Edamame and Walnut Ravioli with Spinach Mushroom Saute

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

edamame walnut ravioli

When we eat edamame, S and I usually have a contest. We see who does a neater job sucking the edamame out of their pods. I win. Always. Eating edamame in its shell is fun, but for making this amazing ravioli, shelled edamame is very convenient. All you have to do is open a bag and thaw. God bless whoever invented shelled edamame!

This ravioli is delicate in flavor. The chives and the white wine work wonders in the silky edamame filling. There is no cheese in this, so its healthy too. And if you can find or make vegan wonton wrappers, this dish is totally vegan! Once you fill the ravioli with the walnut-edamame filling, you can freeze the ravioli for later use. Make plenty, because these are delicious!

Edamame Walnut Ravioli with Spinach Mushroom Saute
serves about 3

For the filling

1/4 scant cup walnuts
1 cup Edamame, shelled and frozen
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp white wine
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

18-20 wonton wrappers

Place the walnuts in a large pan. Toast the walnuts on medium heat until they are lightly browned. To the pan, add frozen, shelled edamame, garlic clove, white wine, salt and pepper. (Make sure you season the mixture well, it makes a big difference in the final result!)

Let the wine bubble away on medium heat, about 1 minute. When the wine has evaporated, transfer the walnut-edamame mixture to a food processor. Blend into a smooth paste.

Place about 18 to 20 wonton wrappers on a clean work surface. Place a teaspoon full of the walnut-edamame mixture in the center of the wonton wrapper. Then sprinkle some chopped chives on top of the mixture.

Dip your finger in water and coat all four sides of the wonton wrapper with water. This will help the edges to stick. Fold the wonton over to make a triangle. Make sure none of filling is leaking out. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat for all wonton wrappers.

In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a gentle boil. Place the ravioli a few at a time into the water. Boil them gently for about 1 minute. (A rapid boil may break apart the ravioli). Ravioli are done when they rise to the top. Remove the ravioli from the water and place on a towel and gently pat dry. You could spray them with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking.

For the Spinach Mushroom Saute

8 oz box of mushrooms
1 small garlic clove
3 tbsp white wine
4 cups fresh baby spinach tightly packed
2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Chop the mushrooms. Rise spinach leaves, and finely mince the garlic clove. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped mushrooms in a single layer. Cook the mushrooms on medium high heat, moving them as little as possible, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Then add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and white wine. Let the wine bubble and evaporate a little. Then add the spinach leaves and sauté till they are just wilted.

To serve the ravioli – place the spinach mushroom sauté in a serving dish. Place the ravioli on top. Garnish with chives.

Fettucine pasta with Asparagus and Tahini Sumac Sauce

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

pasta with asparagus and tahini

Pasta is one of those foods that you can easily internationalize. Saute pasta with curry powder for an Indian touch. Mix it with coconut milk and green curry paste for a thai pasta. Today I made a middle eastern style pasta. Tahini makes a creamy base for the sauce. I added some sumac for a savory punch of flavor. Sumac, also spelled sumak, sumag or sumach is a dark red middle eastern spice. It tastes tangy and slightly cumin like and goes really well with pasta.

The inspiration for this tahini-sumac sauce comes from Lebanese za’atar. Za’atar is made with sesame seeds, sumac and thyme or oregano. I used tahini instead of sesame seeds to turn this into a creamy, addictively delicious sauce. And its vegan to boot! You can use any vegetable you like in this dish. Green beans or peas will be delicious.

Fettuccine pasta with Asparagus and Tahini-Sumac Sauce
Serves about 3

½ pound fettuccine pasta or any other flat pasta
3 tbsp tahini
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sumac
1-2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp dried oregano. You could also use dried thyme or Italian seasoning
1/3 cup olives, any kind will do
1 bunch asparagus
Salt and pepper

Bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water generously. Add pasta to the boiling water.

Trim and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. Cut the rest of the asparagus into thirds and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, make the tahini-sumac sauce. Combine the tahini, vinegar, sumac, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add 6 tbsp of the boiling pasta water. Whisk the sauce with a fork till everything is well combined.

If you prefer not to use raw garlic, saute it for 30 seconds in olive oil and then add the garlic and oil to the sauce.

In the last one minute of cooking, add the chopped asparagus to the pasta pot. Boil for a minute. Drain the pasta and asparagus. The pasta must be al dente and the asparagus crisp and bright green.

Return the pasta and asparagus to the pot; add the sauce and toss the pasta till it is coated evenly is sauce.

Sprinkle chopped olives all over.

Garnish with chopped tomatoes or parsley.

