Foodmomiac

Vegan Curry

  Steamy Vegetable Curry 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

When I was a junior in college, I was a miserable person. I spent the first semester in Paris, which sounds very romantic, but in reality, it was pathetic. Instead of exploring the city, I sat in my depressing ground-level apartment, smoking endless cigarettes and pining for my boyfriend back home (with whom I broke up a day after I returned home).

Second semester, I was back at school, but still in a funk. I moved off campus, tried to teach myself guitar, and spent a lot of time sitting in my tapestry-heavy room, just brooding and listening to the Grateful Dead.

It's probably a good thing that I stayed in that room so much. The house I moved into was disgusting. (Seriously, ask my dad. He still has nightmares about the compost heap we had stewing IN OUR KITCHEN.) At the time, though, I thought it was amazing. I lived with a bunch of vegan hippies, and despite the filth that surrounded us, we managed to make some amazing meals.

My veganism lasted just a couple of months, but I still make this recipe. Back then it was part of our weekly menu. These days, I make it less often, but you've gotta love a recipe that uses up leftover veggies, is loved by kids (Dylan helped herself to a second bowl when I served it Monday night), and is super healthy.

Vegan Curry
Olive oil
1 apple
1 onion
2 Tb. curry powder (at least)
3 small potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced (you can also just cut some baby carrots in half, if that's all you have)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tb. apricot jam (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Saute the onions and apples in the oil until the onions are translucent and the apples start to soften up a bit. Add the curry powder and combine well. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots, stirring the entire time. You don't want the curry powder to burn, but you do want to release all of the fragrance. Add the vegetable broth, chickpeas and raisins. At this point, you'll want to taste your concoction. The potatoes will still be firm, but you will get a sense of the seasonings you need to add. If it is too bland, add more curry. I added the apricot jam the other night, because I wanted it to be sweeter. You can also add salt and pepper at this point. Once it is seasoned properly, turn the heat to low and cover. You'll probably need to cook it for another 30 minutes, but this will vary based on the type of potato you used and how small you diced it. The dish is done when the apples have melted into the sauce and the potatoes are no longer raw.

This dish is GREAT over basmati rice, but I didn't plan ahead the other night, so we had it with Garlic Naan from Trader Joe's. (The Naan is NOT vegan - it is made with yogurt.)

Roasted Vegetable Risotto (with a story)

  Roasted Vegetable Risotto 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Jen was my roommate in college for both our sophomore and our senior years. Actually, (and this is probably one of the reasons we still keep in touch), we never had to share a room. Our sophomore year, we had the very best dorm room at Vassar. It was called the Rockefeller suite, and legend had it that it was built for the Rockefeller girls. I'm not sure if that's true, but the room ROCKED. There were two bedrooms, a full bath (seriously!) and built-in bookcases. We were living the life.

Senior year, we shared a townhouse with three other roommates, and did a ton of cooking. Towards the end of the year, we decided to invite one of our professors over for dinner with his wife. I can no longer recall what inspired us to do this, but I remember working so hard on a risotto dish. I'll need to pull out that recipe sometime, but it wasn't a true risotto (I'll explain what that is in a minute). It was basically rice, veggies and LOTS of cheese. It was really good, though. So good, in fact, that a couple of months ago, Jen emailed me asking for the recipe and for tips on how to make risotto!

As is often the case with me, I don't use a recipe. But, trust me, this is easy. I made this last night with Max literally hanging from my back pocket. (I don't recommend that, by the way. TOTALLY annoying.)

Risotto alla Danielle

Stock
Onion, chopped finely
Arborio Rice
White wine or dry vermouth
Stuff (roasted vegetables, cooked chicken, sauteed mushrooms, whatever you want)
Parmigiano Reggiano

Pull out two pots (one bigger one, one smaller one). In the small one, heat up some stock (chicken or vegetable), and keep at a low simmer (I used almost an entire 32 oz. box). Heat the large one over medium heat, and add some olive oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Put in the rice. For a family of four, a cup of raw rice is sufficient. Saute the rice for a minute or two. Add a splash or two of the wine (I used dry vermouth since I didn't have a bottle of white open), and cook until it evaporates. Then, using a ladle, add a 1/2 cup or so of stock and stir it into the rice. Continue stirring until the rice absorbs the liquid. Once it's absorbed, add some more. You want to continue doing this until the rice is cooked. Arborio rice will still be kind of al dente when it's done. It will have a nice chew to it. When the rice is NEARLY done, you can add your "stuff." I added some roasted cauliflower and asparagus (roasted with olive oil at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes). You can add sauteed mushrooms, or cooked chicken, or whatever, really. A good idea is to Google "risotto" and find some ideas. The above formula will work for whatever risotto you make.

