Posts filed under 'Veggie Mains'
It may have disturbed my boys to even look at their bowls filled with this stew, but I loved it! This is a fantastic vegetarian crock pot recipe, and I feel lucky to have found it. Of course, you need to like mushrooms to enjoy it — their flavor is deep and intense here, and pairs perfectly with the hearty barley and lentils for a chilly weather dinner.
This is my kind of crock pot recipe: dump all the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and leave it. That’s it. I served it with Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.
Mushroom, Barley & Lentil Stew
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
2 quarts vegetable broth
8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, broken into small pieces
3/4 c. uncooked pearl barley
3/4 c. dry lentils
1 c. onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
ground black pepper
12 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Add all ingredients except the fresh basil to your slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours. Remove bay leaves. Stir in chopped basil just before serving.
November 18th, 2008
A Chick in the Kitchen reader, Heather, sent me this recipe for Winter Lentil Soup. She was right, it’s exactly the type of soup I like to make at this time of year, and as a bonus it used up the last of my kale.
The recipe combines canned tomatoes (I used diced, per Heather’s suggestion), sweet potatoes, leeks, kale, and lentils — plus fresh basil — for a slightly sweet, chunky soup that just needs some fresh bread to make it a meal. Although I liked the delicate flavor of the leeks, I think a little garlic would perk it up next time. And I would double the lentils, which take a backseat in this soup regardless of their prominence in its name.
The only thing I didn’t like about the recipe is that it really needed the 2 teaspoons of salt specified. Normally I leave the salt out altogether, but the soup tasted very flat without it, even with all that basil and thyme (I used a half teaspoon of dried instead of fresh).
J. and I both liked it; he deemed it “good” and “definitely edible” which is his version of an enthusiastic double thumbs-up. I’ve got a ton of it ready to go into my freezer, but I’m happy to share if anyone local would like a quart bag — just let me know.
November 16th, 2008
This was one of those dishes I never would have tried if it were not for my CSA, which pushes me outside my comfort zone while I try to use up the vegetables from my share. I had read a recipe for a Savory Carrot & Tarragon Tart in Eating Well magazine, and since I am a bit overrun with carrots right now it seemed a good choice for a light dinner.
I ditched the crust entirely and simplified the rest of the instructions: in a small saute pan, I cooked the onions in a drizzle of olive oil until softened, then added 2 cups of shredded carrots (2 enormous carrots) and cooked those down with the onions for 5 more minutes. I patted that mixture into a 9″ non-stick round pan, and then combined and poured the following over it:
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. non-fat ricotta
1/2 c. 1% milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper
I baked it all in my toaster oven for about 35 minutes at 375° F.
All in all, it was an acceptable dinner. The onions and carrots made the dish surprisingly sweet (which made me wonder about the “savory” claim in the original recipe’s title) but pleasant. I should have used a smaller pan — the slices had little height and just weren’t that appealing on the plate because of it. In fact, the fritatta was so flat the boys mistook it for pizza, albeit “not the kind of pizza I like,” according to G. My dad had some leftovers for dinner tonight, and he liked it, too. In the future, though, I’ll stick to fritatta/quiche/baked egg dishes that use greens like broccoli or swiss chard to bulk them up rather than carrots.
November 6th, 2008
My friend Alison, who is known for making gorgeous, decorated cupcakes, cookies and other desserts, also cooks a lot for her family, as I try to do. She forwarded this recipe to me recently, and I thought J. would love it — I was right.
Triple Tomato Sauce uses fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, and tomato paste for a super-simple uncooked sauce that is whipped up in a blender or food processor, and mixed right into hot, freshly-cooked pasta.
This sauce has a really fresh, herbal flavor thanks to the uncooked tomatoes and fresh basil, which gives it a totally different taste than a cooked sauce, even one that’s homemade. I thought it was even better before it went over the hot ziti, which led me to wonder out loud if it would be nice for a cold or room-temperature pasta salad in warmer weather. J. insists absolutely not, but I still might try it next summer.
November 2nd, 2008
When I planned my menu for this week, I had no idea a huge, cold, rainy, windy storm was upon us. Wet leaves are whipping around my yard, I’m chilled to the bone. It is a perfect day for soup.
