Vegetable and Tofu Korma

February 8, 2010 in curries, tofu & tempeh, veggies | Tags: , | Leave a comment

It’s no secret that I adore Indian food.  When I sojourned in India to practice with Gurji in Mysore, a friend of mine claimed that the true motive behind my trip was to eat Indian food for three straight months. Unfortunately, eating at Indian restaurants, whether they be on the beloved sub-continent or stateside, tends to leave me feeling disgustingly full, which invariably leads to self-loathing and swearing off Indian food.  Although many Indian dishes are vegetarian, they are often prepared with lots of ghee (clarified butter), heavy cream, and starchy thickening powders.  The all-you-can eat buffet lunches typical of American Indian restaurants only exacerbate the problem.  As I found out in Mysore, repeated exposure to Indian food has the undesirable effect of complicating certain poses … Marichyasana D, for example.

A veganizable version of vegetable korma in a recent Vegetarian Times issue caught my eye.  But I found VT’s recipe to be rather bland, so I modified it substantially, adding tofu and amping up the spice factor (among other alterations).  The most rewarding part of this experience was discovering that I can enjoy healthy Indian-inspired fare, minus the post-dinner sensation of a lead bowling ball residing in my stomach.  This makes for much happier yoga practices.

This recipe will yield about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) — see notes below
  • about 4 oz. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • about 3 cups mixed chopped vegetables (I used cauliflower, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots, but use whatever you like or have on hand — green beans, zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant would also work beautifully)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 2 very large tomatoes, or 3-4 smaller ones
  • 1 small white or yellow onion.
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • a thumb sized chunk of ginger root, peeled
  • 3 T raisins
  • 1 T coconut oil (or some other cooking oil)
  • 2 T sucanat, evaporated palm nectar, or brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk
  • Indian spices: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp clove powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder  (see notes below)
  • 1/4 -1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • rice for serving (I used brown jasmine, but basmati is more traditionally Indian)
  • optional garnish: fresh cilantro and cashews

To make:

  1. Prepare rice according to directions.
  2. Puree in a blender the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger.
  3. In a medium-large stir-fry or sauce pan, heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat.  Add the Indian spices and stir for about a minute, until they release their fragrances.
  4. Add the tomato puree, chopped jalapeno pepper, and sucanat;  let the mixture reach a simmer, stirring.  Add salt, if desired.
  5. Stir in the vegetables, chickpeas, and tofu, and raisins and stir thoroughly.  Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer about ten minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.  Stir occasionally.
  6. Serve over rice, garnished with cashews and fresh chopped cilantro (or coriander leaves, as they say in India).

Notes:

  • About the chickpeas . . . I’ve been trying to avoid canned foods whenever possible.  I draw the line of possibility right before breaking open coconuts to extract coconut milk, so I did use canned coconut milk for in this recipe.  My landlord in India showed me how to break coconuts open in the driveway, but I’m still a little intimidated by his technique.  Maybe someday.  However, while it’s undeniably convenient to reach for a can of chickpeas, it’s also not so hard to cook them yourself, and you’ll avoid the extra sodium and preservatives in the can.  Here’s how:  Cover dried (preferably organic) chickpeas over night, in water that rises about 3 inches above the beans.  When ready to cook, rinse the beans and remove any of the soft shells that may have floated to the top of the water.  Then put the soaked beans in a stockpot and cover with water again.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least an hour or until beans are tender and soft.  I used the leftover beans to make a batch of hummus – always a good staple to have on hand.  If you do use canned chickpeas, just makes sure to give them a solid rinse before adding them to the korma.
  • About the spices . . . If your spice rack is a little sparse, don’t be intimidated by this long list of spices.  You can substitute more of one spice for something you don’t have, or you can just use curry powder and cinnamon.

RAW Creamy Carrot-Avocado Soup with Mango

January 29, 2010 in RAW, soups | Tags: , , | 2 comments


This delicious soup is creamy, satisfying and totally RAW!  Admittedly, it would probably make a better mid-summer’s snack as opposed to lunch on a 10 degree day in January  (thank you, New England).  Maybe it was a bit of wishful thinking on my part?

If you don’t have a juicer, you can used pasteurized/bottled/store-bought carrot juice …. but the final product won’t be raw, of course.

