Old-Fashioned (but not for long)

I like the look of Carrot-Raisin Salad and the sweet hit it gives on my plate that is otherwise all about savoury food.  What I dislike is the deli-style mayonnaise-based carrot-raisin salad that is typically the version that springs to one's mind.  To update this old classic, citrus and raw ginger give this dish a fresh and zesty new lease on life.

Carrot-Raisin Salad
(from Clean Food by Terry Walters, pp. 56 - with some modification by me)
Serves 4

1/4 cup nuts or seeds (try walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts)
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
4 cups boiling water
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Toast nuts or seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and toasted shaking the pan occasionally to avoid burning (approx. 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and let cool. OR skip this step and just sprinkle raw nuts or seeds on top of the salad before serving.

In a large bowl, combine carrots and raisins.  Cover with boiling water, let sit for 30 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water and drain completely.  Stir in juices, zests, ginger, and salt.  Refrigerate until cold.  Sprinkle with the toasted (or raw) nuts or seeds just before serving (otherwise they'll get soft and lose their crunch).

Tempting Tempeh

It’s been a terrifically hot day and once the sun dips down as well as the temperature, we just want to unwind on the couch and watch a DVD with dinner. This leaves me with the question, what to make?

Michael likes tempeh and I like sour. Put the two together and we have Cilantro Tempeh with a Sweet & Sour Stir Fry.

(image from Flickr)

Cilantro Tempeh
(recipe adapted from Enlightened Eating cookbook)

1 package tempeh (225g)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cups sweet onion, sliced
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup water
3 tablespoons ume plum vinegar
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup red pepper chopped

1 cup chopped tomatoes

Steam tempeh in the top of a double boiler for 10 minutes. Remove and cool, cut into small dice-sized cubes and set aside. (I LOVE this method for working with tempeh. Steaming it first seems to loosen it up and prepare it to drink in the sauce).

Heal sesame oil in a skilled, add onions, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, garlic, cayenne and cook another couple of minutes.

Add tempeh and water and cook over low-medium heat for 15 more minutes. Add ume plum vinegar, cilantro, red pepper and tomato. Heat through and serve.

(image from flickr)

A well-stocked pantry and fridge with a variety of oils and vinegars will definitely come in handy for this recipe.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry
(recipe adapted from Clean Food cookbook)
½ pound udon noodles (I like to use kamut udon)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 carrots, sliced thinly on a diagonal
1 large zucchini, ¼ inch thick sliced on a diagonal
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos (or feel free to use tamari instead)
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Place colander on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat wok over medium-high heat. Add grapeseed oil, garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. (If anything starts to stick add 1 tablespoon of water). Add carrots and zucchini, stir and cook 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. Add 1 tablespoon each of rice vinegar, mirin, and liquid aminos and cook 1 minute longer. Remove vegetables from wok and set aside.

Pour remaining tablespoon of rice vinegar, mirin, and liquid aminos into empty wok. Fold in the chilled noodles until evenly coated and heated through. Drizzle with sesame oil. Transfer noodles to serving plates, top with vegetables, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and place Cilantro Tempeh at the side.

"Bean" there, done that

Well, it's Tuesday night, which is a designated running night for me - now that I'm back to running after recovering from a broken toe - so this meal has to come together fast. Almost as fast as I wish I could run! This is when it pays off to have beans cooked, portioned out, and waiting for you in the freezer. Of course, you can always go the canned route. In which case it pays off to have a well-stocked pantry.

Tonight's dish hails from an old issue of Real Simple magazine (October 2006). I'm the kind of cook who likes trying new recipes so don't have many recipes that are entrenched in my repertoire. But this one's an exception. The recipe calls for cannellini beans, but I prefer pinto beans as they impart some sort of smokiness that makes me feel this stew has been simmering for hours even though it only takes 15 minutes. As far as the recipe's optional ingredients of either balsamic vinegar or parmesan, I use both, always. Why let an opportunity pass you by when you can make something good taste even better!

Cannellini Bean Stew

2 15-ounce cans cannellini or other white beans, drained
1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
6 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan (optional)

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, bring the beans, broth, garlic, bay leaf, and carrots to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and stir for 1 minute. Spoon the stew into bowls. Drizzle with the oil. If desired, add either some vinegar or Parmesan.

My note: If you are using your own cooked beans and not those from a can, use 3 cups of cooked beans for this recipe.

Chilled & Grilled

To start, a Chilled Curried Carrot Soup courtesy of a Fine Cooking magazine recipe from 2003 (issue 59, page 55) and to follow Pita stuffed with Hummous and Grilled Veggies.

These recipes create a good bit of dirty dishes as you need a soup pot, blender, food processor, sieve, not to mention the usual spoons, spatulas, etc. But all worth it.

For the soup:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

1 pound of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large shallot, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon seeded and minced fresh serrano or jalapeno chile (about 1/2 a medium-size chile)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon Madras-style hot curry powder

Kosher salt

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup coconut milk

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or more to taste)

Freshly ground black peppper

Fresh cilantro leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Heat the oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic, ginger, chile, coriander, curry powder and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Pour in the chicken broth, cover partially, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the vegetables offer no resistance when mashed against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon (25 to 35 minutes) (This is why it's important to slice them very thinly, so they'll cook fast). Remove from the heat.

Ladle some solids and broth into a blender, taking care to fill the jar no more than two-thirds full. Before turning on the blender vent the lid by removing the pop-out centre if there is one, or just open the lid a bit. (Venting prevents the heat from building up inside the blender, which could cause hot soup to spew out all over the kitchen!). For extra precuation drape a clean dishtowel over the vented lid as well. Puree the soup in batches if needed and then strain through a medium sieve - use a spatula to help push the soup through the sieve. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill thoroughly. Before serving, thin the soup gradually as needed with up to 1 cup of water and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a few cilantro leaves and the pumpkin seeds.

May I also just point out that if you don't make sure the cooked vegetables are completely tender, it will make a difference in the finished dish. Undercooked vegetables will give the soup a gritty, chewy texture. If you get any funny ideas about skipping the straining of the soup through the sieve, think again. This step gives your soup a silky smooth texture that isn't possible with just the blender alone. And forget about cheating all together and skipping both the blender and the sieve and just using the immersion/stick blender. This will give your soup a chunky texture and mute the flavours.

For the Pita Bread with Hummous, Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini:

If you're looking to save some time, you could always purchase hummous. I've never found any store-bought one that I particularly like so always make my own. However, just two weeks ago when I had an ex-coworker for dinner (see my blog dated July 5) I did purchase a store-made hummous from Whole Foods and was pleasantly surprised. I still much prefer making my own and as the food processor does all the work it's easy enough to whip some up. For my money, the best hummous receipe comes from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (aka Ina Garten) although I've made just a few modifications:

1 - 19 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup tahini
1-1/2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
8 dashes of hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
Juice of 2 lemons (approx. 6 tablespoons of lemon juice)
2 tablespoons water
3 garlic cloves, minced

Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix until coarsely chopped - I use the "pulse" button and hit it 7 or 8 times, scraping the side of the bowl down, if needed. Adjust seasoning, if needed. If mixture is too thick, add more water.

For the grilled eggplant and zucchini, I just slice thickly, brush with olive oil and a generous pinch of Kosher salt and grill on the BBQ.

To assemble: cut the top 1/8 off of the pita bread (save this to dip into the hummous). Spread a generous amount of the hummous in the pita bread and stuff with the grilled vegetables and fresh cut tomato.