Algerian Bouzgene Berber Bread

I love it when I find a recipe that is already vegan. Of course, I enjoy turning popular vegetarian or meat dishes into vegan ones – that is probably pretty obvious by now – but there is something more satisfying when I discover that a recipe is already free of milk, eggs, meat or fish. What is even better about it is when the recipe doesn’t exist to be vegan, the recipe just is what it is. Believe me when I say that those are some of the best recipes out there – they aren’t trying to be something they are not.

I recently came across just such a recipe. It intrigued me for two reasons – first, I didn’t have to change a thing in the recipe, and secondly it uses semolina flour for a flat bread. I have always associated semolina flour with making pasta, so I was surprised seeing it used in this way. I can tell you that it most definitely works, but the bread is heavy and dense. You’ll want to make this to be a meal in and of itself if making this for a handful of people, or as a side or appetizer at a party – there is so much bread to go around that it really can’t all be eaten by one or two people. Plus, it tastes best fresh, so be sure to make the bread the same day that it will be eaten, but the sauce can be made a day or two in advance if you want to save time.

Algerian Bouzgene Berber Bread with Roasted Pepper Sauce
This recipe is from Allrecipes.com

Sauce

• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• salt to taste

Flat Bread

• 2 pounds semolina flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 cups water, or as needed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

Preheat your oven’s broiler. Place red bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and roast under the broiler for about eight minutes, turning occasionally.

Roasting red peppers and tomatoes

This should blacken the skin and help it peel off more easily.

The skin should start looking like this

Cool, then scrape the skins off of the tomatoes…

Removing skins from roasted tomatoes

…and peppers, and place them in a large bowl. Remove cores and seeds from the bell peppers.

Removing the skins is really easy now - just be careful handling them as they might still be a little hot

Chop up your garlic.

Preparing the garlic

Chop up your jalapeños, discarding the seeds first.

Chopping jalapenos

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapeños and garlic, and cook until tender, stirring frequently.

Sautéing garlic and jalapeños in olive oil

Remove from heat, and transfer the garlic and jalapeño to the bowl with the tomatoes and red peppers. Using two sharp steak knives (one in each hand), cut up the tomatoes and peppers to a coarse and soupy consistency. Stir, and set sauce aside.

Making roasted red pepper and tomato sauce

Grab your semolina flour.

You can use whatever brand you want, but I used Bob's Red Mill

Place the semolina in a large bowl, and stir in salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add water while mixing and squeezing with your hand until the dough holds together without being sticky or dry, and molds easily with the hand. Divide into six pieces and form into balls.

Mixing all the ingredients together

For each round, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll out dough one round at a time, to no thicker than 1/4 inch.

Rolling out the dough

Fry in the hot skillet until dark brown spots appear on the surface, and they are crispy. Remove from the skillet, and wrap in a clean towel while preparing the remaining flat breads.

Frying the bread

To eat the bread and sauce, break off or cut pieces of the bread, and scoop them into the sauce.

So hearty and delicious!

What are you doing with this summer’s last tomatoes and peppers?

Curried Parsnip Soup

When we lived in New York we were members of a local community supported agriculture group (CSA), Hellgate CSA. The setup was that we would pay for a season of vegetables and fruits, then each week our farm(s) would deliver freshly picked produce to a central location where we would then gather our bounty. It was because of that CSA and those farmers that I have such a passionate interest in food. Yet, I admit that it wasn’t always perfect. Because of the way it was structured (and many CSAs follow this model), we didn’t have a huge choice in the food that we would get from week to week, so it was either an opportunity to discover something new to love or, yes, something to never want to eat again (I still have yet to figure out if I ever want to try bitter melon of my own accord again).

Not too long ago we joined another CSA run by Full Circle Farm in Washington. It’s modeled in such a way that we have more choice, however they still will send you a predetermined box of produce if you do not make any changes. A couple of weeks ago I saw that we would be receiving parsnips and I can’t say I was thrilled about them. I had parsnips for the first time in New York, likely thanks to our first CSA, and I recall that I roasted them along with some other vegetables, but I didn’t quite like the combination of flavors and never was inspired to eat them again. (Parsnips, if you have never had them, are similar to carrots in sweetness, but otherwise the flavor is somewhat unusual and savory.) But I realized that I couldn’t let parsnips go by the wayside this time, and so I left them on the list.

