Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Vegan Recipes

  • Kale Chips — Amazingly Good! And Not Just a Qualified Kale-Good, Rather Standalone Good!

    I have recently discovered homemade kale chips, and they have completely changed my eating routine this fall!  I have to admit that I previously found eating kale to be a bit of a chore.  No matter the kale type, the strong flavor and tough texture just overwhelms any positives of the dish.  This experience shifted when I decided to forgo making a kale pappu — which did feel like a chore — and instead try a NYTimes.com recipe for Crispy Kale Chips with Chili and Lime.  Except, I didn't really use the NYTimes.com embellishments on the standard kale chip, and just consulted the recipe, as well as others on the internet, to guide the preparation of this snack, which can be prepared while the oven is heating up.  I have made this recipe a few different times, with both curly and dinosaur kale, kosher salt and sea salt, and different oven temperatures, and it is surprisingly flexible.  

    Basically, take the amount of kale you have, rip it into 1-inch pieces, wash the pieces in a bath of cold water, and spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry.  Even when I use my salad spinner, there is still some remaining water, so I usually just do a quick pat dry with a clean dishcloth, even though I can never get the kale fully dry.  That lingering water hasn't made a noticeable difference yet with the baking process.

    Finally, toss the kale pieces with a small pour of olive oil, kosher or sea salt, and lay the pieces in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.  I have baked the chips at temperatures ranging from 275 – 350, and the cooking time has varied from 10 – 20 minutes.  Remove the kale from the oven when it is just crisp.  Even if the chips are browned, I find they still have a good flavor, but folks on the internet seem more squeamish than me on this point.  You can serve immediately or let the kale cool.  

    It's SO easy.  Pick up some kale next time you are at the farmer's market — I promise eating healthy will not feel like a chore!  And don't just take my word for it — when I first made them, Andy remarked that we never need to eat potato chips again!

    Kale Chips

     

  • Two New Indian Dishes That Need a Little Work — Indian Chinese Fried Rice and Leek Pappu

    Every now and again, it's good to remind myself why I have this blog.  I have to admit that I maintain this blog not just for your readership and comments (though those aspects are certainly appreciated), but rather to remind myself of what I have made in the past, what worked and didn't, and to basically tell myself what I should and should not make in the future.  This post is an excellent reminder of why this blog has been so helpful to me over the years — I know that if I didn't memorialize these new recipe attempts, I would probably repeat the same mistakes in just a few months.  

    One of these dishes — Indian Chinese fried rice — I have wanted to make at home for some time.  The other dish — leeks with moong dal or leek pappu — I decided to make out because I had more leeks in the fridge than I knew what to do with.  Unfortunately, both turned out to bland and will require significant modifications to make them worth making again in the future.  The fried rice just tasted like lightly flavored vegetables and rice, and the leek pappu tasted like…well, leeks and pappu.  The details on each unsuccessful recipe attempt follow the dishes' respective pictures.

    Indian Chinese Fried Rice
    Indian Chinese Fried Rice

    I adapted this recipe from a few different sources on the internet.  I tried to focus on the ingredients I had at home though, and to try to really enhance the flavors through using more different types, and greater quantities of, flavor-enhancers than the internet recipes included.  The smells that emanated from the pan after adding all of the aromatics together was quite enticing, and I think the ultimate problem may have been using too much rice in the dish, which of course diluted the flavors.  It is interesting to note though that I generally used far less rice than the recipes I found on the internet, so I really wonder how so many Indian blogs can recommend what must really be incredibly bland recipes.  In any case, here is a quick summary of what I did:

    Ingredients:

    • 2 tbsps. vegetable oil
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tsps. minced fresh ginger
    • 1/4  onion, chopped or approx. 1/2 cup chopped onion
    • 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
    • 1 large carrot, diced
    • 1 cup shredded cabbage
    • 1 – 2 tbsps. soy sauce
    • Approx. 3 cups cooked rice
    • Chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

    Directions:

    • Heat vegetable oil in a large pan, and add garlic and ginger, sauteeing on medium-high heat for 2 – 3 minutes
    • Add onion, and saute until onion is translucent
    • Add red pepper and carrot, and saute vegetables, covered, for 5 minutes or until softened
    • Add cabbage and cook an additional 3 minutes or until cabbage is cooked until taste (I prefer my cabbage to have a bit of crunch)
    • Finally, stir in the cooked rice and soy sauce and mix ingredients well until combined and hot.

