Cooking Vegan

So it has been a while since I cooked and ate Vegan and it is just way more fun and way more challenging than relying on cheese to do my seasoning. It's only been about a two weeks, and there have been lapses (lovely veggies sauteed in butter and a crazy good Spanish egg and potato appetizer at a dinner party, and shamefully I must admit it - a chip or two dipped in sour cream and onion dip while watching the exciting hockey game Sunday), but already I feel better. It's not for everyone. My Mr. and the kids have no interest in the exercise although all are being kindly supportive and tasting what's put on their plate (well two of the three of them are any way).

Even if you are just wanting to sneak more veg into your diet I really recommend buying a few different types of dried beans and legumes and have at it. Soy is not an option for me, but there are really good meat alternatives made from Lentils and nuts (Field Roast is my favorite brand) that have a ton of fiber and nutrients and flavor and are totally cruelty free. No, not about to launch a rant here - I just want to share a couple of tasty recipes that have really worked recently.

First off a huge pot of Lentil Soup for lunch for me or as a sneaky way to get more healthy fiber into the Mr.'s grilled cheese and Dorito lunch.

1 large onion and 2 large carrots chopped small and sautee in olive oil until soft and fragrant with

2 T Cumin

1T Tumeric

2 t sea salt

1 big pinch Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 t Hot Smoked Paprika

1 big pinch Marjoram (1/2 t?)

Once it smells great (don't burn the spices just toast them) add a large container of veg stock, a bag of cleaned lentils and enough water to be sure they are covered by about 4 inches of liquid. Throw in a couple sprigs of Thyme. Simmer adding additional water as needed to keep it liquid ,until the lentils are tender 40 or so minutes, checking to see that the lentils don't get overcooked. Add half of a large can of Italian stewed tomatoes chopped or broken up with a spoon ( use the good ones from Italy, really really it is worth the extra $3 for two giant dishes, the other ones don't actually taste, well, good). Cook 15 minutes more or until the tomato starts to break down and soften, then puree half the soup with 6 cloves fresh peeled garlic. return to the pan, reheat and serve with fresh lemon juice to taste.

First time I ever bought dried Chick Peas and WOW what a difference over canned (yes even the organic ones). Got a pound of organic dried beans on sale at Lucky for like $1.09 and made two dishes big enough to share all around Cole Valley out of them.

First the Hummus

After overnight soaking, rinse and refresh the water and boil the beans softly, skimming any bubbly stuff off the top until soft (and the skins start peeling off). Cool enough to handle and rub any remaining skins off with a towel or your fingers. Puree 3 cloves garlic in the food processor, then add 1/2 of the beans pulsing to chop, then add about 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/6 cup Tahini (more or less to taste), juice of one lemon, salt & pepper, and 1/4 t (or like 6 shakes) hot sauce. blend until smooth adding either a little more oil or cooking water if you are not getting it smooth enough. I like it fluffy and soft rather than liquid.

Then the Chick Pea Stew

Sautee one small onion in olive oil until soft but not brown, add 1T Cinnamon, 1t Tumeric, 1t sea salt, 1/2 - 1T Oregano ( I use Mexican, if you don't use the lesser amount) cook until fragrant. Add the other half of the canned tomatoes, the other half of the cooked Chick Peas, one bunch of Dino kale stemmed and ribbed and enough veg stock (half a container or so) to cover by 2 inches and cook until you have a thick stew about 25 minutes or so.

Beats

Forgot that no one really likes beats but me so this one has been lasting a tad too long but really delicious.

Roast a bunch of beets (only maybe not as big a bunch as I did), skin them and slice into a large bite size pieces or chunks - or however you like them. Cot the tough stems off and blanch the leaves in boiling water 2 minutes, drain and chop.

Put the beets and greens in a bowl, grate a large carrot into the bowl, then grate a 1 inch piece of peeled ginger over them, add 1 clove of garlic minced, 1t olive oil, the zest on an orange then cut the pith from the orange and slice the segments out of the membrane and into the bowl (I do this over the bowl, very careful not to cut myself, so any juice goes into the salad too). Season with salt and pepper and let stand. Make a simple vinaigrette (olive oil, lemon juice, dijon,balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper) and spoon a couple of Tablespoons over (to taste) just before serving.

So if you are going to eat Vegan, you are going to need to allow yourself a glamorous seasoning here and there (think of all the dough you saved on meat). Recently I visited Far West Fungi at the Ferry Building to look for hostess gifts for two families in So Cal whom we visited over break. What a place people - seriously, if you like mushrooms, go there. I was offered a sample of a black truffle sea salt that was so amazingly good I bought one for myself as well as my hostesses and have already put it to good use! Although it was great just sprinkled on steamed broccoli, it made a saute of sliced crimini (browned slowly in batches to ensure even caramelization of course) and spring asparagus beyond tasty. Like outer space tasty. Spacesty. The Mr. had seconds on that one and the broccoli too come to think of it.

Regardless of your principles, tastes, or your diet - you are what you eat. So let's just keep cooking our hearts out with love to give our families and our friends what really nourishes.