Best Autumnal Casserole

I came across this recipe yesterday when it was posted by One Green Planet. I follow them on Facebook and they often share the most awesome looking recipes.  This one seemed so easy to make (read painless) that I knew I had to try it. I would have made it yesterday except we didn't go grocery shopping until this morning and I had nothing at home except the spices I needed. The reason I say this recipe was painless is because even though it takes an hour or more to get to the table, your total effort is probably less than 15 minutes. Also, my adapted version is made with completely whole, minimally -processed, ingredients (I sub'd Tofurkey sausage with canned pinto beans) and used no butter or oil. 

The Best Fall Casserole

Adapted from: One Green Planet - The Best Fall Casserole

Prep Time: 15 min + ~1 hour in the oven

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1.5 lb Red Potatoes (cleaned, diced into large chunks)
2. 1 lb bag of Crinkle-Cut carrots
3. 1 Large Green Bell pepper
4. 1/2 Large Yellow onion
5. 1/2 Large Red Onion
6. 1 tsp powdered garlic
7. 1 tsp Red pepper flakes
8. 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
9. 1/4 tsp Sea salt
10. 1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
11. 1/4 tsp dried Parsley
12. 1 3/4 cups Home-made Vegetable broth
13. 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
14. 1 cup Canned Beans (I used Pinto)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Meanwhile cut red onion into large chunks and line the bottom of a heavy baking pot with the onion. Next, add a layer of crinkle cut carrots and top off with large chunks of white onions.

Wash thoroughly with a vegetable brush, remove any dirt-filled eyes, and cut potatoes into large bite-sized chunks. I did not peel the potatoes as I prefer to leave the extra nutrients and fiber in my veggies. Add potatoes as your fourth layer and top off with chunks of green bell pepper. 

Finally, on top, add a layer of beans. I used pinto beans today but I think any kind of bean would work well in this casserole. Feel free to use red kidney beans or even any variety of white beans. The purpose is basically to add a source of complex carbohydrates and protein. In a small bowl, mix all the spices with the vegetable broth and balsamic vinegar, and pour over the veggies in your baking dish. Cover, and place the entire pot in the oven for about an hour. Check to make sure that the potatoes are tender and it's done. Turn off oven and let sit until ready to serve. 

I made this casserole this afternoon in my Le Creuset and simply turned off the oven before we left the house to go for a hike. I knew the Le Creuset would hold the heat and cook any hint of crispness out of the potatoes and also keep our dinner warm for when we got home. We hiked for almost 2 hours and drove about 30 minutes each way. This is how this casserole looked when we all got home. The house was filled with the aroma of the oregano and parsley and we were all starving. I made some Texas toast for the kiddos, reheated my pot on the stove and we enjoyed this hearty meal. It was an awesome meal to come home to after a good day in the woods! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 256 (Fat Calories 7)

Total Fat 0.8 g; Carbohydrates 54.6 g; Fiber 11.0 g; Sugars 10.6 g; Protein 8.3 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Crinkly Basil Carrots

This side dish is my 4-year old's favorite side dish. I know I can add carrots to his plate and he will eat - or at least he will eat his side, if not his entree. I use a pack of frozen crinkle-cut carrots, but you can also use fresh crinkle sliced carrots, if you prefer. I tend to use a lot of frozen vegetables as a matter of convenience. There are several articles online (such as these two articles on LiveStrong and EatingWell) which compare the nutritional value of fresh vs. frozen vegetables .. and frozen vegetables come out on top. So stock up that freezer. 

Crinkly Basil Carrots

Prep Time: 10-14 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 x 12 oz Frozen Crinkle-Cut Carrots
2. 2 tsp fresh Basil, finely chopped
3. 1/2 cup water or Home-Made Vegetable Broth
4. Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a deep sauce-pot, bring 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Add carrots and a sprinkle of salt and cover and allow to simmer until fork tender (about 8-10 min). Halfway through this process, uncover, toss well and sprinkle chopped basil leaves on top. Once carrots are done, keep covered until ready to serve (this will help preserve the essential oils from Basil). Add salt, as needed and garnish with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Nik's Assessment: A+++ !! He ate his entire serving, without asking how many bites he needed to eat :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 35 (Fat Calories 2)
Total Fat 0.2 g; Carbohydrates 8.2 g; Fiber 2.4 g; Sugars 4.0 g; Protein 0.8 g

* Nutrition facts are provided for the water option as vegetable broth calorie content can vary tremendously.

Toasted Oats Daliya

I started using Steel-cut oats, instead of Old Fashioned (Rolled) oats for my morning oatmeal not too long ago (yes, I waited too long to try the real deal). Anyhow, one of the first things that struck me about steel cut oats is how much the flavor and texture matches that of Daliya.  

Daliya is the same thing as Bulgur. For those who haven't heard of it before, it is essentially a cereal made from the groats of different varieties of wheat, most commonly - durum. It is commonly used in cuisines across Europe, Middle East and South East Asia, especially Pakistan and North India. It has a light, nutty flavor, similar to steel cut oats, which is why I decided to try out steel-cut oats in the same recipe today. 

