Fajitas

Fajitas are one of those meals where we never had them when I was a kid, and now I can't seem to get enough.  Something about the spicy tanginess, the sour cream, and the fried peppers.  If you're in the same camp, read on.

I grabbed the marinade I use from Food.com's steak or chicken fajitas recipe and subbed smoked paprika for the hot pepper flakes (if you read many of my recipes, that was predictable).  I swapped the flour tortillas for corn. And instead of meat, I used.... more veggies!  Of course.

So, to start with: double the marinade.  Cut a carrot or a zucchini into strips and cook it lightly (it should still be firm, not crunchy), then toss it with the marinade.  Set it aside while you fix the peppers and onions.

When the peppers and onions are hot and browned, pull them out into a bowl and toss in the marinated veggie strips.  Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce is thick.

Warm six 8" corn tortillas by frying them in a pan with a little oil, then top with the veggies, then the onions and peppers.  Add a dollop of sour cream, salsa, and some chopped cilantro.

If you need a bit more substance with your meal, consider making some Mexican rice to go on the side. I have also gone the Irish-Mexican route and made mashed potatoes, which are a good stand-in for refried beans.

Enjoy!

Vegan pad thai

Connoisseurus Veg got me started on this.  I really enjoy Thai food, but I confess, I'm not a big fan of standard pad thai... something about the fish sauce turns me off.  I tend to gravitate toward pad see ew or pad kee mow when I have the option.  So when I saw a version without fish sauce, I thought, "Sign me up!"

I followed the CV recipe for Vegan Pad Thai faithfully for quite a while, only subbing the wider chow fun noodles for pad thai noodles.  Then I realized I was spending half my prep time just messing around with tamarind: rehydrating it, running it through a sieve, and such.  One night I was tired and rushed and simply reached for the rice vinegar, and I discovered it was a perfectly adequate substitute.

So if you don't have tamarind, or don't want to spend time on it, use a small amount of rice vinegar instead. The trick is to make sure the flavors in the sauce are balanced: salty, sweet, sour. I double the amount of sauce that CV uses, because my noodles never seemed quite flavorful enough.  Their method of heating the garlic, pouring the sauce into the pan, and adding the noodles to coat seems to work pretty well, though I remove the veggies from the pan first (there just isn't space otherwise).

What veggies do I use?  Carrot and summer squash cut into strips, bell peppers, and broccoli, usually.  Good additions would be cauliflower, cabbage, onions, baby bok choi, snow peas, firm tomatoes, celery, and other stir-fry vegetables you might think of.  I cook the carrot, squash, and broccoli lightly before adding them, just so everything gets done together, then it's into the pan for a quick fry, out into the bowl again, and the sauce and noodles go in.  The most time spent on this recipe is chopping the veggies.

Cream of potato soup

I pulled the base for this one from the recipe for Creamy Potato Soup at SugarSpunRun, but needless to say, I wasn't going to load it down with cheese or even bacon.  I value my sour cream (I have to buy organic because I can't have antibiotic residue), so I'd rather not waste it in soup.  So what's left?

Heavy cream and plant milk.  Lots of it.  This is not a vegan or dairy-free recipe, though if you feel like experimenting with cashew cream, have fun... but it is amazingly satisfying comfort food of the first order.  If you have someone who can give you bacon fat, or if you can tolerate small amounts of crumbled bacon, this is the place to use it; otherwise, reach for the smoked paprika, because smokiness is mandatory.  If you can tolerate any cheese, a sprinkling of sharp cheddar on top would be an excellent garnish.

Which potatoes you use doesn't matter a whole lot, though I prefer waxy potatoes to avoid any mealiness.  By the time the soup is done, it would be hard to tell the difference for most people.

And finally, it goes well with small amounts of vegetables thrown in.  I use a cup or so of broccoli, but peppers, carrots, or peas would also fit in pretty well.  Not too many, though - remember, this is cream of potato soup!

Cream of Potato Soup
makes about six servings (3.5 quarts)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled, 3/4" dice (6-7 large)
4 cups chicken broth
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups milk (rice, oat, or other)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp bacon fat (or butter/margarine)
1/2 cup rice flour, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
ground black pepper

Combine the potatoes and the chicken stock in a pot, salt lightly, and cook until tender: 6 minutes on high pressure in a pressure cooker, or 15 minutes at a low boil.  

Add garlic, milk, paprika, thyme, optional veggies, and bacon fat, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.  Salt to taste, and add pepper.

Mix a couple of tablespoons of flour into the cream and stir it in, then make a water slurry with the rest of the flour and add while stirring quickly.  Simmer another 2-3 minutes until thickened.  Serve hot.

Dumplings and gravy with kale or collards

Sometimes you just need something solid and filling with no fuss.  Look no further.

I used to make a big pot of chicken and dumplings and keep it in the fridge, scooping out a bowlful when needed. When I stopped eating meat, I held on to the dumplings, and I finally combined them with greens for a balanced meal. It's a good one-pot option, and it's fast if you manage to form the dumplings ahead of time.

