The Suburban Herbivore

Every year at Thanksgiving, my dad’s side of the family partakes in a delicious mishmash of semi-traditional dishes and Middle Eastern cuisine. We have tabbouleh, grape leaves, hushwi (sadly, not vegetarian… yet), kibbe (ditto), spinach (and meat) pies, and Syrian bread (i.e. pita). For my part, I bring The Hummus.

I guess I’m a bit of a snob about hummus. Real hummus is made from chick-peas… none of this black bean hummus business. Though I dearly love black beans, that’s called dip. Not hummus. And using peanut butter? That’s just wrong.

Ingredients

2 cans (or equivalent cooked) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 to 2/3 cup lemon juice (start with less and add more if you like)
3-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp salt

Add all ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth. This will likely take a few minutes. Be patient – you don’t want your hummus to be full of chick-pea skins. You can add a little water in small increments if the hummus is too thick, but I prefer extra lemon juice instead.

Vegetable Lasagna

This is another meal from my teenage years when my mom was looking for vegetarian entrees that the rest of the family would enjoy. I’m happy to say that this one was such a winner that my non-vegetarian family continued to make and enjoy it long after I’d moved out of the house.

Though I’ve been preparing this lasagna on my own for fifteen years, it was only recently that I solved a long-running problem. It always seemed too wet and the pieces would immediately collapse when I served them. I worked hard to push all the water that I could out of the spinach and sweep off any water clinging to the noodles. I went from using 3/4 of a pound of Jack cheese to the full pound. It made little to no difference. Then, at some point last year, I was shopping for the ingredients, and the store was out of the fat-free cottage cheese that I usually bought. (I’d figured why not save the calories?) So I used regular cottage cheese instead, and voilà – problem solved. (To some extent, anyway… it is still lasagna, after all.)

Now, you can use fat-free or reduced-fat if you like, and the lasagna will taste great, and, after a night in the refrigerator, will stay together in fairly well-formed pieces. For me, having lasagna that doesn’t go all fall-apart-y when you cut into it is worth a little extra fat.

I’ve never gotten on board with the no-boil lasagna noodles, so I still cook mine separately. If you try this recipe with the no-boil kind, let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
olive oil
4 cups pasta sauce (homemade or jarred)
2-3 carrots, grated
6 lasagna noodles
2 10-oz boxes frozen spinach
16 oz regular cottage cheese
3/4 to 1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Put the spinach in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and zap for five minutes. Chop the onion and grate the carrots. After the five minutes is up, stir up the spinach, re-cover, and zap for five more minutes. Begin cooking the noodles.
3. Saute onion for a few minutes in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan. Add the carrots, and saute for several more minutes.
4. Once the spinach is done, set it to drain in a colander or other strainer. Use a fork to push out as much water as you can.
5. Add the pasta sauce to the carrot-onion mixture, and heat until simmering.
6. Layering: Start with a large spoonful or two of sauce in the bottom of your lasagna dish. Put down three noodles. Spread out half the spinach. Spoon on half the cottage cheese. Add half the Jack cheese, and cover with about half of the sauce. Repeat: noodles, spinach, cottage, jack, sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
7. Bake for half an hour, and let stand for ten minutes. Enjoy!

A long time ago, our friend Don wrote down for us his technique for making curried potatoes. Since just about every ingredient is something that one would typically have in one’s pantry, I decided to share the recipe during my Pantry Challenge. It’s not by any stretch authentic Indian food, but it’s still delicious.

There’s  a long list of ingredients here, but there’s not anything to do that’s more complicated than peeling and chopping. Missing an ingredient? Don’t let that keep you from trying this. If you happen to be out of cumin, for example, but have coriander or garam masala, those will work just fine. Or leave out the cumin altogether. No green Tabasco sauce? No problem, though you may want to add a little extra Cholula or whatever hot sauce you’re using.

Make this on a weekend afternoon when there’s time to let it simmer for a while, or put it together when you get home from work and let it cook while you put the kid(s) to bed. It’s definitely got a kick as presented here, so you may want to scale back the hot sauce, red pepper flakes, hot peppers, and/or cayenne pepper if you’re not accustomed to spicy food. I make this in the same six quart stockpot as I do my Black Beans.

Ingredients

olive oil as needed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
2 or 3 hot peppers, like serranos or jalapenos, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic
5 medium to large potatoes (I use Yukon Gold), peeled and chopped
1 15-oz can of peas, drained (or equivalent amount frozen)
6 tsp Madras (or other mild) curry powder, divided
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
goodly splash of soy sauce (or tamari)
10 shakes green Tabasco sauce
5 shakes Cholula (or your preferred hot sauce)

1. Chop/dice everything that needs chopping/dicing. You can wait to do the potatoes.
2. Heat olive oil in pot on medium, or whatever setting you use to saute onions. Use enough oil to cover the bottom, then a tiny bit more. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, poblano, hot peppers, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Then add everything else (using 4 tsp of curry powder and reserving the rest) except the potatoes and peas.
3. Saute until the onions are translucent and the veggies are starting to break down. (5-10 minutes) During this time, peel and chop the potatoes.
4. Add potatoes. Mix everything up until the potatoes are completely coated. Then add enough water to just cover the potatoes. (In my pot, this is about two cups.)
5. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly done. Expect this to take at least half an hour. (I try to drag it out as long as I can bear it to let the flavors really meld.) Add the final 2 tsp of curry powder. Add the peas, and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
6. Serve with basmati rice.

