Vegetarian Moussaka

This is a beautiful recipe - it combines a rich tomato-chickpea-lentil stew with a creamy bechamel sauce and roasted potatoes and eggplant.  It is, however, very time and ingredient intensive, although I think it's worth it.  It also makes enough for about 12 - i.e. lots of leftovers!  Adapted from Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients

15g dried porcini mushrooms
2 onions, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
a handful fresh herb leaves (such as rosemary, sage)
dried oregano
250ml red wine
1 400g can of chickpeas, drained
1 400g can lentils, drained
4 bay leaves
3 400g cans chopped tomatoes
4 eggplants, cut into 1/2" round slices
800g potatoes, cut into 1/4" round slices
750ml milk
5 peppercorns
75g butter
75g flour
150g feta cheese
100g parmesian or pecorino
2 large egg yolks
olive oil
olive oil spray

salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.  Place porcini in a small bowl and cover with boiling water, then set aside to soak. 
2. Saute onion and garlic in 1T olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until translucent.
3. Take porcini out of bowl (reserving the water), and roughly chop. At the same time, bring a medium saucepan of water to boil.
4. Add to the onions, along with fresh herbs and 1t oregano, and saute for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
5.  Add wine, chickpeas, lentils, 2 bay leaves, tomatoes, and porcini water - season to taste, and simmer over low heat for ~1 hour, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.
6. Meanwhile, parboil potatoes by cooking in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then drain and allow to dry.
7. Place potatoes in large roasting tray, season with oil and a few pinches of dried oregano, and toss to coat evenly.  Spread in an even layer and set aside.
8. Prepare another large roasting tray with olive oil spray, and spread eggplant in a single layer.  Spray top of eggplants, then add another single layer of eggplant, and spray again.  Continue layering eggplant and spray until all eggplant slices are in the tray.
9. Roast potatoes and eggplant in oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.  Once cooked, set aside.
10. Add butter to a medium-large saucepan, and heat over medium heat - add flour and combine to form a paste, then cook for ~2 minutes, until butter-flour mixture is fragrant and has a slight golden color.
11. Gradually stir in milk, making sure that there are no lumps of flour - add bay leaves and peppercorns, and stir mixture until it is  hot enough that it starts to thicken.
12. Crumble in 50g feta, and stir to combine - set aside.
13. Once the tomato mixture, roasted vegetables, and sauce are done, you can begin to assemble the moussaka: take roasting pan full of potatoes, cover with half the ragù, layer layer half the aubergines on top, and repeat with the remaining ragù and aubergines. 
14. Whisk egg yolks into the béchamel sauce, then gently pour onto the aubergines in an even layer.
15. Crumble and grate the remaining cheese on top, and place in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbling. 

Black bean stew

I recently read an essay about eating beans in the book Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, which is a collection of essays about what people like (or don't like) to eat when they're alone. It had me hunkering for a hearty meal of black beans. The black beans recipe is from the book, and is somewhere between a soup and a stew. I added some crushed pineapple (with its juice) and spices to give the beans a little zing.

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1.5 t cumin
2 12-oz cans of black beans, drained of liquid
1 12-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 red (or yellow/green) pepper, chopped finely
1 small can of crushed pineapple (about 1 cup)
1 small chili, seeds removed and chopped finely (be careful if you use spicy chilis!)
Optional: adobo or other smoky flavored chilis/spices
olive oil/salt/pepper as needed
coriander

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet or medium pot over medium-high heat, and saute onion in 1 T olive oil for ~5 minutes, until translucent. 
2. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic, and fresh chili, and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, pineapple, and pepper - simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes (or longer if you want more concentrated flavors and a stew-like consistency)
4. Serve with Coconut Rice and corainder

Drunken beans (frijoles borrachos)

The tequila for this recipe adds a great, hearty flavor.  This recipe goes well with rice, but also with tortillas.  Adapted from Vegetarian World Classics.

Ingredients

olive oil
2 onions, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 fresh chillies, de-seeded and chopped finely
1 14oz  can chopped tomatoes
2 14oz cans pinto or barlotti beans
2 t cumin
1-2 T lime juice or vinegar
1/3 c tequila
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
sour cream
cheddar cheese
avocado slices

Instructions

1) Heat a large pan over medium heat, add oil, and fry onions until fragrant and translucent.
2) Add garlic and chilies, fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
3) Add tomatoes, then add both cans of beans - with the liquid from one.
4) Add cumin, lime/vinegar, tequila, and salt/pepper to taste.
5) Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the consistency of the beans is thickened.  Serve with coriander, cheese, avocado, and sour cream.

Hearty tomato bean stew

This is a great winter stew - very filling and delicious.  I used polish sausage to impart a smokey flavor, but this would also be great without it in its vegetarian version.  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

olive oil
1 large piece of polish sausage, chopped into small chunks
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic
pinch of crushed pepper flakes
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
2 bay leaves
2 14oz cans chpped tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
boiling water
parsley and parmesian for garnish

Instructions

1) Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When hot, add sausage and cook until it starts to lightly brown.
2) Add onion, celery, garlic, and carrots, along with a pinch of salt.  Cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
3) Add tomato, beans, bay leaves, and just enough boiling water to cover the ingredients in the soup.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, until the beans and vegetables are tender.
Garnish with sprigs of parsley and grated parmesian.