Oats Daliya w Spinach and Mixed Veggies

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1. 1/2 cup Steel-cut Oats
2. 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, corn and diced carrots)
3. 3 cups fresh Baby Spinach (or regular spinach leaves, coarsely chopped) 
4. 1 tsp Onion Powder
5. 1 tsp Garlic Powder
6. 1 tsp Mustard Seeds (or Ground Mustard)
7. 6 fresh (or frozen) Curry Leaves
8. Salt and Pepper, to taste
9. Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Toast the steel cut oats in a dry skillet, on medium to medium-high heat, until golden. What the toasting does is make them less sticky once cooked and also somewhat reduces the amount of water they need to absorb when cooked. Once golden, transfer oats to a pressure cooker. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then add half a cup of hot water (1 to 1 with quantity of dry oats). Cover immediately and cook under high pressure for 2 minutes. Allow steam to dissipate on its own. This works really well in an electric pressure cooker but a stove top should work just as well. Basically that half cup of water is just enough to soak and cook the oats (without making them mushy) and to generate just enough steam in the pressure cooker to last for 2-4 minutes. It all happens super fast!! Do not uncover the pressure cooker even after the steam has dissipated (make sure you turn off the 'keep warm' function, and move the stove top cooker to a trivet). Let it sit until the veggies are ready.  

Li'l Nikhil made my day he saw me take the box of Baby Spinach out of the fridge this morning. He asked me Leaves (Baby Spinach) and Dip (Balsamic Vinaigrette) for breakfast!! And then of course, he continued on to admonish me on using up all the leaves for my breakfast - "but I won't have any left for me for tomorrow!!" :)

While the oats are cooking, line the dry skillet used for toasting them with a thin layer of water and add onion, garlic and mustard seeds and frozen vegetable mix. Add a sprinkle of salt, and allow vegetables to thaw. Then mix in the curry leaves and saute until they release their aromatic oils (within 1-2 minutes). Then add the baby spinach and allow to wilt and mix everything together. 

Taste test for salt and pepper and once the vegetables are ready, open the pressure cooker, scrap the oats out with a wooden spatula (I've found that steel cut oats never get fluffy like bulgur but remain sticky). Add oats to the vegetables and toss everything really well together making sure to break up the larger pieces of crumbly oats. Garnish with freshly cut cilantro leaves and serve with hot sauce, or fresh mint chutney!

My Assessment: I liked this version of savory oats much better than the recipes I've posted before using old-fashioned oats. And of course, this is the whole, minimally processed, grain so it is much healthier as well. And it tasted just like wheat daliya :) so that was a great substitution that worked! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 218 (Fat Calories 31)
Total Fat 3.4 g; Carbohydrates 40.1 g; Fiber 7.8 g; Sugars 4.5 g; Protein 9.0 g

Savory Oats Upma

My typical breakfast for the last couple of month has been a big bowl of my Everyday Oats. This morning, I didn't have any bananas at home and that is my main source of sugars in my regular recipe. I wasn't really in the mood to add Maple Syrup or Agave to my usual recipe (it just doesn't taste as good without a banana). So I decided to make some Savory Oats Upma.

Upma is a traditional South Indian Breakfast preparation which has traditionally been made with Semolina (Rava or Suji). These days a number of variations of Upma can be found in restaurants and include wheat berries, rice, rice vermicelli, durum wheat semolina or even pearl sago. I decided to add another variation to it and made it with Old Fashioned Oats, which are also known commonly as Rolled Oats. I think this would work great with Steel-Cut or Irish Oats as well.

Savory Oats Upma

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients (1 servings):

1. 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
2. 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (I use Silk Plain)
3. 1 small Red Onion (julienned)
4. 1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables (mine had corn, peas, carrots and green beans)
5. 2 tbsp Raw Peanuts, roasted in the microwave.
6. 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
7. 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
8. tsp Cumin Powder
9. 1 tsp Chilli Powder (I use Deggi Chilli Powder)
10. 1 tsp Ground Mustard 
11. 4-6 Curry Leaves
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix oats and almond milk and microwave each on high for 3 minutes; set aside. After a few minutes, mix well so that the oats are moist, yet crumbly. I used a 1:1 proportion of oats to liquid as I don't like them mushy. You can increase the liquid if you like. In a separate microwave-safe bowl, roast raw peanuts until they release some of their oils and the skins can be brushed off (microwave on high in 1 minute increments, making sure to mix with your fingers after each minute - you want to roast, not char them - that's why you can't leave them in there for 5 minutes straight). My 2 tbsp peanuts were roasted in 4 intervals of 1 minute each, with about 30 seconds in between each session. Once done, let sit for a couple of minutes to cool and then rub between your fingers or palms to remove the skins, which can be discarded. 