I’m so glad I did, because I wound up making this very creamy and delicately-flavored parsnip soup. It’s perfect as a starter to a meal or on its own with some salad or bread. While the curry in this dish does add additional spiciness, it is not hot. To add some heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes to each individual bowl for a little kick.

Curried Parsnip Soup
Recipe based upon Spiced Parsnip Soup from Allrecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 3 1/4 cups boiling vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup vegan milk, plain and unsweetened
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes or paprika for garnish

Chop your onions. Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and fry the onion in butter until soft, about five minutes.

Sautéing some onions in vegan butter

Peel and chop your parsnips, and chop your garlic.

Chopping parsnips

Add the parsnips, garlic and curry powder to the pan, and fry for a couple of minutes to release the flavors.

Frying parsnips, onion, garlic and curry

Boil the vegetable broth, and pour into the saucepan with the parsnips, onions, garlic and curry powder. Stir to remove any bits of vegetable from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes or until parsnips are soft and easy to break with a spoon.

Simmering parsnips and vegetable broth

Remove from the heat, and blend with a hand mixer, immersion blender or regular blender for a good 30 seconds to a minute.

About to blend parsnips into a creamy soup

Pour back into the large pan (if using a regular blender), then stir in the vegan milk, and heat through, but do not boil.

Stirring in the vegan milk

Taste test, then season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve in individual bowls, then garnish with red pepper flakes or paprika.

So smooth and creamy!

This is definitely a soup I’ll be making again, and I may try some variations with things like cauliflower or potatoes. Do you have any favorite parsnip recipes?

Vegan Squash Gratin

That hubbard squash went a long way. I had no clue when I bought it that I’d get three recipes out of it, but I did. I thought I might get four, but to be honest, I was ready to make the rest of it and have it vacate the bottom of my refrigerator in favor of other things. That said, I love how diverse the recipes have been with this single winter vegetable.

First I made a rich and creamy hubbard squash risotto, then I simmered a hearty winter squash and bean stew, and finally I’m ending with a hubbard squash gratin recipe. The squash is so tender and mildly sweet in this dish, and its topping is crunchy and flavorful with the addition of breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. Not to mention that I used Daiya vegan cheese and it works beautifully in this recipe.

Still looking for holiday side dishes? Consider a gratin if you have a decent vegan cheese in a store near you.

Vegan Squash Gratin
This is a revised version of Merritt’s Butternut Squash Gratin recipe on Allrecipes.com

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 8-ounce package shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya’s mozzarella)
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Prepare your winter squash. If you are going to use a hubbard squash or one similar to it, please take care when cutting it open. It’s much tougher than a butternut, so it can be easier to injure oneself. Refer to my risotto post to see how I cut open this particular squash.

The rest of my hubbard squash - about 2 1/2 pounds of squash meat

Dice your onions and mince your garlic.

Chopped onion and garlic

Melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then stir in the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions soften and turn golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Cooking onions and garlic in vegan butter

Add the winter squash and brown sugar.

Brown sugar and hubbard squash

Continue cooking and stirring until the squash begins to brown on the edges, but is still somewhat firm in the center, about 10 minutes more.

Hubbard squash cooking with the onions and garlic

Scrape the squash into the prepared baking dish, and pour in the vegetable broth. Wrap tightly with aluminum foil, the place in the oven. Bake for about 45 or 50 minutes.

Preparing to bake the squash gratin

Chop up your fresh rosemary and thyme, then add to the dry breadcrumbs.

Fresh rosemary and thyme go into the breadcrumbs

I chose to use a package of Daiya cheese, but you can use whatever vegan cheese you like. I find that Daiya has a great flavor and the texture works really well.

Daiya mozzarella style shreds

Add the vegan cheese to the breadcrumbs and fresh herbs, then mix well together.

Topping for squash gratin

Remove the foil from the baking dish, then sprinkle the squash evenly with the vegan cheese mixture.

Adding the vegan cheese topping to the squash

Return to the oven, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes more until the topping is lightly crunchy and brown.

Vegan squash gratin fresh from the oven

This turned out really great. While the Daiya didn’t melt exactly like cheese, combined with the crunchy breadcrumbs, it still wound up being a really nice flavor and texture that complimented the tender squash.

If you’re not much of a winter squash fan, the topping alone is worth trying with other vegetables like potatoes or even turnips. You could also do a green gratin with chard or collard greens. And of course, it is a great topping for making vegan macaroni and cheese. There’s really no end to experimentation.