When the risotto is done, top with grated Parm and serve!

The World's Most Expensive Chicken (with a recipe for Hungarian Dumplings)

  Homemade Chicken Soup - Max's Bowl 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

I think I mentioned that after I finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I did my food shopping online. I got my staples from Peapod, and then ordered my meat and produce from Fresh Picks, a local service that gets food from (mostly) local farmers, and delivers it once a week. One of the items I ordered was a whole chicken, cut up. It was about 5 pounds, and the total cost was $20.

For those accustomed to buying their chickens at Costco or the supermarket, this price is outrageous. But, when you consider that this chicken was organic, and was raised at a family farm, allowed to roam free all day, it becomes worth it. Also, if you compare it to eating out, it's way cheaper. This $20 chicken fed three adults and two children on Wednesday (we made a version of Chris' recipe). And then it make a delicious soup for two adults and two children last night. AND, I have a really big container of the soup left over. See?? A bargain.

For the soup, I was craving Hungarian dumplings (virtually the same thing as German Spaetzle), which are really easy to make, especially if you have a Spaetzle Maker. I put the leftover chicken in a big pot with carrots, celery and onion. Then, I covered everything with fresh water and let it cook for a few hours. I removed and discarded the onion. I pulled the chicken off the bone and chopped it up, adding it back into the stock. I also chopped up the carrots and celery and added those back as well. This soup went into the fridge to hang out until we were ready to eat.

About 45 minutes before dinner time, I put the soup pot back on the stove. In the meantime, I prepared the dumpling batter. The recipe came from The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors. It's super easy. Combine 2-1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. baking powder. In another container, combine 2 eggs beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water and 2 Tb. oil (you can also use lard for a more authentic Hungarian flavor). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. This will produce a very sticky batter. Let it hang out on the counter while you wait for your soup to get nice and hot. When the soup is ready to be dumpling'd, put the batter into your spaetzle maker, and let the dumplings fall in. They will quickly rise to the surface, at which point your soup is ready to eat. If you don't have a spaetzle maker, you can put the batter in a large ziploc bag and cut a 1/4 inch size hole in one corner. Then, squeeze out small pieces into your soup.

You can also cook spaetzle in salted, boiling water. Once done, transfer them to a colander. If you cook them this way, you also have the option to follow the boiling with some pan frying in butter. Yum.

Chilaquile Casserole

  Chilaquiles Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Does this look gross? It was actually quite tasty, and also very easy to prepare. I wanted to make this for Tuesday's dinner, but the eggplant that was scheduled for Monday required brown rice, and I didn't set the rice cooker before work. (I am the WORST at making rice, and I now refuse to make it without the assistance of the rice cooker.)

This is a terrific weeknight meal. I got home from work at about 5:30 or so, and it was on the table by 6:30. You could also prepare it the night before or in the morning, and just pop it in the oven when you get home. The recipe is from Still Life with Menu by Mollie Katzen. This cookbook just arrived at my house. It was in the box of cookbooks that I got from Grandma Ana's apartment. (When she moved into a nursing home last year, my mom set the cookbooks, and some fun cooking tools, aside for me.) This cookbook isn't one of the older ones, but there are a lot of notes in there from Grandma Ana. I know she made this dish, because she made notes next to it in her messy cursive handwriting.

Max LOVED the dish, but Dylan refused to eat it. She is being a real piece of work lately, and spent part of the meal laying on the floor saying over and over again, "but I don't LIKE EGGS! but I don't LIKE EGGS!" She went up to her room for a five minute timeout, came down and apologized, and then had a leftover piece of pizza. UGH.

