Author Archives: Sala @ Veggie Belly

Pasta with Seven Vegetable Sauce. Curing a Canned Food Obsession

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eeeks! I misspelled ‘obsession’ :( But that’s the charm of homemade canned food.

My husband S, loves all things canned. He is particularly partial to Chef Boyardee; he cant resist those 10 for $10 deals. And S eats the stuff straight out of the can. In an attempt to cure the canned food obsession, I make fake canned food. I put my own labels on the cans and fill them with homemade food. Battle Boyardee! The very first time I did this, S was on the floor laughing. But he enjoyed the food. Its so much healthier and tastier than canned pasta swimming in what used to be tomato sauce. I made penne with a seven vegetable sauce today – full of fresh veggies, basil and pine nuts for creaminess. The tomatoes, carrots and bell pepper add both color and sweetness. The pine nuts – toasted and pureed – elevate the sauce to a nutty silkiness.

I always use newly opened cans to serve the pasta in. I transfer the contents to another container for use later. (If you are using tomato cans, just use the tomatoes for the sauce recipe)

Ingredients

Pasta – 1 box, I used Penne
Onion – 1 large
Garlic – 6 cloves
Carrots – 2
Celery – 2 stalks
Red Bell Pepper – 2
Tomato – 3
Broccoli – 1 floret
Pine Nuts – 1/4 cup, substitute with cashews or almonds
Olive Oil – 4 tbsp
Water – 3 cups
Marsala Wine – 2 splashes, optional
Basil – 1/2 cup
Parsley – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Pepper

Finely chop the onions and chop all other vegetables into chunks. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet on low heat untill they turn light brown.

Boil pasta in plenty of salted water, till al dente. If you are not using the pasta immediately, wash it in cold water and set aside.

In a large wok, heat the oil. Add the onions and fry on medium high heat till they turn golden brown – about 5 minutes. Make sure you take the time to caramelize the onions, they add a nice sweetness to the sauce.

When the onions are well browned, add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Then add all chopped vegetables. Saute on medium high for 7 minutes. Then add the salt, and marsala wine and cook till the wine evaporates, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the water and let it boil. Then reduce heat and let the vegetables simmer for about 5 minutes.

Cool the vegetables slightly and place them in a blender. Blend till they are pureed. Return the vegetable puree to the wok. Simmer on low heat. At this point, the sauce will boil and splatter, so cover with a lid of aluminum foil. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 12 minutes, stir once or twice. (Now is a good time to start boiling the pasta).

While the sauce is simmering, blend the pine nuts into a smooth puree with a little water. Add the pine nut puree to the vegetable sauce in the last 2 minutes of cooking. You want a thick sauce, like the consistency of marinara. If your sauce is too runny, simmer it longer.

Turn off heat and stir in chopped basil, parsley and cracked pepper.

To serve, spoon the vegetable sauce over the pasta and garnish with basil.

Its very easy to make the cans to serve in. Always use newly opened cans, old ones may rust. Soak tomato or other cans in very hot soapy water for about 1 hour. Peel the labels and let the cans air dry. Print out your own labels and cut them to the can size. Using 3 dots of super glue on one end of the label, stick the label to the can and wrap it around the can firmly. Using 3 more dots of super glue, stick the other end to the can. Warning: Cans may have jagged rims, so be careful.

Did I win Battle Boyardee?

Buckwheat Soba Noodles in Leek Ginger Broth

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I was thinking of my August trip to England. On a chilly, rainy day much like today, I went to a Wagamama restaurant in Bristol, England. (It can be chilly and rainy in even in the summer; its England!). I had pan fried Soba noodles at Wagamama. Ever since then, Ive been wanting to make Soba noodles at home. Its getting colder here, so the cooking needs to get warmer. An added benefit to this recipe is that I get my soba fix and soup fix in one dish!

We had this for dinner and some store bought mochi for dessert. The mochi vanished in 12 seconds, so I don’t have a picture!

