Carrot Tagliatelle

 

Carrot Tagliatelle

It occured to me recently that I’d never posted the recipe for the homemade tagliatelle I’d made to accompany the saged carrot pasta sauce.  Since Autumn in all its glory is on my mind these days, I figured this would be a good time to add the method for this wonderfully autumnal-hued pasta.    If you’d like to recreate the dish pictured above, just top this carrot tagliatelle with the velvety sauce found here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 cup unbleached flour

1 tsp walnut oil

few tablespoons carrot juice

Directions:

Place dry ingredients into a food processor.  Pulse to mix.  Add in oil and then add the carrot juice a tablespoon at a time while the machine is running until the dough pulls off the sides and forms a ball.  Move to a floured surface and knead a few times.  Shape into a flattened disc and wrap in plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to relax for at least an hour before rolling.

Flour the dough and run it through a pasta machine at the highest setting a couple of times.  Progressively run it through higher settings until the thickness you wish is achieved.   Cut into long strips and lightly dust with semolina flour to prevent sticking.  Let pasta rest for 15 minutes or so before cooking.

Fresh pasta takes only a couple of minutes to cook.

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The New Black

…is an ancient black.  Forbidden rice not only has all the nutritional goodness you find in brown rice such as a high fiber content and B vitamins, it’s also packed full of anthocyanins.  Bite per bite the rice contains more of these antioxidant flavonoid pigments than blueberries.  It’s satisfyingly chewy in texture like my beloved short-grained brown rice and tastes wonderful.  We have rice or grain bowls for meals on a regular basis and usually steam some kale and another vegetable [carrots in this example] and then add a wonderfully flavorful sauce to the mix.  Bowls also make fantastically easy and filling lunchbox meals.  Here is a quick and tasty gingered carrot sauce that’ll flavor up any bowl or steamed vegetable.

 

 

Gingered Carrot Sauce

Ingredients:

16 oz carrot juice

2 T sake

1 T light miso

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

2 tsp freshly minced ginger

1 T cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup cold water

Directions:

Reduce the carrot juice by half over medium heat.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.  Add the cornstarch slurry a tablespoon at a time, allowing the sauce to come to a simmer in between additions until you achieve the consistency you desire [1 T of the slurry was perfect for me].

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Roasted Carrot Hummus

 

Hummus is a true comfort food in our house.  We love to make wraps with it or use it as a healthy and filling vegetable dip.  This version is sweeter than traditional hummus because of the roasted carrots, but it’s fabulous, especially for youngsters who tend to have a sweeter tooth.  It’s also a great way to tuck the goodness of a vegetable into a dish where you’d least expect one to be lurking!

 

Roasted Carrot Hummus

[Makes ~4 cups]

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans

3 cups carrots, roasted [Cut into large chunks and toss with olive oil.  Roast at 400°F for 45 minutes.]

½ cup roasted tahini

¼ cup olive oil

juice of two large lemons, zest of one

1 ½ T cumin

½ tsp coriander

½ tsp sweet paprika

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth.  [You can adjust the thickness of the hummus by adding in water to thin it out if desired.]

Serve garnished with sesame seeds and a dusting of paprika.

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Veggie Dawg

 

It’s summertime and people are out grilling and gathering around tables laden with food.  Problem is, there usually aren’t many vegan options.  These veggie dawgs will be a hit at your next gathering and are, as always, entirely vegan.  I had a few goals when I set out to make these veggie dawgs:  First, they had to contain some actual vegetables in order for me to call them a bonafide “veggie”dawg.  Second, I wanted to improve the texture and flavor of regular seitan dogs and create one that was less “bready” in nature.    Third, as always, I wanted them to be more nutritious.  I believe I suceeded on all three counts and hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

 

Veggie Dawgs

Dry Ingredients:

1¼ cups vital wheat gluten

¼ cup nutritional yeast

¼ cup garfava flour

½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped  [400°F for 10 minutes on a sheet pan]

1 T Bill’s Chik’Nish vegetarian seasoning

1 T dry mustard

1T sweet paprika

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp freshly-cracked black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp dried sage

¼ tsp sea salt

⅛ tsp allspice

Wet Ingredients:

½  block silken tofu

½ cup finely grated carrot

1 onion, sliced

½ cup cooked garbanzo beans

½ cup amber beer

1 ½ T walnut oil

1 T tamari

1 T vegan Worcestershire sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a pan and brown the onions over medium heat.

Add the following to a food processor and blend until homogenous:  tofu, browned onions, walnuts, carrot, garbanzo beans, garlic, tamari, Worcestershire and beer.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together well.