A serving of vegan squash gratin

Do you have a favorite gratin recipe?

Learn more about Vegan MoFo.

Sauteed Green Beans

I just returned from a 10-day vacation to Summer. While there I saw beautiful tomatoes from green to yellow to red hanging on their vines, green and plump zucchinis preening themselves in the sun, and potatoes crawling their way out of the ground. I also saw hundreds of green beans, all waiting to be plucked and eaten right then and there.

Then yesterday, we came back to Fall where everyone is wearing jackets and our tomatoes are being trucked in from afar. It made us kind of sad because we never did have a proper summer this year, but at least while in Summer (a.k.a. California) we felt like we were getting the rest of what we were supposed to have had in Washington.

But yes, summer – when I think of it, I think of tomatoes, peppers and squash, but I also think of green beans. How I love green beans – they are delicious when raw, yielding a sweet flavor, and when cooked they give in to their more savory side. I typically like them pretty simply – lightly steamed or boiled with a dash of salt – but I decided that I would find and try a new recipe to see if I could expand my horizons.

Sautéed Green Beans
Based upon Dad’s Pan-Fried Green Beans recipe from Allrecipes.com

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vegan white sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

First, gather together your ingredients.

The main ingredients: vinegar, garlic and green beans

I love balsamic vinegar for dipping bread, but I rarely use it in my cooking or baking because I generally do not like my food to be acidic. That said, I am going to experiment more with it, and of course, this recipe is part of that whole experimentation.

Bragg Liquid Aminos

If you don’t know what Bragg Liquid Aminos (we call it Bragg’s in our house) is, it is essentially a lower sodium alternative to soy sauce. If you are used to the flavor of soy sauce then it will probably take some time for you to become accustomed to the difference in flavor of Bragg’s. That said, it’s great to use in recipes where the flavor may not be quite as pronounced. I would also recommend that you look for the smaller bottles of Bragg’s if you are trying it for the first time – it costs a pretty penny if you find you do not like it.

Trim your green beans either by slicing off the ends with a knife or popping them off by hand, and rinse well.

Trimmed green beans

Place the green beans in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cook for five minutes. They should still be firm and bright green. Alternatively, you can steam them.

Boiling green beans

As your beans are cooking, stir together in a small bowl the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and sugar, then set aside.

Soy sauce (Bragg Liquid Aminos), balsalmic vinegar and white sugar

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until starting to brown.

Sautéing garlic

Add the green beans and stir to coat with the oil. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes uncovered to reduce the sauce.

Finally - the green beans

Transfer the beans to a serving dish and pour the sauce over them.

Sauteed Green Beans

I confess that I didn’t like this dish very much – and yep, you guessed it – because of the balsamic vinegar. I just don’t need a vinegar flavor in cooked dishes. Sure – potato salad, pasta salad, bread, but not something like this. That said, I know that my tastes are not exactly like yours, and you may find it is a great side dish for those summer beans that you may still be finding in your garden or grocery stores.

What do you miss most about summer? Or do you live in Summer? :)

Asparague Pesto

For the past eight years, I have loathed buying too many groceries at once because of how heavy they can get to carry. When you’re a full-time pedestrian it’s hard to realistically shop at places like Costco or Sam’s Club. If it makes sense, you’ll have your own little push cart, often known as a “granny cart”, but even then, it’s best to keep the groceries to a minimum. But ever since we moved to suburbia and have had a car, we have been able to go back to places like Costco and fill up our cart with lots and lots of things (which, let me tell you, is an enormous novelty when you’re so used to tiny little grocery stores).

When it comes to big stores like Costco, you’re not only buying a lot of different things, you’re buying a lot of each individual item. It can be great, but it can also make you wonder how two people can eat that much lettuce or that many potatoes. It’s easy to not keep up with food at home and wind up with an extra pound of something going bad. I hate being wasteful, though, so lately I have tried to get a little more creative with the surplus. One such food item is asparagus. It comes in two-pound bags, which is quite a bit for one person to chew on, let alone two. After scratching my head and wondering what I’d make, I finally realized that the perfect solution would be pesto.

