A giant salad

Summer.

Ginger Twofer Again!

Tonight is another double ginger extravaganza for you–Ginger Pea Soup and Ginger Mustard Roasted Vegetables. Oh yeah!

For the vegetables:
2.5 lbs root vegetables (we used 1 Korean radish and 2 turnips), cut into 2-inch pieces
3 TBL ginger, grated finely
4 TBL German mustard
2 TBL garlic, minced
1 tsp hot paprika
1 TBL olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread vegetables out in a single layer. Bake about 30 minutes until nicely browned.

For the soup:
Adapted from Mark Bittman

3 cups frozen or fresh peas
3 TBL ginger, peeled and sliced
2 TBL garlic, chopped
4 cups faux low-sodium chicken stock (or 2 cups stock and 2 cups water)
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste

In a pot, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cover, cook 20-30 minutes or until peas are very soft and starting to break apart. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Corn and radish salad, greens with garlic, and refried black beans

Sesame coleslaw

We adapted this quick and easy recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

4 cups green cabbage, sliced in strips (about 1/2 large head of cabbage)
2 TBL black sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup sliced radishes

Dressing:
4 TBL rice vinegar
1 TBL sesame oil
1 tsp Siracha
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan. Slice up cabbage and radishes. Toss all ingredients together. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Chickpea crepes with curried greens, potatoes, and radishes

This is perhaps one of the best meals we’ve ever made. We used this recipe for Addictive Chickpea Crepes and didn’t change a thing. They say you can leave out the carom seeds, but I actually think that is one of the best parts of the flavor, so get them if you can. The recipe makes 8 crepes and we ate them ALL.

For the filling:

5 garlic cloves minced

1 TBL mustard seeds

1 TBL turmeric

1 TBL curry powder

1 tsp cayenne

3 small potatoes, chopped into 2 inch pieces

1.5-2 cups radishes, quartered

1 cup water

1 bunch kale or chard (we had a mix)

1/4 cup white vinegar

salt to taste

In a dutch oven, heat 1 tsp oil and saute garlic and mustard seeds on medium heat until the seeds begin to pop. Add potatoes and radishes and stir. Add turmeric, curry, and cayenne and coat the vegetables. Add cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on medium low until potatoes are cooked, about 7  minutes. Add greens, salt, and vinegar. Stir mixture well, and cover. Cook 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We took the night off

We took the night off from testing, but we’ve been so delighted with all of Taymer’s recipes, that we ended up with a Caribbean inspired dinner anyway. We made an amazing bean soup, incorporating some of the seasonings and cooking techniques we’ve learned recently, and a zesty salad: swiss chard, oranges, avocado, hearts of palm, radishes, and a dressing made of Tay’s bajan seasoning and tahini.

Chickpea soup and apple, celery, radish salad

What do you eat when you feel a cold coming on? In the past, we’ve made Sick Girl Soup, variations on miso soup, and potato soup (which sadly, we didn’t blog about). There was also the Great Soup Tragedy of ’09, when someone made a soup that actually made the sick person sicker due to horrible indigestion…Beware, dear readers, if you have a stomach ailment, do not fill your soup with onions and garlic.

Anyway, lesson learned, which brings  us to Chickpea Soup! This meal was so good, we made and ate it two days in a row, and S ate the leftovers today for lunch. YUM.

Now to the recipe.

Chickpea soup

2 16 oz. cans chickpeas

1 carrot, sliced

1 celery, sliced

3 small Yukon potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 not-chickn bouillon cube

3 TBL fresh parsley

1/2 c. green onions, diced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 c. cold water

1 TBL lemon juice

In a dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil and saute garlic until brown over medium heat. Meanwhile, blend 1 can of chickpeas with liquid and 2 cups of water until smooth. (We used the immersion blender in a 4-cup measuring cup). Set aside. When the garlic is toasted, but not burnt, add in celery, carrots, and potatoes. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the potatoes start to change color. Add in a little salt, pepper, and the chili flakes and cook for another minute. Drain and rinse the other can of chickpeas. Add in the pulsed chickpeas, whole chickpeas, and bouillon cube. Add extra water if you need it. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Add parsley and green onions, cook for another 10, or until the vegetables are to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We love radishes, and we’re obsessed with this very loose vegan interpretation of a Waldorf Salad.

