Lo Mein with Tempeh Cubes

Below is a photo of the vegetable lo mein recipe (recipe here) I previously posted.  At this meal I served it with tempeh cubes, and the easy recipe for them follows:

Ingredients:

4 T. canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. soy sauce

8 oz. tempeh, cubed into about 1/2-inch cubes

1 t. sesame seeds

Method:

In a medium skillet, heat the canola oil over medium to medium-high heat.  Sauté the minced garlic in the warm oil, about 1 minute.  Add the soy sauce and tofu cubes.  Brown tofu in oil until golden.  Sprinkle with seasame seeds.

Serves 2 as a side dish.

Sauteed Baby Collard Greens for Luck in the New Year

Happy New Year!  In the Southeastern US, we have a lot of food traditions.  One of them is that on New Year's Day, you are supposed to eat black-eyed peas for luck and greens for money.  And when people say "greens" in the South, they usually mean collard greens that are cooked with meat.   Here's a vegetarian "greens" recipe you can use for luck and money (and important nutrients!) in the new year.  It's not traditional, but it's good.  I got it from Jennifer Biggs's column in The Commercial Appeal.  She credited http://www.sweetandsavoryfoods.blogspot.com/.  I served the sautéed baby collard greens with black-eyed peas and sweet potato casserole (recipe here, topping here) for a delicious, balanced, and pretty seasonal meal.  The greens serve 2 - 4 people as a side dish.

Ingredients:

baby collard greens (The recipe calls for "one bunch" of collard greens, which is pretty ambiguous.  I got a bag of baby collards from a vendor at our local farmers' market, and I'd say it was about a 1.5-gallon bag that was full.  Remember that greens reduce in bulk significantly when cooked.)

2 T. olive oil

1 T. crushed red pepper flakes (The amount here scared me a little, but it was totally fine with the quantity of greens I used.)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

salt, to taste

vinegar (optional), to taste (I didn't use it, but it's pretty common in the South to put vinegar on greens, so feel free to give it a whirl.)

Method:

Wash the collards well in a sink full of water.  You may need to wash them twice to get all the grit and dirt off.  Remove the thick stems by folding the leaves in half at the stem and ripping the stem out.  Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces, and whirl them in a salad spinner to get most of the water off.

In a large pan with a well-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the red pepper flakes and the minced garlic, then add the collard greens and salt to taste (I salted pretty generously from a shaker...maybe 3 generous passes or so to start.), stirring everything to coat the leaves thoroughly.  Cover the pan, and allow the greens to steam for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until they have wilted.  Reduce heat to low and allow greens to continue to steam until a taste test reveals they are tender and flavorful.  Serve, splashed with vinegar if desired.

Herbed Rice

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Living magazine.  Although the thought of putting that much cilantro on anything does not turn me on and the thought of putting peppermint on rice is about equal in its attractiveness to me, something told me to give it a whirl.  And, of course, it works.  This rice is very fresh tasting, and it goes well with Asian-inspired or Middle-Eastern-inspired foods.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 c. water

1/2 c. packed fresh cilantro

1/4 c. packed fresh mint (I used peppermint.)

2 T. minced onion

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 T. olive or canola oil

1 c. jasmine rice

1 t. salt

Method:

Purée the water, cilantro, mint, onion, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add the jasmine rice, and stir to coat.  Cook until slightly toasted, 1 - 2 minutes.  Add the herb purée and salt.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand - still covered - for 10 minutes.  The herbs will have floated to the top of the rice.  Use a fork to evenly distribute the herbs into the rice and to fluff the rice.  Serve immediately.

Beth's Lentils

I got the original version of this recipe from Peta's cookbook The Compassionate Cook, which I highly recommend for great vegan food.  I don't know who Beth is, but her lentils are great!  And the ease of a one-pot meal is welcome on work nights.  Serve it with cornbread for a perfect cool-weather supper.

Ingredients:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

between 1/2 and 1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced

crushed red pepper, to taste (optional - This dish is good with and without this ingredient.  Decide whether you're in the mood for something spicy tonight!)

1/2 t. dried thyme

3 c. vegetable broth or water

1 c. lentils (I used the tiny black French lentils, which gave the dish an elegant feel, but the the plain green lentils work fine, too.)

1 t. salt (or to taste)

2 14-oz. cans of chopped tomatoes (or maybe even the fire-roasted type of tomatoes)

4 or 5 large sprigs of fresh oregano (You can substitute 1 T. dried oregano if fresh is not available.)

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a small Dutch oven or large pan over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, carrot, and crushed red pepper (if using) in the oil until the onion is transluscent, about 5 minutes.  Add the thyme and sauté one minute longer.

Add all remaining ingredients except oregano, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook until the lentils are tender, about 50 minutes.  Add the oregano after simmering 40 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I've mentioned these muffins before but just gave you a link for the recipe on Ocean Spray's website.  Allow me to type it out for you here with my slight modifications.  These muffins are deliciously seasonal.  They're sweet in an earthy way, not a cloying way, because they're sweetened with brown sugar and molasses instead of refined white sugar.  I made them last weekend.  Maybe they would be a perfect breakfast for your family during the coming weekend!

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. baking soda (not baking powder)

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg (OK in this recipe, even though I don't like it in savory recipes!)

1/2 t. salt

1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 c. (or more or less - you decide) fresh cranberries (Ocean Spray suggests using 6 oz. sweetened dried cranberries.  I think that would be fine during those times when fresh ones aren't available, but I like the fresh ones better.  I buy them when they're available and freeze them for the coming year.)

1/2 c. canola oil

1/4 c. rice milk

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg (Vegans can use Ener-G's Egg Replacer.)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 12-muffin tin or line the muffin cups with paper baking cups.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Combine the wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened.  Fold in the cranberries.

Divide the batter equally between 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove muffins from tins and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Tempeh Sliders

Here's a delicious dinner:  tempeh sliders garnished with tomatoes, avocado, and onion with a side of waffle fries!  Recipe for the sliders here.

Potato-Leek Soup

A couple of nights ago I made a version of potato-leek soup adapted from Barbara Kafka and Christopher Styler's cookbook Vegetable Love.  I didn't expect much from it.  The recipe is simple, and I was really just trying to use some leeks I had in the fridge before they went bad.  But wow!  It turned out great!  Vegans, I'm sorry to say that, surprisingly, the cream made a fair difference, but you can certainly make this without it.

I didn't photograph it, because puréed potatoes don't make much of a photograph, but it was still quite delicious.  I served it with bruschetta (recipe and photo here), because we are still getting fresh tomatoes from the garden.  Here it is:

Ingredients:

1 lb. white potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 leeks

3 c. water

1 pkg low-sodium miso soup mix (to prepare 8 oz. miso soup...I used Edward & Sons Miso-Cup brand.)

2 T. organic heavy cream (optional - As many of you know, I prefer Organic Valley brand.)

salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Remove the green leafy end and 1 inch of the root-end of each leek, and compost the removed parts.  For the remaining leek stalks, cut them into ½-inch sections crosswise.  Wash them in a basin of water to remove any grit.

In a large saucepan, add the potatoes, leeks, water, and the miso soup mix.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Working in batches of approximately 2 cups each, purée the prepared potato mixture in a blender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (I used approximately 1 tsp. salt.)  Add the organic heavy cream, if using, and serve warm.