Fresh asparagus

What I’ve learned over the last few years is that pesto can be made out of pretty much anything. Basil, dill, green beans, spinach – you name it, you can probably create a pesto out of it. Because asparagus has such a unique and strong flavor on its own, I had assumed that it would turn out a flavorful pesto. I’m afraid I was quite wrong. What resulted was an extremely mild-tasting pesto that really needed a handful or two of basil or spinach. In the recipe that follows, I am going to include a recommendation to add basil or spinach, but just be aware that I did not do this, so I do not know how it would turn out if you added one of those. Still, this is the exciting part of cooking – experiment until you wind up with a dish that you love. And if you shop at Costco, you’ll wind up with a lot of that dish, too. ;)

Asparagus Pesto
Makes enough for two or three pounds of pasta. Suggestion – reserve some of the pesto to use for dipping chips or raw veggies.

• 2 pounds asparagus, washed with ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Handful of fresh spinach or basil (optional, but should add additional flavor)
• 1 package of your preferred pasta (add an additional package if you wish to use all of your pesto in one dish)

Boil your pasta according to package directions.

Wash the asparagus and trim the ends, then steam or boil for a few minutes until just tender.

Preparing and steaming the asparagus

When the asparagus has finished cooking, reserve some of the spears for garnish, and place the rest in a food processor. Add to the food processor the pine nuts and garlic, as well as the basil and spinach if you are using those. As the processor is blending the ingredients together, slowly pour in the olive oil.

Making asparagus pesto

Once the pesto has mixed, add the salt and blend more. At this point taste test. Does it have enough salt? Does the pesto have enough flavor? Ask yourself if something is missing.

When you feel it is ready, add the pesto to your cooked, drained and rinsed pasta and mix well.

Mixing the pesto with the pasta

Garnish with some asparagus spears and serve.

Penne Pasta with Asparagus Pesto

What is your favorite way to prepare pesto?

A happy accident

Imagine the following scenario – you’re partway through cooking a standby recipe that calls for standby ingredients that you always have in your kitchen. Except, when you go to add that one ingredient you realize that you’re either going to have to turn off the stove or the oven, drive to the store and buy that vital missing link or you’re going to have to get creative. This is what happened to me a few weeks ago and I’m actually pretty glad, because it turned me on to a new version of an old recipe I’ve been making for at least ten years.

I make lentil soup pretty frequently, and I have never altered the recipe. I’ve pretty much been making the same recipe over and over and over, and couldn’t have been happier with the results. All you need is lentils, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a can of tomatoes, a couple of bay leaves, some salt, a little oil and enough water you’ve got a hearty and delicious soup in about half an hour or forty-five minutes.

On that fateful day a few weeks ago I had all of those ingredients except for the can of tomatoes. This soup needs tomatoes. It begs for tomatoes. It just doesn’t make sense without tomatoes. I literally stood at the pantry with a quizzical look on my face for at least a minute or two wondering how on earth I was going to fix this dilemma when I spied a can of salsa.

You have to realize that I don’t like store-bought salsa all that much. I much prefer freshly made salsa with all fresh ingredients, but recently I’ve been on a chipotle kick and have been enjoying the chipotle salsa from Trader Joe’s. I grabbed the jar in my pantry, thought “Why not? I make this all the time, so what’s one bad batch of soup if this doesn’t work?” I added in a few tablespoons, then I threw caution to the wind and dumped the whole thing in there. That plus a can of corn, and I knew that this was truly a great solution to my kitchen dilemma.

Southwestern Lentil Soup
This makes enough to serve about four people.

• 1/2 pound dry lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
• 2 or 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Water
• 1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa (i.e. Trader Joe’s Garlic Chipotle Salsa) or 1 16-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 16-ounce can sweet corn or 1 10-ounce bag frozen sweet corn

Ingredients for a southwestern style lentil soup

Sort and rinse your lentils, then put in a large cooking pot. Add water to about an inch above your lentils. You may need to add more water later, which is fine. Add your salt, oil and bay leaves and turn on the heat to medium-high.

First steps in making lentil soup

Chop up your onions and garlic.

Chopped onions and garlic

Add the onions, garlic and frozen corn to your soup and stir everything together.

Adding ingredients to vegan lentil soup

Allow it to cook for a few minutes, then pour in the jar of salsa (or can of crushed or diced tomatoes).

Adding salsa to the lentil soup

Allow the soup to simmer, and stir occasionally. At this point you’ll want to turn down the heat to about medium so that the liquid will not evaporate more quickly than the lentils have time to cook.

After about twenty minutes check the lentils to see if they have cooked through. You want to be sure that they are soft but not mushy. The liquid may have still cooked off a little bit, so you may want to add an extra cup or two to make sure it is still soupy.