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 mango, chopped
  • about 1 1/4 cup of fresh carrot juice — more or less according to how thick or thin you want the soup to be.
  • a small handful of fresh basil leaves
  • a small handful of fresh mint leaves
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • 1/2 inch chunk of ginger root, peeled
  • 1 T (more or less) flaxseed oil
  • something crunch for garnish (I used red bell peppers)
  • sea salt to taste

To make:

  1. Run the ginger root through a food processor to mince.
  2. Add all other ingredients EXCEPT carrot juice (and red bell pepper/crunch garnish) to the food processor and process until well combined — however, save a bit of the mango and avocado for additional garnish, if desired.
  3. Slowly add in the carrot juice until an even consistency is achieved.
  4. Garnish with mango, avocado and red bell pepper …. and enjoy!

Raw Wild Rice Salad

October 26, 2009 in RAW, salads | Tags: | 1 comment

wild rice salad

 

I really had no intention of posting this dish.  If I did, I would have tried to make it look better.  Basically it came about because of my recent obsession with soaking and sprouting nuts, seeds and legumes, which has been an interesting mix of successes and failures.

I’ve had a bag of wild rice sitting around in my pantry for some time, but I’ve always thought wild rice has a strange taste to it, so it was hard to get excited about it.  I decided to soak the rice, just for kicks.  I did this for about two days, and then on a (hungry) whim threw together this salad, which was actually really, really tasty  – and totally raw. For some reason it just works together.  I didn’t take measurements, so this is approximate, and should serve about 2.

Ingredients for the salad:

  • wild rice, soaked in filtered water for 2 days or until soft and chewy (change water once a day)
  • fresh, raw colorful vegetables (I used carrots, tomatoes, red bell pepper and cucumber
  • a bed of greens (I used baby spinach leaves and arugala)

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • juice of one lemon
  • pinch of dried tarragon (this was totally random, I just bought it for kicks because I’ve never used it; any old dried herb — or none at all — would be just as fine)
  • about 2 fistfuls of fresh parsley
  • some flaxseed oil, maybe a T or
  • a small chunk of fresh ginger, minced
  • about a T or so of raw apple cider vinegar  (use more lemon juice if you can’t find it)
  • about 1 tsp of raw honey
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make:

  1. Mix together the rice and veggies in a bowl.
  2. Make the dressing: I used my handy new immersion blender to make the dressing.  It came with a cup that the blender fits neatly into, which is perfect for making dressings  – just put all the dressing ingredients in there and blend away.  If you don’t have one, I might suggest chopping the parsley very finely (a regular food processor works great for this) and mixing it in with the rice and veggies, then just whisk together the remaining dressing ingredients.
  3. Pour dressing over rice and veggies and mix.
  4. Serve over bed of greens.

Green Lemonade

October 25, 2009 in Juices, RAW | Leave a comment

green lemonade!

A few months ago, after reading up on the many benefits of consuming fresh fruit and vegetable juices, I purchased the cheapest respectable juicer I could find: the Breville Compact Juice Fountain.  Since then, I’ve been *meaning* to try out some green juice concoctions, those enzyme and nutrient rich beverages so highly revered by the raw food movement.  According to many,  green juice is where it’s at.  I’ve even heard it described as “life-changing.”  But, I have to admit that I was so enthralled with making frothy fresh OJ and grapefruit juice in the morning that I didn’t get around to attempting the green stuff until today.  This was my loss.  Green juice is amazing.  I have had unusually high energy all day long, for no other explicable reason. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I’m hooked nonetheless.

By the way, note that once you begin drinking fresh juices, you will find it hard to return to the pasteurized, bottled varieties (i.e., essentially any juice you buy at the grocery store or in a bottle or carton).  First of all, fresh juices just taste a million times better.  But more importantly,  pasteurization destroys the enzymes in fresh juice, which is what makes it so healthful.  These enzymes detox and cleanse at the cellular level, and they are key for digestion.  Also, juicing the greens removes the fiber, which allows for easier and faster absorption of nutrients.

I made this from what I had on hand; I added in the apple, ginger, lemon, etc. to spice it  up and give it a more palatable lemonade-y taste.   The result was somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 ounces of juice.

