Vegan
I was half-heartedly looking for a breakfast quinoa "recipe" just because I was still unsure as to the best way to cook it. Oatmeal is easy because it's familiar. I whipped this together this morning and it seems to have worked out pretty well...
I did my standard 1/4 cup of grain + 1/2 cup water (1 grain to 2 water) and made it exactly like oatmeal...brought the water to boiling, lowered the temp, let it simmer until it started getting soft. After that I tossed it quickly into the cast iron with some oil and mixed it for about 5 minutes or so, just enough for it to get hot and coated and cooked a little further.
I added chocolate rice milk, walnuts, dried cranberries, flax, and chia seeds; again, my standard oatmeal toppings. The result? The quinoa had an incredible flavor, overwhelming everything else. Bursting with nuttiness. It's a highly recommended alternative to the relatively bland taste of oatmeal.
That also got me thinking about how much oil I use in my cooking, so I may try to cut down on that...I always use extra virgin, but I'm wondering if I'm just tasting the oil more than the food. Experimentation time!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Going Vegan
I'm finally taking the (not very deep) plunge and going entirely vegan. After getting more immersed in the vegetarian/vegan world I began to realize I was being entirely dishonest with myself about why I "couldn't" go vegan, and finally stripped myself of the last of my preconceived notions about what it means. It didn't hurt that I took a look around my kitchen and realized I had been slowly cutting out all dairy and eggs in the first place; I hardly eat cheese anymore, I've never drank milk, and eggs really are not that appealing to me (I mostly got back into cooking them because my boyfriend loves them). The only holdout was yogurt, which I was eating and cooking with frequently, but spending a few minutes looking up alternatives removed any doubts.
So here I go.
So here I go.
Tofu, Eggplant, and Hummus Taco
Vegan
This was easily my best meal to date, and a major victory in a few different areas. It was the first time I feel like I cooked both tofu and eggplant WELL. I've been experimenting with the two for a while with less than amazing results. LAST NIGHT THAT ERA CAME TO AN END.
All you need is...
Tofu (super pressed)
Eggplant
Oil
Curry powder
Soy sauce
Teryaki
Szechuan peppercorns*
salt/seasoning mix
tortillas
hummus
Press the living fuck out of your tofu. You want the firm/extra firm stuff, then leave it in the fridge under some heavy stuff at least overnight. Once you're ready to cook it, cut it into cubes, then toss it in your soy, teryaki, peppercorns, and curry powder. Let it sit while you heat up your cast iron skillet and slice your eggplant in nice, thin slices. Once your skillet is super hot put in the tofu and cook it for a while, probably at least 10 minutes. You'll be able to smell when it's getting ready due to the peppercorns. After the tofu is done, put in the salted eggplant and let that cook for a while (at least 5 minutes, probably more). I eyeballed both of them.
I downed this excellent meal with an excellent Dreadnaught from 3Floyds, which contributed to the out-of-this-world awesome of this meal.
* A note about szechuan peppercorns...these things were probably one of the only reasons this was as good as it was. This spice is truly a thing of beauty, so much so that they were apparently banned at one point. If you can find some snatch them up.
This was easily my best meal to date, and a major victory in a few different areas. It was the first time I feel like I cooked both tofu and eggplant WELL. I've been experimenting with the two for a while with less than amazing results. LAST NIGHT THAT ERA CAME TO AN END.
All you need is...
Tofu (super pressed)
Eggplant
Oil
Curry powder
Soy sauce
Teryaki
Szechuan peppercorns*
salt/seasoning mix
tortillas
hummus
Press the living fuck out of your tofu. You want the firm/extra firm stuff, then leave it in the fridge under some heavy stuff at least overnight. Once you're ready to cook it, cut it into cubes, then toss it in your soy, teryaki, peppercorns, and curry powder. Let it sit while you heat up your cast iron skillet and slice your eggplant in nice, thin slices. Once your skillet is super hot put in the tofu and cook it for a while, probably at least 10 minutes. You'll be able to smell when it's getting ready due to the peppercorns. After the tofu is done, put in the salted eggplant and let that cook for a while (at least 5 minutes, probably more). I eyeballed both of them.
I downed this excellent meal with an excellent Dreadnaught from 3Floyds, which contributed to the out-of-this-world awesome of this meal.
* A note about szechuan peppercorns...these things were probably one of the only reasons this was as good as it was. This spice is truly a thing of beauty, so much so that they were apparently banned at one point. If you can find some snatch them up.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Taco Fight Club 3: Eggplant papas
Vegetarian
This didn't go over well with one of the other members of taco fight club because he hates eggplant, but I enjoyed it.
* Eggplant
* Yogurt
* Salt/Pepper
* Taco seasoning
* Black beans
* Butter
Cook the eggplant as you would mashed potatoes, add all the seasoning, and serve on a tortilla with beans. Easy? You bet.
Fair warning, you may or may not want to remove the skins of the eggplants, they stay very rubbery. Overall the flavor will be very delicate. Also fair warning, they don't really mash nicely like potatoes. Expect them to be super watery. If you have leftovers the water will be reabsorbed (sucking in all that nice flavor).
This didn't go over well with one of the other members of taco fight club because he hates eggplant, but I enjoyed it.
* Eggplant
* Yogurt
* Salt/Pepper
* Taco seasoning
* Black beans
* Butter
Cook the eggplant as you would mashed potatoes, add all the seasoning, and serve on a tortilla with beans. Easy? You bet.
Fair warning, you may or may not want to remove the skins of the eggplants, they stay very rubbery. Overall the flavor will be very delicate. Also fair warning, they don't really mash nicely like potatoes. Expect them to be super watery. If you have leftovers the water will be reabsorbed (sucking in all that nice flavor).
Look what came in the mail...
(Meat courtesy of my very carnivorous roommate)
$20 with free shipping on Amazon, made two recipes from it so far and have been extremely happy. It has instructions to make anything you can imagine, including seitan, which is going to be my next experiment. Highly recommended for any vegetarians and vegans who want to expand their cooking world.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Pancakes for Athletes
Vegetarian.
This is hands-down one of my favorite breakfast recipes. You can easily prepare it the night before and just leave the batter in the fridge overnight, which can save you a good 5 to 10 minutes in preparation. The batter will probably keep at least a week.
1 cup cooked rice
2 eggs
1 banana
1/2 cup "milk" (I always use rice or soy milk)
1 TBSP flour
Anything you'd like to add flavor. I'd suggest berries, nuts, and/or honey. I also add chia seeds and flax seeds because they're supposed to be good for runners or something.
Dump it all in a blender, then cook it. You know, the same way you'd cook any other pancake.
I generally cook a couple of sunny-side-up eggs (pasture raised free-range CSA eggs, of course) and a fruit smoothie to go with this. This is a great, healthy, not too heavy breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
This is hands-down one of my favorite breakfast recipes. You can easily prepare it the night before and just leave the batter in the fridge overnight, which can save you a good 5 to 10 minutes in preparation. The batter will probably keep at least a week.
1 cup cooked rice
2 eggs
1 banana
1/2 cup "milk" (I always use rice or soy milk)
1 TBSP flour
Anything you'd like to add flavor. I'd suggest berries, nuts, and/or honey. I also add chia seeds and flax seeds because they're supposed to be good for runners or something.
Dump it all in a blender, then cook it. You know, the same way you'd cook any other pancake.
I generally cook a couple of sunny-side-up eggs (pasture raised free-range CSA eggs, of course) and a fruit smoothie to go with this. This is a great, healthy, not too heavy breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
Yogurt Veggie Curry
Vegetarian.
