Pantry Eggplant Pesto Lasagna Bowl

I’ve been a busy girl (maybe a bit lazy too) and haven’t gotten a chance to write this recipe down since I posted it.  It’s not really a recipe, just something that I threw together, a method if you will.  It involved stirring, boiling, baking, and blending for the most part.  Feel free to use any kind of tomato sauce that you have on hand whether it’s leftover or your favorite bottled sauce.  I have been trying to use up all of the open pasta boxes that I have laying around in my fridge so this meal fit the bill for that.

I remember a time when I would make gagging noises and faces (very classy) when my mother would serve any and all kind of eggplant.  Just like many kids, I spent a lot of my time deciding that I did not like something without even trying it.  My mom persisted, but to no avail.  When I was a teenager a small restaurant was next to my family’s store and they ran daily lunch specials.  One day, one of those specials was eggplant rollatine.  Little eggplant pillows, filled with creamy ricotta, and topped with a tangy tomato sauce.  I tasted a tiny bit and was hooked.  Now I like eggplant and cook it often.  It’s funny how our taste buds change and thank goodness they do!

Pantry Eggplant Pesto Lasagna Bowl

Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2 -3/4 inch round slices
1 c. whole grain breadcrumbs
1/2 c. H2O
1 tblsp. x.virg.ol.oil

Preheat oven to 350F

I don’t salt my eggplant but you can if you’d like.  I find that as long as I use smallish eggplants they are not bitter in any way.  Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and the H2O and oil together in another bowl.  Dip the eggplant slices in the H2O and oil mixture and then in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on a lighly oiled cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes on each side.  The bottoms (when you flip them) should be golden brown.  Remove from cookie sheet and cool.

Basil Spinach Pesto

This is the kitchen sink of pestos and you can add anything you’d like in place of anything else.  Swap arugula or a bunch of blanched asparagus out for the spinach.  Use any nuts you have around.  Throw in some olives and/or sundried tomatoes.  The choice is yours.

1 pkge. basil
2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach
2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar
x.virg.ol.oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Blitz everything in the food processor except for the salt and olive oil until it is a coarse paste.  Stream in the olive oil until it is a bit more liquidy.  Add salt to taste a 1/4 tsp. at a time.

Pasta

Cook your choice of whole wheat pasta or any other kind of pasta you’d like.  I broke up some leftover whole wheat lasagna sheets that I had and cooked them until al dente (still a bit firm but not crunchy). 

To Serve

In a bowl I layered my freshly cooked pasta with the baked eggplant and then doused it with the sauce and topped the whole thing off with a dollop of pesto.  I also brought this to work for lunch for the next two days.

Black Bean and Plantain Wrap or Bowl

I seem to be having conflicting culinary points of view this week.  So far, I have made an Asian inspired slow roasted salmon and steamed broccoli on Monday night as I felt that Harry and I were in dire need of some quality Omega-3’s.  I also made up a pot of lentil stew because not only is it still cold here in Long Island (The Sun God is listening to me, I know it) but also I needed an easy to pack lunch for the rest of the week.  Tonight, I went towards the sun by making a decidedly Latin American dish.  I was in the mood to just throw something together and I wanted it to have a bright and fresh taste.  On hand, I had a can of black beans, a bit of brown rice to cook, an almost too ripe plantain, some grape tomatoes, salad greens, and cilantro.  I was not in the mood to cook anything complicated since I had just finished roasting Harry a lovely locally sourced chicken roasted over some root veggies and some pan gravy. 

 

What I came away from the kitchen with was a lovely room temperature meal that could be served as a salad or wrapped in a tortilla as I did.  I love plantains almost to the point of ridiculousness.  I love frying them in wedges in some coconut oil, smashing them, and then frying them some more.  I usually sprinkle them with a bit of salt and dip them in some guacamole or just squeeze some lime juice over them.  Today I didn’t want to fry them and thought about how last night I slow roasted my salmon.  Could I slow roast plantains too?  I was rewarded with a lovely result!  I know that there a many little steps here but it is really easy.

 

 Brown Rice
½ c brown rice
1 c. H20
½ tsp. salt

 

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil; add brown rice, salt, stir, and lower heat to low.  Cover and simmer for about 45 min.  Take off heat when done.  I used about half this amount of rice so I put the leftovers in the freezer for another time.

 

Black Beans

1 (15 oz. can)

 

Drain and rinse well. Shake extra moisture off.  That’s it.

