1 package (8 oz?) couscous, prepared (follow package instructions) in vegetable stock instead of water
2 lbs beefsteak tomatoes
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup lime
1/4 cup lemon (if you can get it, use key limes instead)
In a wide, shallow pan, heat the olive oil, and add the garlic and onions. Satuee until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, and toss through very quickly. Only allow it to stay on for about a minute. Remove from heat. Toss with chopped herbs. Mix the lemon and lime juices, and add just enough salt for the entire dish.
On a plate, spread out your couscous to form a sort of bed. Spoon on the tomato mixture over the top. Delicious as a side dish. It can also be served over toasted bread with a garden salad to make a really interesting and filling lunch.
Indian roasted potatoes
Back in India, the only people to own an oven were the bakers, and those who were mind-bogglingly wealthy. This means that the Indian cook needs to improvise, and make this dish over the stove, constnatly watching it, and fearing that the whole mess won't form a crust, and won't properly get cooked. We're in America, with the luxuries of ovens. Use it! This is my own variation on the classic dish, which uses russets, because I find that the contrasting textures of the potatoes and the other vegetables is really a change from anything you'd get elsewhere. It's a personal preference that you can do without if you don't want to bother with it. Just plain Idaho baking potatoes work perfectly. But be careful! These things go as fast as homemade croutons!
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb Red potatoes
1 lb White potatoes
1 lb Russets
1 lb Idaho baking potatoes
(dice all potatoes to about 2 inches square)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split yellow peas (this is to be used as a spice, not an ingredient)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
handful of curry leaves (if you can get them)
1 whole chile (sliced lengthwise)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup peanut, canola, or safflower oil
In a roasting dish, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Wait until they crackle and pop like mad. Add the split peas. Roast gently for 5 seconds. Add the curry leaves. Immediately add the potatoes and chilie. Sprinkle on the salt and turmeric powder. Toss through until the colour is all yellow. Bake in an oven at 375� F until fork tender (usually 30 minutes in my oven).
Serve with rice, roti, or puri.
Puri
In its simplicity, puri is (in my opinion) the easiest flatbread to crank out en masse. If you really don't give a ******** how the thing looks, do what my mom does; roll out the dough in one fell swoop, cut into equally sized sections (with a pizza cutter), and fry the sections. Rolling out each one separately is a pain in the butt, but does make a nice presentation.
1 cup whole wheat flour
up to 1/2 cup water
Peanut or canola oil for frying
Combine flour and water until the consistency of wonderbread (doughy, pasty, that sort of thing). It should be able to hold its shape, and you should be able to roll it out. Separate the dough into about 8 - 10 equal parts. Roll the lumps of dough into little balls. Liberally dust your work surface with flour, and roll out the balls into discs. Each one should be about as thick as a CD is. Heat up the oil in a deep pot (the top of the oil should be nowhere near the top of the pot!) or wok (ideal) to 375� F.Fry as described below:
How to fry Puri
The idea behind puri frying is to achieve a puff. The dough takes litle to no time to cook, so the techinique is important. Gently slide the disc of dough into the hot oil. It will sink to the bottom, then try to float back up. Gently take your slotted spoon and push down on the disc to dunk it under the hot oil. Continue to do this until it becomes puffed. Then, flip over the puri to cook on the opposite side. When lightly golden brown, remove from the oil, and drain on a wire rack (paper towels just make it swim in its own fat -- ew).
Tofu Snacks (aka "mock"zerella)
I did miss having those little cheese platters at parties and such, so I invented this to curb those cravings. Get a good quality soft tofu for best results. Home made is going to be better, but it's not always easy to come by. I like to make different kinds on the same plank of tofu.
1 lb soft tofu, drained (but not completely. Let it sit for a few minutes to drain off the excess liquid, but don't squeeze it)
Blend of your favourite fresh herbs
Cut the cube of tofu into half (as shown in the picture), to make two planks of tofu. On a large cuttting board, chop up the herbs with a generous sprinkling of salt. Chop them as finely as you can. Sprinkle on the herb blend onto the cut side, and press it into the tofu. Let sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Dice into cubes, so that each cube has some of the seasoning on it. Heaven.
Herb blend suggestions
1. Finely chopped parsley, basil, orgeano and rosemary
2. Red chile powder, cumin powder, TINY BIT garlic powder (and I do mean tiny bit)
3. Italian flatleaf parsley, sundried tomato (the ones that're dry, not packed in oil), basil
Get creative and try your favourites.