Vegan lentil soup

Once the soup is done, discard the bay leaves (don’t eat them), then serve with vegan buttered bread or toast or with tortilla chips. For a creamier soup, add about a tablespoon of Vegenaise to an individual serving of soup.

Southwestern lentil soup

Do you make lentil soup? If so, how do you enjoy making it?

P.S. Check out my new vegan community on www.Lunch.com, Vegan Living. I am going to be sharing more about this in a future post, but wanted to let you in on the secret a little bit early.

Yum - garlic

It would seem that we are now officially in autumn, even though we never really had that real New York summer that we’ve come to expect from year to year. It’s as if we’ve had a late spring or early fall from April or May until now, with only a sprinkling of a few days of summer here and there. But now we’re getting real days of fall, with light jackets, scarves and sweaters.

I’ve discovered in the last couple of years that I love this time of year, and not just because of the turning leaves and change of wardrobe. I’m finding that one of the biggest reasons is because it allows me to get back into the kitchen in full force. I can turn on the oven or stove without having to worry about it heating up the house and competing with the air conditioner, and of course that always means a return to warm and hearty soups.

This is a twist on your typical potato soup and can be made in a variety of ways including a creamy variation (with soy milk or another preferred milk alternative), and isn’t based upon one particular recipe but is inspired by several.

Roasted Garlic Potato Soup

• 4 heads of garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch of salt for each head of garlic
• 6 to 8 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used Idaho potatoes, but you could also use red or white potatoes, or another preferred variety)
• 8 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large onion, chopped
• Black pepper, if desired
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped, if desired

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take a head of garlic and turn it on its side and slice off just the tops of the garlic, so that each clove is exposed and is still attached to the head.

Preparing garlic to roast

Put the head of garlic on a piece of foil and wrap the foil up around the garlic so that when you add the olive oil it does not escape. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil on top of each head of garlic, then sprinkle a pinch of salt on each head. Cover all four heads of garlic with one sheet of aluminum foil (some people do not completely cover the garlic, but I find that this makes it so the oil does not splatter your oven). Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes.

Wrapping garlic in foil, then drizzling a little of olive oil on each

Once the garlic is done roasting, let it sit for a few minutes to allow it to cool.

Roasted garlic

You can then remove the garlic and place it in a small bowl or plate by squeezing it or taking a fork and pulling each clove out one by one. I wound up peeling the sides of each garlic and was able to scoop them out more easily that way, but it was still a messy process. Set the garlic aside.

As your garlic is roasting, prepare your potatoes and onions. I like to cube my potatoes straight into a large empty pot, then rinse them off. Add the water and salt, and bring to a boil (I added a vegan vegetable broth powder).

Cubed potatoes

Let the potatoes boil until they are tender, and then add in the garlic.

Take a potato masher and mash the potatoes and garlic directly in the pot, while still leaving a few larger pieces of potato intact.

Stirring and mashing the garlic and potatoes

Then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes more.

Finishing up the soup

Serve with a dash of garlic and/or a teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley.

Roasted garlic potato soup

Alternate versions

• To make this a little bit creamy, omit one or two cups of water, and after you have mashed the potatoes and garlic, stir in one or two cups of vegan milk. You’ll need to stir more frequently to ensure the vegan milk does not burn.
• To make this a smoother consistency, blend about four to six cups in your blender until smooth, then return to your pan and stir it with the portion that you did not blend.
• Want this to be heartier? Add in other vegetables like carrots, celery or tomatoes. You could also roast one or two more heads of garlic to give it a stronger garlic flavor.

This is a really nice soup. The garlic is not overwhelming, but the taste is still definitely there. This goes very well with a slice of bread spread with vegan butter, like Earth Balance or Soy Garden.

How do you prefer your potato soup? Or do you like other soups more?

It has been amazingly hot here in New York City. “Heat wave” doesn’t even do it justice. It has only been yesterday and today that we’ve seen a reprieve from 100+ degree weather – today was high 80s, and tomorrow promises to be a cool 82 degrees.

A couple of weeks ago, however, when the weather was more tolerable I spent some time in front of a hot stove and made some Indian food. While I’ve made food from other cuisines like Chinese, Mexican, and Italian, I’ve rarely made Indian food, aside from that mango lassi I made in February. Perhaps I’ve been too intimidated by it – the exotic spices, the unusual breads, the aromas… The whole cuisine is almost other-worldly.

