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Recipe: Spinach with Garbanzo

October 12, 2007 in beans, recipe, vegan, vegetable

This dish is a great way to use up that spinach sitting in your fridge that won’t last much longer but you hate to waste it. Oh wait, is that just my fridge? The seasoning & spices could be changed to suit really any flavor profile, so mix it up and have fun. This comes together very quickly – perfect for a last minute dinner or side dish.

  • 1/2 onion, cut into thin slices
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 c. crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin, or to taste
  • ~6 c. fresh spinach
  • 1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed
  1. In a large pan that has lid, sautee the onion & garlic in olive oil until transparent over medium heat.
  2. Add the spinach, tomato, cumin, pinch of salt, and drained chickpeas. The pot will be very full, simply cover and let it cook. After a minute or two, open the pot and stir well. Recover and contiue to cook, about 5 minutes until spinach is nicely cooked.
  3. Season to taste with salt, pepper, potentially a bit of lemon, hot sauce, etc.

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Recipe: Aloo Gobi

October 11, 2007 in recipe, vegan, vegetable

I’ve always been hesitant about cooking Indian food at home. Most likely because I really don’t know what I am doing. But not too long ago a sweet friend showed me how she makes aloo gobi when she was visiting. And you know what, it wasn’t scary at all! And besides that, it was delicious AND easy!

Aloo gobi is simply a cauliflower and potato dish, with lovely warm Indian spices. Following is my version, I cannot vouch for its authenticity. But I can vouch for its delicious-ness quotient – very high! 8-)  Quick tip, if you want a less spice-intense version, just use less spice – the leftovers were a bit overwhelming after they sat a day or two.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 2-3 potatoes
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ~1 inch of ginger, minced or grated (I grate ginger on a microplane)
  • 1/2 t. tumeric
  • 2 t. cumin
  • 2 t. coriander
  • 2 t. chili powder
  • 1 t. Garam Masala
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/4 c. stock (vegetable or chicken, optional)
  1. Cut the cauliflower into chunky florets, I like bite sized chunks.
  2. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.
  3. In a pot, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
  4. Add the garlic, ginger, and potatoes. Mix well then cover to cook.
  5. When the potatoes are about half cooked (~5 minutes), add the cauliflower and tumeric. Cover for another few minutes then open and add the remaining spices and salt. Stir well and cover.
  6. Continue cooking until cauliflower is soft and cooked through, stirring every few minutes, about 10 minutes.
  7. Remove from pot and set aside. If the bottom of your pot is covered with spice and fond, add the stock and bring to a boil to scrape off the good bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour this over the aloo gobi.

Note: I often half the above recipe and use just half of a cauliflower. It makes quite a lot! :)

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Recipe: Spicy Miso Eggplant

September 26, 2007 in recipe, vegetable

I admit to being quite the eggplant fiend! This summer we were graced with quite the abundance of eggplant in our CSA box – and all types and varieties. It was absolutely thrilling. ;) Brad on the other hand has declared war on the eggplant and is convinced he doesn’t like it. I’m not sure what the eggplant ever did to him, but it does inspire me to keep looking for different and interesting preparations. Such as this lovely! Miso is a fascinating ingredient and I definitely enjoy the mixture of miso and eggplant.

This recipe comes via The Artful Vegan cookbook from The Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. The cookbook is stunning and full of all kinds of exciting culinary adventures waiting to be tried. 8-) BTW, do go to Millinnium if you haven’t been before. It really is a great spot!

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 t. peeled and grated fresh ginger
  • 2 scallions, minced
  • 3 T. white miso
  • 3 T. mirin (sweet rice wine)
  • 1 T. sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 T. sesame oil
  • 6 Japanese eggplants, halved
  1. In a shallow baking dish (that is large enough to hold the eggplant), mix all ingredients except the eggplant. If necessary add a small amount of water to thin this into a paste. Place eggplants cut side down in the miso mixture for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the broiler. Place eggplant cut side up on a baking sheet. Spoon some of the miso mixture over the eggplant tops to coat them well. Broil for 5-7 minutes until eggplant flesh is soft and the tops are browned.
  3. Serve & enjoy!  Additionally, I scooped the eggplant flesh out of the skins of the leftovers.  I mushed it all up and had the most delicious eggplant “caviar” the next day.  This is also a great side dish or spread!

Note: miso is pretty easy to find, it comes in a tub typically and can be found in near the soy in most stores. It will keep for some time in the fridge so don’t be frightened by it.

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Recipe: Spicy Green Beans

September 6, 2007 in recipe, vegetable

Green beans are incredible any time. But fresh and seasonal the way they are right now – divine! This recipe is extremely simple and a slight adaption of one sent in my weekly CSA box. Great as a side dish or tossed in a salad – enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. green beans
  • 2 T. soy sauce
  • 1 T. rice vinegar
  • 2 t. sugar
  • 1/4 – 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 t. ground pepper
  • 1 T. vegetable oil
  • 2 T. minced garlic
  • 2 T. minced ginger
  1. Rinse and drain green beans. Trim off stem ends then cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces.
  2. In a small bowl mix soy, vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, and pepper.
  3. In a 10 to 12-inch pan over high heat, add beans and 1/4 c. water.  Cover and cook until beans are bright green and crunchy, 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and cook until water evaporates.
  4. Add oil, ginger, and garlic to pan.  Stir until beans and garlic are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
  5. Stir the soy mixture into the pan and bring to a boil.  Stir until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce thickens to coat the beans, 2-3 minutes.
  6. Serve hot or cool! :)

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Recipe: Eggplant with Chermoula Sauce & Pine Nuts

July 29, 2007 in recipe, sauce, vegan, vegetable

This is a delicious way to eat eggplant! I also used leftovers in a pita rollup! Brad found the sauce a bit sharp but I quite liked that aspect. However be aware of it as you add lemon juice in case you don’t like it quite so intense.

Chermoula Sauce Ingredients:

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • salt
  • 1 c. chopped cilantro
  • 1 1/2 t. sweet paprika
  • 1/2 t. ground cumin
  • pinch of cumin
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 2 lemons
  1. In a mini-food processor combine all ingredients and process until smooth.
  2. Note: can use 1/3 c. parsley in lieu of 1/3 c. of cilantro.

Eggplant Rounds:

  1. Slice one eggplant into rounds. Salt and let rest for 30 minutes, dabbing up the liquid that accumulates.
  2. Wipe slices clean then brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
  3. Lay slices on baking sheet and broil for about 5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Brush second side with olive oil after flipping.

Serve eggplant rounds drizzled with Chermoula sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts prior to serving.

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Recipe: Summer Zucchini

July 6, 2007 in recipe, vegetable

Zucchini is one of those classic summer vegetables.  Even though it seems available nearly all year long, the freshest and tastiest zucchini are definitely a part of summer’s bounty. I enjoy zucchini raw, sauted, fried, baked – well just any way.  This simple recipe is one of my easy standbys that comes together in minutes.  And yes – you can enjoy it all year round! ;)

Ingredients:

  • 2 zucchini squash, sliced into thin rounds
  • dried oregano
  • pinch of salt
  • splash of vinegar (I like champagne or rice wine)
  • olive oil
  1. Warm saute pan over med-high.  Add a small amount of olive oil and bring to temp.
  2. Add zucchini and saute for several minutes.  As it begins to soften, add salt and oregano. Continue cooking.
  3. As the squash browns and the pan dries up – add the splash of vinegar and deglaze all the spice stuck to the pan.
  4. Serve immediately.

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