Scilian-Style Broccoli and New Potatoes with herbes de Provence

Two excellent recipes- they can be used together as side dishes or as a meal. Although I was concered about the herbes and spices matching, they go well together. I subbed veggie broth for most of the olive oil in both recipes. For the broccoli, I added more capers (I used some large-size capers that a friend gave me and wasn't sure that the measurements for larger sized capers would be equivalent to the reg sized.) I also easily doubled the red pepper flakes- DH and I like spicy-spicy. For the potatoes, I added a bit more herbes de Provence.

5 flamingos for taste and effort

Sicilian-Style Broccoli

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

This quick-cooking method of cooking broccoli in just a little liquid until it evaporates can be used with cauliflower as well.

Makes 4-6 servings

1 head broccoli (about 1 1/4 pounds)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup veggie broth

2 tablespoons drained capers, slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon in a small bowl

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut off and separate the broccoli florets. Trim the tough ends of the stalks; peel, if necessary, and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices.

In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and stalks, veggie broth, capers, and red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the hear to medium-low, cover, and copok until the broccoli is tender but still firm, 5-7 minutes.

Uncover, increase the heat to high, and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until any remaining broth evaporates, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or room temperature.

Variation Instead of capers, add 2 tablespoons of dark raisins or zante currents that have been plumped in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts just before serving.

New Potatoes with Herbes de Provence, Lemon, and Coarse Salt

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

Wild herbs grow in profusion throughout Provence. Herbes de Provence is a specific combination generally consisting of rosemary, thyme, basil, savory, chervil, mint, marjoram, oregano, and sometimes lavender. If you don't have some on hand, simply use dried rosemary; it's a safe bet. Try to get tiny new potatoes that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter for this dish. If they're much bigger, cut them in half before boiling.

1 1/2 pounds tiny new potatoes, scrubbed and left whole

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

juice of 1/2 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan or medium stockpot with salted water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes, depending upon size. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the herbes de Provence, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 seconds. Add the drained potatoes, coarse salt, and lemon juice; stir well to coat. Cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until the potatoes are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Advanced preparation You can boil the potatoes and let them stand for up to one hour at room temperature before completing the recipe. Or you can refrigerate the boiled potatoes overnight. Bring them to room temperature and finish the recipe.

Edamame

Eating Well had two delicious sounding edamame recipes in the jan/feb 07 issue. I made the Eygptian Edamame Stew for dinner tonight. It was very good although I think that it could benefit from sitting overnight to let the flavors mingle. The lemon added at the end brightened the dish but I think that I would add a bit less next time. This is a very good quick dish to make during the work week. DH made his own hamburger and fries and we were both very happy tonight.

3 1/2 flamingos for taste and ease

Egyptian Edamamae Stew

adapted from Eating Well Jan/Feb 07

16 oz pkg frozen shelled edamame (about 3 cups)

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 large zucchini, diced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste (I forgot this!)

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add edamame and cook until tender, about 5 minutes or according to pkg directions. Drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, covered, until the onions are starting to brown, about 3 minutes more. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Stir in edamame and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each.

Serve over whole wheat couscous.

Why vegan?

There were many many reasons for my change from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to veganism. One was highlighted today with a call from my doctor. My cholesterol at my last blood test in Apr 06 was 201. Freaked me out a bit. Today my level was 154. This was after being vegan since 1/2/07 for a total of 5 weeks. I am sure that the 201 reading was still accurate, if not low, at the beginning of Jan- my diet was really rich (read cheese and seafood) over the summer and holidays. I am one happy camper for many reasons eating vegan!

Jambalaya

We had Chinese take out last night for Chinese New Year and I discovered that I like Moo Shi Vegetables better Moo Shi Shrimp. It was slightly less sweet but you could have knocked me over with a feather with this revelation! So tonight I decided to go with a New Orleans dish with Madris Gras this Tuesday. I usually make a King Cake (from Jambalaya Jr League cookbook) but DH didn't want it this year. I think he is trying to be good dietwise. I picked our favorite Jamabalya recipe from the cookbook with the same name. DH bought this cookbook for me on his first business trip to New Orleans almost 9 years ago. It is a great cookbook but now I have the near-vegan challenge. I decided to make two versions. Leftovers are needed in this house for lunch and for when I'm out of town. To make this dish vegan was really easy- I left out the sausage and shrimp :( and added more red pepper and onion. I love red pepper and suateed onion so that made up for the missing shrimp. I also added a dash of liquid smoke- I hope that's vegan! And I served it over steamed collards (just because I like that.) If I were to make this again, I would try adding a teaspoon or so of cajun seasoning for some added flavor and kick.

4 flamingos for taste

4 for effort (because I made two separate jambalayas)

Sausage and Ham Jambalaya
adapted from Jambalaya: A Collection fo Cajun & Creole Favorites from The Junior League of New Orleans

i large onion, cut into 1/4" dice
1 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (about 2 cups)
2 large cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry white wine plus 1 glass for the cook ;)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 + teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 + teaspoon dried basil
1/4 + teaspoon dried majoram
1/2 + teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup brown rice

extra Tabasco to shake on at the table

Saute onions and red peppers in a Dutch oven for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients (I was heavy on the spices but not enough to increase the amounts listed here. Next time I would add even more.) expect for the parsley and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and mix in the parsley and rice. Cover and simmer about 35 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add more liquid if necessary to make sure that the rice cooks.

