Spicy Lentil Stew and Curried Cabbage

Someday, oh someday, I will buy a camera that is not the first generation of digital picture-taking and the pics I post will be lovely. That day, of course, is not today. Not-so-nice picture notwithstanding, this is a delicious stew that came together (despite me forgetting what I wanted to be the main ingredient- red lentils).

Since I have all of this time on my hands sans job *until Monday* I have been taking time to make interesting food this week. I made garbanzo bean and roasted broccoli pasta with sundried tomato and roasted red pepper quinoa pasta with a friend on Monday, this dish (sort of, I used tahini instead of vegan mayo, because vegan mayo tastes like egg mayo and is therefore yucky, plus mine had tons of red cabbage in the mix) two nights ago and stew last night. It's been nice- I have also been making lots of steel-cut oats for breakfast and making green juice almost everyday.

Anyways, I had the idea for an Indian-esque red lentil and mushroom stew... but then I forgot to buy red lentils. So, I decided to use the green and black lentils I had on hand. This changed the stew texture immensely- it's more like plain-old cooked lentils with some sauce and not like stew-ish- which meant that the lentils provided the bite as much as the mushrooms (so I used less mushrooms and have been throwing them in salads instead). The results were still delicious- although not the texture/color I had originally intended.

Quick note- I usually do not blend spices. I thought I would give it a try and used blended chile de arbol and cinnamon stick (it worked, but I will probably just use ground cinnamon and red pepper flakes next time). I also do not really measure spices, as I have said before, so these are estimates- use more or less however you would like.

Ingredients:
-1 cup of lentils (I used green and black, but red would likely be better)
-1 medium onion, diced
-small piece of ginger 1 or 1/2 inch, diced
-3-4 garlic cloves, minced
-4-5 cups of veggie broth (I used 1 veggie cube and regular water. I have a stock bag in the freezer I will get to sometime soon!)
-1 can (mine was 6 oz) of tomato paste
- 4 oz or so of mushrooms (more if using red lentils, as this would provide the texture in the stew)
- oil for frying onions, ginger and garlic

Spice Blend 
-1 inch piece of cinnamon
- 1/3-1/4 c of dried red chiles
(Blend first two together in spice grinder-- if you have whole cloves, etc... blend those too!)
-heaping helpful of paprika (1-2 tablespoons. I had smoked on hand, it was good)
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- pinch of cloves
- pinch of nutmeg
- plenty of cracks of black pepper
- 1 tsp (or more, I really like color) tumeric
After I smelled it and decided it did not smell spiced enough, I also added:
- 1/4 or so tsp of garam masala  
- 1/4-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Rinse and sort the lentils and soak for approximately 1 hour. Drain.
2. Heat enough oil to saute the onion (1-2 tsp usually works for me if you stir frequently enough) over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft (5-8 minutes). Add garlic and ginger and fry for about a minute more.
3. Add tomato paste and tumeric,stirring to coat everything and a splash of water to deglaze the pan.
4. Add in spice mixture and veggie cube
5. Add in water and lentils and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer, cover and cook until desired consistency is reached (40-45 minutes).

I must say that I like this stew a lot. It would definitely be better with red lentils (I think) for texture-sake-- and might be perfect in the cooler days as well since it is warm and spicy. I served it over plain brown rice, but it would also be good with *vegan* naan or rotis.

I also made curried cabbage from Appetite for Reduction. Since, it's like, totally copyrighted I won't post the recipe, but it's basically cabbage, carrot, pea, onion, garlic, ginger, liquid and curry powder. go crazy. It was super good and simple. I have always really liked raw and pickled cabbage, but am only recently starting to like cooked cabbage. The only time I really eat cooked cabbage is at one of these two vegan Nepali buffets in Boulder, so I thought I would stick with similar flavors for my own attempts at cooked cabbage. There are a couple of other cooked cabbage recipes in AFR that I want to try...hoping that I continue to like it! Anyways, here is a pic of how it turned out:

 Delightful.

Sunday Dinner- Pan Roasted Asparagus, Tofu and Quinoa Pasta

Well, well, well..... I want to have a place to archive these recipes (again!), so back to posting I go- this way, I will save the time of having to write these all down and put them in a recipe book (although, in all honesty, I would like to write recipes down and be able to put them in a cute little recipe book, maybe this is something I need to purchase).

I made a bunch of more complicated things for the week (pictures and recipes to follow as I eat them), but I was in the mood for something quick, tasty and unusual. This fits the bill for me, since I rarely eat pasta. I feel like a "vegan dinner" I hear about all of the time is some combination of greens/veggies, protein and pasta, but I have just never jumped on the train, I guess. This is actually pretty tasty, so I might just make something similar again.