Lentil Curry
Based upon a Red Lentil Curry recipe from Allrecipes.com

• 2 cups red lentils
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic
• 1 14.25 oz. can tomato puree
• 1 pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get “scummy”), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary).

While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in the oil.

While the onions are cooking, combine the spices in a mixing bowl, and mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for one to two minutes.

Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.

When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don’t want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base and tofu into the lentils, and serve immediately.

Roti
Recipe taken from Manjula’s Kitchen

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (use more as needed)
• 2 tsp. vegan butter
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour for rolling

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and water. Add more water if the dough is too hard. Knead the dough well to make a medium soft dough. The dough should be soft but not stick to your hand. Set the dough aside and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes or more before you start rolling.

Divide the dough into eight equal pieces, and roll each piece into a smooth ball, then press flat. Take one ball and press it in dry flour from both sides and start rolling it into a six-inch diameter circle. If the dough starts sticking, dust it with more flour.

Heat the skillet on medium high heat. According to Manjula an iron skillet works best, but I used a non-stick skillet and it worked fine. To see if the skillet is ready, put a couple of drops of water on it. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.

Put the rolled roti in the skillet. You will see the roti puff in different places and change color. Turn the roti over. Flip again after a few seconds. Take a flat spatula and press lightly on the puffed parts of the roti. This will help the roti completely puff. Flip the roti again. The roti should have light golden-brown spots on both sides. Butter the heated side of the roti (the side that is facing the skillet).

Make sure to put the rotis in a container with a paper towel covering the bottom, and then cover the container after each roti is made. This will keep the steam in and ensure the rotis are soft.

Whenever I make a new recipe, I usually rely heavily on a paper version of it. This time all I did was watch Manjula’s very informative and helpful video.

I also have to say that I wouldn’t mind going to her house for some homemade Indian food, especially since she has some great vegan recipes on hand. ;)

Overall both recipes turned out really well. I did mess up and put way more tomato puree into the lentil curry than I should have. This dampened the taste of the spices, but not so much so that I couldn’t taste them at all. I also froze the tofu, which, if you have never done that, makes the tofu’s texture a little more spongy.

The roti was also very easy to make, which was a nice surprise. I had actually intended to make naan, but it was going to take a little more time than I had. Roti was an excellent, easy, and fast alternative.

Making this has made me realize that Indian cooking, so far, is not that difficult. I’ll need to make some other Indian food…but let me wait until it’s at least in the 70s again. :)

P.S. In case you are interested, I made this handy little image to let you know which spices are which.

The dinner is delicious, but I pick at my food because at court there is always someone watching you, and I don’t want to seem greedy. Our table faces the front of the hall, so it is natural that I look up to see the king at his dinner. In his rich clothes and great collar of gold you might mistake him for one of the old pictures over an altar; I mean, a picture of God. He is so grand and so broad and so weighted with gold and jewels, he sparkles like an old treasure mountain. There is a cloth of gold spread over his great chair, with embroidered curtains hanging down on either side, and every dish is served to him by a servant on his knees. Even the server who offers him a golden bowl to dip his fingers and wipe his hands does so on bended knee. There is another server altogether to hand him the linen cloth. They bow their heads as well when they kneel to him, as if he were of such unearthly importance that they cannot meet his eyes.

-The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Reading a novel by Philippa Gregory is like eating chocolate. It’s so smooth, rich, and delicious that I find myself disappointed every time I finish one of her books. My only consolation is that I still have yet to read all of them – and hopefully she’ll never stop writing.

Historical novels need to be written well for me, and hers meet my expectations. This one centers around Henry VIII and three ladies in his court – you know, the one who had multiple wives and killed nearly every one of them. You can almost taste the fear of the women who surrounded him, and wonder how any of them wound up surviving.

I love potatoes. If I had to choose my favorite vegetable potatoes would probably have to be it. I have a lot of close seconds and thirds, but this root vegetable is so versatile and can take on so many flavors that I can’t imagine what else could top it. I mean, you can fry, boil, bake, roast, etc., etc. – what’s not to love?

One dish that I rarely make, just because it requires a little more effort than I am willing to give, is twice baked potatoes. They are worth the trouble if I do decide to make them. It’s like eating both mashed potatoes and baked potatoes at the same time…well, that’s probably because that’s pretty much what they are.

Twice Baked Potatoes

• 6 medium to large potatoes
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. mustard powder
• 2 cups water
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried dill

Bake your potatoes whole in the oven for about an hour at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. At about 10 or 15 minutes until you take the potatoes out of the oven start preparing your other ingredients.