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat. In Japan, they are eaten cold with a dipping sauce in summer and in a warm broth in the winter. My broth is not traditional, but it does pair well with the soba. You can buy soba noodles in an Asian grocery store.

Ingredients
 
Soba Noodles – 3 bundles
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Leeks – 1
Green Onion – 1 stalk
Red Bell Pepper – 4 tbsp finely chopped
Broccoli – 8 florets
Pickled Ginger – 8 pieces
Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
Mirin – 4 tbsp (substitute with rice wine or cooking wine and 1/2 tbsp sugar)
Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
Water – 5 cups
Salt
Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Peel the ginger and cut into large pieces. Trim the tough leaves of the leeks, chop into rings and wash them in cold water to remove the grit. Chop the red bell pepper finely. Chop the green onion stalks at an angle.

Heat oil in a stock pot or similar heavy bottomed pot. Turn the heat to high, when the oil is almost smoking, add the ginger, garlic and leeks. Saute on high for about a minute. Then reduce heat and saute another 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, reduce heat and simmer the broth for about 10 minutes. Strain the broth, reserving only the liquid.
Return broth to the stove. Add the soy sauce, mirin and lemon juice. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings and salt. Simmer another 4 minutes. In the last 1 minute of cooking, add the broccoli florets.

While the broth is simmering, work on your soba noodles. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Then add the soba noodles. Bring back to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer the noodles. They should be done in about 5 minutes.

Drain the noodles into a colander and wash them with plenty of cold water. Drain well before using.

To serve, place some noodles in a bowl and pour the stock over the noodles. Sprinkle chopped red pepper on top. Garnish with green onion and pickled ginger.

Some Tasty Variations
 
Add seaweed in the broth for a healthy ocean flavor
Try shelled edamame instead of broccoli
For a simpler broth just use vegetable stock and soy sauce
Add miso paste to the broth for miso-soba soup
Top your soba noodles with Flexitarian’s wonderfully unique Tofu Croutons

Light Chocolate Raspberry Pie. On a related note – Alton Brown, Marry Me!!

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The main ingredient in this pie is tofu.
Yes, tofu.
Take a moment to be shocked.
Now read on for a luscious, easy, and decadent recipe.

I’ve seen recipes on TV where people use tofu in dessert. I saw someone make a fruit smoothie with tofu. And my reaction was “Yuck”. And I’m someone that loves tofu. If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know that by now! But tofu in dessert?! I wouldn’t have ever ventured in that direction if I hadn’t come across Alton Brown’s Moo-Less Chocolate Pie recipe. Now, Alton Brown can make wax taste good. I trust AB. So I tried this recipe; happily combining unlikely ingredients.

The result – a luscious mousse like chocolate filling and you’ll never ever know there is tofu in there! And the best part is, once you learn the basic method (which is super easy) you can create endless different flavors and variations. The original recipe is in the link above; below is my slightly modified version.


The above photo is my entry to the CLICK photo event hosted by Jugalbandi blog. This month’s theme is Crusts.

Pre-made store bought pie crust 9″- 1, I used a graham cracker crust.
Silken Tofu – 1 block
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – 1 cup scant, I used Ghirardelli.
Dark Chocolate Chips – 1 cup
Coffee Liquor – 1/3 cup, I used Kahlua.
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Honey – 1 tbsp
Raspberries – 1 cup
Almonds slivered – 1 hand full
Salt – pinch

Put both the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 2 minutes or until just melted. Every 30 seconds, stir the chocolate chips. Keep an eye on the chocolate, it will burn easily. If you want to melt the chips the traditional way, melt them in a double broiler.

Put the tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, honey, coffee liquor and salt in a blender and blend till smooth. Stir the mixture well so everything is well combined

Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie shell. Decorate the top with raspberries and almonds. Or you could chop up the berries and add them to the chocolate mixture instead.

Refrigerate atleast 2 hours before serving. If you don’t have pie crust, simply serve as a mousse.