Ingredients (use organic if possible!):

  • about 7 or 8 stalks of kale
  • one carrot
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 honey crisp apple
  • 1 lemon
  • tiny chunk of ginger (like half the size of my pinky nail)

To make:

  1. Throw it all in your juicer according to directions and behold the frothy green glory.  Consume immediately.

Butternut Squash-Pear Soup

October 23, 2009 in soups | 1 comment

bss

Rather predictably, fall has graced Boston with its colorful presence yet once again.  Among the notable implications of this:  (1) the city is gorgeous with vibrant autumn foliage, (2) a full ten surya namaskara are required to break a sweat in morning practice, (3) girls wearing giant Uggs look slightly less ridiculous than they did a month ago, and (4) those annoying pumpkin-inspired “foods” have made their seasonally ubiquitous appearance on every menu in town.  (Something tells me that the Pumpkin-Spice Frappacino at Starbucks is pretty far-removed from the pumpkin patch…)

ANYWAY, I haven’t gotten around to procuring any pumpkins yet, but I do love winter squash. Recently, I signed up for this brilliant service from a local company called Boston Organics.  They deliver a box of organic produce right to my door every week, and for a very reasonable price too.  They even kindly allow customers to maintain a list of “no” list of items that they never want to receive, which can be updated at any time. My last box contained leeks, Bose pears, and . . . butternut squash!  There was no choice but to throw together some soup.

One more thing.  I used my soup aspirations as an excuse to purchase a particular gadget I’ve been coveting for some months now: an immersion blender.  It’s absolutely perfect for pureeing soup, and Cuisinart makes one for only $29.99 — well worth it.

This should serve about 4.

Ingredients:

  • 2 T or so of coconut oil (or some other cooking oil, but coconut handles heat the best)
  • 1 leek, finely chopped  (can substitute a yellow onion or some shallots)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • a chunk of fresh ginger (about 2 inches or so), minced
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into one inch chunks (seeds can be reserved for topping if desired)
  • 2 pears, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks (I used Bose pears, but I’m sure other varieties would work just as well)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (or more) ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

To make:

  1. In a stockpot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add leeks and saute, stirring frequently, until they become soft, about 5 minutes or so.
  3. Add in the garlic and ginger and saute a minute or two more.
  4. Add in butternut squash and pears and saute about ten minutes more (stirring frequently).
  5. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat; add salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  7. Cover and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the squash is tender.
  8. Meanwhile, if you wish, toast the squash seeds on a skillet over high heat until they begin to brown.
  9. Once the quash is tender, it’s time to puree the soup.  This can be done with an immersion blender right in the pot, or via the old-fashioned and considerably messier method: in batches, using a traditional upright blender or food processor.
  10. Garnish with cinnamon and toasted seeds and enjoy the autumn goodness.

Heirloom Gazpacho with Fresh Corn and Avocado

September 26, 2009 in RAW, sides, snacks, soups, veggies | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

gazpacho

After what I affectionately refer to as my “European Summer of Self-Indulgence,”  I have been attempting to clean house with a raw food kick.  The raw food movement has always intrigued me.  But every time I crack open a raw food recipe book, I am ultimately scared away by the unfamiliar, expensive, and/or time consuming appliances and processes such as food dehydrators, juicers, Vita-Mix blenders (the ones that will apparently puree rocks) and, the most scary thing of all — sprouting.

If you share my raw food fears, take heart.  It’s quick and easy to whip up some great raw food recipes without a major investment of time or money.  While eating 100% raw is intimidating (and for many of us, impossible), the benefits of raw, living foods can be easily experienced just by incorporating more raw food meals into your diet.  Raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts are a high vibration food — the ultimate whole food, completely unprocessed.  Undamaged by heat, which changes the chemical structure of food, they are rich in vitamins, minerals, oxygen, and enzymes. Eating raw foods is a gift to your digestive system and allows you instantly access the energy of what you eat.  Since I’ve made an effort to incorporate more raw and living foods into my diet, I’ve experienced a very noticeable increase in energy and quite welcome feeling of lightness.  And I still haven’t attempted to sprout a thing — although I must admit my curiosity is starting to get the better of me . . . stay tuned for possible forthcoming adventures in sprouting.

