So last night I tried a, for us, novel take on the old vegetarian standby of tofu and rice.
I made a garlic pineapple sauce (I substituted a 28 oz. can of pineapple with juice for the fresh pineapple and pineapple juice in the linked recipe). I dipped cubed tofu in aquafaba, rolled each piece in coconut flakes, and baked the nuggets at 375°F in a convection oven for 20 minutes. 'Served with jasmine rice.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Christmas 2018
Christmas is my favorite holiday, both for the festivities specific to the season and for the abundance of happy memories, mostly involving wildly happy and excited children, that it provides. This year we kept it going for the full 12 days, culminating in a "Second Christmas" with gifts and a celebratory meal on Twelfth Night. Next year, we'll add a viewing of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to our traditions.
We always have three main Christmas meals -- a Christmas Eve fondue, brunch on Christmas morning (after unwrapping presents), and Christmas dinner. After years of trial and error, I've found some recipes that all of my family members, including the most finicky eaters, enjoy.
Christmas Eve: I fell in love with cheese fondue when I lived and worked in Switzerland, and we start with a Neuchatel fondue (I use the linked recipe minus the kirsch.) We dip bread and vegetables in the cheese sauce, and we usually have a couple of salads on the sides. After the first course, the kids go out to look at Christmas lights while I prepare dessert, which is always chocolate fondue (just chocolate and cream) with marshmallows and fruit.
Christmas Brunch: We always have an Oven Pear Pancake, made with beautiful Oregon pears from a Harry and David's gift basket my wonderful mother-in-law sends us every Christmas, along with a few sides (for example, Danish pastries, scrambled egg, croissants, fruit, and cinnamon rolls.)
Christmas Dinner: After many years of vainly trying to find a soup that all of the picky eaters in my family would eat, I finally hit the jackpot last Thanksgiving. I wanted a Thanksgiving soup that incorporated "the three sisters" -- the Native American staples of corn, squash, and beans. This suggestion was initially received with absolute horror due to the inclusion of the dread squash, but since the ingredients are so finely pureed, nobody was any the wiser and, in part because it's rather bland, everyone loved the dish. In fact they all liked it so much that it is now my go-to soup for celebratory meals. Here it is:
Three Sisters Soup:
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
about a cup of butternut squash (frozen or fresh)
2 cups frozen corn
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Seasoned salt of choice
Vegetable broth (I usually use Massel powder and add water)
Place the first five ingredients in an Instant Pot Ace, fill with vegetable broth to within about two inches of the top, press the button that says "SOUP", and all will be ready in about half an hour.
For the main course, our staples are Quorn Meatless Roast with cranberry sauce, mashed potato, vegan white bean gravy, a couple of salads, and four vegetable sides prepared in a quadruple-pot slow cooker (which makes the meal preparation very easy), usually accompanied by freshly baked rolls and a few other bits and pieces. For our salads, I like this beet, onion, and arugula salad, and this Mandarin Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans (I usually use fresh orange segments rather than canned mandarins.) With the main course, we also have corn muffins and orange and cranberry muffins served with honey butter.
We've started adding a couple of cheese boards to our holiday meal. Since Paige has become something of a cheese connoisseur, we usually pick up the cheeses at The Wine Seller, a local liquor store that offers cheese and wine tastings every Saturday afternoon. We usually attend a couple prior to Christmas and select some of our favorite cheeses, which typically come from igourmet. Paige also sometimes picks up good cheeses from Cheese Importers in Loveland, CO. We use two cheeseboards, with made from Rimu wood, from New Zealand to serve the cheese. My brother Robin gave us the bigger one when he visited us in 2014, and I brought back a smaller one with a Paua shell inlay from New Zealand as a gift for Paige:
Dessert absolutely has to be a chocolate Yule log with meringue mushrooms. I used to buy a traditional Christmas Pudding, but gave up (which caused vociferous complaints -- the kids liked to watch the dish being flambéed with brandy) because the store-bought ones contain suet and I was the only one who ever ate them. I will try making a vegan Christmas pudding (another recipe from Mel's amazing blog) next year. This pud' looks easy to make, healthy, and delicious!
I love our Royal Albert Poinsettia Christmas dinner service. The pattern has been discontinued, but I've been collecting it on eBay for years:
For drinks, we usually have some good wine (this year, we had some amazing New Zealand reds, which I brought home from my recent trip) and sparkling apple cider.
We love to share English-style Christmas crackers with each meal. My children may be adults, but they still LOVE their Christmas crackers. It's a little hard to find them in the U.S., so I usually order them online. This year, I brought some home from New Zealand, where they are easily available.
