Aloo Samosas

Since I bought my copy of Vegan Lunch Box (highly recommend it, by the way!), I have been wanting to try out the Aloo Samosas. My gorgeous friend gail introduced me to the joy that is Indian food (she is responsible for so many of my foodie inclinations!), and I am a happy convert. I do enjoy a tasty samosa, but the fried thing is a bit of a turn-off. The recipe in Vegan Lunch Box intrigued me because 1) they were samosas to make at home, 2) they were baked, and 3) their size and mild flavor might potentially appeal to my super-choosy eater. To make them lunchbox-handy, you fold up the little parcels to fit inside the individual cups in a muffin tin. Look at the result:


I gotta tell ya, this opens up a whole new world of possibilities! Look at those adorable little pies! I see so much potential for lunch box treats here. Little tiny apple pies, rhubarb pies, vegetable pot pies...oh, the baking excitement! Usually, I follow new recipes completely, so I know if I don't like them, I'll know I need to change something rather than wondering if I don't like it because of the change I preemptively made. That being said, I did find these a tad too mild for my taste. Since my super-choosy eater would have nothing to do with them, I would add more spice next time. I baked them in my usual pie crust (which is not vegan; I adore butter). An adaptation I would make is adding an extra half teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of cumin to the crust itself. Our local Indian restaurant rolls their samosas in cumin salt for a super-yummy (though overly salty) result. I initially did the same and ended up knocking as much off again as I could, thus the adaption to include it in the crust.

By the way, although Ellie wouldn't touch these, Markus was a HUGE fan. Between the two of us, we polished off 10 of the 12 yesterday. Yum!

Christmas dinner

This year, I wanted to make something special but not difficult. Turning holiday meals into an ordeal inhibits enjoyment for me and for my family. Everyone wants to help and I just want them to go away so I can work work work, which is not at all the spirit I like to cultivate at this or any time of year. With my mighty principles in mind, I had no idea what I wanted to cook for our Christmas meal and waited for inspiration. It came on December 22nd during a trip to the local upscale grocery store. I spied a bottle of pomegranate molasses on the shelf and remembered coming across a fabulous-looking recipe that called for it once while I was living in The Hague. At the time, I had no clue where I might find pomegranate molasses (I struggled to find baking soda!), so I dismissed the recipe...but the ingredient name stuck. And here it was. Of course I bought it and brought it home, where I turned to epicurious to find what I could do with it. I came across this recipe, and Christmas Eve dinner was planned! I served it with baby spinach tossed in balsamic vinaigrette with sultanas and cashews and we enjoyed some local cleanskins Classic White wine. This was definitely fancy enough for a special occasion without being painful in the least to prepare. My only suggestion is go easy on the pomegranate molasses. It has quite a tangy bite, which some may love but others may not.


Crisp Cheese-Filled Eggplant Sandwiches with Pomegranate Molasses
Bon Appétit | September 2003
by chef Brenda Langton
Cafe Brenda, Minneapolis, MN

Pomegranate molasses is sold at Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets; panko is in many supermarkets' Asian foods aisle.
Yield: Makes 4 servings

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
5 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1 large long eggplant, cut crosswise into sixteen 1/3-inch-thick rounds

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
4 ounces coarsely grated sharp provolone cheese (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Pomegranate molasses

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray, then brush each with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Mix panko, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Place flour in another medium bowl. Whisk egg and 1/4 cup water in shallow bowl. Coat each eggplant slice with flour; shake off excess, then dip into egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Coat with panko. Place on prepared sheets. Bake until bottoms are golden brown, turning once, about 12 minutes per side. Cool slightly on sheets. Maintain oven temperature.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Cool slightly. Mix in both cheeses, parsley, and basil. Season with pepper.
Divide cheese mixture among 8 eggplant slices on 1 baking sheet; spread to cover. Top with remaining eggplant, pressing to compact and making 8 sandwiches. Bake until eggplant is crisp, about 15 minutes. Divide sandwiches among 4 plates; drizzle with pomegranate molasses.