Crunchy salad for 2

1-2  swiss chard leaves

4 radishes, with leaves

1/2 pink lady apple

1 celery stalk

1-1.5 TBL tahini

2 TBL lemon juice

1 TBL water (or more, depending on the consistency you’re going for)

Dash of salt and pepper

Slice the vegetables into thin, bite sized pieces. Combine the radish leaves with the swiss chard and toss the other ingredients together.

Mix together the tahini and lemon juice until it is well blend. Add water until the dressing is  as thin or thick as you like. Add salt and pepper. Mix in with the salad.

Mattar tofu and spicy, crunchy salad

We were planning to eat palak tofu paneer and finally use up a bag of frozen spinach. Then we opened the freezer and realized we had already eaten the spinach. Luckily, we had a bag of frozen peas, which are much more exciting anyway. Frozen spinach just does nothing for us lately, particularly in contrast to beet greens, kale, chard, or collards.

Mattar tofu

1/2 block firm tofu, sliced, pressed for 10 minutes and dried

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp Earth Balance

1 onion diced

2 TBL tomato paste

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ginger

3 TBL cilantro (we had some in the freezer)

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1.5 – 2 cups rice milk

3/4-1 package of frozen peas (we had most of a package)

salt to taste

After you have pressed the tofu, pat it dry, and cut into bite sized pieces. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven, when sizzling, fry tofu with a little salt until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add Earth Balance to the pan and saute onions until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Add spices and tomato paste, cook 2-3 minutes. Add rice milk and bring to a boil. Add tofu and peas, return to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This crunchy salad contains sliced radishes, carrots, green onions, as well as grape tomatoes and avocado. The dressing is our special mixture of Siracha, Tofutti, spices, lemon juice, and vinegar.

Vegan potatoes au gratin, smothered collards with radishes, and red beans

Potatoes au gratin

4 red potatoes, sliced thinly

1 c. rice milk

1 c. water

1/2 c. nutritional yeast

1 TBL parsley

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp miso

2 TBL tahini

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne

3 TBL cornstarch

salt and pepper

Slice potatoes thinly (about 1/4 of an inch), then soak in a cold water about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish with a small amount of Earth Balance or olive oil. Whisk together sauce ingredients. Rinse potatoes and add one layer to the the casserole dish. Cover with 1/4 cup sauce, repeat 3 to 4 times until all potatoes and sauce are used up. Make sure to end with sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 until the top layer is brown. Garnish with extra paprika and cayenne. Cool at least 10 minuets before serving.

This basically collards cooked down for hours with hot sauce, bouillon, liquid smoke, garlic, green onions, and some radishes. The secret is the slow cooking.

I forgot to take a picture of the red beans before I finished the last of them today for lunch. Imagine delicious, red beans in a spicy tomato tomato sauce, with green bell peppers and green onions to add a little color. We also veganized Dorie Greenspan’s (via Smitten Kitchen) corny corn muffins, but forgot to take pics of those too. Another time.

Red beans
2 yellow onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 jalapenos, diced
2 celery ribs
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups not-chikn bouillon
4 cups crushed tomatoes

1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tsp pepper
2 TBL Creole seasoning
3 tablespoons hot sauce (Tobasco or other exciting brand)
1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package red beans, soaked overnight then cooked (or 3 cans ready-to-eat red beans)

In a dutch oven, sauté onions, bell pepper, celery, and salt for 10-15 minutes, until very soft and fragrant. Add remaining ingredients except the beans, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans, continue simmering for 1 hour. Serve with rice or cornbread.

Vegan borscht and beet greens salad with siracha dressing

I can’t remember how or why we decided we need to make some borscht, but here you are. Loosely inspired by this Chilled Russian Borscht, we subbed tofu (frozen, then thawed) for the eggs, added some canned tomatoes, and heated it up. It makes a lot, and the flavor changes each time you heat it up again.

Our beets came with a lot of extremely delicious leaves, so we also made a salad. Beet greens tossed with tomatoes and mushrooms. The dressing really brings it all together, spicy and smooth. Approximately: 2 TBL Tofutti sour cream, 1 TBL Siracha, 2 TBL lemon juice, 2 TBL cider vinegar, 1 TBL light tamari, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Whisk together, add water if needed until it’s the consistency you prefer. Pour over salad in a pretty bowl.