Mongolian Beef & Eggplant

If you are like me, you might be spending some time alone over the holidays. And who would cook a turkey for one? For me, holiday treats include tasty morcels of meat, something I don't usually eat. And this dish hits all the right savoury, rich, wintery notes for me. The original is a beef only dish, but I add veggies to everything, I'm just wired that way! So if you don't like eggplant, don't worry, just leave it out. 

Mongolian Beef & Eggplant

Adapted from Just a Taste

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

veggie oil

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 red chili peppers, whole

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 japanese eggplants (the long, skinny, bright purple ones)

1 (1-pound) flank steak

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 scallions (green parts only), sliced into 1-inch pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, chili peppers and garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and water, stirring to combine.

Stir in the brown sugar and increase the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. Place the coated pieces of steak in a sieve and shake off any excess cornstarch. Allow the steak to sit 10 for minutes.

Slice the eggplant on the diagonal, about every 1/4 inch.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 2 T vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the beef to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until it is seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center. Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Add more oil if needed and stir-fry the eggplant for 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Blot on paper towels. Pour any excess oil out of the wok.

Place the sauté pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan (it should come to a boil almost immediately), then add the reserved steak and eggplant and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add the sliced scallions, stirring to combine.

Serve with white or brown rice. 

PS The chili peppers are there for flavouring, so you can pick them out before nomming down on this.

Image by Thomas Hawk

Armenian Red Lentil-Apricot Stew, with Sesame Rice

So, so, so busy with school... which means cooking big vats of stew and soup on the weekend and eating it all week. One and a half weeks left, and then I'm off for three weeks. Woohoo!!!

Last weekend I made this stew. It was so good, and is totally affordable! I didn't buy a big thing of tahini, just about 1 cup from the bulk store. The recipe comes from the Big Vegan cookbook, and I pretty much stuck to it as written, except for boosting up the spices (it seemed a bit bland without any heat). I'm a heat fiend, I guess you could say.  The fresh mint and parsley really make the dish, so don't leave those out. 

Armenian Red Lentil-Apricot Stew, with Sesame Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 medium onion, chopped

14 oz tinned diced tomatoes 

1 small eggplant, peeled and diced

½ cup dried apricot, chopped 

2 tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp cayenne 

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh mint, chopped

Rice:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted

1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp tahini paste

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, combine 1 qt water, the lentils, and onion. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add the spices, salt, eggplant, tomatoes, and apricots and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the parsley and mint just before serving. Keep the stew warm while cooking the rice.

4. To make the rice: In a 2-qt/2-L pot over medium heat, sauté the onions in the oil . When the onions are clear and soft, add the sesame seeds and sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Add 3 cups/720 ml water, the rice, and salt. Bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Check after 35 minutes. When all the water has been absorbed, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, to finish steaming the rice, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. In a small cup, stir together the tahini and lemon juice, then fold them into the rice. Serve the rice hot with a ladleful of stew on top.

To refresh the stew the next day, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the stew before serving.

Image by alemdag, Flickr

General Tao's Red Pepper and Broccoli Stirfry

Tonight I was busy working on homework (if you can call it that), with my friend Paul. My assignment was to shoot a photo that must include "red string" and uses the string to convey meaning. Take in any direction we like.  We had fun exploring this theme.

Paul... being a good sport...

Anyhoooo, I thought I might share with you one of the many ways of making a meal using spaghetti noodles, beyond adding a tomato or meat sauce. Noodles are always cheap, even when they are not on sale. Another time I will try and make this sauce from scratch, but for now I used sauce that I found in the dollar store.  I have absolutely no qualms about shopping at the dollar store, although I wish we had the kind of selection that I read about on the 99 cent Chef's site.

General Tao's Red Pepper and Broccoli

Ingredients
Serves one tired and hungry photography student

2 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli, sliced into small florets
1/2 red pepper, sliced into skinny strips
2 T sesame seeds, toasted
2 T VH General Tao's sauce
1 small squirt hot sauce
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups spaghetti noodles, cooked
1 spring onion, sliced

Instructions

Toast the sesame seeds on the stove top, shaking and flipping. Should take no more than 2 to 3 minutes.

Cook spaghetti noodles in salted water as usual (or reheat leftover spaghetti in the microwave, as I did).

In a large frying pan or wok, stir fry the onion, broccoli and red pepper, on high heat.  If you eat meat, stir fry your chicken or beef strips separately, until no longer pink.  Remove from pan, then carry on with veggie instructions. After about 4 minutes of mad tossing, add 1/4 cup of water and plop the lid on to allow for a little steaming (maybe another 2 minutes).  Remove from heat when veggies still have some crunch.

Stir in General Tao's sauce, hot sauce, black pepper, and cooked (or reheated) noodles.  Toss madly.  Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion.  Enjoy!

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt, Flickr

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chickpeas

This is a great side dish for Thanksgiving (or if you are thinking ahead, Christmas), and it can be a main course for your vegetarian guests. I sprinkle the feta on at the very end, so if you have vegans over for Thanksgiving you can leave the cheese out.  Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!!

