Mexican rice/spanish rice -- vegetarian version

This is my first recipe from a Youtube Video!! I followed the recipe exactly except omitted the chili and made it vegetarian!! I thought it was great.

Mexican Rice/Spanish rice - vegetarian version

from Villa Cocina on Youtube

Ingredients:

• 1/4 small white onion
• 1 roma tomato
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 t. ground achiote (annato)
• 1/4 t. ground tumeric
• 1/8 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. (approx -- measure next time to get the right amount!!) salt
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 T. oil
  

Instructions:

• Blend onion, tomato, vegetable stock, tomato paste, garlic, and spices together in a blender.
• Rinse rice to get rid of starch, and drain to get rid of excess water
• Pour oil into a medium nonstick pan, and heat until hot. When a few grains of rice sizzle in the pan, the pan is ready. Add the rice and saute while stirring continuously until rice is golden brown and toasted. This takes between 5-6 minutes. 
• When rice is toasted, pour sauce into the pan and mix well. Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Allow the rice to cook until it's tender and the sauce is absorbed completely, approx. 20 minutes. 
• Give the rice a gentle stir to mix the tomato film in, then cover and let set another 10 minutes. 
• Fluff rice and serve.
  

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I love using the oven in winter. You heat it up, chop up a bunch of veggies, and throw them in there to roast away while you make the main dish. Today we made this sweet potato dish and it was good. The original recipe says to add balsamic vinegar, which I did not do as some members of my family don't like it.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

From Allrecipes

Ingredients:

-- 4 cups chopped and peeled sweet potato (3/4 inch chunks)
-- 1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
-- oil, salt, and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Mix sweet potatoes and sweet onion in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture and toss to coat; pour into a shallow roasting pan.
3. Roast sweet potato mixture in preheated oven, turning frequently, until the vegetables are soft and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Cabbage

This is so good! A quick and easy vegetable side. Anyone who thinks they don't like cabbage should try this first.

From eatingwell

Ingredients:

• ½ medium green cabbage (1-1½ pounds), outer leaves removed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. To prepare cabbage: Cut cabbage half into four wedges and cut out any thick core, leaving the wedges as intact as possible. Drizzle the cut sides with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the wedges flat-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Roast the cabbage for 12 minutes. Carefully flip over (it's OK if it falls apart a little) and roast until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes more.

Avocado Garbanzo Salad

I'm willing to bet this dish one of the most delicious healthy things you can prepare in 5 minutes or less. It's sort of like a deconstructed guacamole salad. Tonight we ate it with bread on the side, although tortilla chips would be good too. Good as a meal or as a hearty side dish.

Avocado Garbanzo Salad

-- 1/2 ripe avocado, cubed
-- 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (from a can is fine)
-- 1 small tomato, cubed, or 1 large handful of grape tomatoes, halved
-- 1 or 2 T. of red onion, chopped small
-- 1/4 lemon
-- salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Squeeze lemon on top. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Healthy Cornbread

We have been eating a lot of pea soup around here, and I like a good cornbread with my pea soup. The problem is that most cornbread recipes include half or even an entire cup of butter! This is a healthier recipe that still tastes good. I make mine in a cast iron skillet.

from eatingwell.com

 

WHOLESOME CORNBREAD

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, for the pan
• 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (or white flour)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (optional)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt (or buttermilk)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put 1 tablespoon butter in cast iron skillet and put it in the oven to preheat.
2. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, frozen corn and salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg, yogurt and melted butter in a separate bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
3. Using a potholder, take the cast iron pan out of the oven. The butter should be melted by now, use a spatula to move the butter around so it coats the bottom of the pan. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
4. Bake the cornbread until the top springs back when touched lightly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cauliflower puree

I made this recipe for cauliflower steaks with cauliflower puree the other day, and it was okay. The cauliflower steaks are really just a different way of serving roasted cauliflower which, while good, does not quite live up to the "steak" moniker. I might try making it again with a different sauce in the future.

The real winner of that dish was the cauliflower puree. Making it is more of a multi-step process than I usually go through but the final product is worth it in my opinion. I served some (with no salt and pepper) to Kiran and he loved it too! So I find myself making it again a couple weeks later, and want to keep the recipe handy.