I threw this together on a whim a few weeks ago and am really starting to love it, mainly because it's so delicious and fast, and just a little different.
A pile of veggies
Your big adult yogurt
Curry powder
Soy sauce
(I used fish sauce but it's entirely optional)
Saute the veggies in extra virgin olive oil until they're soft.* Take the pan off the heat, and let it cool for a second, then slowly add the yogurt (so as to not curdle it). Add in the curry powder and the soy suace. That's it!
For the amount of time this takes, it's totally worth it. It takes maybe a half hour total.
* I wasn't totally pleased with my veggie curry today just because I definitely undercooked, my veggies, but this is absolutely a personal preference. If you cook it longer all the flavors will melt together and you'll end up with a very nice, soft base for your curry, but if you undercook it you end up with a really nice, crunchy base that allows you to taste all the bare flavors of the food. Your call.
I threw this together on a whim a few weeks ago and am really starting to love it, mainly because it's so delicious and fast, and just a little different.
A pile of veggies
Your big adult yogurt
Curry powder
Soy sauce
(I used fish sauce but it's entirely optional)
Saute the veggies in extra virgin olive oil until they're soft.* Take the pan off the heat, and let it cool for a second, then slowly add the yogurt (so as to not curdle it). Add in the curry powder and the soy suace. That's it!
For the amount of time this takes, it's totally worth it. It takes maybe a half hour total.
* I wasn't totally pleased with my veggie curry today just because I definitely undercooked, my veggies, but this is absolutely a personal preference. If you cook it longer all the flavors will melt together and you'll end up with a very nice, soft base for your curry, but if you undercook it you end up with a really nice, crunchy base that allows you to taste all the bare flavors of the food. Your call.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
It is about time I made veggie burgers...
Vegan.
...so I did yesterday. How convenient! This recipe is about as easy as it can get, too, which is always a huge plus.
About 2 cups of garbanzo beans
Garlic
Carrots
1 cup oatmeal (NOT the instant kind)
1 onion
taco seasoning
soy sauce
fresh jalapenos
all-seasoning
Cook the garbanzo beans (I finally made dried ones, which require 8 hrs. soaking and 2 hrs. cooking, so that takes the longest). In the meantime, heat your oven up to 400 degrees. Dump everything into a blender. Oil up your little pan well, form the mixture into burger-shaped balls, put them in the pan and into the oven. Flip them after 12 minutes, then let them cook another 12, and they should be done!
I also made up a nice fresh basil pesto and tomato sauce to accompany mine. For the pesto:
a bunch of fresh basil
some nuts (I used pecans)
some oil
some garlic
The tomato sauce was pretty much the same thing without the nuts. Both of those just need to be blended for a few seconds until it...you know...looks like pesto/sauce.
This meal packed some serious flavor punch, I'm sure you'll love it! Also try the same recipe with different beans, ie, black beans.
...so I did yesterday. How convenient! This recipe is about as easy as it can get, too, which is always a huge plus.
About 2 cups of garbanzo beans
Garlic
Carrots
1 cup oatmeal (NOT the instant kind)
1 onion
taco seasoning
soy sauce
fresh jalapenos
all-seasoning
Cook the garbanzo beans (I finally made dried ones, which require 8 hrs. soaking and 2 hrs. cooking, so that takes the longest). In the meantime, heat your oven up to 400 degrees. Dump everything into a blender. Oil up your little pan well, form the mixture into burger-shaped balls, put them in the pan and into the oven. Flip them after 12 minutes, then let them cook another 12, and they should be done!
I also made up a nice fresh basil pesto and tomato sauce to accompany mine. For the pesto:
a bunch of fresh basil
some nuts (I used pecans)
some oil
some garlic
The tomato sauce was pretty much the same thing without the nuts. Both of those just need to be blended for a few seconds until it...you know...looks like pesto/sauce.
This meal packed some serious flavor punch, I'm sure you'll love it! Also try the same recipe with different beans, ie, black beans.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
And then I made cornbread!
Vegetarian.
I was making something else and decided "hey, wouldn't it be cool to make cornbread?" The answer was yes, yes it would. So I did.
I pulled the recipe out of my Alton Brown Super Signed Super Awesome Good Eats Book. It uses a cast iron skillet, which is bonus points because I always want an excuse to use my cast iron skillet.
2 cups corn meal
1 cup yogurt (again, the real adult kind, not the fruity shit)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons canola oil
Before you get going, heat your oven to 425 degrees and pop in your cast iron skillet. That baby needs to be nice and warm. Mix everything together, then pull out the cast iron and make sure the bottom is well-oiled. Then put your batter into the cast iron, evening it all out, and pop it back in the oven for about 20 minutes. Believe me, the smell alone is its own reward. Best served with butter and honey if you're into that.
The food accompanying it is a bunch of baked veggies...cover them with olive oil and salt, pop them into the oven for about 20-30 minutes on 350, and enjoy!
I was making something else and decided "hey, wouldn't it be cool to make cornbread?" The answer was yes, yes it would. So I did.
I pulled the recipe out of my Alton Brown Super Signed Super Awesome Good Eats Book. It uses a cast iron skillet, which is bonus points because I always want an excuse to use my cast iron skillet.
2 cups corn meal
1 cup yogurt (again, the real adult kind, not the fruity shit)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons canola oil
Before you get going, heat your oven to 425 degrees and pop in your cast iron skillet. That baby needs to be nice and warm. Mix everything together, then pull out the cast iron and make sure the bottom is well-oiled. Then put your batter into the cast iron, evening it all out, and pop it back in the oven for about 20 minutes. Believe me, the smell alone is its own reward. Best served with butter and honey if you're into that.
The food accompanying it is a bunch of baked veggies...cover them with olive oil and salt, pop them into the oven for about 20-30 minutes on 350, and enjoy!
Baba Ganoush and Beet Hummus
Vegan.
We ended up with a lot of rather large beets, as well as a ton of eggplant, in the CSA box so I figured it would be a good time to make some baba ganoush (eggplant hummus) and beet hummus because I don't cook either veggie enough, and hummus is easy and tasty, and I have a lot of garlic and tahini.
The other nice thing about hummus is it's effing easy. The basic template is cook your base until it's nice and soft, toss it in the blender with garlic, oil, and tahini, and blend it until smooth. Easy money. The only thing that takes time is the actual cooking, which varies depending on what you choose your base to be (for example, the beets took WAY longer to cook than canned garbanzo beans or eggplant).
To cook your beets, cut them up into relatively small squares and toss them into a pot of water, on medium. Let them sit in their bath until they taste done (not crunchy, very sweet, not necessarily soft).
To cook your eggplant, cut them in half, then cover both sides with oil and a very simple seasoning mix (salt, pepper, etc). Place them flesh side down on a pan and put them in your oven, set to broil, until the skin is dark and the flesh is very soft.
The completed beet hummus. Looks like cake icing!
You can eat them straight out of the blender, but they always taste better after sitting in the fridge overnight, when the flavors have a chance to mingle. A great-tasting way to use up hard-to-cook veggies!
We ended up with a lot of rather large beets, as well as a ton of eggplant, in the CSA box so I figured it would be a good time to make some baba ganoush (eggplant hummus) and beet hummus because I don't cook either veggie enough, and hummus is easy and tasty, and I have a lot of garlic and tahini.
The other nice thing about hummus is it's effing easy. The basic template is cook your base until it's nice and soft, toss it in the blender with garlic, oil, and tahini, and blend it until smooth. Easy money. The only thing that takes time is the actual cooking, which varies depending on what you choose your base to be (for example, the beets took WAY longer to cook than canned garbanzo beans or eggplant).