Line a non-stick skillet with water and add mustard seeds and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for a couple of minutes, add another splash of water and add onions. Saute until caramelized. Once done, add curry leaves, saute for another couple of minutes and then add the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to thaw, adding more water as needed and cook until the vegetables are fork tender and all the flavors are well blended. Taste test for salt and garnish with pepper. Either toss the oats in at this time and mix everything together, or serve over a bed of oats with roasted peanuts.  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 398 (Fat Calories 125)
Total Fat 13.9 g; Carbohydrates 58.6 g; Dietary Fiber 13.1 g; Sugars 10.6 g; Protein 15.8 g

Chinese Fried Rice

I seem to be on a rice kick these days. After making the Fiesta Toss-Up last night, I was still craving some rice this evening. Since Dr. McDougall, and others, promote consumption of healthy starches such as Brown Rice, I have no guilt whatsoever :) and consume rice several times a week. What I do try to do is add loads, and I literally mean loads, of veggies to my rice dishes so as to balance out the starches with fiber and nutrition. Today, I decided to make a plant-based version of Chinese Fried Rice. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice 

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients (6 BIG servings):

1. 1.5 cups Brown Basmati Rice (dry)
2. 1 recipe Happy Herbivore Basic Tofu Scramble
3. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables - Corn, Peas, Carrots, Green Beans
4. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Blends - Asparagus, Gold & White Corn, Baby Carrots
5. 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
6. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
7. 4 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
8. Salt to Taste

Directions:

In a deep pan, bring 6-7 cups of water to boil and add brown rice. Simmer until tender and then drain and set aside. Prepare HH Tofu Scramble and set aside. I used black salt in my recipe to get the extra egg-like flavor. In a large skillet, thaw out veggies and allow any excess water to dry out. Then add the rice wine vinegar, ginger-garlic paste and soy sauce. Give everything a good toss and cook for a few minutes to allow the ginger-garlic paste to cook for a few minutes. Taste test the veggies at this stage. They should be saltier than you like them typically, because you will be adding a large amount of steamed rice. When the veggies start releasing the lovely aroma of Chinese food (its a mix of ginger and rice wine vinegar), add the steamed rice, give another good toss, and then add the HH Tofu Scramble and mix everything together. Turn off the stove, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Serve warm, with freshly cracked black pepper for a garnish. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice

My Assessment: This was a great dish. Even my 17-year old step-son, who refuses to eat "my plants" enjoyed a big bowl-full. Tony loved it too (despite the fact that he abhors tofu ... he thinks I used Ener-G Egg Replacer in this recipe). 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 448 (Fat Calories 69)
Total Fat 7.7; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 72.1g; Dietary Fiber 9.0g; Sugars 12.2g; Protein 18.7g

Feisty Fiesta Toss!

So T wanted tacos and he wanted quinoa for dinner tonight. I wanted something Mexican but wasn't sure I wanted to really eat the tortillas. I knew I wanted lots of veggies and I wanted to incorporate some greens in my dinner AND I wanted rice. A tall order? Naaah ... its not THAT difficult to make tacos, veggies, rice, quinoa and greens ... heck .. I decided to mix them all together :) 

Fiesta Toss-Up

This recipe is inspired by Happy Herbivore's Vegan Taco Salad

Prep Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients (Serves 6):

1. 1 cup TVP crumbles (reconstituted) OR 1 cup Brown Lentils (Masoor Dal, steamed)
2. 1 cup Brown Rice 
3. 1 Pk Birds Eye - Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables - Corn, Peas, Carrots, Green Beans
4. 1 x 15oz can of Black Beans
5. 1 Medium Tomato, fresh, diced
6. 2 cups of Baby Spinach, fresh
7. 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
8. 2 tbsp Onion flakes
9. 2 tsp Minced Garlic
10. 2 tsp Ground Cumin
11. Salt & Pepper to taste
12. 2-4 tbsp Medium Salsa

Directions: 

Place TVP crumbles in a fine mesh hand-held strainer and run water over the it for a couple of minutes. This removes any TVP dust and also partially reconsititutes the TVP.  Place TVP in a skillet and add half a cup of water and all dry spices. Mix well and allow water to evaporate. Then add steamed brown rice and baby spinach and toss well. Allow the spinach to wilt. Meanwhile steam the pack of mixed vegetables in the microwave (about 5 minutes). Transfer contents of the skillet to a large bowl and add salsa, steamed vegetables, black beans and fresh diced tomatoes. Add a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves, if available. Toss everything together and serve warm, with freshly baked tortilla chips to scoop up the veggie loaded crumbles. For those who like tostadas, serve over corn tortillas after crisping them in the oven (flat cookie sheet, 10 min @350 F). Yum!

Fiesta Toss-Up Tostada

My Assessment: This was a great WARM way to enjoy lots of veggies and carbohydrates. If you're watching carbs (I'm not sure why anyone would!), enjoy just the toss-up without the tortillas. If you're in the mood for a burrito, wrap the toss-up into a large tortilla.  Of course, if you're in the mood for a salad, go right back to the original HH recipe !!! This was a hit even with my non-TVP eating husband!! He loved it and asked to take leftovers for lunch ... AGAIN!!! Score :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving, with TVP): Calories 240 (Fat Calories 9)
Total Fat 1.0g; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 44.0g; Dietary Fiber 8.9g; Sugars 7.0g; Protein 15.5g

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving, with Lentils): Calories 224 (Fat Calories 10)
Total Fat 1.1g; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 45.8g; Dietary Fiber 8.8g; Sugars 5.6 g; Protein 10.5g

Miso & Garlic Tofu Stir-Fry

In my humble opinion, a stir-fry is the easiest way to consume fresh vegetables in a hot dish without losing too much of the nutritional value (as opposed to eating the raw veggies). I often make quick stir fries out of whatever veggies and/or mushrooms I have handy, and have in the past often used commercially-made Asian sauces such as Vegetarian Thai Peanut Sauce or Vegetarian Oyster Sauce. While these sauces are great, they do contain a lot of added sodium and also the mystery ingredient "natural flavors". So today, I tried to make a stir-fry which was made with simpler ingredients and didn't have anything I couldn't identify in my pantry. 