 

Plantains

1-2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced about ½ inch thick
1 tblsp coconut oil (melted) or x virg olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F

 

Toss sliced plantains with coconut/olive oil and season with salt and pepper. I used my seasoned cast iron grill pan but you could use a lightly oiled cookie sheet or any roasting pan you have.  Put plantains in one layer and roast turning once for about 10 minutes.  I didn’t really keep track of time so just keep checking them and flip them when they have pretty grill marks and start becoming tender.  I drained mine on some on a brown grocery bag and let them cool.  Season with salt and pepper if you think they need it.  Cut into smaller pieces and try not to eat them all quite yet!

 

Additional Ingredients

1 ½ tsp cumin
Sprinkling of olive oil
Big handful of grape tomatoes, quartered
Big handful of cilantro (or as much as you’d like), chopped
Salad greens (I used a mixture of arugula and baby spinach)
Salt and pepper to season if you want extra
Whole-wheat tortillas

 

In a large bowl, stir rice and black beans together.  Add cumin, salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of olive oil to moisten.  Throw in the cilantro and give a final toss.  Assemble on top of salad greens with tomatoes or lay salad greens on a warm tortilla and put down a layer of salad greens and put the rice mixture over it with the tomatoes.  I sprinkled mine with a bit of chipotle hot sauce and wrapped it up.

Lentil Stew

 

 I did not grow up liking lentils or any bean for that matter.  I literally forced down green beans and aside from peanuts, never ingested any legumes as far as I know.  I have vague memories of pushing away the garbanzo bean salad that the Greek owned diner used to set out as a complimentary appetizer.  I turned my nose up at any other bean offering whether at a restaurant or in people’s homes.   I know, I can’t believe that I did that either.  I clearly did not know what I was missing.  Fast forward about 10 years to the late 80′s when I took my first trip abroad to Spain where I remember eating large white beans simply dressed with olive oil and salt and pepper served along side of the Catalonian favorite of garlic and tomato rubbed crusty bread.  They were delicious, but apparently not amazing enough for me to try any others once I returned to the USA.  I kept up my refusal and ignorance of legumes until the late 90′s when I returned to Spain to visit my former exchange student’s family after a tragic suicide.  While attending FIT in NYC, I began exploring food markets and an endless variety of cheap affordable lunch spots varying from Indian to Italian and everywhere inbetween.  It was at these places that I discovered that I actually really liked beans and any legume in general.  I liked them simply salted as in Japanese edamame, spicy in an Indian dal, richly seasoned as in a hearty portion of lentils under the protein of choice at a Mediterranean restaurant.  Then I started becoming very interested in nutrition and started learning about the nutritional profiles of legumes and how they are a great source of protein and vitamins.  They also transport well and are cheap; thousands of poor peasents across Europe surviving on rooty veggies and beans fortified with hearty bread were way ahead of their time nutritionally but set the standard to how Americans are learning to feed themselves once again. 

So in honor of my European roots and travels, I give you a really simple recipe for a lentil soup that can be thrown together in under an hour.  I call it a stew because I make it quite thick.  It is also one of the few soups that I do not puree.  It is another pantry staple recipe since it consists of items lots of people have on hand such as: bagged lentils, onions, tomato paste or a few chopped up tomatoes, s & p, carrots, and a pepper.  You can change up the veggies as much as you like.  Additionally, it is a perfect recipe to make since NY doesn’t want to let winter go.

Lentil Stew

1 tblsp x virg. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 heaping tblp. tomato paste
1 c. green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
approx. 5 c. H2O (with one high quality veggie broth bouillon) or 5 c. high quality low sodium veggie stock (or any other low sodium stock)
1 bunch swiss chard, washed well and chopped into ribbons
salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy stockpot , (I used the Le Creuset knockoff from the Food Network brand my mom gave me for Christmas this past year) heat oil over medium/high heat (so it shimmers but not smoking).  Add the onions and sauté until translucent and starting to color.  Add the garlic, carrots, red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, a few grindings of pepper, and sauté till veggies starting to soften (about 8 minutes).  Add tomato paste and stir around.  Add rinsed lentils and stock.  Bring mixture up to a boil, lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 35-40 minutes (until lentils are soft).  Check for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if needed.  Turn off heat and add the sliced swiss chard.  Stir it around and let it cook into stew. 

 Serve with rustic crusty whole grain bread.  It would also be nice with a dollop of pesto or olive or sundried tomato tapenade.  It gets better with age and it would also be nice under or over slow roasted salmon and/or roasted chicken.  Enjoy and pray for spring weather!

