Teff Porridge with Potato and Sweet Potato, Crispy Seitan and Okra (No Added Fat)

I can't believe I've not posted in so long. I recently experimented with whole teff grain; we love Ethiopian food including the injera teff-based bread with which it is served. Teff provides a good source of protein, magnesium, calcium, iron, Vitamin B6, and more. I thought that I would try using this nutritious food as a base for a dinner porridge and did so successfully a few weeks ago.

The package that I purchased of organic brown teff suggested cooking for 12 minutes or so 1/4 cup teff in 2/3 cup broth. That ratio is 1/4 : 2/3 = 3/12 : 8/12 or, in easy terms, a bit less than 3 times as much liquid as grain. I've also seen recipes of 1:4; in the end one can have significant leeway for varying thickness.

I also made a seitan dish. My daughter doesn't love seitan so I served her smoked tofu. I also pan sauteed some okra halves. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• Approx. 4 ounces teff; Whole Foods Market and I'm sure others sell this grain
• Approx. a cup and a half of water
• Stalk of broccoli; stalk cubed into small 1/4" or smaller pieces, florets cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 3 leaves of kale with pieces approx. 1 1/2" or so hand torn and then stems discarded (composted)
• Clove of garlic roughly chopped into 1/4" or so cubes
• 2 t ginger, finely (less than 1/4") chopped
• Approx. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of onion cut into 3/8" cubes (most of a small onion) put in two sets
• 2 medium Russet potatoes or 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, well cooked (I used my pressure cooker) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked (I also pressure cooked) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• Spices to taste - I suggest starting simply with 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper, 1 t garlic powder, and salt to taste (maybe 1/4 t)
• Herbs to taste - I suggest a dozen fresh oregano leaves
• (optional) Hot sauce to preference

Process

1. I put all of the ingredients except the potato, sweet potato, second set of onion, and spices and herbs into a large stock pot and brought to a boil
2. I continued to cook, simmering on low-medium heat, dropping to low heat after 5 minutes or so, and stirring all the way from the bottom occasionally as the grain can coat the pan bottom and harden
3. I let the porridge cook down till most of the water was absorbed; there should still be some water as absorption will continue even after the heat is turned off
4. I mixed in the remaining ingredients and served

I also put in a cast iron pan with no oil pieces of seitan, garlic, and onion, and cooked on medium high till crispy, adding a bit of dried rosemary needles and more onion in the final few minutes, then mixed in, outside of the pan, a bit of lemon juice and garlic powder. I served it with lovely cherry tomatoes. On another cast iron pan also with no oil I cooked halved okra with onion and served it with a little bit of salt and, for my wife and me, a small amount of jerk seasoning.

Results

Dinner was good! We all enjoyed the meal. I was afraid that the porridge might be a bit bland but it was good. It's fun and easy to cook with teff!

Ideas for the future

I should explore more teff dishes - and one day maybe make Ethiopian injera. I do occasionally stop by an Ethiopian restaurant and pick up their whole-teff injera and use it as a base for dishes I make. I had thought of adding bell pepper to this dish and decided that it had enough ingredients, but bell pepper would be welcome with this kind of dish. Sauteed mushrooms would go well, too.

Thick Golden Beet Dhal

I wanted to explore another beet recipe today and thought of embedding beets in a thick dhal. I made the dhal and beets separately in my pressure cooker.


Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 cups water
• 4 large leaves kale, hand stripped from the stems and then roughly hand torn into approximately 2" squares
• 1/2 cup whole or chopped spinach, fresh (washed) or frozen
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t salt (or to taste)
• 2 medium beet roots (I had very small ones so used 5 or 6), rinsed but not peeled
• Another 3/4 - 1 cup of water
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 2 t lemon juice