Now what you are going to do is create a cheese-like sauce. It doesn’t taste exactly like cheese, but it has a nice smoky, rich flavor which is a wonderful substitute. For someone who admittedly misses real cheese occasionally this is a good stand in for when I want something cheese-esque.

In a small pot put your nutritional yeast (this is what imparts the “cheesy” flavor), flour, salt, garlic powder, mustard powder, and water. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly, then add your butter. Now turn on the stove to medium heat. Stir the mixture at a pretty continuous amount. When you start to notice it thickening you can either stop now (it should still be fairly runny), but for the purposes of this recipe let it go for another 10-15 seconds while still stirring. Immediately turn off the stove, and if you’re really good take the pot away from the heat.

Sauté your onions and garlic in vegetable oil (or olive oil) for about five minutes. Don’t do too much longer if you still want a little crunch and stronger flavor when the twice baked potatoes are done.

Take the potatoes out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

Cut each potato lengthwise, then scoop the meat out into a medium sized mixing bowl. Place all the potato shells back on the baking tray.

Mash the potato meat with a potato masher, then add 1-2 cups of the cheese sauce (use the rest in burritos or as a dip), the powdered dill, and the sautéed onions and garlic. Mix it all together well, taste a small amount, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Now take a scoop of potato mixture and put it into one of the potato shells. Continue to do this until you have all of the shells filled and when you no longer have mixture left.

Put the potatoes back into the oven and cook for another 20 minutes or until the top is turning a little brown.

I know – it’s an event, and they’re gone so fast it almost (almost!) seems like it wasn’t worth it. But really, when you’re biting into them you (or rather I) keep hoping that there’s more than there really are.

Twice baked potatoes are so flexible. I found recipes that used mushrooms – that would have been great. I think you could do peppers (hot or sweet), chives, or broccoli. The spices could also be really flexible – paprika maybe, black pepper, rosemary, savory, etc. A good way to figure out what would work well is to think of what you like to eat with your potatoes. Those same spices and ingredients can jump into this recipe as well. So go experiment!

Our community supported agriculture (CSA) season ended just this last week, and we received both turnips and rutabagas for the first (and last) time. Since rutabagas are similar to turnips I also used them this time around. I think turnips tend to have a little bit more of a kick, though, so normally I would use only turnips. The mashed potatoes still turned out lovely and I really have no complaints.

This is a recipe that has become less of a recipe, so the following is more of an approximation of what I did.

Mashed Potatoes with Turnips/Rutabagas

• 5 – 7 large potatoes of your choosing, peeled and quartered
• 2 – 3 turnips and/or rutabagas, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• Salt
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 – 5 Tbsp. mayonnaise or Vegenaise
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Place the potatoes and turnips/rutabagas into a large pot and cover with water. After they have been boiling for a few minutes (5 – 10 minutes) add the onion and garlic cloves. Boil until the turnips are tender (note that you may want to start boiling the turnips first and then add the potatoes later as the turnips will take longer to soften).

Drain the potatoes, turnips, onions, and garlic cloves and pour into a large bowl (or back into the pan). Add salt (this will be to taste), butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Either mash the ingredients together with a potato masher (more lumps) or get out a hand mixer and mix until it is at the consistency you prefer. Taste it to see if it has a good flavor and adjust the seasonings until it is how you want it.

Vegan Gravy
Taken from AllRecipes.com and originally called Vegetarian Gravy

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I did not use 1/2 cup – more like 1/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tsp. nutritional yeast
• 4 Tbsp. light soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (I used 2 cups of water with 1 heaping Tbsp. McKay’s Chicken Seasoning)
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage (I didn’t use this because I don’t think I had any on hand.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I didn’t use this because the chicken seasoning and the liquid aminos were already providing enough sodium)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened.

The recipe said that once you reduce the heat you should stir it for another 8-10 minutes. My gravy did not take that long to thicken at all, so I would actually shorten that time to 2-3 minutes.

Both the mashed potatoes and the gravy turned out really well. When I was seasoning the potatoes and trying to achieve the perfect flavor I realized that I was trying to get it to taste more like potato salad. It didn’t taste exactly like potato salad, but even if it had I would have still loved it.

There are still some turnips and rutabagas sitting in my kitchen, so I am sure to make this recipe again in the very near future.

More Thanksgiving recipes to come in the next few days!