The chocolate filling tastes its best on the 3rd day and beyond. So definitely make this atleast 2 days ahead to get the best flavor!

Alton Brown, MARRY ME!!!


Some Tasty Variations

The structure of this recipe is Tofu + Flavour + Liquor + Sweetener + Vanilla/other Extract. By changing the flavor ingredient and the liquor, you can make hundreds of different fillings. Here are some ideas to start you off.

Mint Chocolate – mint liquor, chocolate chips and vanilla
Orange Chocolate – orange zest, triple sec, chocolate chips and almond extract
Strawberry Mousse – frozen strawberries, strawberry jam, sugar syrup, vanilla
Pumpkin Mousse – can pumpkin, sugar syrup, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla
Mango Mousse – mango pulp, sugar syrup, rum
Peanut Butter – peanut butter, chocolate chips and vanilla
Pina Colada – pineapple, coconut milk/dessicated coconut, sugar syrup and rum
Key Lime – key lime juice, sugar syrup and vanilla
Tiramisu – brewed espresso, chocolate, coffee liquor and vanilla
Irish Coffee – Irish cream, coffee, chocolate and vanilla
Banana Split – chopped bananas, sugar syrup, banana liquor and vanilla. Layer with banana filling, strawberry mousse filling and chocolate filling. Top with cherries.

If you dont want to use sugar syrup, try maple syrup, agave nectar or extra honey instead.

I haven’t tried any of the variations, so I cant give you exact measurements. If you try any of the variations, write in and let me know how it turned out!

Collards Greens Dal

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I usually make dal (also called dhal or daal) with spinach. But there was a bunch of collard greens hanging out in my fridge, so I used those instead. Unlike fresh spinach, collards have a better texture when cooked with the lentils. Sambar or Rasam powder adds a lot of flavor to this dish. For those not familiar with Sambar and Rasam powders – they are staples in every south Indian kitchen and made by dry roasting and grinding coriander seeds, red chillies, bengal gram dal, fenugreek and other spices.

Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) – 1/3 cup
Bengal Gram Dal (Channa Dal) – 1/3 cup
Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) – 1/3 cup
Collard greens – 1 bunch
Tomatoes diced – 1/2 cup. I like Del Monte canned tomatoes with zesty jalapeno
Onion – 1 small
Garlic – 4 cloves
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, optional
Sambar or Rasam powder – 3 tbsp
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Oil – 1 tsp

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the ginger, dont chop it so that you can pull it out at the end of cooking.

Heat a large pot with the oil. Add all the lentils and fry on low heat till the lentils are very slightly brown. To the lentils, add 5 cups of water, salt and turmeric increase heat and bring to a boil. Stir constantly to prevent the lentils from foaming over.

Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium low. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and sambar or rasam powder. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, wash the collard greens. Remove the tough talk and veins. Stack up the leaves, roll them tightly and chop into strips.

After 20 minutes, check to see if lentils are done. I dont like them too mushy so I dont let them go more than 20 minutes.

Add the chopped collards into the lentils and cook another 5 minutes until the collards are just wilted. Turn off heat. Pull out the ginger piece. Taste and adjust for salt. Depending on how tart the dal is, add lemon juice accordingly. Sometimes the tomatoes alone will do the trick and you wont need the lemon, so taste first!

You could mix in some chopped cilantro at this point. I prefer not to because they take the attention away from the collard greens.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Sticky Orange Tofu Thins