To cook your beets, cut them up into relatively small squares and toss them into a pot of water, on medium. Let them sit in their bath until they taste done (not crunchy, very sweet, not necessarily soft).
To cook your eggplant, cut them in half, then cover both sides with oil and a very simple seasoning mix (salt, pepper, etc). Place them flesh side down on a pan and put them in your oven, set to broil, until the skin is dark and the flesh is very soft.
The completed beet hummus. Looks like cake icing!
You can eat them straight out of the blender, but they always taste better after sitting in the fridge overnight, when the flavors have a chance to mingle. A great-tasting way to use up hard-to-cook veggies!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Eating Animals, and Why Vegetarianism Matters
I recently read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and was pleasantly surprised by how uncomfortable it made me, which inspired a new dedication to eating as vegan/humane as possible. He makes a convincing case for vegetarianism and veganism not just from the position of not wanting to be a cause of suffering, but in terms of how such choices impact all parts of our lives, including environmental and economical.
The case made for the amount of pollution factory farms cause is undeniable, and especially frightening is his discussion of how the antibiotics fed to these animals just to barely keep them alive are producing a new crop of superbugs, which has be coming into sharp focus given the multitude of food-based virus and bacteria outbreaks the world has been dealing with lately. Besides the obvious and immediate health threats, he also drives home the fact that the monopolization of our food system has driven nearly all small family farms and their support systems (independent butchers and so on) out of business, concentrating the dangers.
I was most pleased with how he was unflinching in his (successful, in my case) attempt to force the reader to understand the kind of profound suffering animals experience when living in these conditions, and the horror of their last moments of life. Dismissing vegetarians and vegans as liberal softies becomes increasing difficult when having to look into the face of what "manly meat" really means. Anyone who reads these passages without having a visceral, disgusted reaction is not human.
Stemming from this discussion, to my own discomfort, I was forced to turn a microscope to my own hypocrisy when it came to a vegan diet. I eat primarily veggies and grains, but dismissed veganism as extreme and ridiculous. I mean, cows like to be milked, and chickens just lay eggs naturally, right? I guess that depends on whether or not they're being force fed antibiotics and not allowed to move all day. Yikes.
A good portion of the book also deals with some of the few independent family farms still left, which was certainly inspiring, but the question of animal suffering still hung heavy throughout the entire book.
Overall, I would highly recommend the book. Of course, there were some stones unturned, but either way it's an excellent primer for anyone on the fence about vegetarianism/veganism, and an excellent reminder to current veggies that they really can make a difference.
The case made for the amount of pollution factory farms cause is undeniable, and especially frightening is his discussion of how the antibiotics fed to these animals just to barely keep them alive are producing a new crop of superbugs, which has be coming into sharp focus given the multitude of food-based virus and bacteria outbreaks the world has been dealing with lately. Besides the obvious and immediate health threats, he also drives home the fact that the monopolization of our food system has driven nearly all small family farms and their support systems (independent butchers and so on) out of business, concentrating the dangers.
I was most pleased with how he was unflinching in his (successful, in my case) attempt to force the reader to understand the kind of profound suffering animals experience when living in these conditions, and the horror of their last moments of life. Dismissing vegetarians and vegans as liberal softies becomes increasing difficult when having to look into the face of what "manly meat" really means. Anyone who reads these passages without having a visceral, disgusted reaction is not human.
Stemming from this discussion, to my own discomfort, I was forced to turn a microscope to my own hypocrisy when it came to a vegan diet. I eat primarily veggies and grains, but dismissed veganism as extreme and ridiculous. I mean, cows like to be milked, and chickens just lay eggs naturally, right? I guess that depends on whether or not they're being force fed antibiotics and not allowed to move all day. Yikes.
A good portion of the book also deals with some of the few independent family farms still left, which was certainly inspiring, but the question of animal suffering still hung heavy throughout the entire book.
Overall, I would highly recommend the book. Of course, there were some stones unturned, but either way it's an excellent primer for anyone on the fence about vegetarianism/veganism, and an excellent reminder to current veggies that they really can make a difference.
Taco Fight Club: Round 1
Vegetarian
In response to terrible breakfast tacos from an unnamed source, my workmate and I formed TACO FIGHT CLUB, in which we take turns bringing in breakfast tacos once a week. For my first round I made the mistake of making two different tacos (thus depriving myself of a good idea for the next week, but oh well) and put together a papas, bean, and cheese, as well as an egg, bean, and cheese.
Papas are essentially "Mexican mashed potatoes", which is to say mashed potatoes. With...like...chilies in it I guess, I don't know. Unfortunately I got exactly 0 pictures of both tacos, so just use your wild imaginations.
* Potatoes
* Yogurt (like, real live adult yogurt, none of that Dannon shit)
* Cheese (get a nice, tangy, strong cheese)
* Garbanzo beans
For the other taco, you just need
* Egg
* Garbanzo beans
* Cheese (same stuff as the other taco, why not?)
* TORTILLAS!
Quarter the potatoes and toss them into some hot water until soft. In the meantime toss the garbanzo beans onto the stove and heat them up until soft as well. And also, if you have the room/hands, crack your eggs Once your potatoes are done, drain them and mash the hell out of them. You'll want to add some butter and the yogurt while mashing. Once the beans are soft mash them up too. Put the potatoes, cheese, beans on one tortilla and the eggs, beans, cheese on the other, garnish with some salsa if you desire and dig in!
These simple tacos are fantastic for a light, tasty breakfast or lunch; though you'll want to make the mashed potatoes ahead of time if you have them for breakfast, everything can be quickly made the morning of and slapped together in no time. For lunch, either assemble all the tacos in the morning and wrap in aluminum foil, then just pop in the toaster oven, or bring everything individually to warm up in a microwave.
In response to terrible breakfast tacos from an unnamed source, my workmate and I formed TACO FIGHT CLUB, in which we take turns bringing in breakfast tacos once a week. For my first round I made the mistake of making two different tacos (thus depriving myself of a good idea for the next week, but oh well) and put together a papas, bean, and cheese, as well as an egg, bean, and cheese.
Papas are essentially "Mexican mashed potatoes", which is to say mashed potatoes. With...like...chilies in it I guess, I don't know. Unfortunately I got exactly 0 pictures of both tacos, so just use your wild imaginations.
* Potatoes
* Yogurt (like, real live adult yogurt, none of that Dannon shit)
* Cheese (get a nice, tangy, strong cheese)
* Garbanzo beans
For the other taco, you just need
* Egg
* Garbanzo beans
* Cheese (same stuff as the other taco, why not?)
* TORTILLAS!
Quarter the potatoes and toss them into some hot water until soft. In the meantime toss the garbanzo beans onto the stove and heat them up until soft as well. And also, if you have the room/hands, crack your eggs Once your potatoes are done, drain them and mash the hell out of them. You'll want to add some butter and the yogurt while mashing. Once the beans are soft mash them up too. Put the potatoes, cheese, beans on one tortilla and the eggs, beans, cheese on the other, garnish with some salsa if you desire and dig in!
These simple tacos are fantastic for a light, tasty breakfast or lunch; though you'll want to make the mashed potatoes ahead of time if you have them for breakfast, everything can be quickly made the morning of and slapped together in no time. For lunch, either assemble all the tacos in the morning and wrap in aluminum foil, then just pop in the toaster oven, or bring everything individually to warm up in a microwave.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
That's not chili, it's stew
I recently hared for Austin's Hash group (austinh3.org) and, fulfilling my duty as a hare, I prepared a tasty meal for the hungry hounds to munch on before circle. I claimed this meal was a chili (cooked with the proper levels of both love and beer), which incited some anger from those dirty, ungrateful hounds (who I still love forever).
