79 posts tagged “recipes”
I'm trying to quit apologizing for my Vox absences; things are the way they are. Instead, I want to share our brunch recipe for this weekend. Its easy, nutritious, and delicious.
This dish is best made with fresh cottage cheese or paneer. Store brought paneer, fresh Mexican cheese (the kind that does not melt) and tofu will work, but do try it with fresh paneer. Its delicious!
To make about 2 cups of paneer, you will need:
A large 2 quart microwave safe glass bowl/jug
2 quarts 2% milk
1/4 cup white vinegar (Different people use different curdling agents. Using yogurt will give you a milder tasting paneer. My mother always uses fresh lime juice as a curdling agent. It gives a fresher-tasting paneer.)
A large fine-mesh sieve, or a colander lined with muslin/layered cheesecloth
Heat the milk in the microwave until it comes to a boil. In my microwave, this takes about 14 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the milk on the stove. When it comes to a rolling boil, stir in the vinegar. You'll see the milk start to separate.
Continue heating for another couple of minutes or until the greenish whey completely separates from the curds. Drain this mixture through the sieve, using your spoon to press out the whey.
You can save the whey and use it in other recipes-remember, its a little sweet. I like to use it to make rice and smoothies.
There it is, fresh paneer. Try tasting it with a little seasoned salt or sugar. You can also add salt, pepper and herbs to the curd-whey mixture before draining it to get seasoned paneer.
Other ingredients for the stir fry:
6 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups chard, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 green chillies, chopped
one clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and stir until the cumin seeds pop.
Then add the green chillies, garlic. Saute for a few seconds, and add the paneer.
Crumble the paneer with the back of your spoon and saute until nicely browned.
Add the greens and saute until they are just wilted.
Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with naan/garlic toast/rice. Enjoy!
Perfect for the cold rainy-gray weather we've been having.
Adapted from this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sumac (optional)
- 3/4 pounds kale, stems and ribs discarded and leaves thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in upper third.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and paprika and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for twenty minutes or until golden brown. Spread
cheese and kale on top of potatoes and roast for another couple of minutes until the kale is wilted.
Beat together tahini, water, lemon juice, minced garlic and sumac until smooth.
Toss kale and potatoes with tahini sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Vegetable sizzlers are a family favorite- vegetables and potato patties in tomato sauce spread on a hot cast iron tray, drizzled with a butter-vinegar mixture for that special sizzle.
Enter the I Diet. This is week 5 of the 8 week plan, and I have lost 8 lbs. The diet is great in terms of nutrition, satiety and all that, but it leaves much to be desired in its vegetarian menu plans. I've been tweaking most of the recipes to make them more taste bud friendly. Thus, the spicy tofu stir fry morphs into the quasi-familiar Indo-Chinese sizzler.
You do need some kind of cast iron tray for this. A fajita tray, sizzler tray, or even a cast iron griddle will do, as long as you have a server that you can safely put under it.
Ingredients-
1 package (14 oz) firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes, cubed
1 lb broccoli, stems and florets trimmed and chopped
1 lb green peppers, chopped into bite size pieces
6 oz carrots, cubed
6 oz mushrooms, sliced thick
1 tsp canola oil
4 leaves cabbage (important- do not omit)
3 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chilli garlic paste
1- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp or more cilantro, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
- Parboil the carrots and broccoli until they are cooked through but still firm. I microwave them on high for 2 minutes with a few drops of water, then quickly dunk them in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.
- Saute the mushrooms in a non-stick pan until they release water. (I didn't use oil.) Then add the peppers and saute some more. Finally add the carrots and broccoli along with 1 tbsp soy sauce. Stir around for a minute or so.
- Remove the vegetables.
- There should be some broth left over in the pan. I added the tofu cubes to this broth and let them steep in it until they absorbed the flavor. You could do that, or cook the tofu your favorite way- pan fry, steam or broil.
- Toss the vegetables and tofu together with the ginger and cilantro.
- Stir together the remaining soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chilli parlic paste. You can add any broth left over in your veggie pan to this, as well as a tbsp or two of dry sherry/water.
Now comes the fun part.
Heat the cast iron pan on the stove. Brush the oil over the pan with a silicone brush/ crumpled up towel. Wait until the oil barely starts to smoke. Lay down the cabbage leaves over the tray, covering the whole surface with a single layer of leaves. Heap the vegetable tofu mixture on top. You should start to hear the sizzle. Make sure your family and friends are at the table before you drizzle the sauce over. Voila..smoke and sizzle!
Carefully transfer the hot tray to the server. Be careful while serving/eating from the tray- hot cast iron is not friendly to the skin. Serve some rice on the side and enjoy!
To be perfectly honest, its not that painful. I'm full most of the time, and have even managed to keep the binging-when-I'm-alone thing at bay. Maybe because I'm so busy cooking all this 'diet' food.
Toss together in a large bowl:
5 oz broiled tofu ( I used miso-rubbed tofu, broiled for about 7 minutes on each side.)
