Summer Strawberry Arugula Salad with Maple Lime Vinaigrette

Hey there!  Hope everyone is having a great week–it’s already more than halfway over!

For the second installment of the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck, I’m sharing yet another fabulous and simple way to enjoy summer produce.  Feel free to substitute whatever greens and fruit are abundant and tasty right now where you live–the sweet, tangy dressing goes with pretty much everything!

Ingredients
For the dressing
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. maple syrup
3/4 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
dash of salt and pepper

For the salad
6-10 strawberries depending on size, sliced (about 3/4 cup) (or blueberries or other delicious seasonal fruit)
3 cups arugula (or spinach or other green)
5-6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (use more if you love fresh basil like I do!)
1/2 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (walnuts or almonds would also be great)

Directions
Whisk together all dressing ingredients until well combined.  Combine salad ingredients, tossing until well combined, then add dressing and chow down!

 

Unfortunately I am still having issues with WordPress, so my posting has continued to be limited.  I’ve learned that it may have something to do with computer system updates (??), which unfortunately are out of my control, but I’m hopeful for a resolution at some point in the near future.

In the meantime I’ve been *trying* to be more active on Twitter, Instagram, etc., just so that you all know I’m still alive!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Recap: Trip to Los Angeles, CA & Crossroads Kitchen

Hello there, friends! I am finally settling back into a normal sleep and work schedule after getting back my first-ever trip to the West Coast this past weekend! Specifically, we spent 3 whirlwind days in sunny Los Angeles.

I’ve always imagined L.A. (and Cali in general, I suppose) as kind of a vegan utopia with an avocado tree in every backyard and a farmer’s markets on every corner.  I’m still not sure whether or not my vision is accurate, because the main purpose of the trip was not, for once, to stuff my face, but in fact to attend the Christening of H’s godson!

We did also manage to pack in a bunch of sightseeing and great eating too (for a spoiler alert, see the post title).  Unfortunately, I ended up not taking as many pictures as I would have liked, mainly due to the fact that my phone perpetually seemed to be on the verge of dying. I guess that’s what happens when you travel somewhere where GPS is needed 24/7!  But I did capture the main highlights of sightseeing and vegan awesomeness, so enjoy!

Friday
H and I hit the road at 3:30 on Friday morning to get to the airport for our 6 a.m. flight. It was a bit miserable, but it did mean that we got a full day in LA because we were out of the plane by 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.

The first thing we did was to check out the Santa Monica pier.

Love the selfie photobomb going on in the corner…

It was fun and reminded me of Coney Island, except with a different ocean! We dipped our feet in the Pacific…

…and saw some cool birds!

Then we drove out to Pasadena to meet our friends at the Golden Road Brew Pub, which has a fantastic vegan selection! It was really hard to choose, but I ended up going with the Fried Roman Artichokes:

And the Tostada Salad (that’s jackfruit carnitas on top!):

YUM!

Plus H got to meet his godson for the first time 🙂

How cute is he?! (The baby is okay too I guess…)

We spent the majority of the rest of the day with our friends, then we checked into our hotel and I was passed out before 7 p.m. PST.

Saturday
I woke up at 4 a.m. (BOO jet lag!!!) and poor H wasn’t far behind. We decided to drive out to San Dimas for a little pilgrimage…

Strange things are afoot…

And then headed into Hollywood to see the stars and sign.


It was fun and I’m glad we did it even though I usually prefer WAY less touristy things.

After that we checked out the Hollywood Farmer’s Market briefly. I got a giant deli pickle!

Then we headed down to San Pedro to meet up with H’s great-uncle and aunt at a waterfront dining spot. No pictures because my phone was dead by this point. Next it was back up to Pasadena to watch some World Cup with our friends. At their house, I opened up the gorgeous (and EXPENSIVE) dragon fruit that H and I bought at the farmer’s market.


I love dragon fruit! I haven’t had any since I visited Vietnam in 2004 so I was extremely excited to see it for sale at the farmer’s market.

Saturday was another early night so that we could be well-rested for the main event—godson’s baptism!—on Sunday.