Miso & Garlic Tofu Stir-Fry

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients*:

1. 1 block (14oz) Extra-Firm Tofu, pressed** and diced
2. 2 bunches of Scallions (white parts halved and leaves separated)
3. 1 cup Baby carrots, thinly sliced, if needed
4. 2 large Oyster Mushrooms, sliced
5. 6-8 White mushrooms, sliced
6. 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
7. 1 tbsp White Miso
8. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
9. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
10. 1 cup (or less) Vegetable broth
11. Pepper, to taste.
12. Brown Rice, steamed, 1 cup

Directions: 

Mix miso in about an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup of vegetable broth until completely dissolved. Set aside. If your rice is not previously steamed, fill a stock pot with water and add rice, and set it to boil on the back burner, once the water comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium-high and allow to simmer until the rice is tender. Drain and rinse, like pasta. Set aside.  While the rice is boiling, line a large skillet (or wok, if you have one!) with broth. On high or medium-high heat, and add ginger-garlic paste and the extra garlic (for the extra oomph!). Once these release their aroma, add soy sauce and immediately add all the vegetables and a splash of vegetable broth. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until vegetables are done (to your taste) and add the diced tofu, toss well. Generally, I like to leave the vegetables just a tad crunchy and don't let them become fork tender. Mix well. Turn off heat (but leave the pan on the stove). Add Miso/broth mix and stir everything together. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes to allow the miso to release its flavors and for the tofu to absorb as much of the flavors as it can. Serve over steamed brown rice. Garnish with freshly sliced scallions and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Miso & Garlic Tofu Stir-Fry

My Assessment: Umm Umm Good!!! I had 2 huge guilt-free bowls tonight and I have enough leftovers to  take for lunch tomorrow. This recipe makes 4 good size servings. T tried the last serving and picked at it because he's not a fan of tofu.  

* This is a no-added-salt recipe. The soy sauce and miso had so much flavor and natural salt that I didn't add, or feel the need for, any salt at all.

** Press tofu between kitchen towels, with a weight on top for 5-10 min. This removes excess liquids and then the tofu tends to absorb fluids from the vegetables and the sauce and takes on a lot more flavor.  

Spicy-Candied Carrots

Candied vegetables are a great addition to a Thanksgiving dinner table. Orange vegetables, such as carrots and yams lend themselves really well to candying and are often also served at Traditional thanksgiving dinners. This recipe, Teekhee-Meethee Gajar, is so simple and so delicious, that I know I will always have it on my table.

Teekhee-Meethee Gajar

Ingredients: 

1. 3 packs of frozen, crinkle cut, carrots. 
2. 1/2 cup coconut milk 
3. 1-2 tsp Cayenne pepper, and more, to taste 
4. 4 tbsp Brown Sugar
5. Salt, to taste 
6. 2-4 tbsp Raisins (optional)
7. Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish. 

Stove Top Directions (60 min before Dinner):

Line a pan with coconut milk, and add cayenne pepper and salt. Once the cayenne releases its aroma, add coconut milk and raisins and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add carrots, toss well, and cook for a few minutes (just enough to thaw the carrots, but do not wait for the carrots to become fork-tender, as they will become mushy in the oven). Transfer to a casserole dish, with just a little bit of the coconut milk (save the rest for later). Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Cover and set in oven at 250 F until ready to serve. Check periodically to make sure they don't dry out. If needed, add more of the saved coconut milk mixture. Garnish with cilantro leaves just before serving.

Crock-Pot (Slow-Cooker) Directions (60-90 min before Dinner):

Line a pan with coconut milk, and add cayenne pepper and salt. Once the cayenne releases its aroma, add coconut milk and raisins and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a measuring cup. Add thawed carrots to the crock and pour about half of the coconut milk mixture on top, and cover. Cook on low for about 45 min. Check periodically to make sure they don't dry out. If needed,  add more of the saved coconut milk mixture  Once the carrots become fork-tender, turn down heat to keep warm and be careful not to disturb them too much or they will become mushy. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and leave on warm until ready to serve. Garnish with more brown sugar and cilantro leaves just before serving.

15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Recently, Tony decided to go herbie with me :) for 90 days. Since his repertoire of veggies and grains is still rather limited, I've been attempting to try some of the things he might enjoy for his dinners and left-over lunches. He's told me often enough that he likes Barley and that he likes it in soup, so I decided to make another version of my 15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup by withholding some of the non-traditional items that I use in my original version (no TVP or lentils today). I added black beans to add back the protein that I lost by removing TVP and lentils and since those are T's favorite bean ... we were all set for a wonderful heart-warming dinner :)

Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 5-6 cups Vegetable broth, or water
2. 3/4 cup Barley 
3. 3 stalks of celery, diced
4. 2 carrots, diced
5. 1 bunch of Spinach, stems removed
6. 1 15oz can of Black beans, drained
7. 2 Portabella mushrooms, diced
8. 2 tsp dried Basil
9. 2-3 tsp Minced Garlic, to taste
10. 1 heaping tbsp Yellow Miso
11. 1 tbsp Ketchup
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, with the exception of the last 3 in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes under high pressure. I used "quick" barley since I am trying to get it eaten before I open my bag of regular barley, With regular barley, I'm guessing a 10-15 min high pressure would be enough. I'll have to update that when I've had a chance to try it out. Once the steam is released, open the cooker, add and mix in the miso & ketchup and salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste ... enjoy!! 

