Search

RSS Feed Facebook Flickr Twitter

Vegetarian

Blog entry

If you haven't noticed already, I love sesame.  Love might actually be an understatement, "am obsessed with" might be closer to the truth.  I would rather have something with sesame in it for dessert than chocolate.  In fact, when Emma and I found a sesame bar recipe in Nawal Nasrallah's book Delights from the Garden of Eden, I felt like I was in heaven.  I could make sesame bars instead of brownies for the rest of my life!  Anyway, though it is not a new discovery, it truly is a constant in my life and I wanted to share- Tahini Salad Dressing.  In the Winter, I exchange my lettuces and salad greens for kale.  I found a great salad mix at Whole Foods that is kale already chopped up and ready to eat, which is perfect for meals when you are in a time crunch.  I make a tahini dressing by mixing tahini with a touch of olive oil, lemon juice, water, and salt.  I don't have a direct recipe for this, because I just sort of mix it all together in a small bowl.  It is usually equal parts tahini and water, then a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, and coarse sea salt. I also might add a teaspoon or so of Braggs Liquid Amino Acids, which is a great substitute for soy sauce.  I toss together the kale, sliced avocado, fresh pomegranate seeds, chickpeas (canned or sprouted), and thinly sliced red onion, and dress with the tahini. It is also really rich, and full of healthy fats.  I love the combination of flavors and textures that all of the ingredients provide, and the health benefits.  Sesame is full of calcium and protein; the kale is of course a great source of vitamins A, K, and C, and is full of fiber; the pomegranates are full of powerful antioxidants; and the avocado is another great source of fiber and vitamin C, and also has lots of potassium.  This is a powerful health salad that not only combats inflammation and oxidative stress, but also boosts your nutrients.  You know I will be eating this all Winter long.  

Blog entry

The other day I was at The Foragers Market in DUMBO (a really lovely place), and I found black chickpeas. The label on the bag said Kabuli Chana, and I got even more excited, because I thought that these chickpeas were Afghan. However, when I looked into the matter, it turns out that the normal chickpeas that I always eat are actually kabuli chana, and that the black ones are called kala chana. These chickpeas have a tougher shell, and hold together well in stews, but I made a dark speckled hummus regardless. I also included some black garlic, which is a fermented garlic that has an incredible smoky/salty flavor. This detail was lost in the end result, so I would just use regular garlic next time for the pungency, and save my black garlic for crostini. I am going to play around with these black chickpeas some more, but here is a photo of the dish, which follows the same recipe as our Traditional Lebanese Hummus.

http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/traditional-lebanese-hummus-recipe

Cooking Show Video

There are a wide variety of edible greens growing wild in Kythira (and most other places in Greece, and the world), many of them are in the wild dandelion or chicory family.  This video shows some of the tastier types.  There is some etiquette to foraging... when you come across a patch, don't pick it all. Maybe take one of every 3 so that the plant can continue to self seed and grow for future years. 

March 27, 2010   |   1 comments
Tags: Healthy, Local, Mediterranean, Spring, Vegetarian
Cooking Show Video

Wild leeks have been well known in Greece since antiquity, appearing in several ancient texts; in present day Greece they are still a highly valued food.  They appear in late winter and early spring on widely varying terrain, the greatest concentration we've found has been in sandy soil near the sea.  In this video we prepare the leeks simply, over the coals of an open fire.  If you try this method, allow the leeks to blacken over the coals, and when you're ready to eat them simply peel the charred part away leaving the soft sweet center. Wild leeks are very similar to their domesticated counterpart, just smaller in size and a bit sweeter.

March 22, 2010   |   0 comments
Tags: Local, Mediterranean, Spring, Travel, Vegetarian
Recipe

This is a very healthy vegetarian dish full of Mediterranean flavor. Freekeh is wheat that has been harvested while still very young, and thus is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It has a slightly smoky flavor due to the way the wheat is processed after harvest, so it pairs well with mellow flavors, such as beans and chicken. This recipe calls for cooking the beans from scratch, but you can also use canned garbanzos for a faster version.