Sunday
Well as you might expect, the majority of Sunday was spent with our friends and their beautiful new son, first at church and then at their friends’ house for a party with lots of gorgeous vegan platters!

Mediterranean!

Roasted veggies!

Avocado and veggie sandwiches! (Note: some of the sandwiches had a sprinkle of cheese but most were vegan.)

BUT…I went easy on these because I was saving room for my most-anticipated part of the trip—our dinner reservation at Crossroads Kitchen!

OMG you guys. This was just as good if not better than I imagined. Here’s what H and I had:

Cocktails
I had heard that the cocktails here were not to be missed. H had The Escapist and later the Moscow Mule.


I had The Humble Braggart.

They were so different than anything we’d ever had before, thoughtfully presented, and so delicious!

First Course
Lentil flatbread with 3 spreads (leek pate, fava bean spread, and spicy tomato banana pepper jam).

All were delicious (and the pepper jam was spicy!) but we both liked the leek pate the most.

Second Course
I had the Cream of Fava Bean and English Pea soup.

H had the Spiced Chickpeas.

I enjoyed the soup very much, and H liked the chickpeas, though we both agreed I make equally delicious chickpea dishes at home 🙂

Third Course
H had the Risotto Stuffed Banana Pepper.

I had the Crab Cakes (made from hearts of palm).

Both of these entrées were stunning and outstanding. The risotto was incredibly creamy, and really complemented the spicy, tart banana pepper. The crab cakes had the most perfect texture, and the beet and apple topping was, again, a perfect complement. That was one of the biggest things I noticed about everything we tried—it just seemed like an amazing amount of care and attention had gone into creating every dish to make sure that the balance of flavors and textures were just right.

Dessert
We shared the Ginger Beer Float. They make their ginger beer in house!

It was a lovely, refreshing end to a perfect meal.

I was seriously sorry that we couldn’t try everything on the menu. H even asked if I was sure I didn’t want to order one or two more small dishes to share, since who knows when (if ever) we’ll be back. But we were beyond stuffed and I think we ordered the right amount of food.

Well, after Crossroads it was time to drive to the airport for our trip home, which left at 10 p.m. (arriving back in Boston at 6 a.m. EST Monday morning). Monday was a day to catch up on much-needed sleep! Frankly, so was Tuesday…

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Food Assembly for Incredibly Lazy People

Well, my streak of being boring and lazy continues, even as the weather has somewhat improved in my part of the world.  For whatever reason, I still cannot find the motivation or inspiration to get out my knives and pans and actually cook something.  At times like these, I essentially have three options.

1) Requiring the barest minimum of effort, I can go out and buy something to eat:

…which is tasty, though not the healthiest or cheapest option.  Btw this is a close-up of yucca fries from the Whole Foods hot bar–SO AMAZINGLY GOOD.  Like a cross between a french fry and a donut.

2) Also requiring little to no effort, I can have something pre-packaged that I only have to heat and serve:
…also not the healthiest or most economical way to eat.

3) Or I can muster enough gumption to at least assemble something decent to eat!  Lately I’ve been trying to shame myself into trying to put something together most days.  Some recent examples:

Breakfast
Of course, the ultimate exercise in food assembly is a smoothie. Even on my most apathetic mornings, I can usually find it in me to put things in cup and hit a button.

This one was a lovely cherry-chocolate concoction. I gave myself bonus points for color-coordinating it with my outfit.

Assembly: blend stuff.

This morning I assembled what I am taking the extreme liberty of calling a Breakfast Quesadilla.  There is no semblance of queso in this and so the name is based only on its appearance and the fact that a corn tortilla has a vague connection to Mexican food.

Assembly: simply spread on PB&J, add half a sliced banana, then fold over and go.

Lunch
The laziest tofu sandwich of all time, using pre-baked SoyBoy Tofu-Lin tofu (because God knows I’m not baking my own tofu these days), reduced-fat Veganaise (which I am in LOVE with btw), and romaine lettuce, on an Arnold’s whole wheat flax sandwich thin.

Assembly: spread Veganaise on one half of sandwich thin and cover with romaine.  Slice one block of Tofu-Lin in half, then in half again, and place it on the romaine.  Cover it with the other half of the sandwich thin.  Done.