Basic Vegetarian Gumbo

.. the aromas of good ol' Creole cooking always make me smile. Andouille sausage was probably one of favorite meats before I went plant based. I don't miss the meat, but I do sometimes miss the flavors. A good hearty Gumbo is a good way to remember those flavors all over again. A lot of vegan/vegetarian gumbo recipes that are available online use vegan sausage and while I am sure that would taste good, those products are also extremely greasy and processed. Instead of sausage, I tried TVP chunks, with Cajun seasoning and .. my current best friend in a bottle - LIQUID SMOKE :) !!!  

Vegetarian Gumbo

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients: 

1. 4 or 5 cups vegetable broth
2. 1 medium to large Red Onion, diced
3. 3 stalks of Celery, diced
4. 1 tbsp minced Garlic
5. 2 cups of Spinach, stems removed
6. 1 cup white button mushrooms, quartered
7. 1 cup Baby Carrots
8. 1 12-oz bag of Frozen Diced Okra
9. 1/2 cup TVP Chunks
10. 2 tbsp Liquid Smoke
11. 2-3 tbsp Corn Starch, as needed. 
12. 1-2 tbsp Creole/Cajun Seasoning, to taste
13. 2 tsp of fresh Thyme leaves
14. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions: 

In a deep stock pot on medium heat, bring 4 cups of vegetable broth to a rolling boil. You can use water instead, but vegetable broth tends to add a lot more flavor. As the broth boils, add ingredients one by one, making sure that the liquid continues to boil during this process. Add onions and garlic, then okra, then spinach, mushrooms and baby carrots. Lastly rinse the TVP chunks in running water and add those as well. Reduce heat to a simmer, and boil for another 10 minutes or so. I used spinach today instead of green bell peppers which are more traditional to Gumbo, so feel free to use those instead. After about 10 minutes of simmering the soup, mix cornstarch in tap water and add in small amounts until the consistency thickens (but don't let it congeal). Add liquid smoke and cajun seasoning, mix well, seasoning with thyme and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve over brown rice. 

My Assessment: From what I've read, you need to boil the gumbo for at least an hour to get rid of the sliminess of the okra. From what I know of okra, it tends to get slimier as you cook it more. I only boiled this soup for about 25 minutes, including the time after I added corn starch. I don't mind the slightly sticky flavor of it, but if you do, try boiling it longer. Overall, I really liked this recipe. No added fat, very low on salt and very high on a lot of flavor. I love Creole seasoning :) 

Seitan & Miso Soup

Even in the middle of summer, some days I crave soup. My sister is a soup-fiend. She always wants more. I'm not as bad as her but a good soup gets me all excited about my dinner. I've been thinking for a few days about making a Miso soup and finally got around to it today. Since this is the first Miso-based recipe I've made, I'm also going to use this opportunity to assign Miso to my new veggie list as New Veggie #35. In addition to Miso, I had 2 other lovely ingredients that also made it to my new veggie list: Seitan - New Veggie #36 and Kombu - New Veggie #37.  At some time in the past 6 months, my new veggie list has been transformed into my New Plant-Based Products :) and that's okay. I'm still exploring and finding new veggies to try and then I come across ingredients such as Seitan and Kombu .. which I've never tried before and which need to be on the list!! 

Seitan & Miso Soup

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups of water
2. 1/3 cup White Miso
3. 2 Baby Bok Choy, stalks chopped
4. 6-8 oz White mushrooms, quartered
5. 1/2 cup shredded carrots
6. 1-2 inch piece of Kombu (optional)
7. 8 oz Cubed Seitan 
8. 2-4 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
9. 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
10. Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add miso to the pot and turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Once miso is dissolved, slowly add mushrooms, carrots, kombu, soy and oyster sauce and allow to simmer. Then, add chopped stalks of bok choy and save the leaves for later. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. For the last 2-3 minutes add seitan cubes and leaves of bok choy. Garnish with freshly chopped black pepper and Enjoy!!

Seitan Miso Soup

My Assessment: I LOVED IT!!! No rugrat assessment today!! Didn't want anything to do with it :) !! Seitan tasted a lot like boiled chicken to me ... somewhat chewy and hearty. I loved the flavor of white miso in this soup - savory and sharp, almost like a sharp cheddar (maybe I'm crazy ;-)!!) ... and the Kombu imparted the flavors of the sea ... !! Great combination of ingredients overall. 

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Almost any kind of rice dish is comfort food for an Indian. My son, born and raised American, definitely has India in his blood ;-) because he is most definitely a rice eater. A quick 20 minute meal tonight called for Vegetable Biryani. Loads of vegetables and spices and white rice make for the perfect comfort food. 

