vegetarian « DinnerCakes

A Hankering For Hummus – Garlic Hummus

March 6th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

I had a hankering for hummus (and alliteration) the other day, which was odd considering I can count the number of times I’ve had hummus quite possibly on one hand. But hey, details; hankerings cannot be denied. It was adventure time in Chef Edwin’s kitchen.

The great thing about hummus is that it’s incredibly easy (and therefore fun) to experiment with. Once you’ve processed your recipe base (chickpeas, tahini, oil, maybe some water), you can pretty much go wherever you want. Add a little bit of this, a dash of that, maybe some more of this… Order doesn’t really matter because it’s all being processed together. Just start small; add a bit of one or two things, taste and let your pallet tell you where to go.

Garlic Hummus

1 head roasted garlic
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/3 cup tahini
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon (one lemon)
4 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoons coriander
1/4 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoons cayenne
1 teaspoons kosher salt

Fit your food processor with the chopper blade. Throw in the garlic and process until minced. Add your remaining ingredients and continue to process. This hummus is a bit thick, so feel free to add some more oil and water, a bit at a time until it reaches your desired consistency (me, I like it thick). Enjoy.

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Who Needs Scallions? Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga

March 5th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Two dinner posts in one week instead of dessert? This is Ghost Baker blasphemy! And I picked rutabaga to work with; such a bizarre looking vegetable. Maybe hitting our 100th DinnerCakes post this week has made me loopy.

Don’t worry, I’ve just been cooking a lot lately and trying new things… and thankfully they seem to be working out well! Weight loss and weekly baking weren’t really fitting together, though I believe Chef Edwin got a good laugh at my dreams of a pound cake diet (which he sarcastically termed my “pound diet”).

My mother-in-law got me a subscription to Food Network Magazine for Christmas which I have already toyed with before here. This was a really cool gift because now I get great, seasonal recipes delivered directly to my door (er, mail slot). Today’s recipe was inspired by the Nov/Dec 2008 issue featuring some fancy potato recipes.

The original recipe called for a few things that I thought were a little unnecessary for my purposes (a weeknight side dish). And my husband quickly vetoed my quest for fresh parsley and scallions in the grocery store stating incredulously, “Who has ever eaten something and said it needs more scallions!?”

So here we are! I took out some of the “fluff,” used basic Russet potatoes instead of Yukon Gold and added broccoli. This recipe makes a shallow baking dish full of mashed potatoes and rutabaga. We had enough leftover for a full week of dinners and/or lunches… quite a bit, really. But I surprisingly never got tired of it! This dish really is a nice surprise. I’d only had rutabaga once before at Thanksgiving 2008. I thought it had a very distinct, almost bitter taste that didn’t agree with me, but combining it with potatoes makes it much more mild and very enjoyable.

Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga
adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 pound rutabaga (yellow turnip), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons margarine, room temperature (I did half regular butter and half margarine in an attempt to reduce the fat content, but you certainly don’t have to)
3/4 cup half and half, warmed
salt, to taste (I used coarse Kosher salt)
1/2 tablespoon oil (I used Smart Balance oil)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
3/4 cups plain breadcrumbs

In a large pot, cover cut rutabaga and potatoes with cold, salted water and bring to a boil on medium heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to a simmer until the vegetables are tender (they should hold there form, but there should be little resistance when pierced with a fork). This will take approximately 30 minutes.

Drain the water and turn the heat down to low. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter (not the margarine) and mash (I used a potato masher) until smooth (I like to leave just a few potato chunks in mine, but I know everyone has there own preference!). Add the warm half and half and salt. Keep warm on low setting.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of margarine with the oil in a skillet on medium. Add the breadcrumbs and broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender, stirring so that the breadcrumbs don’t burn.

Pour the potato mixture into a shallow baking or casserole dish. Sprinkle potatoes with the breadcrumb/broccoli mixture and serve.

Note – after discussing this dish with Edwin, we think mashed cauliflower might also be good in here, possibly as a substitute to the Russet potatoes. Let us know if you try it out!

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Khitcheri – Time For Some Detox

March 2nd, 2009

by Chef Edwin

The problem with baking (well, ok, ONE of the problems) is leftovers; because when you have leftovers, you inevitably end up consuming them when you really should be consuming something else. Oatmeal for breakfast? Nah…

That was the story of my Sunday after baking a coconut cake for a friend’s birthday on Saturday. It leftovers were just a little too awesome to resist so in an attempt to balance the scales (and just placate my own mental anguish) I decided on something much simpler and lighter for dinner.