I have enjoyed a bowl of this gazpacho pretty much every day since I first made it about a month ago — no kidding.  It’s great as a meal or refreshing snack.  I like to make it with colorful heirloom tomatoes, but any fresh, juicy tomato will do.  The addition of fresh raw corn was pleasant surprise.  I grew up in Indiana, surrounded by corn fields, and corn was always a rather boring and pedestrian starchy vegetable that I typically avoided. But when cut fresh off the cob, it adds a great crunchy sweetness to the gazpacho — although any crunchy fresh vegetable can provide the same effect.  Gazpacho is often made with garlic, but raw garlic is sometimes a little too much for me to handle, so I don’t use it. Feel free to add it in for an additional flavor boost.

gaz 2

Serves 2.

Ingredients for the soup:

  • about one pound of heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • one medium to large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • about 1 T of cold expeller pressed extra virgin olive oil (or more, to taste)
  • a fistful of fresh basil leaves
  • about a cup of a coarsely chopped “filler” vegetable  - whatever you have on hand (I like to use carrots or red or orange bell peppers)
  • pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the garnish:

  • one avocado, chopped
  • fresh corn from one cob
  • optional: shredded veggies such as carrots

To make:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well mixed.
  2. Top with garnish and serve

French Toast in France and the Wonders of Cooking with Orange Juice

September 26, 2009 in breakfast, stir-fries, tofu | Leave a comment

french toast in france

Greetings, friendly readers.

As you may have noticed, I took a hiatus from posting due to a hellish and hectic spring finals period followed by a summer of European travels and then a cross-Boston move.  I never intended for the gap in posts to grow so long, but what can I say?   In the words of John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

While Europe was an amazing experience, both culinarily speaking and otherwise, it posed a number of challenges to plant-based eating (and yoga practice too, but that’s a whole different story).  Let’s just say that I got quite adept at reading food labels in other languages.  Now that I’m back in my own kitchen, regular posting should resume.  But first,  I thought I would share a few words about my Euro-cooking experiments.

While I was lucky enough to travel all over Europe over the course of the summer, I was largely stationed in Strasbourg, France, where I had an internship with the Council of Europe.  Although the kitchen in my flat was workable, I felt a bit lost without some of my beloved kitchen tools and appliances.  It only took one day of drinking Nescafe for me to invest in a French Press, but the lack of a food processor was another story entirely.  I found myself buying packaged hummus for the first time in over a year — only to discover that the Euro-version of this vegan staple listed lait as its second ingredient.   I’m not even sure that such a product could rightfully be called  hummus.  As Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romano so accurately put it in their excellent cookbook Veganomicon, “Hummus is to vegans what air is to the rest of humanity.”

Luckily, I landed a sweet and spirited roommate named Rita, a Portugese girl who shared my interest in cooking.  Rita’s mother shipped her a hand-held blender, which is quite a handy device.  It functions much like a blender or food processor, yet is considerably easier to clean (if my old yoga teacher Scot happens to read this, he will be thinking “I told you so”).  Rita was generous enough to loan me the use of her blender to make my vegan French Toast batter.   She also turned me on to the organic whole grain bread stand at the biweekly farmer’s market in our neighborhood.  This thick, hearty bread made for fantastic French toast.  When topped with maple syrup, shaved chocolate, shredded coconut, toasted almonds and fresh organic berries, it was really to die for.  It even won Rita’s seal of approval: “If I could eat like this,” she said, “I could be a vegetarian, too.”

Unfortunately my apartment lacked measuring cups, so I can’t provide the measurements I used (and even if I did have measuring cups, they would have been in metric).  The batter is similar to my perviously posted French Toast recipe, which goes to show how malleable such recipes are.   But I found the addition of a banana into the batter yields a very tasty end result.  The batter should be the consistency of a thick milkshake; add more soy milk to thin it out.  You can make a big batch of this and keep in the fridge and have French Toast all week (you may need to add more soy milk to thin it out). Basically, blend or process the following together:

  • banana
  • firm tofu
  • soy milk
  • whole wheat flour
  • raw sugar
  • vanilla bean

Then heat a skillet with a bit of oil and, after submersing slices of the bread of your choice in the batter, fry the bread on each side until golden brown.  The bread I was using in France was very dense and chunky, so I even stood the bread up on its side and heated the edges for a bit, just until browned.  Then go all out and top with fruit, chocolate shavings, coconut, nuts, cinnamon,  maple syrup — whatever strikes your fancy.