Veggie Toss

I've been happily frequenting the local farmer's market each Saturday, but there is a downside. I tend to get over-excited and completely carried away. I purchase everything that looks yummy, giving me WAY TOO MUCH fresh goodies to use in a timely manner. The other night, I looked at my produce mountain and realized I'd better do something quick. I'll call the result the "Veggie Toss", because that's literally what I did (tossed in different veggies that were laying around). There's no real recipe to relate here, but the results were so pleasing I had to share.

zucchini
corn on the cob
bell peppers (I had red, yellow and green)
fresh herbs

Roast the bell peppers. If you haven't done this before, you really should! What a flavor impact! Cut the bell peppers in half length-wise. Toss out the seeds and cut out the white ribs. Rub 'em with olive oil and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast on the top shelf of your oven at around 425 degrees or so. Yes, they will turn black. This is what you want! When the skin is all black and blistered, take them out of the oven and toss them in a paper bag, roll the top of the bag shut, and allow them to cool (can use aluminum foil if you don't have paper bags). When they are cool, peel that blistered skin off and voila! Roasted bell peppers, ready for your culinary pleasure!

Chop the zucchini into bite-sized bits. Saute in combination of butter and olive oil until softened, browned and yummy.
Cut corn off cobs. Toss into pan with zucchini. Saute for a few more minutes (enough to heat the corn but not brown it).
Chop herbs. Sprinkle over corn and zucchini and corn along with some sea salt and pepper if that's your thing.
Slice those lovely roasted bell peppers and stir those in too.
It's a hodgepodge mess, but oooooo did it taste good!

Stones Pizza

Still not cooking for ourselves much, but oh my have we discovered some yummy pizza! Stones Pizza in North Perth won the Bronze Medal 2008 at America's Plate World Pizza Competition in New York for their "Sweet Tina with Bacon" pizza. What does this mean to us? That we had to try it! Try it we did, and holy moly what a pizza! Without the bacon, it's vegetarian. In fact, most of Stones Pizza pizzas are vegetarian, and nearly all can be made gluten-free. The gluten-free option is readily available in most restaurants and prominent in grocery stores here, telling me it must be a fairly common allergy among Australians. But I digress. Pizza!

No recipe since we ordered in, but here's the topping list on a thin crust pizza:

Stone Pizza's "Sweet Tina with Bacon"
garlic butter
roasted sweet potato
caramelized shallots
artichoke
eggplant
fontina cheese
bacon

Cashew Chili and Cornbread

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

I got this recipe from another expat mom. Sloppy Joes are the ultimate kid food, right? Of course, my kid won't eat it...but Markus and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I think it was extra fabulous because the red beans we used were Blue Runner, sent to me by the fabulous Muses from Louisiana so I could have a taste of home over here.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes


1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped green bell pepper
 (I used red)
1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 ½ Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed


8 kaiser rolls



1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic: saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.


2. Stir in kidney beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.


3. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each kaiser roll; set aside. Hollow out the center of each roll, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells; reserve the inside of rolls for other uses.


4. Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls and replace tops. Serve immediately.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Goats Cheese Sandwiches

My gorgeous foodie friend gail keeps a blog that regularly provides me with great recipes. She finds something tempting, fabulizes (my word) and veganizes it, and then I turn around and de-veganize it to meet our grocery finds. This recipe is one of those. Make it tonight! You won't be sorry.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Goats Cheese Sandwich
makes 4

5-6 bell peppers (I use a mix of red, yellow and green peppers)
A handful of basil leaves (10-12) (be green and use basil fresh from the garden – delicious!!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
goats cheese
1 loaf of “long" fresh bread (i.e. French bread or a long sour dough loaf) or ciabatta sandwich rolls
Olive oil to spray or rub on peppers

