- 6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1-2 Tbsp minced chives
- 3 1/2 lbs. small, red-skinned potatoes, cut into even bite-sized pieces (I halved most of mine because they were the tiny little guys)
- 35 fresh sage leaves (I needed less than one bunch to get this number of leaves)
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- To make the dressing, mix 3 Tbsp oil with the vinegar and chives, using a whisk or shaking it up in a container with a tight lid. Season with salt and pepper; set dressing aside.
- Place potatoes in a large roasting pan; add in the sage leaves and remaining 3 Tbsp oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until the potatoes are browned on the outside and tender on the inside and the sage leaves are browned and crisp (25-30 minutes).
- Allow the potatoes to cool slightly. Crumble the sage leaves over the potatoes, rewhisk the dressing, and pour it over the sage and potatoes. Toss to coat and serve.
Every once in a while, it's nice to make breakfast a treat instead of just a utility. It's worth a few extra steps to make it something special, especially when guests are involved. This past weekend, two of our friends from Baltimore stayed overnight, and on Saturday morning, I made baked oatmeal from Faith Durand's Not Your Mother's Casseroles. Although I did not make it vegan this time, it can easily be adapted to remove dairy products, and I've included those changes in the recipe below. This is an easy-to-prepare, comforting breakfast that can be changed and tweaked to suit individual preferences.
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 cups soy or almond milk (you might want to decrease the sugar if you use a sweetened variety)
- 1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries and raisins)
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla, maple, or almond extract (opt.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber mixer. Pour mixture into the baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Serve the oatmeal hot with maple syrup, extra brown sugar, and/or extra milk, if desired.
Nutty sweet potato soup with harissa and spinach (4-6 servings)
0 comments Posted by Kate at 1:26 PM
This year's inaugural Vegan MoFo recipe comes from the October 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. (The recipe hasn't been posted online yet.) It's a spicy, slightly smoky soup that's on the thin side yet still filling. Searching the county for a tube of harissa was worth it!
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts sliced thinly and rinsed of grit
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp harissa paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (low sodium-if possible)
- 3 oz (2 packed cups) spinach leaves, thinly sliced (use a pizza wheel!)
- crushed peanuts for garnish
- Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and saute for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, peanut butter, harissa, garlic, turmeric, and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add sweet potatoes, broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Blend the mixture with an immersion blender, adding more water if soup is too thick. (It definitely wasn't for me.) Stir in the spinach leaves and garnish with crushed peanuts.
It's that time of year again! October is the Vegan Month of Food, also known as Vegan MoFo. I will once again try to post one new vegan recipe per week to get in the spirit of things. Be sure to check back often! If nothing else, it'll motivate me to get off my arse and keep posting!
One of my favorite things about cooking is experimenting with interesting varieties of familiar ingredients. Earlier this week, I tried Israeli (or pearl) couscous for the first time. Like regular couscous, it's not a grain but a type of pasta; however, the individual kernels are much larger and chewier than with common couscous. The squishy yet firm texture was oddly fascinating. You know that little packet of beads you get with a new pair of shoes -- the one that says "DO NOT EAT" all over it? I bet they'd feel like Israeli couscous if you tried to eat them. (But please don't. I can't be held responsible for the effects.)
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 + 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 1/3 cup pearl couscous
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup packed baby arugula leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, slightly toasted
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 oz sharp white cheddar, shredded or diced
- Put the water and 2/3 cups of the orange juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, pour the couscous out onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil so it can cool.
- Next, add the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, the olive oil, and the vinegar to a microwaveable glass measuring cup; whisk until smooth. Add the dried cherries and microwave the mixture for 90 seconds to two minutes. Let the liquid and cherries stand for 5 minutes so the cherries can plump up. Drain the liquid from the cherries, reserving it in another cup.
- Once the couscous is at room temperature (it'll only take a few minutes), transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the leftover liquid from the cherry mixture until smooth, then stir it into the couscous.
- Toss the couscous with the arugula, almonds, and onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add in the cheese and serve.
Sometimes fruit salads can be overly complicated, calling for exact quantities of a specific fruit and not allowing for substitutions. What if that particular fruit isn't available or doesn't look good that week? Or what if it's not in season? What I like about this recipe is that it calls for "summer fruit," which is deliciously vague and flexible. It does ask for sugar to be added to the fruit, but it isn't a whole lot of sugar, and it's really the mint and ginger that stand out. The original recipe claims it makes four servings, but I had at least six. (Perhaps that was because we all gorged ourselves on tacos before indulging in the fruit.)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup thinly sliced ginger, unpeeled (roughly 1/4 lb)
- 4 cups summer fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and plums)
- 3 Tbsp chopped mint leaves
- Add water, sugar, and ginger slices to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Strain the syrup into a bowl or big measuring cup; discard ginger. Chill for at least two hours.
- When you're ready to serve the fruit salad, toss the fruit and mint with 1/4 cup syrup.
Here's a great resource for those who are more environmentally-friendly than I: How to Store Vegetables/Fruit Without Plastic. It gives great advice on how to keep produce fresh once you get it home, whether the answer is leaving it out on the counter, wrapping it in a damp towel, or keeping it in an airtight glass container. Sure, it's easy to throw everything in a Ziploc once you get it home, but in some cases, that will actually make the food go bad faster. Maybe this will help me finally get potatoes to stop sprouting before I can eat them!