Dinner
Lazy pizza. Everything is storebought except the cheese sauce (I used Jackie’s, which I now just keep on-hand in the fridge at all times).

Assembly: Preheat oven. Spread some sauce around the crust then toss on some toppings (I used jarred roasted red peppers and manzanilla olives). Bake it and then pour cheese sauce on top.  Not gonna lie, this was tasty as hell.

Ten-minute (or less) taco salad.

Assembly:  Warm up a meatless taco filling (I used Meatless Select…review coming next week).  While it’s warming, chop and rinse some romaine.  Once it’s warm, put the romaine in a bowl, add taco filling, salsa, sliced avocado or guacamole (I used this two-ingredient one—avocado + NW Elixirs Verde Hott), and cheesy sauce (Jackie’s again).  Add taco sauce for dressing and some tortilla strips if desired.

You could use lentils cooked with taco spices as the meatless filling but again, that would require cooking. In the interest of full disclosure, I did actually *make* the tortilla strips in the salad above. This grand culinary endeavor consisted of brushing a corn tortilla with olive oil, sprinkling it with cumin and salt, and sticking it in the oven until I was ready to break it apart and eat it.

I really can’t tell you how I became this lazy.  For now I’m just rolling with it, in the hope that once our farmer’s markets open up again, I will be reinvigorated and find some fresh cooking inspiration.  Cross your fingers for me!!

It’s Late May and I’m Still Eating Cold Weather Food

Hello and Happy Thursday!  Only one more day until the weekend.  I can hardly believe that this one will bring the start of June!

No but actually, it’s really hard to believe, especially after last night, when I had to turn the heat back on in my house, and even then sleep under the covers in a long-sleeved shirt and sweatshirt.  Also, on Tuesday one of my friends said she saw snow (that’s right, SNOW) falling in Boston.  Not cool, weather, not cool at all.

I’ve been a little clandestine with my blogging activity lately, meaning that I’ve been lurking on many of your blogs but unfortunately not being able to fully read and comment.  I do apologize and hope to be back to my previous level of participation very soon!

Part of my silence has been busy-ness/laziness, and to be perfectly honest part of it has been crankiness and not feeling like seeing all of the beautiful warm-weather food everyone else seems to be enjoying while I’m stuck in the rainy high 40’s (or mid-50’s if we’re really lucky).  World’s smallest violin, I know.

To cope though, I’ve been eating lots of yummy hot food when I go out, and assembling scrumptious comfort food meals at home.

Yesterday I had a very satisfying vegetarian pho at a tiny Vietnamese & Thai restaurant in Woburn called Pho #1.  It’s a little hole in the wall with some seriously delicious eats and a decent-sized veg menu.

The soup was hot and steamy and just what I needed.

On the side I had possibly the best summer rolls (for luck, y’know?) I’ve ever tasted. They were SO fresh and had just the right amount of mint. And that peanut sauce–wow!

I am considering going back today to get more of them, even though I brought my lunch.

At home I’ve been very into baked potatoes.  A baked potato with chili is one of the quickest, cheapest meals I know of, and never fails to be delish, so that has made a few appearances.  But the one I’m really proud of is my Loaded Baked Potato from last week.

Feast your eyes.

This thing was SO FRIGGIN GOOD!  I baked the potato in the microwave, spread a little Earth Balance inside, then added steamed broccoli, a generous drizzle of Jackie’s cheese sauce (yeah definitely added more after the pictures were taken), and some chopped Upton’s Naturals bacon seitan on top.

I need to make some more cheese sauce, because I want to eat this again tonight.  And maybe tomorrow night as well.

Oh also, this was my first time trying Upton’s bacon seitan and I am hooked!  In case anyone is keeping track 🙂

See you all in your comments boxes soon!

Oh and a reminder–if you want to give Beyond Meat a try this weekend, you can get some using this Buy One Get One Free coupon.  It expires June 1!

Spiced Tofu Cutlets

These cutlets were born out of a last minute, not-very-well-planned-out idea that I had at about 6 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day to make tofu with the seasonings of corned beef.  Obviously the texture would be nowhere close but I still thought the flavors might work.

