Ratatouille from Alice Waters

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14j-HNQFZ3T0eorLTi6jK9J2YuQ8xtNpz/view?usp=drivesdk

Ingredients 1/2 cup Basmati Rice 1 cup Mung Dal (split yellow) 6 cups (approx.) Water 1/2 to 1 inch Ginger Root, chopped or grated a bit of Mineral Salt (1/4 tsp. or so) 2 tsp. Ghee 1/2 tsp. Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp. Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp. Whole Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp. Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing) Handful Fresh Cilantro Leaves 1 and 1/2 cups Assorted Vegetables (optional)

Kitchari means mixture, usually of two grains. This is one kitchari recipe that is particularly nourishing and easy to digest. Please note the options below for some alternatives. Options Vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, sweet potato For Vata or Kapha conditions: add a pinch of ginger powder For Pitta: leave out the mustard seeds

Preparation Carefully pick over rice and dal to remove any stones. Wash each separately in at least 2 changes of water. Add the 6 cups of water to the rice and dal and cook covered until it becomes soft, about 20 minutes. While that is cooking, prepare any vegetables that suit your constitution. Cut them into smallish pieces. Add the vegetables to the cooked rice and dal mixture and cook 10 minutes longer. In a separate saucepan, sauté the seeds in the ghee until they pop. Then add the other spices. Stir together to release the flavors. Stir the sautéed spices into the cooked dal, rice, and vegetable mixture. Add the mineral salt and chopped fresh cilantro and serve. Caution: Kitchari mono-diet can lead to constipation if taken exclusively for several days, as it is low in fiber. To ensure proper elimination, the following may prove helpful if taken once a day, away from kitchari meals: psyllium husks or seeds with water OR oat bran OR prune juice. Teas for each Constitution Vata Tea — equal parts ground ginger, cumin and coriander Pitta Tea — equal parts ground cumin, coriander and fennel Kapha Tea — equal parts ground ginger, cinnamon, and a pinch of clove

Stir Fry Fridays

A new resolution is home cooked food every Friday, what better way than a mix and match stir fry tradition?

This week I used red pepper, carrots, onion, broccoli, tofu, pineapple, and cashews with a cheaty bottle of Kikkoman's stir fry sauce! All over jasmine rice. Delicious! Next week I may try a shrimp version...

Apple cake

I have 5 apples and have been dreaming about apple cake. They are too small for pie. Years ago I had a recipe for an apple cake that was very tart-like, it was so easy and looked spectacular! It was a very thick dough that I patted out onto a cookie sheet. Then sliced and layered the apples in three rows like a ladder, pushing them into the dough. I can't find that recipe now. Everything I have found so far this morning is too involved and not the kind of baking I like. I may just trust my instincts and see what happens. But I would love to find that old recipe I had. 

Penne fra diavolo

From a cooking show on PBS!
http://christinacooks.com/best-vegan-recipe/penne-fra-diavolo

Penne Fra Diavolo

Daring and spicy, this pasta sauce will make for a smokin’ hot dinner! The fact that it’s loaded with antioxidants and stimulates circulation, which promotes heart health, just adds to its “heat.”
Makes 4–5 servings

Ingredients
Extra- virgin olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
3 cups whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon capers, drained, but not rinsed
½ cup oil- cured black olives, pitted, left whole
1 pound whole- wheat or pure semolina penne
3–4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves removed, coarsely chopped
Directions
Place a generous amount of oil (about 3 tablespoons) and garlic in a deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Do not let it brown. Stir in tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, capers, and olives. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25–30 minutes to fully develop the flavors.
While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of water to a boil with a generous pinch of salt. Cook the penne al dente, 8–9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the penne right to the sauce and stir well. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil. Serve hot.

Crock pot! Mushroom and barley stew

I have a small, 4 cup crock pot, so this recipe is based on that size. Double for larger.

3/4 c barley
6 -8 mushrooms, sliced (I used Baby Bella's)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 veggie bouillon cubes
1 T red wine
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1T soy sauce
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh rosemary, medium sprig
I bay leaf
1-2 T olive or favorite cooking oil
4 cups water

Coat crock pot with a little oil. Put all ingredients into pot, stir. Cook at low for 8 hours. Smelled heavenly when I got home from work & class. I ate it plain but you could add more broth or water for a soup, serve with salad or sautéed greens. Gets thicker in the fridge (ie, sludge) so thin with broth or water for leftovers.

