Coleslaw with Poppy Seed Dressing

Yesterday I was in the mood for coleslaw for lunch. I didn't want to use the herbed dressing I made recently or the more exotic coconut-ginger or sesame orange dressings I've used in the past. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I wanted it to be different. Then I remembered a recipe that Bryanna, author of several of my favorite cookbooks, posted a few days ago on her blog, and I thought it'd be perfect. And it was!

I combined shredded cabbage with packaged broccoli slaw; then I whipped up a batch of Low-Fat Poppy Seed Dressing. I followed Bryanna's recipe as written, with one small change: I used only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of 6. I also used her suggestion to add a little lemon zest. The result was a delicious, creamy dressing that tasted lovely on coleslaw, and I have plenty left-over to use on other salads.

Thanks, Bryanna, for another outstanding recipe!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lentils and Rice

For months I've been meaning to make stuffed grape leaves; it's been in the back of my mind ever since I saw Miriam's wonderful looking ones on Knocked Up Vegan; then Leslie posted her own delicious creations on her blog. If I'd made them then, it'd have looked like I was copying! So, I waited a respectable length of time and, inspired by Brendon's Great Lentil Challenge, finally got down to work and made them this weekend.

I had never made stuffed grape leaves before, and what I do when I'm making something for the first time is research, research, research, let the research settle into my brain, and then do whatever the hell I want, hoping that the research will keep me out of too much trouble. I checked a few blogs (like this one and this one) to make sure I understood the rolling technique and the important physics behind grape leaves--rice swells as it cooks, so don't roll them too tightly or it'll burst right through the leaf--and then I decided what I wanted to put into my leaves and got to work.

And it is a lot of work! I sat down at the kitchen table at around 4:30 to begin rolling, but my rolls weren't ready to go onto the stove until 6:00. Of course, I did pause often to take the photos that you'll see below. But be warned that rolling the leaves, while not difficult, is time consuming. That's to be expected for a recipe that makes 45-50 stuffed grape leaves.

One thing nobody on any blog or any cookbook told me: how to get the leaves out of the jar without tearing them the #&%$ up! I finally resorted to working them part way out of the jar and then grabbing them firmly in one hand and rocking them back and forth, inserting a finger every now and then to let a little air in and break the vacuum. It took a while, but most of them were usable.



Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lentils and Rice

1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped parsley (measured after chopping)
1/2 cup minced mint (measured after mincing)
1/2 cup finely minced green onions
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned, drained of juice)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garam masala or blend of coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon
1 1/4 cups of medium or short-grain brown rice
3/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed and checked for impurities
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1-lb jar grape leaves
4-5 red potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 lemon, sliced

Mix together all ingredients except the grape leaves, potatoes, and lemon slices. Drain the liquid out of the jar of grape leaves, and get the leaves out of the jar in whatever way you can. (If you're not going to make a whole recipe, save the brine and put the leftover leaves back into it.) Wash them well, and set aside any that have holes in them (don't throw them away).

To begin rolling the leaves, place a leaf with the veiny part facing up, the shiny side down. Cut off the stem. Place about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in a horizontal line just above the cut stem:



Fold the two bottom sections of the leaf over the filling:



Then fold the sides in:



Roll the bottom of the leaf up, tucking in the sides as you go. You want this to be fairly tight, but not too tight. But if you have to err, err on the side of tightness. You don't want any gaps or exposed filling, or it will all boil out when cooking. A finished roll looks like this:



Pour yourself a glass of wine, and do this 44 more times, until you run out of filling. If, for some reason, you run out of leaves first, save the filling and cook it with about double its amount of water. (I had leaves left over, not filling.) When you accidentally tear a leaf, wipe it off and set it aside.

When you're finished, prepare a large sauce pan or Dutch oven by spraying or wiping it with olive oil. Line the bottom with the potato slices (these will keep the delicate grape leaves off of the direct heat).



On top of the potatoes, put a layer of the imperfect leaves that you had set aside. And then arrange your stuffed grape leaves, snuggly. Try to fit them so that there isn't any space between them. When you've fit them all in, put the lemon slices on top:



Gently add water until it reaches about the middle of the top row of grape leaves, and cover the whole thing with more empty grape leaves. Place a heavy plate (I used two, one on top of the other) on top of the grape leaves to weigh them down. Cover the pot tightly, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, turn it down to very low and cook for an hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let the stuffed leaves rest undisturbed in the pan for 20 more minutes.

