Aloo Gobi

I was in the mood for Indian the other day and whipped up this dish. While the ingredient list is a bit longer than I usually like to see, a good portion of it consists of spices that I always have on hand.

From the Forks Over Knives cookbook.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno pepper, chooped

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 russet poatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium tomatoes, diced

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro for garnish

1 cup of green peas

 

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and fry until translucent, adding water if needed. Add garlic, jalapeno, and ginger. Cook additional 3 minutes.  

 

Add  remaining spices, cauliflower, potatoes, and tomatoes.  Cook covered until potatoes are tender, around 15 minutes. Add peas and cook for 5 more minutes.

 

Remove bay leaves and garnish with cilantro.

 

 

 

White Bean, Potatoes, and Cabbage Skillet

Being home for the holidays is challenging as I come from a family of meat eaters. The easiest way to avoid temptation while still being a part of family meals is to make a side for the group which can serve as a meal in itself for me.

Last night my family was making a pork roast so I immediately thought of cabbage as a good side option. I had just received Swanson's book, "Super Natural Every Day" for Christmas and decided to give a recipe she had in there a shot. With potatoes, cabbage, and white beans it was very much a meal in and of itself. And my family enjoyed it as as side as well...even my two year old niece!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into tiny dice
1 shallot, minced
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups (8 ounces) very finely shredded green cabbage
coarse and fine-grain sea salt

Directions:

1. Pour the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and spread them evenly in the pan. Add sprinkle of coarse salt. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes or so, make sure you scrape and toss the potatoes during cooking so that you can get each side browned and cooked through.
2. Add in the shallot and the white beans and spread all around the skillet. Let cook, undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown just a bit, then scrape and toss again. Cook until the beans are nicely browned on both sides.
3. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and toss again. (I added more olive oil here to soften the cabbage - you might find you need some sort of liquid). Once the cabbage has wilted down, the dish is ready.

*For my non vegan family members, I added some Parmesan cheese to the mix.

 

 

 

Spicy Potato & Cabbage Soup

I based this recipe off of Heidi Swanson's Rustic Cabbage Soup, but decided to use tri-colored potatoes to make it more visually appealing.  I also added a bit of spice to make it more interesting. A meal in itself, this soup is very hearty.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound tri-colored potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cups stock (see head notes)
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained and rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 10 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another five minutes. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now add the cayenne pepper and adjust the seasoning depending on your taste.

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and/or sriracha.

Curried Lentil, Potato and Cauliflower Soup

It’s freezing out. And while the weather makes the 1.4 mile walk to/from work almost painful, it is perfect weather for a lentil stew. I had most of the ingredients on hand for this recipe – while all the chopping takes a bit of time the soup itself is very easy to make and pretty versatile. It would be easy to sub out the cauliflower and spinach with other vegetables you have on hand…frozen vegetables would work just fine.


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed & diced
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups water (I used 3 cups of vegetable broth, 3 cups of water)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 large potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• One 16-ounce can salt-free diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tsp good quality curry powder, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• Pinch of nutmeg (I used about ½ tsp)
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped cauliflower pieces
• 2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach leaves OR 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté over medium-low heat until translucent.

2. Stir in turmeric, curry powder and nutmeg, and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add the lentils and bay leaves. Cover with 6 cups water

4. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes

5. Add the potatoes and tomatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are about half done, about 10 to 15 minutes

6. Add the cauliflower and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes longer

7. Stir in the spinach, cilantro, and lemon juice. Adjust the consistency with more water as needed, then season with salt and pepper

8. Simmer over very low heat for another 5 minutes

9. Serve at once or let stand for an hour before serving, then heat through as needed