Crock pot! Black bean & sweet potato chili

1T chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped (or 3 T cocoa+1 T oil)
2 t ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
1T chili powder
1/2 t cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 green or other bell pepper, diced
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, lime, sour cream garnishes

Coat inside of slow cooker with cooking oil. Combine all ingredients in cooker, set on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with toppings in bowl, or in tortillas, or as part huevos rancheros, or with chips as a hot dip. Michelle & Corn loved it!

Homemade Granola Bars

these look great and pretty easy!

2012 Ree Drummond, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

15 min

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 servings

Ingredients

• 6 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups rice cereal
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
• 8 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, toss the oats with the canola oil, melted butter and salt. Spread the mixture out on 2 baking sheets and toast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan twice and making sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, apple juice and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring until all combined. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat.
Toss together the toasted oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, pecans and almonds. Pour in the sugar mixture, stirring as you pour. Toss to combine; it will be sticky.
Press into 1 baking sheet (thoroughly greased with butter) and bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut pieces with a sharp knife and remove from the pan. You can cut them while they're still warm if that's easier.
Dip the cooled granola bars straight into the melted chocolate so that the top is plain and the bottom is chocolate-covered. Set on parchment until set, sticking in the fridge to hasten this along if necessary.

To build the blood, eat red foods!

I bought fresh dill and a baguette, and am enjoying with a homemade white bean hummus.

Red Cabbage and Beet Soup

Details

• Prep Time:
  16 min
• Cook Time:
  35 min
• Ready Time:
  51 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

• One head red cabbage chopped
• 2 or three roasted beet roots can or jar beets will work too
• One onion
• One carrot
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• ½ bottle red wine

Directions

Put the onions, garlic and carrots in a food prep and blitz until you have crud now hot pot, olive oil sauté them until they have the rawness cooked out of them and they are soft but no color.
Now add the red wine and reduce to almost ¼, now add the cabbage, beets and veg stock and let cook for about an hour check for seasoning along the way. You can serve it rustic like this but I like to blend ¾ of it and add it back to the remaining soup so you still have some rough chopped cabbage for texture.
I serve it with a little Cumin Sour Cream (mix lemon or lime juice with sour cream and cumin to taste) and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. This is a truly delicious vegetarian soup that meat eaters would appreciate.

Minestrone soup

So delicious and easy. From Jennifer Jones' cooking class in Madison, Wi.

Crock and roll!

Just bought a small crock pot for the winter and found some great recipes on the web from applesauce to curry. Not your grandma's crock pot! Of course I still plan to try the traditional spinach artichoke dip recipe...

Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing

I was looking for a greek yogurt recipe that would provide a cool counterpoint to an Indian-inspired dinner of coconut rice (plain jasmine rice made with a combination of coconut milk and water, simmered with a pinch of salt and a cinnamon stick) with a chickpea masala (posted earlier on EWAP, here).

Most recipes I came across online focused only on greek flavors so I tried this recipe from Jesse Brune's website and it went quite well. I didn't add the salt or pepper and used ground garlic powder rather than fresh. It is rather thick, which I liked. I recommend adjusting the lemon juice to achieve your desired consistency, or add a little water to thin. I think it would be good thick as a veggie dip or sandwich spread, which I plan to do for lunches this week.

Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 c. Plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Lemon or Lime juice
• 1 shallot, minced or 2 green onions (minus the stem), minced
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• sea salt + pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions:
Simply place all the items in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix with a fork or whisk.  Save the salt+pepper for last, so you avoid over salting… just gradually incorporate the s+p at the end – until the desired taste is achieved.

Oven-baked zucchini sticks

Dad emailed this recipe for zucchini sticks that are oven-baked from cooking.com, who adapted it from Eating Well. These would be great as an appetizer, side dish or tossed with pasta of a similar size, a little cheese & lemon juice for a main dish.

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks Source: © EatingWell Magazine
Active Time:  20 Minutes Total Time:  30 Minutes 4 servings
Every bit as good as the restaurant-appetizer version--no deep fryer required. INGREDIENTS Canola oil cooking spray 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons cornmeal 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-by-3-inch sticks 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a large sealable plastic bag. Dip zucchini in egg white, shake in the bag to coat, and arrange, not touching, on the baking sheet. Coat all exposed sides with cooking spray. Bake on the center rack for 7 minutes. Turn the zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Recipe reprinted by permission of © EatingWell Magazine. All rights reserved.