For the Garbanzos:

½ cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked at least 4 hours

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic

1 sprig thyme

a few black peppercorns

 

For the Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup yellow onion, small dice

¼ cup carrot, peeled, small dice

¼ cup fennel, small dice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

pinch of cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup freekeh, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes

2 cups vegetable broth

 

Short Sauce:

1 ½ cups fresh cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 cup parsley, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 sprig mint, leaves roughly chopped

½ cup pinenuts, lightly toasted

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)

For the Garbanzos:

Drain the garbanzos of their soaking liquid.
Place in a medium sized pot and cover with about 3 cups fresh water. Add the rest of the ingredients (you can place them in a bouquet garni bag if you want) and bring the water up to a boil. Simmer until the garbanzos are cooked through. Drain, remove the aromatics, and set aside.

To Prepare the Pilaf:
Heat up the olive oil in a medium sized pot. Sweat the onion, carrot, fennel, and garlic until the onion and fennel appear translucent. Add the spices and a pinch of salt, and stir for another minute or two. Drain the freekeh of its soaking liquid and add it to the pot. Stir everything together so that the freekeh is well integrated, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently. Pour over the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Add the garbanzos and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the wheat is cooked through. Keep in mind that these are wheat berries, so they will have a slightly chewy texture and will not be completely soft.

Make the short sauce by blending all of the ingredients together until coarsely chopped, you do not want a smooth puree. Spoon a bit of the sauce into the pot and stir to combine. Serve while warm.

Serves 4. 

This Freekeh and Garbanzo dish is healthy and incredibly delicious. We cook freekeh in a base of carrots, onion, and celery, and then at the end we stir in a "short sauce" of herbs and pine nuts.
Recipe

This sandwich does not have specific instructions, just adhere to the basics: buy a good focaccia bread, use the olive paste sparingly in comparison to the lebne, and just throw in a few mint sprigs.

Focaccia

Lebne (a Lebanese strained yogurt-cheese)

Olive Paste (or sliced black olives)

Fresh mint leaves


Spread a thin layer of olive paste on one slice of the bread.  Spread a thick layer of lebne on the other, and top with a few mint leaves.  Top with the olive-lined slice and close. 

Enjoy!

This sandwich is inspired by one we used to eat in Beirut. The combination of lebne, olives, and mint is simple, yet perfect. This is an easy snack to put together. Slice it in thin strips or squares to serve at a cocktail party.
Recipe

These are attractive and light, making them perfect for a healthy weeknight meal. We like the De La Estancia brand of organic polenta, which is made in Argentina.  http://delaestancia.net/

3 cups broth + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup quick cooking polenta

1 baby eggplant

1 jar roasted red peppers

4 tablespoons zeytin ezmesi or another olive tapenade

Olive Oil

a few shards of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Bring the broth and oil to a boil, and stir in the polenta.  Whisk until thick.  When the mixture is thick, pour it into a square baking dish, loaf pan, or 2" baking tray lined with wax paper.  Smooth over the top to distribute evenly and allow to cool.  When completely cool and set, flip onto a cutting board, remove the paper, and slice into squares.  The best would be to have 4 thick squares, but you should just make-do with what you have in your kitchen. 

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant across horizontally into 1/2" thick rounds.  Brush lightly with olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning over half way through. 

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a grill pan (or saute pan if you don't have), and grill the polenta squares on each side.  Top each with a thin layer of olive paste, baked eggplant, a layer of roasted pepper, and a couple shards of cheese.  You can bake these if you want the cheese melted, but we like them as is also. 


Makes 4 polenta squares. 

Note: You can buy Turkish olive paste from http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/whole-wheat-rigatoni-olive-paste

 

 

These polenta squares make a delicious, healthy, and easy meal any night of the week. You can buy the roasted red peppers from the store, which along with the jar of olive paste, make it less work for you.
January 15, 2010   |   1 comments
Tags: Entrees, Europe, Healthy, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Recipe

We came up with this dish one night when all that was in the fridge was a jar of Turkish zeytin ezmesi (olive paste).  Its texture seemed similar to that of pesto, and the results were note-worthy.  This is not so much a recipe, as it is instructions on how to make this delicious pasta dish.  The dark and delicious olive paste is like a poor man's squid ink, but not without being fierce competition. 

