is what we used - it's lower in salt)
* 1/4 cup sesame paste, peanut butter, or cashew butter (we used almond butter)
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons white or light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chili oil
* 2 scallions, finely chopped
* 1/3 cup water or stock (we used water)



1. Slice the tofu crosswise into scant 1/ 2-inch slabs, then cut each slab into 2 triangles. Blot with paper towels.

2. Dry-fry tofu in a cast-iron skillet (or do what we do and use a George Foreman grill!) The link here is to an excellent dish we've greatly enjoyed before - scroll down to see a good description of the dry-frying process.

3. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small food processor and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and add a little extra, if needed.

4. When the tofu is done, pour in half the sauce and cook until bubbling and partially reduced.

5. Turn off the heat, scatter the scallions and sesame seeds over the top, and bring to the table.

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fresh Herb and Caper Chimichurri

DELICIOUS! We both decided this recipe belongs in our top favorite soups. Thank you, Veggie Belly, for posting it! I'm posting it here because I made a few changes.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
serves about 4

2 parsnips chopped, about 2 cups
2 celery ribs roughly chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
3 tbsp fresh chives
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Turmeric for color, optional
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups soy milk
1 tsp Olive oil & olive oil cooking spray for roasting parsnips

Preheat oven to 400F

Scrub the parsnips clean. Chop off the ends. Chop the parsnips into cubes. Spray with olive oil and mix to coat, then place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven till the parsnips are golden.

While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large, deep pot with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat till the celery has softened a little – about 3 minutes. Now add the minced herbs and crushed chili pepper, and cook another minute. Add the turmeric, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.

Add the roasted parsnips and milk to the stock. Place in a blender and puree into a soup – as smooth or chunky as you like.

Return the soup to the pot, and warm through before serving.


Fresh herb and Caper Chimichurri
makes about 1/4 cup

1 cup fresh Parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh Oregano
Capers – 1 1/2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of the brine (or use pitted green or kalamata olives instead)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
1 garlic clove

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.
To serve, top your soup with ~Tsp of chimichurri

Pot stickers

from Vegweb, easy and tasty potstickers

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1/3 cup veg broth
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage (I used precut slaw cabbage)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
1/2 cup minced celery
3 tablespoon minced green onion
3 tablespoon minced cilantro
5 large mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1-1/2 teaspoon salt or herbal salt substitute

Directions:

In large bowl, combine flours and water. Knead 15 minutes, adding more flour to water to create a smooth, pliable dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Heat broth in wok over medium heat. Stir-fry onion and cabbage until limp. Add remaining pot sticker ingredients. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and place in colander to drain excess moisture and let cool completely.

Divide dough into 24 small balls. On a lightly floured board, flatten each ball of dough into a 3-4 inch circle. Fill each circle with about 1 T filling. Fold circle into half moon shape; pinch edges to seal.

Lightly coat two large nonstick skillets (or work in batches with one skillet) with vegetable cooking spray. Set over medium heat. When hot, add pot stickers, seam side up, flattening slightly on the bottom. When the bottoms of pot stickers are golden brown, add 3/4* C water per pan. Cover and steam for 20 minutes. Makes 24 pot stickers.

* original recipe calls for 1/2 c but I found that the dumplings went dry, giving me a sort of leathery dough rather than the ideal tender stuff. I'll have to play with this - just make sure your pan doesn't go dry.

Tofu Cacciatore

This tasty cacciatore was quick and easy to throw together, and really highlights the fresh & bright flavor of the ingredients. we used our own homegrown rosemary & parsley, subbed veggie broth (low sodium) for the wine,and added a pinch of hot pepper flakes. Instead of pasta we ate this over basmati. Next time, I'd add maybe a tsp of (vegan) worcestershire, some bell pepper, and would also carmelize the onions rather than just sauteeing briefly, to add a greater depth of flavor. The tomato gravy was delicious but thin, so if you like a thicker gravy, you might add something... nutritional yeast, or some corn flour, either would do it. light & completely filling.

Tofu Cacciatore - originally from http://www.vegcooking.com/recipeshow.asp?RequestID=59

1 lb. firm tofu
1 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped (or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine or low-salt vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried parsley (or 1/4 c. fresh!)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1 tsp fresh)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch of hot pepper flakes, or to taste

• Cut the tofu into 1/2" thick slabs and dry-fry* by cooking on a no-stick skillet about 10 minutes per side, then remove from heat. Cut into 1/2" square cubes.

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carmelize the onion by cooking low and slow for at least 20 minutes (original recipe had you sautee for just 2 minutes, which works - but this is better). Add garlic for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

• Add the tomato paste, broth, tomatoes, mushrooms, wine or broth, herbs, salt, and spices and stir until thoroughly blended. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring often.

• Add the tofu squares and continue to simmer (about 10 minutes) until the tofu is heated through. Serve with pasta or rice.

