Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Brown Rice Porridge with Fruit and Almonds

This article had 4 distinct international porridge recipes (all containing just 5 ingredients!). I haven't had a chance to try the others. This recipe was "English-inspired" (original recipe contained oats and milk). We liked it cold too.

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 medium apple, cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Combine brown rice and almond milk in large saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 4-6 minutes, or until mixture is think and creamy. Stir in maple syrup, then apple. Cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with cranberries and drizzled with maple syrup.




Vegetarian Times, September 2011

Couscous Shepherd's Pie

This also makes a lot, but was also very tasty! I couldn't find the ras el hanout in our grocery store, so just didn't add a spice.


4 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3-4 Tbs ras el hanout
2 15-oz cans crushed tomatoes
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 turnip, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, divided
1 1/2 cups couscous (plain)
1 tsp salt

Heat 2 Tbs oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes. Add ras el hanout, and saute 1 minutes, or until spices darken. Stir in tomatoes and 3 cups water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and summer 2o minutes. Add carrots and turnip, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add zucchini and 3/4 cup chickpeas, and cook 5 minutes more.

Puree remaining 3/4 cup chickpeas in food processor until mostly smooth. Stir pureed chickpeas into vegetable mixture, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour vegetable mixture into 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Combine couscous and salt in large heat-proof bowl. Cover with 3 cups boiling water, cover bowl, and let stand 5 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, and stir in remaining 2 Tbs oil. Spread couscious over vegetable mixture in baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, or until conscious begins to brown on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Vegetarian Times, January/February 2012

Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

A good way to get your cauliflower in! This was also very good and easy to make, but the recipe makes a lot. Another excellent dish for leftovers!

1 large head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
2 Tbs butter or margarine
3 Tbs all-purpose flower
2 cups low-fat milk
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

Coat 13X9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly, and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.


Vegetarian Times, January/February 2012

Fall Harvest Groundnut Stew

This reminded us of the peanut flavors in Thai food. It smelled and tasted great! My first experience heating peanut butter on the stove.


4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 medium tomato, diced, juice reserved separately
1 1-ince piece fresh ginger, sliced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 Japanese eggplant, cut in 1/2-ince thick slices (I didn't add this)
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/3 cups brown rice (or however much you want!)
1 7-oz package Gardein Chick'n Filets (or any meatless filets will do!)

Bring broth, reserved tomato juice, and ginger to a boil in saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, 30 minutes. (We have a gas stove, and the pot boiled over when it was covered, so I just left it uncovered.) Discard ginger slices; set broth mixture aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 7 minutes, or until softened. Add tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. Add eggplant, and saute 2 minutes more. Add peanut butter, cayenne (if using), and 1/4 cup broth mixture; stir until smooth. Add sweet potato, diced tomato, and remaining broth; simmer, uncovered 1 hour, or until sweet potato is tender (this only took about 30 minutes for me).

Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions. (I used instant)

The recipe says to heat the fillets on a skillet, but I just used the microwave. After they are cooked, cut into pieces, and stir into stew. Serve over the rice.


Vegetarian Times, October 2011

Shiitake-apple Risotto

I wanted to try a new risotto dish. This was good, and it was my first time cooking apple on the stove.


4 cups vegetable stock (I try to get low sodium)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup Arborio or other risotto rice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons thyme


Bring stock to a simmer. In a saucepan, cook the onion in the oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the apple and stir a few times. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the grains begin to turn opaque. Raise the heat to medium-high and ladle in 1 cup of the stock. The liquid should quickly boil and then simmer until you are finished. Continue to stir without stopping, getting all sides and the bottom of the pan, so the rice does not stick or burn. Keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed and evaporated. Ladle in 1/2 cup more hot liquid and repeat the process until the pan is again void of much stock.

After 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add slightly less liquid now at each addition until you get your desired results in about 20-25 minutes.

When the risotto is done, remove it from the heat, stir in the cheese and thyme.



The Bold Vegetarian Chef, Ken Charney, 2002

Orzo with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella

This is from a new cookbook that my sister (who created this blog) recently sent me. This dish was amazing and very easy to make. It made a lot, so it was wonderful for leftovers! It was also good cold, like a pasta salad.

1 pound orzo
1 1/2 - 2 pounds tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, finely diced (I just bought it shredded)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios (I used pine nuts instead)
3/4 cup basil

Add the orzo to boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente, then drain quickly into a colander. Shake out the water completely.

Put the hot, drained pasta into a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and mozzarella. Toss to mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and pistachios and mix. Toss in the basil and mix once again.


The Bold Vegetarian Chef, Ken Charney, 2002