Monthly Archives: March 2010

Daily Random Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of okra
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 egg substitute – lightly beaten (sometimes I use ground flax seed and water)
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 tablespoon shoyu
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• Oil for deep-frying

METHOD:
Combine the first nine ingredients, mixing well, and shape into patties. Heat the oil to 180C/350F in a wok, skillet or deep-fryer. Drop in patties and deep-fry until crisp and golden brown.

NOTES:
If deep-frying is inconvenient, patties may be fried or broiled. Also, try adding cooked brown rice.

Daily Random Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup lentils (adas baladi, if available)
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 t pepper
• 1 1/2 t cumin
• 1 onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  

METHOD:
Wash the lentils under the running tap. Put them in a cooking pan with just one cup of water and bring them to a boil on high heat, it
takes 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat and cook them covered for another 15-20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Add the washed
rice, the salt, pepper, and cumin, add another cup of water, stir gently and leave to boil, then lower heat. At this stage of the cooking
you can put a grid under the pot in order to make sure that the rice and lentils will not stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the lentils are cooking, peel and wash the onion and chop it into rings. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion rings until
they turn golden. By this time, the cooking water of the lentil and rice mixture will have been almost absorbed: add the hot oil from the
pan to the lentils, but do not add the onion rings, and stir gently with a wooden spatula. Leave to simmer for a few minutes until the liquid
is totally absorbed, then remove from the stove and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Use the onion rings to decorate the top of the serving plate and prepare a tomato salad to serve on the side.

Daily Random Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 young eggplant, peeled and diced
  
• Juice of 2 lemons
  
• 1 red onion, chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
  
• 4 large mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
  
• Braggs to taste
  

METHOD:
Combine all, coat with Braggs and let marinate about two hours before serving. Eggplant requires a lot of Braggs. Be careful when choosing eggplants for raw preparation. Ones with a lot of seeds inside tend to be bitter. Remove excess seeds when possible.

NOTES:
For variation, marinate eggplant separately, squeeze out and discard juice. Add to recipe.

From ‘Dining in the Raw’ by Rita Romano.

Daily Random Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dried lentils
  
• 2 t salt
  
• 2 T margarine
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  
• 2 cups canned tomatoes
  
• 1/4 t black pepper
  
• 1 t sugar
  

METHOD:
Cover lentils and salt with water; bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until tender; drain.

Melt margarine, sauté onion and bell pepper until onion begins to brown. Add cooked lentils and remaining ingredients, bring to simmer, cook (covered) 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve over rice or noodles.

NOTES:
Modifications:

I find the initial 1 hour cooking of the lentils to be too long; half an hour is fine, since they cook another 30 or 40 minutes with the other ingredients. Also, I use more pepper than the recipe calls for, and less sugar. A little sugar is an old trick for preventing dishes with cooked tomatoes from getting too sour tasting, but 1/4 teaspoonful will do the trick for this dish.

Source: ‘The All-American Bean Book’, by F. H. “Ted” Waskey

Curried Eggplant Salad with Peas

Submitted by: Olive

Adapted from “Everyday Food” magazine

Roasted Eggplant:

Preheat oven to 475
Cut 3 medium eggplants (about 1 lb each) into 1 inch cubes.
Spread on a baking sheet and roast in oven. Turn them a few times until golden tender, 25 – 30 minutes. Cool on sheet. (recipe called to toss in oil, salt, and pepper before roasting; you could use a quick spray of cooking oil, or try a bit of water. It worked on a non-stick pan for me without any oil or water though.)

Curried eggplant and peas:

1.) Cook 1 package frozen peas (10 oz) according to package. (I don’t cook, but thaw it because I like things near raw) Rinse under cold water and set aside.
2.)In a large bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 limes) with 1 tsp curry powder and ground pepper .
3.) Add Roasted Eggplant from above.
4.) Add 1/2 cup chopped cashews, and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro.
5.) Toss and serve.

From the Eat-2-Live Email List

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Recipe by:  Susan Voisin

All the low-carb versions of mashed cauliflower are filled with butter, cream, or cheese. This fat-free version is just as tasty and won’t clog your arteries with animal fat!