Butternut Squash
This stuff is not only mindlessly easy to make, but pulses up to make this creamy, rich, decadent soup. I'm including multiple variations, because I love the stuff, and I'd like to get people to at least try it. Because it stands alone (for the most part) you can use this soup as an appetizer before starting the rest of your meal.
1 butternut squash
2 cups vegetable stock
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
The easiest way to peel squash for soup (in my opinion) is to microwave it. Cut the sqash into large chunks (roughly split it into eight pieces), and put it in a microwave safe bow with 1/4 cup of water. Cover loosely with a plastic lid. Nuke it until the squash is tender (it takes my microwave about 15 minutes). Now, you should be able to easily scoop out the seeds and flesh with a spoon. Scoop out the flesh of the squash, and simmer over medium-low heat with the finely chopped herbs for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and blend until smooth.
For a smoother texture, strain through a sieve before serving it piping hot with a side of croutons. For those who like some heat in their food (such as myself) add in a red chile or two before simmering, and grind it along with the squash (I find Tabasco sauce to have an offensive flavour with butternut squash). If you want your soup thicker, stir in a little bit of hummus. If you like it a little sweeter, add some carrots to the microwave with your squash. If you want extra protein in it, add 1/4 lb of cooked red lentils to the blender along with the squash. To make it a dressing, take 1/2 cup of the soup, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, and whisk vigorously. Then, stir in some fresh dill, parsley, and basil for a really nice zip.
Croutons
1 loaf day old baguette
Olive oil flavoured cooking spray
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Slice the baguette into rounds (or cube the bread if it's a large loaf). Arrange the bread on a cookie sheet so that it's only one layer high. Rub the italian seasoning in between your palms (releases the herbs' oils) and sprinkle evenly over the bread. Give the bread a very light mist of the cooking spray, and bake until golden brown. Be sure to make more than you think you'll need, because they go FAST.
Green leafy soup
Freezes beautifully, so I'm giving large proportions. A lot of people like to remove the stalks, and you may do so if you want, but it's best to just cut up the leaves with the stalks on. You'd cut the rougher portions really finely, but get to bigger pieces with the leaves, and everything will get cooked at the same time. I'm showing you an example with kale, but you'd use the same techniques for the other greens:
3 lbs kale
3 lbs collard greens
3 lbs mustard greens
1 large white onion, diced fine
1 large red onion, diced fine
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 head garlic, minced finely
5 tablespoons red pepper flakes (you can adjust this to your taste)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper (also can be adjusted)
4 quarts water (or vegetable stock)
2 cans coconut milk
WASH ALL THE GREENS! We love dirt, because it grows our foods, but eating it isn't my idea of fun. Once all the greens are thoroughly washed, chop them up (as shown in the picture). You're going to need a fairly large stock pot for this, because the leaves will be huge. Heat the olive oil in the stock pot. When the oil gets hot, add the onions and the garlic, and sautee until softened. Add the chopped greens, and sprinkle with salt (to leech the water out). Stir the greens around in the aromatics to get them coated (roughly ten minutes). Add in the chili flakes and black pepper, and stir around an additional five minutes. Pour in 1/2 of the water, and cover the lid (reserve the other half for if the soup gets too thick for your liking). When the water comes to a full boil, drop it down to a simmer, and let the greens cook for about an hour (now you know why boiled greens taste like s**t -- they're boiled). About ten minutes before removing from the heat, stir in two cans of coconut milk. Serve hot, by itself, or over brown rice.
If you would prefer other vegetables in this soup, you can add potatoes, pumpkin, green beans, carrots, cabbage, spinach, parsnips, winter melon, or artichoke hearts without disturbing what's already there. Beleive me, 9 lbs of green leafy vegetables can take it. You may scale this down if you cannot acquire that many greens, or if you prefer to make a smaller quantity.
Roasted Vegetables
Bob mentioned on the podcast that he's getting sick of soup, so here comes roasted vegetables -- the anti soup (which, coincidentally, just needs a few cups of vegetable stock to turn into a soup, but we won't tell Bob that).