Serve them (and the potatoes) with the dipping sauce of your choice. I would have liked to make a soy yogurt sauce, but I was all out of homemade yogurt (and the "plain" they sell in the store is actually sweetened) so i made a sort of sweet and sour sauce:



To make the sauce I mixed 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, 1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic. It was more sour than sweet, so adjust the proportions to fit your taste.

We will be eating grape leaves for quite a while. Does anyone know if these things freeze?

This recipe is respectfully submitted to Brendon for his Great Lentil Challenge. Check out all the other delicious recipes he's got going on his blog.

5/30 edited to add: I just made a Tofu-Yogurt Dipping Sauce that was very good with these. I mixed the following in the blender:

1/3 box (about 4 ounces) silken tofu
1 tbsp. soymilk
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch dill weed
1/4 tsp. salt (to taste)

Poured it into a bowl and added about 1/3 cup of finely diced, de-seeded cucumber. Refrigerated until chilled. It tastes remarkably like soy yogurt, without the sweetness that some brands have.


Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free Great Lentil Challenge

Cherry Date-Nut Balls

This is one of my family's favorite snacks, based on Dr. Fuhrman's Pop-Em's . I love serving treats that are full of healthy fats and contain no refined sugar, and my daughter eats them like candy. We make several variations, but the cherry ones are my personal favorite.

I rolled half in coconut flakes, just to give them a slightly different flavor.

Cherry Date-Nut Balls

3/4 cup nuts (almonds and walnuts)
1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
4 large Medjool dates, pitted (about 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup dried cherries
flaked coconut (optional)

Grind the nuts in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped. Add the flax seeds, and pulse to incorporate. Add the dates and cherries, and process until everything is completely chopped and combined. Pinch a little of the mixture together to see if it sticks together or falls apart. If it's too sticky, add more nuts. If it won't form a ball, add more dates or cherries.

Form into balls about the width of a quarter. If you want, you can roll them in coconut that has been powdered (as much as possible) in the food processor. Makes about 16.

You can store these (if you can resist eating them) at room temperature for a couple of days or in the refrigerator for a week or more. For more variations, check out the original recipe.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Green Olive Hummus

If you are beginning to think my family lives on hummus, you're very close to being right. We use hummus for just about everything around here: a snack with veggies and crackers, a salad topping, a sandwich filling, and dinner with pitas, tabouli, and other Middle Eastern dishes. We love hummus.

We also love olives: Kalamata olives, green olives, and those jumbo black olives that my husband swears have no taste (but E. and I love them anyway). So you won't be surprised to hear that green olive hummus is our very favorite type of hummus. I don't make it often, because olives are high in sodium, but when I do, it doesn't last very long. This recipe uses less tahini because the olives contain fat and cuts down on the spices so that the olives carry the flavor. If you like olives as much as we do, you'll love this hummus!

Green Olive Hummus
(makes about 4 cups)

3 large cloves garlic
2 cans (or 3 cups) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup green olives (stuffed with pimentos)
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 tsp. sumac
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
5-6 more olives

Chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the chickpeas and lemon juice, and coarsely chop. (If more liquid is needed to get the blades moving, add a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth.) Add the green olives, tahini, and seasonings, and process until everything is mixed. (This will not be a smooth type of hummus, but all ingredients should be well-distributed.) Taste for saltiness, and add salt if needed (the olives make it pretty salty already.) Process to blend in the salt, and then add the remaining olives. Pulse a few times just to barely chop the olives. Serve with crackers, pita bread, or crudités as desired.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Lagniappe*

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately and if you've emailed me, I apologize for taking so long to reply. It's been a very busy week here--the last week of school, and my daughter is "graduating" from third grade. On top of that, I've been having some back trouble that's making it hard for me to sit at a computer or stand in a kitchen, two activities that are essential if you write about what you cook. I'm doing my back exercises, though, and I hope to be back on my feet soon.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post some of the photos I've taken but not written about:

This is a jelled dessert I made using tea and agar. I used pomegranate tea mixed with the juice from a can of mandarin oranges to form two cups of liquid, mixed it with one teaspoon of agar powder, and cooked it until the agar dissolved. Then I poured it over the mandarin oranges in individual glasses. Simple and refreshing!

