Morrocan Veggie Stew

morrocanveggiestew

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

 

 

 

Yesterday i came across a blog challenge called Waiter, There’s Something in my… and thought I’d give it a shot. Maybe not the best idea, considering the deadline is today and I haven’t had the time to wash the tablecloth. This month’s challenge was dried fruit and nuts and ideas sprung to mind immediately, but this is the one I thought I’d try.

I decided on a Morrocan style vegetable stew, vegan friendly and full of flavour. Even D the carnivore liked it! Its served on a helping of couscous, world’s most easily prepared pasta.

 

Morrocan Veggie Stew

• 1 onion in thin slices
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 corgette (zuchinni) sliced to 1/4 thick circles
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florettes
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup veggie stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp corriander
• 1/2 cup diced dried fig
• 1/2 cup raisons
• 1/2 cup almonds
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In a pan, cook onion with drizzle of olive oil over a low flame until translucent, not brown. If you like, grill the corgette slices until a golden brown then set aside to add at end, or you can add them in with the other vegetables later. Deglaze the onion with the red wine over a medium flame. When liquid has reduced by half add the stock and remaining vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes, then add can of tomatoes with juice and spices. Cook until veggies are nearly tender. Stir in dried fruit and grilled corgette and simmer another minute or two. Stir in almonds last minute and serve.

 

update: The total round up for Waiter, there’s something in my… is up on spittoonextra.com! There’s such a big varriety of dishes that i’m inspired to keep pushing myself and trying new things. Afterall, isn’t that what a challenge is about?

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

carrotcakecheesecake

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

The first birthday cake I ever made D was a carrot cake. Sweet and moist with fresh grated carrot, pineapple, raisons, and pleanty of extra spices. Luckily for me, I found out that he loved carrot cakes and I had a winner on my hands. So, I kept making it. Then last year I thought I should try something a little different. Behold! The Carrot Cake Cheesecake!

It might sound a little odd at first, but think about it. Cream chesse frosting is the classic topping for carrot cake, and personally I never think that there is enough creamy goodness to get the proper ratio in each bite. When you just combine the two from the beginning, the problem is solved! D liked it so much that when I asked him this year what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he requested this.

 

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 3 1/2 8 oz packages softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup  + 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 cup finely shreaded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cut a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to fit in bottom of a 9inch springform pan. Spray parchment and sides with cooking spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, 3 tbsp sugar, and melted butter to form a wet crumb. Press into bottom of the springform pan and make for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Cream 3 8oz packages cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and flour. Mix in eggs one at a time, then 1/4 cup orange juice. Mix in shreaded carrots, raisins, and spices. Pour over crust and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 250 F and keep baking for 55 minutes. Do not remove cheesecake from oven. Turn off the heat and allow to cool inside oven for one hour. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, remove from spring from pan, then place inside refridgerator for an hour. In a small saucepan melt 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tbsp orange juice. When the two are fully incorporated and the sugar is not grainy, remove from heat and blend with 1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese. Spread mixture ontop of cheesecake and allow to cool.

Bento: supafast

bento22

Originally uploaded by mosli

Does this ever happen to you: you’re going about the normal morning routine, you look at the clock and realise that you have five minutes before you’re supposed to be out the door. Panic! Was it those extra minutes in the shower? And you still have to make your lunch! Do you settle for some fast-food option? Another gas station sandwich? No! you Bento!

Seriously, this one took me a whopping two minutes to toss together out of stock from my freezer and refridgerator.  This is exactly why I keep some small, simple things on hand and ready. It just makes the whole lunch packing process a whole lot easier. In the top tier are two veggie gyoza, edamame, onigiri, strawberry tomato, and hamster bottle pre-filled with soy sauce. The bottom tier has orange slices, a hard boiled egg, and grapes. Its fast, its healthy, and it tastes a heck of a lot better than two-day old tuna on rye.

Bento: Onigiri is my hero

bento 21

Originally uploaded by mosli

My lunches havn’t been as filling as of late and i’m convinced its because of lack of grain. As a veggie I eat a lot of grains, and I do miss it when its not there. I finally got around to making rice balls (onigiri) again and I didn’t realize how much I missed them.

I used Lunch In a Box’s tutorial for freezing onigiri and now have a good stock in my freezer to get me through a week. Next week i’ll make another variety! The ones in this lunch are mixed with nori furikake before I molded them.

In the top tier is an onigiri, strawberry tomatoes, veggie dog, and cheese slices. The bottom tier has orange slices, fresh raspberries, and edamame. Mmmmm… definately must do this one again.

Thai peanut butter noodle salad

thaipeanutnoodles

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

Peanut butter is a staple of my diet. I used to eat a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch. In college, it was my breakfast on-the-go with a large coffee. Oh man, now my mouth is watering… If you’ve never had peanut butter and jelly with coffee, you are missing out.
In England, I was told that pbj was too sweet, and I should try a peanut butter with cheese sandwich (good cheddar, not processed). Now that is nice!

This noodle salad is a recipe I got from my friend Tobin who is an awesome cook. Its served at room temperature, but I also love it straight out of the refridgerator. An extra bonus is that it makes a great bento filler because you really don’t need to worry about keeping it refridgerated.