Process

1. I put the lentils, kale and spinach, water, turmeric, cumin, and paprika into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then removed from the pressure cooker and mixed in the lem
3. I used a new pot for the pressure cooker and put in a trivet to keep food off the bottom and sides, then added about 3/4 - 1 cup of water, below the trivet level, and the beets atop the trivet.
4. I pressure steamed. These were very small, only about 1 1/2" in diameter, so 10 minutes of pressure steaming nicely did it. For regular sized beet roots, I'd go with 15-17 minutes and for large ones above 3 1/2" in diameter, I'd go for 25-30 minutes.
5. When the beets were done, I did a "quick release" of pressure.
6. I waited a few minutes to handle the beets, cut the very top and bottom off of each beet, then held each under cold running water and rubbed the skin off.
7. I cut the beets into approximately 3/4" cubes and mixed into the dhal, along with the onion and lemon juice.

 

Results

This came out well though I preferred the beets with beans that I had made a few days ago. The beets were so delicious - I should cook beets more often! I'm glad that they were well done and soft.

Ideas for the future

Carrot would have gone great in this dish. If I had beet greens (I actually do have some but want to have them last till this Saturday's show), they would also be good. Using red beets would add a nice contrasting color, but I definitely prefer the sweeter flavor and much less staining of golden beets. I should make beets more often; they're easy, with these tips:

• Pressure steam, like I did today, for 10-30 minutes, depending on size
• Dice into 3/4" pieces and pressure cook, submerged, for 8-10 minutes
• Boil 25-60 minutes, periodically checking for fork tenderness
• Roast whole by covering in parchment paper and then roasting for 40-60m (check tenderness as above) at 400°F
• As I described in March 2017, you can also roast beets after cutting them and mixing in some herbs (and perhaps a liquid like orange juice or soy sauce); the cook time drops depending on the size of the cubes but I really like the ease of whole beet roasting, cutting the beet once cooked
• After removing the skin with a potato peeler, you can grate raw beet onto salads
• Greens are healthy and tasty but, unlike beets which can easily keep in the refrigerator for months, the greens limp quickly so they should be removed from the roots and stored, unwashed, in a separate bag for about 3-5 days

You don't have to remove the skins until you're done cooking. The skins slip off easily once cooked, like I described here.

Golden Beet and Chickpea with Greens (No Added Fat)

I am excited about our next So Many Cooks in the Kitchen program, this one on Heart Healthy Dishes. I wasn't sure what I'd make as whole food plant-based eating is in general very heart healthy, but I decided to feature beets. I experimented today and love what I came up with. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• Chickpeas
• EITHER 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight then drained
• OR 3 cups cooked chickpeas, such as approximately two 14 1/2 ounce cans of prepared chickpeas
• 2 medium beets, washed, peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 4-5 large kale or chard greens OR all leaves from a bunch of beets, rinsed, stems removed, and roughly hand chopped into small fistfuls of perhaps 4" square
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped/minced into pieces smaller than 1/4"
• Just enough water to cover chickpeas (if starting with dry chickpeas)
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes (alternately, use 2 medium tomatoes diced to less than 1/2" cubes)
• 1/2 cup onion cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 t lemon pepper
• 1t dried oregano (I use ground mixed dried herbs)
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 t salt
• 1T lemon or lime juice

Process

1. If using dry chickpeas, put chickpeas and just enough water to cover them in the Instant Pot pressure cooker
2. Put beets, garlic, greens, and diced tomato into pressure cooker and cooked for 10m
3. After the cooking is done, wait a few minutes and gently released pressure
4. If using precooked/canned chickpeas, mix them in
5. Mix in the onion, spices, and lemon juice

Serve with rice or other grain and a salad.

 

Results

My family enjoyed the meal, as did our neighbors for whom I dropped off some of the main course. I was originally going to go with a white bean but decided to use chickpea - and am glad that I did, as the flavors worked very well together. I wasn't originally going to include diced tomatoes, but they too worked out well for a touch of a contrasting flavor.

Ideas for the future

Beet greens (like I described several times in March 2007) are even more nutrient dense than the roots and I had wanted to integrate them but the beets that I had found were roots only. I'd love to make this dish with beet greens.

