Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Vegan Moussaka




Got this recipe from here.

Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (3 ½ lb.)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)
3 Tbs. dried oregano
2 15-oz. cans chopped tomatoes
⅔ cup green lentils
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 medium eggplants, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes and garlic in boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and reserve liquid. Mash with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 cups cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and oregano, and sauté 5 minutes. Add [canned] tomatoes, lentils, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and 3 cups potato cooking liquid. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon, and purée lentils in food processor until chunky. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place eggplant slices on paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse, and pat dry.

4. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Coat deep 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1 1/2 cups lentil mixture into bottom. Top with eggplant, followed by zucchini and [sliced] tomatoes. Spoon 2 cups lentil mixture over top. Spread half of potatoes over lentil mixture. Top with remaining eggplant, and lentil mixture. Spread remaining potatoes over top, making sure to cover completely. Bake 1 1/2 hours, or until top is browned.

Comments
  • Favor more potatoes and less eggplant
  • The way of preparing mashed potatoes here is strange... probably better to do it another way
  • No need to puree lentils
  • The end product is kind of crumbly
Not my favorite recipe (nor an exceptionally clear nor logical one).

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Apple Cider



Found recipe here.

Ingredients
  • 8 cups fresh apple cider or apple juice 
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks 
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
  • 4 whole cloves 
  • 1 orange, cut into slices 
  • cinnamon sticks 
  • sweetened whipped cream 
Instructions
  1. Heat the cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and orange slices in a 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the mixture is hot, stirring occasionally.
  2. Strain the cider into a heatproof pitcher or individual mugs. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and whipped cream, if desired.
Comments

Could use a lot more spices... maybe double the nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Black eyed peas

Got this recipe from here.

Ingredients
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 3 cups finely chopped onions
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 4 cups dry black-eyed peas
  • 5 cups water, plus more, if needed
  • 2 15-ounce cans whole tomatoes
  • 3 T. tomato paste
  • 2 T. dark brown sugar
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add the vegetable stock, black-eyed peas, water, tomatoes, tomato paste and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, adding more water as necessary, or until the peas are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Comments

Kind of bland; BEPs are not my favorite...