Red Lentil Dal

 I made this partially because I didn’t want to go the grocery store again this week and partially because I am always attempting to use what I have in my pantry. You will also notice that it has the requisite orange color that I seen to duplicate whenever I make soups. Check some of my other soups/stews/dals out here and you will see what I mean! I love Indian food and have been recreating Northern and Southern Indian recipes for the past couple of years. I especially like dals. Dal is essentially a way of preparing dried beans and the stew like dish that is made from them. Dals are commonly made of lentils or split lentils. This recipe was also inspired by a fellow blogger that can be found at http://homecookkirsten.blogspot.com.

 This is great on its own or served atop of brown basmati rice or with whole wheat naan bread or pitas to scoop the dal up.

Red Lentil Dal

1 c. red split lentils, rinsed and sorted (to remove any rocks that may have found their way in)
3 c. H2O
½ tsp. salt
½ c. crushed tomatoes
1 inch of fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tblsp coconut oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. cumin
½ c. coconut milk
Handful of chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to your liking

Put rinsed lentils into a pot with H2O. In a blender puree up the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and add to the pot with the lentils and H20. Add tumeric and ½ tsp. salt and a few grindings of pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. In a large skillet over medium heat melt the coconut oil and add the onions, jalapeno, 1/ 4 tsp. salt, and pepper and saute till onion is starting to color. Add cumin and curry paste and cook until onions are soft and fragrant. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low and let simmer until onions are done. Add a bit more coconut milk if onions start to dry out. Add onion mixture to lentils and garnish with some chopped cilantro if you have any.

 

 

 

 

 

Carrot Fennel Soup

 

I love the read food memoirs.  I love that they combine snippets of a person’s/family’s life interspersed with favorite recipes, memories of cooking, and events coinciding with the meals eaten alone or shared.   They are essentially two books in one, part cookbook and part biography/novel. The first food memoir of sorts that I remember becoming very attached to (and still am) is Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, that is not really a memoir but a fictionalized biographical tale of her husband Almanzo Wilder growing up in upstate NY, the son of prosperous dairy farmers/merchants.  As I got older, I kept on reading and seeking out food memoirs.  Recently, I have picked up some new gems such as Nani Power’s Feed the Hungry and Diana Abu-Jaber’s The Language of Baklava: A Memoir. 

Among others, I have become almost obsessed with Amanda Hesser’s (New York Times food editor for column “Recipe Redux” and currently working on a cookbook) Cooking For Mr. Latte.  I know, it has a title that has gotten some chuckles (not by me Amanda!), but it chronicles her courtship with her now husband, Tad Friend.  I’ll let the title slide, as I too have (and still am) been in love and can excuse that kind of “in love behavior” from couples that other people perpetually want to strangle.  In any case, it has lovely recipes from her, her friends, family, and acquaintances. At this point, I know the book backwards and forwards and have my favorite parts that I constantly re-read and others that I skip right through.  It’s a book that I frequently pick up when I am at a loss of what to make or when I want to reminisce about my own grandmothers through Amanda’s.

My fridge has been holding a week old fennel bulb (from a pizza) and a little over a pound of carrots .  What to make?  In paging through Amanda’s book, I was kindly reminded of a fresh sounding soup I’d always wanted to make but never seemed to have carrots and fennel on hand together.  The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples that most people usually have on hand.  I made a few alterations according to what I had on hand that night and I was rewarded with a fabulous soup that was velvety smooth and easily transferable between the winter and spring seasons.  It was even good cold.  Enjoy and thank you for your inspiration Amanda!

Carrot and Fennel Soup

2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb (cut down to only white bulb) and chopped roughly
11/2 lbs carrots, peeled and thick cut
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
1 tsp. salt (more to taste if needed)
pepper
 enough low sodium vegetable stock or water to cover veggies in pot
2 tsp honey
juice of ½ of a lemon

In a heavy pot heat olive oil over medium heat, heat the olive oil.  Add fennel and onion and sauté until soft and starting to take on some color.  Add the carrots, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another 5-8 minutes.  Cover the veggies with the low sodium vegetable broth or water.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low.  Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the carrots can be pierced easily by a fork.  Puree the soup in batches with a blender (or use your immersion blender right inside the pot)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confetti (red cabbage, scallion, carrot, and edamame) Steamed Dumplings

I have been having something of an obsession lately with the continent of Asia and the wonderful array of foods that have come out of it.  Lately, I have been trying to create my own renditions of either Chinese or Thai dishes that I have been fortunate to sample in NYC and London.  Dumplings/potstickers are one of the many dishes stealing my fancy right now.  I love how so many different cultures have a filled type of pasta.  I also love how they are little pillows waiting to be pieces and dipped into waiting sauces.  They can be a meal or a snack.  They can be boiled, steamed, baked (in some instances), and fried. 