It is also unusual because I don't really eat asparagus. I like it- I just never buy it. I was getting my haircut on Saturday and noticed it was the first day of the Boulder Farmers Market. I was always under the impression that farmer's markets were supposed to be affordable ($6 for a bunch of asparagus that I am eating in its entirety in the pasta & $3.50 for some field greens of some sort for a salad), but I guess not here. In any event, I guess I should be a GBL (Good Boulder Liberal) and support some local farmers. The asparagus, being that it is in season, is delicious. I would have loved it even more grilled, but alas, there is no grill to be found.

Since the chili-annatto tofu was already made, this was super fast.

Chili-Annatto Oil (for the tofu and whatever else)

-1/4 c peanut oil (sesame would be good too!)
-Red pepper flakes to taste
-1-2 whole chile de arbol pods
- 1/4 tsp annatto seeds

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan until warmed, but not smoking
2. Add in the annatto seeds and heat the oil until it turns deep orange. Fish out the annatto seeds and throw them away
3. Add in the red pepper flakes and chile de arbol pods. Turn off heat and let oil cool.
4. Using a funnel, transfer oil from pan to container.

Chili-Annatto Tofu:
2 blocks extra-firm tofu (drained and pressed for 30 minutes)
Chili-Annatto Oil for coating
1 tsp Mexican Oregano, crumbled between fingers
1 tsp tomato paste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Stir marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss the tofu to coat and spread on baking sheet/pan
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip, then bake for 15 more minutes (you may need to add more oil).

Pan-Roasted Asparagus
1 large bunch asparagus, chopped into small pieces
4 cloves of garlic, smashed/chopped
1 tbs. coconut oil

Directions:
1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant
3. Add in the asparagus and saute over medium until desired doneness.
4. At the last few minutes of cooking, add-in tofu to warm.

To Assemble:
1. Cook the pasta according to directions, and drain. Add the asparagus and tofu mixture.
2. Whisk together the juice of 1 lemon, lots of black pepper and pour over pasta.

Portobello Feijoada

 

OK, so it is beginning to seem like I say, "I don't really like soup," and then eat lots of soup. Well, I guess I should say that I don't really like most soups; however, both of the soups I have made from Viva Vegan have been freakin' fantastic. See the amazing awesomeness that was Guatita here. 

For my next jump into stew/soup making madness, I decided to try the Potobello Feijoada, a bean, seitan and mushroom-laced mountain of tasty. I served it up with sliced oranges and super-steamed (because I wasn't paying attention) kale w/sesame seeds and a sprinkle of lime juice.

Potobello Mushroom Feijoada

Ingredients
-. 2 cans black beans, rinsed w/1 1/2 c. of water
- 1 pkg. (or 2 c.) seitan, diced/sliced
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 4 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 jalapeno, diced (not a part of the original, but I added it)
- 1/3 c. veggie broth
- 1/2 lb. portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke
- 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 c. veggie broth

Make it:

1. Put beans and water in small/medium saucepan and simmer until heated and soft (I did this for about 15 minutes or so while I prepped other ingredients and started the soup)
2. Put olive oil and garlic in a large pot and fry for 30 seconds. Add diced jalapeno and sautee for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add 1/2 c. of broth to de-glaze, stirring and bringing to a simmer. Stir in mushrooms, seitan, cumin, liquid smoke, thyme and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. In blender, put about 1/2 to 3/4 the amount of beans in the blender w/liquid (I added too much, you would probably want like 1/4 c. here) and puree the beans.
5. Add the remaining beans from the saucepan to the soup. Add the 2 c. of veggie broth and then the pureed bean mixture. Partially cover and bring to a quick simmer.
6. Lower heat, keep partially covered, and simmer until mixture thickens, about 30-40 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld (and soup to cool!) before eating.

Here is another picture of my bowl of soup up close:

Delicious as is- however, I think it would be even tastier had I not pureed the beans with as much water as I did. Mental note for next time, taken.

What I ate: Super Tasty Viva Vegan-Inspired Edition

I could also have titled this post "Oh snap- time to use up the rest of my aji amarillo paste.....Next day: Oh snap, I am out of aji amarillo paste." Yes, I say "Oh snap" when I am thinking of marinades and pepper pastes. Now that I have been in possession of Viva Vegan for quite sometime, making marinades/sauces/beans with these kinds of flavor profiles seems to come together pretty quickly. This meal was surprisingly simple, nice and spicy, and healthy as well.

