Our Veggie Kitchen

Last May, I made an amazing batch of Tomato Chutney (recipe here). It was so good, that I ate a bunch of it over plain rice and even a few spoonfuls straight while leaning over the sink. I knew at the time that I needed to find a way to make it into a main dish. I remembered this as I was eating Aloo Gobi at a local Indian restaurant. This dish was simmered in a spicy tomato sauce and I knew a similar batch cooked in the tomato chutney would be perfect. . . and it was.

I used 4 serrano peppers and this batch was very, very mild. I've been fooled by mild peppers before, claiming that this Rajma recipe was mild (it was the first time), with each successive batch being fiery hot. So, what I would suggest, and did with this batch, is to simmer the peppers, then, to control the heat, mince some or all of them and stir them into the finished dish.



Aloo Gobi
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon black mustard seed (yellow is OK)
1 tbs ginger, grated
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch of asafetida (hing) (optional)
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup water
6 medium tomatoes, diced
4 serrano peppers, with slits cut down the sides
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a stock pot or deep saute pan. Add the cumin seed and mustard seed and stir until the cumin begins to sizzle. Stir in the ginger, bay leaves, paprika, turmeric and asafoetida. Cook for just a minute or so, then stir in the potatoes and cauliflower. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir to coat the veggies and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until the potato begins to soften. Add the tomato and peppers. Cover again and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 15 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower has softened and the tomatoes have released much of their liquid.

Mix together the sugar and cornstarch with a little water. Stir into the sauce and add the cilantro and salt. Allow to rest for a couple minutes before serving.

4 Servings: 212 cal (8g fat, 34g carbs, 6g protein)

One of my favorite blogs, Manjula's Kitchen, has been having monthly contests and I've finally joined in on one. This month's contest is for rotis or parathas. I learned the art of the paratha from her blog and, when I've got the time to spare, I love to make parathas stuffed with cauliflower or spinach. When I'm a little short, I go for simpler rotis. Tonight, I thought I'd try to combine them, by mixing the filling right into the dough.

The dough was a bit on the fragile side and the rotis didn't puff much as they cooked, but it was a success nonetheless. I adjusted my technique a bit and, by the end, I had a colorful flatbread, with slight pockets of air and a wonderful flavor and aroma. My wife and I ate the entire batch, with bowlsful of Aloo Gobi.



Spinach Roti
(inspired by Manjula's recipe)

Dough:
1 1/2 cup atta (chapati) flour or whole wheat or a mix of wheat and A/P flour
3/4 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
Filling:
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tbs ginger, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded & minced
1 bunch spinach, washed & chopped
pinch asafoetida
1/4 tsp salt
For cooking:
about 1/4 cup flour, spread on a small plate
about 1 tbs vegetable oil, in a small dish

For the filling, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seed and cook until they begin to pop. Add the ginger, serrano pepper, spinach, asafoetida and salt. Cook, stirring often until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Scoop the spinach onto a small plate, cover with another plate and press to drain. Allow to cool somewhat.

For the dough, mix together the flour, salt, spinach mixture and most of the water in a large mixing bowl. Knead the dough (I do it right in the bowl) until the dough is soft and pliable. Add water as needed so you have a tacky, but not sticky dough. Divide the dough into 8 balls, cover and let the dough set for a few minutes.

To cook, Preheat a heavy bottomed frying pan to medium-high. Brush with a little oil. For each roti, dip the ball of dough into the flour and press down. Flip so both sides are dusted with flour. Roll out into a circle, about 6 inches across. The dough won't wand to roll out as much as regular roti, and will tear if you roll it too thin.

Peel off the dough and stretch a bit in your hands. Add to the fry pan and shake the pan a bit to prevent sticking. As soon as the roti begins to dry in the middle, dip a spoon in the oil, brush the roti with the back of the spoon and flip. Dip the spoon again and brush the partially cooked top. Using your fingers or a spatula, rotate the roti as it cooks. The surface contact will cause the roti to form air bubbles as it cooks, but will not puff up completely. When the roti has browned in patches, flip and finish the other side. Remove and cook the next roti.