Cauliflower puree

• 1 1-pound head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. 

2. Using sharp heavy knife, cut cauliflower into florets. 

3. Combine florets, 1 1/2 cups water, and milk in medium saucepan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (no salt and pepper if making for babies!) Bring to boil and cook until cauliflower florets are very tender, about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving cooking liquid. 

4. Spread florets on large rimmed baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes until slightly dry. While florets are baking, you may want to boil down the water/milk mixture a little. Not totally necessary though. 

5. Transfer florets to blender. Add some cooking liquid and puree until smooth, adding more liquid until you reach the consistency you like.

The Best Lentil Salad, Ever*

*not really the best ever, but good

Okay when I saw a lentil salad called "The Best Lentil Salad, Ever" as a lover of hyperbole I had to try it.

from here with a few modifications

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups (1 lb.) Du Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced small (or 1/2 large onion)
1 cup dried currants (you could also use raisins or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup capers

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. strong mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves (I left this out but might try it next time)
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional add-ins:

Arugula
Walnuts
Goat cheese
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil
Sprouts
Crispy seasonal veggies

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!
2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.

Najib's Special cauliflower from Nuba

Nuba is a Lebanese restaurant here in Vancouver, it serves middle-eastern-style food like falafel, pita, kibbeh, all with it's own piquant twist that I love. So if you haven't been to Nuba yet in Vancouver, you gotta go! And while you're at it, call me! I would be happy to join you.

Now, on to the topic of today's post: a mysterious and delicious dish Nuba makes called the Najib's Special, a deep-fried cauliflower dish seasoned with lemon, sea salt, and a tahini sauce. They serve it in a pita wrap, as part of a plate with lots of other stuff, and as a standalone side as well. I have always liked the dish, and last week when a friend of mine ordered just a bowl of the Najib's Special for lunch, I knew I would have to try and recreate it at home -- minus the deep frying. Many others have tried this, so here's my version:

Mona's version of the Najib's Special cauliflower from Nuba

Ingredients:

-- 1 large or 2 small heads cauliflower
-- olive oil
-- salt
-- pepper
-- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
-- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash cauliflower and cut into bite-size florets. Place florets on a roasting sheet.
3. Sprinkle florets with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, and the cumin, mix around with hands to coat everything.
4. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, mixing every 15 minutes or so until Cauliflower is browned on the outside and tender on the inside.
5. Sprinkle cauliflower with lemon juice (might be interesting to try sprinkling cauliflower with lemon before baking to see what that does). Taste and add salt if necessary.

6. Serve with the tahini sauce from this recipe. Probably the best and easiest and most delicious way to do this in a pita or tortilla wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, the tahini sauce, and some red hot sauce. That's what I did tonight. Enjoy!

Harriet's Dolmades

Yesterday I helped my 88-year-old neighbor pick grape leaves for some dolmades she was making. I expressed some interest in learning how to make them, and pretty soon she gave me the grape leaves to prepare and said she would come over today to show me how to make them. SO after an afternoon of cooking, this is the recipe we made.  She usually puts meat in hers, but since Mahesh is vegetarian I wanted to learn how to make them vegetarian and she obliged.

HARRIET'S DOLMADES
makes 2 9x13 pans full

-- about 60 tender grape leaves, stemmed, washed, and blanched
-- about 12 big non-tender grape leaves for the top and bottom of the dish

filling:
-- 2 cups uncooked rice
-- 1/4 c. olive oil
-- 2 cups onions and/or leeks, minced (can use food processor for veggies)
-- 1/4 c. minced fresh anise (Harried wandered down the street and picked this wild from our neighbor's yards) (could probably use mint instead)
-- 1/2 c. minced parsley
-- 1/4 c. tomato sauce, can add more tomatoes if not serving with lemon sauce
-- lemon juice would be good in there too, if you are making a more sour one (less tomato)
-- salt and pepper to taste

For pouring:
-- 2 cups vegetable or chicken bullion or stock

Instructions:

-- Mix all the filling ingredients together, maybe with a little water.
-- Then, line two 9/13 baking dishes with half the uncooked big grape leaves.
-- To roll dolamdes, take blanched grape leaf, vein side up, and add about 1 scant tablespoon filling at the base of the leaf. fold in the two bottom bumps loosely, folds the sides in, and then roll up very loosely, keep in mind the rice will double in size as it cooks and it needs room. Place in baking dish.
-- Roll all dolmades and put them in the baking dish. Do not place them too tightly as they need room to expand. Then, cover with a layer of olive oil, place remaining grape leaves over the top, and add bullion/stock and water to just barely cover the dolmades.
-- Cover the pans with a lid or aluminum foil.
-- Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Check on them from time to time and add boiling water if necessary to make sure the pan doesn't dry out.