1 lb Yam (the ugly ones: http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/trade/asiaveg/images/yam-2.jpg)
1 lb sweet potato
1 lb butternut squash
1 lb parsnips
1 lb carrots
1/2 lb radish (the small ones)
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 tablespoon Garam Masala (optional)
Make a sort of loose paste with the spice blends (the curry powder and Garam Masala), and set it aside while you chop the vegetables. Cut the vegetables into generous pieces (roughly the size of the radishes). Mix up all the chopped vegetables, and combine with the oil/spices mixture. Make sure that the spices are evenly spread through. Bake in the oven at 350° until all the vegetables are tender (roughly 45 minutes - 1 hour). If you're nervous about burning them, just loosely cover with aluminum foil before baking, and remove for the last ten minutes. While your house fills with the smells of the spices, make a pot of basmati rice, and toss together a quick green salad (just some lettuce and cucumber) as a counterpoint to the heavy flavours of the vegetables. Also tastes great inside a pita pocket.
The next day, if you simmer leftovers in a little coconut milk and water (1 to 1 ratio) for about 10 minutes, you've got an excellent, creamy soup. The day after that, if you take what little bit of soup is left (because the previous day's soup would have been delicious), and blend it with equal parts olive oil to make a sauce that you can use as a dressing, or just blend the leftovers with a can of garbanzo beans and a tablespoon of olive oil to make yourself a spread for sandwiches. If any of that spread is leftover the day after that (haha, fat chance), combine it with a splash of lemon juice, and a bit of vinegar for a cool salad dressing.
Lentils
I love lentil soup, but it doesn't allow me much in the way of doing stuff with it. I prefer to cook the lentils, drain them, and use them like regular beans. Then afte that, I'll use 'em in soups and the like.
1 lb cooked lentils
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 handful curry leaves (if you can get them)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
pinch of asafetida
1 tsp turmeric
1 can tomatoes (use the whole ones, and crush them with your hands)
3 cups water
Salt and chiles to taste
Heat the oil, and add the cumin seeds. When they pop and crack and make a lot of noise, add the sesame seeds. Wait 5 seconds, and add the onions, garlic, and curry leaves. Add the asafetida and turmeric powders. Sautee the onions until softened. Drain the canned tomatoes, and crush them over the onions with your hands. Cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Add the lentils, and stir around until coated with spices. Season with salt and chile powder. Add the water, and the liquid from the can of tomatoes, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with brown rice, or crusty toasted bread.
This method can be used to make any daal (indian legume) that you'd like to make, and can be used for any beans as well. It won't taste the same, because the beans will all react differently to the flavourings. For a variation in spices, try Garam masala (add along with turmeric), or chana masala (ditto). Or, if you'd prefer to experiemnt with your own spices, try adding a pinch of ground cloves and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Both are considered warming spices in Indian medicine. For a very fragrant soup, omit the turmeric, and use a small pinch of saffron instead (bloom in a tablespoon of water, and add towards the end of the cooking).
Pretend summer
There are those times during the winter, where if you see ONE MORE pot of root vegetables, you will go out of your head and start doing some very un-vegan things. To prevent this, I invented my "pretend summer" chowder. It keeps me going. And yes, margarine does work to make a roux.
1 lb frozen corn
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 lb frozern broccoli
1 large onion, minced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (crimini work really well, as well as shiitake or porcini. white button will work, but will take a bit more cooking time)
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon vegan spread (margarine?)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
3 cups soy milk
Have the milk simmering in a pot big enough to hold all the ingredients. Melt the vegan spread in a wide shallow saucepan over medium low heat, and sprinkle on the flour. Stir in the flour, and make sure that all of the flour is coated with the fat. Cook on medium low heat until the flour darkens slightly, and you get a little bit of a nutty smell from the flour. Pour in one cup of the milk, and whisk the mixture. Turn up to high, and let it come to a boil, whisking constantly. Add a second cup of milk, and continue whisking. The base will get thickened. Pour the sauce into the pot with the additional water, and continue to simmer gently.
Wipe your pan clean, and pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and the italian seasoning, and sautee until softened. Add the corn and the broccoli. Cook until they're softened. Pour the vegetable mixture into the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and sautee the mushrooms until they are caramelised (browned) on both sides. Add the frozen spinach, and cook until most of the water is cooked out. Add into pot.
To make it extra-special, pour into a casserole dish, and sprinkle on breadcrumbs (that have been tossed in oil), then bake until the breadcrumbs are browned.
WARNING: Do NOT serve this as a main dish. It is way too rich, and will have you feeling /really/ full. Better to serve it as a side dish with some grilled tofu and some form of bread.
