Vegetarian Cooking for Boys

Black Bean Burger success

2010-04-19T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have a standard walnut burger recipe I use, so I have never really branched out. This week inspired me, for some reason, and this worked out really well. It would probably work better if it spent some time in the food processor. As it is, it kinda falls apart in the pan, but in a manageable way.

in a little oil, soften:
1 handful mushrooms finely chopped
1/4 cup onion finely chopped

Add to 1 cup left over rice, 1 can of drained black beans, 1 Tbs taco seasoning (with salt in it), 1 egg.
Mix well. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Heat up a bunch of vegetable oil in a nonstick pan. Do not shape patties - just spoon in enough for a burger in one pile, use a spatula to make flatter in the oil. Leave it alone - seriously, go empty the dishwasher or something - for two or three minutes. Turn over using a 2 spatula technique (it will crumble a little) and let cook another two or three minutes.

muhammara

2008-07-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Despite having it for years, I haven't really adapted to having a food processor. As in, it doesn't occur to me that some of the things I never make would be ridiculously easy since I have one. Muhammara is one of those things which I *love* when I get at restaurants, but it never occurred to me to make at home. And is ridiculously easy to make when one has a food processor. The basic recipe goes like this:

1.5 cups of walnuts
3 saltines (or bread crumbs or a bit of pita)
.5 tsp salt
.5 tsp ground cumin

grind in food processor for a while. add:

1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained
2 Tbs of pomegranate molasses (I think I'll up this next time, because I love it)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs olive oil

continue to run food processor until the texture is no longer gritty, but don't over process.

It is OK right out of the processor, but best after sitting the fridge for at least a day. This plus pita, olives, and a salad is an awesome dinner.

Leftover rice = burritos

2008-04-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

The necessary parts:
1 to 2 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans (or pinto) - do not drain
salsa
tortilla

Nice additions:
1 chopped onion and a little oil
cilantro (1 Tbs dried or 2 Tbs fresh)
1 Tbs of lime juice
jalepenos from a jar
shredded cheese
guacamole
sour cream
lettuce

If you're using the onion, cook it in the oil until it softens.
Add the rice and can of beans to the pan and cook long enough to heat through. Add cilantro, lime, and jalepenos and turn off heat.

Put in the tortilla with your toppings. Wrap up. Eat.

These also keep really well in the fridge for a few days - just wrap the entire burrito in plastic wrap or tin foil. They can be reheated in the microwave if there isn't any lettuce on them or just eaten cold.

Rice, dal, spinach

2008-03-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is not a fast meal, but it is the sort of thing that doesn't require much attention - easy to make during lunch while feeding little kids and then quickly reheat for dinner. My new favorite type of meal.

Make rice. Follow the directions on the package for 2 cups of dry rice.

The type of dal I make is a two step process. First cook the lentils. Then add some spices. Both steps can be altered. The spices need to be cooked separately. I use a bigger pot with a lid for this step so I can just reuse the pan for the spinach without cleaning it.

Lentils:
1 cup of lentils/dal/mung beans (red, white, or yellow - not brown or french)
3.5 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric (optional)

Bring to boil then simmer for about 45 minutes. Simmer until the lentils dissolve when stirred vigorously - use a whisk if you like, but I just use a spoon. It will look like split pea soup (exact same idea).

While the lentils are cooking. Or later. Or whenever. Throw together some spices. Here are two variations:

Spices 1:
3 Tablespoons veg oil - heat in the pan and add
2 teaspoons of whole cumin seeds. Cook about a half minute until lightly browned. Turn off the heat and immediately add -
1 Tablespoon minced ginger (look for pre-minced in a jar)
1 Minced green chili (optional)(I would totally buy this pre-minced in a jar if I could)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
4 Tablespoons of cilantro

Spices 2:
3 Tablespoons veg oil - heat in the pan and add
1 small chopped onion. Cook until translucent - less than 5 minutes. Add:
1 clove minced garlic (again, pre-minced in a jar)
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cook for two minutes and turn off the heat.

Mix the spices in the dal and eat.

This spinach is my favorite way to eat spinach. I can eat an entire prewashed bag in one sitting. Easily. Don't be fooled - prewashed is much easier than frozen.

2 Tablespoons of veg oil
1 Tablespoon of mustard seeds
1 bag of prewashed spinach
1 teaspoon of salt.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and cover. When the mustard seeds start to pop, lower the heat and add the spinach and salt. Stir until the spinach wilts. Turn off the heat. Eat immediately. Try not to just eat it out of the pan and burn your tongue.

