Archive for the ‘Vegan Recipes’ Category
Curry and Eggs
Murraya koenigii (and Halyomorpha halys)
A curious array of stink bug eggs is almost tossed into a pan of shimmering olive oil. Once apparent, they’re returned to the potted plant. Hopefully the compassionate act doesn’t end in the decimation of beloved leaves.
Click here for the vegan pozole recipe these tiny orbs almost joined.
Simple Pan-Seared Hearts of Palm
When our family used to occupy Aunt Sandy and Uncle Pat’s kitchen in Kenner, Louisiana, we crowded around a table covered with the Times Picayune and devoured steaming piles of boiled crawfish and crab. While still in diapers, my addiction to capsaicin was in its infancy, so I slurped down raw oysters on the halfshell. In lieu of seafood, this neo-Cajun side offers some of the flaky texture and sacrosanct spice I still crave to this day.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon oil
1 can hearts of palm
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Drain and slice the hearts of palm.
3. Place them upright on an absorbent towel to remove excess moisture.
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning.
4. Sear seasoned side down for two minutes until they begin to brown.
5. Sprinkle with the remaining seasoning, then flip and sear the other side.
Easy Kimchi
According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology, “Health functionality of kimchi, based upon our research and that of other, includes anticancer, antiobesity, anticonstipation, colorectal health promotion, probiotic properties, cholesterol reduction, fibrolytic effect, antioxidative and antiaging properties, brain health promotion, immune promotion, and skin health promotion.” Plus it’s effervescent, tangy and lights your mouth on fire!
INGREDIENTS
1 head napa cabbage
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
7 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
3 grated garlic cloves
1 tablespoon grated ginger
4 teaspoons agave nectar
1 bunch green onions
3 shredded carrots
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Begin by removing the top and bottom and wilty outer leaves, then slice the cabbage lengthwise. Cut lengthwise again into fourths. Next make perpendicular cuts every inch or so.
2. Toss the chunks in a pot, then add salt. Use your hands to mix and massage the salt into the cabbage. Set aside for an hour as the crystals draw water out of the leaves. Liquid is key later. While prepping the rest, return to the briny mix about every ten minutes. Grab fistfulls and squeeeeze.
3. Now the heat. Finely grate the garlic and ginger, then mix with agave nectar and pepper flakes into a dangerously addictive sweet and spicy paste.
4. Remove the ends of the green onions, but don’t throw them into the compost bin. When half submerged roots-down, the verdant shoots slowly (or quickly depending on your sense of time) begin to regenerate like lizards’ tails. By the time you’ve consumed this batch of kimchi, the next bunch of green onions will be ready for round two. Cut the onions into one inch pieces, then place them in a mixing bowl.
5. Trim the ends off, then shred the carrots. Multi-colored ones create a curious aesthetic.
6. After squeezing the liquid from the cabbage one last time, the leaves are wilted and faded. Stir the spice paste into the soupy mixture, then add the rest of the vegetables. Mix well.
7. Use a spoon or small ladle to pack down the solids until submerged in liquid. Store in a cool, dark spot (between sixty and seventy degrees) for around a week. Stir the kimchi and pack it down every other day.
Experiment with process and product. Adjust the amount of onions, carrots and spice according to taste. The longer kimchi ferments under tight-fitting lids, the more effervescent it becomes (similar to a carbonated beverage). Some recommend loose-fitting lids, which allow carbon dioxide to escape throughout fermentation, but occasionally opening and the stirring the batch achieves the same result. Horror stories on the interwebs depict exploding jars inflicting near mortal wounds, but you’ll probably survive unscathed while honing Korea’s official national dish.
North Georgia Chanterelles
Click here for Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s vegan white wine garlic chanterelle recipe (which I’ll try after verifying they’re actually chanterelles).
Flowers in the Hood
This afternoon I walked to school to check on our class vegetable bed and take some photos along the way. During the school year, the morning walk takes between ten and fifteen minutes. Avian neighbors’ songs become familiar, as do annual changes in foliage, and the comfortable smells of breakfast. Continue the tour…
Sea Grape, Coccoloba uvifera
Vegan Sea Grape Jelly Recipe, by Cara Reynolds
2 to 3 quarts of sea grapes
8 cups fruit juice from sea grapes
8 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
Select ripe and partly ripe sea grapes. Wash and place in large pot, add water to not quite cover the fruit. Bring to a boil and soak until tender. Squeeze juice out by hand or strain through jelly bag, then measure juice.
To each 8 cups of juice obtained, add 8 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 cup lime juice.
Cook to 225 degrees, which will take about 27 minutes. When it reaches the jelly stage, skim and pour into sterile jars and seal. Makes eight 1/2 pound jars.
A year ago I met Señor Alvarado a few blocks from this plant. Read the rest of this entry »