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup diced tomato
2 tbsp lite Italian dressing
1/2 cup boiled pinto beans
2 tsp taco seasoning (I used a mix of chilli powder, toasted ground cumin, dried oregano)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
Top with 2 tbsp of light sour cream (I skipped that) and 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese.
One serving has about 300 calories, a whopping 30 gm protein, 5 gram fat, 30 gm carbs and 8 grams of fiber. Its delicious, especially when followed by a 'sugar free gelatin dessert'.
Unfortunately, the authors consider eggs, fish and gelatin to be vegetarian. So I had to take matters into my own hands and create a sugar free, calorie free, jelly dessert that is Vegan!
Agar desserts don't wiggle like real Jello, but they are delicious and gelatin-free. I was quite happy with the end result.
Update: I need to go shopping for smaller clothes. :)
A peasant salad from Tuscany, made with stale leftover bread. Add tomatoes, basil, olive oil, let the flavors seep in to the bread, and devour. Simple food at its best.
Recipe adapted from that bacon lovin' geek, Alton Brown. :)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups bread, left out overnight, cut into cubes (try to use a dense bread that won't turn to mush when it touches liquid- sourdoughs work well)
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped cucumber (peel and remove seeds if using big fat ones)
- 1 tbsp finely minced red onion
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- a handful of torn basil leaves
Toast the bread lightly on a griddle. Sear the halved grape tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of oil, cut side down, until caramelized.
Combine red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl, slowly whisk in 2 tbsp olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified.
Combine all tomatoes, bread, onion and cucumber and dress with vinaigrette, toss well, garnish with basil and serve.
The best part in this salad is undoubtedly the bread- it soaks up all the sweet-sour-tomato flavor and becomes juicy and luscious and fabulous. My last advice- use lots of bread. :D
Adapted from the wonderfully named CheapHealthyGood blog, who adapted it from Nick at Serious Eats who adapted it from Epicurious.
Yeah, its that good.
What you need:
1 cup nonfat evaporated milk
3 cups light vegetable stock
1 cup polenta
1 teaspoon oil
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
- Add the evaporated milk, stock, polenta, salt and pepper to a large pot over medium heat. (Be careful with the salt, the stock and the parmesan will both have salt as well.) Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute or so. Add the kale, garlic, and saute until the kale turns bright green and wilts. Turn off the heat and add the thyme and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the butter and parmesan to the pot with the polenta. Stir until combined. Spoon some of the polenta onto a plate and then top with the mushroom and kale. Serve warm.
Even though we made it on a Saturday, this is a great weeknight recipe. Easy and soul satisfying. The writers at CheapHealthyGood even wrote an ode to the recipe. Go read. :)
From Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. A wonderful cookbook with an amazing breadth of recipes.
Ms. Jaffrey says to use unwashed risotto rice to get at all the starch- a shocking idea for a compulsive food washer like me! A good risotto, she says, is adult 'nursery food', with an assertive density, and a decided bite. Never undercooked, but firm and creamy, like well-cooked pasta.
I took a leap of faith and followed the instructions, down to the unwashed rice. The end result was a gorgeous risotto- simple, creamy, perfect.
Ingredients:
4 cups light vegetable stock ( I used one stock cube dissolved in 4 cups hot water)
3 tbsp olive oil ( I used one tbsp)
1 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 small onion, finely chopped ( I did not use it)
1 tbsp golden raisins
10 oz fresh spinach, washed, dried, chopped
1 cup unwashed risotto rice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
Heat the stock and keep it hot over low heat.
Pour the oil in a large, heavy saute pan. ( I used a dutch oven.) When hot, add the pine nuts. Fry them until golden brown. Remove.
Now add the onion to the oil. Fry it for a minute, and add the raisins. Stir a few times and add the spinach. Fry for a few minutes, and add the rice and cinnamon. Fry for another minute.
Pour in a ladleful of stock. Turn the heat to medium and keep stirring. As the stock gets absorbed, keep adding another ladleful and stirring. Keep doing it until all the stock is gone, for at least 22 minutes.
Add and stir in the cheese and butter, until well mixed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Let the risotto rest for a minute, then serve with pine nuts sprinkled on top.
When I find a recipe that combines all the veggies in my fridge that need to be used up, I run with it, even if it is from the infamous Food Network. These galettes are easy to make, delicious, and perfect for a crowd. Cut into smaller squares for appetizers and larger ones for main course.
The recipe follows, with my modifications in brackets.
Arugula Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh arugula, cleaned and packed
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach, cleaned and packed
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons sliced toasted almonds (I used walnuts instead, thinking the heavier flavor of walnuts would go better with arugula.)
- 3/4 cup olive oil (I used 3 tsp)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 tbsp)
- Pinch salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Galettes:
- 1 box puff pastry sheets, thawed (substitute pizza dough, mini pitas, flatbreads, whatever rocks your boat)
- 3/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers
- 3/4 cup sliced roasted yellow peppers (I stuck the peppers in the oven while the pastry thawed, and they were done in about twenty minutes.)
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
To make the pesto: In a blender, combine the arugula, spinach, Parmesan, garlic, and sliced almonds. Blend on low and slowly drizzle in the olive oil and the lemon juice. Blend until the mixture completely emulsifies. Remove from the blender and season with salt and pepper.
