This stock recipe comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
Ingredients
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, quartered (don't bother to peel)
1 potato, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic (don't bother to peel)
5 to 10 white mushrooms, halved or sliced
10 to 20 parsley stems or stems with leaves
2 tbs soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Put the oil in a deep skillet or broad saucepan or casserole over medium-high heat. When hot, add the carrots, onion, potato, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir once or twice and cook until the vegetables begin to brown. (If you have more time, brown them well, stirring only infrequently.)
2. Add the parsley, 6 cups water, the soy sauce, and some pepper. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily but gently. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. (Longer is better if you have the time.)
3. Strain, then taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce or a bit of salt, before using or storing.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Mushroom Pâté
This recipe comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
Ingredients
3 tbs neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
About 2 lbs cremini or white mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried porcini (optional), reconstituted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs or crumbled crackers, plus more as needed
Finely chopped chives or parsley leaves for garnish
Directions
1. Put the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for another few minutes, then add the tomato paste and the white wine if you're using it. Stir and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the vegetables cool.
2. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor, add the lemon juice and bread crumbs, and pureé until smooth. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. The consistency should be fairly thick but still easily spreadable; add more bread crumbs if it's too thin; add vegetable stock or water if it's too thick.
3. Spoon the pâté mixture into a terrine or ramekin(s) and refrigerate until chilled. Serve at room temperature, garnished with chives or parsley. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
3 tbs neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
About 2 lbs cremini or white mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried porcini (optional), reconstituted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs or crumbled crackers, plus more as needed
Finely chopped chives or parsley leaves for garnish
Directions
1. Put the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for another few minutes, then add the tomato paste and the white wine if you're using it. Stir and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the vegetables cool.
2. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor, add the lemon juice and bread crumbs, and pureé until smooth. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. The consistency should be fairly thick but still easily spreadable; add more bread crumbs if it's too thin; add vegetable stock or water if it's too thick.
3. Spoon the pâté mixture into a terrine or ramekin(s) and refrigerate until chilled. Serve at room temperature, garnished with chives or parsley. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Vinaigrette
I found this recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cored, trimmed, and separated into florets
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the cauliflower in a roasting pan, drizzle with 3 tbs of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute. Roast, turning once or twice, for 15 minutes or so, until the cauliflower just starts to soften.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining oil with the vinegar and a little salt and pepper; taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tbs of the vinaigrette, and toss to coat. Roast again, turning once more, until a thin-bladed knife pierces with a little resistance, another 15 minutes. (The recipe may be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)
3. When you're ready to serve, put the cauliflower in a large salad bowl and add the raisins and parsley. Add the remaining dressing and toss. Taste and sprinkle with more salt if needed and lots of pepper, then serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cored, trimmed, and separated into florets
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the cauliflower in a roasting pan, drizzle with 3 tbs of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute. Roast, turning once or twice, for 15 minutes or so, until the cauliflower just starts to soften.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining oil with the vinegar and a little salt and pepper; taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tbs of the vinaigrette, and toss to coat. Roast again, turning once more, until a thin-bladed knife pierces with a little resistance, another 15 minutes. (The recipe may be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)
3. When you're ready to serve, put the cauliflower in a large salad bowl and add the raisins and parsley. Add the remaining dressing and toss. Taste and sprinkle with more salt if needed and lots of pepper, then serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Oatie Pancakes
I mentioned in another post wanting to find a 100% whole grain pancake recipe. I pulled this one from Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and substituted oat flour for the barley flour, solely because I had oat flour already in the pantry. I'm sure you could also substitute 2 cups rolled oats that had been run through a food processor for a few minutes for both the grains -- my food processor only works so well, so I'd end up with half oats, half flour anyway. Simran and I ate these pancakes with unsweetened applesauce and they were okay, but I think I could make an interesting sort of whole grain crepe from these and fill them with a no-sugar-added winter fruit compote. I think I'd only have to make them a bit bigger (and I think they might even be crepe thin and still hold up if the rolled oats are omitted).
Ingredients
1 cup barley flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tbs baking powder
2 cups non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond, though I have reason to believe sweetened would taste a bit better.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the vanilla into the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until there are no more chunks of dry flour. (You can do this step the night before you make the pancakes and just keep the batter in the fridge. It'll be a nicer, thicker consistency that way.)
