this isn’t my cup of tea, really, and it’s a new blog but you might end up liking some stuff.  it’s new but they say they’re about making meaty dishes vegetarian: vegenation.blogspot.com

i’m planning on cooking a lot this weekend so i’ll let you know how that goes. i’ve got red cabbage pickling in my fridge right now that i’m looking forward to eating with black beans, guacamole, and maybe some marinated/baked tofu in taco form.

the pickle recipe sounded complicated but i’ll make some for you. when it stops snowing every saturday, i will come to DC and we’ll get supplies and cook together.  in the meantime, my mom/your twin sent me a sri lankan recipe that looks super good, super healthy, super quick, and moderately easy.

sri lankan dal

Dal
1. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet. (Corn oil is fine, but Sri Lankan homes use coconut.)

2. Add ½ red onion and a few garlic cloves and saute for a few minutes.

3. Add 1 c. soaked red lentils (lori: available in the bulk section in whole foods), 1½ small green chilies, 1 tbsp. each turmeric and curry powder, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, and saute a few minutes.

4. Add enough coconut milk (lori: if you want to be a bit healthier, but less flavorful, you can use light coconut milk. the smell and taste of regular coconut milk is way better, though…) to cover and simmer for about ten minutes, then increase flame to cook at a rolling boil for a few more minutes. Add a little more coconut milk to get the sauce level to your liking and finish with salt.

accompanied with: Onion-Chili Sambol
1. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet and add one finely sliced red onion (the smallest you can find) along with 1 tbsp. tamarind paste and 1 tbsp. chopped pandan leaf. (lori: pandan! i dont know. it’s a thai leaf, see if you can get it.  its purpose is aroma/color so you can probably leave it out. not a substitute, really, but try a bay leaf instead?)

2. Lower flame and add as much finely chopped chili as your mouth can handle.

3. Simmer for about ten minutes, then add ¼ c. sugar to brown. Add salt at the end.

You can serve the onion-chili sambol with the lentils, or anything! the original recipe suggests adding it to grilled cheese which sounds amazing.  it would probably be really good in an omelet or with breakfast potatoes, too.

all vegetarian soup book! some sides and salads to round it out, too.

i made soup while we were on the phone! i finished this whole recipe while we talked so feel free to call me when you make it if you need to pass the time. there’s more cooking involve than i usually have the patience/lack of hunger for but this is a delicious, super hearty soup for next time it’s cold and you have lots of kale to eat.

ribollita from 101 cookbooks.

before you ask me, yes – you need the black olives.  they may seem weird but it really makes the soup. you’ll have LOTS of leftovers (hence the title)  but i’d suggest adding the olives at the end bowl by bowl – not mixing a bunch in after you make it and reheating them.  i didnt add the extra drizzle of oil at the end – who knows, it may be good but i dont think it’s necessary.  pay attention to the chef’s notes, too, because this is a good soup to just use what you have in the pantry.  dont worry about buying crushed tomatoes if you have whole peeled tomatoes, use whatever white beans you have lying around.     matt will say he doesnt like this because of the beans but honestly, everything gets cooked so much that they break down and the soup gets really thick.  otherwise, halve the recipe and just make it for you! matt can have some facebook soup instead…

been a while since the last updated but i decided this morning, i am addressing all blog entries to you because i don’t care if anyone else is reading this. i am still so proud of you for making those cookies! i know the recipe yields a million cookies but when they’re all done (i hope they’re in the fridge! so good that way, trust me), you should try your hand at these carrot-ginger cupcakes. i made them this morning and they were a hit at work! the recipe is originally martha stewart so she makes them look really nice, etc, which i’ll never do – presentation is irrelevant when yr scarfin’ – but the taste is all there.  ‘total yummo’ as my mom would say.  i put little notes where i thought you might need some explanation, hope it helps.

carrot-ginger cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) pecan halves
• 6 carrots (about 7 1/2 ounces), peeled (i hope you have the peeler from the csa! you’ll need it for the carrots and the ginger. you’ll also need a grater that can grate finely – if you have a box grater, the smaller side is fine)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (i hate buying things like this because i’ll never use them again. good substitutes for buttermilk are a-plenty but i think the best for this is a scant 1/4 cup of yogurt – i used 2% greek yogurt – with a little warm water mixed in to thin it out to buttermilk consistency)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• orange-ginger frosting