The triumphant return: eggs and greens

2008-03-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

It's like having a baby eats all your free time. I've been doing more than zero cooking, but zero writing about it. You lose.

But now you win! I'm back! My new favorite quick thing is greens and eggs. You'll need this:
A bit of butter.
A handfull of greens (1 cup? ish) (spinach if you are not adventurous, arugula is my personal favorite for having some flavor but not too overwhelming, dandelion greens if you like bitter) chopped up.
An egg.
Pepper.
Salt or cheese (parmesean - about 2 Tablespoons shredded).
Some bread for toast.

This scales very easily - I usually double it just for me.

It goes like this:

1. Put bread in the toaster oven.*
2. Melt butter in a frying pan.
3. Add greens and salt/pepper.
4. When the greens start to wilt, crack the eggs on top. I like fully cooked eggs, so I poke the yolk and it runs.
5. Turn a few times until almost cooked.
6. Sprinkle cheese on top, wait until it melts.
7. Eat on toast.

Perfect for thinking about spring coming.

* I think a toaster oven is the best kitchen appliance (OK, after a fridge and stove). It heats up quickly for small amounts (tater tots) and it far better than the soggy results from the microwave (pizza). We use ours constantly.

Giant pot of chili

2007-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is a great base-recipe - it makes a ton and is much cheaper than buying individual cans of chili. It also freezes really well (except the rice - freeze before adding the rice and the rice and water and cook it when you actually eat it). This is a great recipe to play with, too - add corn, hot peppers, other beans . . . whatever you like in your chili.

2 Tablespoons of oil
1 onion, chopped
1 "pound" fake ground meat (2 boca packets) -or- 1 cup TVP and 1 cup water
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
16 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning (*see below)
(optional) 1 cup uncooked rice and 2 cups water

1. Heat the oil in a big pot and cook the onion until it is translucent.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well
3. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer. If you added the rice or are using TVP, simmer for at least 30 minutes. Without rice or TVP, you could just heat it and eat it, but it tends to taste better if you simmer it for at least an hour.

* if you think you'll use taco seasoning a lot (we certainly do), consider buying it in bulk. I personally get the seasoning from Penzey's - their spices are generally much better than what you can get in the grocery store *and* much cheaper. 3 Tablespoons is about 1 packet of taco seasoning.

The goals for this site

2007-08-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

This site has existed in about 5 different formats that never went anywhere. Maybe since it isn't actually hosted on my site, I won't feel the pressure I normally feel about it and it will just slowly grow on its own over time. Or I will abandon it per usual.

I would like this site to have bunch of *very* simple, good vegetarian recipies. The key is the simple part - there are great veggie recipe sites like the post-punk kitchen which require just a few too many steps for me on an average day. I love complex cooking with lots of steps, but with two little kids and very little child care, I don't have the time for complex cooking anymore. For me, this is an archive of very simple, quick meals that are better than just heating up some fake meat for a sandwich.

Many of the meals will probably seem obvious in retrospect, but I need to write them down to remember that I can make them. I have a bad habit of forgetting the simple things and then being too overwhelmed by the idea of cooking and eating poorly.

I suspect there won't be a ton of side dish recipies, so most things should be supplemented with some fruits or vegetables. The simplest way to get fruits and veggies in your diet is to eat them raw - eat a peice of fruit with every meal. I also like to buy some veggies (peppers, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, cherry tomatoes) and cut them up as soon as I get home and keep them in a bowl in the fridge. It is like always having a veggie tray available. When I don't have time to make other veggies for dinner, I just take out the cut-up veggies.

This site is for my friend, B, who would always be amazed at things like being able to make hamburger helper with fake meat. I hope he could make all the things I will post here.

Tortilla Soup

2007-08-24T15:15:00.001-07:00

Makes 4 servings.

1 box of no-chicken broth (or 4 cups of your favorite veggie broth)
1 cup of canned black beans
1 cup of frozen corn (or fresh, cut off the cob)

tortilla chips - I like the little round ones
shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, a mix, or one of those mexican blends)
salsa
chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Heat the broth, beans, and corn. If using fresh corn, boil for 5 minutes. If using frozen corn, just heat to a boil.

In 4 bowls, place a handful of tortilla chips, some shredded cheese (maybe a half cup), a big spoonful of salsa, and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Add the soup. Stir. Eat.