 

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

• 1 lb fettuccine or similar flat noodle
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice venegar
• 1 tbsp ground ginger or 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp red pepper flake
• 4-6 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup roasted peanuts

Cook noodles, drain, rinse, and toss with sesame oil. In a small bowl combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinnegar, ginger, and pepper flake, blending well. Mix noodles and sauce together in a large bowl, then fold in green onions and bell pepper. Top servings with peanuts

Thai sticky rice with mango

stickyrice

Originally uploaded by mosli

mmmm…. yummy. The first time I had Thai sticky rice was at Sweet Basil & La Filipiniana Restaurant in Pittsburgh. D and I braved the frigid December weather to go out for our anniversary. After a bottle of wine and heart-of-palm curry, we decided to splurge on dessert: something we almost never do. The sticky rice was wonderful, surrounded by artistic patterns of kiwi and strawberry sauces. It was so good I knew I had to have it again.

 

Thai Sticky Rice

• 1 cup sticky rice (glutinous or sweet rice)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar

cook rice in a rice cooker with 1 cup water. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring coconut milk and sugar to a boil. After the rice is done, put in a small dish and pour sugar coconut milk over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the liquid as been absorbed. I like it with mangos or other fruit like strawberries, kiwi,  or starfruit.

Bento: simmered tofu and tomato salad

bento20

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

Isn’t my new furoshiki cute? The bananas go so great with my bento, and who doesn’t like bunnies dressed up like monkeys! I love using these to keep my whole lunch together in one bundle, prevent spillage, and they’re environmentally friendly alternative to paper lunch bags!

Lately I’ve been enjoying cooking tofu in a variety of ways. Here in the lower teir of my bento is simmered terriyaki tofu, steamed broccoli, edamame, and tomato salad.  This tofu is full of flavour, salty and savory, and has a nice firm texture. Its almost like a little protein cutlet and I usually have it over hot, fresh rice with steamed or stir-fry vegetables. The trick, like always, is draining the tofu really well. Excess moisture is not a friend.

 

Simmered Terriyaki Tofu

• 1 block drained tofu, cut into 1/4 or thicker slices.
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 inch ginger, grated or finely minced
• 1/4 cup terriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice vinnegar

In a greased pan cook tofu slices on medium-high heat until light golden brown on both sides. In a bowl mix remaining ingredients. Poor mixture over tofu slices and simmer until liquid has been nearly absorbed by tofu, turning occasionally to prevent burning.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Bento: Indian style

bento19

Originally uploaded by mosli

I’ve been loving Indian food lately, so I had to bring some for lunch. Its spice and flavour made for a nice afternoon pick-me-up, and it kept me full much better than some of my other bentos do. I blame my recent lack of rice in bento for this. (Note to self: make onigiri!)

In the top tier is aloo palak (spinach and potato), chole (chickpeas and potato), and a hard boiled egg on top of some spicy cauliflower. In the bottom tier are orange slices, strawberry slices, and plantains in coconut milk and chili.

Plantains in coconut milk with chili

coconutplantains

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

 

This is another dish that I made to go with my Indian dinner. Is this really Indian? I don’t know, but to my defense, I did base it off a recipe, even if I didn’t follow it. Example: original recipe called for Chana Dal, but I omited this as I currently am out of lentils.  Anyways, this tasted so good, and it offered a sweeter compliment to the other more spicy Indian dishes. I’ll definately make it again. The trick is to make sure that the plantains get cooked all the way through, or they’re a little fiberous.

 

Plantain in Coconut Milk

• 2 green plantains
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 green chili, diced fine
• 2 tbsp oil

Cut the plantain into 1/4 inch thick slices and lightly fry in oil until golden yellow. Add diced chili and mix. Pour in coconut milk, cover, and let cook about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Spicy cauliflower filled parathas

califlowerparathas

Originally uploaded by mosli

I went a little crazy with the cooking again this weekend (surprise, surprise.) About noon on Saturday I decided that I wanted Indian food, so i dug through my cook books and massive binder o’ recipes, and even searched a few blogs for something to strike my fancy. In the end, I mostly ended up improvising. Of course. Its what I do.

Here are some spicy cauliflower filled parathas, one of the side dishes I made for the meal. I like how the spice hits you when you bite into the pocket, but if you want something a bit more mild you could omit the pepper flakes.

 

Spicy Califlower (for filling or as a side)

• 4 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp dried pepper flakes
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 small head of cauliflower, broken into florettes

Heat the oil in a pan, then mix in the chilli and let permeate for a minute or so. Toss the cauliflower florettes to coat in oil, then cover and let simmer 5 minutes. Add in bell pepper, recover and let simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mash with a fork or potato masher to a coarse mix.

Parathas

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2-3/4 cup water

Mix the flour and oil together. Add water until dough reaches right consistency (like a sugar cookie dough). Divide into 8-12 balls. On a floured surface roll out one ball. You can either cook in a lightly oiled pan until golden on each side or fill. For filled add 1-2 tbsp filling and either put another rolled circle on top or fold over and seal sides. A fork works well for this. Fry both sides in a lightly oiled pan. Serve right away or you can make ahead and heat them back up in a 200F oven for a few minutes.