8 posts tagged “vegetarian cooking”
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!!
Stuffed kulchas are permanently associated with Sunday evenings in my mind. Since several of these yeasty flatbreads can be made at one time in the oven, they make a great weekend meal, perfect for vegging out in front of the TV or wrapping up for a picnic.
For ten kulchas-
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 tsp yeast
- a pinch of sugar
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp of nigella seeds/black sesame seeds/ black poppy seeds
For the filling:
- 1 potato, boiled and peeled
- 1/2 cup cheese of choice ( I like fresh cottage cheese/queso fresco)
- a handful of chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley)
- salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala/chat masala/ spice mix of choice
- Mix n match- replace potatoes/cheese with tofu/caramelized onions/shredded cauliflower
- In a large bowl, mix together the flours and salt.
- Mix water and milk together and nuke for ten seconds or so until lukewarm. Stir in the yeast and sugar and wait for a few minutes until the yeast foams.
- Add the yeast mixture and yogurt to the flour and knead for a few minutes. If wet, add a tbsp of flour at a time, if dry, add a tbsp of water at a time to make a soft dough.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for a couple of hours. (For best results, refrigerate overnight.)
- Mix together all the ingredients for the filling. For best results, the dough and filling should be of the same consistency. If in doubt, err on the side of a dry filling..a wet filling will burst through.
When ready to cook:
- Preheat oven to 450F. If you have a baking stone, place it on the lowest rack before pre-heating. If not, line the lowest rack with a couple of layers of aluminum foil.
- Pour the oil into a bowl. Take a piece of dough the size of a large lemon, lightly dip it in the oil, and roll out into a 3 inch wide disc using a rolling pin. Place a tbsp of filling in the center of the disc, and lift up the edges and crimp them together on top. Flatten it down again and roll out gently to form a 5 inch round/oval disc. (For step-by-step visuals, go here.)
- Sprinkle a pinchful of seeds on top and press them into the dough.
- Roll out as many discs as would fit on the stone/foil. Quickly open the oven and place the kulchas on the stone. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes or until well-browned, then flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
- Brush with a little oil/butter if you like.
Serve with yogurt, daal, pickles or tea. Kulchas are traditionally made in a wood burning clay oven, but an oven does a decent job. You can also make them on the grill and serve with grilled veggies.
This post is in response to this. If Emjay's kitchen made you laugh, survey this.
Yep, this is my new kitchen. All of it. The only good thing I can say about it is that there is a window that lets in bright morning sun. (I'm getting rid of the fussy lace thing on the window.) The housing corp guys put a coat of white paint on the hideous dark brown cabinets, and there are shiny new knobs on the doors. The strand of hair trapped under the thick coat of floor wax gives me nightmares, but they do get an A for effort.
Compare this, now, to my old kitchen.
It was simple, white, big, and spanking new. I miss you, dear kitchen. We had a good time together.
For the post-eulogy dinner, I made khichdi and kadhi , lentil-rice pilaf with yogurt-gram flour curry. Perfect comfort food for empty freezer-empty belly days. This is the recipe I always use. I added a spoonful of sugar to my bowl in the traditional Gujarati manner, and it was delicious.
After polishing off all of that and a cup of tea, this is my final opinion. As far as kitchens go, size does not really matter. :)
Jaklumen gave me the idea to make a vegan version of this heartwarming pork and hominy soup. I trolled the web and combined ingredients from all the recipes I found. Except for the shrooms. Mushhrooms in a pozole just don't sound right.
Ingredients-
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (optional)*
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped (optional)*
* I did not use either
1 14-oz can white/yellow hominy
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 potato, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 14-oz can petite diced)
1 cup TVP nuggets
2 dried red chillies, torn ( New Mexico)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
4 cups vegetable stock
1 handful of chopped cilantro
The trappings-
Shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped white onion, green chillies and lime wedges
- Soak the TVP chunks in 2 cups of hot stock.
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven.
- Saute the onions until soft, if using. Add the garlic towards the end.
- Add the carrot, zucchini, potato, oregano, cumin and saute for a few minutes until the vegetables are browned.
- Add the tomatoes and chillies. Saute for about five minutes.
- Add the TVP chunks with the stock, hominy, rest of the stock and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season.
- Stir in the cilantro just before serving. Serve with the trappings and fried tortillas or cornbread.
I actually preferred this chunky, hearty stew to the beany chilli we usually make. It has tons and tons of flavor, and makes for great comfort food.
A meal inspired by summer and sunflowers.
You know how those chefs on Food Network go on and on about texture and color and the tart, sweet and salty flavors coming together in a dish? This dish is a perfect study in all that and more.
The recipe is adapted from the smashing Veganomicon (Couscous with apricots and pistachios). I replaced apricots with cranberries and pistachios with almonds, because that's what I had in the fridge.
Ingredients-
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup halved almonds
- 2 cups Israeli couscous (aka pearl couscous, bigger than the regular kind)
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- Zest and juice of one lime
- 1 tsp powdered cumin
- 1 cardamom, powdered
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- a handful of chopped cilantro
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan.