The primary issue was the STEW had no MEAT in it, which certain dirty hounds insist is an integral part of chili (a lie, see my previous post on beet chili, which this meal was a variation on), but after some drunken, angry debate, we came to the conclusion that ANYTHING can be chili IF it contains chili-specific spices, namely chili powder, cumin, and salt. Therefore, I had to concede, my stew was, in fact, a stew and not a chili.
The more you know.
The primary issue was the STEW had no MEAT in it, which certain dirty hounds insist is an integral part of chili (a lie, see my previous post on beet chili, which this meal was a variation on), but after some drunken, angry debate, we came to the conclusion that ANYTHING can be chili IF it contains chili-specific spices, namely chili powder, cumin, and salt. Therefore, I had to concede, my stew was, in fact, a stew and not a chili.
The more you know.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Glass Jars, Kimchis, and what to do with those greens
We've been getting piles and piles of leafy greens in the CSA box, way more than we can handle honestly. It doesn't help that we don't eat much raw salad. However, faced with this problem, I've explored a few successful options, including adding a pile of greens to my beet chili recipe, as well as experimenting with a variety of kimchis. So far I've only made a "standard" chili kimchi and a curry kimchi (both from the recipe I posted previously), but those two made me realize how easy it is to use up a lot of salad greens with a healthy food that never goes bad.
You can essentially use any veggies/spices in your kimchi as long as you use a green with the consistency of cabbage as the base (my second attempt was with bok choy), and modify the amount you use to accommodate your supplies. Soak it overnight in some salt water, toss it all in a jar with your paste, the brine, and extra veggies, and let it sit out for about 7 days. Seriously, how easy is that? (The answer: extremely) Oh yeah, and did I mention cheap? If not, I should have. It's seriously hella cheap.
A word on glass jars. They are so handy for such a wide variety of tasks I would dare claim that no kitchen can be complete without a sizable collection. They're easy to clean, make great storage containers, are fantastic to pack a lunch in (especially if you're a cyclist like me and can't deal with spillage), and will almost certainly last far longer than tupperware if you treat them right. Besides that, you're cutting a major source of plastic out of your life, which is always a good thing.
Although you can certainly buy canning jars in the store for a fairly reasonable price, I would recommend trying to replace some of your current staples with ones packaged in glass jars. For example, I've been buying a local yogurt that comes in a glass jar rather than the yogurts that come in plastic containers (though those are wonderful in their own right). The extra money is worth it, as the glass is far easier to keep clean, you eliminate the risk of your food being tainted by plastic, you're throwing out far less plastic, AND you have some great containers to put all your tasty kimchi in (not to mention any stuff you'd like to pickle)! That, my friends, is how you win at winning.
You can essentially use any veggies/spices in your kimchi as long as you use a green with the consistency of cabbage as the base (my second attempt was with bok choy), and modify the amount you use to accommodate your supplies. Soak it overnight in some salt water, toss it all in a jar with your paste, the brine, and extra veggies, and let it sit out for about 7 days. Seriously, how easy is that? (The answer: extremely) Oh yeah, and did I mention cheap? If not, I should have. It's seriously hella cheap.
A word on glass jars. They are so handy for such a wide variety of tasks I would dare claim that no kitchen can be complete without a sizable collection. They're easy to clean, make great storage containers, are fantastic to pack a lunch in (especially if you're a cyclist like me and can't deal with spillage), and will almost certainly last far longer than tupperware if you treat them right. Besides that, you're cutting a major source of plastic out of your life, which is always a good thing.
Although you can certainly buy canning jars in the store for a fairly reasonable price, I would recommend trying to replace some of your current staples with ones packaged in glass jars. For example, I've been buying a local yogurt that comes in a glass jar rather than the yogurts that come in plastic containers (though those are wonderful in their own right). The extra money is worth it, as the glass is far easier to keep clean, you eliminate the risk of your food being tainted by plastic, you're throwing out far less plastic, AND you have some great containers to put all your tasty kimchi in (not to mention any stuff you'd like to pickle)! That, my friends, is how you win at winning.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Beet Chili
Vegetarian and vegan.
We have a ton of beets and some canned tomatoes, so I decided to whip up a beet chili last night for dinner. I was concerned the beets would make it too sweet, but this concern was entirely unfounded; in fact, I found quite a few beet chili recipes, and a few of them used very dull-tasting meats like chicken, which made me pretty confident the chili taste would overwhelm any sweetness the beets added. I Googled a few different beet chili recipes, and one that included wild rice, to get a general idea of the cooking process and ended up improving my own recipe.
olive oil
garlic (a ton)
peppers (I used pablano, habanero*, and chipotle)
carrots
1 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1 cup beer (I used a brown ale)
Italian spices (oregano, etc...I have a tin of "Italian Seasonings")
1 large glass bell jar of canned tomatoes
beets (about a pound or so)
1 can black beans
Cover the bottom of a large chili pot with olive oil and heat up the oil on medium heat (you want it to heat up pretty slow). Put in the carrots first, then the fresh peppers (save that chipotle for later), and finally the garlic. Saute that up for a bit until everything is starting to get soft, but not too soft. Add the water, beer, rice, spice, canned tomatoes, and beets. Turn the heat up just a little, get it to boiling, then take it back down to medium heat. After about 30 minutes, once the beets are getting soft, toss in the black beans and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.
I served mine with a dollup of plain yogurt and a pretty good amount of hard cheese (Gouda and Farmhouse Chedder) to cut the heat. Paired it with a mild IPA; again, great for hot food. I only used one habanero (the only really spicy pepper), and that was about the perfect amount of heat. Even though I felt the rice was slightly underdone, overall this chili had a fantastic texture and a much "meatier" taste than I expected. I'm going to be adding this to my regular recipe rotation for sure.
Helping!
* If you do end up using habaneros (which I highly recommend), WEAR GLOVES WHILE YOU CUT THEM. Seriously. My fingers burned like crazy all night, and were still burning the next morning, even after washing my hands multiple times.
We have a ton of beets and some canned tomatoes, so I decided to whip up a beet chili last night for dinner. I was concerned the beets would make it too sweet, but this concern was entirely unfounded; in fact, I found quite a few beet chili recipes, and a few of them used very dull-tasting meats like chicken, which made me pretty confident the chili taste would overwhelm any sweetness the beets added. I Googled a few different beet chili recipes, and one that included wild rice, to get a general idea of the cooking process and ended up improving my own recipe.
olive oil
garlic (a ton)
peppers (I used pablano, habanero*, and chipotle)
carrots
1 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1 cup beer (I used a brown ale)
Italian spices (oregano, etc...I have a tin of "Italian Seasonings")
1 large glass bell jar of canned tomatoes
beets (about a pound or so)
1 can black beans
Cover the bottom of a large chili pot with olive oil and heat up the oil on medium heat (you want it to heat up pretty slow). Put in the carrots first, then the fresh peppers (save that chipotle for later), and finally the garlic. Saute that up for a bit until everything is starting to get soft, but not too soft. Add the water, beer, rice, spice, canned tomatoes, and beets. Turn the heat up just a little, get it to boiling, then take it back down to medium heat. After about 30 minutes, once the beets are getting soft, toss in the black beans and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.
I served mine with a dollup of plain yogurt and a pretty good amount of hard cheese (Gouda and Farmhouse Chedder) to cut the heat. Paired it with a mild IPA; again, great for hot food. I only used one habanero (the only really spicy pepper), and that was about the perfect amount of heat. Even though I felt the rice was slightly underdone, overall this chili had a fantastic texture and a much "meatier" taste than I expected. I'm going to be adding this to my regular recipe rotation for sure.