To put this together, simply boil 100 g of whole wheat rigatoni per person in boiling salted water for the amount of time indicated on the package. 

Before you drain the pasta, scoop about 1 cup of cooking water from the pot.  Drain the pasta of its water and transfer back into the pot.  Slowly moisten with about 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir in about 1/4 cup of Turkish olive paste (zeytin ezmesi).  Stir to combine, adding more liquid or paste to have a nice, smooth sauce, without it being too runny.  Season with red pepper flakes and top with Parmesan or Pecorino for serving. 

You can purchase Zeytin Ezmesi from http://www.tulumba.com/storeitem.asp?ic=FB248408BE874.

This pasta is so easy to throw together because it involves very few ingredients. The flavor is like an exclamation point. We chose whole wheat rigatoni for its robust texture, but you can use linguine as well.
Recipe

This salad is called the Gypsy salad because it is a melange of flavors, textures and ideas from around the world.  Blood orange, arugula, and fennel from Europe mix with jalapeno and avocado from Mexico.  Cumin, mint, and dates from the Middle East come into play as well.  Many of these ingredients, like dates, have traveled from their origin, and are now part of new cultures.  It is like us, a gypsy that never stops traveling.  The measurements are not exact, we trust that you add how much you want of each ingredient, and enjoy the journey that it takes you on.

 

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer layer removed (if bruised)

1 handful of baby arugula

1 handful of dates, pitted and sliced in quarters

a few kalamata or Moroccan black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 sprig of mint

Small handful of parsley

a handful of fresh walnuts, roughly chopped

2 blood oranges (you can substitute regular oranges or cara caras here also)

1 lime (kaffir limes welcome!)

1-2 Tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cumin and salt

 

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half horizontally.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the arugula.

Add the sliced dates and olives. 

Thinly slice the jalapeno.  If you are sensitive to heat, finely mince it, but if you like more of a bite, slice it in small horizontal strips.  You only need a 1/4 of the pepper or so.

Roughly chop or tear the herbs and add to the bowl. 

Keep the avocado meat in the skin and score with a knife in long vertical slices.  Use a spoon to get under the meat and scoop out the slices over the salad bowl. 

For the dressing, zest the oranges and the limes with a zester or microplane over the salad bowl.  You will only need a little bit of the lime zest and about 1/2 of one of the orange's zest.  Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges, removing the skin and pith.  Next place the oranges, one at a time, on the cutting board and slice off the skin and pith (without going to deep!) to reveal each segment.  Working over another small bowl, slice out each orange segment carefully, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl, and then add the segments to the larger salad bowl.  When you have finished slicing the oranges, squeeze out any excess juice into the small bowl.  Juice the lime into the bowl as well.  Stir in the cumin, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine (you can just do this with a fork). 

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. 

Add the crumbled walnuts. 

Serves 2. 

This salad works as an appetizer, but it also goes beautifully on top of grilled fish like tuna or mahi mahi, or atop a grilled chicken breast. 

 

 

 

Recipe

This recipe is a winner all around.  It is warming, healthy, and delicious.  We have made this on several occasions, and have always gotten requests for the recipe.  Feel free to add other vegetables and herbs as you see fit. 

2 cloves garlic

2 scallions

½ medium onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or creamed coconut*

1 ½ tablespoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, toasted and cooled

2 cans lite coconut milk

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and cubed

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, medium dice

1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Garnish: fresh cilantro

Combine the garlic, scallions, onion, and ginger in a food processor. Grind until they form a smooth paste.
Heat up the coconut oil and/or creamed coconut in a medium-sized heavy bottomed pot. Add the paste to the oil and fry for a few minutes on medium-high heat, stirring well.
Add the curry powder to the frying paste and cook for a few more minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and add the mustard seeds. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn down to a light simmer, and stir in the tomato paste.
Add the pumpkin and red pepper and simmer, covered, for about 20-30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender.
Stir in the garbanzos and let simmer for a few more minutes.
Turn off the heat and serve over rice, garnished with cilantro.

Serves 4

*Creamed coconut is a Caribbean product that can be found in some specialty markets.