Author: Darcy

House Dal

Serves: 4

Source: Buffé, 2014 issue 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 dl mung beans
  • 3 dl red lentils
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 red onion
  • 150 g butter
  • 3 tbsp finely-chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 ½ tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp chili pepper or cayenne
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • salt

Instructions:

  1. Soak  the mung beans for 8 hours. Pour off the water and rinse.
  2. Rinse the red lentils, then bring to a boil in 1 litre water. Let them cook for 20 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 1.5 litres, so add more at the end if the dal is too thick.)
  3. Add the mung beans to the pot and let cook for another 15 minutes.
  4. Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
  5. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the garlic, onion, ginger, cumin, fennel seeds, chili pepper and turmeric to the butter and fry, stirring.
  6. Add the butter mixture to the lentils and cook for another 10 minutes. Add 1 tsp salt or to taste.
  7. Serve with fresh paratha or naan bread.

Bean Soup with Kale

Serves: 8

Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
  • 8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cups chopped raw kale
  • 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained
  • 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted.
  2. Add broth, beans, tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.
  3. Use a immersion blender to thicken the soup as much as you like.
  4. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Serves: 4

Source: SeriousEats.com

Ingredients:

For the beets

  • 1 bunch medium beets (about 3)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Salad

  • 10 ounces mixed greens (such as radicchio, frisée and mesclun)
  • 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted if desired and coarsely chopped

Instructions:

  1. For the Beets: Preheat oven to 425°F. Wipe or scrub beets clean then trim stems down to one-inch, leaving “tails” on. Place beets on a large piece of foil; drizzle with olive oil, then wrap foil around them to form a neat packet. Roast directly on rack in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. Test for doneness by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If it enters easily, it’s done. Unwrap beets and let sit until cool enough to handle. Use your hands or a paring knife to peel skin, then cut into ½-inch dice (I usually do this right on the aluminum foil but you can also use a stain-proof cutting board or plate). Set aside.
  2. For the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all your ingredients to a jar, cover with lid, and shake vigorously to blend.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  3. For the Salad: Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Divide greens onto plates, then sprinkle with beets, walnuts and goat cheese. (The reason you don’t just mix it all together in a salad bowl is that the beets would turn the whole salad pink.) Serve immediately.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Serves: 4

Source: Serious Eats

Ingredients:

For the Beets

  • 1 bunch medium beets (about 3)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Salad

  • 10 ounces mixed greens (such as radicchio, frisée and mesclun)
  • 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted if desired and coarsely chopped

Instructions:

  1. For the Beets: Preheat oven to 425°F. Wipe or scrub beets clean then trim stems down to one-inch, leaving “tails” on. Place beets on a large piece of foil; drizzle with olive oil, then wrap foil around them to form a neat packet. Roast directly on rack in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. Test for doneness by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If it enters easily, it’s done. Unwrap beets and let sit until cool enough to handle. Use your hands or a paring knife to peel skin, then cut into ½-inch dice (I usually do this right on the aluminum foil but you can also use a stain-proof cutting board or plate). Set aside.
  2. For the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all your ingredients to a jar, cover with lid, and shake vigorously to blend.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  3. For the Salad: Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Divide greens onto plates, then sprinkle with beets, walnuts and goat cheese. (The reason you don’t just mix it all together in a salad bowl is that the beets would turn the whole salad pink.) Serve immediately.

Tarte au sirop d’érable

Serves: 8

Source: Canadian Living

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cold water
  • 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 8-inch baked pie shell

Instructions:

  1. Pour maple syrup into a small heavy saucepan. Blend flour and water together until smooth; stir into syrup. Stir in egg yolks.
  2. Cook over low heat , stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add butter and stir until melted.
  4. Pour in pie shell. Cool thoroughly.