Alternatives:

1. Add 2 cups fresh spinach at the same time as the peas. Or instead of the peas, like I usually do.
2. Pimentos – drained and rinsed. I’ve never tried this, but Don says, “I used a big jar once instead of bell peppers.”
3. I don’t think I’ve ever tried chickpeas in this, either, but I really should. I wouldn’t add them at the same time as the potatoes, but I wouldn’t wait until the end, either. Maybe about 15 minutes into simmering?
4. For a less dark and smoky-tasting curry, reduce the soy sauce and leave out the chili powder.

Black Beans and Saffron Rice

One of the very first recipes that my mom made when I became a vegetarian – nearly twenty years ago! – was this tasty rendition of black beans. It was always served with Mahatma (i.e. packaged) saffron rice, and that’s what I continue to do out of both convenience and habit. One day, I would like to try out some homemade saffron rice, though. Originally my mom made this with Cajun stewed tomatoes, but I haven’t seen those in the store in like fifteen years, so I substitute Mexican.

I always, always double it, since it keeps for a while in the fridge and also freezes well. Though I wouldn’t recommend doubling the amount of green bell pepper until you really, really like green bell pepper. One is fine. If you do double it, definitely make it in a large pot. The one I use is six quarts.

Ingredients:

1 large onion
1 large green bell pepper
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil as needed – enough to cover the bottom of the pot
3 15-oz cans black beans
1 15-oz can Cajun or Mexican stewed tomatoes
1.5 cups water
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

1. Chop onion and bell pepper, and mince garlic.
2. In a large saucepan or stockpot, sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft.
3. While sautéing, rinse the beans and drain.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, and sugar, and heat until it starts to boil.
5. Cover and reduce heat to medium low (or thereabouts), and simmer for one hour (you could probably get away with 45 min).
6. Uncover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Use this time to make your saffron rice.

White Bean and Root Vegetable Gratin

I know this is going to make it sound like I never cook, but I prepared a very tasty gratin way back on May 17. Yes, this is another catch-up post. (As opposed to a ketchup post.) (Sorry… I think I’m hilarious, but my husband tells me that I’m really not.) Based off a method in Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, the gratin turned out wonderfully, and is a great way to utilize those random root vegetables you may have lying around. It calls for Parmesan cheese on top, but is vegan without that.

Sauteed Greens

I also sauteed the radish, kohlrabi, and turnip greens and swiss chard that I’d been accumulating. This was a wonderful accompaniment to the gratin. The photo makes it look like I’m stir-frying a salad, though.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 lbs root vegetables (I used turnips and kohlrabi)
1 onion
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely (depending on how much you like)
3 cans white beans
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp rosemary
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop the root vegetables and onion. Heat most of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the vegetables until they begin getting soft. During this time, you can drain and rinse the beans, but reserve about half a cup of bean liquid. Also prepare a shallow casserole pan by rubbing it with a towel (paper or otherwise) dipped in olive oil.

White Bean and Root Vegetable Gratin, plus sauteed greens and bread.

Add a little salt and pepper, plus the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft. Turn down the heat if necessary to keep the vegetables from browning too much. Once done, remove from heat and add the rosemary and the beans. You can add some or all of the reserved bean liquid at this point if the vegetables are too dry. It should be stew-like. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Pour the mixture into the casserole pan, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for at least 40 minutes, and then until the edges and top are browned and the sauce is bubbling.

I found this recipe online that says it’s the one used by P. F. Chang’s. I changed it up a bit, and was really, really happy with the results. I was out of vegetable broth (for shame) so I used water, but as Mr. Brown says, water doesn’t bring any flavor to the party. Here’s my recipe for Ma Po Tofu.

Ingredients
14 oz tofu, extra firm
1 tbsp chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
1 tbsp miso paste (preferably brown)
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp fermented black beans
1 tbsp (or more) crushed red pepper
1 cup vegetable broth or water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
4 stalks green onions, chopped
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Put the entire block of tofu in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for three minutes. Remove, drain, cool until it can be handled, and cut into one-inch blocks. Heat both oils together in a large deep skillet or wok at medium heat. Mix the chili sauce and miso into a paste, add to the oil, and cook for about one minute. Add the black beans and crushed red pepper, and cook for thirty seconds. Add the broth, sugar, and soy sauce, mix well, then add the tofu and simmer for about five minutes. Add the green onions. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle into the skillet a little bit at a time and stir. Keep adding until the sauce thickens to your liking. You may not need to add all the cornstarch. Serve with some broccoli and steamed rice.

