Dinner

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...

Today is Indian's Independence Day! My wife had the suggestion of putting a dinner together that has orange, white, and green from the Indian flag and I agreed that it was a good idea. (The Indian flag picture here is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:India-flag-horiz-vert.svg  and is in the public domain.) I thought that I'd make a "striped" plate with white Basmati rice in the center (we prefer the taste and nutrition of whole grain rice, but white Basmati is also tasty and welcome for an occasional change). I chose split red lentils to form the basis of the leftmost stripe and some Fushimi chile peppers that I found at the local farmers' market a few hours earlier. The farmers' market visit was quite productive. Among my purchases were these three interesting items, including two that were new (to me): Fushimi frying pepper  or chile pepper, said to be like the shishito pepper that I enjoy but with less heat and more flavor, Petit Mersaillais pepp...

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 I put the lentils, wat...

I decided to make a red split lentil dhal with okra. Red split lentils cook in a 1 to 2 or 2.5 part ratio of lentils to water over 13-18 minutes; I went with 1:2 for 15 minutes. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1 cup red split lentils 2 cups water 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped okra 1/4 t turmeric 1/4 cup shallot (medium shallot) cut into 3/8" cubes 1 cup corn kernels (I used frozen roasted corn) 1/4 cumin seeds 1/4 t salt (I used kala namak ) 2T fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice) Process I put the lentils, water, okra, and turmeric into my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and cooked for 15m. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the shallot, corn, cumin seeds, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice, and served with tomato slices and brown rice. Results Pending Ideas for the future Pending

The weather became cold tonight and I felt like a warm soup. I thought I'd make a main course of a curried cauliflower dish along with a dhal. Frankly, I prefer a chunkier not even quite stew to dhal often, but though I've tried cooking dishes like lentils at the low end of the water and high end of the time required, I generally get a product more liquidy than I expect (I do like dhal and soup, but often try for something thicker, which I also like!). Tonight, I ended up with a nice consistency of my lentil dish which was actually just a tad bit dryer than it could have been. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups brown lentils 1 1/2 times as much water (i.e., 2 1/4 cups) 1 cup carrot cut into 3/8" slices (I used 3 small carrots; if they weren't thin, I'd have halved them, as well) 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") minced About 2T organic Meyer lemon, including all (flesh and rind), cut into 3/8" cubes (if no organic Meyer lemon or no Meyer lemon at all...

I was out and about and got home late; my family had eaten, so I made a simple dinner for myself. I sauteed on a cast iron stove with no added oil tofu, asparagus, onion, garlic, and mushroom. I also roasted a jalapeno pepper and mixed some of it in. I like a veganic company, One Degree Organic Foods , and enjoy their cereals. I found their bread in the frozen section; they had an interesting lentil grain bread , which I bought, toasted, and served with tomato and a bit of guacamole. Results Pending Ideas for the future Pending

I wanted to continue experimenting with pumpkin puree to add a holiday taste to main courses, like I did with my seitan dish  last Wednesday . I thought that I'd try a dhal. Ingredients 1 cup red split lentils 4 T pumpkin puree 1 cup eggplant cut into small 1/4" cubes (I used 6 small graffiti eggplants) 1 clove elephant garlic cut into small cubes app. 1/8"-1/4" (or regular garlic cut into 1/8" or smaller dice) 1/4 t turmeric 2 1/4 cups water (red split lentils cook in a ratio of one to between two and two and a half of lentils:water pressure cooked for 13-18m; I picked 16m) 1/4 cup onion cut into approx. 3/8" cubes 2T lemon or lime juice (we were out, alas, but tangerines have just started becoming available - yay! - so I used fresh squeezed tangerine juice, instead (optional) 1T vegan yogurt per serving  Process I put the lentils, pumpkin, eggplant, garlic, turmeric, and water into my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and cooked for 16m. After the cooking was...

I decided to make a thick dhal with red split lentils. These lentils are prepared in a ratio of one part to 2 - 2 1/2 parts water pressure cooked for 13-18 minutes. I wanted it to be thick, so I went with a 1:2 ratio for the full 18 minutes. Here is what I did. Ingredients 1 cup red split lentils 2 cups water 2 cups eggplant cut into 3/8" cubes (maybe 2/3 of a medium eggplant) 2/3 cup fennel root cut into 1/4" cubes 1 1/3 cup carrot (one large carrot) cut into 3/8" lengths 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") chopped 18m 2t baby ginger, finely (1/8") diced (or 1t regular ginger) 3/4 t ground cumin 1T lemon or lime juice 1/2 t salt Process I put the lentils, water, eggplant, fennel, carrot, garlic, ginger, and cumin into my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and cooked for 18 minutes. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the salt and lemon juice. I served the dhal with brown rice (which I cooked in a 1:2 ratio with ...