Cajun Brown Rice with Veggies and Red Beans

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

cajun brown rice

This is a hearty one pot meal for a cold night. You can put it together with minimal fuss, so this is also a great dish to make on a busy work day. This is a flexible recipe – use any kind of rice, veggies and beans you like. I used a blend of brown rice, red rice, barley and rye. My vegetable of choice was broccoli. You could use mushrooms, peas, cauliflower, roasted eggplant or roasted winter squash. Many Cajun dishes like gumbo and jambalaya get their smokey flavor from smoked Andouille sausage. I used liquid smoke and some smokehouse almonds to get that wonderful smokey flavor; the crunch from the almonds is a definite bonus.

Cajun Brown Rice with Veggies and Red Beans
makes 4-6 servings

1 large onion
2 ribs celery
1 red or green pepper
4 cloves garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional
2 cups Brown rice
4 cups stock or water (you might need more or less depending on the type of rice you use)
2 cups Broccoli florets
1, 16 oz can of Red kidney beans
1, 16 oz can of Sweet corn
½ cup Smokehouse almonds
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Finely chop the onion, celery and pepper. Mince the garlic. Drain the sweet corn. Drain and rinse the red kidney beans. Chop the almonds into small bits.

Heat oil in a large deep pot. Add the onion, celery and red or green pepper. Saute on medium heat till the onion is translucent. Now add the garlic, paprika, thyme, Tabasco and liquid smoke. Saute 30 seconds.

Add the rice to the pot, stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the salt, pepper and stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, place a lid on the pot and let the rice cook on a low simmer. Cooking time for the rice will depend on the type of rice you are using. Read the instructions on the rice package for cooking times. Mine took about 45 minutes.

In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets to the rice, stir and put the lid back on. Let the broccoli florets steam for about 5 minutes.

Then check rice for doneness – rice must be completely cooked but not mushy and all the liquid should be absorbed. Once rice is cooked, stir in the beans, sweet corn and almonds. Mix well and turn off heat. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Open-Faced Spinach and Feta Borek

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

a Turkish themed Valentine’s day dinner

borek

If there was one thing I loved eating the most in Turkey, it was spinach borek. These spinach and feta filled pastries were everywhere. Street vendors sold them on carts outside the blue mosque in Istanbul, in the grand bazaar, by the gorgeously lit bosphorous at night….boreks were ubiquitous.

Traditional borek (or burek) is similar to spanakopita – spinach encased in phyllo dough. This recipe is my take on borek. I made an open-faced pie. This way, you get more of the spinach filling and its quicker than wrapping the filling in the pastry dough. Once you thaw the puff pastry sheet, this is a really quick and easy dish to make.

Open faced Spinach and Feta Borek
makes 2 generous servings

1 sheet Puff pastry
a 10 oz box of frozen spinach
1 tsp cumin powder
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or oregano
A pinch nutmeg
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (use more if you wish)
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Thaw the puff pastry and the frozen spinach. Once the spinach is thawed, squeeze out all the water from it and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 400F

Unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Using the rolling pin, flatten and roll out the pastry a little. Then, leaving a small border all around the puff pastry sheet, prick the inside of the sheet with a fork. Pricking the pastry sheet will ensure it doesn’t puff up during baking. We only want the unpricked border to puff up.

Heat a pan with the oil. Add the garlic. When it sizzles, add the cumin powder to the oil and turn off heat immediately. Now add the nutmeg, parsley or oregano and spinach to the pan. Add salt and pepper (keeping in mind that the feta cheese is salty). Using your fingers, mix the ingredients together.

Spread the spinach mixture onto the pastry sheet. Make sure you don’t go over the pricked border. Crumble feta cheese over the spinach.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fresh Herb and Caper Chimichurri

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

parsnip soup

Raw parsnips are quite carrot like. They smell like carrots and taste a little like carrots. But when you roast parsnips, they take on a completely different character – they get intense and sweet. When I lived in England, roasted parsnips were as common as roasted potatoes in my college cafeteria.

In this soup, I roast the parsnips first and then blend them into a soup with vegetable stock, leeks and celery. This is not the best looking soup in the world, so I add a pinch of turmeric for color; you can leave it out if you dont mind a tasty but grey soup. I picked up some seeded multigrain bread at Trader Joes which goes perfectly with this thick, sweet soup.

I serve the soup with a flavorful fresh herb and caper chimichurri. A popular Argentine sauce, chimichurri is made with parsley and olive oil. I added capers for their yummy saltiness. Spoon the chimichurri over the soup or stir it in.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
serves about 4

2 parsnips chopped, about 2 cups
2 celery ribs roughly chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
½ a bay leaf
3 cloves Garlic
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
A splash of white wine
½ tsp Turmeric for color, optional
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups low fat milk
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil

Pre heat oven to 400F

Scrub the parsnips clean. Chop off the ends. Chop the parsnips into cubes. Toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven till the parsnips are golden. I cut the parsnips pretty small, and it took me 20 minutes.