2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of non-stick cooking spray (you'll only need to do this once, not for each pancake). Ladle a portion of the batter into the skillet and let cook over medium-low heat until even the top layer of the pancake looks mostly dry, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side. Please note these pancakes do not burn as easily or cook as quickly as standard buttermilk pancakes. Serve with maple syrup or warm fruit compote.
Ingredients
1 cup barley flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tbs baking powder
2 cups non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond, though I have reason to believe sweetened would taste a bit better.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the vanilla into the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until there are no more chunks of dry flour. (You can do this step the night before you make the pancakes and just keep the batter in the fridge. It'll be a nicer, thicker consistency that way.)
2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of non-stick cooking spray (you'll only need to do this once, not for each pancake). Ladle a portion of the batter into the skillet and let cook over medium-low heat until even the top layer of the pancake looks mostly dry, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side. Please note these pancakes do not burn as easily or cook as quickly as standard buttermilk pancakes. Serve with maple syrup or warm fruit compote.
Creamy Vegetable Lasagna
This is my second attempt at a vegan lasagna and my first attempt at making the recipe up myself. It's based on what I remember of Stouffer's frozen vegetable lasagna, which I've eaten twice in the last decade, except made vegan. The Stouffer's lasagna was rich but didn't seem particularly cheesy because the cheese was mostly blended into a white sauce that took the place of the standard marinara. I didn't limit myself on oil or salt this time around since my primary goal today was to make a vegan lasagna that actually tastes good, which is difficult enough. I finished assembling it about an hour ago, but it won't be cooked and eaten for another couple hours, so I'll have to come back to this post and update it based on how the meal turns out. So far I've just tasted the individual components, and they were good.
Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles (I like the oven-ready whole-wheat ones from Whole Foods.)
1 16 oz. package firm tofu
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mixed vegetables, finely chopped (I used a combination of peas, broccoli, carrots, and spinach, mostly from my freezer, but I'm sure green beans and zucchini would also work well, among other things.)
1/4 tsp dried basil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
For Sauce:
2 14 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)
1 bulb roasted garlic
2 tbs olive oil, divided
3 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs Better-Than-Bouillon vegetable variety (This is totally a flavor cheat. I rarely use Better-Than-Bouillon to make broth, but I have found it invaluable when I need to increase flavor and salt and have no idea what I'm doing. I consider it a multipurpose American Flavor Paste. I'm sure a patient person could recreate it with some spices, salt, and oil, but I'm not bothering finding out how today.)
1 tbs raw cashews, ground
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare garlic and 1 tbs olive oil for roasting as explained in the link.
2. While the garlic bulb roasts, mix 1 tbs raw ground cashews and 1/4 tsp garlic salt in a small container. I grind the cashews in my food processor and keep about a cup of this blend on hand in my fridge for when something needs vegan Parmesan-style crumbles sprinkled on top.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sweat onions for a few minutes, add garlic and carrots, and finally the remaining vegetables. Season with basil, salt, and pepper, and cook everything until tender.
4. Drain tofu and blend it in a food processor. Add about a quarter of the cooked vegetable mixture to the food processor and pulse until everything is incorporated. Season with more salt to taste -- mine required an additional 1/8 tsp. Set aside.
5. Put all sauce ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender, including all the roasted garlic cloves, and blend until smooth. (I'm not sure how this will cook up yet. It's good as is at this point, but if it doesn't survive the lasagna-cooking process -- either from drying out or burning -- it might require more water or something.)
6. Increase oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a large casserole dish lightly with Pam. Add a thin layer of sauce, followed by lasagna noodles, followed by half the tofu mixture, followed by the remaining vegetable mixture, followed by half the remaining sauce, then another layer of lasagna noodles, then the remaining tofu mixture, then a final layer of lasagna noodles, then coat with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle cashew/garlic salt mixture over the top, and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles (I like the oven-ready whole-wheat ones from Whole Foods.)
1 16 oz. package firm tofu
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mixed vegetables, finely chopped (I used a combination of peas, broccoli, carrots, and spinach, mostly from my freezer, but I'm sure green beans and zucchini would also work well, among other things.)
1/4 tsp dried basil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
For Sauce:
2 14 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)
1 bulb roasted garlic
2 tbs olive oil, divided
3 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs Better-Than-Bouillon vegetable variety (This is totally a flavor cheat. I rarely use Better-Than-Bouillon to make broth, but I have found it invaluable when I need to increase flavor and salt and have no idea what I'm doing. I consider it a multipurpose American Flavor Paste. I'm sure a patient person could recreate it with some spices, salt, and oil, but I'm not bothering finding out how today.)
