Friday, June 28, 2013
FRENCH ONION SOUP
This, to me, is reminiscent of La Madeleine's French onion soup. Maybe I'm just delusional, but this is good! I made it for a meat-eater, and she loved it! As a bonus, this is very low-cal, but still uber delicious. If you like soup and onions, you have to try this!
Ingredients:
*3 white onions, sliced
*1 Tbsp oil*1 cup dry sherry
*8 cups water
*3 cubes “beef” bouillon, 1 cube vegetable bouillon
*Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat large soup pot over high heat, add oil, and wait until it shimmers. Add onions and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until onions are a deep, dark brown, 25-35 minutes.
a. If onions stick to pan, turn off heat, cover stuck onions with loose onions, and wait about 2 minutes. This will steam the onions and release them from the bottom of the pot. Stir onions together and return pot to heat.
2. When the onions are dark brown, add the sherry and deglaze the pot by scraping the sides and bottom clean with a spoon. Simmer sherry until it has almost evaporated.
3. Add the broth and simmer at least 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and paper.
SPICED EGGPLANT-LENTIL SALAD WITH MANGO
Need an awesome salad? Here ya go! This is a little tangy, a little sweet, and a lot of yum! I have substituted squash for the eggplant when I ran out, and it was just as tasty. The eggplant has a little spice that just works so well with the sweetness of the dressing. I recommend finding a good lentil recipe (maybe I should post one!), so that you don't have boring brown lentils. I like to add red wine and red onion about halfway through cooking. Whatever you do, this is an amazing salad that tastes so fresh and sweet.
* 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
* 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
* 2 medium eggplants (3/4 pound each), trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/3 cup lemon or lime juice, plus more if desired
* 1/4 cup prepared salsa
* 1/4 cup agave nectar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
* 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (see Tip) or one 15-ounce can, rinsed
* 2 bunches scallions, coarsely chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish)
* 4 cups torn romaine lettuce
* 2 large ripe mangoes, peeled and diced (see Tip)
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, cashews, or sunflower seeds
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil with 2 teaspoons each chili powder and curry powder in a large bowl. Add eggplant and toss well. Spread the eggplant on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Thoroughly combine the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon each chili powder and curry powder, 1/3 cup lemon (or lime) juice, salsa, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the roasted eggplant, lentils and scallions; gently toss to combine. Taste and season with more pepper and/or lemon (or lime) juice, if desired.
4. Serve the salad on a bed of romaine, topped with mango, nuts, cilantro and the reserved 2 tablespoons scallions.
BROCCOLI RICE CASSEROLE
I love this meal. It's packed full of vegetables, and has a subtle cheesiness that you've got to love. It's a fantastic way to get my son to eat his vegetables. And who doesn't love a casserole? You can prep them ahead of time and just pop it in the oven just before dinner (though if you do that, wait to put on the breadcrumbs until you're ready to cook). It also reheats very well, so yay to leftovers! I bet it would also make a great side dish at the holidays. Bam! One more awesome thing about this dish!
Ingredients:
* 1 large head broccoli , chopped
* 1 cup squash or zucchini, chopped* ½ red bell pepper, chopped
* ½ red onion, chopped
* 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
* Oil
* ¾ cup peas
* 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
* 3 heaping teaspoons flour
* 1 cup nondairy milk (maybe a little more)
* 4 heaping teaspoons nutritional yeast
* Pinch nutmeg
* Pinch dry mustard
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* Vegetable broth, as needed, optional
* 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (or 1 bag cooked instant rice)
* Protein, optional (seitan, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, etc., preferable marinated in lots of lemon pepper and a little oil)
* Cracker, panko, or bread crumbs
* Cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Steam broccoli and squash until crisp-tender.
3. Sauté onion and garlic in a bit of oil, briefly, 3-5 minutes, until onion is starting to turn transparent but is still crisp.
4. Melt margarine in a saucepan. Stir in the flour. Keep stirring until it is thick. Whisk in the milk, then nutritional yeast. Add nutmeg and dry mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste. If it gets too thick, add some veggie broth.
5. In a casserole dish, spray dish with cooking spray. Combine rice, steamed broccoli and protein, if using. Pour the sauce over it all.
6. Top with panko, crushed crackers, or breadcrumbs. Spray with cooking spray.
7. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.
PIZZA CRUST
It took me a while to get used to vegan pizza. I mean, I was an extra, extra cheese please kind of girl. As I tried my hand at different pizzas, I realized that the crust was more important than ever! In the past, the cheese covered up any other flavor, and a bad crust could be forgiven. But not now. I could buy those pre-made pizza crusts, and they had had the convenience that I wanted from a pizza, but I didn't want to spend $6 on the crust alone. So I set out to find a dough that I could make for cheap and that I could freeze for easy use later. This is that crust. It is nice and doughey, like a pizza crust should be, it's cheap (just check out the ingredients), and I can make 3 with this recipe and freeze the rest for later use. How great is that?