Giant beans with tomato, onion, and dill

This is an adapted recipe for Gigantes Plaki, a greek dish of baked beans stewed in a delicious and flavorful tomato-dill sauce.

Ingredients

2 cans (400g) cooked butter beans, drained
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 T olive oil
3 T tomato paste
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped finely
1 pinch dried thyme
1 large handful dill, chopped finely
2 T parsley, chopped finely
1 bay leaf
feta for garnish

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 200C.  Heat 1 T olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, and cook onions for 5-10 minutes, until translucent and soft.
2) Add garlic, carrot, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots start to soften.
3) Add chopped tomatoes, 1 T olive oil, and tomato paste, and cook for another 10 minutes.  If the mixture begins to dry out, add a few T of water.
4) Stir parsley and dill into tomato-onion mixture, cook for 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
5) In a medium oven-proof casserole dish, combine tomato mixture with beans.  Remove bay leaf and cook in oven for 45-60 minutes, until the tomato sauce has thickened and the beans are still firm but soft.
6) Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.  Garnish with feta.

Moroccan Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

This recipe is a spin-off of the Moroccan tagine, a North-African stew made inside of a big earthenware pot.  The original recipe I used can be found here.  This dish goes well with cous cous, and should be served with a garnish of yogurt and chopped coriander.

Ingredients

3 small onions or 2 large onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 T fresh ginger, minced

water or broth for sauteing

1 T cumin

1 T cinnamon

1 T paprika

1 t tumeric

1 t coriander

1 t crushed red pepper flake (more or less as desired,  I use much less for the kids)

2 cans chickpeas, with liquid

1/2 t salt

3 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 to 2" chunks

1/2 c diced dried apricots

3/4 c raisins

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 c apple juice

1 can chopped tomatoes

olive oil for cooking

Instructions

1) On medium-high heat, cook onion in 1 T olive oil for 5-7 minutes until browned. 

2) Add garlic, ginger, and additional spices, and cook uncovered for 1 minute.

3) Add the sweet potatoes, apricots, raisins, tomatoes, and apple juice, and cook 15-20 minutes at a gentle simmer.

4) When the sweet potatoes are tender but still firm, add the chickpeas and lemon juice, cooking until the chickpeas are heated through. Season with salt to taste.

White Bean, Spinach, and Tomato Caserole

This recipe is adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

Sauce

1/3 c + 2 T olive oil
2 pinches red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can chopped or crushed tomatoes
pinch of dried oregano
1.5 T adobo sauce from canned chipotles (Note: if this is not available near you, you can still get a delicious spicy flavor from a combination of 1 t chili powder, 1 t paprika, and a pinch of cumin.  Experiment with the spices if you want.)

Beans

2 cans butter beans, drained
1 c baby spinach (or chopped fresh spinach)
1 c feta, crumbled
1.5 c bread crumbs
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1/3 c fresh cilantro
salt

Instructions

1) To make tomato sauce, saute chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, and 2T of oil on medium heat for 1 minute, until fragrant.
2) Stir in tomatoes, and any other spices you are using, and gently simmer for 5 minutes.  If using adobo sauce, remove from heat and stir in the sauce. Salt to taste.
3) To make the cilantro pesto, combine garlic, cilantro, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until smooth.
4) Preheat oven to 210C.  Toss beans with tomatoes sauce and spinach, and spread evenly in a 9x13 baking dish.
5) Sprinkle beans with cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown and the beans start to get crusty.
6) Out of the oven, sprinkle with bread crumbs and top with cilantro pesto.

Greek Baked Lima Beans and Spinach

This recipe comes from the New York Times, and is a healthy and flavorful dish.

Ingredients

2 cans lima beans, drained well
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
1 T chives, snipped
1/2 c feta, crumbled
1 c vegetable broth

Instructions

1) Lightly oil a large baking dish, scatter with drained beans, and cover with ~1 cup of broth.
2) Preheat oven to 350F.  Wilt spinach in the microwave (Place in a large glass dish with a small amount of water at the bottom, and microwave on high.)  After wilting, squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
3) Over medium high heat, fry garlic in 1 T oil for 30 seconds.  Then add spinach, dill and chives, and stir until combined, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
4) Spread spinach over beans, sprinkle with feta, then drizzle with remaining 1 T olive oil.
5) Bake 30 minutes until sizzling.  Serve warm or cold.

Hearty Squash, Cabbage, and Bean Soup

I had a butternut squash and some squash laying around, so I decided to make a soup combining the two. I brainstormed a squash-cabbage-bean combo, and then ran into this wonderful recipe on the blog Rachel Eats. It is a wonderful, warming combination of complex and aromatic flavors. Serve it with a thick slice of hearty bread, and it's one of those meals that just makes you go "mmmmmmmmmmmm."