Helping!
* If you do end up using habaneros (which I highly recommend), WEAR GLOVES WHILE YOU CUT THEM. Seriously. My fingers burned like crazy all night, and were still burning the next morning, even after washing my hands multiple times.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Using Leftover Dairy from Cheese, Pt. 2: Soup
I sort of followed this Lentil soup recipe from Alton Brown, but really ended up making my own weird mess of tomatoes, lentils, and peppers.
olive oil
green onion
garlic
carrot
poblano pepper
chipotle pepper
salt
lentils
tomatoes (I used some that my roommate's dad canned)
3 cups water
1 cup beer
1/2 cup leftover dairy stuff
some spices (I used curry powder)
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and sautee the veggies for a bit. After they've softened, add in everything else. Bring the mixture to a boil, then put it on medium-low heat and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked, about 30-45 minutes (at this point consider making some biscuits! ;)). Once it's all cooked up dump it in a blender and go to town. You can make it as chunky or non-chunky as you like.
When I was finished, I put all my soup into the glass jars I keep around (seriously, keep ALL your glass jars, they're invaluable) and stuck it in the fridge. It's perfect for lunch at the office.
I really feel like the soup could have used a lot more spice; it was certainly hot, thanks to all the chipotles I added, but still seemed a bit on the bland side.
olive oil
green onion
garlic
carrot
poblano pepper
chipotle pepper
salt
lentils
tomatoes (I used some that my roommate's dad canned)
3 cups water
1 cup beer
1/2 cup leftover dairy stuff
some spices (I used curry powder)
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and sautee the veggies for a bit. After they've softened, add in everything else. Bring the mixture to a boil, then put it on medium-low heat and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked, about 30-45 minutes (at this point consider making some biscuits! ;)). Once it's all cooked up dump it in a blender and go to town. You can make it as chunky or non-chunky as you like.
When I was finished, I put all my soup into the glass jars I keep around (seriously, keep ALL your glass jars, they're invaluable) and stuck it in the fridge. It's perfect for lunch at the office.
I really feel like the soup could have used a lot more spice; it was certainly hot, thanks to all the chipotles I added, but still seemed a bit on the bland side.
Using Leftover Dairy from Cheese, Pt. 1: Baking
So obviously, I have previously used some of my leftover dairy stuff to make delicious honey corn bread/muffins, and they were pretty delicious. However, I still had a ton of that stuff leftover and little idea of what to do with it. So...more baking! This time, Biscuits (courtesy of my all-time favorite, Alton Brown)!
Once again, I was facing a situation where I didn't have certain supplies on hand, so I improvised. My recipe is as follows:
2 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast, proofed*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup buttermilk, chilled (if you have any)
1/2 cup leftover dairy stuff (1 cup if you're out of the buttermilk at this point)
* Proofing just means letting the packet of yeast sit in a bowl with a 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tbsp sugar for about 15 minutes. It starts to get all poofy.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Toss in all the dry ingredients, stir, then cut up the butter into fairly small pieces, and rub it into the dry stuff, until you feel like it's pretty evenly distributed. Try not to allow large chunks of butter. Then add the buttermilk, dairy stuff, and your proofed yeast. Mix it all together and turn it out onto a cutting board dusted with corn meal (I would have used flour except I used it all in the biscuits. go figure). Turn the dough about 5 or 6 times, then roll them into balls, put them on your baking sheet, and toss them in the oven. They should be done in about 15 minutes, or once they start to brown on the top!
(only an "after" picture because my hands were literally caked with dough)
This experiment was a bit less of a success than I had hoped. The dough was EXTREMELY wet due to the yeast and extra water, the corn meal added a bit of a weird crunchy texture, and overall the biscuits turned out a little flat, probably due to the lack of baking powder (I need to buy baking powder, obviously). However, they still taste pretty good and complimented the soup I made pretty well.
I'm going to keep experimenting with baking in the near future because I am extremely uncomfortable with it. I don't understand how the ingredients effect the texture or flavor (obvious with my attempts to sub yeast for baking powder...completely changes the texture), and I feel like I need to follow the recipe meticulously. It ends up being a lot of work (in my mind) and extremely intimidating. I'm going to change that. I hope my experiments encourage you to try and tackle the areas of cooking you feel uncomfortable with as well.
Once again, I was facing a situation where I didn't have certain supplies on hand, so I improvised. My recipe is as follows:
2 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast, proofed*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup buttermilk, chilled (if you have any)
1/2 cup leftover dairy stuff (1 cup if you're out of the buttermilk at this point)
* Proofing just means letting the packet of yeast sit in a bowl with a 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tbsp sugar for about 15 minutes. It starts to get all poofy.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Toss in all the dry ingredients, stir, then cut up the butter into fairly small pieces, and rub it into the dry stuff, until you feel like it's pretty evenly distributed. Try not to allow large chunks of butter. Then add the buttermilk, dairy stuff, and your proofed yeast. Mix it all together and turn it out onto a cutting board dusted with corn meal (I would have used flour except I used it all in the biscuits. go figure). Turn the dough about 5 or 6 times, then roll them into balls, put them on your baking sheet, and toss them in the oven. They should be done in about 15 minutes, or once they start to brown on the top!
(only an "after" picture because my hands were literally caked with dough)
This experiment was a bit less of a success than I had hoped. The dough was EXTREMELY wet due to the yeast and extra water, the corn meal added a bit of a weird crunchy texture, and overall the biscuits turned out a little flat, probably due to the lack of baking powder (I need to buy baking powder, obviously). However, they still taste pretty good and complimented the soup I made pretty well.
I'm going to keep experimenting with baking in the near future because I am extremely uncomfortable with it. I don't understand how the ingredients effect the texture or flavor (obvious with my attempts to sub yeast for baking powder...completely changes the texture), and I feel like I need to follow the recipe meticulously. It ends up being a lot of work (in my mind) and extremely intimidating. I'm going to change that. I hope my experiments encourage you to try and tackle the areas of cooking you feel uncomfortable with as well.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Kimchi/Cheese Update
So both the kimchi and cheese came out amazing. Winning? You better believe it. Only problem with the cheese is you end up with a ton of leftover almost-yogurt cream stuff, but the next few days I'm going to be attempting to use it in various dishes and writing about how it came out (the most obvious use is just dumping it into fruit smoothies, which I have done, but that only uses so much. Meaning very little.). But I mixed in some salt and herbs-du-province, and the cheese is really fantastic. Could hard cheese be next? Stay tuned to find out.
But this post is only a little bit about cheese. Time for the kimchi!
1 Napa cabbage
1/6 cup of salt* (I know, see my notes below)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1/8 cup of fish sauce
3/4 cup Korean chili powder (yeah, you actually need that much. sheesh.)
1 bunch scallions
a lot of garlic
ginger
some carrots (optional)
Cut up your cabbage and put it in a big bowl with the water and salt. Do this the night before, because you need to let it sit like that overnight. The next day, pull the cabbage out of the brine (keep the brine!!) and put it into another large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, soy sauce, and fish sauce to make a paste. Add the paste and the rest of the stuff (scallions, garlic, ginger, etc) to the cabbage. Mix all that together, then spoon the mixture into glass jars (pack it in!), and cover it with the brine. Now let it sit for at least 3-4 days, so it can ferment. After that time, keep checking on it; when it tastes good to you it's done. Leave it in the fridge after you open it.