Ingredients: (makes 3)
* ¾ oz active dried yeast (1 small package)* 2 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 ¾ cups warm water
* 2 cups flour (either all the same flour or 2 cups wheat flour and 3 cups white flour)
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
1. Mix together yeast, sugar, and water, and stir until dissolved. Set aside and allow the mixture to activate, about 5 minutes (this means it will turn a little frothy)
2. Add half the flours (or flour), and stir until a batter forms. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until the mixture becomes too stiff to stir. Mix in any remaining flour by hand.
3. Remove dough from the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Knead the dough by folding it onto itself until it is smooth and elastic. Adjust the consistency, if needed, with a bit of water or flour, adding 1 Tbsp at a time.
4. Turn oven on 200 degrees for 2 minutes, then turn off. Meanwhile, form dough into a ball. Coat a large bowl and dough with oil. Put the dough in the bowl, cover it with a warm kitchen towel, and put dough in oven for 90 minutes.
5. After 90 minutes, give the dough some light slaps to flatten it out, then put it back in the oven for about 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
7. Punch the dough and knead it once or twice only. Cut the dough in 3 equal sizes (6 if you want little individual pizzas).
8. Dust the dough, work surface, and your hands with plenty of flour, and roll the dough out with a rolling pin.
9. Bake dough for 3 or 4 minutes, then remove it and let cool. Wrap pizza crust and freeze.
When crust is needed defrost it on the countertop for 30 minutes, add toppings, and bake until crust is crisp.
SPICY/SWEET INDIAN RICE
Ingredients:
* 1 cup brown basmati rice
* 1 tbsp vegetable oil* ½ tsp cumin seeds
* ¼ tsp turmeric
* ½ tsp cinnamon
* ½ tsp ground coriander
* ¼ tsp ground ginger
* ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
* 3 ½ cups water
* ½ cup alternative milk
* 1 tbsp brown sugar
* 2 tbsp cashews
* 1-2 tbsp raisins, optional
* ½ - 1 tbsp butter
1. Wash rice and soak in water for 15 minutes in cold water. Drain up to 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and turmeric. After a few seconds, when the cumin seeds begin to darken, add the cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and nutmeg. Quickly stir.
3. Add rice and stir until blended. Continue to cook for a few minutes until rice is lightly toasted.
4. Pour water into rice, cover, and turn heat to low. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes without stirring or lifting lid.
5. Remove cover and add milk, brown sugar, cashews, and raisins. Stir briefly. Cover again and cook 10 more minutes until rice is cooked. Remove cover and allow rest of liquid to evaporate, if necessary.
6. Add butter and fluff with fork.
SAFFRON TOFU
A few years ago I was staying in a hotel with a friend, taking the Bar Exam. My wonderful husband came up to visit with my then 5 month-old son and some awesome Mediterranean food. He brought hummus, pita bread, rice, and something called saffron chicken. It was chicken in a creamy yellow sauce that had a buttery rich flavor. A few weeks ago, my husband got a hankering for that same dish, but without the chicken, of course. I decided to replace the chicken with tofu, and what developed was spectacular. The entire family loved it. And here it is for you:
Ingredients:
* ½ block extra firm tofu, drained, and cut into cubes
* Vegetable oil* Turmeric
* Salt
* ½ large onion
* ½ tsp garlic
* About 5 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
* 1/3 cup red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
* ½ cup white wine
* 1 ½ cups chick’n broth
* ¼ tsp saffron
* 1 can full-fat coconut milk
* ¾ tsp salt
* ¼ tsp pepper
1. Heat oil in pan. Add tofu and sprinkle with turmeric and generous amount of salt. Cook until mostly brown. Remove tofu from pan and place on paper towel to drain.
2. Add more oil, if necessary. Cook onions and garlic for a minute. Add mushrooms and bell peppers. Sauté until a little soft.
3. Add white wine to pan, stir. Cook until wine is almost evaporated.
4. Add chick’n broth, tofu, and saffron threads. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 10 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. If sauce is still too thin, simmer a bit longer. Sauce should be soupy.
Mattar Tofu
MATTAR TOFU
This is a very delicious, spice-ful dish that is low in calories and high in taste! I added cauliflower to the mixture because I'm always looking for ways to add more veggies to a dish, and cauliflower and Indian food go hand-in-hand.
Ingredients:
8 oz super firm tofu, drained and chopped into cubesVegetable oil for frying
4 tsp salt
2 ½ tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp oil and melted butter mixture
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 or 2 fresh chilies, seeded and minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb fresh or frozen peas
½ lb fresh or frozen cauliflower
2/3 cup water
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala
Directions:
1. Drop tofu into solution of 3 tsp salt, 2 tsp turmeric, 2 cups warm water, and let soak.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil-butter mixture over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, minced chilies, and grated ginger. When cumin seeds are browned (30 – 45 seconds), toss in garlic, remaining ½ tsp turmeric, and a few seconds later, the peas. Add the 2/3 cup water, the cauliflower, and the tomatoes, cover the pan, and cook peas until tender.
3. In another pan, heat vegetable oil. Remove tofu from soaking liquid and fry in oil until lightly crispy and brown. Add tofu to peas mixture. Cook over medium heat for about 5 more minutes.
4. Just before serving, add generous squeeze of lemon, and season with remaining tsp of salt and the garam masala. Yum!
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