Menu for the week of 1/13

Sunday
Red Bean Chili with Ancho Chiles and Coffee- AYIAVK- made with Rancho Gordo's Anasazi beans
cornbread- I love the whole wheat recipe from veganlunchbox.com
steamed kale

Tuesday
Vegetable Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts in Curry Cream Sauce- The Curry Book
broccoli
salad

Wednesday
Rice and Peas- Jan/Feb 08 CL
buschetta- from Maria Canora's Tuscan cooking class- I took a class from her last night at the winery where I work during the summers- excellent class and excellent food!

Thursday
tacos- DH likes Lightlife taco filling
I'll make mine with chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, onion, and maybe try a new cheese sauce from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

Menu for week of Jan 6

Sunday
big salad and veggie sandwich for me
ravioli lasagna for DH

Monday
black beans and rice
steamed kale
salad

Tuesday
grilled cheese sandwich for DH
hummus pita for me
balsmic glazed carrots with garlic
spicy broccoli rabe with garlic

Wednesday
Pasta with Muffalata Olive Salad and Italian Meats- leaving out the Italian meats for me ;)

Thursday
leftover Spinach and Chickpea Curry

December's New Recipes- Hits and Misses

Hits
Pom Martinis- Oprah- found on this on the cookinglight board- I liked both the tequila and vodka versions
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar and Pine Nuts- Vegetables Every Day
Soy-Braised Mustard Greens- Vegetables Every Day
Lima Parmigiana- How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Chickpeas in their own broth- How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Lo Mein- with adaptaions- World of the East Vegetarian Cooking
Red Lentils with Cumin-Onion Butter- Sur la Table cooking class
Beginners Curry- Great Curries of India
Roasted Mushroom, Lentil, and Walnut Pate- CL
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies- Eat Drink and Be Vegan
Polenta with Tomato-Braised Beans- CL Jan/Feb 08

Ok/Not a repeater
Black-eyed Peas in a Crockpot- clbb
Brown Rice 'n' Beans "Jumble-aya" - Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan- just a bit too sweet for me- I may play with this.

Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce

I realized that there are quite a few recipes that I didn't get around to posting last year. This is one of my faves. DH will actually eat greens so this recipe is a keeper. He rec doubling the sauce- that way there is enough to spoon over some steamed broccoli. I doubled everything for the sauce but only used a heavy 3 tablespoons of the green curry paste instead of 4 mostly because that was all there was in the jar. There is a nice heat to this dish and lots of flavor. I use regular, not light, coconut milk, rainbow chard (it's so pretty), and baby Yukon or gold potatoes. I've tried to find roasted peanut oil but haven't so I use just peanut oil. The last time I made this, I had a bit of extra chard but instead of adding it to the curry and risk turning DH off this recipe, I put it in my bowl and then topped the extra chard with the hot rice and curry. It added a nice extra texture to the dish and I'll probably always add a bit from now on.

Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce
Adapted from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
Serves 4 as a main course
1 1/2 tablespoon roasted or reg peanut oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 14-ounce cans unsweeten coconut milk, with 1 cup thickened coconut cream spooned off the top and reserved
3 1/2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 short cup water
2 pounds small potatoes, halved, halved again and then halved one last time
salt
4 ounces chard, thinly sliced (discard thick center stems) (about 3 cups)
1 short cup fresh cilantro leaves- loose and slightly cut
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, no more than 1 minute. Add the cup of thickened coconut cream and the curry paste. Simmer briskly until the liquid in the coconut cream evaporates and the mixture forms a very thick paste that sizzles in the pan, 2-3 minutes.

Add the remaining coconut milk, water, potatoes, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chard, cover, and cook, stirring once, until the potatoes and chard are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste, and serve.

Roasted-Mushroom, Lentil, and Walnut Pâté

I've been searching for spreads and dips that are cheese-free. I loved loved loved cheese and used every excuse to have some. Now I am at a bit of a loss when deciding on appetizers. This sounded tasty and DH was gone for the day golfing (I don't cook mushrooms when he is home- he really doesn't like the smell as well as the taste.)