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chickpeas
Adapted from fatfreevegan.com

INGREDIENTS
1 spaghetti squash
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, or a larger tomato cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4 cup vegetable stock
15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Slice squash in half and place cut side down in an ovenproof dish. Bake about 40 minutes, or until outside has browned in places and shell feels soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once it’s cool, remove and discard the seeds and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork. Put the squash strands into a bowl and set aside.

2. While the squash is cooking, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Trim and discard the ends and any scraggly outer leaves, and cut the sprouts in half (quarter larger sprouts). Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with half of the olive oil. (This prevents burning; if you don’t want to use the oil, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.) When the squash has almost finished cooking, put the sprouts into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove them when they are just beginning to be touched by brown but are not burning (they will finish cooking in the skillet in the next step).

3. In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, saute the onions with the remaining oil, on medium-high heat, until they become golden, about 5-6 minutes. Halve the cherry tomatoes, and add with the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and vegetable broth and cover tightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more broth or water if skillet becomes dry. Add the chickpeas, basil, and red pepper flakes (add red pepper to taste, I like my food spicy so I add lots, you might like a little less). Stir in the spaghetti squash, and toss gently to mix. Cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with crumbled feta, if desired.

Photo of Kensington Market by me

Rutabaga Fries, or how much do you love your rutabagas???

I love my rutabagas very much.

Rutabaga with onions and garlic
Image by downtownpearl

On Wednesday I had a burger for dinner, and thought I'd try something a little different than french fries. I had read about rutabaga fries, and since I had half a rutabaga leftover from earlier in the week, I thought let's give this a go.

I admit, I didn't re-read the recipe before I made the fries, so they took a while to cook. Apparently you should steam them first, dry them thoroughly, toss in oil (and herbs or spices as desired) and bake.  Instead I just cut into french fries, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and hot pepper flakes, and cooked at 400F for about 40 minutes, tossing from time to time.  They were delicious: crispy, buttery, with a little heat from the pepper.  What a nice change from french fries.

Here's the original recipe:

Rosemary Rutabaga "Fries" -- from Stephen Cooks!

6 servings, about 4 ounces each

Ingredients

• 1 rutabaga, about a pound and a half
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400º.

1. Peel the rutabaga and cut it in 1/2" x 1'2" spears. 

2. Steam about 12 minutes in a steamer basket until just tender. 

3. Dry the spears with paper towels and then toss with the olive oil, the garlic and the rosemary.

4. Lay the rutabaga spears out in a single layer (ideally with none of the spears touching each other) on a jelly roll pan and bake in the preheated oven about 25  minutes, turning once.  

5. Place them under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely, to finish browning them. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Other flavouring suggestions:

1. "Indian." Omit garlic and rosemary. After cooking scatter on some garam masala (recipe below).

2. "Chinese." Omit garlic and rosemary.  Before baking, toss the rutabaga spears in a mixture of hoisin sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and five-spice powder.

Other ideas for your rutabaga, elsewhere on the web:

• Roasted Rutabaga with Sage and Dates
• Ginger Rutabaga Muffins
• Winter Slaw
• Apple Rutabaga Soup (I would use far less butter and substitute soy milk for the cream... but you can decide for yourself!!)
• Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque (ditto)

Tell me, how do you cook your rutabagas??

Lentil Eggplant Chile Mole

Ahhhhh.... Mondays.

Mondays are hard for me. I'm a natural night owl, so I stay up very late on weekends. It's not unusual for me to up be up until 3, 4 or even 5 a.m. I sleep until noon, and then get up and on with the day.

But I can't do this on weekdays, as I have to be at school for 9 a.m.  And I have a long commute, a very long commute.  So when Monday rolls around I have to switch from being a night owl to... what's the opposite of a night owl... a day owl??!!?

I commute 4 hours daily.

2 hours there, and 2 hours home again.

I live in Toronto, but go to school in Oakville. It is not so far if you drive, but I take public transit. Which means taking the subway to Union Station, the GO train to Oakville, and then Oakville transit to campus.  And the GO train, going against commuter traffic, only goes once an hour.

I get up at 5:30 a.m., leave the house at 6 a.m., and get to school at 8 a.m.  I'm usually home by about 4:30 or 5:00 p.m., except for Tuesday's when I have afternoon classes and am not home until 7:30 p.m.  Mondays to Thursdays I am totally knackered from all that learning, commuting, and homework.

Which is why I am thrilled to open the fridge and find dinner waiting for me!

Tonight it was Lentil Eggplant Chile Mole, which I prepared yesterday and reheated tonight as I got into my PJ's.  I found the recipe when I googled lentils and eggplant, as I had both sitting around and thought they might go nicely together. I also make a lovely lentil eggplant curry, but I was in the mood for something new.