Makes 4 servings

* You don't need to press this - that's part of the genius of it - and you do not need to use oil. We started doing this after I saw this recipe and have never looked back! It's true - tofu cooked this way soaks up sauces and marinades like nobody's business, and saves on fat. We use a small Foreman grill to do this. Its nonstick grill does a great job on both sides at once.

Chickpea pot pie with a chickpea flour crust

This was definitely one of the tastiest non-Indian dinners we've had lately! We got the potpie recipe off one site and the crust recipe from another.

Pot pie I found we needed to add in 2 more tablespoons of besan flour & 1 of cornstarch. We also substituted one medium-sized potato for the noodles. This has the BEST gravy!

Crust 1 1/2 times this recipe made enough dough for 7 individual pot pies - and we now have 5 of them in the freezer for later. I love doing that for busy or lazy times.

We found this completely filling but I do think a green salad or other green leafy side would add to it.

Favorite dishes

Soups – celery, carrot, squash, split pea, cashew tomato, tomato & garlic bread
Creamy curried veggies
black beans and yellow rice
quinoa salad with black beans and sweet potato
sweet chili lime tofu with collards and quinoa
Seitan pepper steak w/ rice (tester recipe for Isa's new lowfat vegan cookbook!)
backyard BBQ tofu curls w/ coleslaw on buns (Veganomicon)
Bindhi masala
Chana masala
Brussels sprouts and gravy
Aloo muttar
tomato rice
risotto
roasted veggies and sautéed beans
pasta with marinara sauce
tostadas

Marinara sauce

Marinara Recipe
Makes ~ 4 cups
Gluten free, soy free, 30 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil (I reduce this to maybe 1 tablespoon - you might try to see what suits your taste)
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Fresh black pepper to taste
24 oz can crushed tomatoes (may be 28 oz can- one large can, or two small will work)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I usually omit this, the tomatoes and olives are salty enough for us)
Zest of one lemon

Preheat a 2 qt pot over medium low heat. Add the olives and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), black pepper and sauté a minute more. Add tomatoes and salt (if using) and stir. Cover pot, leaving a little gap for steam to escape and cook for 10 minutes. Add lemon zest, stir, and serve!

Spicy sweet dipping sauce

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-and-Sweet-Dipping-Sauce/Detail.aspx

this is the one! full of sugar, but it doesn't take much at all.

makes 4 servings - actually it makes much more than that. how often do YOU need 1/4 c of dipping sauce? 1/8 c would be more like it. this worked well with the pot stickers I made.


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup rice vinegar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small, non-reactive pot, and mix in sugar until dissolved. Reduce heat to low, simmer 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Mash the garlic and salt into a smooth paste, and mix into the pot. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Cool to room temperature before using, or store up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Bhindi Masala

We went out for Mike's birthday last week to Kokila, a very good Indian restaurant specializing in Southern cuisine, and while I loved my dishes, his bhindi masala was just superb. Hopefully this one comes close!

Followup: Oh yeah. This was GREAT! I've never liked okra, but this rocked!

Copied with slight variations from this wonderful blog

1 lb bhindi (okra)
1 medium yellow onion
1-2 ripe tomatoes, (1 is enough if it is large)
2-3 T oil
1/8th tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp amchoor (dried raw mango powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 T chopped cilantro, optional

Clean okra with a damp towel, and after it is completely dry, slice into thin rounds, discarding the ends. Slice the onion thinly and dice the tomato finely.

In a large wok, heat the oil, and add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add cumin and fennel seeds, followed by onion, and saute for a minute. Add turmeric and okra and saute till it starts to change color slightly. Let it cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and chili powder, and continue to stir-fry on medium-low heat until everything is cooked together, which takes 5-10 minutes depending on the okra. At the end, add salt, and the remaining spices, and keep cooking for a few more minutes on low heat, stirring if required. Add cilantro.

Mango chicken curry with rice

I've been searching for a curry my mother used to make for a very long time. However, the base of it was a KnorrSwiss curry mix that isn't available any more (believe me, I've tried to find this!) and Mom added to it with curry powder she'd gotten in Johannesburg, asking a friend to bring some back for her, after we moved elsewhere. The curry used mutton or chicken, and stewed all day long in its sweet/savory sauce. It was served over rice with lots of 'sambal' accompaniments - chopped peanuts, tomatoes, bell pepper, raisins, onion, mango chutney. Now obviously, I'm not going to make a real chicken curry, but there is a new product on the market that's astoundingly similar to chicken - gardein. The texture is so very like chicken that with the right treatment it's a perfectly satisfactory replacement - otherwise, I think I'd use chickpeas, potatoes, or dry-fried tofu pieces in its place.

I found the following recipe here and got rather excited to see if it might be the same (or similar) to that early favorite of mine - in fact, it's what I used to beg for as a birthday dinner, year after year! I'll paste it in, with my changes:

Mango Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

* 3 Tbsp (or more) of vegetable oil
* 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
* 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
* 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 2 mangos, peeled and diced
* 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar
* 1 1/4 cup water
* 4 gardein 'chicken' breasts, rinsed and dried, chopped in 1" cubes, or 1 container of tofu, cubed and dry-fried.
* 1/3 cup golden raisins
* 1/2 cup coconut milk
* Salt and pepper
* Cilantro for garnish

Method

1 Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and another tablespoon of oil, cook for a couple more minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin, cook for a few more minutes. The spices will absorb some of the oil, so if anything begins to stick too much to the bottom of the pan, add a little more oil to the pan. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for one minute more.

