Cake and Cumin

This recipe is another delicious use for tempeh. We actually made it into tempeh chili/black bean tacos, but putting this mixture in a tortilla, which was awesome. A note… it is a bit involved and takes about 2 hours, but most of that time is inactive.

Tempeh Chili with Black Beans

2 heads garlic, to roast

2 tbsp. evoo

3 cups crumbled tempeh

2 onions, chopped

1/4 cup honey

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp dried sage

3 tbsp tomato paste

4 cups chopped tomato

2 cups vege stock

1 can black beans

salt and pepper

1 cup radishes

1 cup cilantro

Slice one side of the garlic open (keeping it together in the bunch). drizzle evoo and salt on the tops of the garlic. place them open side up and roast on 375 for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp evoo in a large pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook until it is crisp (about 5 minutes). take tempeh out and put it to the side.

In the same pot, put 1 tbsp. onion, stir until soft. then add honey and turn the heat to medium/low. cook for about 20 minutes until caramelized stirring occasionally.

Add the carrots, chili powder and sage. them add tomato paste, tomatoes, stock, beans and tempeh. bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until liquid thickens and beans are tender (I simmered for about 30 minutes. it will be longer if you use dried beans). Flavor with salt and pepper.

Squeeze the finished roasted garlic into the pot and stir well. Before serving add cilantro and radishes.

*adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

I LOVE these Friday baskets. Every day I sit and imagine what could be in my basket when I get home. Today, our basket was filled with great stuff! Red lettuce, kale, chard, shell peas, strawberries, radishes, dill, and spring onions. Here’s what I plan to do with it…

tonight: Chili tempeh black bean tacos with left over radishes and spring onions from last week (recipe and pics to come in the next day or two)

for the week:

Tuna cooked on a salt block with sauteed kale and chard

Asparagus spring onion risotto

dilly sauteed radishes

toasted almond, sauteed shelled peas, and dill pasta with spring onion vinaigrette

The red lettuce will be our lettuce greens (unimaginative but necessary) and the strawberries… well, I doubt I’ll get a chance to do anything with those before the fiance devours them.

Thanks Smucker Farms!

This is another tagine recipe that is just crazy delicious! It has middle eastern flavors with a bit of an Indian twist and then tastes fresh with the addition of the cilantro and parsley. For this recipe, I do recommend a tagine if at all possible. A tagine also makes this a great one-pot meal.

North African-Spiced Vegetable Tagine

2 tbsp. olive poil

½ tsp turmeric

3 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 large fennel bulb, cut into ½ inch wedges

1 ¼ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

2 cups chopped peeled turnips

4 carrots, cut into sticks

1 cup vege broth

1 cup frozen baby peas

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. lemon juice

heat oil in the tagine. Add turmeric, cumin and paprika. Cook, stirring until spices foam.

Add in the cilantro, parley, garlic and tomatoes. Stir. Add fennel, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and brother. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender (about 30 min). Add peas. Then add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

I LOVE my tagine. A tagine has been one of those kitchen gadgets that I have had my eye on  for years and this year for Hanukkah I received it as a present from my mother. I have been experimenting with lots of tagine recipes and trying to find good ones that are vegetarian. Below is a great one that you don’t even need a tagine to make.

Tagine of Spring Vegetables with Spiced Tomato Broth and Couscous

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 think slices fresh ginger

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1 small eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup baby carrots

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch slices

½ cup sliced radishes

1 cup oyster mushrooms (ends of stems trimmed)

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garam masala

2 cups mustard greens, roughly chopped

couscous, cook according to directions on the label

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan, simmer vegetable broth, peeled garlic cloves, ginger, coriander and cumin for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the garlic and ginger, chop finely and return to the pot. Add tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, sprinkle eggplant with salt and let stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towel.

While eggplant is sitting, blanch carrots and cauliflower in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Toss carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, radishes, mushrooms, pearl onions, and cherry tomatoes with minced garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle with garam masala and bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add the mustard greens, toss and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

To serve, put couscous in a bowl, then some veges, then pour some broth over it.

Enjoy!!

*adapted from epicurous

Finished product: seared tuna on a salt block, sautéed garlic and spinach, and rice with dried berries/raisins and pistachios (Taken with instagram)

Tuna cooking continues. (Taken with instagram)

Pistachios sautéing, rice cooking, Himalayan salt block heating (Taken with instagram)

Mac and Cheese is a classic. In fact, The Washington Post just posted an article on the best Mac and Cheese in DC.

Here’s my favorite mac and cheese recipe from Zingerman’s with a few amendments.

1 pound macaroni

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

thyme and rosemary (pinch of each)

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp. flour

3 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

pepper

4 1/2 cups white American Cheddar Cheese, grated

preheat over to 400 degrees.

cook pasta until it is 2-3 minutes from being al dente (a little underdone so it does not get mushy in the over.) Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. add the onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Saute until the onion is soft. Add wine and reduce until mixture is thick (about 3-4 minutes).

Add flour and continue to stir. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. When milk and flour are completely combined, stir in the mustard, salt and pepper. Keep the mixture at a simmer until it thickens (2-3 minutes). Reduce heat to medium. A handful at a time, add 3 cups of the cheese. When the cheese is all melted, remove the pan from the heat.

Stir in the pasta and pour into a 9x13 baking dish and top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

In case you have the real recipe, my amendments are as follows… I use dried rosemary and thyme if I don’t have fresh around. I also will use a few different types of cheese. I use a base of white sharp cheddar cheese but then I add in a more milder cheese and sprinkle a really flavorful cheese on top. Around here, Whole Foods has what I call the “cheese scrap bin”. It is just small, leftover chunks of a variety of cheeses so I grab whatever looks interesting and grate it up for a delicious mac and cheese. Finally, the recipe will have you leave the garlic whole and remove the garlic, thyme and rosemary sprigs after sauteing. I just leave all the flavors in there.