-- I tried one plain and decided it needed more salt than I had put in the mix, also a squeeze of lemon made it better. Overall, quite a success! I am thinking of planting a grape vine so I can make more dolmades next year!

southern-style cole slaw

This one is made to go with bbq chicken or pork or tofu sandwiches, very different than our new england version but very delicious! Similar to KFC cole slaw.

• 1 cabbage, finely shredded or a 16-ounce package of shredded coleslaw mix
• 1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine shredded cabbage with sliced onion. Combine dressing ingredients and bring to boil. Pour over cabbage and toss. Cool, then refrigerate. A wonderful topping for bbq sandwiches. 

UPDATE: I edited the recipe to halve the sugar, we make it like this and like it better. 

roasted brussel sprouts

We all need to be eating more vegetables, especially green leafy ones like brussels sprouts. In my opinion, this is the easiest and best way to cook brussel sprouts. You can thank me later.

YOU WILL NEED:

-- brussel sprouts (as much as you want)
-- oil
-- salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. Preaheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. wash brussel sprouts and cut off any brown leaves or brown stems
3. put brussel sprouts on cookie sheet or baking pan
4. drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (can add a little spicy pepper like cayenne if you like here) and mix everything around so it is coated
5. put in oven. stir the brussel sprouts after about 15 minutes.
6. after 30 minutes, stir and taste, continue to do so every 10 minutes or so until sprouts are cooked all the way through and browning on the outside. It took me about 45 minutes to cook mine through the other day.

FOR EXTRA CREDIT: stick some beets, potatoes, or squash in the oven at the same time you are making these brussel sprouts for your next meal!

Mexican cole slaw

So I just made my Mexican black beans today, and I wanted to make them into a wrap with some sort of healthy but creamy cabbage topping like this recipe. Also, I was thinking of making a healthier version of the cabbage and cream topping on baja fish tacos, and how that might taste with black beans in a burrito.

So I took what I had on hand and made this up, all measures approximate:

-- 2 cups shredded nice-looking green cabbage
-- 2 tablespoons minced onion
-- 1/4 cup minced tomato (could use salsa)
-- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
-- 1 tablespoon ripe avocado, mashed, or more to taste
-- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (could use sour cream)
-- hot sauce, to taste
-- squeeze of lemon or lime juice
-- salt and pepper

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. It came out really delicious! It would make a great healthy mexican cole slaw on it's own, or you can use it in sandwiches or tacos/burritos like I did today, with black beans and cheddar cheese.

Better Roasted Gobi Manchurian recipe

Okay, so I have been trying different Gobi Manchurian recipes for the perfect sauce for my Roasted Gobi Manchurian, finally I found a really good one (adapted from http://www.hookedonheat.com/2006/03/09/fusion-cooking-at-its-best/ ) that I had to share:

Ingredients:

-- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
-- 2 teaspoons oil
-- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
-- 6 drops spicy sauce
-- salt, pepper

-- 2 teaspoons oil
-- 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
-- 2 Tablespoons ginger, minced
-- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

-- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
-- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
-- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
-- 1 teaspoon rooster sauce (or other spicy sauce)

-- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
-- 1/2 cup water

-- 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sesame seeds, spicy sauce, salt, and pepper. Put in oven, turning every 15 minutes until tender and beginning to brown, about 40 minutes.

2. Heat frying pan to medium-high heat. Add oil, then ginger, garlic, and 3/4 of spring onions (reserve a little for garnish). Fry for a minute until fragrant and then add in the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and spicy sauce. Let that bubble a bit. Mix the cornstarch and water together, then add the mixture to your pan, boil for about a minute, it should thicken up a bit into a sauce.

