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Samosa Potato Salad

samosa potato salad

This is what happens when a favorite Indian street food and a favorite picnic dish collide in my thoughts at 3 a.m. The amount of cayenne can be varied to alter the spiciness, but the 1/4 teaspoon called for in the recipe adds just enough for most tastes, while keeping the other flavors balanced. Use a good quality curry powder.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. small yellow potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 C yellow onion, diced (about 1 medium onion)
4 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 3/4 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/4 C mayonnaise (use Vegenaise to make it vegan)
3/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1 C green peas, cooked

Directions:
In a large pot, boil potatoes in lightly salted water just until tender. Drain and set aside.

Return pan to medium heat; add olive oil. Add onions, curry, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Saute until onions are tender and spices are fragrant. Remove from heat. Add lime juice, mayonnaise, and cilantro.

Combine peas, potatoes, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Chill for an hour before serving.

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By Rachel – May 13, 2012

The Tell-Tale Tart

The Tell-Tale Tart

My entry, The Tell-Tale Tart, won the prize for Funniest/Punniest entry in this year’s Edible Book Festival, sponsored by the University of Illinois Library. It’s based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, of course.

Here’s a bit of background on the festival, from the Library website:

Around April 1st, bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers around the world gather to celebrate the book arts and the (literal!) ingestion of culture. Participants create an “edible book,” which can be inspired by a favorite tale, involve a pun on a famous title, or simply be in the shape of a book (or scroll, or tablet, etc). All entries will be exhibited, documented, then EATEN!

The tart is filled with strawberries, strawberry glaze, and a human heart sculpted from marzipan. Despite the gruesome appearance, it’s totally vegan. Marie Callender’s frozen pie crust saves the day! I STILL can’t seem to make a decent crust. I’m still trying, but this is one of the things I’m willing to cheat on for now.

Several people were grossed out by the realistic human heart nestled in a sea of glistening, gelatinous goo. Their disgust really touched… my heart. *rimshot* Those who were able to get past the realism found the combination of strawberries and almonds to be quite tasty. I guess they… took a piece of my heart along with them. *rimshot*

“Thank you very much, I’ll be here all week. Please tip your waitstaff.”

My fabulous prize included not one but TWO rubber chickens: a full-size chicken and his keychain-sized cousin.

This great idea was courtesy of my literature-loving friend, Noah. The original idea involved making the heart beat somehow, which would have been even more awesome. Thank you!

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By Rachel – April 2, 2012

Tamales

I believe Amelia (Common Ground deli manager extraordinaire) when she says tamales aren’t that much work… if you make them with a friend (or co-worker, in her case).

I’ve made the latest batch on my own, and if took much less time than it did a few years ago when I made them for the first time. After rolling about 30-40 of them, I can see how boredom would set in. I had enough stamina to last through about one package of husks.

Here is a video that’s as close to my favorite rolling technique as I’ve seen. I prefer to leave more space (1/2 inch?) from the open “top” of the tamale since the dough expands when cooked. I like this method because there’s no tying involved. If you fill your steamer with tamales standing on the closed end, they will stay closed.

The dough recipe I used comes from Veganomicon. I used canola oil instead of corn oil, which turned out alright. The ingredients are simple and quick to mix.

My filling was a simple mixture of coarsely-mashed pinto beans, baked and diced sweet potatoes, tomato paste, cumin, and ground chipotle peppers. Next time, I’ll make smaller batches of a variety of fillings. I’ll also use double the amount of chipotle (2 dried peppers, freshly ground, with most of the seeds) since the relatively bland dough mutes the filling’s flavors. If you try your filling by itself and it seems spicy enough, it won’t be once it’s inside the tamales. Add more spice.

The “sauce” for these tamales was Green Pumpkin Seed Mole from Veganomicon. I used fresh roasted tomatillos instead of canned – about 5 tomatillos, but I think it could have used 7 or 8. I like tomatillos a lot, and they’re so easy to use. I’ll be making green sauces more often!