I made some changes- I increased the shallots and salt from the amounts listed. I also plan on following the reviewers advice and decrease the amount of lentils.

5 flamingos for taste
4 1/2 flamingos for ease

Roasted-Mushroom, Lentil, and Walnut Pâté
2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms
1 tablespoon diced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Baked tortilla chips or pita bread (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine water and lentils in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are soft.
Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in a bowl. Place mushroom mixture on a jelly-roll pan, and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Combine lentils, mushroom mixture, 2 tablespoons vinegar, walnuts, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth. Serve with baked tortilla chips or pita bread, if desired.
Yield: 3 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

CALORIES 28 (39% from fat); FAT 1.2g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 1.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 5mg; SODIUM 13mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 0.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1997

Michel Richard

Sometimes I stop and think that I am one lucky girl. I had the best dinner at a restaurant for my birthday- DH took me to Michel Richard Citronelle. Then I read in the paper that Richard was speaking at a bookstore downtown and so DH and I turned this into a fun evening. We started with a drink at Central, Richard's new bistro. (I think that I will have my next bookclub meeting there.) Then we went next door to Tenpenh for dinner. I have been wanting to eat there for a very long time and missed my bookclub's meeting there a year or so ago. It was worth the wait. I had a very yummy dinner and DH was very pleased with his meal. I had the Vegetarian Hotpot and could not stop eating the broth. After dinner, we walked to the bookstore and found seats in the front row. :) Michel Richard loves food and seems so happy to share his love. He was most animated when talking about food in context with family and friends and when searching for something new that is also delicious. He mentioned the recipe for Tomato Tartare from his new cookbook. I wish that I could quote him but he was sharing his excitment about realizing that tomatoes "chopped chopped" with love and seasoned would taste very much like steak tartare. It is this playfulness that I most admire about him. Richard is able to see food in new ways that are creative, artistic, and very tasty. I will have to share how he signed my copy of his cookbook- he draws a picture of himself in a chef's hat- very cute! I felt so lucky to hear him speak and to have had such a lovely evening with my DH.

A great class, a beginner's curry and a dal

A friend took me to an Indian cooking class at Sur la Table last monday night. It was the most work I've ever done in a class but the food was great and I've been inspired to try more Indian cooking. The instructor was very knowledgeable and so willing to answer questions. This was the 5th Indian cooking class I've taken and its the one class that has really inspired me to give Indian cooking a go at home.

I will admit to making a purchase at Sur la Table that night! There was a 15% coupon good for just about anything in the store that night. I spied a Santoku knife at some of the cutting stations so I made sure that I ended up there. The knife felt so good in my hands and cut beautifully. I went, ok I rushed, over to the knife display at break. After holding several knives and talking with the sales helper, I chose a 6-inch chef's knife. The handle felt as one with my hands- sturdy, comfortable and well-balanced. Chopping and cutting are dream now. Which is very important when you chop lots and lots of veggies. Why a chef's knife and not the Santoku? I rock when I chop (advantage- chef knife) and also thought the chef's knife would be more versatile. I am so pleased with my new knife.

Tuesday after the class, I went to the store and bought radishes, carrots, onions, a cucumber, a yellow pepper, and celery for a salad for dinner that night! I chopped and chopped and smiled and smiled!

This Sunday I tested out the knife and some Indian recipes. I made the dal from the class and a beginner's curry from The Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi (pictured above.)

The dal was very delicious. I added the cilantro and some hotter pepper than the version I had at the class. DH and I love a bit of spice and the taste of cilantro. The packaged lentils were a shade of red with a hint of orange and pink but the dal cooked up yellow. It was a cheerful color on a cold rainy night. I thought that initially the dal had too strong a ginger taste- although I love ginger I felt that it was a bit strong. However, there is no ginger in the recipe! What was I tasting?? the lemon?? The next day for lunch, the dal had mellowed and tasted perfect with no trace of the ginger. I would like to try cooking this in the crockpot next time.

4 1/2 flamingos taste

5 flamingos for ease

The recipes...

I still am hoping to have pictures soon but please read about the curries.

Masoor Dal

Beginner's Curry