The best peanut noodle recipe

Thanks to Joe http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/sesame-noodles-with-napa-cabbage.html I have now found the best peanut noodle recipe. I've made several from Cooking Light, but this one had the depth of flavor and peanutty taste that I've been looking for. And it was very easy to put together. And best of all, DH loved it as well (although he didn't seem to mind that I made my serving heavier on the napa cabbage and his with more noodles!)

5 flamingos for taste and ease!

Please check out Joe's blog for this recipe- his photos are 1000x better than mine and it's his adaptation that I fell in love with.

Sesame Noodles with Napa Cabbage
(Adapted from Veg Times by Joe at http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/)

10 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (I used udon)
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I may have had a heavy hand with this!)
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to the directions on the package.

In a small saucepan, whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper.

Warm sauce over medium-low heat while you wait for the noodles to cook.

Place cabbage in a colander in the sink - when the noodles are ready, drain them over the cabbage so the hot water can wilt the cabbage.

Place the noodles and cabbage in a large bowl, add warmed peanut sauce and toss well to coat. Sprinkle each plate with a portion of the chopped cilantro before serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

An eggless omelet??

Another excellent recipe from Vegan with a Vegeance. This was sooo good, even my meat loving DH went back for seconds. I usually shy away from tofu- it has no taste or it tastes like tofu or, well, tasteless tofu. Not here. I was licking the bowl and savoring the garlic and saffron flavors- uuuummmmmmm. Unfortunately, my red peppers were moldy! So no sauce. I had a bit of salsa on the side and was perfectly happy. I did make some other changes noted after the ingredients.

5 +++ flamingos for taste

4 flaminogs for time and effort but my nonvegan DH loved this dish so we've got a same dish meal. I served this for dinner- too much time involved for breakfast!

Revolutionary Spanish Omelet with Saffron and Roasted Red Pepper-Almond Sauce

Vegan with a Vegeance

a small pinch of saffron (I think my pinches are generous)

3 tablespoons plain soy milk

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for spraying (I used about 1/2 of the 1/4 cup and don't have a sprayer so skipped that step)

1 medium-size onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

4 medium-size Yukon Gold, unpeeled, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1 1/2 pounds soft tofu, drained

2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 4)

1 teaspoon salt

dash of cayenne pepper (I used 2 generous dashes)

Place the saffron threads in a small cup and gently press the threads with the back of a spoon a few times; don't crush completely. (I placed the saffron in a spoon and then put a second spoon on top and very gently pressed.) Warm the soy milk in a small saucepan till just about boiling. Remove from heat and pour over the saffron; stir briefly and set aside for a minimum of 25 minutes. The longer the saffron soaks in the soy milk, the more flavor and color will be released.

Preheat oven to 375F. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Add the slcied potatoes and onions. The pan should not be completely full; there should be about 1/4 inch of space left on top; remove some potatoes if it appears too full. Gently toss the onions and potatoes in oil to coat. Place in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring on occasion, till onions are very soft and the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a food processor blend till smooth the drained tofu, garlic, and remaining 1 tablepoon olive oil. (I put the oil in the food processor right after the tofu began to drain and the saffron to infuse- I thought this might add more garlic flavor to the dish.) Add the soy milk mixture to the tofu mixture along with salt and cayenne pepper. Blend till creamy.

When the potatoes and onions are tender, remove from the oven. Pour the tofu mixture into the pan and gently fold the potatoes and onions into the tofu mixture. With a rubber spatula, smooth the top, making sure to make the center slightly more shallow than the outside; this will help ensure the center cooks evenly.

Spray the top of the omelet olive and return to the oven. Bake for 50 mixture to 1 hour till the top is deep yellow and lightly browned in spots, and a knife inserted into the cneter comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.

To cut, run a knife along the edges, and press down on the omelet while slicing. Excellent both warm and at room temperature. Serve with the Roasted Red Pepper-Almond Sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper-Almond Sauce

3 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, seeds removed, and torn into chunks

1/4 cup almond meal or finely ground almonds

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 tablspoons olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until thick and creamy. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Home fries

This is a recipe chosen for the Sunday Game of the Week that I play on the Cooking Light Boards. I loved it although it didn't fit into my cast iron skillet and aggravated me for a while- DH has good cooking sense and helped to solve the problem. Threw half the batch in a bigger skillet and with a little patience, this dish came out great. What I discovered was that I loved it without the browning and I really loved the flavor. I can see making this with just onions for a side dish. I think the dill was the secret ingredient.