1 tbs raw cashews, ground
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare garlic and 1 tbs olive oil for roasting as explained in the link.
2. While the garlic bulb roasts, mix 1 tbs raw ground cashews and 1/4 tsp garlic salt in a small container. I grind the cashews in my food processor and keep about a cup of this blend on hand in my fridge for when something needs vegan Parmesan-style crumbles sprinkled on top.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sweat onions for a few minutes, add garlic and carrots, and finally the remaining vegetables. Season with basil, salt, and pepper, and cook everything until tender.
4. Drain tofu and blend it in a food processor. Add about a quarter of the cooked vegetable mixture to the food processor and pulse until everything is incorporated. Season with more salt to taste -- mine required an additional 1/8 tsp. Set aside.
5. Put all sauce ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender, including all the roasted garlic cloves, and blend until smooth. (I'm not sure how this will cook up yet. It's good as is at this point, but if it doesn't survive the lasagna-cooking process -- either from drying out or burning -- it might require more water or something.)
6. Increase oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a large casserole dish lightly with Pam. Add a thin layer of sauce, followed by lasagna noodles, followed by half the tofu mixture, followed by the remaining vegetable mixture, followed by half the remaining sauce, then another layer of lasagna noodles, then the remaining tofu mixture, then a final layer of lasagna noodles, then coat with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle cashew/garlic salt mixture over the top, and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Meal Planning
Time for weekly meal planning. I'm still going through what's currently in the freezer and pantry and using it up. Here is what I'm making:
Black Bean Burgers and Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I just cooked a batch of black beans in my slow-cooker yesterday, and I have some leftover brown rice from making stir-fry last night, so I'm throwing these burgers together today, with all the leftovers going in the freezer for later. The vegan cream of broccoli soup is from a batch of leftovers I uncovered in the freezer.
Black Bean Nacho Pizza and Green Salad
We haven't had nacho pizza in awhile, and I found a whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer the other day. I'm experimenting with making green salads this week since Simran has shown an interest in them.
Veggie Tacos and Vegan Refried Beans and Spanish Rice
We haven't had veggie tacos in awhile, and I wasn't sure what else to make. Vegan refried beans are just slow-cooker pinto beans cooked with onions and taco spice that are then drained and hit with the immersion blender.
Red Lentil & Squash Curry Stew and Sandwiches with Hummus, Lettuce & Tomato
I wanted to experiment with using different flavors of homemade hummus, such as the buffalo hummus, as sandwich spreads. I'm hoping by the day I make this meal that my sourdough starter might even be ready so I can make fresh 100% whole grain rye sourdough bread.
Creamy Vegetable Lasagna and Green Salad
The last time I made a vegan lasagna, none of us liked it. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste like a meal, just a plate of random hot vegetables. I think the cheese might not be missed so much if the sauce is creamier -- I'm imagining the sauce Stouffer's uses on their vegetable lasagna in the freezer section. So I'm planning to incorporate various finely chopped vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots and onions, like Stouffer's does, and make a sauce from some combination of pureed white beans, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and lots and lots of garlic. Maybe some roasted garlic too.
Vegetarian Korma and Basmati Rice
I have less than one dose of curry base left in my freezer, so I need to start from scratch on this to use up what I do have. This dish was pretty healthy -- aside from my inclusion of ghee -- and the best Indian food I've ever made at home.
Black Bean Burgers and Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
I just cooked a batch of black beans in my slow-cooker yesterday, and I have some leftover brown rice from making stir-fry last night, so I'm throwing these burgers together today, with all the leftovers going in the freezer for later. The vegan cream of broccoli soup is from a batch of leftovers I uncovered in the freezer.
Black Bean Nacho Pizza and Green Salad
We haven't had nacho pizza in awhile, and I found a whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer the other day. I'm experimenting with making green salads this week since Simran has shown an interest in them.
Veggie Tacos and Vegan Refried Beans and Spanish Rice
We haven't had veggie tacos in awhile, and I wasn't sure what else to make. Vegan refried beans are just slow-cooker pinto beans cooked with onions and taco spice that are then drained and hit with the immersion blender.
Red Lentil & Squash Curry Stew and Sandwiches with Hummus, Lettuce & Tomato
I wanted to experiment with using different flavors of homemade hummus, such as the buffalo hummus, as sandwich spreads. I'm hoping by the day I make this meal that my sourdough starter might even be ready so I can make fresh 100% whole grain rye sourdough bread.