I made some modifications to the original recipe by making it a little spicier than originally called for. If you don't like spicy food, you can leave out the hot cherry pepper, the chipotle sauce, and the red pepper flakes, and use a mild chili powder. As it is, this is nice and fiery!!


Lentil Eggplant Chile Mole
Adapted from a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

2 medium or one large eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced medium

1 hot cherry pepper (remove seeds and membrane, then cut into small dice)

1 red pepper, diced medium

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon hot chili flakes

2 teaspoons chipotle sauce (**I get this in tiny cans at No Frills,
if it's not available you can leave it out)

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup lentils, red or green, washed

4 cups vegetable stock

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium high heat. Saute onions and bell pepper in oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and finely diced hot cherry pepper, and saute for another minute, using a splash of water or stock if it's sticking. Be careful with the hot cherry pepper. Although most of the heat is in the seeds, you will get some natural oils on your skin. After  handling the pepper do not put your hands near your eyes. Wait until you have washed your hands thoroughly. Mix in chili powder, chili flakes, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and cinnamon. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and the cocoa powder; cook for about 1 more minute, while stirring, to dissolve the cocoa.

Add lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and eggplant. Cover pot and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye. Once it's boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, until lentils are tender and eggplant is soft. Mix in sugar. Taste for salt and seasoning.

I found this quite bitter the first day, with a slightly unpleasant cocoa taste. I've never added cocoa powder to chile before, and wondered if this was how it was supposed to taste. And I was worried, because I can't afford to throw out food, and I wondered how I might save this dish. But after a day in the fridge, when all the flavours had the chance to blend together,  I can vouch that it is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I will definitely be making this again!!!

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Roasted Squash Quesadillas

Photo by Loborroso (Flickr)
Traditional tortilla making, in Mexico

I've noticed that there is a myth floating around that you have to dedicate a TON of time to preparing healthy and cheap food. That couldn't be more wrong, in my experience.

I am a full-time student in a very busy program... we have multiple assignments due almost every week, ones that take quite a bit of time to prepare and execute. Today I was prepping and shooting vegetables for a "colour theory" assignment, as well as a still-life. Yesterday I was out for 4 hours shooting over 1,500 photos for a timelapse video due next week. Not complaining, mind you, I love being in school learning more about something I am passionate about. But I don't have a lot of spare time.

Here's my go-to dinner for when I am tired, busy or just plain lazy.

Roasted Squash Quesadillas

Makes 2 quesadillas: feeds one hungry student as a main course, or two for an appetizer

4 tortillas, corn or flour (doesn't matter, use what you can get cheaply)

1/2 cup winter squash, roasted

1/2 cup cabbage, shredded

4 T refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup sour cream

You can use any winter squash for this recipe: butternut, buttercup, acorn... whatever is on sale!  I like to roast the squash when I have something else going into the oven, just to save on energy (even though I don't pay extra for utilities, I know many of you do and I'm sure my landlady appreciates it).

You can roast the squash a few different ways, depending on how else you might use it that week. 

The easiest way is to chop it in half, scoop out the seeds, and place face down in a oven safe dish. Add a little water to the bottom of the roasting pan (1/2 cup should do) and cook for 45 minutes at 375 F. You will know it's done when you poke it with a skewer or long fork and the skewer easily pierces the flesh.  Allow to cool, flip over, and scoop out the flesh. 

You can also peel the squash, chop into 3/4 inch dice, toss with a little oil and roast. This is just a bit more fiddly and time consuming.  It will need a little less time in the oven if you do it this way, about 20 to 25 minutes, tossing from time to time to make sure all sides are nicely caramelized.

On to the quesadillas

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large frying pan. 

Add one tortilla. Top with half of the refried beans, squash, and raw cabbage. Spread ingredients around until about 1/2 inch from the edge. Put another tortilla on top, as a lid, and flatten with your egg flipper (or spatula, as I'm told it's properly called!)

Cook on medium heat until golden (I didn't time this... I'd say about 3 minutes each side, but peek every now and then to make sure it's not getting too brown). Flip, and cook the other side.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, adding a little more oil to your pan for the second quesadilla if it needs it.  If you have a no-stick pan you probably can do without the oil.

Cut into quarters, and serve with salsa and sour cream.

You'll notice I don't use cheese in my quesadillas. That's because I had a horrible gallbladder infection in the summer and I was on a very low-fat diet. Now that I can have cheese again, I don't find that I miss it. The refried beans keep the tortillas mushed together quite nicely, so you don't really need it to stick the layers together.

As for the cabbage... be brave!! I first added cabbage to my quesadillas when I had some leftover coleslaw mix in the bottom of the fridge and wanted to use it up.  It makes for the most AMAZING crunch in the quesadillas, although it's not authentic at all. If you aren't sure, just add a little bit on your first attempt and then add more next time if you like it.

Today's homework (show warm and cool tones in the same photograph)
First I roasted the squash, then I photographed it,
and now I'm eating it in a quesadilla for dinner!