*         *         *         *         *

So onto . . . cooking with orange juice?

stir fry

Yep.  In trying to improvise stir-frying in France, I started using orange juice, which provides a great tangy sweetness that really compliments cooked leafy greens like spinach, which I used in the pictured dish above.  This is good knowledge to have because orange juice is easy to find, easy to keep on hand, and incredibly versatile.  OJ also goes well with tomato based dishes — orange juice, tomatoes, and cinnamon make a fabulous combination, for examle.  To use the OJ in your stir-fries, just start with a bit of oil and add your veggies in layers, incorporating the orange juice toward the end.  I found that orange juice, coconut milk, and soy sauce make a fantastically creamy stir-fry trio (especially when cooked with fresh minced ginger).

Rosemary Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with Acorn Squash

April 7, 2009 in grains | Tags: , , , , | 1 comment

dsc_1561

 

Risotto . . . it’s like comfort food for grow-ups. 

Once upon a time, my cooking repertoire contained a super cheesy- buttery risotto that was adored by all (especially my friend Kim, who I never see anymore, possibly as a result of the fact that I no longer make “the” risotto).  I was so attached to the dairy-laden recipe that, fearing profound disappointment, I avoided attempting a vegan risotto for some time.   Turns out (as it so often does) that my vegan version is far superior — it has more flavor and  is every bit as creamy and satisfying.  The recipe has won the seal of approval from my family and fellow-Hoosier-in-Boston John, who has mastered the art of  ”stirring constantly.”

The acorn squash is a nice addition because it adds another layer of creamy, thick deliciousness (and also a good dose of beta-carotene).  Cooking the squash a little longer will give it a mushier texture and cause it to blend right in with the risotto. Pumpkin, butternut squash, or any other winter squash would work equally well.

Serves 4-6.  

  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1/4 C + 1 T olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely
  • 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped finely
  • 1 3/4 cup white wine
  • 1 3/4 cup aborio rice
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (dry, NOT oil packed)
  • 5 oz or so of spinach (can be fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts (pignolias), toasted
  • salt and ground pepper to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Fill a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water and place the squash in the dish, cut side down.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until squash is tender (insert a fork to determine).  Remove squash from the pan and allow to cool.  Cut squash into bite-sized cubes. 

2.  Bring the vegetable stock to a near boil and cover.  Reduce heat to a low setting so that the broth stays warm.  Meanwhile,  in a separate large stock or soup pot, heat 1 T of the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the onion and garlic for about ten minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to caramelize.  

2.  Add the rosemary, salt, and pepper, and saute a minute or two more, still stirring.

3.  Add the aborio rice and stir, for about one minute, until the rice becomes translucent. 

4.  Add the wine and turn the heat up to medium high.  Continue to stir constantly, until the wine is absorbed.  

5.  Begin to stir in the vegetable broth with a ladle, adding about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed.  About halfway through the broth, begin adding in the sun-dried tomato, mushrooms, and spinach (gradually, continually stirring).

6.  Once all the liquid has been absorbed, turn heat down to the lowest setting and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Then add in the olive oil and butternut squash and stir well.  

8.  Serve hot, with toasted pine nuts.

Banana Coconut Spelt Mini-Muffins

March 26, 2009 in appetizers & snacks, baked stuff, breakfast | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

mu

On the last full moon, I hosted  an enormous brunch for my Ashtangi friends Petar and Callie and our teacher Scot.  There are a lot of changes in the air with respect to the Ashtanga scene at Back Bay.  The studio is moving (in fact, just moved) to a completely new space down toward the Park AND Scot is leaving his position as co-director of the Ashtanga program (and we will miss him dearly!).  So, this brunch was something of a commemorative event.  We gorged ourselves on many things that I intend to remake and post eventually, but this was the only one I found a chance to photograph that particular morning.  