Well, turns out it tastes nothing like corned beef either, but it is still delicious so I’m sharing!  #WinningFail

SPICED TOFU CUTLETS
Yield: 2 servings (2 cutlets each)
Vegan and gluten-free

Ingredients
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 small bay leaves (or 1 large leaf torn in two)
1 small cinnamon stick, roughly broken up into shards
4 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/16 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds (yellow would be fine too)
1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 4 slices
Additional salt for sprinkling

Directions
In a shallow dish, add lemon juice and salt and swirl around until salt is dissolved.

Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and sugar, and stir to combine and to distribute the ingredients evenly.

Add tofu to marinade and sprinkle the tops with salt.  Marinate for at least 10 minutes, then flip, sprinkle the other side with salt, and continue to marinate.

You can eat them right out of the marinade, or prepare them hot by pan-frying (the method I used) or grilling.  [This probably goes without saying, but please be sure to remove the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns before eating.  The mustard seeds are okay to eat whole.]

–x–

These are great on their own as a meal component.  I enjoyed mine with colcannon on the side:

And also on a sandwich with greens and a dab of dijon mustard:
I’ve been loving this cheap, quick, versatile recipe lately, as things have been rather hectic in my neck of the woods.  More on that in an upcoming post…

Quick Ragnar Update
My training has completely stalled out over the past two weeks as I’ve been dealing with a strained hip flexor.  It doesn’t bother me at all except when I run so I’ve been trying to just rest, stretch, and cross-train.  It’s hard though and I’m getting worried that I won’t be ready for the race (which is only 6 weeks away)!  If anyone else has experience with this type of injury, I am open to any and all advice 🙂

 

Lunch Break: Cheapskate Salad Bar

Ever since my juice cleanse a few weeks back, I’ve been on a huge salad kick at lunch.  This has coincided nicely with my recent discovery of Market Basket, a supermarket (with a location near my work) that sells produce at ridiculous rock-bottom prices.

The cost of living in the greater Boston area is generally astronomical, so I truly appreciate any breaks I can get, especially on items I buy often.   So, because the lowest price I can find for tofu in any other store in a 15-20 mile radius is $1.99/package, I now refuse to buy it anywhere other than Market Basket, who sells it for $.99.  Where other stores will proudly boast when their broccoli crowns are “on sale” for $1.99/lb., Market Basket’s normal price is $.99/lb.  They even have a large organic section, where items like red bell peppers go for $4.99/lb., which is really low when you consider that the only other store where I can even find organic peppers for sale (Whole Foods) has them at $6.99/lb., sometimes more.

The point is that I now find myself with a glut of produce in the refrigerator at any given time.  Salad-making can’t be far behind!

This morning, however, I initially found myself at a loss when I realized that, despite having a fridge full of yummy salad ingredients, I was in fact out of salad greens!  But then I came up with a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself):  I will pack my own salad add-ins and dressing, and then at lunch I’ll just buy greens (which weigh next to nothing) from the salad bar!

Add-ins:

Strawberries (a gift from my mother-in-law!), avocado, baby beets, cucumber, and red bell pepper

As planned, at lunch time I hopped over to the supermarket that shares an office park with my work (not a Market Basket, sadly) and grabbed up a giant container of greens for a grand total of $.80.

Put it all together and whaddya got? *ding-dong*clap-clap*stomp-stomp*hooootttt dog*
SALAD!  And a satisfying one at that.  I haven’t even finished eating yet but man am I full.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy, healthy weekend!

The Pitfalls of Dining Out in Boston

Happy March, kids!

I had another low-key but productive weekend.  Sunday involved tons of cleaning and house organizing, while Saturday was more eventful.   I started the day with my new standard breakfast:
Sprouted Ancient Maize Flakes with banana, hemp seeds, and unsweetened almond-coconut milk.  And coffee!

Turns out it’s great fuel for running!  About an hour and a half after having this, I set out to do 5.5 miles around town.  I finished it in 54:42, which I was pretty impressed with considering that I was constantly having to stop to walk or hop over giant patches of ice.  I know spring is coming but man does it still feel far away.