The stuff I made is nice and spicy and tangy; it's obviously better than store-bought, it makes a TON*, and the ingredients are hella cheap. This kind of thing is a perfect work-snack (if your workmates don't mind the funky smell!), or as a healthy topping to rice and so on.
* If you read the original recipe, you'll notice I cut it in half. Take a look at the picture of the cabbage in that bowl and I think you'll be able to figure out why pretty quick. Another hint? That's literally the largest bowl in our apartment.
But this post is only a little bit about cheese. Time for the kimchi!
1 Napa cabbage
1/6 cup of salt* (I know, see my notes below)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1/8 cup of fish sauce
3/4 cup Korean chili powder (yeah, you actually need that much. sheesh.)
1 bunch scallions
a lot of garlic
ginger
some carrots (optional)
Cut up your cabbage and put it in a big bowl with the water and salt. Do this the night before, because you need to let it sit like that overnight. The next day, pull the cabbage out of the brine (keep the brine!!) and put it into another large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, soy sauce, and fish sauce to make a paste. Add the paste and the rest of the stuff (scallions, garlic, ginger, etc) to the cabbage. Mix all that together, then spoon the mixture into glass jars (pack it in!), and cover it with the brine. Now let it sit for at least 3-4 days, so it can ferment. After that time, keep checking on it; when it tastes good to you it's done. Leave it in the fridge after you open it.
The stuff I made is nice and spicy and tangy; it's obviously better than store-bought, it makes a TON*, and the ingredients are hella cheap. This kind of thing is a perfect work-snack (if your workmates don't mind the funky smell!), or as a healthy topping to rice and so on.
* If you read the original recipe, you'll notice I cut it in half. Take a look at the picture of the cabbage in that bowl and I think you'll be able to figure out why pretty quick. Another hint? That's literally the largest bowl in our apartment.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Honey Corn Muffins
Vegetarian.
So you did the cheese making thing and you have all this buttermilk leftover, because seriously, you only used like 1/4 cup of it, and it never comes in a small enough container. So now what?
CORN MUFFINS, DUH!
I pulled this off foodnetwork.com (I'm a big fan of the Neelys :)):
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package Active rising yeast *
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk *
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, mix everything together in a bowl, and put the batter into either muffin tins or just a square baking sheet (needs to have high sides, see picture below). Bake it for about 15 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.
* Note these are deviations from the original recipe. This is a pretty good example of what I mean when I say I like to improvise with what I have on hand; I had a ton of leftover buttermilk from the cheese making experiment, and had gotten active rise yeast in anticipation of baking, but had no baking powder. I've never made this recipe before, but the cornbread still came out great, if a little dense (I'm pretty sure I didn't do the yeast right).
Learning to work with what you already have is going to not only save you a lot of time and money at the grocery store, it will help you use up all that excess stuff you have lying around, and, as a bonus, will expand the amount and kind of recipes you will feel confident in tackling. There will be some failures, but it's all part of the learning process!
So you did the cheese making thing and you have all this buttermilk leftover, because seriously, you only used like 1/4 cup of it, and it never comes in a small enough container. So now what?
CORN MUFFINS, DUH!
I pulled this off foodnetwork.com (I'm a big fan of the Neelys :)):
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package Active rising yeast *
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk *
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, mix everything together in a bowl, and put the batter into either muffin tins or just a square baking sheet (needs to have high sides, see picture below). Bake it for about 15 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.
* Note these are deviations from the original recipe. This is a pretty good example of what I mean when I say I like to improvise with what I have on hand; I had a ton of leftover buttermilk from the cheese making experiment, and had gotten active rise yeast in anticipation of baking, but had no baking powder. I've never made this recipe before, but the cornbread still came out great, if a little dense (I'm pretty sure I didn't do the yeast right).
Learning to work with what you already have is going to not only save you a lot of time and money at the grocery store, it will help you use up all that excess stuff you have lying around, and, as a bonus, will expand the amount and kind of recipes you will feel confident in tackling. There will be some failures, but it's all part of the learning process!
Adventures in Cheese Making
Vegetarian.
I came across this New York Times "interactive feature" called DIY Cooking Handbook, and immediately focused in on two things I consume quite a bit of: cheese and kimchi. Looked simple enough, and I had always wanted to experiment with cheese-making, so I loaded up my trusty bike with supplies and got to work!
The recipe is as follows:
1 gallon whole milk (the fresher and less-pasteurized, the better)
1/4 cup cultured buttermilk
1 tablespoon rennet solution (I got tablets and used 1 tablet)
Salt for flavor
Warm the milk and buttermilk over the stove, on low heat, to about 80 degrees. After removing it from the heat, toss in the rennet, cover it loosely, and let it sit at room temperature for about 8 to 12 hours.
Once you get back to it, it should have formed a nice layer of curd over the top, with the clear whey below. At this point, you want to line a colander with a cloth (I used cheesecloth folded over into 4 layers), and with a slotted spoon start scooping in that wonderful curd. Once you feel like you've gotten all the curd in there (if it's anything like my experience, the curd got all mixed in with the whey), you need to fold up the cheesecloth and tie a rope around it, then suspend it and allow the whey to drip out the bottom into a bowl. Leave it overnight like this.
Once you get up in the morning it should have solidified a bit, and look like this:
At that point salt it to taste.
As I mentioned above, I had a problem skimming the curd off. That left a TON of liquid in my pot...notice how tiny the amount of cheese was. This stuff really just tasted like bland yogurt, so I put it all in tupperware and shoved it in the fridge. Tonight I'm going to experiment by pouring in some of that leftover and seeing if I can coax more cheese out of it. However, if you're not necessarily interested in more hanging but don't want to trash it, I would recommend keeping it as a yogurt substitute, and for baking. In fact, this morning I made myself some nice fruit smoothies with the stuff, and they came out great (even the ferret approved):
And what of all that leftover buttermilk, you say? Well, my friend, check out the picture above for a tasty suggestion...see you in the next post!
I came across this New York Times "interactive feature" called DIY Cooking Handbook, and immediately focused in on two things I consume quite a bit of: cheese and kimchi. Looked simple enough, and I had always wanted to experiment with cheese-making, so I loaded up my trusty bike with supplies and got to work!
The recipe is as follows:
1 gallon whole milk (the fresher and less-pasteurized, the better)
1/4 cup cultured buttermilk
1 tablespoon rennet solution (I got tablets and used 1 tablet)
Salt for flavor
Warm the milk and buttermilk over the stove, on low heat, to about 80 degrees. After removing it from the heat, toss in the rennet, cover it loosely, and let it sit at room temperature for about 8 to 12 hours.
Once you get back to it, it should have formed a nice layer of curd over the top, with the clear whey below. At this point, you want to line a colander with a cloth (I used cheesecloth folded over into 4 layers), and with a slotted spoon start scooping in that wonderful curd. Once you feel like you've gotten all the curd in there (if it's anything like my experience, the curd got all mixed in with the whey), you need to fold up the cheesecloth and tie a rope around it, then suspend it and allow the whey to drip out the bottom into a bowl. Leave it overnight like this.
Once you get up in the morning it should have solidified a bit, and look like this:
At that point salt it to taste.