3. Add the roasted cauliflower to the sauce, stir to coat everything completely. Turn out onto your serving dish, add the minced cilantro and reserved spring onions for garnish and serve.

So good!

A healthier Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian is a product of "Indian Chinese" cuisine. This is neither Indian nor Chinese, but a cuisine that has evolved over the many years Chinese people have had restaurants in India, similar to how Chinese restaurants in North America have items such as fortune cookies that you won't see in Chinese restaurants in China. Any city with a sizeable Indian population will have Indian Chinese restaurants. To me, the cuisine is totally unique and usually very delicious.

One of my favorite dishes is called "Gobi Manchurian." It's cauliflower florets breaded and deep fried and topped with a delicious piquant ginger/garlic/onion topping. You can order it dry with a minimal sauce, which is usually eaten as an appetizer or "wet" with a gravy that is usually eaten with rice as part of the main meal.

I love this dish but I like to eat healthy at home and deep frying just doesn't make the cut. So I tried a roasting technique I learned from another recipe, and put a gobi manchurian sauce on it. This is what I ended up with:

Roasted Gobi Manchurian

1 head cauliflower
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

2 tsp Oil
4 tsp ginger, minced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red chili flakes (or more, to taste)
1 small bunch spring onions (about 5) sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F. Cut cauliflower into florets. Toss cauliflower with 2 tsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in oven for 45 minutes, turning once or twice during this time period, or until browned and fork tender.

When cauliflower is almost done, heat 2 tsp oil in a medium-hot frying pan. Add ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute, or until slightly soft. Add the salt and spring onions, stir fry for just another 60 seconds or so.

Add 2 tsp. cornstarch to 1/2 cup water and dissolve well with a fork or whisk. Add to the onion mixture and stir continuously till it boils. Boil till the sauce becomes thick and transparent, not more than a few minutes. Add in roasted cauliflower, stir to coat, and serve.

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The cauliflower was great, Mahesh especially loved it. For me, it was very good but the sauce wasn't as strong/piquant as I remembered from the restaurant. Maybe it needs some vinegar? Not sure. I doubled the ginger and garlic in the recipe I am recording here for next time, and I will compare this with other Gobi Manchurian sauces to find out how to make this closer to the restaurant version, this sauce would be nice to try.

These are a few of my favorite things

When I moved to Vancouver I found good Mexican food (or Tex-Mex, or Cali-Mex, or anything) to be in very short supply. "Short supply" meaning "nonexistent." At first I sobbed and moped around the house, hankering for a small bite of El Cholo's fajitas, or even a nibble of a baja fish taco. Margaritas? Forget about it. The situation was almost too disheartening to bear.

But one fateful day, I took matters into my own hands and started making Mexican-styley food myself. One of the first recipes I found was for these "Mexican-Style Beans" from the Schwarzbein Principle Vegetarian Cookbook and ever since I first made them I haven't stopped. Now, I cook these puppies up by the bucketfull and freeze them in two-cup increments and then use them for months in all sorts of recipes, from bean burritos, to enchiladas, to that squash casserole I made the other day. Sometimes, when it's very late and I'm very hungry I eat them just as they are, warmed up in a bowl with some sour cream/cheese and cilantro.

Mexican-style Beans

2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 diced green or red bell pepper (I usually use red)
1 small diced fresh jalapeno pepper, or just add in some red pepper flakes or tabasco sauce to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (or 1 teaspoon coriander, or both)
4 cups cooked and drained black beans or pinto beans*
1 cup tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, or canned diced tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

*I cook my black beans from dried for this recipe. 2/3 lb. of dried black beans will cook up to the 4 cups necessary for this recipe. Soak dried beans for 4 hours and cook in a pressure cooker for 7 whistles and let the pressure release naturally. If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak beans over night and boil 1 hour or until done or just buy canned, it's okay.

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In a large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, cumin, oregano, and coriander if using. Saute until vegetables are softened and nearly tender, about 5 minutes.

Add drained beans, enchilada sauce or tomato sauce or tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste (it will need a LOT of salt) and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, taste, and adjust seasonings.

Enjoy!