Kitcheri is a simple dish, Indian in origin. It’s been attributed to having a cleansing effect on the body; something I felt I could use. Don’t expect to be bowled away by this dish. It’s flavor is mild and subtle. Enjoy it when you’re in the right mood.

Kitcheri
1 cup green lentils; rinsed
3/4 cup brown basmati rice
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 onion; chopped
2 garlic cloves; minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger; minced
2 teaspoons coriander
4 cups stock (or water)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste
parsley as garnish (optional)

Soak the lentils and rice for 30 minutes.

Under medium heat, roast the cumin seeds with one tablespoons of oil for 20 seconds. Add the additional oil along with the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander. Sweat for 2-3 minutes. You should smell the ginger and the onions should begin to look translucent.

Add the water, turmeric, lentils and rice. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is soft; adding salt to taste. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve with parsley as a garnish. Enjoy

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Christine Ilich's Apple Autumn Borscht

February 26th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

One of the great things about volunteering at L’Academie (besides the great recipes and hands-on learning) is meeting the chefs. It’s great to be exposed to the different kinds of styles, to hear their story on how they became who they are today and to just pick their brains. Every chef reached their dream in a different way and a few of them realized their dream wasn’t what they first thought it was.

Christine Ilich is a formally trained chef that I’ve mentioned briefly before after volunteering for one of her classes. She runs her own business, Heirloom Kitchen, in Front Royal making homemade soups, breads and sweets. I can tell you that her bread baking classes are immensely popular, but it was her soups that hooked me. We made three; a bisque, minestrone and a chowder. All very different, all amazing and all flexible with the recipe (cooking is an art!). I was a fan. During the class we somehow got on the discussion of other soup and she mentioned today’s recipe: Apple Autumn Borscht.

I had never worked with beets before, never mind made a borscht, so this was a great experience to broaden my horizons. While the ingredient list for this dish isn’t particularly long, its flavor is deceivingly complex. I dare say most would not be able to identify the ingredients from taste. I strongly recommend you try this recipe and if you have any questions for Christine, send her an e-mail.

Apple Autumn Borscht
Chop the vegetables into large pieces since everything will be pureed in the end.

3 tablespoons butter
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 apples, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 medium sized beets, peeled and chopped
2 large or 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 cups heavy cream
Salt & pepper
Sour cream

Place butter, carrots, apples, onion and ginger in heavy bottomed soup pot. Sauté until vegetables are softened, but not browned (a little color is ok). Add beets and cover with water. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until beets are starting to soften. Add sweet potatoes (and more water if needed, to just cover the potatoes) and cook until all veggies are very soft. Add spices and lemon juice. Puree the mixture in blender with the cream. Taste and re-season if necessary, with spices, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

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Curry Couscous with Chickpeas

February 20th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

So I recently came to the conclusion that I’m not getting enough whole grains in my diet. This, to be quite honest, is an understatement. I don’t normally partake in the breads and pastas of the world. Not because I don’t like them (LOVE bread), but simply because I like to snack, and snacking on fruit just strikes me as a healthier course of action.

Enter couscous. You may remember that Heather recently wrote about spicy shrimp and couscous, talking briefly about healthy eating. Couscous definitely fits the bill. This stuff will fill you up without weighing you (or your scale) down. When you cook this stuff it balloons in size. A quarter cup uncooked yields three quarters of a cup cooked! And less than 200 calories! I think I found a new best friend.

This recipe comes from a cook book I’ve recently begun playing with: A Taste of Heaven and Earth. So far I’ve enjoyed cooking from it. It strives for simple dishes with sophisticated flavor and its ingredients are relatively common; obtainable at your average grocery store. Can’t find fault in that.

As usual, I’ve upped the vegetable count significantly. Having tried this, I strongly recommend adding cauliflower; which I’ll be sure to do next time. And of course the usual spice disclaimer applies. I used four tablespoons of hot curry and it was a bit much.

Curry Cousous with Chick-Peas
adapted from A Taste of Heaven and Earth

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup stock (or water if you must)
2 tablespoons oil
1 red onion; chopped
1 carrot; peeled and diced
1 celery stalk; diced
1 green bell pepper; diced
1 red bell pepper; diced
3 garlic cloves; minced
3-4 teaspoons curry powder; depending on your heat sensitivity and type of curry
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 cups peas; fresh or thawed and drained
ground pepper to taste
tamari to taste (soy sauce in a pinch)

Bring the stock to a boil in a small sauce pan, add the couscous, cover with a tight fitting lid, remove from the heat and let sit for five minutes.