To roast the tomatillos, remove the paper skins, rinse, cut in half horizontally, and broil on a lightly-oiled sheet pan until some black spots appear.

This mole also makes a good spread for sandwiches or dip for fresh vegetables. Like any other Veganomicon recipe, it makes a ton – so enjoy the leftovers.

Tamales freeze very well and work great for packed lunches. Toss them into a bag or container, and either re-steam or microwave in their husks to reheat.

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By Rachel – March 2, 2012

Good Oatmeal, Bad Pictures

cranberry pecan oatmealI keep forgetting to take my camera with me, so I don’t have many pictures of recent lunches. I do have a very bad picture of the very tasty oatmeal I made, with orange-flavored dried cranberries, pecans, and cinnamon. I am no longer allowed to post iPod photos when they’re this horrible, right? Gotta have standards.

One recent lunch was what I like to call “what people think vegetarians eat”: kale and tofu. The kale was sauteed with onions, garlic, and mushrooms. The tofu was baked with a random soy-ginger-sesame marinade I threw together. Lance packed the other tofu flavor, a smoky black pepper marinade, in his lunch.

Here are some interesting articles I came across this week- and some from the archives since I haven’t posted in a while:

The New Indian Pariahs: Vegetarians
Today’s Indian meals are becoming more meat-centric, partly as a result of Western influence and the elevation of meat as a status symbol. India is home to many religious traditions that limit or entirely eschew meat consumption, so this is quite a cultural shift. I’m sure it will become an environmental shift as well, as one of the largest concentrations of herbivorous people transitions to a diet that puts a lot more stress on their scarce natural resources. And perhaps it’s not coincidental that heart disease has become India’s number one killer.

Only one out of 500 kids eat a single serving of dark green leafy vegetables per day.
Vegan Linda shared a video recently from Dr. Michael Greger on NutritionFacts.org with data that demonstrates that many Americans barely eat any vegetables or fruit at all. Nearly the entire U.S. population is not even on par with dietary recommendations from 2005, which Greger admits are quite lax. A very large number of people aren’t consuming a single serving of fruit per day. What are we doing to ourselves?

Sweet Potatoes and Yams: What’s the Difference?
The U.S. government has perpetuated the error of labeling sweet potatoes “yams.” Thanks, Uncle Sam! This article will help you tell the difference between the two.

Weird Al talks about being vegetarian on “WTF with Marc Maron”
As if I needed another reason to like Weird Al! He’s been vegetarian since 1992, and recently teamed up with sardonic podcaster Marc Maron to talk about his musical career and veg lifestyle.

Eight vegetarian ways to get more Omega 3′s in your diet
While fish or fish oil supplements are the most common dietary source of this important polyunsaturated fat, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan ways to get your omega-3′s. I was surprised to see cauliflower on the list.

 

 

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By Rachel – February 29, 2012

Sauerkraut Kielbasa Soup

vegan sauerkraut kielbasa soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 cups cubed potatoes (yukon gold or red)
1 package Tofurkey Kielbasa – sliced lengthwise, then into 1/2-inch pieces
16 oz sauerkraut, drained (I like Hengstenberg, it’s made with white wine)
10 cups water
3 tbsp + 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken broth concentrate
1/4 tsp ground marjoram
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
In large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add sliced kielbasa, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boiling, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45-50 minutes (or longer), until carrots and potatoes are tender.

Makes about 12 servings.

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By Rachel – February 8, 2012

I don’t miss burgers.

This is one reason. Who wants this in their blood?

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By Rachel – February 6, 2012

Vegan Spinach Balls (revised)

vegan spinach balls

Spinach balls are a family-favorite appetizer. The original recipe calls for eggs, butter, and parmesan cheese. These are veganized with golden flax meal (Omega 3′s!), nutritional yeast in place of parmesan cheese, and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. The whole cup of Earth Balance (see update below) hardly qualifies them as health food, but they have a lot of protein and no cholesterol, unlike the original.