Carolyn Strickland's Holiday Crescent Ring

Shortly before Thanksgiving we had a nice So Many Thanksgiving Dishes! show and my colleague Carolyn Strickland made a great looking Holiday Crescent Ring. I tried today, using squash, several kinds of mushrooms, tempeh, kale, onion and seasonings like garlic powder, lemon pepper, and oregano for the filling. I should have photographed it, but when I served I added some cranberry sauce on top.

 

Results

We all loved Carolyn's dish! As a personal chef I'm delivering some food on Christmas Day and think I may make one of these rings for my client!

Ideas for the future

I wish that the crescent rolls were whole wheat. I should make my own dough or buy some whole wheat dough. I also think this would be good with filo dough. In any case, Carolyn's dish is a winner - easy, tasty, and it looks festive.

I didn't grow up with vinegar and, though I now like ume plum vinegar and use it periodically in salads, I am a relative vinegar "novice" and generally don't love the flavor. However, Carolyn's recipe calls for a vinegar glaze before baking and the results were nice. I should experiment with vinegar glazing more dishes.

"Around the Power Plate" Beans with Wheat Berries, Kale, and Peach (No Added Fat)

Today was our third show of So Many Cooks in the Kitchen, a group that I help to organize where we go kitchen-to-kitchen cooking and talking nutrition among Food for Life instructors (check out our 1-minute promo). The show was live, but a recorded livestream can be viewed. Eventually, this will be edited into approximately half hour parts and aired on Plant-Based Network for which I am on the Advisory Committee.

I presented on peaches and nectarines. Our team of about a dozen instructors put a document together with our recipes; that is available at bit.ly/soManyFruitsRefs.

I am pretty good about coming up with new recipes. I guess the fact that in more than 16 years of knowing my wife I haven't repeated a dinner for her helps. I had made some general comments in the episode document last night but then thought I should be more specific, so I created a recipe and only tried the results after I demonstrated making it. My family loved it; I suspected that this unusual combination would work.

In the Food for Life program, we recommend eating from the Power Plate of Legumes (our first SMCK show), Vegetables (our second show), Fruits, and Grains (our next show with date TBD but likely in mid-August 2020). I thought that it would be neat to make a dish that featured ingredients from each of the sections of the Power Plate. Here is what I did, demonstrating this quickly at the tail end of my cooking segment on today's show.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hard (or soft) wheat berries, rinsed
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups prepared beans; I recommend black beans or red kidney beans, but other kinds will work
• 1 1/2 cups kale leaves hand-torn and cut into roughly 1" squares (stems excepted; they can be composted or otherwise discarded); alternately, use a cup of Swiss Chard, stems and all, cut into 1" strips perpendicular to the stem
• 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into approximately 3/8" cubes (you can substitute yellow onion)
• 1 or 2 medium peaches or nectarines, ripe or still just firm (not very hard) but with no green, cut into approximately 1/2" - 3/4" squares
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
• (optional) 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) salt; try fleur de sel
• (optional) 1/4 lemon pepper or freshly ground black pepper

Process

1. Put the wheat berries with three times as much water in a pressure cooker (I used my Instant Pot) and cook for 30 minutes; alternately, cook for 40-50 minutes stovetop (bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cover); set aside till warm or at room temperature (the wheat berries can be made in advance and refrigerated)
2. Work with the beans
• If using prepared (canned, for example) beans, mix in the greens, onion, and peaches, and warm for a few minutes until the greens cook down a bit and the fruit glistens, gently and partially caramelized
• If making beans, as I did, just add the greens, onion, and peaches to the hot beans when they are ready, and mix. Depending on how hot the beans are, the greens and fruit will be ready within a few minutes, but you can also cover and let sit for a few more minutes to cook a bit more
3. Mix in the lemon or lime juice and, if you are using it, the salt and/or pepper, as well as the room temperature or cool wheat berries
4. Serve with a garden salad or tomato wedges

Results

I served this for dinner several hours after the show. My intuition was right - the combination worked well! My whole family loved the meal; we each had seconds - and had enough to share with neighbors and keep for leftovers (I increased the quantities of ingredients by about a quarter so they would be easier to show up on camera; realistically, then, the quantities I have here would be enough for a family of five or so).

