Category — Vegan

Like I said a week or so ago, I’m trying harder with the cooked veg.  This recipe showed up in the January Everyday Food magazine and I knew at once I’d have to try it.  I’ve been trying for a while to get D. to eat kale.  He’ll eat Swiss chard and other greens, and enjoys kale in soups (um, with sausage, and really who can blame him?), but he’s not a fan of kale for kale’s sake. [Read more →]

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I’ve decided we need to eat more lentils. They’re a terrific source of protein, they cook up quickly and they’re versatile. Think of them as the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the vegetarian world . . . .  So to that end, this week I tried out this new recipe and it’s going to be a regular (to the extent we have those) at our house.  It’s zingy (more or less, depending on your taste for cayenne) and flavorful and warming.  And quick and easy too.

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Let’s preface today’s recipe by saying that I love beans.  I love their subtle flavor, their versatility, their healthfulness (ooooh, all that fiber and protein in a little vegetarian package) and I love that they’re cheap.  My love affair is long:  Beans kept me well-nourished and on a budget through 2 graduate programs.  And today, they allow us to eat meatless meals while still feeling satisfied.  But in the interests of full-disclosure, let’s also say that D. is not so much of a fan of the bean, and so he was not a huge fan of this recipe.  He is in the “beans are OK if they’re an accompaniment to other stuff” camp.  He turns up his nose at a side of black beans, or at refried beans in Mexican food.  You get the idea.

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Hey Sweeties . . . how’re you feeling after the New Year weekend?  And perhaps you took some time off last week off to be merry? Indulge a bit, yes? I know we did . . . and I am SO ready to ratchet it all back and load up on healthful foods again.  My body was aching for greens at the end of the week. And fiber, and less bread, and a lot less sugar.  Oh, the sugar!

So here we are, start of the new year, end of the holidays – ready to cook up some good-for-you vittles again? [Read more →]

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We received our first snowfall of the season in Boston – just in time for the first day of winter . . . and how best to welcome the official start of winter but with soup.

As many of you know, I am a big CSA fan – this is the second winter we’ve participated in the Shared Harvest CSA, and it hasn’t disappointed yet.  The produce is abundant and beautiful, the pickups are seamless, and the communication is excellent.  Two enthusiastic thumbs up!  But back to that abundant produce thing – this past weekend I was faced with 6 big butternut squash – accumulated over time, but clearly I needed to get cracking on those bad-boys.  I’ve never made butternut squash soup, and when I polled the Semi-Sweet Facebook fans, they voted for me to whip up a batch.  I was lucky enough to have local onions, squash and apples, thanks to Shared Harvest.

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When I first saw this recipe, I groaned.  Until I made this, I treated my soup pot a lot like my Crock-Pot – it was for dump-n-go meals.   No browning, no pre-cooking the ingredients.  Puleez.  But for whatever reason (not enough to do with my time?  nope, that’s not it.) I decided to try this crazy roasting the veggies thing, and let me tell you, it’s worth it.  Not in a “I will never again eat soup with veggies that aren’t pre-roasted” kinda way, but so good that I don’t begrudge the effort. 

This recipe is ripe for customization – add whatever you have kicking around your fridge – winter CSA time is coming, along with a deluge of root veggies.  Parsnips? Check!  Turnip?  Sure!  Kohlrabi?  Delicious.  Toss ‘em in there and turn your family onto a warm, veggie-licious winter meal (or several!).

Roasted Vegetable Soup With Kale (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Preheat oven to 400°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the squash in a single layer on one sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir gently to coat.  Add the carrots, onion, and garlic to the other sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Cut the carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Place the garlic cloves and the onion in a food processor; puree until almost smooth. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Serves six.  This can be made a day ahead of time, and in fact, I think it’s better left over!

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This is a goodie, friends.  It’s adaptable (vegetarian or vegan, anyone?) and tasty and easy.  You can choose to go hardcore and roast the peppers yourself (I did, but I rarely do – I won’t judge you if you decide to just open a jar) and/or cook the chickpeas yourself (I didn’t – Eden Organics in the can is this housewife’s little helper).  But bottom line, any way you do it up, this is a satisfying meal loaded with nutrition.

Bulgur with Roasted Red Peppers, Chickpeas & Spinach (adapted from Everyday Food)

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.  Add the bulgur and remove from the heat.  Soak until tender, about 30 minutes.  If there is any liquid remaining, drain in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove as much liquid as possible.

Meanwhile, roast the peppers over a low gas flame or under the broiler, turning frequently with tongs (I used the broiler so I could prep the onions and chickpeas at the same time, plus, if you have arthritis like me, holding a pepper in tongs over an open flame for 8+ minutes is a form of torture).  After about 8-10 minutes, the peppers should be blackened on all sides.  Put the peppers in a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.  Let cool.  Peel off charred skins; discard the seeds and stems.  Whether you’ve roasted them yourself or you’re using jarred roasted red peppers, chop your peppers into 3/4-inch pieces.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Fry the chickpeas until golden brown and lightly crisp, about 4 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the chickpeas to a plate lined with paper towels and season immediately with Kosher salt.

In the same oil, fry up the onion until lightly browned.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion to another plate lined with paper towels.

Place the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the warm/hot bulgur, chickpeas, peppers and spinach, along with a tablespoon of the oil leftover from frying the chickpeas and onions.  Toss and season to taste with more Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Serves 4.

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I’m always looking to get more veggies into our diet (heck, if could get any veg aside from baby carrots into L’s body, I’d attempt a cartwheel).  So when I see recipes that offer wiggle room on veggies, I jump at the chance.  Casual dishes that involve sauces can usually be stretched so that you could add, say, double the vegetables called for – helping you on your way to 5-9-a-day.

This delicious looking recipe from the new Everyday Food cookbook called Fresh Flavor Fast caught my eye.  I had an over-abundance of bell peppers in the fridge and a bag of frozen cut green beans on hand – voila!  A veggie-full combo, easy enough for a weeknight and easily convertible to please any vegetarian or vegan palate as well.  I made this to serve 2 generously, but you can easily double either the whole lot, or just the protein portion to suit however many mouths you have to feed.

Thai Green Chicken Curry With Chicken (or Tofu) (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken cutlets or tofu and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes each side.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, add the onion and season with salt and pepper (if you are using tofu in your recipe, you may need to add a bit more olive oil here).  Cook until translucent, then add the green beans and bell pepper strips.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are heated and the bell pepper begins to soften.  Add the curry paste and cook until the paste is slightly darkened, approximately 3 minutes.  Add the chicken or tofu, coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the basil and lime juice.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper accordingly.  Serve over rice.

Serves 2.

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