Tex-Mex Homefries
Horn of the Moon Cookbook

1 quart water
4 cups cubed unpeeled potatoes (I have 2# very small Yukon Golds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed (I used Penzeys)
3/4 cup diced green pepper (I left this out cus of DH)
1 medium sized red tomato, coarsely chopped (I subbed halved grape tomatoes)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 onions) I left the slices large so that DH could pick them out and I'm so glad that I did!
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (on DH's serving!)
1/2 cup sour cream (didn't use- a no- no for me and DH doesn't like)
1/2 cup salsa (I used Amy's Black Bean and Corn- my new fave)

(This is a description from the book) I've added a few more veggies, spices, and some hot pepper to the basic Home Fries recipe. Patti, a breakfast cook at the cafe, came up with the idea of topping home fries with cheese, salsa, and sour cream one morning. Everyone had it for breakfast that day and loved it.

Bring water to a boil in 3-quart saucepan. Add potatoes and cover. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are just tender and a fork goes into them easily. Drain.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix potatoes with salt, pepper, cilantro, dill weed, green pepper, and tomato. Stir well. Preheat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; add oil. Saute garlic, hot pepper, and onion over medium heat. When onions begin to brown, add potato mixture. Continue to cook over low heat until potatoes are nicely browned. Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

4 servings

A bit about the cookbook- Horn of the Moon- my first vegetarian cookbook that I bought for myself right after I was married. I didn't have very much money but something about this book caught my eye and I splurged. I am so glad that I did. I did my first tastings tofu, tempeh and just having tasty meals without the meat. The author is Ginny Callan who move to Vermont from NYC to attend college. She became a vegetarian and then launced a natural food sandwich company in 1976. Then she opened the Horn of the Moon cafe. I've made the Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff (which is when I discovered that DH hated mushrooms and couldn't even stand the smell of them- and it was a small apt too!) and Marinated Tempeh Burgers (which he actually liked). I went out later and bought her second one Beyond the Moon which has two excellent salad recipes that I still make- a potato salad with no mayo plus green beans and a cashew rice salad. I've posted both of those on these boards a while ago. The recipes are very delicious but I haven't cook from it in a very long time. Thanks,cookiee (the mc for the SGOTW) for helping me blow the dust off this tasty cookbook.

I forgot to take a pic!!!

Hits and Misses for January

No misses- lots of yummy new dishes.

Excellent- 5 Flamingos
Argentine Black Bean Flatbread with Chimichurri Drizzle-CL J/F 07
Split Pea Soup-VCE
Polenta-Sunflower-Millet Bread-The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook
Pecan Wheat Bread- the walnut version- KA
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough- EW
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms- BC (I made it without the butter)
Chickpea and Spinach Curry- Vegan with a Vegeance
Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies- Vegan with a Vegeance
Pizza Sauce- Vegan with a Vegeance

Very Good- 3-4 Flamingos
Harvest Grains Bread- King Arthur- not excellent because of my changes- the original is excellent!
Chickpea Salad with Provencal Herbs- CL Jun 05
Braised Cauliflower with 3 Seed Sauce- Vegan with a Vegeance
Unprocessed Cheez Sauce- The Ultimate Uncheez Cookbook

A week's menu that worked...

I decided to post this week's menu- it worked so well and tasted so great. And my memory, well, there we are.

Sunday
Nachos- reg cheese for DH
- Unprocessed Cheez Spread from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook for me
also topped with black beans, chopped tomatoes, and chopped romaine lettuce
I made enough black beans for tonight and for Tuesday's black beans and rice.

Monday
Spinach Chickpea Curry- Vegan with a Vegeance
Salad
Grilled lamb

Tuesday
Black beans and rice
Salad
Steamed kale (I mixed it in my bowl of black beans and rice)

Wednesday
Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies- Vegan with a Vegeance
Leftover curry served over leftover steamed greens
Salad with leftover cheez spread as the salad dressing
Steamed broccoli
Grilled smoked pork chops- DH grills them in the George Foreman grill with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Thursday
Pasta with marinara sauce- spaghetti for DH and whole wheat elbows for me
Salad

5 flamingos- everything worked out great and tasted even better. I made extra black beans from scratch on sunday for the nachos and then had it easy for tuesdays black beans and rice. I also made a large batch of brown rice for the leftover chinese that I then used for the black beans and rice. I also had just enough curry and leftover greens so that I could spend my time making the new Roasted Winter Veggie menu.

I have great friends!

I have received the best support from my most thoughtful friends at work. RL brought in a menu from a thai place so I could have some veggie Thai and to show some ideas to my local Thai place that is all about the animal protein. NS subbed veggie broth for the chicken broth in her soup recipe for soup club. And MA brought me in a vegan pizza- heart shaped for Vday. She is having some of the kiddos over for an auction item but thought of me. All were so thoughtful! I have the best friends at work :) :) :)

I was so tempted last week to have my old fave white pizza from the Italian restaurant across the street. I wanted it soooo bad. It's and old tradition of mine to have this pizza when DH is out of town. I managed to talk myself out of it mostly because I had some leftover pizza in my fridge that turned out to be very delicious. This has been the only bump in the becoming near vegan road so far. I love all the veggies and haven't missed the meat. Really, I find that I'm becoming less interested in the meat as I think of meat as an animal- an intelligent living creature. I just can't do it. Never pictured myself as an activities but I seem to be heading that way.