I served with just a little bit of salt and no black pepper. Salt just didn't go so well with this dish, though my wife did prefer a little salt. When I had seconds, I used some citrus fleur de sel, which was fine, but I don't think really necessary.

Ideas for the future

In today's show, I also made skillet peach/nectarine (so yummy and easy; just cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-low to medium heat, flipping once) and deglaze with lime/lemon juice mixed with cinnamon if you wish) and peach/nectarine "ice cream" (just blending frozen fruit with plant milk or a vegan creamer). I should cook with peaches/nectarines more often and not just obvious desserts. I like how the fruit contrasts with the other ingredients in this kind of savory dish and how all the ingredients differentiate themselves from each other. I also should cook with wheat berries more often; the chewy texture is inviting.

Although my family loved the dish, I think it could be improved. I knew salt wouldn't really complement the dish, but I wonder if fresh basil or celery seed (my wife doesn't like the taste of celery; I used to commonly use celery seed and should try it with her - I can't remember how she reacted to it) might work.

Another idea is to make some sort of a vegan "cheese" sauce, perhaps out of cashews. However, my whole family remarked at how creamy the dish was, so I don't think more creaminess is needed; also, the dish has no added fat and I don't see the benefit of adding creamy fat to it (on the other hand, it would be worth experimenting with vegan "cheese" chunks with skillet cooked fruit!). Maybe a small amount of chopped walnuts? I would have enjoyed some crispness in the dish.

At any rate, I should experiment with more fruit-savory dishes. I love the idea of going around the Power Plate, and should do that with main courses occasionally.

Massaged Kale Salad with Mango, Kale with Beans (No Added Fat)

Today we had our second So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show, So Many Vegetables, and I worked with kale. I made a massaged kale salad with mango, as well as a bean and kale dish. Along with tomatoes, it was our yummy dinner!

Kala Channa with Greens and Tomato (No Added Fat)

I loved kicking off the new show So Many Cooks in the Kitchen (the livestream is available online and an edited version will soon be on the Plant-Based Network!) this past Saturday all about beans. I came up with this idea a few weeks ago - I love working with fellow Food for Life instructors; they're all so knowledgeable about food and nutrition. We formed a group to periodically go online and teach in rapid-fire fashion kitchen-to-kitchen.

This time, our topic was beans and next time we'll move on to vegetables. Each of us had about 6-8 minutes to share from our kitchens. I showed how to cook beans and talked about a few varieties.

Today, I made kala channa  (a chickpea variety, also known as black chickpea or Bengal gram; it takes longer to cook but results in a nice, nutty and more textured result). Combined with a few spices, greens, and fresh tomato, it made a healthful, easy, tasty, and colorful dinner. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried kala channa (you could also just use dried chickpea - or even canned and skip cooking - and cook for less time)
• 3/4 cup frozen chopped or fresh kale; if fresh, roughly hand tear from stems (composting or otherwise discarding stems) into approximately 1 1/2" pieces
• 2/3 t turmeric
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t garlic powder or garlic granules
• 1/2 t lemon pepper (or freshly ground pepper)
• 1/2 chili powder (to taste; can certainly be omitted or increased)
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 cup sweet onion or, if not available, yellow onion, cut into large 1" pieces
• 2T lime or tangerine juice
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes

Process

1. Sort through the chickpeas, removing any debris like leaves or branches, rinse, and soak in ample water for at least 3-5 hours, but ideally overnight. Discard soaking water, and rinse again.
2. Put chickpeas into Instant Pot pressure cooker along with just enough water to cover the chickpeas.
3. Add the kale and spices and cook under pressure for 40-45 minutes. Black chickpeas do take significantly longer to cook than regular chickpeas. If you are using regular chickpeas, cook for 20-25 minutes.
4. While the chickpeas are cooking, put the onion in a cast iron pan with no oil and cook, stirring once in a while, over medium high. Let the onion get nicely charred for a tasty carmelized touch.
5. After the cooking is done, you can wait a few minutes and gently released pressure, or do as I did, and cook at least a half hour in advance and let the pressure naturally reduce.
6. When I was ready to serve, I opened the pot slowly, and added lime juice and tomato. I added the onion at the table since my daughter doesn't like much onion (but she loved how carmelized the Vidalia onion was).