    Leek Pappu

    Leek Pappu

    Ingredients:

    • 3/4 cup moong dal
    • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp. cumin
    • 2 dried red chilis, broken in half
    • 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
    • 1 medium leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced
    • vegetable oil
    • water
    • salt

    Directions:

    • Combine dal and 1.5 cups water in a medium pot, and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.  
    • When boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, add turmeric to pot, stir and cover.  Cook approximately 20 minutes or until dal is tender, adding more water as necessary.  
    • In a seperate small fry pan, heat a small amount of vegetable oil on medium heat.  Add mustard seeds, and when they start to pop, add other spices, and cook until garlic is fragrant.
    • Add the leeks, and continue to cook on medium heat until the leeks are tender – add water if necessary to ensure leeks do not stick to pan.
    • Once leeks are cooked to your taste, add the leek and spice mixture to the dal, stirring well.  Salt to taste and serve.

  • Scallion Pancakes at Home — Couldn’t Be Easier!

    Among my favorite menu items at Chinese restaurants are scallion pancakes.  I really love the simple flavors of the pancakes, and particularly when I am at a restaurant where the vegetarian options are slim, I can definitely make a full meal out of this one dish.  I have never made them at home before, and following a recent farmers market, I found that I had a glut of scallions in the fridge (ok, glut may be a little much, but it seemed like a lot).  After I couldn't find suitable reciple ideas in my cookbooks and cooking magazines (yes, I have it a good faith effort), I decided to search the internet for recipe ideas and somehow realized that I should try to make scallion pancakes.  I did a new search, and came across several recipes.  The easiest, which also seemed to have the simplest set of ingredients, was Ming Tsai's recipe.  

    I quartered the recipe to make just enough scallion pancakes for one (me!), but decided to use 1/2 the amount of scallions called for in the original recipe.  The pancakes were very easy to construct and cook, and I'll definitely be making them again.  The only downside of this recipe was that the pancakes were a little flavorless, so I may substitute multigrain pancake mix for the flour, which is what a former co-worker's mother had previously recommended.  I also used a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce and chili garlic sauce mixed together instead of the Tsai's ginger dipping sauce, and I may try to construct that sauce the next time around.

    Scallion Pancake

  • Mexicali Chopped Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

    I cannot stop eating this salad.  I have made the dressing three times in the past three weeks.  I have experimented with multiple ingredient mixes for this salad, and none to date has disappointed.  I even ordered a salad spinner last week because I know have renewed faith that I can make quick and filling delicious salads at home.  

    So what is this salad you ask?  It's based on the Mexicali Chop salad from the July/August 2010 issue of the Vegetarian Times.  I altered the actual salad recipe to include the ingredients I most like when I get Mexican-inspired salads at restaurants, omitted the homemade crunchy tortilla strips, and modified the dressing recipe slightly to fit the ingredients I had at home.  The salad is really wonderful — and given that I have made it with so many variations, it is really the salad dressing that brings this salad together and makes it continually interesting to eat.  The salad can be vegan or vegetarian, and both taste equally delicious — lots of different vegetable textures and generally flavorful, but not too spicy.  My recipe modifications follow the picture of the first salad I prepared with this dressing.  

    Mexican Vegan Salad
    Mexicali Chop Salad — My First, and Probably Best, Version

    Mix the following ingredients together to make two servings of the salad:

    • 2 hearts of romaine, chopped 
    • 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
    • 2/3 can of black beans, rinsed
    • kernels from 1 ear of fresh corn, boiled or prepared to one's liking
    • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
    • 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1 inch chunks
    • 1/4 of shredded cheddar
    • 1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
    • crushed tortilla chips
    • Salad Dressing to taste, with the juice of one lime (approx. 1/4 cup lime juice instead of 1/3 called for in the recipe).  I've found this dressing can last 4 – 6 individual servings.

    This salad can really be customized how you like — one can use the ingredients called for in the original recipe on VegetarianTimes.com, or really just pick what ingredients you most like in salads, like I did to prepare your "ideal" personal salad.  The dressing can be refridgerated for a week or slightly longer, though I guarantee it won't last long after you try it!

