This curry rocks!

Wow- this has to be one of the best curries I have ever made. I made the Chickpea and Spinach Curry from Vegan with a Vegeance. I loved the curry flavor but also that the taste of the chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes came through. It's a curry that emphasizes the flavor of the veggies without a heavy sauce. Even DH, who is not fond of chickpeas, snuck a few nibbles. I notice he's been doing that lately :) I meant to make a full recipe but noticed that 1 of my cans of chickpeas had a dent in the rim- aarrrggg- I have to be real careful when I buy canned goods from my local grocery store- and as careful as I think I am, a few get by.
Here is what I made-

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
adapted from Vegan with a Vegeance

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 vidalia or sweet onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey's Maharajah)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cardamom pods (I used green)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups fresh spinach (I used baby and left it whole)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Prepare the tomaotes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can.

Preheat a large-sized saucepan (esp if doubling) over medium heat; pour in the veggie oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute- mine didn't pop :( I wonder if I don't have the right seeds??) then add the onion; turn up the heat to medium-high and saute for 7-10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for 2 more minutes. Add spices, salt, and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice; saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add the spinach, mixing until wilted. When the spinach is wilted and the mixture is liquidy, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.


I had this curry with a bit of whole wheat couscous (made with veggie broth and garlic), and a salad. DH had the couscous, salad, and grilled lamb.

5 flamingos for taste- this curry is a repeater!
5 flamingos for time and effort

Soup Club

Another yummy Monday with Soup Club! And both were very delicious (perfect for a cold winter day) and vegan friendly- wahoo!

Rosemary White Bean Soup
Barefoot Contessa- prepared by NS

1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6-7 inches)
2 quarts chicken or veggie stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Garbanzo Tomato Pasta Soup
allrecipes.com submitted by Joy prepared by DG

9 (14.5 ounce) cans veggie broth
2 1/4 cups small seashell pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Bring veggie broth to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Stir into pasto and add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.

Nachos

I tried some new nacho chips at Whole Foods the other day and they were good! (The chips were Japapeno tortilla chips with diced jalapeno peppers and crushed red peppers by FoodSouldTasteGood) So I bought some and thought to make nachos this weekend. And we did! DH had his with grated Craker Barrel cheese, black beans, and then topped with salsa. I had mine with the new chips topped with chopped romaine, chopped cherry tomatoes, black beans, salsa, and vegan cheese sauce. I really liked the cheese sauce and so did DH- he very quietly kept taking bites and scoops of the vegan cheese sauce. I had bought the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak this summer but put it aside after trying a vegan cheese that was only ok. This was pretty darn good and DH kept adding a bit to his nachos too!

Edited to add that as delicious as this was, it didn't seem to keep well. It tasted way too much of the nutritional yeast and the subtle flavors of the veggies and other seasonings were long gone.

Unprocessed Cheez Sauce

The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak

1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 or 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped (I used 2 smaller carrots)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (I used 1/2 sweet onion)

1 cup water

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled firm silken toful or 1/2 to 1 cup cooked and drained white beans (I used 1 cup drained navy beans)

1/2 to 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes (I decided that I would use 1/2 cup flakes after using the highter amount this summer and not liking the result. I do think this is an acquired taste and I'm just starting to aquire it!!)

2-4 tablespoons miso- I used brown

1 -2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Combine potato, carrot, onion, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender (I used my food processor) along with remaining ingredients. Process until velvety smooth. Serve immediately or return to saucepan or fondue pot to keep warm.

Tips: If mixture fills your blender more than halfway, blend in two or three batches.

The larger the quantities of tofu or white beans and nutritional yeast will make a thicker, richer-tasting sauce.

Crimini, Shiitake, and Portobello Oh my!

DH is out of town and I got to play with mushrooms! He hates mushrooms even the smell. Fortunately this recipe had plenty of shallots that I bet he notices first! And I kept chuckling when I bought the shiitakes and when I was preparing them- one of my previous first graders used to love saying "Oh shiiiiii...... take mushrooms"- LOL for days over that. :) I had agreed to play a game on the Cooking Light boards- I choose the recipe and then started to post it before I realized that it called for 1/2 stick butter! Oops! Then I realized I had a bit of a challenge before me so I made the recipe without the butter. And it was really very very good. UUUMMMMM- when is DH going out of town again???

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms
adpated from Ina Garten Barefoot in Paris
serves 4

2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, porcini, and portobello
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots- 4 large
splash of veggie broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Brush the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Slice the small mushrooms thickly and cut the large ones in a large dice.Heat the olive oil in a large (11-inch) Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the veggie broth, mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley and serve warm.

Soup Club

I am loving Soup Club Mondays! No lunch to worry about making in the mornings and yummy soups and salads to enjoy :) Although I only had just a taste of the Tomato Cream soup ;)

Mushroom and Barley Soup
made by KO

There isn't really a recipe as it is so easy! Here are the steps:
1. Purchase Streitz Mushroom and Barley soup mix (I am pretty sure that is the brand. It comes in a long fairly thin clear package)
2. Saute carrots, celery, and onion.
3. Boil water.
4. Add soup package.
5. Simmer 2 hours.


Rachel Ray's Quick and Creamy Tomato Soup
made by MJT

3 15-ounce cans of chicken broth
3 28-ounce cans concentrated crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
20 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade for garnish
soup toppers- see below

Combine broth and tomatoes in medium sauce pan over moderate hear. When soup bubbles, stir in cream and reduce to low. Season with salt and pepper (mj notes that she used Crazy Jane's Pepper) and simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. With immersion blender, puree the soup. Serve in a bowl with basil garnish on top.

Toppers
Slices of rustic bread, 1/4" thick
4 gloves of garlic
olive oil, pepper
1/2 lb shredded cheese

Toast bread slices in toaster until golden. Rub toast with crushed garlic. Put on cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and top with grind of pepper. Add layer of cheese. Place under hot broiler until golden brown. Serve on top of soup- or dip in!

Frosty the Snow Dog!

A friend gave my dog a tag for his
collar that was this cutest
snowdog with Frosty the Snow Dog printed on it. He is working hard today trying to make it snow enough that I can have my first snow day tomorrow!


Go!
Frosty the Snow Dog!
Go!!

Pizza night

After the successful Argentine Flatbread last weekend, I felt in the mood to make more homemade pizzas. Tonight, DH had pepperoni and mozzerella cheese on the dough from the Flatbread recipe. Excellent!! he says. Mine was garlic, steamed collards, broccoli, and roasted red pepper on Eating Well's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Again excellent!! For the sauce, I used the Pizza Sauce recipe from Vegan With a Vegeance. It is the yummiest sauce!

5 flamingos for taste
2 flamingos for time and effort. DH didn't want a whole wheat crust but I did. I really didn't mind making 2 types of dough, roasting the red pepper or prepping the veggies as it was a snowy icy day. The glass of wine was nice too!

Pizza Sauce
adapted from Vegan With a Vegeance

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic- minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil a few minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the herbs and the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature before using on pizzas.


Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Eating Well
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/ww_pizza_dough.html

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.

3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 oz dough, enough for one 12-inch pizza or two 10-inch pizzas