Last Sunday, my daughter E. decided to make pancakes all by herself. She found a recipe in Kids Can Cook Vegetarian Recipes and added cinnamon and bananas to it. She also insisted on taking all the photos and even choosing the plate and the background. She couldn't keep me from taking at least one photo of the happy chef herself:

The pancakes were great, but they did have a LOT of cinnamon. I think she's going to be a "throw it in until it looks right" cook like her mom!

This is a pasta dish I made for my parents when they were here a few weeks ago. It's based on this recipe for Rotelle With Asparagus and Mushroom Sauce, but I browned a little of those Morningstar Farms fake chicken strips and added them along with some pinenuts and a touch more olive oil. It wasn't fat-free, but it was delicious.

Here are some sausages I made from okara the last time I made soymilk. (Okara is the pulp you have left over after you've strained the soymilk.) They were okay, but I wanted to tinker with the recipe some more before I publish it. I served the sausage with some fries that I made with the thicker julienne blade on my mandoline. I just sprayed my non-stick skillet with a little canola oil and browned the fries a little before covering the skillet and letting them steam until they were cooked. Then I sprinkled them with spicy creole seasoning. Yum!

I'll be back when I can with more recipes, and until then, I hope you've enjoyed these photos.

*In southern Louisiana, we call a little something extra "lagniappe," such as when you buy a dozen beignets (doughnuts) and the baker throws in a extra one for free. Like my last name, it is pronounced just like it looks. Okay, not really! It's "lan-yap," rhymes with man cap.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Sauce

In my opinion, roasted garlic is one of those miraculous foods that make almost anything taste decadent. Not that asparagus needs much help; it's a miracle food in its own right and doesn't need gaudy embellishments, so a tangy hint of lemon combined with the mellow taste of roasted garlic is really the perfect complement for crisp yet tender spears of asparagus.

Roasting garlic mellows the flavor, so if you're not a fresh garlic fan, you may discover you like the taste of roasted garlic. If you've never roasted garlic before, you'll be surprised at how easy it is. I find that a toaster oven works beautifully without heating up the entire kitchen. Start with a head or two of garlic. Use a sharp knife to cut about 1/2 inch off the top (pointy end) of the head. Place it cut-side up in a oven-proof dish about the same size as the garlic:

Brush or spray the cut surface with a little olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper, if you want. Cover it tightly with foil, and place it in a 400F oven. Bake it for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake for about 15 more--you will see the cloves begin to rise out of their paper a little. Allow it to cool, and squeeze, scrape, peel, or otherwise coax the roasted garlic out of the skin. You're now ready to use it in a recipe or just spread it on a slice of good, toasted bread. Mmmmm. (Sorry, it's that good!)

Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Sauce

1/2 head roasted garlic
1/4 cup walnuts
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp. water
salt to taste
1 pound asparagus

Lightly toast the walnuts. The easiest way to do this is to put them in the oven with the garlic during the last 5 minutes that it's roasting. When they're hot but not burning, remove them from the oven and grind them in a food processor (or mash them to a paste in a mortar and pestle). Add half a head of roasted garlic, the lemon juice, and the water and continue to puree. Add salt to taste.

Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends (just hold a spear at the bottom and in the middle, and it should snap off in the right spot). Steam them lightly for 3 minutes or until they are bright green and just starting to become tender. Place them in a serving dish, and toss them with the roasted garlic sauce. Serve, trying not to fight over the last spear on the plate!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Roasted Asparagus and Portabella Mushrooms with Horseradish Sauce

Finding prepared horseradish can be tough for a vegan. All too often, the brands I find in the grocery store are mayonnaise-based. Every now and then I'm able to find a jar that is just horseradish and vinegar, but once that jar runs out, I risk not being able to find it again.