  • World Vegetarian Again Proves It Is the Most Useful Cookbook I Own — Greek Leeks with Rice (Prassorizo)

    After making the Farmer's Market Chowder, I had two leftover leeks that I had no idea what to do with.  Should I make another soup?  Or cook a butternut squash and leek risotto (or just leek risotto) to use up some arborio rice as well?  I ended up consulting a few Cook's Illustrateds, as well as summer Vegetarian Times issues, and then finally turned to a few cookbooks for inspiration.  Not surprisingly, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian had a recipe — Leeks with Rice (Prassorizo) — that seemed easily adaptable to the ingredients I had at home.  

    Leeks with Rice

    The recipe stated that it would create a "scrumptious lemony creation in which the rice helps to bind the leeks together."  I would say that description was pretty accurate, except that the modifications I made to the recipe probably made it a little too lemony and maybe a little too rice-heavy.  I ended up using the same amount of arborio rice, olive oil, water, and lemon juice called for in the original recipe, but instead of using 6 "good-sized" leeks, or 2 pounds of leeks, I ended up using only 2, somewhat not-good-sized leeks (particularly after sitting in the fridge for a few days) I had on hand.  I didn't think that the smaller amount of leeks would make a huge difference, especially because I end up using far fewer leeks than generally called for in recipes for some reason (are leeks that more giant sized compared to "traditional" leeks??  Or maybe I use more of the light green parts than I should?).  Unfortunately, using fewer leeks did seem to make a difference, and toward the end of the cooking process, I ended up removing approximately 1 cup of the liquid from the simmering mixture to achieve the risotto-like texture called for in the recipe instead of what looked like a soup-like dish.  Perhaps given the partial removal of the olive oil, or just because I had used only two leeks, the dish was a little too lemony for my taste.  I still ended up eating two servings of the dish, and Andy finished the rest in two different settings, so perhaps I will make the dish again but by actually properly modifying the recipe or following the original proportions.  In the mean time, I know that World Vegetarian will be the first cookbook I open when I am trying to use up leftover ingredients!

  • Vegetarian Times Baked Onion Rings — A Healthier Alternative to the Fried Favorite

    I have found that "healthy" alternatives to more indulgent fare almost always fail to live up to their claims (for example, see my Note on Low-fat Brownies from 2009).  For some reason though, when I saw the Baked Onion Rings recipe in the latest issue of the Vegetarian Times, I immediately felt that I had to try this healthier preparation to the traditionally fried (and delicious) snack.  Generally, this might be a sign that my favorite fried foods — jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and cottage cheese pakoras — have far too great of a hold on me.  

    These baked onion rings were fantastic!  Crisp, sweet, and not greasy at all!  The preparation was a little messy (dipping the onion segments into the batter with my hands), but could not be simpler to make.  I now don't understand why anyone would fry onion rings — and risk a soggy, oily mess — when baked onion rings taste just as good, if not better!  The only caution I would have in making this recipe is to make sure you are preparing them for a crowd — I halved the recipe and still ended up with many too many rings for two of us who ate them.  

    Onion Rings on Table

    Onion Rings on Baking Sheet

  • White Bean Dip — Flavorful and Healthy Enough That You Won’t Regret Eating the Whole Bowl!

    Although I am generally skeptical of celebrity tv chefs who don't operate their own restaurants, as you know from reading this blog, almost everything I make from one of Giada de Laurentiis's cookbooks turns out so well that I end up making it more than one time (notably the Pecorino Crackers, Quick Rise Pizza Dough, and Lemon Ricotta Cookies).  My recent attempt at her White Bean Dip followed this trend, with me making it twice in one week!  

    I initially googled for a simply white bean dip recipe that would dispose of the can of cannellini beans that I initially purchased for the Alice Waters Minestrone.  I think the Giada recipe was the first to pop up, and I ended up settling on it because it called for parsley, which I have in abundance in the freezer, and fresh lemon juice, which I also had in the fridge.  Per the recommendations in the comments on the recipe page, I ended up decreasing the amount of olive oil to a few tablespoons, decreasing the amount of lemon juice and just seasoning to taste, and adding in several shakes of red pepper flakes to boost the flavor.  I also increased the amount of fresh garlic in my first run to 4 cloves, but the result was definitely too powerful — the second time, I used the original amount called for in the recipe.  I think I may end up roasting the garlic on the stovetop before I next make the dip because I think the flavor may be even more balanced that way (even with the reduced garlic the second time, the raw flavor definitely lingered a little too unpleasantly — and I love garlic!).  If you are looking for a healthy dip for your next home movie night or even summer barbecue, definitely give this recipe a try!  Also, did I mention that it takes only 5 minutes to prepare?