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I used the orange, ginger, green tea marmalade I made last month for this recipe. Store bought orange marmalade will work well too. The sugar forms a delicious sticky glaze. You’ll be scraping the gooey goodness from your pan! I do every time!
Tofu - one 18 oz box/package
Oil – 1 tbsp or non-stick spray
Soy sauce – 4 tbsp
Orange Marmalade – 4 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 1/2 tbsp
Chili sauce – 1 tbsp, I use sriracha. Use less if you dont like it spicy
Chopped cilantro or green onion for garnish
To prepare the tofu, first drain and squeeze out excess water. Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel.
Then wrap the tofu with paper towels tightly in an absorbent cloth. Place the tofu on a flat surface, put a plate on top of it and put 3-4 cans (canned tomatoes, beans etc) on top of the plate. Let the tofu weigh down and compress for atleast 2 hours.
Then, remove the cloth and paper towels and slice the tofu. Slice it thin, using a sharp chef’s knife.
Heat a large, flat nonstick pan. Add the oil. Or use non stick spray for more even coverage. Place the tofu in a single layer on the pan and fry on medium heat. Dont move the tofu around.
When the tofu is golden, turn the pieces over and cook the other side till golden. This will take about 6 minutes.
Press the tops of the tofu slices to squeeze out any remaining water.
Whisk together the soy sauce, marmalade, lemon juice and sriracha.
Reduce the pan to low and pour the marmalade mixture over the tofu. Make sure all the tofu is evenly coated. Cook on low heat for about 1 minute, turning once.
Make sure the heat is on low, otherwise the sugar in the marmalade will burn!
The tofu will quickly absorb all the sauce and will be coated with a nice sticky glaze. To serve, garnish with cilantro or green onion.
Some Tasty Variations
 
Try adding a tsp each of minced ginger and garlic to the sauce
Instead of cutting the tofu thin, cube it and shallow fry in oil till all sides are golden
Saute the tofu with some peppers and onions and toss the whole thing in the sticky sauce!
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Homemade White Pizza

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White Pizza

There is a little Italian restaurant near my house. Its owned by a Pakistani, so we call it Pakistani Italian. The food is homely and wonderful. We particularly like their white pizza. Their white pizza appeals to me because its garlicky, thin crust and has no tomato sauce.

My husband came back from a trip to Ohio and I wanted to order the white pizza, but it was too late and the restaurant had closed. So I decided to make the pizza myself. It was quick, easy, and I don’t think we’ll eat pizza out anymore! Besides, you could have so much fun with the toppings!

Pillsbury Pizza dough – 1 can
Alfredo Sauce – 3/4 cup
For toppings:
Mushrooms – 1 box, green pepper – 1 and thyme
or
Broccoli – 1 cup , frozen spinach – 1/2 cup, nutmeg – pinch and Italian seasoning
or
black olives, basil and pine nuts
Garlic – 1 tsp minced
Mozzarella cheese – 2 cups

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the pizza dough on a non stick cookie sheet or baking pan. Press and stretch the dough to fit the pan. Pour the Alfredo sauce over the dough and spread evenly. Then sprinkle the garlic and cheese on top. Then add the toppings over the cheese. Bake for about 17 minutes.

To prepare toppings

For mushroom green pepper pizza – slice the mushrooms and peppers. Saute mushrooms on high for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme and green peppers.

For broccoli spinach pizza – cut the broccoli into small florets, blanch in salted boiling water. Drain and sprinkle Italian seasoning. Saute the spinach and squeeze out any water. Sprinkle some nutmeg over the spinach.

For black olive basil pine nut pizza – bake the pizza with only the black olives. While pizza is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a non stick pan. Chop the basil. In the last 1 minute of baking, add the pine nuts and basil to the pizza and return to oven.

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Thai Green Curry Pasta

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Pasta is so versatile; really, it shouldn’t be restricted to Italian cooking. I love pasta with mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, chili and cilantro – Indian style. I even had a pasta desert in someones house a long time ago – it was pasta cooked with sugar and coconut!

Ok, so the sweet pasta wasn’t exactly good. But I dont think i’ll ever stop experimenting with pasta.

And what better way to enjoy a rainy, cold weekend than to watch movies with a steaming bowl of pasta shells with creamy, flavor packed green curry.