So I was thrilled to notice horseradish root in the produce section of my supermarket. I chose the one that seemed the freshest--some were getting soft, so I skipped those--and brought it home to experiment with. This recipe is the result of my first experiment. In it, the horseradish is barely discernible. It turns out that cooking horseradish reduces its "heat" considerably; it also turns out that if you want to keep horseradish spicy after you've pureed it, you need to add vinegar to stop the flavor from escaping. So, if you want a horseradish sauce with more kick to it, add the fresh horseradish at the end (and taste as you add) or add a little vinegar to the horseradish before you put it in the sauce. But, if you want a sauce with only a hint of horseradish and no fire, this one's for you!



Roasted Asparagus and Portabella Mushrooms with Horseradish Sauce

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 large portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup plain soymilk
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. pureed fresh horseradish (or prepared horseradish to taste)
1 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp. water

Note: Be careful pureeing the horseradish because the fumes can be overpowering. If you use a food processor, turn your head away as you remove the top after processing.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the asparagus and mushrooms in a large, oiled baking dish and sprinkle with 2 cloves garlic. Roast, stirring every 5 minutes, for 10-15 minutes, until asparagus are just starting to brown. Remove to a serving dish.

While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce: Heat the soymilk in a saucepan and add the 1 tsp. garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, horseradish, basil, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils. Add the cornstarch/water mixture, and stir until thickened. Pour over asparagus and mushrooms to serve.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

The photo above is of my dinner last night. You see, last night was the final day of a 5-day challenge I created for myself. For five days I gave up beans, grains, and most starchy vegetables and concentrated on eating more fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Why? Partly because I'd been relying on beans and grains a bit too much lately and I needed a culinary challenge. But mostly because I've been eating a bit too much of everything lately, and I needed to take a few days and "detox," for lack of a better word--to get the heavy foods out of my system and re-set my taste-buds to lighter fare.

Did it work? I'd say yes. I certainly felt challenged in the kitchen, perhaps too much so. (Last night's dinner was a result of that; more on that in a minute.) And after a few days of mainly fruits and veggies, I feel lighter and more energetic, and the cravings I'd had for refined carbs and desserts have pretty much disappeared. I feel confident that I can add back the beans and grains in moderate amounts without going crazy and grabbing the nearest vegan doughnut!

But by the end of the week, I was flagging creatively. Last night I just didn't have the desire to go to the kitchen and try to whip plain vegetables into something I could make myself believe was a main dish. In fact, I didn't feel like turning on the stove at all. So I didn't. I decided to make myself an easy dip of artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers, chop some raw veggies, and make that my dinner while the husband and daughter cracked open a box of Boca burgers for themselves. The dip turned out to be something that I'm going to be making regularly from now on--it was flavorful and filling and (WARNING) extremely spicy with two cloves of garlic. In the future I'll tone down the garlic but keep the rest of this tasty recipe.



Artichoke Hearts and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (these get very strong, so I advise moderation)
1 tbsp. tahini
1/8 tbsp. white pepper
salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve as a dip for fresh vegetables (baby carrots, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) or pita bread.

PS--I didn't actually eat all of the food you see in the first photo! My husband was happy to polish off what I couldn't finish, and E. helped with the Kalamata olives.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Strawberry-Banana Sorbet

I've been whipping up frozen desserts ever since I got my first Cuisinart food processor 22 years ago. Back then, the instructions in the owner's manual were to put frozen strawberries and a whole bunch of sugar into the processor and trickle in milk or cream as the processor worked. These days, I skip the sugar, add frozen bananas for creaminess and sweetness, and use just a little soymilk to get the right consistency. The result is absolutely delicious, even on an unseasonably cold evening in May.

I try to keep several different types of frozen fruit on-hand to make sorbets and smoothies. Frozen peaches and mangoes make wonderful sorbets and can be found in most supermarkets. Another favorite of mine is the "smoothie blend" combination of frozen fruit that includes mango, pineapple, and strawberries. You can also freeze canned pineapple and make an incredible sorbet using it alone or with bananas. It's so much fun to think of new combinations of this healthy and easy dessert.



Strawberry-Banana Sorbet

This makes about 3 large servings. Add an extra frozen banana or cup of fruit for each additional serving.