While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large, deep pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat till the celery has softened a little – about 3 minutes. Now add the oregano and wine and cook another 1 minute till the wine bubbles and evaporates. Add the turmeric, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat and Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.

Add the roasted parsnips and milk to the stock. Place in a blender and puree into a soup – as smooth or chunky as you like.

Return the soup to the pot, and warm through before serving. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper. Remember, the stock has salt and the chimichurri is salty.

Fresh herb and Caper Chimichurri
makes about 1/4 cup

1 cup fresh Parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh Oregano
Capers – 1 ½ tbsp plus 1 tbsp of the brine (use pitted green or kalamata olives instead)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp wine (I used white, cooking wine)
1 tbsp stock or water
1 garlic clove
A pinch of Crushed red pepper, more if you like it hot
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.

Carla’s Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu from Top Chef

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

carlas pecan crusted tofu

Did you watch Top Chef this week? Are you as excited as I am about Carla’s tofu dish?!

I didn’t quite expect her to make a vegetarian, tofu dish and win her round! I have to say, I wasn’t a big fan of Carla…till I made her tofu, that is! It’s not that I don’t like Carla, but my focus was on other contestants. Like Jamie, who consistently makes good dishes and is a no-drama kind of girl. Or Fabio. Oh, Fabio! I think he’s pretty cute in all his Italianness. And who else can say things like “give me a monkey’s a*s to stuff with fried banana and I’ll make it taste good” or “I’m 30 years old and sleeping on this bunky bed”.

So with cool Jamie and quirky Fabio around, I kind of didn’t notice Carla. Then Carla made this wonderful vegetarian dish that put her in my radar. I couldnt wait for the week to end so I could try this recipe for friday night dinner. The pecan and oat crust is simply brilliant. I can think of a lot of uses for it. So thank you, Carla! I did make some changes to this recipe, see the notes at the end of this post.

Carla’s Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu
Makes about 9 pieces
Adapted from Carla’s recipe on Top Chef, season 5, episode 10

For Tofu and Marinade
1 block (18oz package) of Tofu, firm or extra firm
3 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp chili paste (I used sriracha)
1 Orange, zest and juice. Reserve ½ tsp zest for the crust
1 lime or lemon, zest and juice

For the crust
¼ cup Oats (the quick cooking kind)
¼ cup vegetable stock
1/4th of a bay leaf
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ tsp orange zest
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Olive oil

Drain the tofu block and wrap it tightly in 4 layers of paper towels. Place a plate over the wrapped tofu and let it sit for about an hour. This will help remove some of the moisture from the tofu. You could skip this step if you wish; Carla didnt do this.

Cut the tofu into equal sized squares. For an 18 oz pack of tofu you should get about 9 squarish pieces. Place the tofu pieces in a zip lock bag or shallow dish. Pour in the soy sauce, water, garlic, chili paste, orange juice and zest, lime juice and zest. (At this point you can taste the marinade and add more lime juice or soy sauce if needed). Make sure all the tofu is coated in the marinade. Place the tofu with marinade in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes. I marinated the tofu for 1 hour.
Pre heat oven to 375F

Heat a large non stick pan. Spray some olive oil or non stick spray on the pan. When the pan is hot, remove the tofu cubes from the marinade and place in the pan. On high heat, sear the tofu on all sides. The tofu must be browned on all sides.

Transfer the tofu to a non stick baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes. Turn the tofu pieces over half way through.

To make the crust
Bring the vegetable stock and bay leaf to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and immediately add the quick cooking oats to the stock and stir.

(If you are not using quick cooking oats or instant oats, you will have to cook the oats in the stock for a few minutes).

Mix in all other ingredients for the crust. Mix well using your fingers. Then crumble the oat mixture onto a baking sheet. Spread it evenly. Bake in a 375F oven for about 10 minutes or till the mixture is slightly brown and dry.

To assemble the dish, place tofu cubes on a plate and top with the oat pecan crust.

This photo goes to Jugalbandi’s Click event, this month’s theme is Tofu/Cheese.

Notes
This recipe is slightly different from Carla’s original recipe that appeared on the Top Chef show, season 5, episode 10.

I baked the oat pecan crust separately in the oven. Carla’s recipe calls for the seared tofu and crust to bake together.

I also increased the baking time of the tofu to 25-30 minutes because I wanted a crispy exterior. Carla’s recipe only bakes the tofu for 10 minutes.

