east african nachos!

ebookout — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:10:00 +0000

thanks, sherri, for putting me on the list! i’ve been lurking here a while stealing recipes, and i thought it was just about time i gave something back…

this was an accidental fusion experiment that turned out to be a new favorite comfort food dinner at our house – especially when i haven’t been to the store in a while.

the heart of these nachos is the lentil dish below, found in “1,000 Vegetarian Recipes” by carol gelles. i’ve made modifications to the original recipe to make spiced more like an ethiopian dish. you could use other types of lentils, but i like the taste and texture of french lentils in this. i’ve put most of the added spices ‘to taste’ because i tend to throw a few pinches in of each until it tastes like a good balance of what i like. you can even omit the ‘to taste’ spices altogether.

lentils in tomato sauce

1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 or 2 medium to large chopped onions

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

1 or 2 chopped fresh hot peppers (i like jalapeños)

1/2 cup water

1 6oz can tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ground red pepper (depending on how hot you like it)

to taste:

ground nutmeg

chili powder

turmeric

ground black pepper

ground cloves

berbere spice mix

3 cups cooked french lentils

1. in a saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. add onions, garlic, and peppers, stirring until softened.

2. add water, tomato paste, salt and red pepper; stir until combined.

3. add lentils; cook, uncovered, about 5 minutes. spice it up with the ‘to taste’ spices until mixture tastes balanced to your palate.

4. puree until smooth.

to make the nachos, i put toasted quinoa over corn tortilla chips, and the lentils over the quinoa (i know it sounds weird, but it’s good!), and then add whatever nacho toppings i have on hand, such as melted vegan gourmet cheese, soy sour cream or plain yogurt, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cilantro, chives, avocado, hot sauce, etc. sautéed greens are an excellent additional layer as well.

Thai-style hot and sour soup…

zentrixter — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:26:00 +0000

Hot and Sour Soup is a world favorite. This recipe is makes enough soup for the next day!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 cups (three boxes) “chik’n”-style broth
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 thumb-size pieces galangal or ginger, grated or finely sliced into matchstick-like pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp. red miso paste
• 3 Tbsp chilie & garlic paste
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 2 Tbsp chilie oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (frozen, fresh, or dried) OR 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 heaping Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water (whisk)
• 1-2 cups cubed tofu

VEGETABLES (choose from the following, or add your own selection):

• 1 red or green bell pepper
• handful fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms (if dried, soak them in hot water for several hours)
• 1 cup Chinese cabbage such as bok choy, roughly chopped
• handful of fresh or frozen spinach
• frozen or fresh broccoli
• bamboo shoot strips

NOODLE OPTION:

• Serve soup over pre-cooked rice noodles. We used a very thick and chewy kind (not flat-wide rice-stick. Think more like “rice-udon”) that we were dubious of before hand, but worked out most excellently, although rice-stick would work well.

GARNISH:

• handful of fresh coriander OR fresh basil
• lime
• mung bean sprouts

PREPARATION:

1. Heat broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, galangal or ginger, soy sauce, miso paste, chilli, vinegar, brown sugar and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and allow to simmer while you add next ingredients.
2. Grill meat/tofu on a cast-iron grill or the like to give it some character, then add it to the pot, plus the vegetables. Simmer 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly cooked (but still on the crisp side).
3. Prepare the cornstarch thickener by using some broth. Whisk until smooth, then add to soup pot and stir to blend.
4. Ladle the hot soup into bowls (by itself or over noodles) and garnish with fresh coriander or basil.

spicy – Vegan Nosh

east african nachos!

Thai-style hot and sour soup…