Mix the wet into the dry and knead with your hands until fully homogenous.  Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized portions.  Place 8 foot-long pieces of aluminum foil on a surface in a stack with the short edge facing you.  Place one dough portion along the bottom edge, a few inches from the end, and mold into a sausage shape that is bun-length long [@ 5 inches].  Using the foil, roll the dough into a cylindrical tube and twist the ends once completely rolled to form the tubular sausage shape.  Repeat the process for the remaining dough portions.

Steam in a steamer basket for 30 minutes.  Let the veggie dawgs cool and then either reheat in a pan or on a grill.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cherry Barbecue Tempeh with Long Beans and Carrots

 

Cherry Barbecue Tempeh with Long Beans and Carrots

There is something elementally satisfying about a great barbecue sauce.  This dish will be a favorite, for both its ease and its flavors.  Plus, it’s rich in tart cherry juice that is so good for you and helps to relieve your aches and pains after a long day.

Ingredients:

One package tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 bunch Chinese long beans, snapped into bite-sized pieces.  [If you cannot find long beans, green beans would work perfectly as well.]

4 carrots, cut into a thick julienne

Sesame seeds, for garnish

Sliced almonds, for garnish

For the Sauce:

1 cup hoisin sauce

2 cups tart cherry juice

¼ cup white miso

¼ cup sake

¼ cup double-concentrated tomato paste

¼ cup tamari sauce

2 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan and bring to a low simmer.  Add the tempeh and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Steam the green beans and carrots for 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked yet still retain a bite.  Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the sauce and tempeh.  Mix gently.  Garnish with sesame seeds and almonds.  Serve over brown rice or udon.

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Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato and Coconut Curry with Lentils

 

 

 

Wanting to have a lighter dinner, I served the curry over some roasted spaghetti squash and sautéed kale rather than rice. 

 

Sweet Potato and Coconut Curry with Lentils

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 T tomato paste

2 tsp chili garlic sauce [You could substitute with any hot sauce or chili pepper.]

2 T Kashmir garam masala [I used Urban Accent’s Blend]

2 T coconut oil

1-14 oz can lite coconut milk

1-15 oz can sweet potato puree

2 cups faux chicken broth

2 cups carrots, diced

2 cups plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite-sized pieces

juice of one lime

2 cups puy lentils, cooked in faux chicken broth

sea salt

freshly-cracked black pepper

freshly-cracked green peppercorns, for garnish

Directions:

Sauté onion in the coconut oil until softened.  Add garlic, ginger and garam masala and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add the tomato paste and spread it around the pan to ensure that it is cooked.  After a couple of minutes add in the chili garlic sauce, coconut milk, sweet potato puree and broth.  Mix well and simmer gently for 15 minutes.  Add in the carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower and lentils.  Cook until the vegetables are fork-tender.  Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with cracked green peppercorns.

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Flatbread Crackers

So, it has been occurring to me lately that there are so many things we, H and I,  buy commercially that I could easily make from scratch.  Not only would they taste better and be more nutritious but I’d know exactly what I put into them.  Imagine that.  I get weary of having to look at microscopic fonts that are printed upon reflective plastic and tucked behind the flap on a wrapper to see what’s actually in a product.  Seriously, I don’t want my foods full of industrial chemicals and preservatives because a company wants its product to sit pretty upon a shelf for years.

There are so many foods that we consume on a  regular basis that can easily be made at home.  For me, the major epiphany was tofu, but pasta, jams and jellies, bread and crackers are in the lists.  Guess what?  I’m in the kitchen and I’m experimenting.  It’s hella fun.

I modified a recipe posted on the Food Network.  The first cracker is slightly modified; the other two strayed well off the beaten path.

Seven Seed Flatbread Crackers

Ingredients:

5 oz 10-grain flour [Bob’s Red Mill]

4-3/4 oz unbleached flour

2/3 cup seeds  [I used 1/3 cup black and white sesame seeds and then 1/3 cup of mixed poppy, flax, chia, millet and dill seeds]

1.5 tsp sea salt

1.5 tsp aluminium-free baking powder

3 T olive oil

6.5 oz water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients then add oil and mix well.  Slowly drizzle in the water and knead a few times on a floured surface.  Cut into 8 equal sections and let rest for 15 minutes.  Using a pasta machine, roll out to a 1/8-inch thickness for a thicker flatbread-style cracker.  Roll through a higher setting for a thinner cracker.  Bake until slightly browned, turning once during cooking.