I wanted to make these vegan but came up short when searching for a vegan wonton wrapper.   I know I could have made my own dough just as easily with a whole grain flour and water but I was starving and couldn’t be bothered with the whole dough making process.  My market only has a wonton wrapper that among other things contains eggs.  I am sure that if I had gone to an Asian market or searched around some more I may have found the wrappers I wanted.  Feel free to suggest a vegan brand if you know of one!  I was really happy with the way that these came out and even more excited that I got to use my sister’s potsticker/empanada  press (sort of like a larger ravioli maker).  I hope you enjoy these as much I have.

I also have the happy news that this recipe has been posted on my “alma mater’s” website within their March 2009 newsletter.  I owe most of my insight on nutrition and it’s link to the body and overall happiness to the esteemed Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC, its founder Joshua Rosenthal, its teachers, and my fellow classmates and alumni(http://integrativenutrition.com).  Thank you!

Dumplings

2 c. finely shredded cabbage (I used red cabbage)
1 carrot grated
3 scallions (green onions) chopped fine
1 1/2 c. shelled edamame (cooked as per package directions, drained, rinsed, and NOT salted)
1/2 finely choppe jalapeno
handful of basil, chopped
pinch of cilantro
1 tblsp. grated/chopped finely garlic
1 tblsp. grate/chopped finely ginger
1 tblsp. toasted sesame oil
salt to taste
1 package wonton wrappers (I used the largest ones)

Dipping Sauce

3 tblsp. shoyu/tamari/soy sauce
1 tblsp. rice vinegar/brown rice vinegar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Mix this all together in a bowl.

Dumpling Instructions

Mix  all ingredients together in a bowl until combined and then blitz in the food processor until roughly chopped but not a paste.

Lay a wonton wrapper on your workspace (I used a cutting board on my counter).  Wet all four edges and place on your potsticker mold with a corner facing the handles (will be in a diamond shape).  Mound about 2 tblsp. of filling on your wonton wrapper and then close the potsticker mold tightly so that the edges come together forming a triangle.  Remove excess from edges.  Place on a plate lined with wax paper and greased up with a bit of sesame or olive oil (to prevent sticking).  You could also form these dumplings freehand but I found the wonton wrappers hard to work with without the press (perhaps I was just being lazy also!). 

To cook these I decided to steam them but you could just as easily pan fry them in a bit of olive oil (or the oil of your choice).  I have one of those bamboo steamers so I boiled some water in a shallow skillet that my steamer would fit above.  I lined my steamer with red cabbage leaves and then placed my dumplings in the steamer (about 4 fit comfortably) and put the cover on.  I steamed them for about 5 minutes and then ate them with a very simple dipping sauce.  They were good and such beautiful colors with the red cabbage and edamame being the most prominent.  Just be careful though because red cabbage can stain!

Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Pan-fried Tofu

This recipe started out as an Indian inspired chicken coconut curry for my husband.  Over time, I have changed the recipe up, been inspired by Heidi Swanson’s (of http://101cookbooks.com and her cookbook Supernatural Cooking)
curries.  I made some more tweaks, added red curry paste, omitted the chicken, boldly added more spices,  and added a whole mess of vegetables to it to make it vegan and really satisfying.  It also helps that it is really easy and is also really beautiful to look at.  It’s great on it’s own but I added some pan fried firm tofu cubes to it and some fresh herbs.  It would also make a great sauce or base for salmon or any other kind of roasted or grilled fish.  I have even eaten it cold.  Basmati rice or quinoa would be a great addition.  It is super creamy.  It confirms to me how much I love coconut milk.  I am going to share the recipe with my millions of fans soon! 