Chilaquile Casserole

12 corn tortillas
2 4-oz. cans diced green chiles (we used some pico de gallo)
2-3 cups grated cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 can beans (I used borlotti)
1 zucchini, cubed
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk (I used milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar added)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x13 pyrex dish. Tear half of the tortillas into bite-sized pieces and place them in the dish. Cover with half of the cheese, the chiles (or pico de gallo), the beans and the zucchini. Tear the rest of the tortillas and layer them over the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and buttermilk well with the salt and pepper and pour it slowly and evenly over the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. (I would let this sit for about 10 minutes before serving. It was kind of watery for a bit, but then set up very nicely.)

Featured Ingredient: Leftover Corn

I always get so excited when corn is finally in season. Excitement translates to more ears of corn than my family can possibly eat, so it's nice to have some leftover corn recipes in my pocket to avoid being wasteful.

My all-time favorite leftover corn recipe is Ubiquitous Corn Salad. You really can't go wrong with this, and everyone always loves it. In fact, I would have probably made it tonight, but the reason I had leftover corn in the first place was because I made the salad yesterday. It was requested that I bring a bowl of it over to our friend Dave's birthday party. (We had a great time, and loved getting the chance to spend time with our old buddy Howard.)

So, yeah, you can't make corn salad with corn that's leftover from corn salad. But, I made too much corn, and I needed to do something with it. Michael went to a Cubs game tonight, so it was just me and the kids. I wanted something simple, summery and healthy, but I didn't want it to seem so healthy that they'd refuse to eat it.

I am happy to report that this dish was a hit. Proof:

Pasta with Corn, Chickpeas and Cheese

1/2 pound small pasta (I used gemelli, but I think small shells or elbows would be even better)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
2 ears of leftover cooked corn, scraped off the cob
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons butter
1 scallion (white and light green parts), sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
small handful of fresh basil, julienned (cut into thin slices)

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds (don't let it get too brown). Add the corn and chickpeas and saute for two minutes. Add the butter and scallion and continue to cook for another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add to the pan. Stir to combine and then add the Parmigiano. Stir again. Top with the julienned basil. Enjoy!

Rainbows and Fritattas

  Rainbow! 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Isn't this an awesome rainbow? We saw it on our way home from a fundraiser yesterday. Not the school fundraiser (which was very cute, and I'm now even more convinced that the neighborhood school is the way to go). This was a fundraiser for the boulevard park on our street. We love our little park, and though we are only moving a few blocks away, we will miss it. The fundraiser made me a little sad about our move. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally psyched about the new house. Our landlord sucks, we don't have enough space, and I am very excited. But, this is a really great block with some very friendly families. And it is a beautiful street. Anyway, it was a nice evening.

Unfortunately, the night didn't continue in such a happy rainbow kind of way. I woke up yesterday with a sore throat, and it got progressively worse throughout the day. By the time I sat down for the evening, I felt awful, and after a fitful couple of hours in bed, I spent the rest of the night sleeping upright in our living room chair. It was the only way I could breathe.

Of course, this morning I was co-hosting a mom's coffee at my friend Joni's house. And I had volunteered to bring homemade banana bread muffins (since I couldn't volunteer my house). Baking was very, very far from my agenda last night, so I ended up running to Whole Foods this morning for baked goods. They were fine, and I don't think anyone cared. Of course, one of the moms ribbed me for not baking. I think her exact words were, "Wow, the foodie went to Whole Foods?" She thought I had made the delicious fritatta. But, I didn't. Those honors go to Joni, and I must share the recipe with you here, because it was delicious.

Joni's Fritatta
3 zucchini, sliced in half-circles
3 green onions, chopped
1 bell pepper,chopped
2 cups sliced mini portabella mushrooms
8 eggs
1 cup milk or sour cream
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup or more shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar, mozzarella...)

Saute zucchini, onions, bell pepper and mushrooms in olive oil.  Spread in a 9 1/2 x 11 pyrex baking dish.  Beat eggs and sour cream together and poor over veggies.  Sprinkle cheeses on top.  Bake 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note from Joni:
I add different veggies and more eggs (depending on what I have in the fridge and  how many people I am expecting) and it has always worked out fine.  FYI, I have only used the sour cream, so I am not sure how the milk would work.