To make the galettes: Cut the puff pastry sheets into 6 (6-inch) round circles. (I just cut it into squares with a pizza cutter.) Place each circle on a parchment-lined pan. Spread about 3 tablespoons of arugula pesto over the top of each puff pastry circle. Sprinkle the roasted peppers evenly on top. Divide the feta cheese evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe.Our household kitchen chef did, and found it worthy of four stars. Serve with a salad and nice wine. Enjoy!!
Two words: Comfort. Food.
I really haven't felt like cooking since my family left. Everything that mom brought- the home made wheat cookies, the cute silver bowls shaped like a leaf, the three bronze musicians on my wall- remind me of home and what I'm missing. Thank goodness for the barefoot contessa, who tempted me back into the kitchen with her lobster pot pies.
I usually make pie crusts at home, thinking they are bound to be healthier than store brought ones, but a comparison showed that there isn't much difference in terms of calories. Using frozen puff pastry sheets made this a true comfort food, easy to put together in less than an hour.
For the filling:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1.5 cups milk
1 tsp vegetable stock concentrate
a handful of fresh herbs (I used sage and thyme)
6 cups of parboiled/fresh veggies (cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, peas and mushrooms)
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast/cheese
salt and pepper
For the crust:
I used one frozen puff pastry sheet for four mini loaf pans/ramekins
1 tbsp oil+1 tbsp milk, for brushing
coarse salt and black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, and leave the puff pastry sheet on the counter to thaw.
Heat the butter in a dutch oven. Add the flour and stir until you get a dark brown roux. Whisk in the milk and the stock concentrate and bring them to a boil. Add the mustard, yeast, veggies. Season and let simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are cooked through.
Divide the vegetable filling between four mini loaf pans/ramekins. Cut the thawed puff pastry sheet to fit the pans, leaving half an inch overhang all around. (You could also use a dutch oven to cook the veggies in and then just cover it with the whole sheet). Cover the pans with the pastry sheet, seal the edges and brush the surface with milk and oil mixture. Sprinkle some coarse salt and pepper on top if you like, cut at least two vents into the crust, and bake until the top is well browned (about 20 minutes for the mini-pans.) Let stand for ten minutes before serving.
This was good with a simple green salad, even better when followed by the Skinny Cow chocolate fudge icecream.
p.s. Why do you think I can't find any fat free frozen yogurt when I want to binge?
Yes, such a beast exists.
I have been fascinated by challah for a long, long time. It has to be one of the most beautiful breads out there, and most bread baking books are full of praises for the rich festival bread.
Or it could just be that I wanted to braid dough. :)
I found Maggie Glezer's sourdough challah recipe at The Fresh Loaf. It is a comprehensive recipe with detailed instructions, which makes it so much easier to follow.
To make it vegan, I replaced the eggs with a flax seed emulsion and the honey with agave nectar. Here is the recipe with my modifications.
For the starter:
2 tablespoons (1.2 ounces) active firm sourdough starter
1/3 cup (2.8 ounces) warm water
1 cup (4.8 ounces) bread flour
For final dough:
1/4 cup warm water
3 large eggs, plus 1 for glazing I replaced the three eggs with 3 tbsp of powdered flax seed plus 9 tbsp water. For the glaze, I used 1/4 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water.
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons agave nectar
About 3 cups (14 ounces) bread flour
Fully fermented sourdough starter
Evening before baking:
Knead starter into water until it is partially dissolved, then stir in the flour. Knead this firm dough until it is smooth. Let the starter ferment until it has tripled in volume, 8 to 12 hours.
Baking day:
In a large bowl, beat together the water, powdered flax seeds plus the additional water, salt, oil, and nectar until well combined. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix in the bread flour. When the mixture is a shaggy ball, scrape it out onto your work surface, add the starter, and knead until the dough is smooth, no more than 10 minutes. If the dough is too firm to knead easily, add a tablespoon or two of water to it; if it seems too wet, add a few tablespoons flour.
The dough should feel smooth and very firm but be easy to knead.
Fermenting the dough:
Place the dough in the warm cleaned bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment for about 2 hours. It will probably not rise much.
Shaping and proofing the dough:
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Braid the dough as desired, position the loaf on the prepared sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof until tripled in size, about 5 hours.
30 minutes before baking, arrange one rack in the upper third position . Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the glaze for the loaf. (Vegan glazes- soymilk, cornstarch and water, baking soda and water.) I microwaved 1/2 tsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water for three minutes. Online forums suggested that it would give the bread that eggy shine. Unfortunately it did not quite work out that way. :)
Baking the loaves:
When the loaf has tripled and does not push back when gently pressed with your finger, brush with the glaze. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until very well browned. If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent it with foil. When done, remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a rack.
I have not had regular challah, but this version was delightful. Not very soft, but a rich, sweet flavor- the crust was especially delicious. The crumb is light, soft and moist. I will be making this challah again.
The vegan sourdough challah goes to the weekly Yeastspotting over at the Wild Yeast blog.