As soon as I got home I cooked up a great big tofu scramble with red bell peppers and lacinato kale and ate it with toast.  I was starving!

Then H and I headed over to Boston College to watch the men’s hockey team take on Notre Dame.

Unfortunately the Eagles lost in overtime, but it was still fun to get to take in a game.  We had awesome seats, too!

After the game, H and I fought our way through city traffic into South Boston to have dinner with his brother and sister-in-law at the Lincoln Tavern.  I do not recommend it. 

The rest of this post is going to get a little rant-y so you can feel free to skip it if you’re not into that sort of reading material.

Here’s the thing: I eat at omnivore restaurants all the time.  I am married to an omnivore, our families and all of our friends are omnivores (and usually pick the restaurant), and I live in a metro area that really kind of sucks for vegans.  Nevertheless I feel like I usually can get something decent to eat, and it’s usually not too painful of a process because I am a seasoned menu reader and modifier, and I go out of my way to be pleasant and appreciative when asking for accommodation.

Besides, even places that mainly cater to the wings and steak tips crowd usually achieve the bare minimum of veg-friendliness by including a veggie burger, right?

Well, not Lincoln Tavern.  I looked at their dinner menu online before H and I went into the city and my heart sunk a little.  But I figured I’d just have a salad or something (hold the inevitable cheese) and then eat a real dinner when I got home.

Except that I was really, really hungry by the time we got there.  So I decided to order a cheeseless pizza with veggies.  The vegetable pizza on their menu says that it has ricotta and pesto.  So when I ordered it, I asked whether they could do it without the cheese and pesto, basically just make a pizza of red sauce and vegetables.  I was told this would be no problem (and why should it be?).

Our food initially took a really long time to come out (but whatever, it was a very busy Saturday night), then two of the four entrees arrived, followed several minutes later by the other two (which btw, as I recall from my time waiting tables, is a big mistake).  And there was my pizza, covered in cheese.

I was so hungry at this point that I actually for a moment considered just eating it.

But instead we flagged down the waitress and I told her (pleasantly, as always), “I’m sorry, but this wasn’t supposed to have any cheese.”  And rather than just apologize, take it away, and replace it, she decided to argue with me, saying “You said no pesto, you didn’t say anything about cheese.”  Wtf?  If you misunderstood or didn’t hear me (it was loud as hell in that place), that’s okay, but don’t tell me that I didn’t say anything about the cheese when by this point it’s clear that that was something important to me.

They did replace it…
…but the waitress was incredibly rude and refused to acknowledge me the rest of the meal.  Seriously, after I ate half the pizza (intending to take the other half home) and put it to the side with my silverware on the tray (indicating I was done), she cleared everyone else’s place at the table except for mine.  She came back 2 more times to bring drinks to the others in my party and still the pizza was left on the table.  Finally, exasperated, I got up and left the table, asking H to please ask for a box for the pizza because maybe she’d listen to him.  And sure enough, only when I was gone from the table did she finally clear my place.

It actually was a really tasty pizza (even though they left off the olives), but it was not worth being treated like a second-class customer and a troublemaker, especially when I wasn’t even angry or making a big deal about the mix-up.  They will never have business from me again.

It wasn’t the first time I’ve encountered this kind of attitude at a Boston restaurant (nor will it be the last), and I truly cannot stand it.  Why is vegetarian or vegan food somehow beneath you?  Just because you’re trying to cater to the growing gentrified “foodie” truffle-mac-n-cheese-and-kobe-meatballs component of Southie, doesn’t mean that you can’t treat all of your customers with a consistent level of respect and professionalism.  After all, I’m still in your establishment, paying you full price for your food even though you are actually saving money on me by omitting ingredients.  And in the age of Internet reviews (and BLOGS–hello!) are you really so sure that you can treat your customers like garbage and still stay in business?

For the record, I’ve never had this problem in New York.  God I miss New York.

In Conclusion
Experiences like this make me even more appreciative of places that at least make an effort to accommodate different dietary choices and restrictions.  It’s one of the reasons that I include select omnivore restaurants on my Vegan Eating in Greater Boston page.  If you’re planning a trip to Boston, do me a favor and patronize one of those, and not Lincoln Tavern.  Please and thank you.