Creamy Curried Butternut Squash

1-2 tblsp. coconut oil or olive oil
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 inch of ginger, grated
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
2-3 tsp. red curry paste
2 tsp. cumin
pinch of tumeric
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. harissa paste or hot red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 can coconut milk
1 can water

In a large saucepan (I broke out my faux Le Creuset for this!) heat the oil over medium high heat.  When shimmering, add in the onion and saute till transluscent.  Then add the garlic and ginger and stir till fragrant.  Add the butternut squash, red pepper, and carrot and stir till coated with oil.  Add the red curry paste, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, tumeric, harissa paste/hot red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.  Continue stirring till it’s smelling very nicely.  Add the coconut milk and water.  Bring it up to a boil, cover, and let simmer for roughly 30 minutes.  In two batches puree till silky smooth in a blender or use your immersion blender.  Don’t forget to remove the middle of the top of your blender to let some steam escape.  Cover with a towel and blend.  This will prevent you from getting scalded and your kitchen from being covered in soup!

Pan Fried Tofu

1 block extra firm tofu, drained, cut in half, wrapped in paper towels and weighted to remove moisture.  Then cut it into slabs or cubes
1 tablespoon coconut oil

In a non stick pan, heat the oil till hot and then add the tofu (you might need to do it in two batches) and fry till nice and golden brown.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drain and toss with a handful of cilantro and chopped basil.  Serve on top of the soup.

Honey Soy Tempeh with Mixed Greens and Carrots

 Happy New Year to one and all!  This is one of my favorite things to make and it is amazingly simple as well.  Sometimes I just want to cook something where I can just use 1 or 2 dishes or pots and be done with it.  I usually make one pot stew/soup dishes but I was not in the mood for that.  This is a one dish and one skillet meal.  I mix my marinade in the same dish that I marinate in.  I don’t even wash the dish I marinated in and use that dish as my serving dish.  What can be easier than that?  The photo shown above is one serving.  Perhaps you are saying to yourself, “that seems to be quite a large salad for one person”  or maybe not.  But if you are, I will tell you why.  When I was growing up my mother made a jumbo sized salad every night to go with our dinner.  I don’t mean a regular sized mixing bowl of salad, I mean a punch bowl sized salad.  And we would eat it all, um, we would eat a lot of it and my dad would eat most of it.  As I have gotten older, I have also been prone to making myself large salads and consuming them for my main meal along with a protein of some kind.  Since I have moved away from eating animal protein (except for some fish ordinarily) I have swapped it for beans or tempeh usually.  I hope you like it as much as me.  I can usually find tempeh in Trader Joe’s or my local health food store.  I always buy the organic and non GMO one.  You can also make your salad with many more ingredients than I have or you can serve your tempeh with some brown rice or in a wrap with sprouts and greens.  The choice is yours!

Tempeh

1 8oz. pkg. of tempeh cut into 4 pieces and then cut in half through the middle
3 tblsp. honey
3 tblsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. umeboshi plum vinegar/rice vinegar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. finely chopped/grated fresh ginger
3 cloves finely chopped/grated garlic
1 tsp. black sesame seeds

Mix everything except for the sesame seeds in a dish large enough to accomodate all pieces of tempeh (I used an 8 inch round Pyrex pie dish).  Put the tempeh in the dish in one layer to coat and then flip over.  Stick in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 min. and as much as overnight.  Flip the pieces over a few times.  When ready to cook use a grill pan or regular skillet.  Coat skill bottom with a teaspoon or two of olive oil over medium heat.  Cook until golden brown and a little toasty on each side.  Take off heat to cool for a few minutes.  That’s it you’re done!

Salad

For my salad I put a few large handfuls of mixed greens in the dish I marinated the tempeh in.  I peeled and cut a carrot and cut it into thin coins and tossed those on the greens.  I sprinkled a bit of olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and umeboshi plum vinegar on top and mixed the greens around and topped the salad with half of the tempeh.  I’ll eat the rest of the tempeh on rice tomorrow for lunch.

Vegan Muffuletta

Olive Spread

 

2 c. kalamata pitted olives

½ c. packed basil

5 cloves of garlic (or more/less to your taste)

15 sun-dried tomatoes (I use the dried ones)

1 tblsp. Balsamic vinegar

2 tblsp. Ex. Virg. Olive oil

 

Pulse this all (except olive oil) in your food processor or blender until it is a nice chunky texture (you don’t want baby food!)  Add the olive oil at the end.

*I get my olives at the olive counter in whatever supermarket I’m in.  I always scoop up that thick olive oil sludge and use that for the olive oil portion of the olive spread.