Dilled Yease and Flax Seed Flatbread Cracker

I wanted a savory cracker with a slight cheesy flavor.  This one worked out nicely.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup nutritional yeast

5 oz 10-grain flour

4-3/4 oz unbleached flour

1 T Bill’s Chik’Nish vegetarian seasoning

1.5 tsp aluminium-free baking powder

1 T dill weed

1 T dill seed

1 T flax seed

1 T turmeric

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 tsp sea salt

1.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 T walnut oil

6.5 oz water

Directions:

Same as above.

Carrot, Roasted Garlic and Walnut Crackers

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to make a variety using our vegetable of the month.  I’m jazzed that I found a use for the carrot pulp left behind from making fresh carrot juice.  [A thinly-rolled version is pictured above.]

Ingredients:

5 oz 10-grain flour

2-3/4 oz garbanzo flour

2 oz  unbleached flour

one head roasted garlic

1/3 cup ground walnuts

2 T ground flax seeds

1.5 tsp aluminium-free baking powder

1 T caraway seeds

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup carrot pulp [from freshly juiced carrots]

3 T walnut oil

3 oz fresh carrot juice

Directions:

Same as first cracker recipe.

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Saged Carrot and Roasted Garlic Tagliatelle

Carrot and Sage Tagliatelle with Roasted Garlic and Walnuts

I made a fresh homemade carrot tagliatelle pasta for this dish but any wide eggless noodle would do.  This dish was seriously lush.

Ingredients:

1 head roasted garlic

1 cup fresh carrot juice

1 -2 cups No-Chicken broth

10 fresh sage leaves

fried sage leaves for garnish

walnuts

olive oil

1 T AP flour

salt and pepper

Directions:

Add carrot juice and roasted garlic to a pot.  Toss in the sage leaves and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.  In a separate pot add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and an equal amount of AP flour.  Stir with a whisk for a few minutes until the flour has cooked and you have a roux. 

Remove the sage leaves from the first pot and add the contents to the roux while whisking.  Bring to a boil.  Adjust thickness with the No-Chicken broth until you have a sauce that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.   Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer lightly for about 10 minutes. 

Cook your pasta until nearly done, strain and transfer the pasta into the pot with the sauce.  Add in walnuts and finish cooking the pasta with the sauce.  [Remember, you can always add some pasta water to extend the amount of sauce if more is needed to sauce the pasta].  Garnish with fried sage leaves.

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Saint Valentine’s Day Warmth

Gingered Carrot and Red Beet Soup

If you like the earthiness of beets, this soup is for you.  It’s  nice served either warm or chilled.  Garnish with crystallized ginger for a sweet and spicy surprise.

Ingredients:

1 large beet, large dice

3 carrots, large dice

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 green apple, diced

2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced

3 cups vegetable stock

canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sauté onion and apple in a drizzle of canola oil until the onions have softened.  Add carrot, apple and ginger and cook for a few minutes.  Add vegetable stock and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes or until the beets and carrots are fork tender.  Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve warmed or chill to serve later.

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Carrot and Miso-Glazed Vegetables, Two Ways

 

Carrot-Spiced Silken Tofu with Vegetables

For the Tofu:

1-2 blocks firm silken tofu, halved length-wise [depending upon how many you wish to serve]

1.5 cups carrot juice

1 cup No-Chicken Broth

2 kaffir lime leaves

zest of half a lemon

1 star anise

10 black peppercorns

Bring all components except the tofu to a simmer and then remove from heat.  Allow to cool then add to a container with the tofu.  Marinate overnight.  Right before the meal, remove the tofu and steam for 10-15 minutes to heat through.  Gently move the tofu to a plate and mound some vegetables on top, finish with a drizzle of the carrot and miso sauce.

Garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, spring onion slices or carrot tops.

For the Carrot and Miso Sauce:

[I think some fresh ginger would go really nicely flavor-wise with the carrot in this sauce.  I did not add any since H doesn’t like its flavor.]

1/4 cup fresh carrot juice

1/4 cup sake

2 T  rice wine vinegar

1 T canola oil

1 tsp garlic chili sauce [or more/less depending upon your heat preference] 

2 tsp light miso

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For the Vegetables:

The vegetables you choose to use are entirely up to you.  I used asparagus, cucumber, carrots, bok choy, kale and celery because I had them on hand.  The amount is also up to you.  Stir-fry in a drizzle of canola oil until cooked yet still crisp in texture.   Plate over the tofu or udon noodles [pictured below] and drizzle with the carrot and miso sauce.  Garnish with black or white sesame seeds.

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