Posts tagged garlic

Pumping up pre-packaged tomato soup

October 13, 2008 · Filed under beans, soup · Tagged , , , ,

Fall colours

Fall colours

Ah, fall… School has been getting very busy and I have not been able to procrastinate (I AM PROCRASTINATING RIGHT NOW, AH) with food preparation as frequently as I would like to. Using leftover rice from my previous post and some pre-packaged tomato soup, I came up with this as a relatively quick fix last week:

Packaged tomato soup with mixed beans, kale and rice.

Packaged tomato soup with mixed beans, kale and rice.

Tomato soup + stuff I had in my fridge:

Bring the water to its boiling point and add the onion and garlic. Reduce heat and cook until the onion becomes transparent. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the kale; cook until the kale has wilted. Add the tomato soup, beans and garlic powder and stir until the mixture is thoroughly heated.

There are a number of vegan tomato soup recipes available online if you do want to prepare the soup base from scratch.

-Aly

PS Canadians, don’t forget to vote tomorrow! There is still some time to get informed about the candidates in your riding if you have not already done so!

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Curried butternut squash

July 19, 2008 · Filed under curry · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Curried butternut squash on my Flickr
I bought a butternut squash for the first time last week and decided to make a curry based on recollections of the delicious curried squash sometimes included in the vegetable thali at Ceylonta, an Ottawa restaurant which specializes in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine. In case you are also new to the wonderful world of butternut squash, I recommend checking this video out; it might make your peeling experience a little easier :). My recipe makes one large serving, and is a work in progress.

Curried butternut squash

1 t black mustard seeds
1 t cumin seeds
½ c onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 t minced garlic (optional, unless you really dig garlic!)
½ T curry powder
1 t coriander powder
1 c butternut squash, cubed
2 baby potatoes, cubed (optional)
¼ c chickpeas
1 c spinach

1. I did not temper the spices in oil, but would suggest doing so if you would like to experience the full flavour of the black mustard and cumin seeds. Instead, I heated about a ¼ c of water (I used a small pot; use enough to cover the bottom of your pot or skillet), and added the black mustard and cumin seeds. If you are using oil, heat until the black mustard seeds begin to pop (this happens very quickly; be vigilant!).
2. Add the onions and garlic next and heat them until the onions become transparent. Watch the pot carefully, and add more water if necessary to avoid burning them.
3. Once the onions are ready, add approximately ½ c of water, the curry powder, coriander powder, squash and potatoes. Turn the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and chickpeas, and cook for another five minutes.

I was on a real curry kick this week and decided to try out another curry for supper the next day.


This is a hybrid of the Happy Herbivore‘s Channa Palak Masala and Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Kale. It was so dang good, that I made it twice; once with chickpeas, and once with kidney beans. I used spinach on both occasions.

– Aly

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Roasted red potatoes w/ dill and rosemary

May 11, 2008 · Filed under potato, tofu · Tagged , , , , , ,

Mmmm. White potatoes. So cheap and easy, but a rare occurence on my menu. I often microwave sweet potatoes (yams) and add brown sugar for a 5-minute, vitamin-packed dinner. But being as I’m a university graduate and all… well, it’s time for a bit of a classier recipe.

Adapted from The Garden of Vegan:

10 small red potatoes, quartered
5 cloves garlic, halved
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill
2 tsp fresh rosemary
1/8 tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 C. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss well until potatoes are well covered. Spread out on a 9X13 baking pan. Roast for 35-45 min (actually mine took 60 min). Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Enjoy with ketchup like I’m doing right now. MMMMMM.

-Maureen

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Carrot and parsnip curry

March 12, 2008 · Filed under curry, rice · Tagged , , , , , ,

This is another post based on a recipe from The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar and Urmila Desai. I was inspired by the curried carrot and parsnip recipe on page 78 in particular as I had quite a bit of parsnip if the fridge and I was not sure what to do with it! The original recipe called for yogurt, but the idea of curried soy yogurt simply did not appeal to me today.

Here is my version of carrot and parsnip curry:

½ t sunflower oil
½ t black mustard seeds
½ t cumin seeds
½ t tumeric
½ t coriander powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion salt
½ T mystery curry powder
¼ c water
½ c coarsely chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ c cubed carrot
¼ c cubed parsnip
¼ c water
1 c baby spinach
⅛ c frozen green peas

Heat the oil slowly and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds once the pan is sufficiently heated. When the mustard seeds have begun to pop, add the onion and garlic and cook on medium until the onions are translucent. Watch the onions carefully to avoid burning them, and add water as necessary. Add the carrots and parsnips with the rest of the spices and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and some more water, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the peas and remove from heat when the peas have defrosted.