Recipes for Health - Red Chilaquiles With Chicken - NYTimes.com

In Baja California Sur, Mexico, Rancho Pescadero's chilaquiles were my first, and I had them twice in one week! Because it was vacation, I didn't count calories as I hardly sat down the whole time, and never in front of a glowing screen...heaven.

This recipe from the New York Times "Recipes for Health" column makes the traditional hangover cure a little easier on the body and I will try it soon and report back on its flavor and ease. I have to admit that don't think I'll be waiting for a hangover to make them, though:

Recipes for Health - Red Chilaquiles With Chicken - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Chickpea Salad

I have been on a chickpea junket lately and found this recipe tonight to try! Sounds so good, I'll review and post my thoughts soon!

http://thishomemadelife.com/chickpea-salad

Curry-spiced Carrot soup

This is a recipe I just made for the first time this past Sunday, and recommend it if you enjoyed the roasted squash bisque recipe from a few months ago! From the book, 300 sensational soups by snyders & deeds

It can be a little bland on its own but with cilantro and other garnishes such as crunchy croutons you can add some strong flavors. Also try adding an extra teaspoon curry powder, and next time I'm going to try and add some heat to give it a little spice!

2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
8 medium carrots, chopped
2 small-medium onions, chopped finely
6 c vegetable broth (try homemade, you won't believe how much better it makes any recipe taste!! **)
1/2 c white rice
2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c half and half (10%) cream or coconut milk
1/4 c fresh cilantro minced

In a large pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 6 minutes.

Add carrots, curry powder and salt, saute until carrots start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add stock and bring to a boil.

Add rice, reduce heat and simmer until carrots and rice are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a blender or a food processor - in batches - puree soup until smooth. Return to the pot, if necessary, and stir in lemon juice, salt and peppper to taste.

Stir in cream and reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming. Do not let boil.

Ladle into heated bowls, garnish with cilantro.


**
Homemade Vegetable Broth

Stir fry rough-chopped 4 carrots, 4 celery stalks, 1-2 turnips, 1 onion in 2 tbs olive oil for 5-7 minutes
Add a few pinches of salt and a little thyme, (or spice however you like), stir fry 30 seconds to 1 minute more
Add 6-8 cups water.
Bring to a boil, simmer for 35-95 minutes (depending on how much time you have.. the longer the better), strain and use as normally.
The extra freezes well and is useful for those recipes where you only need 1/2 cup or a cup of broth mid-week!

Vegan Beer - Vegan Wine - Vegan Liquor

Just came across this--I never knew about the frequent use of animal products to filter drinks.

Vegan Beer - Vegan Wine - Vegan Liquor: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Healthy comfort foods

When the weather is  cold, you want sauce and noodles, and creamy food like mac and cheese and casseroles. Canned soups, butter and cream are used to make white sauces for these dishes that is loaded with fat and calories. Try this super easy and fast vegan white sauce for a healthier alternative. To make it gluten free, use cornstarch instead of the flour. You could even use it as a white gravy over potatoes or breakfast biscuits! Make endless variations by changing the liquid to broth (now this is starting to sound like the delicious veggie gravy we had at Thanksgiving!)

Tasty whole grains and canned beans recipes from the pantry

This is a great slideshow from the NYTimes that might have the most diehard meat-eater wanting to sample the mostly veg recipes. They are lovingly shot and most include grains that you can buy in bulk and store in your cabinets. The next time you think there's nothing to eat, turn to these ideas.

Stealing recipe ideas from stores & restaurants

Breaking out of the food rut. Sometimes it seems like I am eating the same things over and over. That's when it's time to look for inspiration. Instead of starting with cookbooks, start by looking at stores with good deli items or the menus of restaurants you love then hit the cookbooks or online recipes and make your own versions of those items. I've ordered some of these 500 calories, 4 minute veggie meals from Fresh Direct in the past when I was working full time and trying to finish my thesis. Some of them were great with a lot of flavor, others ho-hum. But they all shook me out of the rice and beans mode when I had more time to cook and they helped me add protein options other than tofu and beans!