I served with brown rice and an avocado piece.

Results

We all loved dinner. It's been a while since I've made kala channa; it has a stronger flavor than regular chickpeas and is fun to make and enjoy. The spicing was good, though I'd add more cumin or perhaps garam masala for spice lovers, as well as more heat, perhaps including some serrano or jalapeno pepper.

Ideas for the future

Some of my homemade vegan yogurt would go well with such a channa dish; if I did use the yogurt, I'd probably also want to increase the spiciness. I could use more vegetables, such as chopped carrot, additional greens like spinach and, to increase the flavor, mustard greens. Turnip greens would also be good. While the fresh tomato was good, cooked green tomato or tomato paste would also be a nice variation. 

Waterless Seitan, Potato, and Green Beans with Garlic Simmer Sauce; Israeli Couscous with Peas (Almost No Added Fat)

I decided to make a waterless dish in a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly some potato and seitan - i.e., I put in garlic, onion, seitan, diced Yukon Gold potato, and frozen green bean pieces, covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes. I like Frontera Foods' conveniently packages sauces; nevermind that they describe them as appropriate for carnivorous dishes, these are good for plant-based dishes and are reasonable in fat content. I used one of their garlic sauces and mixed it in to the dish, then cooked, stirring a few times, for another minute or so.

I also made an Israeli couscous dish by sauteing a bit of onion, then adding a cup of the Israeli couscous, 1 1/4 cups water, 3 leaves of kale (roughly hand torn -skipping the stems, which I put in our compost bound container - into about 3/4" pieces), a few shakes of salt, 1/8 t or less of turmeric, and about 1/3 cup of frozen green peas. I brought to a boil and cooked on low heat, covered, for about 8-10 more minutes.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Edamame with Kale and Shiitake Mushroom (No Added Fat)

For dinner tonight, I got a waterless dish going by putting, in this order, a chopped clove of garlic, 1/8 cup onion cut into approximately 1/4" thick half moon slices, a half dozen kale leaves roughly hand torn from the stem into approximately 1" squares, and 1 cup of frozen shelled edamame into a small Saladmaster stock pan. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 12 minutes, then opened the pan, mixed in 1/4 cup crushed tomato, a bit of salt and kala namak (pink salt), freshly ground black pepper, Italian seasoning, and cumin. I covered and continued to cook on low, and a little lemon juice.

In parallel, I had sauteed on a cast iron pan with no oil 4 large shiitake mushrooms and half moon slices of onion. I mixed this into the main course before serving.

I also made corn -on-the-cob (for the family) and -off-the-cob for me, including jerk seasoning, salt, and lemon juice. Brown rice completed the meal.

Results

The main course was surprisingly good. The lemon and tomato really brought the edamame alive.

Ideas for the future

I should use edamame more often in my dishes. I wonder what air fried edamame might be like.

Thai Mango Vegetables with Seitan (No Added Fat)

My daughter ate a simple Udon noodle dish by design, as her stomach had been a little upset, so I made a spicier main dish for my wife and I . Last week, I had purchased Thai Mango simmer sauce with no fat; I thought I'd use it with a noodle dish.

I sauteed some potato, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on a cast iron pan with no oil. After the potato had a little bit of browning, I put it in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes till just cooked.

I mixed in the vegetables with cooked Udon noodles, garlic powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a few chopped leaves of fresh basil and fresh mint, and the sauce. I simmered for a few minutes, then served with slices of tomato.

