The Suburban Herbivore

In my Pantry Challenge wrap-up, I laid out my idea for identifying certain ingredients that have been, shall we say, lingering for a while and need to be used up. Or used at all. Rather than limiting this to just February, I decided to make it an ongoing series, called What Can I Do With…? (I thought about trying to do one every Wednesday, and calling it What Can I Do With…? Wednesdays, but that just seemed a little too convoluted.)

Naturally, I bought all of these for a reason originally (well, almost all of them). I know exactly why I bought pomegranate molasses, but I use it for one recipe and one recipe only. This is about creativity. I’m not suggesting that I have no idea how to use Arborio rice, for example, but, rather, I want to explore both common and inventive uses.

My first batch of What Can I Do With...? ingredients

Here’s a list of what I’m going to start with (in the photo, left to right, back to front):

• Arborio rice
• panko
• fava beans
• pomegranate molasses
• quinoa
• bean threads
• tempura batter mix
• sun-dried tomatoes
• golden raisins
• crystallized ginger
• sushi rice

Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, and Artichoke Heart Pizza

I was out of commission for three days (sick), so I’m not including a list of what we ate to finish off the month. But it was primarily leftovers and “convenience” foods like Boca burgers and veggie dogs. I did do some cooking this weekend since we were snowed in. Last night I made a delicious goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and artichoke heart pizza using this crust recipe.

As January comes to a close, I’m reflecting on how and in what form to take what I learned into the next month. What did I learn? Let’s see…

• I seem to cook in fairly large quantities. Or maybe it’s just that right now, there are only two of us eating my cooking. Either way, I should be stashing leftovers in the freezer more quickly, rather than eating them day after day.
• As a vegetarian, much of what I tend to buy at the store is fresh produce, dairy, and eggs – all things that were not off-limits for this month. I don’t actually feel as though I made much of a dent in what I have in the pantry. Most of my meals ended up using one or two things from there, and fresh ingredients for the rest.
• I did save money on groceries, but not as much as I hoped. I should probably have set an amount to spend each week, rather than going wild with cheese. Not that I went wilder than usual with cheese. (Just a note that I didn’t buy the goat cheese this month – I already had it from December. So there.)
• Having some kind of parameter, such as not buying any canned goods, turned out to be just the thing I needed to reinvigorate my cooking. I brought back several meals I hadn’t made in years, tried out new ones (seven!), and even made a huge batch of pancakes, which are normally full of fail for me. I busted out my bread machine, and used it several times as well – something else I’d never done before.

Based on all this, what I’m planning to do for February is to identify ingredients that I have in the pantry that I will use up (or at least use some of) by the end of the month. This will be a slightly different challenge, as I will be free to buy whatever I need. It’s more of a creative challenge than a frugal one. I’ll try to come up with a clever name for this, but I’m not promising anything…

The scene: Sunday morning, around 8am. It was your morning to get up with your son, so you’ve been awake since about 6. He is, however, taking his customary early morning nap. Your spouse is asleep, too.

There is exactly one hour during the entire week that you have completely to yourself, and this is it. So you’re using it to plan out the meals for the coming week. (You do that, right?)

As you poke around in the refrigerator to see what produce needs to be used up, you notice several poblano chiles. Hmm, you say, I wonder why I bought those? Suddenly, you recall a delicious chili verde that you used to make a few years ago. Oh yes, you say, that’s what I should do. Now which cookbook was that in, again?

Some of my cookbooks.

You pull down the 5 or 6 old stand-bys and look at the indices. No luck. Well, you muse, I’m pretty sure it was called chili verde. You take down a few more, and don’t find it in those, either. Cookbooks are starting to pile up on the counter and floor. You suppose you could look online, but you really just want to make that particular recipe, and the chances of finding it, or even recognizing it out of context if you do find it online are slim.

Then you hear stirring from the next room: the boy is awake. The hour is up, the kitchen is a mess, and you are left wondering if you’d ever even made chili verde before.

Has this, or something like it, happened to you? Check out the wonderful website called Eat Your Books. This site indexes the recipes in cookbooks, lets you add the cookbooks that you have to your virtual shelf, and then allows you to search the recipes. Fantastic! Now, the site doesn’t store the actual recipes, but you don’t need it to – you already have the books.

I signed up for a trial membership in about 30 seconds, and within about 30 minutes, I’d added 67 books to my shelf. I can now search through nearly 11,000 recipes by name or ingredient, and mark that mysterious chili verde recipe as a favorite so that I don’t ever lose it again. There is also a social networking component to Eat Your Books, so you can have friends, see your friends’ bookshelves and recipes, add reviews, leave comments, etc.

Now, the site is in beta, and the indexing of books is still ramping up. So while I may have 67 books on my shelf, only 26 of them are indexed. Which means that I can’t search the recipes in the remaining books. Yet. You can request that a particular book be indexed, and the more people who request it, the higher priority it gets. Some of the books I own didn’t show up in the search results at all, presumably because they are out of print. Honestly, many of the cookbooks I have were either bought ages ago when I first became a vegetarian, or as bargain/remaindered books, so I’m actually pretty pleased that so many of mine were already indexed.

Does this seem too good to be true? Well… it’s not free. After a 30-day trial, you can buy a year-long membership for $25 or a lifetime membership for $50. That felt like a lot to me, but then my husband, Jason (of Icebox Pickles fame), asked me if I had $50 worth of cookbooks that I never used and never looked through. To that, the answer is, sadly, yes. The site is also ad-free and says it will stay that way. I can well imagine how much work it must take to index even one book, so it seems reasonable to me to charge a fee.

