African Yam & Peanut Soup with Ginger and Pineapple

Ingredients:

• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp minced ginger
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 medium yams, peeled (or not) and roughly chopped
• 1 14 fl oz can water-packed pineapple, juice reserved
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 5 tbsp natural smooth peanut butter
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)
• Juice of 2 limes, or more to taste
• Favourite hot sauce, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat stock and keep it warm on the back burner while you assemble the soup.
2. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt; sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add garlic, ginger, and spices and sauté until soft and golden.
3. Stir in red pepper, yams, and salt and continue cooking until they start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable stock to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and
   simmer until the yams are tender.
4. Add pineapple with juice, tomatoes, peanut butter, and remaining stock and simmer 30 minutes.
   Purée the soup until smooth, either directly in the pot with a hand blender, or in batches using a food
   processor.
5. Return soup to the pot and simmer for a final 10 minutes. Season to taste with more salt,
   pineapple juice, and/or hot sauce. Just before serving, add chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Serves 8.

From Rebar Modern Food Cookbook

 

Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is such a delicious treat in the fall when apples are at their best. And, although you could try lots of different fruit combinations—like apple and mandarin orange or apple and rhubarb—there’s something about the raisins and cloves in this version that seems especially decadent to me.

Ingredients:

• Lots of your favourite variety of apple (1½ pounds or so)
• 6 tbsp of butter or margarine
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Chop the apples, and submerge pieces in a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning. You can peel your apples if you like, but I prefer to leave the skin on.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, 2/3 of a cup of the flour, oats, nuts, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves in a bowl, using your hands or a spoon, until you have a consistent, crumbly mixture.
3. Grease a 9 x 9 oven-safe dish and put a layer of apples in the bottom. Scatter some raisins on top, then sprinkle a bit of the remaining flour. Place additional layers as described above into the dish and don’t be afraid to pile the dish high since the apples will reduce as they cook.
4. Once you’ve fit as many apples as you can in your dish, pat the crisp mixture you prepared earlier on top until it is covered.
5. Set the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, then bake for an hour or so until the juices from the apples are bubbling, the topping is golden, and your home smells divine.
6. Enjoy!

 

The Santoku Knife

My first kitchen was thoughtfully stocked with the cookware found in my hope chest (which I cracked open the moment I moved in to my first apartment) and ingeniously supplemented with garage-sale finds (hmm…no mortar and pestle…that’s okay. I’ll use this ball-peen hammer and a sturdy wooden salad bowl instead). Over the years I’ve been grateful for the excellent gear my hope chest gave up, but I’ve slowly been replacing the worn and makeshift garage-sale finds.

My most recent upgrade is from the steak knife I bought in the pasta aisle of the supermarket 12 years ago, which has cut every yam and tomato in every recipe since then, to my beautiful and elegant new santoku knife. It’s a dream: the blade is sharp and thin, the handle secure and comfortable to hold. Maybe the best thing is that I no longer have to bring whatever I’m cutting the the counter’s edge to avoid rapping my knuckles again and again. Here’s my lovely knife (isn’t it sharp?):

And here’s a short video tutorial on the proper handling of and best uses for a santoku knife:

 

Garbanzo Bean Soup with Red Pepper Salsa

Soup Ingredients:

• 1 540 ml can of garbanzo beans
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds, preferably white
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 large onion, sliced finely
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, sliced finely
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 4 cups well-flavoured vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup milk (or 3/4 cup stock)

Salsa Ingredients:

• ½ small red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ small yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cucumber, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped finely
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 small red chile, seeded and chopped finely
• 1 to 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, torn finely
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 to 2 tbsp sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Drain the garbanzo beans and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water: set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet until evenly hot, then add the cumin, mustard and sesame seeds and roast for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to pop. Transfer the spices to a mortar or spice mill and grind until smooth. You may also use the end of a rolling pin to grind the spices.
3. Cook the onion in the oil in a large pan until well browned, then add the garlic, ginger, and freshly ground spices and cook for another minute. Stir in the garbanzo beans, and the broth, then bring the soup to a boil and season lightly. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, until the garbanzo beans are soft.
4. You can prepare the salsa while the soup is cooking:
   1. Mix together all the prepared vegetables, season lightly, then add the cilantro, lemon rind, and lemon juice. Allow the salsa to stand to at least 30 minutes for the flavours to blend together.
   2. Allow the soup to cool slightly, then puree until smooth in a blender, or food processor. Rinse the pan and return the soup to it, then reheat gently with the milk, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Blend the salsa with 1 to 2 tbsp. of sour cream if you wish, then serve soup with a generous spoonful of salsa in each portion.

Serves 6.