Results

Dinner was good! I like the sauce and am so happy it adds significant flavor without fat.

Ideas for the future

I'm generally not good with using sauces but especially when I can get quality fat-free sauces pre-made, I should take more advantage. I'd like to try cooking some savory dishes with chunks of mango, as well.

Waterless Seitan, Brussels Sprout, and Cauliflower with Mixed Wild and Brown Rices and Avocado Salad

Anasazi Beans with Roasted Cauliflower, Bhutanese Red Rice (No Added Fat)

I enjoy roasting cauliflower and decided to try it with a bean main dish. One day I'll try a bean-roasted cauliflower soup. Here is what I did today.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Anasazi beans, soaked overnight in ample water
• 3 cups water
• 2 leaves kale, roughly hand-torn into approx. 3/4" pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") minced
• 1/2 t ginger, finely (1/8") minced
• 1/2 t jalapeno pepper, cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1/2 head (I actually used frozen and estimate it was about equivalent to a half head) cauliflower florets
• 1T coconut aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
• 3 scallions cut into 3/8" lengths
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1t garlic powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t lemon pepper
• 1 t oregano
• 3T nutritional yeast
• 2T Meyer (or other lemon) lemon juice

Process

1. I drained and then rinsed the beans and put them in my Instant Pot pressure cooker with twice as much water, and cooked for 15m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then added the kale, 1/2 the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and cooked for another 2 minutes
3. While the beans were cooking, I got my cauliflower roasting. I mixed the frozen cauliflower with the coconut aminos and the other 1/2 of the garlic, then oven roasted at 400°F for 15m.
4. When the beans and cauliflower were both done, I mixed them together, along with the scallion, spices, and lemon juice

I also made Bhutanese red rice by briefly cooking, stirring, in a pan with a little onion and ginger, but no oil or anything else. I then added twice as much water and a few pinches of salt, then brought to a boil. I reduced the heat and simmered for 40m, covered.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Red Split Dhal with Vegetables, Arugula and Mixed Tomato Salad with Mango Miso Dressing in Celebration of Friends' New Baby (No Added Fat)

I'm so excited that friends of mine just had a baby and I'm first in the meal train to bring food over! It's always a privilege to be able to be connected in any way with a new baby and I'm thankful that I get to take food over.

I like to include fenugreek when I cook for new Moms to help stimulate lactation; I don't like the flavor of fenugreek but when I cook with it, I always make sure that the fenugreek is enveloped with many other strong flavors so it doesn't show through. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 3 cups red split lentils
• 2 cups kale (I used frozen, but fresh is fine)
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups carrot (2 medium carrots) cut into 3/8" chunks and then halved
• 1T finely (1/8") chopped ginger
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely (1/8") chopped (about 1 1/2 T)
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 1t turmeric
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t cumin seed
• 1T fenugreek seed
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups chopped bell pepper (approx. 1/4" x 3/4" slices)
• 2 cups onion cut into 3/8" cubes (I used about 1/3 of a red onion and 1/3 of a Vidalia onion)
• 4T lime juice
• 2t salt

Process

1. Split lentils cook in a ratio of 1 : 2-2.5 parts water for 13-18m under pressure. I went with a 1:2 ratio for a thicker dhal for 16m. I put all of the ingredients except the onion, lime juice, and salt, into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 16m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the bell pepper, onion, lime juice, and salt.

I took this over along with long-grained brown rice (cooked in a 1:2.5 ratio for 45m) and various salad ingredients (arugula and mixed cherry tomatoes). I made a simple chickpea miso - mango dressing (a combination I'd not tried before but I think it came out well; I blended 2T miso with 1/2 t black sesame seeds - a great source of calcium, a medium shallot (maybe 2 T), 1T mango chunks, 1T maple syrup, and 1/8 t salt.  When I come home, this will all also be my dinner! 