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups beans rinsed, soaked overnight, and rinsed again 1/3 cup red lentil Just enough water to cover lentils and beans 1 1/2 cup Yukon Gold potato (medium potato) cut into 3/8" cubes - 23m 2 cups eggplant (about 1/2 eggplant) cut into 3/8" cubes 1 1/2 cups carrot (medium carrot) cut into 3/8" width and halved 1/3 cup fennel cut into 3/8" cubes 1 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes 10-12 oregano leaves 2t lime (or lemon) juice 1 t garam masala (or 1/2 t turmeric) (optional) 1/4 t fenugreek seed 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper 1/2 t (or to taste) salt Process I cooked the beans, lentils, water, potato, eggplant, carrot, and fennel for 23 minutes (20-25 would have been fine; I wanted a thick result, so went with 23m). After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, oregano, and spices. I served with a tomato salad (heirloom tomato and some grape tomatoes that our neighbor brought over while I w...

I've enjoy cooking lentil stews and dhals, as I described, for example, in December 2014 . I thought that I'd make a double serving so that we could send half to our neighbors who just had a baby. Lentils cook in a 1 part to 1.5-2 part water ratio for 15-20m. I wanted something thick, so initially chose 1.5x water for 20m, but I put a lot of ingredients in, so added another half cup of water (with 2 cups lentils, it ended up being a 1:2 ratio). By the way, I recently got a third Instant Pot, the Duo Plus 60  and donated my original Duo 60. I've used the Duo Plus 60 in making yogurt  but tonight was the first time I've used it for dinner. Here is what I did. Ingredients 2 cups brown (which I used) or green lentils 4 cups water Approx. 4 cups potato in 3/8" cubes (I used 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes and ended up with approx. 4 1/3 cups chopped potato) Medium eggplant cut into 3/8" cubes (about 2 cups) 3 medium carrots halved and then cut into 3/8" slices (a...

I love Edamame and mung bean sprout fettuccine   and wondered what it would be like with lentils. Even better, how about if I cooked the pasta not separately, but together with the lentils? They might get overcooked, but it's worth trying! Here is what I did. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups green or brown (I used brown) lentils 2 1/4 cups water 1/2 t ground cumin 1/2 t turmeric  1 cup carrot (2 medium carrots) cut into 3/8" slices - 20m 1 cup  Edamame and mung bean sprout fettuccine  (or other pasta, but cooking time may have to be adjusted) cut into approx. 2" pieces Medium shallot cut into approx. 3/8" cubes (few tablespoonfuls) ginger 1/4 t garlic powder 1/4 t salt Process I put the lentils, water, cumin, turmeric, and carrot into my  Instant Pot  pressure cooker and cooked for 20m (green or brown lentils cook with a 1 to 1.5-2 part ratio lentil to water for 15-20m; I wanted this to be thick so went for minimum water and maximum cook time). After the cooking was ...

I had a pre-packaged combination of barley, peas, and lentils that I bought from Whole Foods Market . The packaged suggested cooking (conventionally, not with pressure; pressure would work but would take much less time, perhaps 1/4 - 1/3 as much) with three times as much water for 23m if one wants soft grains or 10m for tougher grains. I cooked in the prescribed ratio of 1 part to 3 parts water, plus a vegan bouillon cube, a bit of salt, and 1 1/3 cups green tomato (a medium tomato) cut into 3/8" cubes. I forgot how long I cooked for, but believe it was 20-23 minutes. I mixed in a little lemon or lime juice at the end. I had purchased the green tomato from our local farmers' market, and also purchased some frisee, which I used along with tomato as a salad. Grilled artichoke hearts completed the meal. Results The soup was good! I like the textures and the light flavor that the tomato contributed. Ideas for the future I should make more soups with green tomatoes - but it's n...

I have heard of people making curried tomato sauces and found a simple and interesting recipe that I could easily make vegan. It calls for cooking onion, bell pepper, garlic, curry powder, and thyme till vegetables are soft, then adding stewed tomato and simmering for 5m. I thought I'd use fresh tomatoes. I was thinking of making a rich Indian-Italian inspired tomato sauce and mix in artichoke quarters, but as I got going, I thought that I had a good collection of vegetables and that artichokes wouldn't be properly hilighted. Below is what I came up with. By the way, a fellow Food for Life instructor, Cathy Katin-Grazzini, shared today a very nice "cheese" sauce recipe that I should try. Her website is a great resource for healthful vegan cooking. Ingredients 2 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") diced 1 medium shallot, finely (1/8-1/4") diced 3 spring onions cut into 1/2" lengths Medium bell pepper cut into approx. 1/2" squares (about a cup) 3 medium...

I recently bought a nice looking product, organic green lentil lasagne from Explore Cuisine  and decided to make lasagne. These noodles are 50% green lentil flour, and otherwise are made of green pea four and brown rice flour. I like Rao's pasta sauces but have only bought them a few times as they are expensive. They were recently on sale, and I purchased their artichoke sauce . Here is what I did. Ingredients 8 ounce dry uncooked lasagne noodles 2 ounces tempeh cut into thin slices approx. 1/4" x 3" x 3" About 20 ounces marinara or other favorite tomato based sauce Ingredient 2 8 ounces of seitan Vegan bouillon cube 2 cups onion cut into half moon slices approx. 1/4" x 1 1/4" ( maybe 2/3 of a medium onion) 1 1/4 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (3 small-medium carrots) Process In a glass baking dish, I put one noodle down and covered it with ample sauce. I repeated, with less sauce in the middle, and ample sauce again atop. In between two of the top...