Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Alz Sorta Hummus

A bean dip that's sorta like hummus -- but different.

1 16-oz can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed
1 16-oz can Great Northern (white) beans, drained and rinsed
2 TB cashew butter*
1/2 small clove of fresh garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash or other salt-free herb seasoning
1/8 tsp dried thyme
Juice of 1-2 small lemons (about 4 TB)
1-2 TB sesame oil
1 TB olive oil
Lemon slices

*Can easily make your own cashew butter by processing raw or roasted cashews in a food processor until smooth.

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Chill and serve with lemon slices.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Dad's Cream of Tomato Soup

My Dad has two great recipes: tomato soup and pot roast.

2 cups milk (any kind)
2½ cups canned whole tomatoes*
2 TB flour
1 TB sugar
1 thin slice of onion
1 tsp pepper
2 TB melted butter or margarine
1 tsp salt (optional)
Dash garlic salt or powder
Dill, fresh or dried

*I once used fresh tomatoes from our garden--it was awful. Perhaps we should have cooked them first...

1.  Heat milk in saucepan.

2.  Put remaining ingredients into the blender. Cover and process to purée ‘til smooth.

3.  Remove cover and slowly add hot milk into mixture while processing.

4.  Reheat over low on stove.

5.  Garnish each bowl with dill.

Serves 4.

Bean Curd With Spicy Sauce

From the World Of The East cookbook. This dish is delicious and takes only about 10 minutes to make.

Sauce:

2 tsp cornstarch
½ cup Vegetable Stock
½ tsp salt (optional)
½ tsp sugar or honey
1 Tb sesame oil
1 tsp chilipaste or szechuan sauce
2 Tb soy sauce (or tamari)

Mix together the cornstarch and the vegetable stock until smooth (using a fork or small whisk works best). Mix in all the other ingredients.

Tofu:

2 Tb oil
3 scallions (green onions), sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 lb tofu

1. Heat oil in wok or frying pan.
2. Stir fry garlic and ginger in the oil for 10 seconds.
3. Add scallions, stir fry 5 seconds.
4. Add tofu, stir fry 1 minute. Turn heat to low.
5. Stir the sauce and pour it over the tofu. Mix gently and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce thicken, stirring gently now and again.

Serve over rice or other whole grain.

Chickpeas With Coconut

A co-worker many moons ago gave me several recipes from a cooking class she took with Catherine Devine M.Ed. Since I was vegetarian during my son's formative years, this is one of his home cooking favorites.

2 cups potatoes, diced
¼ cup canola or olive oil
4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1 Tb ground coriander
Juice of 1-2 limes
1 cup grated unsweetened coconut
½ cup water
2 tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt (optional)
2 fresh hot chili peppers (jalenpeños, etc.)

Steam the diced potatoes in a vegetable steamer until tender. Sauté the cooked potatoes in oil until they begin to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, until the coconut is softened. Serves 8.

Cold Sesame Noodles

A co-worker gave me this recipe years ago from a cooking class she took from Catherine Devine, M.Ed. It's always a big hit.

¼ cup hot water
6 Tb tamari (for this recipe, soy sauce is a so-so replacement for the tamari -- which you can get in most supermarkets)
3 Tb tahini (ground sesame seed paste)
3 Tb vinegar
2 Tb peanut butter
1 lb soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti or fettuccini
1 Tb roasted sesame oil
2 Tb hot roasted sesame oil OR szechuan sauce
¼ cup sesame seeds*
2 scallions, chopped

1. While water is boiling for noodles, whisk the honey or sugar in hot water until fully dissolved.

2. Add the remaining liquid ingredients and whisk again into a blended sauce.

3. Lightly toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a single layer in a dry skillet over a low flame. Stir often to prevent burning. They are roasted when they begin to brown or when you begin to smell them. (You can skip roasting the seeds; raw unhulled sesame seeds are nearly as good.)

4. Follow the package directions for cooking the noodles. It's better is the noodles are not too mushy.

5. Rinse the pasta with cold water, then toss the noodles with the sauce and top with seeds and scallions. Chill or serve warm. Also good with some steamed cauliflower and red pepper tossed in.

Carrot and Coriander Soup

From The Best of Vegetarian Cuisine


This has been a favorite for a long time. An impressive dish to serve guests. (They’ll think you’re a gourmet cook.) Serves 4-6.

3 TB butter/margarine
12 ounces carrots, diced
3 celery ribs
3 to 3 ¾ cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 Tb finely chopped fresh cilantro (or 1-3 tsp ground coriander)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, but do not let it brown.

2. Sauté the carrots and celery in it over gentle heat for a minute or two, stirring and turning to coat them with butter.

3. Add the ground coriander and cumin, turn the heat up a little and fry for another 3-4 minutes, stirring fairly vigorously.

4. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Let cool a little.

5. Put through a blender and return to a clean saucepan. Reheat gently. Add the chopped or ground coriander and serve hot, garnished.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Alz Vegetarian Chili

One recipe Alz Chili Spice Mix (recipe on this site)

1 package soy “meat” crumbles
½ large onion, chopped
2 large elephant garlic cloves, chopped (or one whole bulb)
2 cups fresh or frozen corn sweet corn
3 large fresh jalepenos, chopped roughly
½ cup sweet pepper (red, yellow and/or orange), chopped
2-4 TB Canola oil

One 6 ounce can tomato paste
12 oz water
One 8 ounce can tomato sauce (I use no salt)
One 10-15 ounce can diced tomatoes (I used one that had green chilies in it)
1 TB Worcestershire sauce (you can buy a vegan version)
One 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
6 bay leaves
Kosher salt to taste (optional -- or let each person add their own to their serving)

Sautee onions, garlic, peppers and corn in canola oil until softened. Add crumbles, sprinkle with 1/2 of spice mix, turn up heat and fry for a few minutes.

Reduce heat to lowest setting. Add remainder of ingredients and stir well. Cover pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot over rice or pasta. NOTE: Chili actually tastes much better the next day reheated. I cool it completely, place in 2-4 cup containers, freeze all but the amount I want to eat in the next day or two. But that's me. :-)