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Eat up Frozen Food in Preparation for Hurricane Florence: Vegan Harvest Pizza, Waterless Broccoli and Kale, Cinammon Vanilla "Toastable" Quinoa Tart

Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the Carolinas and I am concerned about those who live or have property along the shore. I remember living through Hurricane Fran, which was scary, and that was a category 3 storm; this could hit category 5 and be much more destructive. However, I'm hopeful that by the time it hits our area, we'll get perhaps 30-40 mph winds, which wouldn't be bad.

With that as a long preamble, we are not going to be surprised if our power goes out, so I thought I should start eating up frozen foods. If we do lose power and have frozen foods, they will quickly spoil and need to be discarded. I had a favorite frozen pizza, Vegan Harvest by American Flatbread on hand; I love its crispy crust and find it better than some pizzeria pizza.

I also made a waterless broccoli dish with broccoli, kale, garlic, onion, lemon juice, turmeric, garlic granules, and salt. I recently found a nice breakfast dish with organic grains and quinoa called a Cinnamon Vanilla "Toastable", which I served with organic raspberries akin to dessert.

Results

Dinner was good. I love the pizza and am glad that I had a big serving of the vegetables (and seconds) so that I only enjoyed one slice; it's good but not low in fat. The vegetables were quite good. My daughter didn't like the "toastable", but my wife and I did. It would indeed be good with breakfast, but was nice with our dinner.

Ideas for the future

I should get these toastables once in a while and use them with breakfast or again try them with dinner. A fruit sauce or maybe a little melted chocolate and chopped fruit would be good atop the toastable.

Bean Trio over Curried Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Noodles (No Added Fat)

For dinner today, I wanted to use some beans but hadn't soaked any. This is the reason I keep a few cans of beans around; I had a 15 ounce can of organic "salad beans" (chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans). I did a waterless preparation of the beans with onion, garlic, kale, and mixed vegetables cooked in a Saladmaster stock pan. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes though 10-12 minutes would have been enough (I just wasn't ready to serve).

I mixed some red curry paste with millet and brown rice ramen. The bean mixture went atop, and roma tomato thirds triangulated the plate.

Results

Dinner was good! The curry paste was just spicy enough for my daughter and I liked it; my wife added some hot sauce. I was pleased about how easy, nutritious, and quick this meal was!

Ideas for the future

We all like curry pastes; I should cook with them more often. I'm glad that Thai Kitchen brand has a variety of marked vegan sauces. I occasionally teach Thai vegan cooking and show students how to make curry pastes in a mortar and pestle; it's not difficult but takes a bit of time.

Root Vegetable Hash Brown, Baby Lima Beans (No Added Fat)

I made a Yukon Gold-sweet potato-carrot hash cooked on a cast iron pan, plus a waterless baby lima bean and greens dish, along with a mixed tomato and olive salad. Dinner was good!

Cannellini Beans with Green Garlic, Soba Noodles, and Grilled Artichoke Heart Salad (No Added Fat)

I was happy to have a cousin in town today who came over for dinner after his business day. I thought I'd make a bean dish and was originally thinking of cooking cannellini beans then mixing vegetables and soba noodles into them. I ended up instead serving soba noodles as their own side dish. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 2 cups cannellini beans soaked overnight (I got away with soaking for maybe 3 hours and it worked out okay, but I think I'd get softer beans if I soaked for longer) then rinsed and drained again
• Enough water to just cover the beans
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 3/4 cup compressed cup kale leaves, roughly hand separated from stems into approximately 3/4" squares
• 3 medium carrots cut into large sections approximately 1/2" in size
• Garlic to taste; 2 cloves finely (1/8" or so) chopped garlic would be good, but we had fresh green garlic, and I used at last a tablespoonful cut into larger 1/4" or so pieces
• 1t grated or finely (1/8" or so) chopped ginger
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1t lime juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Process

1. I put the beans, water, bouillon cube, kale, carrot, garlic, and ginger into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m. (The carrot and ginger could have cooked in much less time, but this was convenient for setting the cooking up while I was doing other things and then coming back to finish later.)
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, lime juice, and spices.