1 1-lb bag frozen cauliflower florets
1/4 cup fatfree soy milk
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Bill’s Best Chik’nish Seasoning (or other vegetarian broth mix)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
black pepper — to taste
2 tsp. cornstarch — MIXED WITH
2 tablespoons water

1) Cook frozen cauliflower by following the package directions. Cook until it is very well done (soft!) approx. 8-10 minutes. (You may also use 1 pound of fresh cauliflower.) Put into a colander and drain.

2) While cauliflower is cooking, combine soy milk, garlic, water, seasonings, and broth mix in small saucepan over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, add the cornstarch/water mixture, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside for next step.

3) When cauliflower is cool enough for you to handle, squeeze as much water out of it as possible. (I put it into a colander and pressed it with the back of a big spoon.) Next, put the cauliflower into a food processor and whir on high for a minute. Add the sauce from step 2. Process until the cauliflower is creamy and smooth.

4)Check the consistency. If it is too thick for you, add a tiny bit of soymilk, mix, and check again. Too much liquid and you will end up with soup!

Add additional seasoning to taste. Serve hot/warm. You may need to heat it quickly in the microwave before serving, but usually it’s good to go to the table.

This is delicious served alone, or top with fatfree mushroom gravy.

Serves 4

Per serving: 41 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 307mg Sodium; 3 g Fiber

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

0 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving–Or eat 2 servings and it’s 1 POINT

Recipe adapted from: The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, Judith Finlayson
Serving Size: 6

2 tablespoons water
2 onions, finely chopped or leeks, finely chopped
6 stalks celery, peeled and sliced
6 carrots, diced (1/4-inch)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 medium potatoes; peeled, very thinly sliced
2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 pound fresh spinach; leaves only
or Swiss chard; leaves only
or 10-oz packaged spinach leaves, no stems

In skillet, heat 2 tbsp. water over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery and carrots and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium. Add garlic to skillet and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, vinegar and mustard. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add potatoes and stir.

Place rinsed lentils in slow cooker stoneware. Add contents of skillet, along with water or stock. Stir to combine thoroughly. Cover and cook until lentils are tender: LOW 8 to 10 hrs; HIGH 4 to 5 hrs.

Coarsely chop the spinach or chard. Add to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 25 minutes until greens are cooked and mixture is hot and bubbling.

Recipe By: Jack Bishop, Vegetables Every Day

Serving Size: 6

1/4 cup rice wine or sherry
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 1/2 pounds collard greens — see directions
Rice vinegar

Remove tough stems from collard greens and discard. Wash and shake dry to remove excess water. Coarsely chop.

Bring rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a large casserole or Dutch oven. Add the damp greens. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until the greens are very tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove the cover and simmer until the greens are no longer soupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, adding rice vinegar to taste. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

Recipe By: Amber Waves of Grain

Serving Size: 1

1 onion, diced
1 bunch mustard greens
sweet rice vinegar
shoyu

Sweet rice vinegar, sweet vegetables, and shoyu help sweeten bitter greens.

Layer onions and greens in a saucepan or steamer. Steam for 5 minutes. Add a few drops of sweet rice vinegar and shoyu for seasoning and steam 2 to 3 minutes more. Mix and serve.

Submitted by Kristi

A woman at work gave me this recipe and it is really tasty. The original said to shred some zucchini together with breadcrumbs and seasonings and an egg and roll in flour and fry.

Ok, this is how i fixed it:

Shredded zucchini and mixed it with vegan seasoned dry breadcrumbs. Added some sea salt and pepper and a bit of Italian seasoning. Added some sesame seeds for texture and some flaxseed for nutrition and more texture and just a drop of kelp powder. Bound it all together with some Ener-g egg replacer. Rolled it slightly in whole wheat flour. Pan fried it in a lightly oiled pan and then finished it in the toaster oven to make it a little crisper on the outside.

These were so delicious, moist, nutritious (not to mention inexpensive). My non-vegan (well, not yet anyway … i am working on him) boyfriend loved them.