- Add the almonds and couscous and stir for 4-5 minutes, until they get toasty.
- Add the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, zest and stock. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the stock gets absorbed.
- Towards the end, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the lime juice, cranberries and the cilantro.
We served the couscous with zucchini and yellow squash, marinated in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, and seared on our tabletop grill.
[While I was cooking, A came in and did something I've only
seen men do; he ate some of the almonds I had chopped so carefully, not the
whole ones. I pointed that out, calling it a 'papa thing.' He offered
to chop more almonds. I told him, 'Don't cut your hand'. The guy is a
Surgeon!! LOL..he ended up halving All the almonds in the box, purely
out of WTF spite. :D]
Making corn tortillas at home without a tortilla maker is NOT fun. This time, I stumbled upon an easy solution. Just add a couple of tablespoons of all purpose flour to each cup of masa harina. Makes kneading and rolling out the tortillas a breeze.
Ingredients for soup-
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes in juice
2 poblano peppers
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
1 cup cooked black beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin, roasted and ground
1 tsp coriander, ground
1/2 tsp ancho chilli powder (optional)
a handful of cilantro
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
salt to taste
1 cup tortilla chips (Recipe below, or store-bought)
1 lime, cut into wedges
- Divide the tomatoes into half. Slice the poblanos into two as well, along the long axis.
- Brush the tomatoes and the poblano peppers with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Layer them, cut side down, on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until you get a slight char.
- Add the tomatoes, peppers, chipotle, and juice from the can to the blender. If you like, wash off the baking sheet with some water and add that to the mix as well. Blend to a coarse mixture.
- Pour this mixture along with rest of the spices into a soup pot and bring to a boil. Add beans and corn kernels. Cover and simmer for ten minutes.
- Mix in the chopped cilantro after the heat is turned off. Serve topped with queso, tortilla chips and lime wedges.
Ingredients for tortilla chips-
1 cup masa harina
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup or more lukewarm water
salt to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Knead the flours and the salt with enough water to make a soft dough. Divide into 6 portions and roll out each portion into 6 inch discs. ( If you have trouble with the dough sticking, rub a little oil on your rolling surface.)
- Cook the discs on a flat cast iron griddle on each side until the dough looks done (It loses the translucency and becomes a more opaque white.)
- Brush the tortillas on each side with oil, then divide into half and cut into matchsticks. (Scissors are best).
- Spread the chips on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring at 5 minute intervals, until browned.
This is a Good soup. I can eat this every day. And every night. And all summer.
The perfect summer night supper.
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
10 oz baby arugula (or as much as you like)
1 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Zest of one lemon
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 lb penne pasta
salt to taste
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Salt it and add the pasta. Cook the pasta until a little less than al dente. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan.
- Add the flour to the oil and stir until browned.
- Gently add the milk to the roux, whisking all the time. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for a minute or two until thickened to a saucy consistency. Turn off the heat.
- Add salt, pepper, zest and basil to the sauce.
- Mix the drained pasta with the sauce and cover. The pasta will soak up the sauce while the veggies cook.
- Heat the other tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add the garlic. Saute until softened.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, arugula, and cook until just wilted. Season to taste.
- Serve the arugula tomato mixture over the pasta.
This was so good, I am now officially an arugula convert. :)
Life has been kinda morbid lately. So I dealt with it the usual way..get through the day with minimal possible effort, watch Extreme Cakes on TV, read through a novel, and cook my heart out.
Tempeh Cottage Pie (adpated from the Veganomicon's Tempeh Shepherdess Pie)
- 8 oz tempeh, cubed
- 2 tbsp tamari/ soy sauce
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white flour
- cilantro for garnish
For the mashed potatoes:
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In
a skillet, crumble the tempeh into small pieces.
- Add
the stock, tamari, fennel seeds, chili powder, and 1 tsp of oil.
- Cover and let boil for about 10
minutes.
- Remove the
lid from the tempeh and continue to boil until the most of the liquid
has evaporated.
- Drain the tempeh.
- Return the pan to the stove top over medium heat.
- Saute the
onions in the remaining olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
saute for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the tempeh, along with the sliced
mushrooms and, thyme and coriander. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are juicy.
- Add the flour, and stir until brown. Now add the milk and let it thicken.
- Add the corn and peas, and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a sauce pan, cover the potatoes with an inch of water to spare and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the water out.
- Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper to the potatoes, and mash well.
- Place the tempeh filling in a 10x10 inch
casserole dish. Spoon the potatoes over the filling.
- Place in the
preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. The potatoes should be slightly
golden, if they aren't turn on the broiler for a few minutes.
- Remove
from the oven, garnish with cilantro and serve with herb toast.
For the toast, I simply broiled thick cut slices from a wheat baguette on one side, then flipped them, brushed them with a mixture of olive oil, basil, rosemary, salt and pepper, sprinkled some Parmesan on top and broiled them again. Delicious with the shepherdess pie.
While I was taking pictures of the food, A came home with these.
I feel better already. :)