I prepared the soba noodles by boiling for just four minutes as per the package, draining, then serving topped with a bit of black sesame seed, a slice of roasted red jalapeno pepper, and slices of green onion, as well as some coconut aminos (or soy sauce). I made a salad of grilled artichoke hearts, tomato, ume plum vinegar, a little lime juice, kalamata olives, a little salt, and black pepper.

Results

Everybody seemed to enjoy the meal, and I even packed some for some neighbors. I thought that everything came out well. The main course was a good combination of flavors and was creamy (thanks to the cannellini beans) and satisfying. I had everything ready an hour or so before my cousin, delayed in meetings, arrived and was impressed at how easily the soba noodles were to work with; rather than sticking together, they easily re-separated with a quick light fork agitation.

Ideas for the future

I should use soba noodles more often! Cannellini beans always seem to result in a luscious and, of course, healthful meal, and I should use them more often, as well. I wonder what these beans would be like with artichoke or green beans.

Baked Potato with Mushroom Gravy (No Added Fat)

I had some prepared vegan gravy and made a simple meal. I simply poked Russet potatoes a few places (to make sure that pressure wouldn't cause them to explode) then put them in my Instant Pot pressure cooker atop the trivet with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and pressure steamed for 20m. I mixed in mushrooms and cooked the gravy down a bit, then served atop the potatoes. I also had a massaged kale salad and baked beans.

Brown Lentil Dhal with Potato (No Added Fat)

I thought I'd make a brown lentil dhal; lentils cook under pressure in a ratio of 1 to between 1 1/2 and 2 for 15-20 minutes; I wanted a souply dahl so thought I'd go for a 1:3 ratio for 20 minutes. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups Russet (or other) potato cut into larger 1/2" cubes (a medium potato)
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely (< 1/8") minced
• 2 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (about 3-4 small carrots)
• 1 packed cup kale, roughly hand-torn into approximately 1" pieces (stems excepted) and then cut down into approximately quarters via knife
• 1 cup frozen sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/2 t black salt
• 1/2 t cumin seeds
• (optional) small piece of organic Meyer lemon, skin and interior intact
• Another 1/4 cup onion, this time cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1T lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice)
• (optional) 2 T organic Meyer lemon skin, cut into 1/2" pieces

Process

1. I put the lentils, water, potato, 1st batch of larger cut onion, garlic, carrot, kale, mushroom, turmeric, salt, cumin seed, and lemon into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed
3. When I was ready to serve, I opened the pot slowly, and added the additional 1/4 cup onion, lemon juice, and lemon pieces. 

I was out of brown rice, so used white Jasmine rice on the side, as well as peas and carrots.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Edamame and Eggplant with Whole Wheat Orzo

I have a little Miyoko's Kitchen vegan mozzarella left and thought I'd make an eggplant dish with some cheese. Eggplant cooks nicely (in just 3 minutes!) in the pressure cooker, so I started that going. By the time the eggplant was done, it tasted great with no cheese, so I skipped the cheese. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 5 cups eggplant (skin intact) cut into 1/2" cubes (maybe 4/5 of a medium eggplant)
• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 2 packed cups kale, hand-ripped into roughly 1" squares
• 2 cloves garlic, finely (< 1/8") minced
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1/2 t tarragon (I couldn't find my tarragon so used oregano instead)
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 t salt

Process

1. I put the eggplant, edamame (I used frozen; if fresh, I'd just mix in at the end), kale, garlic, bouillon cube, and water into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for just three minutes.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then added the onion, oregano, pepper, and salt.

I served with whole wheat orzo and a salad.

Results

Dinner was quite good! I really liked the eggplant dish; though I like the taste of eggplant, it changes to be more a background matrix when pressure cooked. It served the firm bite of the edamame well.

Ideas for the future

My original idea would have worked if I had integrated tomato into the cooking, maybe making some sort of ratatouille or caponata. I should try a Turkish Imam Bayildi dish sometime!