Ingredients

2 T butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil,
1 large white onion, chopped
2 plump cloves of garlic, diced
2 carrots, scrubbed and diced roughly
1 large butternut squash, cut in rough chunks
3 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 litre of water or stock
1 parmesan rind
1 bay leaf
1 small sprig of fresh rosemary
1 12-oz can black-eyed peas
3 handfuls of roughly sliced cabbage
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions

1) Warm the butter and oil in a soup pan and add the onion, saute until it is soft and translucent.
2) Add the carrot garlic and squash, stir well to coat with butter/oil, then leave to soften, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
3) Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and rosemary to the pan, stir well and allow to bubble gently for a couple of minutes before adding the water or stock and the parmesan rind.
4) Turn up the heat and bring the pan to a gentle boil, cover (putting the lid ajar so steam can escape), lower the heat and leave the pan at a gentle simmer for about 1 hours, stirring occasionally.
5) Once the soup has become a nice, thick consistency, add the beans and the cabbage, stir well and simmer for about 10 more minutes on medium heat.
6) Remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Lentil Sambar

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. This can be served as a side dish, or as a veggie-licious main dish. Goes well with rice and yogurt garnish.


Ingredients

1 cup dried lentils
3 cups water
1 onion
1 small head cauliflower
2 sweet potatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 fresh green chile, minced, seeds removed
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate, dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Instructions

1) Rinse the lentils, put them in a small saucepan with the 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
2) While the lentils are cooking chop the onion, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Warm the oil in a pot and saute the mustard, fenugreek, and cumin seeds on medium heat, covering the pot and shaking it occasionally to prevent burning. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, stir in the turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and chopped chile and saute for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3) Stir in the tamarind liquid, add the onions, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and salt and combine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until everything is tender.
4) Drain the cooked lentils and stir them in the vegetable mixture. Reheat if necessary, and stir in the cilantro. Ladle over basmati rice and serve with a large dollop of thick yogurt.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burrito

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. A filling, healthy, and tasty twist on vegetarian burritos.


Ingredients

5 C peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
2 T water or broth for saute
3-1/2 C diced onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh green chile
4 t ground cumin
4 t ground coriander
4-1/2 C cooked black beans (or 3 15-oz. cans, drained)
2/3 C lightly packed cilantro leaves
2 T lemon juice
1 t salt
8 eight-inch flour tortillas (non-fat version)
tomato salsa for topping

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) Place sweet potatoes in pot with water to cover. Cover and bring
to boil. Simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3) With 2 T water in a non-stick skillet, saute onions, garlic, and
the chile. Add water as necessary to keep from sticking. Cover and
cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until onions are
tender, about 7 min. Add cumin and coriander and cook 2-3 min.,
stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.
4) In food processor, combine beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and
cooked sweet potatoes. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large
mixing bowl and mix in cooked onions and spices.
5) Spray with nonstick spray a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to
3/4 C. of the filling into center of each tortilla, roll closed, and
place seam side down in baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake
at least 30 min., until piping hot. Serve topped with salsa.

Chana Punjabi (Indian Style Chickpeas)

From the New York Times. Goes really well with rice and Curried Braised Cauliflower (from a previous post.)





Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 small Thai bird chili, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

1) In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onion. Sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
2) Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3) Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick. If necessary, uncover pan and allow sauce to reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until desired consistency. Stir in cilantro, adjust salt as needed and serve with cooked rice, if desired.

Tamale Pie

A delicious, healthy recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. What could be better than getting corn, cheese, and vegetables all in the same plate?

The original recipe calls for (optional) cheddar cheese sprinkled on the bottom of the casserole dish, but I opted to mix parmesian into the cornbread topping because I love strong-flavored cheese. I think it made the topping a little more dense (i.e. it didn't rise as well), but it was still delicious, so you can go either way.



Ingredients

Veggies

1 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
cayenne pepper to taste
1-2 T water
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup diced red/green bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini
2 cups canned diced tomatoes (15oz can, undrained)
1.5 cups cooked beans (15oz can, drained)

Cornbread topping

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 T flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 T olive oil

Instructions

1) Warm olive oil in pan, add onions and garlic, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2) Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, enough water to prevent sticking, and the carrots. cover and cook 5 minutes.
3) Add the bell peppers, zucchini, and cayenne pepper. cover and cooke another 5 minutes.
4) Stir in the tomatoes and beans, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5) Remove from heat and salt/pepper to taste.
6) Preheat oven to 400F.
7) In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, parmesian cheese, baking powder, and baking soda. in a separate bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until just mixed.
8) Prepare casserole dish with cooking spray or a light coating of oil. spread the vegetable-bean mixture in the bottom of the dish.
9) Pour the batter directly on top of the vegetable-bean mixture, pressing it down a little with a spatula. bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden and a knife inserted into the topping comes out clean.

Garnish with minced scallions, chopped cilantro, and sour cream.