2 Add the vinegar, water, and a 1/2 of the chopped mango to the pan. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Scoop the sauce into a blender. Purée the sauce, pulsing until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.

3 Add Gardein pieces and raisins to the pan. Return to a low simmer. Cover the pan and let cook for 8-10 minutes.

4 Add remaining mango pieces to the pan. Stir in the cream. Let cook at a very low temperature for another minute or two, uncovered. Do not let boil! Or the cream may curdle. Adjust seasonings. If a little too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If not sweet enough, you can add a dash of sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 4.

Tofu pot pie

This recipe was cobbled together from several others, and ended up being really good - as someone has said, pot pie's one of those all-forgiving recipes. Much credit to Vaishy, whose terrific pastry crust recipe we used, and to Susan, whose recipe supplied an herbal template for the filling - though I went my own way with how it went together, being somewhat short of time after a trip to a used bookstore! As an added note, I really wish stores would not use lard by default in their premade crusts. When we realized we'd be running late, I suggested getting one of those Pillsbury crusts, which are so great to work with - but none of those, nor any of the store brands, used anything but lard.

Pie crust
(original here):

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tbsp transfat-free vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried herbs (Vaishy used rosemary and thyme; we used thyme, sage, onion powder, and poultry seasoning to go with the filling)

Mix together all the ingredients. Cut the shortening into the flour with a fork until no large lumps remain. Add just enough cold water and stir with a fork to mix. When the dough comes together, divide into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling
original here


1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
-- saute these veggies in a little olive oil (about 1 tsp) til fragrant and just a bit brown, set aside

8 ounces portabellas
-- slice mushrooms. place in hot covered pan (I use my heavy cast iron for this) medium-high 'til mushrooms lose their liquid and become quite fragrant. set aside.

2 large carrots, diced
1 L potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
-- boil in water sufficient to cover for 10 minutes, drain and mix with other veggies.

1 package extra-firm tofu
-- cube and dry-fry to lightly brown and let some water cook out. mix with veggies, set aside.

1 1/2 c veg broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper -- or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
-- bring to boil, simmer for around 10 minutes. remove bay leaves, then thicken by removing some of the hot broth and mixing it with the cornstarch slurry mentioned below.
6 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water

I found it still wasn't thick enough so ended up adding besan (chickpea) flour. Make sure you let the thickened mix cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat & stir in the last few ingredients.

1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mellow white miso

Assembly

Use deep-dish pan. fill crust and bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until top crust is brown and filling is bubbly. Remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes.

hot dog!

Following a ppk post on variations for vegan sausage, I'd like to try these hot dog spice mixes. The idea is to amend Isa's sausage recipe in the (highly recommended!*) Vegan Brunch cookbook with the alternative spices.

FRANKFURTERS/HOTDOGS (1)
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder or granules
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp ground celery seeds
½ tsp mace (can sub nutmeg)
1/2 to 1 tbsp prepared mustard


FRANKFURTERS/HOTDOGS (2)
½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder or granules
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp mace (can sub nutmeg)
¼ tsp marjoram
½ tsp ground mustard seeds
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp white pepper
2 tsp sugar



* The tofu scramble recipe in this book is our favorite so far - and in fact, I made it and shared it with my omni family Christmas morning, along with homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls - everyone thought both were great! Also, the bagel recipe is one I've been using weekly & have done countless variations on - there's a batch of cinnamon-raisin bagels in the breadmaker right now, in fact. I made people bagels as gifts, giving each family 2 little bags with a total of 8 bagels, 2 of each kind: cinnamon raisin, pumpkin pie with walnuts, sundried tomato, and carmelized onion. I don't add extra sugar, just the spices, and that worked out really well.

Awesome Hoppin' John

Mike found a great recipe that he amended for our dinner tonight, and ate over some leftover basmati, plus a collard tester recipe for Isa (which will become a new favorite). You'll find the original recipe for the hoppin' john here, but here's how it was amended:


Adams Hoppin' John & changes

2 tablespoons safflower or other light oil
1 medium chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes (Italian style w/basil & oregano)
for future efforts: add at least 1/2 can of tomato sauce to make sauce thicker.
1 - standard size can of Rotel (probably abt. 9 oz but I'm too lazy to check this)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bag cook-ready black-eyed peas (cooked in pressure cooker for 9 minutes using quick-release method; you could use 2 cans of b.e.peas instead)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped chipotle with about 1 tsp adobo sauce from the can

Directions:

Heat oil in a very large skillet. Add the onions and saute over low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to saute until the onions are golden. Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook until tomatoes have softened a bit, about 5 minutes. Add peas & stir together well, simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Serves: 6-8

Preparation time: 30 minutes