I thought the original recipe might be a bit too salty and citrusy. So I cut down on the soy sauce and citrus juice. Taste the marinade and adjust the soy sauce and citrus according to taste.

Don’t let the marinade go to waste. Place the marinade, along with one tablespoon of brown sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute or till the sauce thickens a little. Use this sauce on vegetables, rice or tofu.

Malaysian Roti Jala (Net Bread)

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

tofu curry

One of the benefits of being Tamil is a strong connection with Malaysia. For about thousand years, Tamils have traded with Malaysia. And for over 200 years Tamils have lived in Malaysia and made the country their home. So many of my friends and relatives live in Malaysia or have connections with the country. To me, that means easy access to Malaysian cooking ingredients and equipment! Just last week I had a roti jala (net bread) mould sent to me. Ive been experimenting with making roti jala and it turned out great – like a lacy, coconut flavored crepe. (You don’t really need the mould to make roti jala, you could just as well use a squeeze bottle.) I made a tofu curry to accompany the roti jala. The curry had enough Indian elements that it tasted familiar to me. At the same time, the soy sauce and lemon grass give it an exotic feel.

Roti Jala, Malaysian Net Bread. (Serve with Tofu and Broccoli Curry)
about 4-6 servings

All purpose flour – 2 cups
Egg – 1
Coconut milk – 1 1/4 cup
Water – 1 cup
Turmeric – 3/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pass the batter through a strainer to remove any lumps.

Heat a non stick skillet and spray some oil or non stick spray. Use a roti jala mould or squeeze bottle and pour the batter onto the skillet making a lacy pattern (see video below by youtube user zuppe1e).

Cook till the bottom side is slightly brown. Fold the roti jala into four and remove from skillet.

Serve hot with Malaysian Tofu and Broccoli Curry

Dont have a Roti Jala mould?

You can buy a mould online through the Rasa Malaysia blog. Here is the link to Rasa Malaysia’s product page.

You can also easily make roti jalas with a squeeze bottle like this one:

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Malaysian Tofu and Broccoli Curry

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Sala @ Veggie Belly

Malaysian Tofu and Broccoli Curry. (Serve with Roti Jala)
about 4-6 servings

Star Anise – 2 pieces
Cinnamon – 1/2 stick
Cloves – 4
Tomato – 1
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1 cup
Coconut milk – 1 can
Tofu – 1 block
Broccoli cut into small florets – 2 cups
Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Oil – tbsp

Grind to a paste
Onion – 1/2 a medium onion
Garlic – 6 pods
Ginger, finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Lemon grass – 4 stalks
Cashew nuts – 6 pieces
Chili – 2 (I used thai green chilies. Use less for a less spicy dish)
Oil – 1 tbsp

Prepare the tofu
First drain and squeeze out excess water. Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel. Then wrap the tofu parcel tightly in an absorbent cloth. Place the tofu in the cloth on a flat surface, put a plate on top of it and put 3 cans (canned tomatoes, beans etc) on top of the plate. Let the tofu weigh down and compress for atleast 2 hours (I left it overnight).

Remove the cloth and paper towels and slice the tofu into flat squares. Heat a large, flat nonstick pan. Spray non stick spray. Place the tofu in a single layer on the pan and cook on medium-high heat. Don’t move the tofu around. When the tofu is golden, turn the pieces over and cook the other side till golden. While cooking, press the tops of the tofu slices to squeeze out any remaining water.

Grind the paste
Remove the outer layer of the lemon grass stalks and discard. Use only the tender white parts in the paste.

If any part of the lemon grass is tough to cut, don’t use it in the paste, but reserve it and add it whole to the curry. You can fish out the lemon grass pieces before serving.

Chop the tender, white parts of the lemon grass. Chop the ginger and onion. Place all the ingredients for the paste (onion through oil) in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.

For the curry
Heat a deep pan with oil. When the oil is hot, add the star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Fry for about 30 seconds. Then carefully add the ground paste to the oil. Fry the paste on medium heat, stirring often, till the paste is fragrant and light brown – about 15 minutes.

Add the chopped tomato, turmeric and salt and saute 30 seconds. Now add the water and reserved lemon grass stems (the tough ones you didn’t grind up) and simmer for about 20 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk. Immediately add the soy sauce, broccoli florets and prepared tofu. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes or till the broccoli is tender. Pull out the lemon grass before serving.

Serve hot with Roti Jala.

__________________

Exotic Eats Giveaway!

Have you entered yet?

You can enter the random drawing to win one of these Exotic Eats from Argentina

Malbec Jam
or
Dulce de Leche with Hazelnuts

Go to this post to enter!

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