I noted in the title that this soup is vegetarian, because many of the recipes I found with kale included sausage. Take Mark Bittman’s Pasta With Black Kale, Shiitakes and Italian Sausage, for example. While I do cook with sausage every now and then, I was looking for something without meat for tonight — I was trying to avoid going to the butcher for another week!
This soup turns out rich and creamy thanks to the navy beans being blended into the soup. It has a fresh but hearty flavor, and if you’re not a huge greens fan this is a good way to eat them since their flavor is not overbearing. Substituting sweet potato or squash for the navy beans would also be a delicious variation.
I use Spike seasoning because I have it in the house, but any spice blend that you enjoy (Mrs. Dash, herbes de Provence, etc.) will work fine. I served Alexia Ciabatta rolls with the soup, which were delicious. Just pop them in the oven for 10 minutes straight from the freezer, and you have freshly-baked rolls ready for dinner.
Vegetarian White Bean & Kale Soup
Adapted from Bean Soup With Kale
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 tsp. crushed garlic (or 6 cloves, minced)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 c. fresh Toscano kale, rough-chopped (about 8 large leaves, stems removed)
4 c. vegetable broth
2 15-oz. cans navy beans, undrained
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tsp. Salt-Free Spike seasoning (or any general spice mix you like)
1/2 tsp. salt (adjust based on your spice mix)
ground black pepper (I used about 15 grinds)
Parmesan cheese (optional, to sprinkle on top)
Heat oil in a large soup pot, and cook onions, garlic, and carrots over a medium-low heat until they are caramelized (about 10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, stir well, cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes. Using an immersion (stick) blender, blend soup until almost smooth. BE CAREFUL not to splash hot soup on yourself! Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Adjust seasonings and serve hot, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
October 28th, 2008
Bok choi? Bok choy? I see both written, so I did some Googling and it seems that the appropriate way to refer to this Chinese cabbage is as either pak choi or bok choy (both are transliterations, natch).
I haven’t stuck to my plan for meals this week at all, and with this week’s CSA pick-up looming, I felt compelled to use up the bok choy at least. A quick stir fry for lunch did the trick. I cut up a block of drained and pressed firm tofu, and cooked it in a drizzle of canola until it was browned. Then I added the whole head of bok choy, which I’d sliced thin. A bit of minced garlic, ground ginger, and hoisin sauce (all jarred), a few more minutes of tossing the mixture over high heat, and this dish was ready.
Bok choy has a moderate cabbage flavor with a bit of bitterness, like mustard greens. I didn’t mind it in this dish, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make it again either. I think I’ve preferred baby bok choy in the past, which is more mild. Regardless, I got it used up before this week’s share!
October 8th, 2008
I was tempted to make Basil Green Beans with Tomatoes again, but decided I ought to try something different with my CSA green beans this week. This stir fry did not disappoint. It reminded me of Chinese take-out spicy green beans — mild heat, slightly sweet (that’s the hoisin), lots of garlic, and silky (but not greasy) sauce coating still-crisp green beans. The tofu remains neutral here, soaking up the sauce and adding protein to make this a whole meal in a pan.
Spicy Green Bean & Tofu Stir Fry
Adapted from Stir-Fried Tofu and Green Beans in Hot Sauce
1 quart green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
14 oz. block extra firm tofu, drained & cut into 32 pieces
1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. fresh ground ginger (I use bottled)
1 tsp. chili oil
crushed red pepper for garnish and extra heat
In a small sauce pan, cover beans with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and drain thoroughly. Set aside.
In a wok or large frying pan (that’s what I use) over high heat, add canola oil; once the oil is hot add drained green beans and garlic. Keep the beans moving quickly around your pan with a spoon or spatula so they do not burn, cook for two minutes and then add tofu pieces. Allow tofu to caramelize for several minutes, taking care not to let your garlic burn.
Once tofu is golden, add remaining ingredients and continue stir-frying for a few minutes until ingredients are well-coated and no extra sauce remains in the pan.
Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve hot over rice or noodles.