I served the vegetables with ¼ c of Lundberg short grain brown rice boiled with curry powder and shaped in to flowers.

Unfortunately, the final product was not photo-worthy, but it sure did taste great! This recipe makes one serving and is approximately 300 calories.

– Aly

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A million and one salads

March 11, 2008 · Filed under fruit, lentils, pasta, Restaurants, salad · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have not posted in the last week as it seems like I have been exclusively eating salad following a demotion from girlfriend to friend. Here are a few products of my salad fixation:

#1: Lentil Salad

Ingredients: shredded lettuce, grated carrot, cubed tomato, chopped green and white onion, chopped yellow pepper, green lentils, capers, sesame seeds, and a white wine vinaigrette. This salad was inspired by the (best Ethiopian restaurant in Ottawa) East African Restaurant‘s awesome Azifa.

#2: Quinoa & Tofu Salad

Ingredients: shredded lettuce, quinoa, corn, baked tofu, grated carrot, finely sliced white onion, capers, sauerkraut and red wine vinaigrette.

#3: Cold Noodle & Spinach Salad

Ingredients: rainbow vegetable spiral noodles, baked tofu, grated parsnip, baby spinach, coarsely chopped onion, chopped yellow pepper, minced garlic and white wine vinaigrette.

#4: Fruit Salad

Ingredients: one orange, one banana, frozen raspberries, raisins and cinnamon. (Being allergic to most raw fruits makes spontaneous fruit salads quite the challenge.)

Thankfully my appetite has begun to return as I finally started running! I never really understood how great it was until I was capable of running for longer than 15 minutes. Interested in starting? Check this site and others out for more information and most importantly, just get out there and do it!

– Aly

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Tofu ‘n rice with spinach

February 28, 2008 · Filed under rice, tofu · Tagged , , , , , , ,

I prepared this meal tonight to counteract my unpleasant experiences with too much psyllium. It is quite flavourful and filling with approximately 305 calories.

Rice
¼ c Lundberg Wehani rice
½ c water
¼ low sodium vegetable bouillon cube

Bring water to a boil with rice and bouillon cube. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Tofu
⅛ tofu block
2 T soy sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 t rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 F. Press the tofu between a cloth for about ten minutes and then marinate in soy sauce and spices for fifteen minutes. Bake for ten minutes, flip and then bake for another ten minutes.

Spinach
¼ c water
½ small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
⅛ c green onion
1 c baby spinach
1 t onion salt

Heat water in a frying pan at medium heat. Throw in the onion and garlic. Add the spinach once the onion pieces begin to turn translucent. Once the spinach has shrivelled, add the vegetable mixture to the rice and stir with onion salt. Place tofu on top and dig in. This was my first time trying Lundberg Wehani rice, a variant of basmati rice. It does indeed have a “nutty” taste and also has an pleasantly chewy texture. I definitely recommend it!

– Aly

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Chickpea curry & udon

February 12, 2008 · Filed under curry, pasta, smoothies, udon · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Click the image to enlarge

Maureen’s last post inspired me to make a noodle-based supper this evening! This recipe is based on the curry recipes found in The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar and Urmila Desai. It yields enough for two small portions of approximately 205 calories each, or one large portion of about 410 calories.

1 t sunflower oil
 ½ t black mustard seeds
 ½ t cumin seeds
 ½ t cumin powder
 ½ t fenugreek
 ½ t turmeric
 ½ t coriander powder
1 t curry powder
½ a medium potato
¼ c red onion
2 garlic cloves
¼ c coarsely chopped red onion
1 c water
¼ c chickpeas
¼ c frozen green peas
2 finely chopped brussel sprouts
1.5 oz spelt udon

Begin by heating the oil in a pan. Add the black mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek and wait for the black mustard seeds to pop. Watch the pan to make sure the seeds do not burn! Once the black mustard seeds have begun to pop, add the turmeric, onions and garlic. Add ¼ c water. Let the onions brown, and then add the rest of your vegetables and ½ c of water. Cover your pan and cook on medium for 15 minutes or so. Add the rest of the water as necessary. After the 15 minutes is up, simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes. While the curry is simmering, prepare the udon as indicated on the package. Add the noodles to the curry, stir and enjoy.

The Ayurvedic Cookbook recommends that fruit is eaten alone, or at the beginning of a meal. I decided to make a fruit smoothie of approximately 125 calories to accompany my supper anyway. Here is the recipe:

½ a banana
½ an orange
¼ c unsweetened frozen pineapple
¼ c unsweetened frozen blueberry
½ c water

Add the ingredients to a blender and liquefy.

– Aly

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