Vegetarian – Page 14

brinjal pickle hummus

Published on February 2, 2015February 3, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

things i don’t like right now:
the cold
my hair length, it’s that in-between thing
doing dishes
bad internet connection
coffee creamer saying it’s non-dairy
but closer look at the ingredients list lists milk.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!
the ravens not making the superbowl

things i like right now:
not having cable
watching mpt/pbs/bbc
burt’s bee’s skincare line
blooming cyclamens
this taytay mashup
smothering my superbowl disappointment with ~~dip~~ two dips
one dip is usually fine,
but two makes it all the more bearable

brinjal pickle hummus – vegan & gluten free
brinjal pickle adapted from the Splendid Table
basic hummus adapted from Ottenlenghi’s Jerusalem, click on link for full ingredients or purchase the book for instructions. Or, use your own fave hummus recipe, but for the love of gawd, don’t add olive oil!

note about the brinjal: original recipe calls to store in jars in dark corner and ignore for a month before consuming. that’s not happening, we’ll likely finish this batch in a week. it also says can be ignored, unopened for MONTHS and once opened can be kept in fridge for at least 2-3 months. we might test that. in the meantime, we’ll add it to our hummus or eat as a side along with rice.

brinjal pickle:
2 lbs indian eggplants, trimmed & cubed
2 TBL salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2″ knob of fresh ginger, minced
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
1 generous TBL tamarind paste
1 cup vinegar
5 generous TBL light brown sugar

place cubed eggplant into colander in sink and sprinkle with salt. ignore for an hour as the eggplants supposedly releases its bitter juices.

toast cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and fennel seeds in dry frying pan. when warmed through and fragrant, grind in mortar & pestle (or as dw would’ve preferred, in a spice grinder). when finely ground, add in the cinnamon stick, ground tumeric and mustard seed, ignore until needed.

rinse eggplant and pat dry. or like me, ignore for awhile until sufficiently dry.

in batches (i did it in two) fry up eggplant cubes in oil, add more oil as needed. brown and soften.

when done, remove eggplant and set aside. heat remaining oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper over medium high heat, until soft. add in ground spices, mix through, then add in the tamarind paste and brown sugar. finally put the eggplant back into pan and mix it thoroughly. last, pour the vinegar over the mixture and simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until very tender. some pieces will be mush, don’t be alarmed.

taste for seasoning. cool completely before storing in clean jars.

to assemble the dip, take the hummus out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to soften.

in a food processor ladle two generous scoops of the brinjal pickle and pulse. i like a chunky texture but i wanted to break down the brinjal a little.

the point is to add these two dips together. dw likes it all mixed together, i like some division, it’s up to you. serve with pita chips, veg sticks, or as a spread.

BAM!

other dippy dips and appetizers:
za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado – vegan & gluten free
mango pomegranate guacamole – vegan & gluten free
homemade lactose free ricotta cheese
green tomato & mint chutney – vegan and gluten free
roasted bone marrow

frozen old fashioned waffles

Published on January 26, 2015January 25, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach6 Comments

for us,
weekend breakfasts can be indulgent.
there is no time crunch
to get out the door
and fight traffic.
i try to make something
basic and easy for the weekday morn,
scone or muffin.
for the saturday or sunday fast breaking
dw takes the reins,
be it pancakes or waffles
or a fancy omelette.
to take some of the weekend
with us to the work week
we have some waffles –
pre-made when minutes didn’t count
and re-made when the minutes did.

have a great week friends.

mimi thorisson‘s old fashioned waffles
adapted from a kitchen in france
makes 11 good sized waffles

1 ½ cups lactose free whole milk, we use Organic Valley
2 tsp fresh yeast, we use King Arthur’s
2 TBL granulated sugar
2 cups AP
3 large eggs, separated
7 TBL combo of ghee + coconut oil, melted
pinch of salt

for serving, maple syrup, shoot for grade B

heat 1/2 cup of the milk in microwave until warm, and stir in yeast + sugar. ignore for 5 minutes while it gets frothy.

in a mixing bowl, mix flour with yeast mixture, mix it well. gradually, mix in the rest of the milk, egg yolks and melted fat (coconut oil + ghee) until it’s a smooth batter.

while you’re doing this, in a stand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff.

gently/carefully, fold egg whites into batter using a spatula. try not to deflate, it’s ok if there’re white streaks still. makes it rustic. cover and ignore for 30 minutes.

warm up waffle maker.

to cook fully, make the waffles according to manufacture’s directions. for mine, it took about 5 minutes to reach a golden hue. we let it go for an extra minute or two to get a little darker.

if you’re aiming to freeze the waffles, cook them slightly under. in our case, that was about 3 minutes. it was still pale but had structural integrity. cool completely on wire rack and then freeze, single layer on cookie sheet. when fully frozen, store in freezer bags.

just like the commercial stuff, pop in toaster/oven and warm through until golden brown.

serve with drizzling of maple syrup or powdered sugar.