With the oil, saute the onion, carrot and celery in a large pan (or wok) under medium-high heat until the onion is translucent; approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers, garlic, chickpeas and curry, sauteing for an additional 2-3 minutes. Be sure to stir constantly so the curry mixes and to prevent the garlic from burning.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chickpeas, peas and couscous and stir together for a two to three minutes. Remove from heat and serve with tamari and ground pepper. Enjoy.

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Corn and Cauliflower Chowder – Quick and Healthy

February 10th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

Good lord, so much food was consumed on Saturday. I still feel a little full. Ethiopian kids are probably hungrier because of us. I am proud to state that while I lost to Heather in the sit-up contest I was victorious in “who can last the longest before turning down food” contest. Huzzah!

I won’t bore you with the details. Heather covered it pretty well yesterday and really, you’re here for the food, right? The day after I really didn’t feel like eating much; there just wasn’t room. I was also fairly tired after driving back home and taking care of errands. Honestly, at that point food almost seemed like a hassle.

I needed to eat something and I needed soup for lunch during the week, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and try to get to bed early (note: this did not happen). I was browsing through my long list of “want to try” recipes and came across one for potato and corn chowder from a class I assisted at L’Academie de Cuisine. I wanted to make it easier and healthier so I replaced the roux and potatoes with my new best friend the cauliflower. I was very happy with the result. The cauliflower does a decent job of giving you a similar chowder-like texture and I had to use very little milk. Next time I may throw a chopped potato in there for good measure. You know how much I love my veggies.

Corn and Cauliflower Chowder

2 tablespoons oil
1 yellow onion; chopped
1 red bell pepper; chopped
1 celery stalk; chopped
1 carrot; chopped
1 clove garlic; minced
3 cups stock or water
1/4 cup milk
1 head cauliflower; cut into half-florets
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
1 can corn; rinsed and drained

Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and carrot with the oil in a large pot under medium heat until soft and onions are translucent; approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic for another minute. Add the stock/water, milk, cauliflower and spices and simmer until the cauliflower is soft; approximately 20 minutes.

Add corn, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes so the corn heats up. Then blend with an immersion blender to the desired consistency. Enjoy.

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Taking a Favorite Vegetarian – Chinese Eggplant Szechuan with Bean Sprouts

February 2nd, 2009

by Chef Edwin

I think I’ve become a bit obsessed with stir-fries lately. My visits to the asian market has become quite frequent and I always find myself buying more than a I need. It’s sad when you’re like a kid in a candy store in a supermarket. Alas…

This recipe was inspired by a dish I came across recently thanks to Tastepotting, which reminded me of another dish I had when I took a class by Rebekah Lin Jewell a couple years ago. I’ve never liked eggplant but this dish was amazingly good. However, it and many other Szechuan dishes I’ve seen always have ground pork; not much, just for flavoring. However, I’d always inevitably end up with a back of unidentifiable meat in my freezer six months later.

So here is my vegetarian adaption and I’m quite happy with it. As usual, keep my spicy-wussiness in mind when you read this recipe.

Chinese Eggplant Szechuan with Bean Sprouts

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1-2 tablepoons hot bean paste (1 was perfect for me; two had me going for liquid relief)
1 tablespoon bean paste
3 medium-large chinese eggplant; chopped via roll cut
2 red bell peppers; cut into slices
3 garlic cloves; minced
1 tablespoon ginger; minced
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups bean sprouts

Preheat the oven to 450. Toss the chopped eggplant with two tablespoons olive oil and one teaspoon salt. Roast for 15 minutes on a metal baking sheet. While roasting, prepare the other ingredients. Wait until the eggplant is out of the oven and cool enough to work with before continuing.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok and saute the red bell peppers until soft; 1-2 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and bean pastes, tossing and stirring constantly to prevent burning; approximately 20 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry until everything is heated and mixed; approximately 1-2 minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy.

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A Truly Vegetarian Pizza – Garlic Goat Cheese Pizza with Asparagus and Cauliflower

January 27th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

I bought more cauliflower this past week. It couldn’t be helped. I tried not too, but with my recent good experiences using cauliflower, its siren call was too compelling to resist. Alas, such is life.

I’d never made a pizza before; well, if you don’t count those english muffins you make as a kid (good times). I’ve also never had a pizza with cauliflower, so I really have no idea where the inspiration for this one came from. But come it did and here are the results. Not a bad first try if I do say so myself.