Tofu with Aji Amarillo Marinade:

Ingredients:
-1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed for about 30 minutes, cut into pieces
- 2 tbs. of aji amarillo paste (it was a little more, since I was at the end of the jar)
- small palm (1 1/2 tsp-ish) roasted cumin (or regular would be fine)
- small palm (1 1/2 tsp-ish) Mexican oregano, crushed in palm
- 4-5 shakes of Tamari (um, maybe 2 tsp. worth)
- 2 tbs. olive or peanut oil (all out of peanut, so alas, I used olive)
-  juice of one small lime
- 1/2 c. veggie broth

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Whisk ingredients together and put tofu in to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
3. Line a baking dish w/aluminum foil (not necessary, but I find it saves a sticky mess)
4. Put about 1-2 tsp. olive oil in bottom of dish and then add tofu. Pour marinade on top and put in the oven.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or so, until tofu turns golden brown

Ok, so you may be saying, "What else do I see in the picture?" I had about 5 leftover sliced portobello mushrooms that I threw in w/the tofu to cook. Nothing spectacular, but useful!

I served this alongside of (*gasp*) plain brown rice and steamed kale. I squeezed a little lime juice and S&P over the sides and it was good to go.

Aji amarillo is definitely my favorite pepper paste/condiment/marinade maker. I am sad that I am all out....normally, I would rush to the store to get some; however, with the massive snow storm we are expected to get in the next 2 days, I will probably hold off for a week.

What I ate: Veganomicon Edition.....

So, I have not been posting in a while. Between school, work, (yeah, I know this is starting to sound familiar) and other stuff, remembering to post food stuff doesn't exactly rank high on the list.

But, this does not mean I haven't been cooking. Case in point, this concoction of soul-food inspired dishes. I have to admit, the tofu was my least favorite part. I think I put too much liquid smoke in the marinade. It was slightly overwhelming.  The beans were my favorite- spicy and delicious! Anyways, here are the super-long list of recipes:

BBQ Black-eyed Peas (and Pinto Beans!)

Ingredients:
-2 cups cooked beans (I used a mixture of black eyed peas and pinto beans)
-1 package tempeh, crumbled
-2 tsp. oil
-4 cloves minced garlic
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. red pepper flakes (I added more than this)
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 c. agave nectar (I used a little less than this, but it was still fine)
- 1/3 c. red wine vinegar
-1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
-2 tsp. liquid smoke

Make the sauce:
1. Preheat a saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
2. Add all of the other ingredients besides the mustard and liquid smoke, and cook for about 30 minutes (more if you can).
3. Add the mustard and liquid smoke and taste. Cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Puree sauce in blender to get rid of any clumps.

Make the beans:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. In a medium-sized dish (I went good old cast iron), add the cooked beans, sauce and crumbled tempeh.
3. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened (about 45 minutes- 1 hour).

Smoky Grilled Tofu and Sauteed Kale

Ingredients:
-1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least 30 minutes, cut into triangles
- 1 large bunch of kale
-3/4 c. veggie broth
- 3 tbs. soy sauce
- 2 tbs. ACV (apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tbs. liquid smoke
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 2 cloves crushed garlic

Make it:

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together  and put the tofu triangles in the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, shaking occasionally to coat it all evenly.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Put tofu in a shallow baking dish, spooning extra marinade on top and bottom to coat.
3. Cook until desired doneness- about 20 minutes for me.


Kale: 

1. Add 2 cloves crushed garlic and 1 tbs. olive oil to skillet and heat for about 30 seconds.
2. Add kale and coat w/olive oil mixture.
3. Spoon on remaining marinade, lower heat and sautee for about about 5 minutes, or until done.

Jalapeno Cornbread:

Ingredients:
- 2 c. plain soy milk
- 2 tsp. ACV
- 2 c. cornmeal
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
-1/3 c. vegetable oil

-2-3 jalapenos, sliced finely and sauteed in 1 tsp. oil in large skillet (take out jalapenos and save skillet- use it to make the cornbread)

Make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine soy milk and vinegar in bowl and set aside to curdle
3. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Create a well in the center, and add the milk/vinegar mixture and oil. Mix until just combined and no huge lumps remain.
4. Pour mixture into skillet. Sprinkle sliced jalapenos on top and bake for 30-35 minutes- until a toothpick comes out clean

This was a somewhat intensive meal (I made the beans and cornbread the night before, so it was super easy to make the tofu and kale the next night), but it was worth it after the week I had leading up to it. While I still liked the tofu, I definitely would have liked a little more spice (and a little less liquid smoke!) but it was still a success:)

Kale Chips and Chile-Glazed Tempeh

I just realized how long it has been since I have posted anything. A while. I started my adjunct jobs at two local institutions of higher learning, with a whopping 5 classes this semester. I also started a part-time slightly-more-than-minimum-wage job so, in the event that I when I get into a PhD program, I may actually be able to move.

Toledo being the place that it is, there aren't a whole lot of jobs available that don't involve retail, so I was glad to find this one. Anyways, today is Friday- my ONE DAY OFF for the week. :)

Accordingly, I went to the gym, checked the Aggie Fund mailbox, uploaded material for my online courses, did some shopping, and cooked a tasty (and quick) dinner: chile-sauce glazed tempeh and kale chips. Hurray! As in, "Hurray, it was effn' delicioso!"