As I mentioned above, I had a problem skimming the curd off. That left a TON of liquid in my pot...notice how tiny the amount of cheese was. This stuff really just tasted like bland yogurt, so I put it all in tupperware and shoved it in the fridge. Tonight I'm going to experiment by pouring in some of that leftover and seeing if I can coax more cheese out of it. However, if you're not necessarily interested in more hanging but don't want to trash it, I would recommend keeping it as a yogurt substitute, and for baking. In fact, this morning I made myself some nice fruit smoothies with the stuff, and they came out great (even the ferret approved):
And what of all that leftover buttermilk, you say? Well, my friend, check out the picture above for a tasty suggestion...see you in the next post!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
General Tips and References, As Well As A Short Introduction
Vegetarian cooking is extremely intimidating to most people, largely because all their experiences with vegetables in the past have been negative. Besides the fact that television likes to promote the idea that meat is the only thing worth eating, EVER, and actively promotes the idea that vegetables are unbearable to everyone except very overenthusiastic women (seriously, ladies, calm down there...), a lot of people grew up in families that, if they cooked, probably didn't know how to cook veggies very well. They're always a side dish, and always steamed, because what else is there, amiriteguyz?
I'm hoping to contribute, even in a small way, to the idea that cooking vegetables and vegetarian food is not only extremely fun, but also very easy and highly rewarding. Even just making a few vegetable- and/or grain-based meals and snacks at home can help dramatically cut your costs as well (bulk is absolutely your friend).
Besides that, this is a chance for me to record the recipe successes I've either found on the Internet or swapped with friends. I have quite a few very capable vegetarian-cook friends, and every new recipe they share with me gets me excited to get into the kitchen.
A few things to note about the recipes I post.
1) I don't use exact measurements. Almost ever. If you're looking for an exact, step-by-step recipe with exact measurements, check out some of the great resources I listed below. I cannot give this to you because this is not how I cook. Cooking exactly to a recipe is boring and rather discouraging in my experience.
2) In the same vein, I'm a HUGE believer in improvising. Don't have baking powder on hand for that corn muffin recipe you want to try? Use the yeast you just bought instead. (Obviously, this has its limits, but in general, if you have the bulk of ingredients, you can figure SOMETHING out.) Do you like beer and butter in all your dishes, or, alternatively, HATE beer and butter? Have fun tweaking to your own taste.
The main factor here is experience. Don't have a lot of experience? Get a few easy recipes that tweak your interest, and after you get the basic motions down, start improvising. Get a bunch of veggies you've never heard of and figure out how to cook them into something you enjoy. Keep trying new things until you get more and more comfortable. It doesn't take as long as you'd think!
If you're looking for more, besides your friendly Google search, there are some great Web resources I go back to again and again.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
(obviously!)
http://www.food.com/ (Purely for ideas. I've never actually "made" something straight off of here, but still a great resource.)
Cookbooks (see my comments on not using recipes...still good for overviews)
And finally, a great "getting started" guide for people overwhelmed by the idea of vegetarianism in general: Your Simple Guide to Meatless Mondays, by my friends Marissa and Nate Rose. The book is casual and highly approachable...no boring steamed veggies to be found here, only delicious tips for busy people wanting to cut back on their meat.
Enjoy your adventure.
I'm hoping to contribute, even in a small way, to the idea that cooking vegetables and vegetarian food is not only extremely fun, but also very easy and highly rewarding. Even just making a few vegetable- and/or grain-based meals and snacks at home can help dramatically cut your costs as well (bulk is absolutely your friend).
Besides that, this is a chance for me to record the recipe successes I've either found on the Internet or swapped with friends. I have quite a few very capable vegetarian-cook friends, and every new recipe they share with me gets me excited to get into the kitchen.
A few things to note about the recipes I post.
1) I don't use exact measurements. Almost ever. If you're looking for an exact, step-by-step recipe with exact measurements, check out some of the great resources I listed below. I cannot give this to you because this is not how I cook. Cooking exactly to a recipe is boring and rather discouraging in my experience.
2) In the same vein, I'm a HUGE believer in improvising. Don't have baking powder on hand for that corn muffin recipe you want to try? Use the yeast you just bought instead. (Obviously, this has its limits, but in general, if you have the bulk of ingredients, you can figure SOMETHING out.) Do you like beer and butter in all your dishes, or, alternatively, HATE beer and butter? Have fun tweaking to your own taste.
The main factor here is experience. Don't have a lot of experience? Get a few easy recipes that tweak your interest, and after you get the basic motions down, start improvising. Get a bunch of veggies you've never heard of and figure out how to cook them into something you enjoy. Keep trying new things until you get more and more comfortable. It doesn't take as long as you'd think!
If you're looking for more, besides your friendly Google search, there are some great Web resources I go back to again and again.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
(obviously!)
http://www.food.com/ (Purely for ideas. I've never actually "made" something straight off of here, but still a great resource.)
Cookbooks (see my comments on not using recipes...still good for overviews)
And finally, a great "getting started" guide for people overwhelmed by the idea of vegetarianism in general: Your Simple Guide to Meatless Mondays, by my friends Marissa and Nate Rose. The book is casual and highly approachable...no boring steamed veggies to be found here, only delicious tips for busy people wanting to cut back on their meat.
Enjoy your adventure.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Hummus
Vegan.
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini (not exact, modify to your taste)
veggies (any you like!)
garlic
olive oil
curry powder
Cook the can of garbanzo beans as normal (just heat up on the stovetop, DO NOT dump the liquid), and while that's cooking, sautee up any veggies, garlic, and leafy greens you'd like to add to your hummus. I enjoy adding spinich and green onions. After everything is cooked up enough, dump it all into a blender (make sure you add the garbanzo bean liquid in) with the rest of your ingredients. For the spices, spice to taste. Olive oil is, besides a light flavor-adder, mostly used for making the hummus less of a solid mass. Don't be afraid to be a bit liberal.
For some variety, try adding unusual ingredients such as chipotle peppers. Or skip the sauteed veggies and just toss in some marinated olives and artichoke hearts. Really, anything can be added to the core ingredients of beans, tahini, and olive oil. Let your tongue be your guide!
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini (not exact, modify to your taste)
veggies (any you like!)
garlic
olive oil
curry powder
Cook the can of garbanzo beans as normal (just heat up on the stovetop, DO NOT dump the liquid), and while that's cooking, sautee up any veggies, garlic, and leafy greens you'd like to add to your hummus. I enjoy adding spinich and green onions. After everything is cooked up enough, dump it all into a blender (make sure you add the garbanzo bean liquid in) with the rest of your ingredients. For the spices, spice to taste. Olive oil is, besides a light flavor-adder, mostly used for making the hummus less of a solid mass. Don't be afraid to be a bit liberal.
For some variety, try adding unusual ingredients such as chipotle peppers. Or skip the sauteed veggies and just toss in some marinated olives and artichoke hearts. Really, anything can be added to the core ingredients of beans, tahini, and olive oil. Let your tongue be your guide!
Braised Brussel Sprouts...and Anything Else
First recipe: vegan, Second: vegetarian, can be made vegan.
Think brussel sprouts are gross and unpalatable? THINK AGAIN! THIS IS NOT HOW WINNERS THINK!
This recipe came my way via my New England chums in an appropriately titled email, "Vegan Soul Food". The original recipe, in its entirety, is as follows:
And the garlic broth recipe:
Since the night I decided to make this I was 1) feeling extremely lazy and 2) only had, like, maybe 2 cloves of garlic total in my entire apartment and wasn't planning on getting more, I decided to improvise quite a bit. My own twist:
Olive oil
Butter (optional, only non-vegan ingredient)
Brussel Sprouts
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beer of your choice (dark stouts are good for this one IMO)
Some garlic (whatever you have on hand)
Salt
Thyme
Sautee the brussel sprouts until slightly browned in butter and olive oil (I know, I'm a butter fiend...definitely optional of course), and just before you're planning to add the liquid, toss in the garlic and just let it feel the heat a second. Next add in the water, beer, and salt, then stir a bit and let it sit until it comes to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Braise for 15 minutes (this is where the recipe is identical to the previous one :) ), add the thyme, braise for 5 more minutes. Take the chance to enjoy the wonderful smells.