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan. Transfer to oven, and roast until toasted and brown, about 8 minutes. Give the pan a shake midway through roasting to make sure they roast evenly. Remove pan from oven, and let stand until completely cool. Finely chop pecans, and set aside. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4-inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots to yield 1 3/4 cups (I have a smaller, non-box grater and this took a long time, just to warn you if you’re in the same boat. watch those knuckles!). Place grated carrots, eggs, buttermilk (or yogurt, if you’re subbing), vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture until just combined. Fold in toasted pecans.
4. Using a large metal spoon, fill each cupcake to the top of the paper liner. Bake until a cake tester (i used a toothpick. cake tester? cmon martha. let’s talk to the layperson here) comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Spread about 1/ 4 cup frosting on each cupcake and serve. Store in an airtight container up to two days.

For the frosting:

Makes about 3 cups (this ending up being so much for 12 cupcakes, always is. i might half the recipe next time. a lot of people don’t like cream cheese frosting so i didn’t frost these until i served them because they are kinda like delicious muffins without the frosting.)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (half a stick)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (so messy! 7 hours later i just realized i have confectioner’s sugar all over my shoes)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (you’ll need a fine grater for this too. get an orange with a nice firm peel.)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar, beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add orange zest, grated ginger, and salt. Beat an additional 5 minutes. (oh, lori! electric mixer. even i dont have one of those.  at room temperate, these things are kind of easy to mix by hand.  i’ll admit i microwaved the cream cheese for just 10 seconds.  mixing my hand means a less fluffy consistency but you creamed together butter and sugar, you can cream this together, too! my frosting tasted just as good as i wanted but is a little thinner than martha’s i’m sure.  no one even noticed as they gulped ‘em down in one bite!)

that’s it.  except for grating a million carrots with a shitty grater, these were super easy and well worth it.  got me a free pass for being 90 minutes late to work, that’s for sure!

next up, something savory.  i’ve been cooking so much. i wish you lived next door.

always,

julia

Quinoa salad with tempeh (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa (about 1 cup raw – Matt, this is super cheap in the bulk/grain aisle of whole foods)
3 tbsp peanut, canola, or other neutral oil
4 oz tempeh, crumbled
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp slivered garlic
1 cup mung bean sprouts (optional, recommended)
1 tomato, chopped (optional, recommended)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallion for garnish
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (EW, do not want.)

1. Cook the quinoa. Drain in a strainer, if necessary, and rinse. (Matt – quinoa is like rice but so much easier if you haven’t made it before.  1 cup raw tempeh needs 2 cups of water. bring to a boil in a saucepan, then cover, lower the heat, and let cook at a low temp for 12-15 minutes until water is absorbed and you can see the little curly q’s in each piece of quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, put the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tempeh and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minutes or two, then add the bean sprouts and tomato, stir, and turn off the heat. Stir in the vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce and transfer to a bowl.

3. When the quinoa is cooled, toss it with the tempeh mixture. Taste and add salt if necessary (I put a dash of soy instead of salt) and a healthy sprinkling of black pepper. Garnish with scallion and think of how gross cilantro is and how you’re so happy you didn’t put it on the delicious food you just made.

Tofu Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce *you can use sweet chili sauce or any other sweet + spicy sauce like this. i mixed a polynesian sauce with sriracha so just see what’s available at the store*
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce *dark or regs, all the same to me*
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and diced
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed *trim off ends and cut each snow pea into approx three pieces*
• 2 small carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix the chili sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Place tofu in the mixture, and marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Immerse the snow peas in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then immerse in a a bowl of cold water. Drain, and set aside.
3. Toss the peas, carrots, cabbage, and peanuts with the tofu and marinade to serve.

this recipe is super easy. the chopping usually takes more time than anything and it doesn’t have to be perfect. just in bite size pieces.  once you make it, you’ll get the hang of it for future attempts. super great for lunch! while matt is having his fancy takeout lunches, you can have your fancy homemade lunches.

take a tbsp of olive oil and heat it up in a small skillet. when oil is hot, sautee a tsp or so of both fresh chopped garlic and fresh peeled and chopped/grated ginger.  cook em up a lil bit, then throw in a tbsp of soy and the green beans in (this recipe is prob for a cup of beans, so adjust ingredients if you’re making more).  cut the green beans into smaller pieces if you want – not necessary. top with toasted sesame seeds! (to toast yr sesame seeds, just throw a handful on yr baking tray in the toaster over for a min or two. don’t let em burn!!)