Roast peppers by turning oven to broil and placing halved, seeded peppers on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil or covered with aluminum foil to prevent sticking. Lightly spray peppers with olive oil (or rub them all over with oil if you can't find an oil spray) and place in oven. Broil them black. This looks scary, but believe me, it's the way to go and the skin is so easy to remove when they are done right. Remove peppers from oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil or place in a brown paper bag (roll the end shut to trap steam) for 30 minutes or until completely cool. Uncover peppers, peel outer skin off and place peppers into a bowl until ready to use.
In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
Slice bread in half lengthwise. Spread goats cheese on the bottom half of the bread. Place the peppers evenly on top and then put the basil leaves on top of the peppers. Drizzle the garlic vinaigrette dressing on the top half of the bread and then close your sandwich. Enjoy!

(sorry there is no picture, but Markus was very hungry so we tucked in straight away. the sandwiches were delicious though!)

Where's the beef?

For the two friends joining us for lunch today, we decided to serve up one of our favorite easy meal options: walnut oatmeal burgers. As I've mentioned before, we tend not to eat red meat anymore, but that doesn't have to mean we can't have a good burger now and again. Months ago, I found the burger recipe below on the cooking blog everybody likes sandwiches. The blogger had gotten the recipe from someone else and was proclaiming happy surprise at such a yummy, no meat burger. I'm guessing it still counts as vegetarian despite the milk and eggs, but I bet you could get around that for vegans, gail. We really enjoy these, and the best part is making them for guests and asking them to guess what the "mystery meat" is. No one has even come close, but neither has anyone ever disliked it. This afternoon, we served up the burgers with fresh sugar snap peas and homemade baked sweet potato "fries", with iced tea to drink and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert. It felt like summertime despite the winter chill! Enjoy!

walnut oatmeal burgers

burger mixture:
2 c walnut pieces
2 c rolled oats
½ c breadcrumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
½ c skim milk
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t sage
1 t salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 c vegetable stock*

1. Grind walnuts in blender and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients. Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.

2. Form the mixture into patties. The entire mixture will make 8-12 burgers depending on the size patty formed. It is recommended to use half of the mixture now, and reserve the rest for use in another recipe or for more burgers later.

3. Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Serve on buns with all your burger fixings.

* If you are only cooking up half the mixture now and half later, be sure to also half the amount of stock. We find a half recipe makes about 4-5 burgers in the size we like, so a half recipe usually suffices for one meal, even with friends.

Score!

Tonight, I prepared chicken and vegetable lo mein, a recipe from "Lunch Lessons" (a new favorite in our house). I'm not sure how copyright issues work with sharing recipes that are published, so I won't do so here tonight. I'll have to look into that as this food blog evolves, but I had to write about it anyway because the dish was a HUGE hit in our house! Everyone loved it! Even Ellie ate more than we could have expected, and she even secretly ate chicken because I had cut it up so small that she didn't spot it when she shoveled in noodles by the fork-full. The great thing about this recipe is it can be served cold, room temperature or hot, so it makes a great packed lunch as well as a dinner. It's also vegetarian (I added the chicken, but tofu could work as extra protein or just skip it) and might be vegan (I'm unfamiliar with some of the sauces so I can't say for sure what's in them).

"Lunch Lessons" was written by a chef who is working hard to revolutionize school lunches and childhood nutrition. The book is excellent reading on those topics, but I've also found it to be a wonderful resource for anyone trying to incorporate more healthy choices into their diets. Markus's new favorite muffins (peanut butter power muffins) came from that book, as did some homemade granola and our dinner tonight. For those of you who are interested, I bought it along with a Laptop Lunchbox for Ellie. Laptop Lunchboxes are an excellent and visually appealing alternative to traditional lunchboxes/bags for kids (and adults!), especially since most kids (like ours) prefer small servings of various foods. A different lunch and nutrition cookbook came with the starter "kit" and it is quite good as well.