I've been on a dead since the year began, it seems. Lately, I either come home with a stack of work, or I collapse on the couch and try to recharge. My creativity has taken a turn toward comfort food, and I've been obsessed with soup; the ultimate too busy for a meal, ladle in front of the TV, or just fight off a winter chill comfort food.

This soup started off as a throw-things-into-a-pot batch, but the aroma of the roasting pumpkin told me that I needed write it down. It ended up being a blending of flavor that was slightly warm, had just a hint of lime and a beautiful color that complemented its pumkiny goodness.



Southwest Roasted Pumpkin Soup
3 tbs vegetable oil
6 cups diced pumpkin (or winter squash)
1 medium onion ,chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 dried chipotle pepper, seeded & torn
4 cups water
15 oz can white kidney beans
4 oz jar pimentos
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lime, juiced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a glass casserole, toss together the pumpkin, onion, garlic and chipotle pepper with the vegetable oil. Bake uncovered until the pumpkin is tender, about half an hour. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.

Combine with the remaining ingredients (except the lime) and blend, in batches, until completely smooth. I blend in batches of 2-3 cups. Just make sure you don't overload your blender. Pour the blended soup into a stock pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in the lime juice and remove from heat.

5 Servings: 300 cal (10g fat, 49g carbs, 10g protein)

For the first time, a couple months ago, I started making unbreaded, marinated, pan fried tofu.  I stumbled across this tofu recipe which used leftover cranberries in a marinade for tofu steaks.  I tried it and was hooked.  I love the texture for sandwiches.  That experience set me off and, a few iterations later, I came up with this recipe.  The marinate is sticky sweet, a little tangy and has just a hint of heat.  The steaks make an amazing sandwich, but they're also great in a salad or sliced for sushi.



Sweet & Spicy Tofu Steaks
1 lb tofu
2 tbs vegetable oil
Marinade:
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs mirin (or other vinegar)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Drain the tofu and cut into 1/2 inch steaks.  Mix together the marinade ingredients.  Pour into a lidded container and stack the tofu slices, making sure that the marinade covers.  Refrigerate for at least several hours; overnight is better.  I've kept the tofu marinading for as long as two days and the flavor is better the longer it sits, but at some point, you get antsy and you just want to eat it.

When ready to cook, oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  If you don't have a large enough pan, you may have to cook in a couple batches.  Place the tofu in the pan and ladle a couple spoonfuls of marinade over the top of each slice.  Cook, gently moving the tofu to avoid sticking, until the steaks are fully browned.  Flip, adding a couple more spoonfuls over the slices again (you will use less than half the marinade).  Also spoon a little into the pan.  When the steaks are fully browned on both sides, remove from pan and allow to cool a little.  Add to a covered container and refrigerate.

4 servings:  122 cal (6g fat, 1g cabs, 7g protein)
Note:  I figured 50% absorption of the oil and 1/3 use of the marinade.

I'm always looking for new ways to cook cabbage.  And today I added a cabbage & some mushrooms & tempeh to some coconut milk and red curry paste for a simple Thai curry.  And, in the process, I made a handy discovery.  A small can of coconut milk has 28 grams of fat.  It's creamy and delicious but it can quickly turn a healthy meal into an indulgence.  Well, today, I ran out, so I used a small can of coconut milk and a cup of SoDelicous Coconut Milk Beverage.  The result wasn't as creamy as pure coconut milk, but it was more than passable.  I will definitely explore this for future Thai meals.