Recipe, ahoy:

Kale Chips
1. Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 350F.
2. Take a large bunch of curly kale (really, how much you make depends on how large your pan is, you don't want the kale to overlap)
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the kale with the following ingredients (depending on how much you want to make, your measurements may be different. You want everything coated, but there shouldn't be any saucy-ness at the bottom of the bowl):

--1 tbs. olive oil
--2 tbs. ACV (apple cider vinegar)
--1/4 tsp. Paprika
--1/8-1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

4. Cook until crispy (again, depending on amount), about 20-25 minutes.

For the Tempeh:

Chile Marinade:

--1/4 c. orange juice
--1/4 c. vegetable stock
--2 Tbs. Peanut oil
--1 Tbs. Tamari soy sauce
--1 heaping Tbs. Aji Amarillo paste
--1 tsp. Aji Panca paste (optional)
--2 tsp. Mexican oregano
--2 heaping tsp. roasted cumin (or regular cumin)

1. Slice the tempeh into 10-12 slices. Steam for 10 minutes (this helps the tempeh absorb the marinade).
2. Put the tempeh in the marinade and let marinade for at least 15 minutes at room temperature.
3. When ready, heat 2 tbs. olive oil in large cast iron skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add tempeh and cook for 4-5 minutes each side, adding tsp. of remaining marinade as tempeh is cooking.
4. Heat remainder of marinade over low heat and pour over cooked tempeh.

I love, love, love kale chips! I could eat them everyday. The two flavors really don't match together; however, I will eat kale chips with anything.

First Meal Back After Holiday Eating Disasters....

So, after being at my parents for Christmas and in Cincinnati with my friends for NYE, I had done my fair share of unhealthy eating (um, and drinking). I decided to make a somewhat healthier meal*, but make sure it was packed with lots of vegetables and colors (I can't wait to get Color Me Vegan--I am pretty sure it's a still-to-come XMas/Birthday Gift for me!), so I went with a recipe from my roomies copy of Color Me Vegan and a delicious vegetable concoction I threw together.

I was iffy about making the rice--I generally do not go for sweet-themed things for anything other than desert; however, I am really, really glad I did (and also super-excited for the leftover rice for lunch today!) So, without further ado (since I am not quite through my cup of coffee and short on words), the recipes:

Yellow Rice with Chickpeas, Sweet Potato and Collards

For the Rice:

(I used a rice cooker for this; however, if you were making it in a saucepan, you would still throw everything together at the beginning. Then, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and simmer for 50 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Also, this is the halved recipe from CMV, since I didn't need that many leftovers!)


South African Yellow Rice with Raisins (Geelrys):
--1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
--3 c. water (don't use stock here, this is a sweet rice & I think this would ruin the flavor)
--1 Tbs. Earth Balance or other vegan butter
--1/4 tsp. Tumeric
--1 small cinnamon stick
--pinch of salt (1/4 tsp? 1/2 tsp?)
--1/2 Tbs. sugar
--pinch of saffron (the original recipe doesn't call for this ingredient, but I get it super cheap at San Marcos and love the color and aroma it adds!)
--1/2 c. raisins (I used golden raisins to keep with the yellow color of the rice; however, traditionally the recipe uses regular raisins--wait, are the non-golden "regular" raisins? That's what I have always thought of them as, so I am going with it!)
--zest from 1/2 large lemon

Make it:
1. Put the ingredients in a rice cooker (or see the notes above for non-rice cooker method)
2. Once done, remove the cinnamon stick and fluff the rice
3. Done!

For the Beans, Greens, and uh, Starches:

--1 large sweet potato (or more or less, depending on how much you want in the dish), peeled and diced
--1 can chickpeas, drained
--Julienned Collard greens (again, no specific amount, just as much as you want)
--2 cloves garlic, crushed/diced finely
--2 tbs. Olive Oil
--1 tsp. cumin
--juice from 1 lemon and zest from 1/2 lemon
--cracked pepper to taste

Make it:
1. Peel and dice the sweet potato and boil in water until nearly fork tender (12-15 minutes). Set aside.
2. Julienne the collards and set aside.
3. In a large skillet on medium/medium high heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Fry garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add chickpeas and cumin and saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add sweet potatoes and cook for 5-8 minutes (if you wanted crunchy potatoes, you could add them earlier and cook them longer...)
6. Add in collards, lemon juice and zest. Mix everything around to coat with oil, juice and spices. Turn the heat down, and let simmer and meld together for a few minutes until the collards are tender.

Assemble:
(This is never my strong suit, by the way)

1. Plate the rice and veggie/bean mixture on a plate. Garnish with sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds)
2. Enjoy:)

*Sorry about the picture, the batteries were dead on my camera, so I took it with my cell phone.