Refried Bean Tortilla Pies, and Some Blog News

Another frigid winter weekend down, only 987453 5 (technically) to go!

This weekend was actually nice and relaxing.  On Saturday, H and I got up and out for a Ragnar training run, and then he surprised me with a trip to an indoor mini-golf course (located inside a greenhouse!).

After mini-golf, we headed to a golf outlet store where I got my very first set of clubs!  Taking practice swings with them was a welcome reminder that summer isn’t as far off as it sometimes feels…

H had to do some work yesterday, which meant lots of kitty cuddle time for me:

And, of course, kitchen time!  First up was some recipe testing for Richa:I obviously can’t reveal what it is, but I can tell you it was delicious!

Then, as is typical, I was in the mood for something spicy, so I made this:

Refried Bean Tortilla Pie
Yield: Approximately 2 cups bean mixture, or 4 servings (1/2 cup beans over 2 tortillas per serving)
Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, can be oil-free

This is a cheap, simple way to jazz up ordinarily boring/bland refried beans!  I called it a “pie” because it reminded me of a little pizza 🙂

Ingredients
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil OR water/broth (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 2/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz. can vegetarian refried beans
1-2 tbsp. chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (omit for less heat)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (omit for less heat)
1 tsp. lime juice
8 corn tortillas

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Empty beans into a medium saucepan and heat gently while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a medium skillet, heat oil or water.  Add onions and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until softened and translucent.  Add chipotle, chili power, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the beans and stir to fully incorporate.  Add lime juice and stir again.

Spread mixture onto corn tortillas (I find about 1/4 cup per tortilla to be a good amount) and bake for 5-7 minutes or until bean mixture has a light crust.

Serve warm with whatever toppings you like!  I enjoyed mine with black beans (beans on beans, I know…sue me), avocado, and cilantro.  I bet some melted Daiya pepperjack shreds would also taste swell.  Just have fun with it!

Notes:
For crispier pies, you can bake the tortillas for 2-3 minutes on their own before spreading on the bean mixture.

It’s also fun to layer the tortillas for a taller pie!

Blog News
You may have noticed a few changes around the blog (well, most likely you haven’t but now you will!)…

1) After 5 years and 8 months of blogging I have FINALLY purchased the domain acookinthemaking.com.  I know it’s not like a huge process and it doesn’t actually mean or change anything, but to me it feels really special and exciting!

2) I have removed the Blog Cast of Characters page.  It made me sad to do it, but it just wasn’t really relevant to the blog anymore.  When I started A. Cook in the Making, I was 23 years old and living at home in NJ briefly before moving to Boston to start law school.  My life has changed drastically since then, and most of what I write about on here really only involves my husband, myself, and occasionally the cats.  Obviously my parents and siblings are still incredibly important to me and I will post about them when I see them!

2b) I’ve updated the About page accordingly to show H, Stewie, and Marty.

3) I have made serious improvements to the Categories, editing them all the way back out to my first posts in 2008, and expanding them to include seasonal-themed posts.  Check them out on the right-hand toolbar.

4) After many months of drafting, I have finally published a Recipes page!  Not that I’m suddenly some prolific recipe guru, but I’ve posted enough of them now that I thought it might be helpful to have them all listed and linked in one place.

Next up will be going back and sprucing up the [abysmal] tagging that I did back in the day.  That one’s definitely a work in progress.

It’s Cold, and I Want Curry

Um.

Really, I’m not even going to complain about how cold it is.  But I do just have a few remarks/casual observations.

1) On my walk to the train this morning (which takes all of 15 minutes), the part of my scarf under my chin literally had effing ice crystals on it from where my breath froze onto it as I exhaled.
2) The heat was not on inside the train.  #MBTAfail #unsurprising
3) I wore a dress to work today, and in the process I was forcefully reminded that tights, no matter how cute they are, do not protect against 1° climes.  Ski pants would have been more appropriate, though possibly frowned upon.