2 frozen bananas (peel ripe bananas and wrap with plastic wrap before freezing solid)
2 cups frozen strawberries (or fruit of choice)
non-dairy milk
sweetener of choice (liquid sweeteners, such as rice syrup or agave nectar, dissolve best)

Take the frozen bananas out of the freezer and break them into 3 or 4 pieces. Place them and the strawberries into the food processor and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes, to thaw only slightly.

Cover and start the food processor. (Don't be surprised when the processor bucks like an angry bull when the blade hits that frozen fruit!) With it running, add just a little bit of "milk" (you can also use water or juice here) to help the fruit blend smoothly. I recommend about 1/4 to 1/2 cup liquid for the amount of fruit used here. Stop the processor from time to time and scrape down the sides. Keep processing until the fruit is the smooth consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Add sweetener to taste (I use a little bit of stevia) and process briefly one more time.

Serve immediately. Or you can put the whole processor into the freezer until you're ready to eat and give it another blending right before serving. The sorbet can also be stored in a plastic container for up to a few days and re-processed to soften.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Zucchini Spirals with Fresh Vegetable Sauce

I love fresh tomato sauce with vine-ripened tomatoes that are cooked for only a short time. But, until the tomatoes in my garden ripen, I'll make do with canned. My favorite canned tomatoes are Muir Glen Fire-Roasted, the sweetest canned tomatoes I've found. They're more expensive than the store brand, but when you're cooking something that's centered around tomatoes, you want them to be as tasty as possible.

This pasta sauce is chock-full of vegetables. I start with eggplant and add summer squash and two colors of bell pepper. Since I planned to serve this over zucchini, I used yellow summer squash in the sauce, but zucchini will work equally well, and other vegetables, such as cauliflower or carrots, can be used instead of eggplant. Figure on using about 2 to 3 pounds of vegetables and get as creative as you want!

Zucchini Spirals with Fresh Vegetable Sauce

1 large eggplant
1 onion, diced
2 yellow summer squashes, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil (reserve a little for garnish) OR 1 tbsp. dried

Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the slices in a large colander in a single layer, and lightly salt them. Turn them over and salt the other side. Set the colander on a plate, and set aside for about half an hour. This will draw bitterness from the eggplant. (You may skip this step if you don't find eggplant bitter.) After half an hour, rinse the eggplant and chop it into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat a large non-stick saucepan, and add the onion and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to brown, and then add the eggplant and a little more water. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the eggplant is mostly cooked. Add the squash, bell peppers, and garlic, and continue to cook and stir for 3 more minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for fresh basil. Cover and cook on low until all the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve over zucchini "pasta" or whole wheat rotini.

To make zucchini pasta: I use a handy spiral slicer called a Spirooli, which I was lucky to find at a close-out store for next to nothing. A mandolin slicer with a julienne blade will also produce long strands of zucchini "noodles," and if nothing else is available, a sharp knife and a lot of patience also works. I use about 1 medium raw zucchini per person. After it's shredded, I simply put the zucchini on a plate and put the sauce on top. The heat from the sauce warms and softens the zucchini slightly and makes a good substitute for people limiting their consumption of refined flours. And here's a mom tip: Kids love these long strands of zucchini; it's a great way to get some raw veggies into them.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Brussels Sprouts Go Asian

Here's a different way to use fresh Brussels sprouts. It's tasty and can be served over rice or pasta as a main dish or alone as a side dish. It comes together in minutes, too!



Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
3-4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 15-ounce can baby corn, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. mirin (sweetened rice wine)
1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar (or regular rice wine vinegar plus 1/2 tsp. sugar)

Spray or brush a non-stick wok or large skillet with a light coating of canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat, and add the garlic and green onions; stir and cook for one minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, turning them cut-side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the red bell pepper, mushrooms, and baby corn, and stir well. Add the water and mirin and cover tightly. Reduce the heat and cook until the Brussels sprouts are tender but not overdone, about 5 minutes. (Add a little more water if necessary.)

Remove the cover and add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook and stir for about one minute. Add more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar to taste and serve hot.