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| The Christmas morning gift orgy |
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| Santa wuz here |
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| Oreo gets his Christmas stocking |
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| Snowy gets her Christmas stocking |
We always have three main Christmas meals -- a Christmas Eve fondue, brunch on Christmas morning (after unwrapping presents), and Christmas dinner. After years of trial and error, I've found some recipes that all of my family members, including the most finicky eaters, enjoy.
Christmas Eve: I fell in love with cheese fondue when I lived and worked in Switzerland, and we start with a Neuchatel fondue (I use the linked recipe minus the kirsch.) We dip bread and vegetables in the cheese sauce, and we usually have a couple of salads on the sides. After the first course, the kids go out to look at Christmas lights while I prepare dessert, which is always chocolate fondue (just chocolate and cream) with marshmallows and fruit.
 |
| Christmas Eve fondue |
Christmas Brunch: We always have an Oven Pear Pancake, made with beautiful Oregon pears from a Harry and David's gift basket my wonderful mother-in-law sends us every Christmas, along with a few sides (for example, Danish pastries, scrambled egg, croissants, fruit, and cinnamon rolls.)
 |
| Gift basket yumminess |
Christmas Dinner: After many years of vainly trying to find a soup that all of the picky eaters in my family would eat, I finally hit the jackpot last Thanksgiving. I wanted a Thanksgiving soup that incorporated "the three sisters" -- the Native American staples of corn, squash, and beans. This suggestion was initially received with absolute horror due to the inclusion of the dread squash, but since the ingredients are so finely pureed, nobody was any the wiser and, in part because it's rather bland, everyone loved the dish. In fact they all liked it so much that it is now my go-to soup for celebratory meals. Here it is:
Three Sisters Soup:
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
about a cup of butternut squash (frozen or fresh)
2 cups frozen corn
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Seasoned salt of choice
Vegetable broth (I usually use Massel powder and add water)
Place the first five ingredients in an Instant Pot Ace, fill with vegetable broth to within about two inches of the top, press the button that says "SOUP", and all will be ready in about half an hour.
For the main course, our staples are Quorn Meatless Roast with cranberry sauce, mashed potato, vegan white bean gravy, a couple of salads, and four vegetable sides prepared in a quadruple-pot slow cooker (which makes the meal preparation very easy), usually accompanied by freshly baked rolls and a few other bits and pieces. For our salads, I like this beet, onion, and arugula salad, and this Mandarin Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans (I usually use fresh orange segments rather than canned mandarins.) With the main course, we also have corn muffins and orange and cranberry muffins served with honey butter.
 |
| Christmas dinner |
We've started adding a couple of cheese boards to our holiday meal. Since Paige has become something of a cheese connoisseur, we usually pick up the cheeses at The Wine Seller, a local liquor store that offers cheese and wine tastings every Saturday afternoon. We usually attend a couple prior to Christmas and select some of our favorite cheeses, which typically come from igourmet. Paige also sometimes picks up good cheeses from Cheese Importers in Loveland, CO. We use two cheeseboards, with made from Rimu wood, from New Zealand to serve the cheese. My brother Robin gave us the bigger one when he visited us in 2014, and I brought back a smaller one with a Paua shell inlay from New Zealand as a gift for Paige:
 |
| Rimu cheeseboard with Paua shell inlay |
Dessert absolutely has to be a chocolate Yule log with meringue mushrooms. I used to buy a traditional Christmas Pudding, but gave up (which caused vociferous complaints -- the kids liked to watch the dish being flambéed with brandy) because the store-bought ones contain suet and I was the only one who ever ate them. I will try making a vegan Christmas pudding (another recipe from Mel's amazing blog) next year. This pud' looks easy to make, healthy, and delicious!
I love our Royal Albert Poinsettia Christmas dinner service. The pattern has been discontinued, but I've been collecting it on eBay for years:
 |
| Royal Albert Poinsettia |
For drinks, we usually have some good wine (this year, we had some amazing New Zealand reds, which I brought home from my recent trip) and sparkling apple cider.
We love to share English-style Christmas crackers with each meal. My children may be adults, but they still LOVE their Christmas crackers. It's a little hard to find them in the U.S., so I usually order them online. This year, I brought some home from New Zealand, where they are easily available.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Salad in a Jar
So here is my first experiment with the "salad in a jar" trend:
The recipe comes from Mel's fabulous website, A Virtual Vegan. I have six jars of salad, each containing about 19g of protein (quinoa, edamame, peanuts and peanut butter), in the fridge and ready to go😁
There are five more "salad in a jar" or "mason jar" recipes here.