This can be prepared ahead of time.  I saute the veggies the day before and then just pour the egg mixture and cheese right before cooking.

Vegetarian Comfort Food - Eggplant Tomato Casserole

  Eggplant Tomato Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

This is another one of my mom's classic recipes that I have reworked a bit to make it my own. My changes, though, are very slight. I can not recall which cookbook this is from originally (Mom, if you know, can you put it in the comments?), but it was a frequent member of our holiday tables growing up. It was always served as a side dish, but a few years ago, it occurred to me that it would be a pretty spectacular vegetarian main dish.

The recipe itself is kind of goofy, in a 70's sort of way. It tastes vaguely Italian (especially if you use oregano), but uses cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella, and butter instead of olive oil. Analysis aside, it is pretty damn tasty, and was a great way to use the eggplant that I received last week from Fresh Picks. It is also a very good make-ahead dish. I prepared it Sunday afternoon, but we didn't eat it until Tuesday night. If you want to do the same, do everything but cook it, and just put it in the fridge covered with foil until you are ready to eat.

Eggplant Tomato Casserole

1 large eggplant
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use panko)
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
paprika (I use smoked)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel and slice the eggplant. Put it in a pan with salt and about an inch of water. Boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and mash the eggplant well with a potato masher. Mix in the eggs, butter, pepper (to taste), onion, herbs and bread crumbs. Butter a shallow casserole (about 1.5 quarts). Cover the bottom of the casserole with half of the sliced tomatoes. Spoon in the eggplant mixture. Arrange the rest of the tomatoes on top and cover with the cheeses. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 3-4 as a main dish, 5-6 as a side dish.

Vegetarian Lasagne

I have a beautiful photo of the lasagne I served last night (the one I cooked on Sunday). Sadly, though the photo was beautiful, the lasagne tasted like butt. Moral of the story? When a Bolognese sauce calls for pancetta, it might be a good idea to use pancetta. German proscuitto seasoned with juniper berries will yield a lasagne that tastes like it was soaked in gin. (Yet, the damn thing is still sitting my refrigerator because I just can't bring myself to throw out a giant pan of lasagne.)

Next time I'm going to stick with what I know. And what I know is how to make a fabulous vegetarian lasagne. Bon Appetit:

Vegetarian Lasagne

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small package mushrooms, chopped
1/2 bag baby spinach
salt and pepper
1 32 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (whole or crushed)
1 16 oz. tub ricotta
2 eggs
4 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
grated Parmigiano Reggiano
one box Barilla oven ready lasagne

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic. Saute until fragrant (a few seconds). Add mushrooms and spinach. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is completely wilted and the mushrooms have released their juices.  Add the tomatoes (if using whole, be sure to crush them up first with a fork, or better yet, your hands). Lower heat to low and let cook for up to an hour.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, eggs and half of the mozzarella. You can also add some grated Parmigiano if you like. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch Pyrex with about a cup of the sauce. Place four lasagne noodles over the sauce. Evenly spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top the cheese with another cup of sauce. Place another four noodles over the sauce. Spread on the remainder of the ricotta and another cup of sauce. Top with another four noodles, another cup of sauce and about a cup of the mozzarella. Place the final four noodles over the cheese and cover with the remainder of the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of mozzarella and a healthy grating of Parmigiano.

Baked, covered with foil in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another five minutes to melt the cheese. Let the lasagne stand outside of the oven for about 15 minutes so that it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.

Notes: I like this type of pasta because it utilizes the entire box. Also, it is flat, which appeals to my aesthetics. It's also important to note that my order of layering is basically random. Your main goal is to use up all of the ingredients. The only set rules are to start with sauce and end with cheese. Finally, please feel free to rif on this recipe. Got some zucchini? Throw it in the sauce! Hate mushrooms? Leave 'em out! It's very flexible.

Enjoy!

(Oh, you can freeze this before and/or after cooking it.)

 

Disclaimer
Barilla is one of my clients which is why I tried this lasagne. BUT, it's amazing stuff, and I would not recommend it if I didn't truly like it.