Chipotle Split Pea Soup

I love Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. Whenever I see a recipe with those in it, I think "Whee!" and prepare my taste buds for joy (also for the burn, since I don't have much tolerance for spicy heat). The Chipotle is dried, smoked jalapeno pepper. The Adobo sauce gives the pepper even more of a smoky taste, like barbecue, which is fantastic. These can be found in 7.5 ounce cans in the Mexican section of most stores. In this particular recipe, a Chipotle pepper or two replaces the traditional ham hock. It's a nice twist!

Chipotle Split Pea Soup

2 cups dried split peas
8 cups boiling water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper, finely cut, to taste
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
salt to taste

- Simmer the split peas in boiling water until soft, usually about 1 hour (When pot starts boiling to overflowing, lower heat to med-low).
- Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender. Add more water as needed- about 2 cups.
-Serve with oven-warmed crusty bread.

Orange Glazed Stir Fry

This was really good! I enjoyed the sweet citrus-y flavor.

Orange Glazed Veggie Stir Fry

Serves 2
Serve with rice!

2 garlic cloves
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 TBS orange juice
1 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 TBS soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
Half a red pepper, sliced into strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sliced mushrooms
20 baby carrots, halved lengthwise
small can of watercress, drained

- In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, water, and sugar.

- In a small skillet over medium heat, saute the green onion and ginger. In one minute, add the garlic and saute briefly. Don't let the garlic caramelize- it will get very bitter.

- Meanwhile, in a wok or large skillet, add peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots and watercress over medium heat

- Add the sauce mixture to the garlic, onion and ginger. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes and then add into veggies.

- Cover skillet or wok (I used an upside-down plate, which worked okay). Let sauce reduce with the veggies for a few minutes, and enjoy while hot. Serve over rice to absorb the extra liquid.

Ehhh....

One thing I ate lots of as a child was macaroni and hamburger casseroles. I'd drench it in ketchup (so annoyed, in my childish way, that our bottle had spelled it "Catsup"), smear it all together in a nauseating mess, and happily eat away. Well, tonights "Hamburger" and Macaroni Casserole was a valiant attempt at re-creating an easy, homey, filling meal. You win some, you lose some...this one's lost like a child in the forest without breadcrumbs. So instead of posting that superlatively sickening recipe, it seems appropriate to introduce you to James Lilek's Gallery of Regrettable Food.

"This is a simple introduction to poorly photographed foodstuffs and horrid recipes. It's a wonder anyone in the 40s, 50s and 60s gained any weight; it's a miracle that people didn't put down their issue of Life magazine with a slight queasy list to their gut, and decide to sup on a nice bowl of shredded wheat and nothing else."

Spinach Salads

"On the subject of spinach: divide into little piles. Rearrange again into new piles. After five of six maneuvers, sit back and say you are full."
Delia Ephron, How To Eat Like A Child

Vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, iron, magnesium, riboflavin, folate; all these benefits make spinach a wonder-food in my book. Here is a great place to learn more about the health benefits of spinach. On some days when you don't feel like a big meal, a delicious, light salad fits the bill perfectly. From March until May, spinach is in season and can be paired with fruits for the most mouthwatering salads. Here are two favorites!

Note: Be sure to wash the leaves thoroughly to protect yourself from e. coli. If you like to play fast and loose with spinach-washing, just take a minute to think about how e. coli gets on the spinach. Either way, here's some brain soap to get that image out of your mind: kitten with dandelion.

Sumptuous Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 red or yellow bell pepper cut into strips
1/4 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 orange, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 TBS sesame seeds
2 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
1 TBS orange juice concentrate
1 TBS water

Trim the spinach stems and carefully wash the leaves. Dry with paper towels, then tear any large leaves into bite-size pieces. Place in a salad bowl along with the pepper, onion and orange slices.
Toast the sesame seeds in a 400 degree toaster oven or oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and grind into a powder. Add the vinegar, orange juice concentrate, and water. Blend to mix. Pour over salad and toss just before serving. Serves 4-6.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

12 oz fresh spinach leaves
1 qt fresh strawberries- hulled and quartered
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. grated onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika

-Wash spinach and dry between paper towels. Tear into bite-size pieces. Toss together spinach, strawberries, and sesame seeds in a large bowl; set aside.
-In a separate bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vinegar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
-Pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Tamale Pie

Probably one of the most difficult parts of converting to a vegan diet (when you've all grown up on fast food), is coaxing along the more vegan-reluctant family members.
Where the sometimes-unfamiliar foods and ingredients are concerned: I like to stick to dishes that aren't too far away from the usual fare such as pastas, beans, rice, etc., for my guys here at home, and experiment with the more exotic meals for myself when I'm feeling brave. Step by step we're all developing new palates, and some families are more adventurous than others! This recipe is one of the staff-of-life dishes that I tried out from "The Mother Earth News" magazine (Jan.-Feb. 1985!). If you live in Redding, you can find lots of these great back-issues of it at Cal's Books.

