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. 

Tzatziki potato salad

If you're in the mood for tzatziki but want something heartier, or if you're looking for a way to spice up the usual potato salad, this is your thing.  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

3 pounds potatoes (yukon golds or red are best)
1 14oz container greek yogurt
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T white wine or cider vinegar
1 T minced fresh dill (or parsley)
1 clove garlic, minced (add more if you want it really garlicky)
2 t salt
1 large english cucumber, seeded and grated
optional: large handful of chopped beets and 2T chopped green onions

Instructions

1) In a medium pot, cover potatoes in water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes are tender but not soft, about 30 minutes (it's best to check them at about 20 minutes in.)
2) Drain potatoes and let cool completely, or if in a hurry, stick them in the freezer for ten minutes.
3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic, and beets/green onions if using.
4) Once potatoes are cool, cut them into medium sized chunks (for small potatoes, cut them into halves or quarters), and add to yogurt mixture.
5) Season to taste, chill for a few minutes in the fridge, and serve garnished with dill or parsley sprigs.

West African Groundnut Stew

Combined from several recipes, including Moosewood and World Vegetarian Classics.  This recipe is hearty and full of protein, and can be modified to include any variety of vegetables similar to potatoes and squash.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 t cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5t fresh grated ginger

2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

500g can chopped tomatoes

1 large zucchini, cubed
3 cups fresh spinach

1 cup apple juice

2/3 c chunky peanut butter

salt, cilantro, and peanuts to garnish 

Instructions

1) Heat oil over medium heat, and saute onions until well-cooked and translucent.  

2) Add cayenne, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.  

3) Stir in tomatoes, apple juice, and sweet potatoes.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Add zucchini and cook 5 more minutes, covered.

5) Stir in peanut butter and spinach, and serve.

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel

This is a non-traditional take on falafel. The sweet potato makes it a bit sweet, while the baking makes it a bit healthier. Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes (700g or 1.5lbs in total)

1.5 t ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 t ground coriander

2 big handfuls fresh coriander, chopped

juice of half a lemon

1 c chickpea (gram) flour

Instructions

1) Preheat over to 450F/220C and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cooled, peel.

2) Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and then add cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and chickpea flour. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour until the mixture is firm (sticky, but not wet).

3) Make the mixture into falafel-type balls looking things and put them on an oiled tray. To cook them, you can either bake at 400F/200C for 15 minutes, or put them under a broiler for 4 minutes on each side, flipping them when they start to brown.

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.

Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. "Creamy, sweet, and spicy" is the way Moosewood’s chefs describe the Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes. "When you’re baking sweet potatoes for another meal, put in a few extras so that later you’ll have some prebaked for this dish. Serve on plain rice or golden basmati rice topped with a fresh tomato salsa or with a mango or peach chutney and, if desired, with a dollop of nonfat yogurt."

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes
1 c diced onions
1/3 c water or unsweetened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger
2 t ground cumin
1 small fresh green chili, seeded and minced
3 T Neufchâtel (low-fat cream cheese)
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 head broccoli, chopped into small pieces (if you are in a hurry, you can substitute frozen vegetables for the broccoli and red pepper)
2/3 c diced red and/or green bell pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1) Bake sweet potatoes at 400F for about 1 hour, or until tender.
2)While potatoes bake, combine onions and water or juice in a medium saucepan. Cover and simmer until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, chili, and bell pepper. Cover and simmer until pepper is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cut Neufchâtel into small pieces and stir it into hot vegetable mixture to melt. Set aside.
3) Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Hold each potato half with a heavy towel or mitt in one hand and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving 1/4-inch shell. Mix potato flesh with vegetable-cheese mixture. Add lemon juice, peas, salt, and pepper.
4) Set oven temperature at 350F. Coat a vegetable dish with vegetable-oil cooking spray. Stuff potato shells with filling. Place potatoes in prepared dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Southwestern Corn and Potato Soup

From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. This soup comes out so creamy that it tastes like it has a bunch of dairy in it, but nope. Amazing.






Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 small fresh chile (I used a mild one), seeded and minced
1/2 t salt
4 cup vegetable stock
2 t ground cumin
1 med. sweet potato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cup fresh corn kernels (I cooked six stalks for three minutes to get about 3 c. of kernels)
salt to taste
lime wedges
finely chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

1) Chop veggies.
2) In a covered soup pot, simmer onions, garlic, chile, and salt in 1 c. of vegetable stock for about 10 min., or until the onions are soft.
3) Add cumin and cook two more minutes.
4) Add the sweet potatoes and the remaining stock and cook about 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes have softened.
5) Add the bell pepper and simmer for five minutes.
6) Add the corn and simmer, covered, for an additional five minutes.
7) Puree about half the soup in a blender and add it back in to the pot.
8) Garnish with lime and cilantro.