How thick you make the gravy is up to you.  I insist that if it's thin that it be at least thick enough to coat the greens, but sometimes the dough sheds so much, or I'm so enthusiastic with the flour, that I end up with something more like pudding.  Be ready to add more slurry, or more broth, depending on how it goes.  I originally made this with four cups of broth, so if you like a slurpier dish that can hold more greens, feel free.

Dumplings and Gravy
serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice (mochi) flour
2 Tbsp tapioca starch
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp salted butter
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)
About 1/2 cup milk (rice, oat, or other)

2 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup rice flour, with enough water to make a slurry

Poultry seasoning to taste

Salt and pepper

1/2 to 1 pound kale or collard greens (3-5 large leaves), ribs removed, chopped

In a small bowl, mix together the rice flour, mochiko, tapioca starch, and baking powder.  Cut in the butter until the texture resembles fine cornmeal.  Add the parsley, then stir in enough milk to make a dough (if crumbly, add a little more milk and mix well).  It should be firm enough to shape, but a bit sticky is okay.  Pull off 1" pieces with fingers or a spoon and set aside.

Boil the chicken broth and garlic in a medium-sized pot. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, making sure they stay separate.  After the last one goes in, cook them for 6 minutes, then pull them out with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl.  Set aside.

Reduce heat to low.  Add the seasoning and the chopped greens, stir well, and cover.  Simmer 3-5 minutes, until the greens are cooked through and soft.  Stir in the flour slurry and cook a minute more, checking for consistency and adding more slurry or broth as needed.  When the gravy is as thick as you like, add the dumplings back in and stir gently to heat them through.  Serve hot.

Potato gnocchi

I will forever be in the debt of the friend who answered my question, "How can I keep eating potatoes as a large part of my diet without starting to hate them?"  She said, "Gnocchi."  And she was right.

Trust Serious Eats to figure out the best way to make them.  They're right, baked russets make a very light gnocchi.  And the recipe is simple and easy to make, leaving forming the little buggers as the hardest part.  Sit down with a bowl, a plate, and a freezer tray in front of the TV, and it's a pleasant way to pass the time.

Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi

I mix it in a bowl, not on the counter, which feels needlessly messy.  I often use one egg (that seems to hold them together well enough), but a flax egg would be my choice for a substitute: add three tablespoons of very hot water to a tablespoon of flax seed and stir.  Ultimately, the sweet rice flour, aka mochi flour, will bind these together the rest of the way when they're cooked.

They freeze exceptionally well.  It's marvelous to pull out 20 of them or so, pop them in boiling water, and in five or six minutes they're ready for sauce.  They have a texture like ricotta cheese, which is unbelievably rich in an alfredo sauce, or wonderfully fluffy in marinara.  Add a side salad and you have a delicious light meal.

Skillet rice

This is one of those recipes which simply evolved over time.  It started with a Rice-a-Roni knockoff, then lost the noodles (rice-based instant ramen works, btw), then I tweaked the proportions until I got to this version.  I've adapted it to the Instant Pot when I didn't have a stove to cook on.  I've used it for lunch, dinner, and potlucks.  I usually eat it with homemade kosher dill pickles, to give it some zip, but it's fine on its own.

I use basmati rice, but any true long-grain rice will be fine. Don't cut the butter down to less than 4 tablespoons, or it'll start really sticking together.

Skillet Rice
serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 c. long-grain white rice
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika [smoked is excellent]
2 c. chicken broth [I use Trader Joe's, which has a lot of flavor of its own]
1 c. water

5 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the rice and cook until it turns bright white, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the spices and garlic, then pour the broth and water into the skillet and stir to combine. Distribute slices of butter across the surface. Once the mixture simmers, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, add the parsley, cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until all of the broth is absorbed. Serve immediately.

Garlic eggplant

Here's a dish which doesn't even have to be altered.  I serve it a little differently, but I think pretty much anyone familiar with Chinese cuisine would recognize it.

I recommend getting Chinese eggplant, as it tends to be firmer, and it has less of a tendency to get bitter as it ages. (Yes, that's the reason eggplant gets bitter - it sits too long on the plant before picking, and/or it sits too long after picking before being used.  Get the freshest eggplant you can; it should be firm like a peach, not spongy.)

My cheat: I steam the eggplant in the microwave first.  It has a regrettable tendency to stay firm for a long time, and getting it to soften up in a pan can take forever, if it doesn't burn first.  If I'm not in a hurry, I chop it and toss it with a little oil, then put it in a 400-degree oven for about ten minutes, or until it loses most of that spongy texture. Then I toss it into the pan and proceed as usual.

If you don't go through enough fresh ginger to keep it on hand, try putting it in the freezer.  It grates perfectly well when frozen solid, especially if you own a Microplane grater.

