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Showing posts from January, 2010

Madras Chick Peas with Cauliflower

  One of those great dishes that is good the day you make it, but tastes better as leftovers. This comes from book one of a small collection of cookbooks written by Jay Solomon. I find most of his books, including this one - Lean Bean Cuisine - to be consistently good. If you have all the spices at home, then this dish is really easy to prepare. The most time-consuming part will be the chopping. But, put on some music, or grab the phone and talk to someone as you prepare everything. Of course -- if you don't know by now, my advice to all aspiring cooks is to prep all ingredients before you actually start cooking. Madras Chick Peas with Cauliflower Lean Bean Cuisine 2 T vegetable oil 1 small onion, diced 1 large tomato, cored and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 T ginger, minced 1 jalapeno chili (or serrano), seeded and minced 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp coriander 2 c chickpeas, cooked 2 c cauliflower florets ...

Moroccan Pumpkin Soup (featuring Ras el Hanout)

This soup just got better and better as the days went on. It was very good the day it was made, but several days later, it was even better. Moroccan Pumpkin Soup (Chorbat al qara'a) Cooking Light , January 2009 3 1/2 c butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cubed 2 c stock 1 3/4 c yellow onions, diced 1 c water 1 tsp Ras el Hanout (see below) 3/4 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 c whole milk ** 1 T butter 8 tsp yogurt (opt) 1/4 c cilantro, chopped (opt) Combine first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender. Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center from blender lid and puree unti lsmooth. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining squash mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan over low heat. Ad dmilk and butter to pan. Cook 3 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Serve with yogurt and cilantro. ** Note -- I like my soup thick and hearty, so I used whipping cr...

Easy Breezy Pad Thai

I love whipping up this dish -- full of flavor, but very (VERY!) easy to make. The most time-consuming part is julienning your carrots. I love whipping up this dish -- full of flavor, but very (VERY!) easy to make. The most time-consuming part is julienning your carrots. Pad Thai Vegetarian Times , March 2002 1/2 lb dried rice noodles 1/4 c lime juice 2 T soy sauce 2 T brown sugar 1-2 tsp hot chili sauce 2 tsp peanut oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned 8-10 scallions, halved lengthwise then cut into 2" pieces 1 c bean sprouts 1/4 c cilantro, chopped 1 lime, cut into wedges (opt) In large bowl, soak rice noodles in enough warm water to cover, until limp and white, about 20 minutes. A word of advice: test your noodles after 20 minutes. Some time they take considerably longer to soften and get un-pasty. If you rush this step, then you will need to cook your pad thai over heat longer to cook the noodl...