From High-Fiber Cooking

 

Fried Tofu with Green Beans (Dau Khuon Xao Dau)

Rather than deep fry the tofu, I decided to bake it. First I marinated the cubed tofu overnight in a shitake mushroom stock. After draining the stock, I tossed the tofu in a greased 9 x 9 baking dish,  then poured a mixture of 10 tbsp mushroom stock, 4 tbsp soy sauce and 4 tbsp dry white wine over it before baking at 350ºF for 45 minutes. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 350 g (12 oz) package of firm tofu
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (plus enough to deep fry your tofu if you choose to go that route)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (plus a couple of tbsp for the tofu if you opt to bake your tofu)
• 1¼ cup dry white wine (plus a couple more tbsp if you’re baking the tofu)
• 1½ cups, thinly sliced bamboo shoots
• ½ pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 small red chile, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat enough oil to cover tofu over medium-high head until hot. Add the tofu cubes and cook until crisp on all sides, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. (Or bake the tofu as described above.)
2. In the same skillet, head 1 tbsp oil over high heat until hot. Cook the onion for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, wine, and ¼ cup of water.
3. Bring to a boil and add the bamboo shoots, green beans, chile, black pepper, and prepared tofu. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the green beans are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Serve with rice.

Makes 4 main-course servings.

From Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking

 

Trinidadian Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This recipe uses frozen black-eyed peas. If you can only get the dried kind, soak ¾ cup overnight.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, diced into ¼ inch pieces.
• 2 medium carrots, diced into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1 10-oz package frozen black-eyed peas
• 6½ cups vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp brown rice
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp mustard powder mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
• ¼ Scotch bonnet (or other habañero-type hot chile), chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• Lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Put the oil in a large pan and set over medium-high heat. Put in the pepper, onion, and carrots. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onion turns translucent and slightly brown at the edges.
2. Add the cilantro and stir once. Now add the peas, stock, rice, ginger, allspice, thyme, mustard, and hot chile. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the head down to low, and simmer gently for 1½ hours, stirring now and then.
3. Taste for salt, adding some if needed. The soup should be spicy, so add more pepper sauce or cayenne if you wish.
4. Serve garnished with the chives and offer the lime wedges on the side.

Serves 6.

From Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian

 

Golden Raisin Scones

These scones are really quick to make and are great when you wake up and realize you’ve no breakfast foods. I’ve substituted dried apricots and dried cranberries for the raisins, and I really love having them with a bit of cream cheese and some ginger-stem compote. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (or other dried fruit)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk, approximately

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF and lightly grease baking sheet.
2. Blend the butter into the flour and baking powder, then stir in the sugar and raisins.
3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten egg. Mix to a soft dough with the milk.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then roll out until half an inch thick. Cut with a 2-inch cutter and place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

From High-Fiber Cooking

Vegans or people like me, who forget to check that they have eggs in the house before they start making the scones, can replace the egg with flax eggs. Of course, vegans will also want to substitute nondairy milk or water for the milk.

 

Picnic Potato Salad with Marjoram and Pickled Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 pounds boiling potatoes
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 large garlic cloves, pounded
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped marjoram (I couldn’t find fresh marjoram, so I used chives)
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme

Directions:

1. Put the diced onion in a strainer. Bring a kettle of water to a boil and pour it slowly over the onion.
2. Shake the onion dry, and put it in a large salad bowl. Add the vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, several
   grinds of peper, the oil and set aside.
3. Cook the potatoes, then peel and slice them. While still warm, add them to the onion along with
   the mustard, garlic, and capers. Toss gently with a soft rubber spatula.
4. Add the bell pepper, celery, and herbs and toss once more. Taste for salt and grind in plenty of
   pepper.

Serves an army.

From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

 

Custardy Popovers

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1¼ cups milk
• 1¼ cups flour
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
2. Beat 4 large eggs together with 1¼ c. of milk.
3. Add 1¼ c. flour and ½ tsp. salt to the wet mixture and beat until it is reasonably well mixed. It’s just fine if the mixture is a little lumpy.
4. Grease a 12 muffin tin & fill each cup about ½ full with the batter.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes. (Try not to open the oven while they’re baking.)
6. Remove the popovers from the tin, peirce each one once with a toothpick and place on a cooling rack until cool enough to eat.

Best served with good Earl Grey tea and mandarin oranges at 4pm in the winter.
From Moosewood Cookbook

 

Heather’s Harvest Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 potato
• 5 cm of ginger root
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• 4 c. chopped vegetables (see below)
• pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat and sauté.
2. Add 2 chopped onions, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 cubed potato, and 3 tbsp of grated ginger.
3. Add 4c. of vegetable stock and 4 c. of chopped vegetables (such as yams, butternut squash, pumpkin, carrots, or parsnips), and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are well cooked.
5. Purée soup until smooth (the safest and laziest way to do this is in the pot with a hand blender). If desired, thin with more water or stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to bowl.
7. Stir in a dollop of chèvre (optional).

Yum!