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| Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar |
The recipe comes from Mel's fabulous website, A Virtual Vegan. I have six jars of salad, each containing about 19g of protein (quinoa, edamame, peanuts and peanut butter), in the fridge and ready to go😁
There are five more "salad in a jar" or "mason jar" recipes here.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Indian Recipes for Instant Pot and Air Fryer
Years ago, back when we lived in California, I attended an Indian cooking workshop, taught by a lovely South African lady, Daksha Mehta, who had won the green card lottery, which caused her to move to the States. I'm trying some recipes, including some favorites from her classes, for the Instant Pot, and have found links to air fryer recipes. Here goes ...
Rajmaah (kidney or pinto beans)
Ingredients:
2 cans red kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I use minced garlic out of a tube)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tsp cumin/coriander powder
2 Tbsp oil
2 cups water (2.5 if cooking at altitude)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
Chopped cilantro.
Chop the jalapeño and puree it with the tomatoes. Set IP to Saute. Once warm, add oil. Once the bottom is coated, fry the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick until slightly brown. Add onions and fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and tomato/jalapeno mix and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the sauté function. Add water, the cumin/coriander mix, the turmeric, the chili powder, the sugar, and the beans. Cover and cook on high pressure for seven minutes. Allow a natural release.
Crispy Naar Bhaat (Pomegranate rice)
I think this is very Christmassy with the red pomegranate seeds
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water (2.5 at altitude)
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 cup croutons
4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (I used minced ginger out of a tube)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
Use the Sauté function of the IP to brown the onions. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly. Turn off the Sauté function and add water, salt, garam masala, red chili powder, and rice. Cook using Rice function, and allow for a slow release. Stir in chopped coriander, and pomegranate seeds. Stir in croutons at time of serving.
Pyaz Poodina Bhaat (Onion and Mint Rice)
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water (2.5 at altitude)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
Heat the IP, using the Sauté function. Add oil and fry the onions until golden brown. Turn off heat, and stir in spices, water, and rice. Cook using the Rice function, and allow for a slow release. Stir in cilantro.
Here are a couple of sides to go along with these dishes ...
Banana and Cucumber Salad
This weird-looking combination of ingredients is surprisingly tasty
Ingredients
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cucumber, cut in small cubes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp peanuts
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp shredded coconut
1 green chili chopped (optional -- I omit this)
Salt to tast
Mix everything together and chill for 30 minutes
Cucumber Raita
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup of cucumber, finely diced
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Mix the ingredients and chill for about 30 minutes
Airfried Onion Potato Pakora
The recipe is here
Christmassy Carrot Cake with Cranberries
The recipe is here
This carrot cake is not a typical Indian food, but I think it would go well with the above dishes. The recipe is for a layer cake. I would bake it in a 9" x 13" dish for 50 minutes (35 to 40 minutes for a convection oven) at 350°F.
Rajmaah (kidney or pinto beans)
Ingredients:
2 cans red kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I use minced garlic out of a tube)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tsp cumin/coriander powder
2 Tbsp oil
2 cups water (2.5 if cooking at altitude)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
Chopped cilantro.
Chop the jalapeño and puree it with the tomatoes. Set IP to Saute. Once warm, add oil. Once the bottom is coated, fry the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick until slightly brown. Add onions and fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and tomato/jalapeno mix and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the sauté function. Add water, the cumin/coriander mix, the turmeric, the chili powder, the sugar, and the beans. Cover and cook on high pressure for seven minutes. Allow a natural release.
Crispy Naar Bhaat (Pomegranate rice)
I think this is very Christmassy with the red pomegranate seeds
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water (2.5 at altitude)
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 cup croutons
4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (I used minced ginger out of a tube)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
Use the Sauté function of the IP to brown the onions. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly. Turn off the Sauté function and add water, salt, garam masala, red chili powder, and rice. Cook using Rice function, and allow for a slow release. Stir in chopped coriander, and pomegranate seeds. Stir in croutons at time of serving.
Pyaz Poodina Bhaat (Onion and Mint Rice)
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water (2.5 at altitude)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
Heat the IP, using the Sauté function. Add oil and fry the onions until golden brown. Turn off heat, and stir in spices, water, and rice. Cook using the Rice function, and allow for a slow release. Stir in cilantro.
Here are a couple of sides to go along with these dishes ...
Banana and Cucumber Salad
This weird-looking combination of ingredients is surprisingly tasty
Ingredients
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cucumber, cut in small cubes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp peanuts
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp shredded coconut
1 green chili chopped (optional -- I omit this)
Salt to tast
Mix everything together and chill for 30 minutes
Cucumber Raita
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup of cucumber, finely diced
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Mix the ingredients and chill for about 30 minutes
Airfried Onion Potato Pakora
The recipe is here
Christmassy Carrot Cake with Cranberries
The recipe is here
This carrot cake is not a typical Indian food, but I think it would go well with the above dishes. The recipe is for a layer cake. I would bake it in a 9" x 13" dish for 50 minutes (35 to 40 minutes for a convection oven) at 350°F.
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