Garlic Eggplant
serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 long eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 pound)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 red chile pepper, finely minced [or a dash of cayenne]
1/2 inch grated fresh ginger (about half a tablespoon)
1 chopped green onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar (Chinese black or rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar [I use brown]

In a wok or saucepan over high heat, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, add the eggplant and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until skin is blistered and oil is absorbed.  Reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The eggplant should have changed in color, the skin wrinkled and the flesh quite soft.

Push the eggplant aside in the pan and add the sesame oil. Add garlic, red chile peppers, ginger and green onion. Stir these aromatics until they become fragrant. Combine aromatics with eggplant and stir fry for one minute. Add soy sauce, black vinegar and sugar and stir to combine; it should thicken until it coats the eggplant.  Serve immediately.

I often serve this with a bed of short-grain white rice, topped with sauteed cabbage (just oil, salt, and pepper), and finally the eggplant on top.  It reminds me of the days when I used to stop by the quick Chinese place and get a rice bowl for lunch.

Mushroom ragout

A ragout (sometimes misnamed a ragù) is a thick spiced stew of French origin.  Traditionally it has some type of meat in it, but mushrooms were another very common component, and this version simply relies on the mushrooms entirely. I tried it out and found it to be a nice change from the usual, without being especially difficult to make.

Wild Mushroom Ragú with Creamy Polenta

Some of my alterations are simply toward more common ingredients.  I can tell you that brown cremini mushrooms work quite well, and white buttons probably would too, even if they lack some of the subtle character of wild mushrooms.  A small amount of regular yellow onion will do if you don't have a shallot.  On a less cheap note, I use real butter, and beef broth rather than veggie broth in the stew does help fill out the flavor.  And if you can manage cooking with alcohol, the red wine really makes a difference.  (I buy the cheapest one I can find at a reputable store, as I'm not drinking the stuff.)

If you want to be sure that the alcohol is pretty well gone from the finished dish, add the red wine at the beginning, and allow it to go dry as the mushrooms brown.  Some moisture at the beginning helps to start softening mushrooms, and this way only the flavor remains, soaked into them.

I had difficulties with the polenta, because several different dry products are sold under that label.  Pay attention to the cooking instructions, and if it says "ready in three minutes", don't expect to be simmering it for 15-20 as this recipe suggests.  Mine set up hard almost as soon as I'd finished stirring it into the rice milk, and I ended up adding more water and milk while stirring, until it made the sort of thick pudding (spoonable, not pourable) that would be a good bed for the ragout.  So if you don't already know the character of your polenta, set a little time aside to get to know it.

I have also made this ragout and served it over rice pasta, usually penne, and it makes a fantastic meal.  I suspect it might be served over rice, like stroganoff, and still be fine.  Play around with it and see what you like.

Recipe: Eggplant-potato moussaka

I was introduced to moussaka by an old school friend, who shared her ground beef and potato recipe.  I discovered that potato is a minor variant of a dish which is usually based on eggplant, so when I had to take the ground beef out of the dish, it only made sense to add the eggplant back in.  The result is a solid, warm, comforting casserole that is perfect for cold days.

"Waxy" potatoes are also known as boiling potatoes, e.g. Yukon Gold, white, or red.  I typically use red, as I don't need the sweetness of Yukons in this dish, but it's up to you. They can be cooked in advance, either by boiling or in the microwave, and then peeled.  They sometimes slice more easily when chilled (they certainly burn your fingers less!) so if you're strapped for time or energy, cook them and throw them in the refrigerator until you prep the casserole.

The topping is traditionally a custard made with eggs and milk.  I found that coconut milk is a very good substitute, and while I do often use a single egg to thicken it (spread over six servings, it's rarely an issue for me) it can be thickened with cornstarch as well.  The cheese on top is, of course, optional, and it's perfectly good without.

Vegetarian/Vegan Moussaka
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
24 oz. canned diced tomatoes, crushed
4 oz. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. paprika [I like smoked]
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4. freshly ground pepper
dash and a half of cayenne [optional]
5 medium waxy potatoes, cooked and peeled
1 1/3 cup milk [or 1 can of coconut milk]
1 egg [or 2 Tablespoons cornstarch in 3 Tablespoons water]
1/2 cup grated mozzarella [optional]
1/4 cup grated parmesan [optional]

Slice the eggplant 1/2" thick, and place the slices on a baking sheet.  Lightly oil both sides of each slice.  Bake at 400 degrees until soft, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine a tablespoon of olive oil and the onion in a large pot. Sweat the onion over medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. 

Slice cooked potatoes about 1/4" thick. Arrange half on the bottom of a large casserole. Cover with half of the eggplant slices, pour the sauce in, add the other half of the eggplant, and then top with the remaining potato slices. Beat the egg into the milk and pour it over the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella and then Parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is firm. Let it stand 15 minutes before serving.

This reheats beautifully, and freezes well.