Basic Pizza Dough

Serves: 2 pizzas

Source: Mark Bittman

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, or more as needed, plus more for kneading
  • 1 teaspoon fast-rising yeast (2 teaspoons if you’re in a hurry)
  • 2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

Instructions

  1. Put the 3 cups flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.
  2. Rub a little olive oil or sprinkle a little flour onto your hands and shape the dough into a ball; wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. Or, if time is tight, let it rest at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Or refrigerate for several hours, deflating if necessary if it threatens to burst the plastic. (Or divide in half, wrap each ball in plastic, slip into a plastic bag and freeze.) Let it return to room temperature before proceeding.
  3. Reshape the dough into a ball and cut in half, forming 2 balls. (From here on, use olive oil if you’re cooking on baking sheets, flour if on a pizza stone.) Put them on a lightly floured surface (a pizza peel is ideal), sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap; or brush then with a bit of oil and place on a lightly oiled sheet. Let rest for about 20 minutes, while you heat the oven to 500 degrees.
  4. Press a dough ball into a 1/2-inch-thick flat round, adding flour or oil to the work surface as necessary. Press or roll the dough until it’s as thin as you can make it; let it rest a bit if it becomes too elastic. (Patience is your friend here.) You can do two baking sheets at once, or one after another, as you’ll have to if using a peel. If doing the latter, slide the dough from the peel onto the stone.

Hearty quinoa and bean soup

Serves: 4

Source: Chatelaine

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/3 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 540 mL can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups baby spinach

Instructions:

  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium. Add oil, then onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 3 min. Add carrot, garlic, cumin, coriander and quinoa. Cook for 2 more min. Pour in broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until quinoa is cooked, about 15 more min.
  2. Stir in beans and spinach. Cook until beans are hot and spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 more min. Serve immediately.

Lentils with Potatoes and Curry

Serves: 4

Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves: 4
Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried brown (or green) lentils, washed and picked over
  • 3 1/2 cups water, coconut milk, or vegetable stock, plus more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 2 medium russett potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Yoghurt for garnish
  • Minced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Combine the lentils, liquid, and curry powder in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low so that the mixture bubbles gently, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils start to absorb the water a bit, about 15 minutes.
  2. Add the potatoes and cover the pan completely. Cook, undisturbed, for 10 minutes or so, then stir gently and check to make sure the lentils aren’t too dry. If so, add a little more liquid. Add salt as the lentils become tender.
  3. Cover and continue cooking until the lentils are soft and beginning to turn to mush and the potatoes are tender at the centre, another 5 to 10 minutes; add liquid if necessary. The mixture should be moist but not soupy. Add lots of black pepper, stir, then taste and adjust the seasoning and serve, garnished with yoghurt and cilantro.

The Simplest Bean Burgers

Serves: 4 to 6

Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Serves: 4 to 6
Source: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups well-cooked white, black, or red beans or chickpeas or lentils, or one 14-ounce can, drained
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (preferably not instant)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder or spice mix of your choice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 egg
  • Bean-cooking liquid, stock, or other liquid (wine, cream, milk, water, ketchup, etc.) if necessary
  • Extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, as needed

Instructions:

  1. Combine the beans, onion, oats, chili powder, salt, pepper, and egg in a food processor until chunky but not puréed, adding a little liquid if necessary (this is unlikely but not impossible) to produce a moist but not wet mixture. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if time allows.
  2. With wet hands, shape in to whatever size patties you want and again let rest for a few minutes if time allows. Film the bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with oil and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the patties. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned.
  3. Serve with the usual burger fixings.

Alternatively, substitute the egg with 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese for extra taste.

Alternate Instructions to bake bean burgers:

  1. After combining all the ingredients in a food processor, drop large spoonfuls of bean mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.

Quinoa with Peppers and Beans

Serves: 4

Source:

Serves: 4
Source:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
  • 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
  • 1 can (14-19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

  1. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear.
  2. Bring 2 cups of the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the beans and the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir in the cilantro. Place in a serving bowl and top with the pepper mixture.