Pasta Shells – 1/2 box
Coconut Milk – 1 can
Thai Green Curry Paste – 3-4 tbsp, I use Thai Kitchen Green Curry paste.
Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
Sriracha or chili paste – 1 tbsp, optional
Onion – 1 small, diced
Garlic – 3 cloves, chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp minced
Mushroom – 1 box, sliced
Carrot – 1/2 large carrot chopped
Cilantro – chopped, for garnish
Oil
Salt

Boil the pasta till al dente. In the last 1 minute of cooking, add the carrots to the pasta water and boil. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the shells and carrots.

To the coconut milk, add the green curry paste, peanut butter, soy sauce and sriracha. Mix well.

Heat a pan and add some oil. To the oil, add the onion, garlic and ginger, saute till onions are translucent. Then add the mushrooms and saute on high for 3 minutes. Pour the coconut milk-green curry mixture over the mushrooms. Then add the reserved pasta water. Let it come to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

To serve, pour the green curry over pasta and carrots. Garnish with chopped cilantro or scallions.

Peas, baby corn, broccoli or bamboo shoots will also work very well in this recipe.

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Peri-Peri Grilled Halloumi & Portobella Pita with Chilli Jam

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This is a copy cate recipe for Nando’s halloumi and portobello pita with chilli jam.

Ever since I had this pita pocket at Nando’s Restaurant in England , Ive been wanting to recreate it. I loved their Peri-Peri spice – they put it on everything including fries! And you can buy Nando’s Peri-Peri sauces online in the US – http://www.nandosusa.com/.

My friend D called to say she was dropping by tonight after a tough day at work. So I thought the grilled Halloumi will be a special treat for her. At the same time I wanted something easy enough for me to put together on a working day. I couldnt think of anything better than this pita! D loved it and even took some back for her husband to try!

Spicy peri-peri on grilled lemony Halloumi…what can I say :)

Grilled Halloumi & Portobella

Halloumi Cheese – 10 oz, cut into slices
Portobella Mushroom – 6 caps
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Peri-Peri spice – 1 tbsp, see below for recipe
Roasted red pepper
Pita Bread – 3
Mann’s Rainbow Salad - 1 cup. Substitute with shredded carrot, red cabbage and broccoli
Chilli Jam – recipe below

Cut the cheese into 6 slices. Using a spoon, scrape the gills from the mushrooms. Drizzle olive oil on the mushrooms and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. The halloumi doesn’t need oil or salt, so sprinkle just some freshly cracked pepper on it. Heat a grill (I used an outdoor grill) and place the mushrooms and halloumi on it. Grill about 4 minutes each side, depending on your grill. Remove the mushrooms and halloumi and squeeze some lemon juice on them. Then sprinkle the Peri-Peri spice over.

Toss the rainbow salad with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Refrigerate till use.

To make the pita sandwich, warm the pita bread. I put it in the microwave (15 seconds per pita). Cut each pita in half to make pockets.

Spread some chilli jam inside the pocket. Place one grilled mushroom cap and one grilled halloumi slice inside. Then fill the pockets with the rainbow salad and some roasted red peppers.

Chilli Jam

Vidalia Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
Garlic – 3 cloves, finely chopped
Pickled Jalapenos – 10-15 slices, less if you don’t want it hot!
Sugar – 3 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
Olive oil – 4 tbsp
Water – 1/4 th cup

Heat the olive oil, add the onions. Cook onions on low heat till slightly brown and fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Let the jam cool and then blend till smooth.

Peri-Peri Spice

I picked up a very nice Peri-Peri spice when I was in London. California Tortilla also has a killer Peri-Peri sauce which I love. But you can easily make your own spice blend.

Ground Peri-Peri – 1 1/2 parts. Substitute with cayenne and paprika
Dried Basil – 1 part
Dried or powdered Onion – 1 part
Dried or powdered Garlic – 1 part
Salt

Mix all ingredients together.

Above: the Peri-Peri blend I used in this recipe
Below: Nando’s amazing Peri-Peri sauces
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