Tamale Pie

Group 1:
2 cups rinsed canned pinto or kidney beans
1 TBS tomato paste
3TBS water
2TBS oil
1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup corn
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 chopped celery

Group 2:
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup soy cheese shreds (or more as needed)

Grind the beans in a blender, combine the tomato paste with the water, then set these aside while you saute the onion in the oil. Combine all the Group 1 ingredients and let them cook over medium heat, stirring to prevent the beans from sticking. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Next combine all the ingredients in Group 2 except the cheese, in a heavy skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cornmeal thickens and comes to a boil. Then spread 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture over the bottom and sides of a greased 8x8 pan...pour the bean mixture into the cornmeal crust...and spread the remaining cornmeal on top. Sprinkle the top crust with the cheese and cook in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Serve with IMO and hot sauce if desired.

Alfredo-Style Fettucini

Ideally, cooking is a contemplative time; accompanied by peaceful, rhythmic striding from cupboard to stove, stove to fridge and back. I like to listen to NPR, Sarah Brightman or soundtracks from movies while I prepare food, and I enjoy this especially on Saturday mornings when everyone else is asleep. The reality is much more chaotic, though. Last night was a typical example: the Siamese kitten came out of the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen (which houses the cat boxes) looking strangely sheepish, which was soon followed by a mad dash by the humans to light 15 or so candles. Jasper the Goat (who loves to escape and roam the neighborhood and has to be tied to a goat-run) apparently had stood up on his hind legs and circled while revolving around the olive tree five or six times while eating the leaves. This means he was tied to a tree standing up, and with a drama known only to goats, he was bleating to a world about kidnapping, ransom and hostage. After he was freed, and once again things were back to business in the kitchen, my sister ran in to inform me, horrified, that the dog was scooting around on the wooden living room floor on his heinie.

A woman from our parish church once told me that prayer for your loved ones while you prepare a meal will nurture your family spiritually as well as physically. Unfortunately, I tend to sound something like Jasper when I pray in the kitchen; unintelligible bleating for mercy, usually when the oven starts smoking.

After such hard work, I think of the old saying: "Hunger is the best sauce". After all this chaos, the food has a pretty good sauce!

Should take 30 minutes. Found at PCRM Nutrition.

Alfredo-Style Fettuccine

1TBS olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 TBS dry white wine
1/3 C blanched almonds
6 oz silken tofu

1 TBS white miso paste (found at orchard nutrition)
1 1/2 C soy milk
1/2 tsp or more to taste
dash ground nutmeg
dash cayenne
1 lb fettuccine
2 TBS minced fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook without browning, until the onion is tender, about5-7 minutes. Stir in the wine and set aside.
Finely ground the almonds in a blender or food processor. Add the reserved onion mixture and puree until smooth. Add the tofu and miso and process until blended. Add 1 cup of soy milk and the salt, nutmeg and cayenne and process until smooth. Slowly add as much of the remaining soy milk as necessary until the desired consistency is reached.
Transfer the sauce t a saucepan and heat over low heat. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready.
Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of boiling, salted water until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well and place i a shallow serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss to combine.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

Introduction

Vegetarian: A person who eats only side dishes. ~Gerald Lieberman

Coming from someone who is what I've heard termed a "lip-smacking carnivore", a vegan recipe blog might seem a little quirky. There's something so appealing about simple, whole meals at home. It's a perfect antidote to the frenetic, commercialised bombardment on our psyches that we experience when we step out into the world. Nothing is so enjoyable as good meal at the end of a busy, full day, and the above quote doesn't have to be true (about vegetarians or vegans). Learning to be satisfied with simple, natural food is a process for some of us (!) but physically and spiritually we all feel so good at the end of Lent, in part because of our diet.

Please note that I'm not a natural or "knacky" cook. I love to try out recipes but don't really experiment at all yet! So these recipes are mostly from friends, cookbooks, or internet sites, and where possible I will give the source.

I found this gem some time ago from the "101cookbooks"website. It's so good on blustery days, but I've discovered it's good chilled too, on warmer days. Toasted, lightly salted pumpkin seeds are delicious for accompanying this. Have some good, coarse, crunchy bread warmed up to dip it up with also!

Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

(Remember: different Thai curry spices have different strengths. Start slow, and add the past until the soup has the warmth that tastes best to you.)

2 acorn squash, pumpkin, or other smallish winter squash
3 TBS margarine, room temperature
1 14 ounce can of coconut milk
1 tsp (or more) red Thai curry paste
water
2 tsp fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place oven racks in the middle.

Carefully cut each squash/pumpkin into halves or quarters. Slather each piece of squash with butter, sprinkle generously with salt, place on a baking sheet skins ides down, and place in the oven. Roast for about an hour or until the squash is tender throughout.

When the pumpkin/squash is cool enough to handle, scoop it into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender. You should have a very thick base at this point. Now add water a cup at a time, pureeing between additions until the soup is the consistency you prefer- a light vegetable stock would work here as well. Bring up to a simmer again and add the salt (and more curry paste if you like). Serves 6.