UPDATE (2/5/12): I reduced the amount of Earth Balance in the recipe to 3/4 cup, with good results. I think I could reduce it even more. The amount of nutritional yeast has also been modified to compensate for the lower amount of moisture. They still disappeared at our latest party.

Vegan Spinach Balls

Makes about 48 balls

Ingredients:
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned stuffing
2 cups minced white onion
6 tbsp golden flax seed meal
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (1 1/2 half-cup sticks), melted
3/4 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp granulated garlic (not garlic salt)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, grease your cookie sheets well.

In a large bowl, whisk flax seed meal with 3/4 cup water. Let stand until mixture thickens.

Add melted Earth Balance, spinach, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Mix well. (It will be thick.)

Add stuffing mix and stir well. You may have to add a bit more water if the mixture is too dry.

Using a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon, or a small ice cream scoop of equivalent size, roll approximately 2 tbsp of the mixture into a ball. If the mixture gets too sticky, wet your hands a bit to make the process easier. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. You should have about 48 balls.

Bake for 20 minutes, until balls are golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Balls will be soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.

 

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By Rachel – February 5, 2012

Fast food, fat profits: obesity in America

I’ve been working on a post for many weeks on obesity, and it’s mostly summarized with this video.

If this pisses you off – and it should – remember to vote with your dollars. Stop eating fast food. Eat more vegetables. Teach someone how to cook. Support local farmers.

Each dollar you keep from the corporate food machine is one less that they have to buy away our future.

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By Rachel – February 4, 2012

Quinoa Taters

mushroom walnut loaf, quinoa mashed potatoes, sesame green beans, cornbread

The pinnacle of my dining-out experiences this week was the deliciously square meal pictured above: mushroom walnut loaf and quinoa mashed potatoes topped with delicious vegan gravy. It’s served beside sesame green beans and cornbread. This is one of the best meals I’ve ever had, at the Red Herring or otherwise.

These mashed potatoes… with red quinoa? Yes, please. The next time you think someone’s about to ask, “where do you get your protein?”, put a plate of these in front of them (with gravy, of course) and they’ll be too busy inhaling them to ask. (Quinoa is a protein-rich grain – 8 grams per cup, cooked. A medium red potato with skin on has 4 grams too.)

quinoa taters

Let’s have a close-up shot of those taters, shall we? The camera loves you, baby.

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By Rachel – February 3, 2012

Misato Radishes and Random Nut Cheese

misato radishes and random nut cheese

The little watermelon-like veggies in the box are called misato radishes. I first encountered them locally at an open house for doGood Consulting, where a friend of mine featured local foods prepared by a local chef. I remember having a good time, petting a hairless wonder-cat (adorable!), and sampling these intriguing (and delicious) radishes. I am not a huge fan of radishes. Sometimes they give me an (extremely rare) case of heartburn. I guess pretty food matters!

The misato variety of radish, appropriately dubbed “watermelon radish”, is a winter variety. I was surprised by the lack of information on this variety when searching for “misato radish”. A search for “watermelon radish” reveals a bit more. The taste is much like a regular radish: a mix of sweet and peppery. I peeled my radish before slicing, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I also skipped the very spicy and bitter slices near the end. The outer flesh has a lot more bite, and the end slices which contained most of that flesh weren’t tasty. Radishes have nearly as much potassium as a banana, and are a good source of fiber.

Misato radishes may pop up at farmers markets in the fall, or at your local co-op in the middle of winter. This radish is from Blue Moon Farm.

I enjoyed my radish as a snack with some cucumbers and a vegan cashew cheese spread. The recipe is random, and contains about 1.5 cups of soaked raw cashews, some white miso, garlic, white pepper, rice wine, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and salt. It’s like a smoky cheese spread.

 

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By Rachel – February 2, 2012