I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside, all I want is spicy-hot food.  A good curry always does the trick.  And thank goodness for that, because as luck would have it, I have this beacon of all that is right and warm with the world awaiting me for lunch today:
Black Eyed Pea Curry with Collards & Potatoes, from the Post Punk Kitchen (click for recipe)

As promised, on Tuesday night I managed to haul my sorry ass up from the pits of my post-AFC Championship despair and cook some dinner.  It was this dinner.  And it was good.  So, so, SO good.  Spicy, saucy, filling goodness that will help you thaw out no matter what it’s like outside.

I made this curry extra-hot by using a green chili pepper that I bought at the Indian grocer in place of the two jalapenos the recipe calls for.  When I was checking out, the cashier studied me for a moment before stating, “This pepper is very hot,” and I was all, “Yahtzee,” and seriously, the chili was like less than half the size of my pinky finger but good gracious did it pack a punch.  Like all good curry/stew/soup recipes, this one makes leftovers for days!  One thing to note about leftovers is that after the curry has had some time to sit, it seems to want a bit more salt.  I attribute this to the potatoes soaking up additional flavor but what do I really know.  Just something to be aware of.

H also loved this curry, telling me that I can add it to the list of vegan dishes he’ll always eat.  At this point, I’ve discovered that this list of his is mainly populated by curries.   Other favorites include this Coconut Red Lentil Curry from VegNews and the Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry from Veganomicon (our all-time fave).  [I believe you can find the recipe online, but I will not post a link because the author has not chosen to publish it for free on the web.]

So now I’ve been thinking a lot about curry (because, after all, all I do all day is think about food).  There are so many different types!  There are Thai-style curries with their signature coconut milk base, hints of tamarind or lemongrass, and added flavor of different colors of chili (red, green, yellow, etc.).  And of course Indian curries, flavored with that incredible yellow spice mixture, whose possibilities to me are limitless in terms of what you can add in.

The recipe shown above is a great example, because any of the ingredients can be substituted with something else; kale for collards, chickpeas for black eyed peas, etc.  I bet cauliflower would be incredible in this as well, either as an addition or a substitution for the potato.

As such, I think this recipe, as well as the general food group that is curry, provide a great example of how incredibly flavorful and versatile plant-based cooking can be.  It warms both my heart and my tummy 🙂

Stay warm out there friends!

Easiest Lentil Soup and Quick Homemade Croutons

It’s still January.  It’s still cold and gross outside.  So I’m still eating soup every single day.

Sometimes I’m lazy though and all I can muster the energy to make is this lentil soup, which is in all seriousness one of the easiest recipes anywhere.  And, because I almost always have the key ingredients (dried lentils, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and vegetable broth [or bouillon cubes in a pinch]) in my kitchen already, I am also saved a trip out into the ick for any groceries.

Easiest Lentil Soup
Yield: 6-8 servings
Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free (just check your broth!)

Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced (about 3/4 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. turmeric
Couple dashes cayenne (optional)

[Ingredients note:  I included the cumin, thyme, turmeric, and cayenne because that is how I make the soup, but if you don’t have one or any of them, I just want you to know it’s okay! You can get away with using only salt and pepper as the seasoning for this soup, and it will still be delicious. ]

Directions
Line the bottom of a large stockpot with water and begin to warm it over medium-high heat.  When the water begins to steam slightly, add garlic and onions and saute until onions soften, about 5 minutes.

Add carrots and celery and saute another 2-3 minutes, until softened.  (If anything is sticking, add a few splashes of water or broth to unstick it.)

Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for as long as it takes your lentils to cook.  This can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes.  You will know they’re done when the lentils are very tender (but not mushy!) and much of the liquid has been absorbed.

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.  Serve as is, with a side of crusty bread, or with Quick Homemade Croutons.

To Make: Take two slices of whole wheat (or gluten-free!) sandwich bread (preferably sort of stale, but this is not strictly necessary), brush each side lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dried oregano, and toast in a toaster or 350 degree oven until crispy and browned.  Cut into squares and use to garnish soup or salads.

This recipe for lentil soup has been given an enthusiastic omnivore seal of approval by H!  He loves to take leftovers with him to have for lunch at work.

What is your go-to soup recipe?