Veganomicon.

It has arrived!

*whoo hoo*
The hardest part will be trying to figure out what to cook first. yay!

What a full book for less than $20! I'm very impressed. There's even a recipe for Brooklyn Diner Macaroni Salad. Mmm. Fresh dill basmati rice with chard and chickpeas ... Tomato couscous with capers ... Oh the joy ...

Oh dear ... I think I've eaten too many beets this week.
I roasted some on Sunday and I got a little too excited about that. I ate beet salad for lunch and dinner yesterday and for lunch today. haha
Ok. Something else for lunch tomorrow ... definitely.

My throat is sore. I doubt that has anything to do with the beets though. bah.

HAPPY LEAP YEAR!

Valentine's Day 2008 was lots of fun. We went to KORHOGO 126 on Union Street. That place is to die for ...
Flowers equal a happy woman. *grin* Words to live by ...


This week, I cooked with panch phoran for the first time. *ugh* SOOOO good.
Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran* (vegan)

1 1/2 cups masoor dal or red lentils (I used channa dal [yellow lentils] because that’s what I had on hand.)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon canola oil (or canola oil spray)
1 tablespoon panch phoran
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1 tsp. minced ginger)
16 ounces diced tomatoes (or 1 can)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (I steam mine for 8 mins before hand, but that is optional)
1/2 cup water

Pick over and rinse the lentils and soak them in 3 cups of warm water for 1 hour.
Drain and add them to a pot with the 4 cups water and turmeric. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dal is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. When done, add salt and set aside.

While the dal is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Heat a large, deep skillet, preferably non-stick. When hot, add the canola oil and shake it to spread it around. Add the panch phoran and stir. (You may instead use oil spray; spray before and after adding the panch phoran.) When the first seed pops, immediately add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and ginger paste. Stir and cook until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, and some water, and stir. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes.

When the dal and cauliflower are both done, add the dal to the cauliflower mixture. Stir well, and check seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Simmer gently for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve hot, over rice if desired.

Recipe from: (There are also additional recipes using this spice here.)
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/01/cauliflower-dal-with-panch-phoran.html

* The spelling of this spice blend varies.

The results:

I served the above over couscous and I also made my secret beet salad. *yum*

Photos from our trip to Morocco!

Link to Photo Album:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vm4isqm.6esaimh6&x=0&y=dig0zv

Vegetarian Tamales!

Yesterday, I devoted the afternoon and early evening to making tamale from scratch.
Tamales are not easy to make and they're a bit labor intensive, but they're soooo worth it!

They came out pretty damn good. I have to say that I am proud.
Thanks to The PPK's show on tamales, I was well-informed. ;)

First, I bought the ingredients:
* MASECA brand masa harina (special corn flour that's been treated with lime)
* CRISCO (gross, I know, but you need to add some fat ... at least it's vegetable fat [it's actually vegan!])
* Corn husks to wrap them (I bought them dry in a bag)
* Veggie broth (I buy boxed rather than make my own)
and filling ingredients:
* 4 ears corn
* 1 onion
* 1 bag shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1 can chipotle peppers in Adobo

Then, I steamed the ears of corn for 10 mins and sautéed the onion until it was nice and brown.
Once it had cooled a bit, I cut the corn off the cob and cut up the chipotles.
WARNING: Chipotles are hot. I usually wear gloves to cut up hot peppers, but I forgot this time and my hands suffered badly.
They were in a lot of pain and it took about 5 good washes until they were better. =(

Then I made the dough by combining 4 cups of the masa harina, 1.25 cups of CRISCO,
and 4 cups of heated veggie broth by hand. (It's messy, but I enjoyed it. heh)

Then I boiled the dry corn husks until they were pliable.

Next, I put down a corn husk, put a bit of the dough on top, and then layered a chipotle,
some onions, some cheese and some corn. Then I put some more dough on top
to seal those ingredients in. Then you wrap up the husk. (The PPK show can show you this in detail.)

The results ... A messy kitchen, but a lovely stack of delicious tamales. Mmm Mmm good.

Christmas Trip to Arizona!

Link to photo album:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vm4isqm.ci2vv5ne&x=0&y=-afntj2

Fooligans FC!

http://www.fooligansfc.com/