I’m giving serious thought to becoming a lifetime member, and in the meantime, I plan to fully explore the site. As should you. Go take a look at Eat Your Books. And if you sign up and would like to be my friend, my username is trikegirl.

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.

I’ve been really pleased with how the month/year has been going. I’ve been revisiting some recipes I haven’t made in years, and have felt a little more creative and interested in cooking than I have in a while.

We’ve made two trips to the grocery store to pick up some produce and dairy. Interestingly, though, I don’t really seem to be spending much less than I do on a normal trip.

Here’s my list of what we’ve eaten so far. (I’ll be returning to this post to link up some recipes as I post them, so check back!)

Fri, Jan 1
Baked Garlic Cheese Grits (for potluck brunch)
leftover Chickpea Pot Pie

Sat, Jan 2
hardboiled eggs, leftover baked grits – fried in slabs
homemade pizza w/artichoke hearts & roasted red peppers

Sun, Jan 3
hardboiled eggs, leftover baked grits
peanut butter sandwich (Ryn), lunch meat sandwich (Jason)
Thai Tofu and Squash Curry + rice

Mon, Jan 4
cereal
leftover Thai Tofu and Squash Curry + rice
Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Quesadillas + Ro-Tel rice (i.e. steamed rice mixed with a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes)

Tues, Jan 5
oatmeal
leftover Chipotle Black Bean Soup + bread (Ryn); Jason went out
hummus, avocado, and cheese sandwich (Ryn);  leftover Chilaquiles (Jason)

Wed, Jan 6
oatmeal
leftover Black Beans + Saffron Rice (Ryn); leftover pizza (Jason)
Don’s Pantry Curry + rice

Thurs, Jan 7
banana + oatmeal
leftover Pantry Curry + rice (Ryn); Jason went out
tamales (from Trader Joe’s)

Fri, Jan 8
oatmeal
leftover Pantry Curry + rice (Jason); Ryn went out
Italian Lentil Soup + bread

Sat, Jan 9
cereal
lunch at Elmo’s Diner (gift certificate)
Thai Spiced Tofu and Green Beans

Sun, Jan 10
scrambled eggs, “bacon”, toast
leftover lentil soup + bread
Penne in Tomato-Vodka Sauce

Mon, Jan 11
cereal + banana
leftover Penne
leftover Black Beans + Saffron Rice

Tues, Jan 12
oatmeal
both of us went out for lunch
leftover goat cheese & roasted corn quesadilla; Jason went out

A few months ago, there was a flurry in the blogosphere about DIY (do it yourself) pizza. We at Suburban Herbivore eschew being trendy; instead, we prefer to procrastinate… er, wait until some time has passed before writing about a topic so that it is all new and fresh again. Here’s a quick round-up of the pizza recipes, in no particular order, that landed in my blog reader in the latter half of March.

Friday Night Pizza from Animal Vegetable Miracle.

• Fast, Frugal, Flavorful Pizza from Scratch – Eat. Drink. Better.
• DIY Pizza – Mainstreet
• Inexpensive and Delicious Homemade Pizza – The Simple Dollar
• Deep Dish Pizza – The Paupered Chef
• Pizza Dough – Bitten
• Homemade Pizza Party – Eco Child’s Play

I’d meant to have tried many more of them by now. So far, I’ve made the pizzas from Eat. Drink. Better. (for which I have photos) and Mainstreet. I preferred the former because the crust came out thicker and chewier. The other recipe turned out a crust that was better-suited (in my opinion) for a pie. It was tasty, but not how I like my pizza.

Actually, the pizza that I’ve been making lately is Friday Night Pizza, published in Animal Vegetable Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver, and available in PDF online at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Recipes.html. It is not meant to be a speedy recipe (otherwise, it would be Monday Night Pizza), but it is definitely delicious. The recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas.

Rolled-out crust and sauce for Eat. Drink. Better. pizza.

Artichoke hearts and tomatoes for toppings.

Baked and delicious!

When I came across the recipe for Potato-Peanut Curry on The Simple Dollar, I knew I had to give it a try. Potatoes. And peanut butter. How could you go wrong?

I had a semantic problem with the title of the recipe, though, as there were no ingredients that actually made it a curry, other than a tiny bit of tumeric. So I made a few alterations. I had some chickpeas in the refrigerator and thought those would be a great addition. I added red curry paste instead of tahini, and increased the peanut butter. Finally, I added cilantro instead of parsley.

Potato-Peanut Curry

Ingredients:

1  pound potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes or two large tomatoes, chopped
2 15 oz cans chickpeas
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste
3 tablespoons peanut butter
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Bring the potatoes, tomatoes, water, and salt to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the chickpeas.

In a separate pot, mix together the vegetable oil, red curry paste, peanut butter, and garlic, and heat on medium. Once this is warmed through, add it to the potatoes and tomatoes.

Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and the potatoes have cooked all the way through. Stir in the cilantro and serve with basmati 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.

Though it was the first squash of the year, I still felt compelled to pull out my old stand-by, Squash Casserole… despite the fact that there were far better/healthier things I could have made with these cute little yellow squash and zucchini, and also despite the fact that I had less than half the amount called for by the recipe. Fortunately, I had a great idea. It seemed perfectly reasonable that I could replace some of the missing squash with turnips. And so it was. I sliced up and used all the turnips that I had, and added some extra carrots to make up the rest. The casserole turned out great and I had the bonus of polishing off one of my problem vegetables.