Vegetable Biryani

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (6 Servings):

1. 1 cup long-grain Basmati rice
2. 1 small red onion
3. 2 cups vegetables (I used shredded carrots, green beans, shelled edamame and shiitake mushrooms)
4. 2 tsp ground Cumin
5. 2 tsp ground Coriander
6. 1 tbsp Garam Masala, or to taste
7. Salt and Pepper, to taste 
8. Hot Sauce, or any Spicy Indian Pickle

Directions:

Dum Biryani

In a deep stock pot, add 1/2 cup water and red onion. Once the onion becomes translucent, add the other vegetables and all dry spices (save 1 tsp Garam masala). Once the vegetables are tender, rinse rice in tap water to get rid of any dust and add to the pot. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Then, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender (~10 min). Turn off heat. Sprinkle remaining garam masala over the rice and replace the lid. Add a weight (a few cans of beans) to the lid and let sit for 5-7 min. This is the 'dum' phase - literally it means adding strength. What it does is allow all the flavors to blend, allows the rice to absorb any remaining water and the whole dish becomes fluffy. 

He's 100% a Sawhney kid. Loves his rice, just like Nanu!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 155 (Fat Calories 5)
Total Fat 0.6 g; Carbohydrates 33.7 g; Fiber 2.6 g; Sugars 2.9 g; Protein 4.6 g

*Nutrition Facts Added March 25, 2013 (Using 1 cup peas, 1/2 cup carrots and 1/2 cup Corn).

HH "Cheater" Pad Thai

So last night, there was just Nik and I at home and I wanted a quick dinner for the two of us. The li'l guy hadn't had a nap all day, so I also needed something that would go down relatively easily i.e. it needed to be a favorite ... and noodles, in any form, generally do the trick. I settled for HH "Cheater" Pad Thai.  

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients*:

1. 1 small red onion, julienned
2. 1/2 cup shredded carrots
3. 6-8 white mushrooms, sliced
4. 1/2 cup frozen green beans
5. 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
6. A double batch of HH Cheater Pad Thai Sauce** 
7. 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed/crumbled. 
8. 1 cup Quinoa Pasta (Spaghetti) 

HH Cheater Pad Thai

Directions:

Line a skillet with water and saute Ginger-Garlic paste followed by all the veggies. Separately boil pasta noodles and set aside. Once the veggies are ready, add sauce and allow to coat all the veggies. Add noodles and toss everything together. Garnish with roasted crushed peanuts! Slurp!! 

Nik's Reaction: As I said at the start, any kind of noodles are a big hit! He ate a nice big helping and apple on the side too! I'm quite sure that slurping noodles is probably one of his favorite activities.

* A 'no added salt' recipe i.e. no salt is added over and above what is already in the condiments.
** Since I was cooking for a 3-year old, I skipped both the chili and the hot sauce.

Oyster Mushroom Tossed Pasta

I've been eating a lot of grains and whole veggies lately and some days you just need a hearty pasta dish. I bought a few bunches of fresh Oyster mushrooms (New Veggie #14) at the store yesterday and wanted to use those maybe in a Lo-mein. 

When I got home, I only had regular spaghetti noodles (which we buy mostly for the kids). I prefer Quinoa Pasta these days and all I had was shells. So, slight change in plans - I made this lovely tossed pasta with lots of veggies instead - perfect for a summer evening !!  

I told somebody today that I've never met a mushroom I didn't love. Oyster mushrooms with their very characteristic aroma and flavor and slightly chewy texture are on top of my list of favorites. I usually further enhance the flavor of Oyster mushrooms by adding Oyster sauce. Yum!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 4-6 oz Oyster mushrooms, sliced
2. 1 cup baby spinach
3. 1/2 cup mixed frozen Veggies 
4. 4 oz Quinoa shells. 
5. 1/2 cup Vegetable broth
6. 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
7. 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos
8. 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
9. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
10. 1-2 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
11. Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions: Boil pasta shells and set aside until ready to toss. Line a skillet with vegetable broth and add ginger-garlic paste. Once that is fragrant, add the liquid ingredients (except the Oyster sauce) and stir well. Next add the baby spinach and allow to wilt (2-3 min). Once the spinach is wilted, add the remaining  veggies and toss for a couple of minutes until thawed. 

Add the pasta shells and toss again. Add the oyster sauce at the very end, and garnish with freshly cracked black pepper after a quick (and final) toss!! Enjoy!!

Nik's Reaction: This one was another hit. He didn't much care for the mushrooms (more for me!) but ate the shells and veggies with gusto!! Yay!

Mushroom & Barley Stew (Take 2)

So last week when i posted pics of my Mushroom & Barley stew, one of our friends commented that it wasn't a stew because the pics didn't look soupy enough :) .... well, it was soupy, but more on the dry side. So I decided to make it again, with modifications of course, and for Jeanne, I made it soupy too!! 

Mushroom & Barley Stew, Take 2.

Prep Time: 20 min  

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup barley (New Veggie #29)  
2. 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill TVP crumbles (optional; use additional 1/2 cup barley instead).
3. 3 cups of vegetable broth, and more, as needed. 
4. 8-10 large mushrooms, sliced.
5. 4-6 stalks of celery, diced.
6. 4-5 Slices of Field Roast Wild Mushroom Deli Slices, diced. (optional; Substitute with Italian sausage crumbles)
7. 1 cup of sliced fresh/frozen carrots.
8. Garlic salt, to taste.
9. 2-5 fresh Basil leaves, sliced.
10. 5-7 fresh Oregano leaves, whole.
11. Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. 