 

Muffuletta

 

1 eggplant

few tblsp. Olive oil

1 tblsp. Balsamic vinegar

3 large handfuls of fresh (washed and spun dried) spinach/arugula/spring mix leaves

3 roasted peppers (any color except for green) you can roast them yourself or buy them already roasted

1 round (8-10 inch in circumference) sourdough or whole grain loaf of bread

 

Cut the eggplant into approx. ¼ inch slices (I don’t salt or peel them but you can if you’d like).  Toss in large bowl to coat lightly with olive oil, season with salt/pepper, and roast on an oiled baking sheet for about 25 minutes, flipping once till golden brown.  At the same time, cut your peppers in half and remove seeds and ribs.  Coat them also with a bit of oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast on the top shelf of the oven until skins are blackened (about 30 min., maybe longer in your oven).  Place them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and set aside till cool then remove the skin and set aside.  Toss the spinach/arugula/spring mix with the balsamic vinegar and set aside.  Cut your loaf of bread in half by cutting from the side of the bread, creating a top and bottom.  Scoop some of the bread out of the top and the bottom (keep to make breadcrumbs/croutons/or mop up some kind of sauce).  Spread the top and bottom with the olive spread.  On the bottom half, put down a layer of eggplant, spinach, peppers, eggplant, and top with last layer of spinach.  Put the top the bread on top and press down with your weight.  Tuck the spinach leaves in that are sticking out.  Wrap in a layer or two of foil.  Put on a tray or plate and weight down (I use my small cast iron skillet with a few cans of coconut milk) and put in fridge for at least 6 hrs. or better, overnight.  Cut into slices.  So good.  Makes a great to go lunch or party/potluck meal also.  I’ve been eating mine for the past few days for lunch and dinner.  Champagne goes nicely as does iced green tea!

Chickpea Dal

OK, first I must say, Happy Holidays to everyone!  I have been busy through the holidays and had no time to post.  Since Christmas dinner, it is my first time cooking anything of substance.  My familiy’s holiday dinner was lovely, filled with great family and friends, and of course great food and drink.   Since then, I  have been living on Ezekial bread with smashed avocado spread, cucumbers, and tomatoes made into a sandwich for lunch and dinner and my usual granola with coconut milk in the morning.

I put my cookin’ pants back on and broke out the enameled dutch oven that my parents gave to me.  I have been lusting over the really old orange Le Creuset one that resides at our house in Fire Island that my mom has had since getting married 38 yrs. ago.  I got a beautiful grey one made by the lovely (and maybe a little greedy?!) folks at the Food Network.  My mom got it at Kohls.  I seasoned it by washing and drying it and then rubbed it with a bit of olive oil and then wiped it out.  Then came the comtemplation of what to make in it.  My sister gave  me the book Veganomicon (which has many post its of recipes to try), I also borrowed her copy of Jack Bishop’s book A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen and could not resist the recipe on pgs. 68-69 for a chickpea curry.  I adapted it.  I happened to have half a bag of dried chickpeas leftover from Christmas, so this seemed the perfect time to use them up!  I also just love curries.  They are one pot wonders that burst with flavor.  They also can be changed up (feel free to add a red pepper, carrot, and/or a small eggplant the mix of sauteeing veggies.  They can be served on their own, on top of any whole grain, served with a whole wheat pita/naan,  and somtimes I stir spinach into it.  Curries are much easier to make than most people think.  I did employ my mortar and pestle for this recipe but the spices could be ground up in a coffee grinder as well.

And I must apologize for the horrible photo, I just couldn’t get a good one no matter what.  I also have to comment that I am noticing that I must love orange/red food.  Anyway, here is the recipe, enjoy, it’s equally wonderful on winter or spring nights (or cold out the fridge anytime).

1 tblsp. coconut oil
1 whole cinnamon stick
6 whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (crushed finely with mortar and pestle or coffee/spice grinder)
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 tblsp. ginger, chopped fine (I love using the Trader Joe’s pureed ginger that comes in a bottle)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
1 small can (14.5 oz.) tomatoes
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
2 c. dried chickpeas (I soaked them in H2O overnight and then rinsed them, put them in a saucepan with fresh H20, brought that to a boil, lowered heat to low, covered, and simmered for 60 min.)
salt to taste

Heat oil in a large dutch over med/high heat.  Drop coriander seeds, peppercorns, and cinnamon and cook till it smells nice.  Add the onion and jalapeno pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger, followed by the cumin and tumeric and cook for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook some of the liquid out and add the coconut milk and continue to cook for a few minutes more.  Stir in the chickpeas and bring to a boil, then drop the heat back to low, cover, and simmer to let flavors meld for about 20 minutes.  Serve by the bowlful.