September 15th, 2008
I’m so pleased with this recipe — not only is it a solid vegetarian crock pot meal, it also took advantage of a lot of my CSA haul for the week. Plus, as the original recipe notes, ratatouille is very multi-purpose. Use it over pasta, as I did, or on pizza, in a baked potato, scrambled into eggs, etc. I used half and froze the rest for another meal.
J. thought this ratatouille was very good (he had it over spaghetti). Neither boy would try it, but G. was thrilled by the baked chicken I made alongside it, saying “Thank you for making me chicken!”
If I had had zucchini from my farm share, I would have added it, too.
Slow Cooker Ratatouille
Inspired by Ratatouille in the Crock Pot
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 medium eggplants, skin on, diced
2 large green bell peppers, seeded, diced
1 small red pepper, seeded, diced (I used a Carmen pepper)
6 plum-sized tomatoes, quartered (I used yellow Golden Rave tomatoes)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
large handful fresh parsley, chopped
large handful fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Layer ingredients through the 1 tsp. salt in your crock pot, in the order listed. Then dot the tomato paste on top, and cover. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Remove lid and stir to combine. Add fresh parsley and basil, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or straight from the fridge.
August 22nd, 2008
This dish is based on a recipe e-mailed to me by an Indian reader, Dara. (More of the story in the second paragraph of Menu Plan Monday, 8/4 - 8/10.) I wanted to be respectful of and as true to the original recipe as possible, but at the same time I knew some adaptations were required, both to use up farm share vegetables and to accommodate the difference in ingredients between here and India. I think I succeeded in keeping to the essence of Dara’s original recipe.
While I was cooking and trying to stay somewhat authentic, I wondered, what is a jalfrezi anyway? Jalfrezi is a general term for a dry Indian curry, cooked with chilies and with the main ingredients usually including peppers, onions, and tomatoes. OK, I had all of those elements nailed — I was on the right track.
The green beans, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes are all from my CSA share. As a result, the quantities that I used were based on what I received this week, and might not be what you’d buy in the supermarket. You can mix and match your favorite vegetables — IndiaCurry.com has some suggestions. The Mariachi peppers have a mild heat, while the Red Rocket is hotter. I found the finished dish to be pleasantly spicy, J. didn’t find any heat at all. The original recipe called for chili powder in addition to the fresh chilies, so if you like to sweat consider that addition.
I love the combination of ginger (I might add more next time) and cilantro. I would not have been disappointed if I ordered this meal in a restaurant. The only downside is that there’s a lot of chopping — I did some before a birthday party, and then some after.
Vegetable Jalfrezi
Adapted from Dara’s e-mailed recipe
2 large yams, peeled & cut into bite-sized chunks
1 quart green beans, trimmed & cut into inch-long pieces
6 small carrots, peeled & cut into bite-sized chunks
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
2 Mariachi peppers, seeded & minced
1 Red Rocket pepper, seeded & minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tsp. fresh ground ginger (I use bottled)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
Add yams, green beans, and carrots to a pot and cover with two inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil; then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain and set aside.
While vegetables are simmering, drizzle olive oil in a large saute pan and cook onions over medium heat until they start to soften. Add peppers and cook an additional few minutes until onions and peppers are caramelized.
Add remaining ingredients plus the drained yam, green beans, and carrot mixture, and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes (no liquid should remain in the pan).
Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
August 9th, 2008
Is it a proper frittata if you don’t start it in a skillet on the stove? Perhaps these are just baked eggs. Either way, they’re delicious.
Preheat your toaster oven to 375° F (it was in the mid-80s today, too hot for the big oven). Saute two small onions, diced, in a little olive oil. While they are turning soft and golden, wash and trim about 10 cups of swiss chard, and then chop it roughly. Add the chard to the pan, cook until wilted. Let it cool a bit. Beat a dozen eggs with 4 to 8 oz. of shredded Gruyère, add the chard mixture, and stir. Pour into a greased pan (I used the one that came with my toaster oven, which is about 9.5″x11″) and bake for 25 minutes, or until eggs are set.
Once you’ve cooled the frittata, slices can be individually frozen.
July 29th, 2008
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I'm Dara, the chick in the kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 3 and 5, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Reach me at .