Directions:

Cook barley according to package instructions in advance, or use instant barley for this recipe. In a deep sauce pot, add vegetable broth and barley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Meanwhile slice mushrooms and celery and add to the pot. Continue to simmer. Next add the wild mushroom deli slices (or sausage crumbles) and continue to simmer. Add more broth as needed, to keep a good soupy consistency. Lastly add carrots, and herbs and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with a sprig of basil and freshly cracked pepper. Serve steamy hot!! 

My Assessment: Still LOVE barley! I love the nutty, very slightly chewy flavor of barley. I highly recommend that everyone try it at least once. The inclusion of celery and carrots added a whole other dimension to this soup. Um Um Good!!  

HH Veggie Lo-Mein

Growing up, we ate a lot of Chinese food from this little shack which was just a couple of miles from our house. I don't even remember what it was called anymore. Indo-Chinese cooking, as we called it, has a few items on it that you can't find at traditional Chinese restaurants, or even Americanized Chinese food. Veggie Lo-Mein however, is a staple item on Chinese Restaurant menus ... that I could eat multiple times a week and still go back for more. In the past few months, I've tried a couple different recipes and today I tried to follow one from the Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook (Page 195).  

EHH Veggie Lo-Mein

Now for those of you who follow my blog (... & a big THANK YOU to all 10 of you!) this shouldn't come as a surprise. Being a person of Indian origin, its not in my genetic makeup to follow a recipe to a tee. I always make changes to it. Sometimes this blows up in my face .. like it did just last night (Swiss Chard Pie). So today, I decided that I would make minimal changes ... !! Ahem @ minimal ;-)

The full recipe is of course copyrighted so I can simply tell you some of my modifications. The result was 100% totally absolutely fantastic. Even li'l Nik wolfed down 2 servings. He started out his evening at home with a sliced-up orange as he watched me get dinner ready with a constant stream of questions ... 

"Mom, what is that?" (at the sight of a block of Extra-firm tofu). "Mom, why are you cutting it?" (as I sliced the tofu) "Mom, why did you do that?" (as I moved tofu to the skillet). Nik, this is Tofu. I'm putting it in the pan so that we can eat it. "Oh!" ... And then, after a few minutes of silence ... (thanks to the pieces of orange that he stuffed his face with!). "Mom, put that in the pan" (as I finished cutting some more tofu). "Mom, you missed one piece" and then ".. now cut that one, Mom!" ... more silence thanks to a full mouth. "Mom, are those noodles?" (at the sight of Udon noodles boiling on the stove). "Mom, are we eating noodles?" (Yes, honey, we are). "Oh!"

And so my evening progressed with questions and instructions from an almost 3-year old. As you've guessed by now, I used Japanese Udon noodles today. The recipe simply calls for 'any' kind of Asian noodles. I simply boiled those according to the instructions. Once tender, I rinsed them quickly with cold tap water and then set them aside until later. The EHH recipe didn't call for tofu but I was craving tofu for some reason (protein ...!). I used Nasoya Extra firm tofu, drained it, sopped off the excess liquid with a paper towel and diced it into big chunks. 

I used a non-stick pan, and pan-roasted the tofu until it was getting golden brown. I did not use any butter or oil for this step. In the initial few minutes, I had to move around the chunks just a little bit as they release water and that can make them stick a little bit. Once each chunk formed a skin on it, they didn't stick at all. At some point during this process I added a splash of soy sauce and tossed the tofu around it to get a nice caramel color to it. This was honestly my ONE change from the EHH recipe .. a little extra soy sauce.  

I fried the tofu until I felt I had the right amount of color to it.  Once done, I removed the tofu from the skillet and set it aside. In the same skillet, I added a thin layer or vegetable broth and followed the directions  to stir fry the veggies. Today, I used Shiitake mushrooms (Veggie #13), carrots, Italian green beans, peas and a single stalk of celery.  

Overall, my veggie to noodle ratio was easily 2 to 1, maybe even heavier on the veggie side. Once the veggies were almost done, I added the noodles, tossed everything together, and added the sauce, as the recipe called for, and gave it another quick toss. In the end, I tossed the pan-roasted tofu and gave another quick toss. Finally, I covered the skillet and let it all sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

And then, li'l Nik and I sat down to dinner (all the other boys were out) and his commentary started all over again. He first instructed me "Mom, roll your noodles" and proceeded to show me how to roll my noodles onto my fork (never mind the fact that he's 3 and I'm the one who taught him how to eat his spaghetti). He would then shovel this loaded fork into his mouth and use his left hand to control where the noodles went as then came off the fork. It was quite the sight!

.. now eat it, Mom!

The last part of our meal was the most fun. Nik decided that I was obviously uninitiated and needed to be shown how to suck up noodles with my mouth. He'd suck on each noodle and then break out into a series of giggles. And then, the process would start up all over again :)

Overall, this meal was an A+.

Dal Tamatar (Lentils w Tomatoes)

Prep Time: 20-30 min with a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup toor dal (yellow lentils), well washed, and pre-soaked for 20 min (optional) in 1 cup hot water.