    Giada White Bean Dip

  • Alice Waters Minestrone — Shockingly Easy, Healthy, and Delicious!

    I have had the Art of Simple Food for almost three years, but I rarely use the book because I think the recipes, particularly for baked goods, can be a little complicated (so yes, not actually that "simple").  I realize that Waters probably uses proper techniques that yield unfailingly high-quality dishes, but I have to admit that I prefer shortcuts whenever possible.  

    As part of what I think I can now call my long-standing effort to use more of my cookbooks though, I decided to give the Art of Simple Food another try last week.  I ended up settling on the minestrone recipe because it felt like I hadn't made a good soup in some time.  I didn't really read the recipe directions before I purchased the ingredients, so I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the recipe was to make — perhaps the best thing about the recipe was that it required very little hands-on time, and required only water instead of my remaining precious homemade vegetarian broth.  The recipe also appears to be incredibly adaptable to different vegetables, so I think it will be the perfect summer CSA/farmer's market soup.  

    Be warned that this soup goes fast!  I ate all of the 6 soup servings or so that I made within a week (though my soup did not include beans or pasta, so admittedly was lighter than the original recipe).  I think the key ingredient that makes the soup truly mouthwatering is the thyme sprigs added early in the cooking process.  My modifications to the recipe follow the picture below.

    Minestrone

    Minestrone Modifications

    • Used only one large carrot, one medium onion, one zucchini, three sprigs of thyme, 1 cup spinach, and probably used only 1/2 – 3/4 of the green beans.
    • I halved the amount of olive oil used to cook the carrot and onion.
    • I removed the dark green parts of the leek, and only partially peeled the two tomatoes.
    • I omitted the cannellini beans, and consequently the 1 cup of "bean liquid."  I used 3 cups of water in the recipe.

  • Incredibly Easy Homemade Smoky and Spicy Salsa

    My Rick Bayless adventures continue with another of his free online recipes, Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa.  The salsa took virtually no time to prepare, with most of the preparation time being passively spent waiting for the jalapeno peppers and garlic to roast on the stovetop.  I used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes with chipotle peppers, which definitely added to the nice smoky flavor of the salsa.  The salsa had a bit of a kick to it, but it was far less spicy than the Bayless arbol chile salsa I made several weeks back.  This recipe was another good way to use up leftovers in my fridge and pantry, and would be a perfect addition to any March Madness parties you host this month!

    Rick Bayless Fire Roasted Salsa

  • “Tandoori” Tofu

    I don't really eat tofu that often anymore.  Tofu used to be a pretty large part of my homecooking, but I've really tried to take heed of the advice by Michael Pollan and others that we focus more on vegetables, beans and whole grains given how much soy we already consume through processed foods.  I recently though came across this "Tandoori Tofu" recipe by EatingWell.com, and thought it would be a great way to try a new, more interesting way to prepare tofu than the standard stir-fry.  The dish turned out wonderfully well — nicely spiced, good consistency and diversity of flavors in each bite (the key was the lime juice!).  I look forward to making it every few months — with of course, the interim periods focused on plants!  The modifications I made to the recipe follow the picture of the tandoori tofu over rice.

    Tandoori Tofu

    I was only cooking for one, so I used only one block of tofu in the recipe (instead of two) and retained the spice mixture as is.  I thought the recipe was probably geared to those who are not used to Indian cuisine, and I didn't want to end up with a bland dish.  I did not prepare the yogurt garnish, and substituted 1 tablespoon of prepared ginger-garlic paste instead of the 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.  

    I thought that the resulting dish was not overly spiced if you are used to Indian flavors — if you are somewhat new to Indian food, or otherwise easily overpowered by spices, I would recommend following the original recipe as is.  

    Finally, I also just prepared the dish in a saute pan over the stovetop instead of a grill.  I cut the tofu into smaller pieces than what was called for in the recipe because I knew that bypassing the grill would extend the cooking time of the dish.  I cooked the tofu in the saute pan until the pieces were very lightly browned on each side — approximately 10 minutes.