BAM!

other breakfast ideas:
red pepper & baked egg galette
chocolate babka rolls
s’mores donuts
blueberry jam danishes
asparagus & scrambled egg

lentil tacos – vegan

Published on January 12, 2015February 5, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

we haven’t been to the market
in weeks.
grabbing toilet paper
that one time
last week doesn’t count.
dw & i discussed a pantry purge,
cooking with what we had
left on the shelves
in the fridge
in the freezer.
in part to save money,
but mainly to see if we can.
in many ways it’s limiting —
dried beans, rice, and spices
can get you so far.
but there’s a challenge in there —
making dried beans, rice and spices
taste good can stretch one’s creativity.

while planning for market day
to replenish the pantry,
to focus on a proper meal plan
we face yet another dynamic to our situation:
the challenge AND excitement
of re-stocking
the shelves
the fridge
the freezer.
it’s a nice problem to have, yes?

edit to add: maria of some infinite thing made these
for lunch, perfect!

lentil tacos
makes a week’s worth of dinner aka serves two for 5 nights

*note: this is something that we’ve made for a number of years, especially during the height of summer csa vegs. toppings and add ins are interchangeable. we’ve had it with soft and hard tacos, we’ve had it with and without cheese, it’s whatever is available that season, or in our case, in our pantry!
**note: the taco seasoning is based off of alton brown’s #19 taco potion that we quadruple and keep in a jar.

homemade taco seasoning:
1 TBL ground chipotle peppers
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt

lentils:
1 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight
half onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (this is hit or miss, depending if in season)
2 TBL olive oil
water
2-3 TBL of taco seasoning, recipe above

add ins etc:
tortilla wraps or taco shells
arugula or shredded cabbage
shredded cheese (sometimes we use daiya vegan cheese if we’re feeling fancy)
avocado, diced or sliced
salsa
pickled vegs (once we added pickled turnips and it was DIVINE)
sliced peppers
limes
cilantro

to make the taco seasoning, just add all the ingredients in a jar and shake. will keep for about a month, though truth be told, longer.

when ready to prepare meal, discard the water the lentils were soaked in and rinse.

in a big pan or pot, heat up some olive oil. when sufficiently warmed, add in the onions and garlic. allow the onions to get translucent. add in the carrots and red bell peppers and stir to evenly mix and coat. last add in the lentils and again, mix it around to coat everything in oil.

per your taste buds and preference, add in the taco seasoning. sometimes i do more, sometimes i do less (it’s less when we’re finishing the jar). mix through. add in enough water to just barely cover the lentils.

keep heat at medium low and allow to gently simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. check on the softness of the lentils, if it’s still got bite, add more water and cook for longer. my cook time varies anywhere from 30 minutes – 45 minutes, i just check every 5 minutes. also check taste, there is salt in the taco seasoning but you may want to add more to your preference.

it’s done when the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils and carrots are soft.

serve on tortilla wraps or in taco shells and top to your heart’s content.

BAM!

flan – dairy free

Published on December 29, 2014December 28, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach11 Comments

over the holiday season
we had a phamily reunion of sorts,
laughing and judging and
talking in loud voices that sound
like we’re arguing but what we
were really doing was
just talking loudly and normally.
we had flan for dessert,
which i always call Flan for Lan
~~because it’s all about me~~
because it just rhymes with my name.

flan for Lan
18 individual ramekins

*note: to invert the flan onto plate, run a knife along the rim of the ramekin to loosen it. this recipe can easily be halved.

4 cups coconut creamer (i used So Delicious)
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
juice of one clementine
8 eggs

1. heat oven to 350°. melt ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. cook until sugar is a golden brown, 12–13 minutes. DO NOT STIR.
gently pour caramel into individual serving size oven safe ramekins; place inside a roasting pan.

2. whisk remaining 1 cup sugar with eggs in a bowl until thick. add creamer and clementine juice; whisk into a smooth custard. ladle custard into ramekins; transfer roasting pan to oven. pour hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up ramekins. bake until custard is set but still slightly loose in the center, about 1 hour. carefully transfer ramekins to a wire rack; let cool. chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight. invert flan onto serving plates.

BAM!