2) 1 tsp turmeric powder

3) 1 tsp cumin

4) 1 large tomato (coarsely diced)

5) 1 tsp olive oil

6) salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the side of Corn & Carrots:

1) 1 cup  frozen crinkle cut carrots

2) 1/2 cup fresh frozen sweet corn

3) 2 tbsp raisins

4) 1 tsp mustard seeds

5) 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

6) 1 tsp olive oil

7) salt and pepper to taste

Lentils with a side of corn n' carrots

Directions:

Heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a pressure cooker (uncovered) over medium heat. Add cumin, salt and turmeric. Allow spices to cook for a couple of minutes and then add the dal-water mixture. Cover, allow pressure to build and cook under pressure for ~10-12 min. Depending upon the size of your cooker and stove conditions, you may need to adjust this (fully cooked toor dal should melt in your mouth and not require chewing). Allow the steam to dissipate and then add tomato and allow to simmer on the back burner for 5-7 min. Serve over steamed white or brown basmati (long grain) rice for the best home-made taste.

Two-fisting Dal :)

For Corn & Carrots, in a medium sauteing pan, heat olive oil and when hot, add mustard seeds. As the seeds sizzle and begin to pop, add the ginger-garlic paste and then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Toss well.

Nikhil LOVES his dal and also loves Carrots & Corn. Great choice for a 2-year old. :) 

Ham and Vegetable Pot Pie

This is most definitely a 1 pot/1 dish weekend recipe!!

Ham & Veggie Pot Pie

Prep Time: 1 to 1.5 hours with store-bought pie crust.

Ingredients:
1) 1 box of Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie crusts
2) 1 lb ham - diced into 1/2 inch cubes
3) 1 big bag of Baby spinach
4) ~1 cup peas (fresh, or frozen)
5) ~1 cup carrots (sliced)
6) ~1 cup celery (diced)
7) ~1 cup fresh onion (diced)
6) 1 egg, whipped, mixed in 1/3 cup water (egg wash)
7) 2 to 3 tbsp all-purpose flour mixed in water (for thickening veggies)
8) 1 tbsp McCormick's Italian seasoning
9) butter, salt and pepper to taste
10) 1 tbsp Wyler's poultry seasoning.

Directions:

Let both pie crusts in the box sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before unrolling the first one. I used a 2" deep dish for this pot pie, so I used a rolling pin to make the crust a tad larger. Lay the pie crust in the dish, roll and crimp the edges if desired. I didn't roll or crimp mine as I am a novice at this ;) and also because I planning on using the second crust as a topping. Make sure to use a fork and poke a lot of holes on the bottom and sides of the pie crust to prevent it from rising away from the sides of the dish during baking.  I pre-baked the pie crust alone for about 10-12 minutes using red kidney beans as pie weights. Thanks to Nupur (http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/) for this idea. Check out her November 25, 2010 post for some pictures on how to use the beans (http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html).  Just like her, I now have a jar of dry red beans that are used again and again as pie weights. 

For the filling, in a large deep pan, melt the butter, and fry diced onions and celery until transparent.  Then i slowly added in the baby spinach a little at a time until wilted and then added more. All 3 items added so far, onions, celery and spinach will sweat enough to make the mix pretty wet. Add the rest of the vegetables, and spices and mix well. Finally add the ham. I tend to leave adding the meat until the very end to prevent it from becoming too chewy. Lastly, I mixed in some of the flour water mix to thicken the whole mixture and give it some a white-saucy appearance.  Transfer the mix to the pre-baked pie crust being careful not to damage the crust. 

For the top crust, I had big plans of making a weaved top crust. My attempts failed miserably so i simply placed the strips of crust I'd made in a overlapping pattern resembling a weave. The kids didn't care ... ! You can also leave the top crust whole, with just a few cuts across the top to allow the steam to escape. I used my fingers and a little bit of the egg wash to stick the sides and top crusts together. 

Bake at 375F for 40 minutes. Allow the pie to rest of at least 10 minutes before cutting into it. Despite the spinach, all 3 kids loved it.  This one was a success and will definitely be made again in the Coder household!

Maggi Night!

One of the many warm memories of growing up in a houseful of kids ... Maggi noodles (or Ramen noodles) on a cold afternoon after school. I remember we used to love Maggi noodles so much that we wouldn't let mom make multiple packs at once, because we'd feel gypped ;-) .... "Mom... but she got more than I did!!"  ... Of course, mom being a mom, didn't want to 'carb load' us - with no nutrition. So, she used to add all sorts of veggies while cooking our Maggi and it tasted delicious. So that's what Nikky and I had for dinner tonight. Dad and the older boys were at the MGHS basketball game and we had fun at home-  after the freshman game (Bryce's team) was over.

Total Prep Time: 10 min. with frozen veggies.

Ingredients: 
1) 1 packet of Nestle Maggi noodles (or Nissin's Top Ramen) - Chicken flavor
2) 1/3 cup frozen peas or french-cut green beans
3) 1/3 cup frozen carrots
4) 1 tsp Wyler's chicken flavor granules

Directions:
Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions (add noodles to boiling water, cook for 3-5 minutes until done and then mix in seasoning packet, turn off heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes before serving), with the following exception - when the water starts to boil, add the vegetables and chicken flavoring and bring to a rolling boil before adding the noodles and cook until done. I add the extra chicken seasoning to ensure that the final product doesn't taste watery. The extra veggies need more salt and seasoning and Wyler's works great! I served the noodles with a slice of butter-bread. Needless to say, "like mommy like son". He LOVED the noodles and even got to dipping his bread in the noodles to sop of the broth!! .... and my mommy instincts were satisfied because he ate his beans and carrots too :)!!!