Creamy Vegetable Lasagna and Green Salad
The last time I made a vegan lasagna, none of us liked it. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste like a meal, just a plate of random hot vegetables. I think the cheese might not be missed so much if the sauce is creamier -- I'm imagining the sauce Stouffer's uses on their vegetable lasagna in the freezer section. So I'm planning to incorporate various finely chopped vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots and onions, like Stouffer's does, and make a sauce from some combination of pureed white beans, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and lots and lots of garlic. Maybe some roasted garlic too.
Vegetarian Korma and Basmati Rice
I have less than one dose of curry base left in my freezer, so I need to start from scratch on this to use up what I do have. This dish was pretty healthy -- aside from my inclusion of ghee -- and the best Indian food I've ever made at home.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Sourdough Rye
In honor of the new year, I've been looking for some new healthy recipes to try. One problem I regularly run into is finding a 100% whole grain bread that doesn't ruin every sandwich or meal it comes into contact with, or require some kind of butter to make it palatable and un-dry. I found this recipe from Mark Bittman, whom I trust, on how to make a really time-consuming, no-knead, whole-grain sourdough. I just finished assembling the sourdough starter and look forward to making it into bread sometime next week. (It seems the trick to omitting sugar and honey from your bread is giving your yeast the better part of a week to feed off the flour and do its rising.) I love both rye and sourdough, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
Ingredients
2. To make the dough: Combine the remaining starter in a big bowl with the rye flour, the whole-wheat or white flour and 2 1/4 cups water.
3. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, up to 12 hours.
4. The next morning, the dough should be bubbly and lovely. Add the salt, the cracked rye and 1 cup water — it will be more of a thick batter than a dough and should be pretty much pourable.
5. Pour and scrape it into two 8-by-4-inch nonstick loaf pans. The batter should come to within an inch of the top, no higher.
6. Cover (an improvised dome is better than plastic wrap; the dough will stick to whatever it touches) and let rest until it reaches the rim of the pans, about 2 to 3 hours, usually. Preheat the oven to 325 and bake until a skewer comes out almost clean; the internal temperature will measure between 190 and 200. This will take about 1 1/2 hours or a little longer.
7. Remove loaves from the pans and cool on a rack. Wrap in plastic and let sit for a day before slicing, if you can manage that; the texture is definitely better the next day.
Ingredients
For the sourdough starter:
- 2 2/3 cups rye flour, Pinch instant yeast
For the dough:
- Sourdough starter
- 2 cups rye flour
- 2 cups whole-wheat or white flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups cracked rye or rye flour
Directions
1. To make the starter: In a tall, narrow,
nonmetal container (a tall, narrow bowl is
fine), mix 2/3 cup rye flour with 1/2 cup
water, along with the tiniest pinch of instant
yeast — less than 1/16 teaspoon. Cover
and let sit for about 24 hours, then add
the same amount of both flour and
water (no more yeast). Repeat twice more,
at 24-hour intervals; 24 hours after
the fourth addition, you have your starter.
(From now on, keep it in the refrigerator;
you don’t need to proceed with the
recipe for a day or two if you don’t want
to. Before making the dough, take a
ladleful — 1/2 to 3/4 cup — of the starter and
put it in a container; stir in 1/2 cup rye
flour and a scant 1/2 cup water, mix well,
cover and refrigerate for future use. This starter will
keep for a couple of weeks. If you don’t
use it during that time and you wish
to keep it alive, add 1/2 cup each flour
and water every week or so and stir; you
can discard a portion of it if it becomes
too voluminous.)
2. To make the dough: Combine the remaining starter in a big bowl with the rye flour, the whole-wheat or white flour and 2 1/4 cups water.
3. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, up to 12 hours.
4. The next morning, the dough should be bubbly and lovely. Add the salt, the cracked rye and 1 cup water — it will be more of a thick batter than a dough and should be pretty much pourable.
5. Pour and scrape it into two 8-by-4-inch nonstick loaf pans. The batter should come to within an inch of the top, no higher.
6. Cover (an improvised dome is better than plastic wrap; the dough will stick to whatever it touches) and let rest until it reaches the rim of the pans, about 2 to 3 hours, usually. Preheat the oven to 325 and bake until a skewer comes out almost clean; the internal temperature will measure between 190 and 200. This will take about 1 1/2 hours or a little longer.
7. Remove loaves from the pans and cool on a rack. Wrap in plastic and let sit for a day before slicing, if you can manage that; the texture is definitely better the next day.
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