In hindsight, I’d recommend a thin crust for this pizza. I tried half with hazelnuts and half with pine nuts, but can’t recommend one over the other. I prefer the hazel nut, but it’s all about taste.

Garlic Goat Cheese Pizza with Asparagus and Cauliflower

1 lb pizza dough (trader joes garlic herb)
1 roasted head of garlic
1 punch of asparagus; peeled and cut into thirds
1 head cauliflower; cut into florets; florets cut small (thirds, halves depending on size)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces mozzarella; cut into thing slices
4 ouces goat cheese crumbles
1 handful of your choice of nuts (hazel nut or pine nut)
2 handfuls of fresh basil; roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 450.

Steam the cauliflower for 4 minutes then set aside. Steam the asparagus for 2 minutes then set aside. In a food processor, process the garlic, all the asparagus but the heads, 1 handful of basil, salt and one table spoon of oil until in a smooth paste. Depending on the size of you’re food processor you may need to push the sides down a few times.

Roll out your dough onto a pizza stone and spread your garlic asparagus paste onto your dough, leaving an inch on the outside bare. Spread your mozzarella slices onto your pizza spread about and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread about your asparagus heads and cauliflower. Sprinkle the goat cheese, your choice of nuts and the other handful of basil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the choose is melted and the crust is golden. Enjoy.

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Simple Yet Delicious – Adobo Black Bean Soup

January 24th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

On inauguration day, while over 1.8 million people flooded capital hill and surrounding area to witness history in the making, I was working far away in Reston. Yes, I missed all the glory and truth be told, even if I had the day off I would probably have just slept in; maybe baked a pie (fact: baking a pie is never a poor use of one’s free time), but definitely keeping myself as far away from DC as possible. There are a lot of great things about living inside the beltway, but every now and then there are events that strongly compel you to stay out of DC (the cherry blossom festival is another taxing escapade).

I’ve never been one for politics and while I am hopeful for the possibilities our new President brings, there was no friggin’ way I was putting up with THAT insanity. And it was cold. Good lord, do I hate the cold… It was still a noteworthy day for me though because I came across some delicious black bean soup at Whole Foods. Due to my lack of time management, I had not prepared a large pot of soup for the week and was forced to brave the elements in search of lunchtime nourishment. I was pleased to find this soup and had to recreate it!

This soup…. is not the soup I had on Tuesday. Don’t get me wrong, this is good soup and I’m enjoying it quite a bit; but it is not the soup I had at Whole Foods. This soup is milder and less sweet; and still delicious. It’s got a bit of a spicy tweak to it, but not so much as to overpower the taste. Give it a shot. And if you’ve ever tried to make Whole Food’s version, let me know.

Adobo Black Bean Soup
Inspired by Whole Foods

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion; chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 cloves of garlic; minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 tablespoons adobo sauce
2 cups dried black beans; cooked and drained
1 teaspoon cocoa
2 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
4 cups water
Salt to taste

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil on medium heat and sweat the onion, bell pepper and garlic until onion is soft and slightly translucent; approximately 3 minutes. Add the oregano, cumin, adobo seasoning, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Stir briefly and let cook for approximately one minute. Add everything else and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

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At First You Don't Succeed – Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry with Garlic and Ginger

January 19th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

At first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That’s how the saying goes and for me, applies no better than in the world of cooking. I was not blessed with any innate culinary skills. I have burnt many a baked good, and overcooked many a meat until tasteless. It is a hobby that is sometimes bittersweet (though I love it all the same).

Bok choy is something I’ve been trying to become comfortable with and the ride has been… educational. I wanted something light to accompany future asian dishes and for some time this vegetable did not want to cooperate. However, eventually progress was made.

Bok choy is a cheap healthy vegetable also known as chinese cabbage. This simple dish would go well with a heavy stir fry to balance out the meal.

Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Garlic and Ginger

1 to 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 large loves of garlic; minced
1 tablespoon and one teaspoon of ginger; minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (use regular if you don’t have any)

Cut the bottom end of the baby bok choy and separate the leaves. Rinse and dry.

Mash the garlic with the salt briefly to get more of the flavor out. Put a wok or large pan on high heat. Immediately, before the wok heats up, add both oils along with the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant; approximately one minute.

Add the bok choy leaves along with the soy sauce. Continue tossing to coat and stir-fry until green ends begin to wilt and the tougher base is crisp but hot and slightly tender.

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