The mini-muffin is a nice format for a smorgasboard kind of meal because it’s not so intimidating and filling as a full-sized muffin, allowing room to enjoy the rest of the treats.  Of course, this batter can be used for full-sized muffins too, though you might need to bake  them a bit longer.  

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 1/2 cup spelt flour
  • 3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed 
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut, plus more for topping
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

To make:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 and grease a muffin sheet (or line with muffin liners).

2. Combine flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3.  In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and sugar.  Add to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

4. Fold in the shredded coconut. Pour into muffin tins, filling 3/4 to all the way full (I like to fill them up because I like a big billowy muffin top, but it’s the baker’s call, of course).  Sprinkle the tops with additional coconut.

5.  Bake 375 for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins pass the toothpick test.  Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a plate or wire rack to cool further.

Sauteed Edamame

March 21, 2009 in 5 ingredients or less, appetizers & snacks, legumes, sides | Tags: | 2 comments

edamame1

The insanity of my academic life as of late has prevented me from taking the time to document my culinary creations, but last night’s dinner was so tasty and simple that I had to post it.  

I must give credit for this dish to Kelly Jae’s Cafe, a new tapas restaurant in my hometown of Goshen, IN.  Living in Boston has spoiled me a bit in terms of ready access to vegan fare, and whenever I go back to Indiana I’m always having to ask bewildered waitstaff to make multiple modifications to my order (e.g., “Yes, I’ll have the chicken quesadilla salad, but no chicken.  And also no cheese.  Oh, and no Mexi-Ranch dressing, either.  Can I just have extra salsa instead?  And maybe some extra black beans?”).  On my recent trek back to my native land I was delighted to discover that there is now a restaurant in Goshen (actually, in Indiana) that is very vegan-friendly.  Kelly Jae’s offers multiple dishes that are already vegan and plenty more that can easily be made vegan.  

Edamame is the Japanese word for soybeans, which are a great source of protein.  Soybeans are native to Asia and soy products are a common feature in many Asian diets.  Soybeans are now grown everywhere in the U.S. — a development that began during the Great Depression when soy was used to regenerate the drought-stricken soil of the “Dust Bowl”  (soy has nitrogen-fixing properties).  In addition to the infinite selection of soy-based food products, soy also has many industrial uses, everything from textiles to paints, plastics, and fuels.  Henry Ford played a major role in advancing in the U.S. soybean industry: at one point, soy was used in the production of all Ford cars, and Ford himself was known to wear a suit made entirely out of soy.  Soy is the U.S.’s biggest agricultural export today, but most of the soy actually consumed in America goes to livestock feed.  Luckily, we are now seeing an increase in the use of soy products as people catch on to the many health benefits and versatility of soy. 

Kelly Jae’s menu called this dish “pan-seared edamame,” which sounds a lot more exotic than plain old “sauteed edamame.”  But I’m not sure I actually “seared” the beans because searing is supposed to take place very fast over very high heat, whereas I cooked mine at a medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes.  I think searing is most commonly employed as a technique for cooking meat, but this all goes to show how much I have to learn about cooking!   I also added a little bit of red bell pepper to mine just for a vegetable boost.

At any rate, this will serve about 2-4, depending on whether you serve it as a main dish or a side dish.  You can buy frozen shelled edamame in most grocery stores. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen shelled edamame (I didn’t bother thawing mine — just threw them right into the pan)
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped finely (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

To make:

1.  Heat the oil over medium high heat.  Saute the shallots, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn brown and caramelize (probably about five minutes or so).  Add in the garlic and saute for a minute more.

2.  Throw in the edamame and saute, stirring frequently, until they start to brown little. I threw the red bell pepper in closer to the end of this process so that it remained a little crisp. This process took about 10 minutes for me. 

3. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Basic Tabouleh Salad

February 20, 2009 in grains, salads | Tags: , | 6 comments

tabouleh-really-good-close-up

I’m frequently concocting various cous-cous or quinoa based salads, which I love to spruce up with nuts, beans, dried or fresh fruits, etc. However, I always make this very basic and traditional tabouleh salad to accompany falafel.  But it’s also quite excellent by itself.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry cous-cous (preferably whole wheat)
  • about 1 to 1 1/2 cups packed fresh parsleuy leaves (this ends up being about one of those standard-sized bunches you find at most grocery stores; it can be the  curly or flat variety)
  • about 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves (again, about one of the bunches you find at the grocery store)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 small to medium sized cucumber, chopped
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 3 T lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sea salt, or more to taste
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

To make:

1.  Place cous-cous in a bowl.  Bring one cup of hot water to a boil, then pour it over cous-cous;  cover and let stand for about ten minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

2.  In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, garlic and ground black pepper. 

3.  Put parsley and mint in a food processor until finely chopped.  If you don’t have a food processor, get out your chef’s knive and have at it. 

4.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Tabouleh can be served cool or at room temperature.  The flavor will improve if you let it stand for awhile.

Falafel with Cucumber-Dill Sauce

February 20, 2009 in dips, spreads & dressings, sandwiches | 1 comment

 

falafel

Last weekend’s cooking adventures took on a very middle eastern flavor:  falafel, hummus, tabouleh salad and my very first attempt at making baklava (stay tuned for the baklava post). 

I’m going to go ahead and make a sweeping generalization here: pretty much everyone loves falafel, which are little patties made out of fried chickpea batter and a common form of street food in many countries of the world (though they are Arabic in origin).  I had my first falafel from a street stand in Amsterdam circa 2001 (thank you, Debbie, for the formal introduction) and have been hooked ever since.   If you’ve got a food processor, falafel is pretty easy to make at home, and the homemade version is way tastier than the boxed dry falafel mixes available most health food stores.

My first two attempts at making falafel resulted in a big mushy, crumbly mess.  The key,  I discovered, is always testing out a patty before you commit to rolling and frying the whole batter.  If the patty falls apart in the oil, simply add more flour to the batter until the patties maintain their shape.  Once you become a falafel pro, you’ll develop a sense for how wet the batter should be. 

Falafel isn’t exactly elegant food (can “elegant” and “fried” go together?).  In many parts of the world, it’s actually considered “fast food,” but I’ll take it over McDonald’s any day.  It’s often served with a tahini sauce or yogurt cucumber sauce; I’ve developed a tofu-based version of the latter that I always make to accompany my falafel.

This batter should feed 4 to 5 people.  I recommend serving on pita bread with tabouleh,  hummus and cucumber-dill sauce (recipe below).  Tip: only fry what you’re going to eat right away, because the falafel simply must be eaten hot and fresh.  If you only use part of the batter, the remaining batter can be kept in the fridge for a day or so until you’re ready to eat it.  

Falafel Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 T ground cumin
  • scant 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper, preferably freshly ground, more or less to taste
  • 1/4 cup  flour (I sometimes use chickpea flour in keeping with the theme of fried chickpea batter, but all-purpose or white whole wheat will do just as well); plus reserve some additional flour aside, be added in before frying
  • oil for frying — something neutral, like canola or grapeseed, but olive oil would be okay too. 

To Make the Falafel:

1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, and bread crumbs until well chopped.  Then add in the remaining ingredients (except for the frying oil) and combine until everything is well incorporated.  Put the batter in a bowl, cover, and refridgerate for about 30 minutes (or more).

2. Fill a skillet with a layer of the frying oil — it doesn’t have to be much, less than 1/4 inch will do.  Heat the oil to a medium high heat. 

3.  Now, onto the frying: always, always, ALWAYS do a tester patty.  It’s very likely that you will need at add in more flour, maybe even up to 1/4 cup more, depending on what kind of flour you are using and how wet your batter is.  The patties are made by rolling the batter into little balls, about one and half inches, and then slightly flattening them into patties (this will help you get more frying coverage).  Throw your tester patty into the hot oil.  If it falls apart and crumbles, you definitely need more flour.  Fry on one side a few minutes, until the sides start to turn golden brown.  Then flip and fry the other side, until the whole patty is golden brown.

4.  Remove falafel from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and briefly place on paper towel to blot excess oil.  Serve hot!

fried

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cucumber-Dill Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 cup silken tofu
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1.5 T lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh dill weed or 2-3 T dried dill weed
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
  • black pepper to taste

To Make the Sauce:

1.  Combine all ingredients in a food processor.   You may have to scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper to ensure that all the ingredients are well incorporated