Some of you may notice that this week I am lightening up my menus a good bit (yes, even "fat-free" vegan food can sometimes be heavy). While I need to lighten up my meals, my husband and daughter do not, so I've been making some adjustments to the dishes I serve them. For this dish, I added a little re-hydrated TVP (textured vegetable protein) to their stir-fry and served it over buckwheat soba noodles tossed with a little soy sauce and sesame oil. I served mine over shirataki noodles that were boiled for two minutes and then tossed with 1/8 tsp. of sesame oil.
They got a little extra protein and carbohydrates while I got a meal that was very light but delicious.

(This was the main course I served with yesterday's Carrot Stick Bundles.)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Carrot Stick Bundles Tied with Seaweed

For the past week, I have been enthralled by Japanese Vegetarian Cooking by Patricia Richland. I resisted buying this book for a while because I already had The Art of Japanese Vegetarian Cooking and wasn't very happy with it. It made Japanese food look so difficult and time-consuming to make that I began to think that any Japanese cookbook would be the same. But Richland's book is completely different: The recipes are fairly simple, many requiring less than six ingredients, and they make good use of fresh vegetables. I keep going back through it and finding dishes I want to try, so you can expect to see many little Japanese vegetable dishes, such as this one, in the weeks to come.

Carrot Stick Bundles is a good example of the kind of simple vegetable side dish the book is full of. I actually tried to fancy this one up a little by adding ginger (I love the taste of ginger with carrots) but I don't think it added much, so feel free to leave it out.

Carrot Stick Bundles Tied with Seaweed

sheet of nori (seaweed)
3-4 large carrots
fresh ginger, cut into 4 thin, quarter-sized slices
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 tsp. sesame oil

Cut the nori into eight 1/2-inch strips and set aside.

Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks about 3-inches long. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, and mix to combine.

Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the carrot sticks and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the ginger, and divide the carrots into 8 equal piles. Gather each pile into a bundle, arranging the carrot sticks side by side. Wrap a nori strip around the middle of each bundle. (I found it easiest to put the strip down on a plate, lay the carrot bundle near one end of the strip, tuck the end of the strip over the bundle, and roll the carrots toward the other end.)

Place two bundles each on four serving plates, and serve drizzled with soy sauce or sesame oil.

I'll admit that bundling the carrot sticks was trickier than I thought it'd be; my sticks were more slender than they should have been, so they turned out a little on the limp side. I used a mandolin to make them uniform, but they would have probably come out better if I had cut them with a knife. What I think I'll do next time (and these were tasty, so there will be a next time) is skip the bundling and make little carrot "haystacks" with the nori cut fine and sprinkled on top. Unless I'm having company I want to impress!

Kid-Friendly Note: My daughter, who usually prefers her carrots raw, ate 3 of these and would have eaten more if we'd had any.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Two Easy Dishes

Mother's Day 2006

Happy day to all you mothers! I'm having a good one myself. First, my wonderful family gave me a copy of The Candle Cafe Cookbook, which looks like it will be a great source of inspiration, the newest Pearl Jam CD, which is playing as I type, and a cute card that my daughter picked out herself at PetSmart. Then my husband made breakfast: Scrambled tofu from Vegan with a Vengeance, wrapped in tortillas and served with guacamole, with spicy hash browns on the side. It was great!

With all the kitchen duties being handled by the husband, I've had a little time to write up last night's meal, which was simple but good. I used the rice cooker to make Brown and Wild Rice with Asparagus, a dish that practically cooks itself, and I freshened up a can of cannellini beans by adding fresh herbs for a simple side dish. And you know what? It was that simple bean dish that everyone wanted more of. Fresh herbs can really work wonders, even on canned beans.

Brown and Wild Rice with Asparagus

1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds, crushed
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. lemon juice
additional sliced almonds for garnish

Put the brown and wild rices, water, salt, and crushed almonds into the rice cooker. Cook until the cooker turns from cook to warm. Add the asparagus on top of the rice, pour in the vegetable broth, cover and re-set to "cook." Cook until the asparagus is tender but not overcooked. Remove from rice cooker and toss gently with lemon juice. Garnish with more almonds

Cannellini Beans with Fresh Basil and Oregano

1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
olive oil spray
1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in a pan lightly sprayed or brushed with olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced somewhat, about 6 minutes. Serve warm.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free