Pro-tip: WATCH YOUR TIMING ON THIS. Seriously. The braising time needs to be as exact as you can make it, otherwise it won't turn out as well.
Another Pro-tip: Try making this same recipe with turnips, and other hard root veggies. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised how soft and delicious these get when braised this way.
Think brussel sprouts are gross and unpalatable? THINK AGAIN! THIS IS NOT HOW WINNERS THINK!
This recipe came my way via my New England chums in an appropriately titled email, "Vegan Soul Food". The original recipe, in its entirety, is as follows:
Garlic Broth-Braised Brussels Sprouts
Yield: 4 servings
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed of stems and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup garlic broth (above)
Coarse sea salt
.25 cup white wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
White pepper
- Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts, arranging them cut side down, making one snug layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute until the cut sides are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the Garlic Broth and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Bring to a boil and stir well. Immediately reduce the temperature to low, cover tightly, and braise for 15 minutes. Add the white wine and the thyme, stir well, cover, and braise 5 minutes more, until the Brussels sprouts are meltingly tender.
- Remove from the heat.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Sofia’s notes:
I’ve gotten by with a pan that didn’t quite fit all the sprouts in one layer, but they won’t all get brown and you have to be careful to make sure they’re all submerged in the broth. Also be careful if you replace the fresh thyme with ground thyme not to use too much. I think my best results were with a teaspoon or less ground thyme.
And the garlic broth recipe:
Garlic Broth
Yield: about 1.5 quarts
4 whole garlic bulbs, unpeeled, broken up, and smashed with the back of a knife
.5 teaspoon sea salt
9 cups water
- In a large pot over high heat, combine the garlic, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
- Strain the garlic cloves, pressing down on them to extract all their liquid and discard them.
Since the night I decided to make this I was 1) feeling extremely lazy and 2) only had, like, maybe 2 cloves of garlic total in my entire apartment and wasn't planning on getting more, I decided to improvise quite a bit. My own twist:
Olive oil
Butter (optional, only non-vegan ingredient)
Brussel Sprouts
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beer of your choice (dark stouts are good for this one IMO)
Some garlic (whatever you have on hand)
Salt
Thyme
Sautee the brussel sprouts until slightly browned in butter and olive oil (I know, I'm a butter fiend...definitely optional of course), and just before you're planning to add the liquid, toss in the garlic and just let it feel the heat a second. Next add in the water, beer, and salt, then stir a bit and let it sit until it comes to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Braise for 15 minutes (this is where the recipe is identical to the previous one :) ), add the thyme, braise for 5 more minutes. Take the chance to enjoy the wonderful smells.
Pro-tip: WATCH YOUR TIMING ON THIS. Seriously. The braising time needs to be as exact as you can make it, otherwise it won't turn out as well.
Another Pro-tip: Try making this same recipe with turnips, and other hard root veggies. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised how soft and delicious these get when braised this way.
Rice and Quinoa Anything-Food
Vegetarian, can easily be made vegan.
This is a recipe I make nearly every week. It's quick, as easy as you can get, tasty, healthy, and can either be eaten on its own or incorporated into just about any meal. It is the definition of winning.
Shown above is my favorite way to eat it, on tortillas, usually with some veggies and cheese. This particular version of it incorporated chipotles; gave it a great heat, and a ton of flavor.
1/2 cup rice (I prefer wild)
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cups water (2 water to 1 grain, if you want to make more/less)
Bit of butter
Coconut curry powder
Garlic (as much as you like!)
Green onions
Spinich (or any other leafy greens you like/have lying around)
Chipotles (optional)
Toss everything into a pot set on medium heat. Seriously, that's it. Quinoa is traditionally soaked, and this is fine; I never soak mine though. Add as much or little of the spices as you want, and any combination.
Make sure the leafy greens don't overwhelm the rice and quinoa; I put in a pretty small handful for mine.
After the mix comes to a very good boil, turn the heat down to about medium-low and let it simmer there until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
Serving suggestions:
Cook up some black beans, maybe sautee up some veggies, and toss it all into a tortilla, with some cheese.
Toss onto a bed of greens.
Eat with braised brussel sprouts. (recipe in the next post! ;) )
This stuff keeps in the fridge for about a week, but it's hard to keep it that long. Perfect for lunch, dinner, breakfast, whatever!
This is a recipe I make nearly every week. It's quick, as easy as you can get, tasty, healthy, and can either be eaten on its own or incorporated into just about any meal. It is the definition of winning.
Shown above is my favorite way to eat it, on tortillas, usually with some veggies and cheese. This particular version of it incorporated chipotles; gave it a great heat, and a ton of flavor.
1/2 cup rice (I prefer wild)
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cups water (2 water to 1 grain, if you want to make more/less)
Bit of butter
Coconut curry powder
Garlic (as much as you like!)
Green onions
Spinich (or any other leafy greens you like/have lying around)
Chipotles (optional)
Toss everything into a pot set on medium heat. Seriously, that's it. Quinoa is traditionally soaked, and this is fine; I never soak mine though. Add as much or little of the spices as you want, and any combination.
Make sure the leafy greens don't overwhelm the rice and quinoa; I put in a pretty small handful for mine.
After the mix comes to a very good boil, turn the heat down to about medium-low and let it simmer there until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
Serving suggestions:
Cook up some black beans, maybe sautee up some veggies, and toss it all into a tortilla, with some cheese.
Toss onto a bed of greens.
Eat with braised brussel sprouts. (recipe in the next post! ;) )
This stuff keeps in the fridge for about a week, but it's hard to keep it that long. Perfect for lunch, dinner, breakfast, whatever!
Beer Cornmeal Salad
Vegetarian, can easily be made vegan.
I have some fancy corn meal lying around, so I whipped some cornmeal mush up last night and slapped it on a bed of greens. The end result:
I got the recipe out of the book 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recpies (I think, I don't really use the book enough to remember what the cover looks like), and as usual modified it to my own taste.
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beer (I would recommend a brown ale*)
1/2 cup corn meal
Seasoning salt
Curry powder (optional)
Chia seeds (optional)
Bring the water, beer, and spices to a boil. Slowly add the corn meal, stirring the entire time. Once it's added, toss in the chia seeds. You'll want to stay near the pot and keep stirring it from time to time. After it has firmed up, it's pretty much done.
Assemble a bed of greens (whatever you enjoy). Top with the cornmeal mush, drizzle with honey, a bit of butter (optional), and some cheese.
* I take the same attitude toward cooking with beer as Julia Child took toward cooking with wine; don't cook with it if you don't like drinking it. The flavor is the point.
I have some fancy corn meal lying around, so I whipped some cornmeal mush up last night and slapped it on a bed of greens. The end result:
I got the recipe out of the book 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recpies (I think, I don't really use the book enough to remember what the cover looks like), and as usual modified it to my own taste.
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beer (I would recommend a brown ale*)
1/2 cup corn meal
Seasoning salt
Curry powder (optional)
Chia seeds (optional)
Bring the water, beer, and spices to a boil. Slowly add the corn meal, stirring the entire time. Once it's added, toss in the chia seeds. You'll want to stay near the pot and keep stirring it from time to time. After it has firmed up, it's pretty much done.
Assemble a bed of greens (whatever you enjoy). Top with the cornmeal mush, drizzle with honey, a bit of butter (optional), and some cheese.
* I take the same attitude toward cooking with beer as Julia Child took toward cooking with wine; don't cook with it if you don't like drinking it. The flavor is the point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)