After four hours of cooking, here’s what I have left:

1/2 lb beets
7 small turnips
1 lb bok choy
7 radishes

And here’s what I made:

Thai Curried Vegetables

Sugar snap peas, broccoli, carrots, and onions were used to make this simple curry. I also added some tofu. Based off a recipe in Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, I wasn’t happy enough with this to share how I made it. I cooked the broccoli and snap peas briefly before adding them to the curry, and I think this made them too soft and mushy.

I’ve made this a few times before. It features beets and dried cranberries, and yes, it really is that color. Risotto in general is just delicious, and this dish is no exception. Cinnamon and cloves add depth to the sweetness of the beets. This is from Lorna Sass’s Recipes From an Ecological Kitchen.

I’m not sure what makes the spices particularly Moroccan, as it was just cumin, turmeric, and cayenne, but this was a very tasty way to use up all those greens. It called for preserved lemon, which I didn’t have, so I added a few splashes of lemon juice instead. Check out Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone for the recipe.

After a long weekend spent out of town, I was skeptical about what might be edible when I returned home. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that nothing had gone bad, and I was able to cobble Pasta with Spinach and Beans together for supper. I used chickpeas because that’s what I had, and you can, too, but white beans have a better texture for this dish. I do recommend using spinach instead of other greens, because this is a no-cook meal (mostly), and the tougher greens won’t wilt as readily.

Ingredients

1 lb spiral pasta
1 bunch raw spinach
1 can white/navy/great northern beans, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta using package instructions. Meanwhile, wash and chop the spinach. Saute the pine nuts in about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot (or a large bowl). Stir in the spinach, beans, garlic, remaining olive oil, pine nuts (plus leftover oil), cheese, salt, and pepper. Add a little more salt if you like, or perhaps some garlic salt. Serves 4-6.

I had a bunch of greens that needed to be used up, so I looked around for a recipe that would disguise them as much as possible, because <confession> I really don’t care that much for greens.</confession>. So, here’s my version of Saag Paneer. You can, of course, use spinach, which is the traditional way of preparing this dish. I used greens from kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, and beets, plus kale. You can make the paneer ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to five days.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon of milk (preferably whole)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp water
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
1 tsp coriander or garam masala
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil
16-24 oz greens
1/2 cup coconut milk

First, get the milk and 1 tsp salt heating in a large saucepan on medium heat. Stir it every couple of minutes. Once the milk is boiling, stir in the lemon juice, and stir every minute or so for about five minutes while the curdling takes place. Place three layers of cheesecloth or a towel in a strainer, and if you want to save the whey, put the strainer on top of a pot or other container. After enough milk has curdled that the surface doesn’t have any gaps in it, pour it into the strainer. Twist the corners of the cheesecloth or towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible and let it drain for either an hour (if using cheesecloth) or half an hour (if using a towel).

While the paneer is draining, make the spice puree. Mix the water, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander or garam masala, red pepper, paprika, turmeric, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a blender until pureed. (I had a hard time finding something that would blend such a small amount, so just do the best you can. A mortar and pestle might do the trick.) Set it aside when blended.

After the paneer is drained, wrap it in plastic and press it for at least half an hour, and preferably an hour. I put it between two cutting boards and placed a heavy book on top. During this time, you can steam the greens. Make sure they are pretty soft – you don’t want your saag paneer to be crunchy. Let them cool a bit, then chop finely.

Now you are ready to pull it all together! Cube the paneer into bite-size pieces. Heat the oil in a deep skillet or large saucepan on medium-high heat. Fry the paneer for about five minutes – until it turns a nice golden brown on at least a couple of sides. Remove it and drain it on paper towels. Add the spice puree to the pan and let it saute for one or two minutes. Then add the greens, paneer, and coconut milk, and heat through. If needed, add some warm water a tablespoon at a time until you are pleased with the consistency.

Serve with basmati rice. Makes 2 or 3 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Well, it was efficient in vegetable usage, anyway, though it took a couple of hours to coordinate and pull everything together. All the recipes came from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.

The first part of last night’s meal was braised root vegetables with miso. I used the radishes, the turnips, and the kohlrabi. This turned out really well – the turnips and radishes turned creamy and yummy. The kohlrabi could have used a little more cooking, but was still flavorful.

While this was stewing, I steamed a big mess of greens – last week’s kale, plus the radish, kohlrabi, and turnip greens – for use on Sunday or Monday. I refrigerated them, and began chopping up the bok choi and last week’s tatsoi. I sauteed the stems in peanut oil for a while, and added the greens. Later on, I added fermented black beans, some green garlic, and tamari. I probably added too many black beans – the flavor of the overall dish was a little strong.

I’d planned to bake some tofu to compliment the meal, but was running a little short on time, so I tried poaching it. I have to say, putting a big block of tofu in a pot of boiling water seemed a little silly, but it wasn’t too bad with a little tamari drizzled on top. But I think I prefer baked.

So at this point, I have left: green lettuce, kale, and some green garlic. Not bad!