Red Curry with Cabbage & Tempeh
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, halved & sliced
3 red jalapeno peppers, seeded & julienned
1 head cabbage, cored & chopped
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 small can (5.5 oz) coconut milk
1 cup SoDelicous Coconut Milk Beverage. (or more coconut milk)
2 tbs red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
1/4 cup Golden Mountain Sauce (or soy sauce)
4 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
12 oz tempeh, cubed

Whisk together the coconut milks, curry paste, Golden Mountain sauce, lime leaves and tempeh and set aside.  Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the peppers, cabbage and and onion.  Saute just until the cabbage begins to soften, then add the mushrooms.  Continue to saute until the onions are soft and the mushrooms have given off some of their liquid.  Stir in the coconut milk/tempeh mixture and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the cabbage is cooked through.  It's easy to overcook the cabbage, so be attentive.  It should be done in 15-20 minutes, depending on how long you sauteed it.  Serve with rice.

5 Servings:  327 cal (19g fat, 26g carbs, 21g protein)

We hosted a birthday and a Super Bowl party this weekend. I made three loaves of Semolina baguettes that were pretty tasty, but somehow one of the loaves tasted quite a bit better. I can't even begin to guess why that might be. I made a batch of cheese sauce and baco-bacon dip and the birthday girl kept bragging "that dip doesn't have bacon or cheese" I made red beans & rice and a batch of Cajun mushrooms with vegan andouille. Oodles of Southern themed food for twenty people screaming for a Saints Super Bowl. We weren't disappointed.

The hit of the party, though, was my Beeps & Greens.  I simmered black eyed peas (BEPs) with collard greens, tomatoes, carrots and the Cajun trilogy of onions, celery and bell pepper.  After a couple hours of simmering, it was creamy and comforting; a definite treat.



Beeps & Greens
1 lb dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
4 carrots, diced
1 bunch collard (or other) greens, trimmed and chopped
28 oz can diced tomatoes
10-12 cups water
1 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a stock pot.  Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and saute until soft.  Stir in the garlic and spices (except salt).  Stir for a minute, then add the black eyed peas, tomatoes, carrots and greens and water.  Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer until the black eyed peas are tender, an hour or two depending on the age of the beans.  Add more water as necessary.  Remove the bay leaves and season with salt.  Scoop out 2 cups of the soup, blend in a blender, then return to the pot.  Stir to combine and serve.

8 Servings:  280 cal (5g fat, 47g carbs, 16g protein)

We'll be hosting a Super Bowl party tomorrow.  So, last week, I started scanning the internet for cajun cooking ideas (go Saints!!).  During my search, I stumbled upon this video of a New Orleans' classic:  Parasol's Po Boy sandwich.  It's a giant sandwich with shredded lettuce & tomato and pickles & mayo and piles gravy soaked meat.  I thought, "I can make that."

I started by making two fat Italian baguette loaves.  Then I sliced a couple roasts of beefy seitan razor thin, then simmered it in this delicious gravy.  The video started with nasty, unseasoned, boiled cow, and added a potent garlicy gravy.  But since I don't know how to make nasty, unflavored seitan, I stuck with my suculent, beef flavored seitan and used a smooth, less potent gravy.  I piled it on the baguette with some vegenaise, lettuce, tomato and pickle and served it with some collard greens and chips.  It was heaven on a bun or, more accurately, heaven dripping down my arm.

Until next time, GO SAINTS.

I've been buried at work lately and its beginning to show.  For the last two weeks, I've been coming home late or dead tired and I just haven't had the energy to post updates.  The good news is that I see an end to the late nights, but I'm typing now at midnight, just after getting home, so I'm not done yet.  Hopefully, I'll get some Super Bowl food before the weekend.

In the mean time, Erik Marcus of Vegan.com put together a great article entitled The Year in Meat: 2009 The article recants the 2009 events related to the Meat industry's toils, mainstream attention to environmental and health benefits of a vegan/vegetarian diet, exposure over animal cruelty, Swine Flu and much more.  It seemed to me that 2009 saw a break-through in positive media coverage of vegan and related issues.  This article proves it.  Its got tons of information, its loaded with links and its well written.  If you're so inclined, be sure to check it out.

The Year in Meat: 2009