tangy coconut lime soup.

so, i didn't feel like making a big, grand meal. & i had some leftover ingredients hanging out in the fridge. my basil (which i bought only a week ago!) was beginning to wilt. there were scallions boring holes in my very being every time i opened the crisper. and the pre-seasoned chicken thighs i'd cooked last tuesday were just sitting in their own juices. angry. neglected. unloved. so, i decided to make a soup. this soup is somewhat complicated, but all the way awesome. it's an all-day-long recipe.

ingredients and instructions are posted in the order of their addition to the soup. omit or add what you like, where you like, w/ the exception of the lime vegetable broth -- the addition of coconut milk really cuts its flavor.

lime vegetable broth
2 medium carrots, skinned, whole
6 scallions
4 celery stalks
6 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
juice of 1 lime
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
crushed red pepper (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tbsp ground thyme

olive oil

in a stockpot, add scallions, garlic, and olive oil. saute all until scallions become fragrant. add spices, carrots, celery, and water. bring to a boil. lower to a simmer; cook until carrots and celery are soft. remove celery, carrots & scallions. add coconut milk. bring to a full boil; lower to a simmer. add more seasoning & the juice of up to 3 more limes per your taste.

this is where the recipe gets all choose your adventure for folks. veggies/ vegans/ ppl w/ no desire to add meat: turn off the soup, add veggies of your choice. i like bell peppers, broccoli, sliced carrots, a diced onion.

for the meaties:

this is where i threw in some leftover bone-in, skin-on, seasoned really well chicken thighs. 3 of them. and all their drippings. i simmered everything until the meat fell off the bone. i then added more spices, turn the pot off, added broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms, and served w/ white rice.

serves as many as you want, depending on how much you make... or how many ppl you have to feed to begin with.

chick peas!

because i have this bad habit of tweeting about what i eat & not posting it here, i've been chastised by some folk who simply wanna know how i do what i do in the kitchen. so, here it goes:

ingredients:
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 medium heirloom tomato, large dice (any tomato will do, this is just what i had on hand)
1 small white onion, large dice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a small saucepan)

instructions:
coat a small saucepan with olive oil. add salt, pepper, onion, garlic, curry powder, & tomato.
when the onions begin to turn translucent, add the chick peas & water or broth. bring to a full boil for about 5 minutes.
lower the heat, cover the pot & cook for about 10 minutes or until the chick peas are the texture you like.
remove from heat -- serve over rice.

fried rice.

i like rice.
i am also kinda broke on the regular.
so, i make fried rice. like this. (as per usual, no actual recipe, just an ingredient list & room for modifications and substitutions)

ingredients:

2 cups of rice (i prefer brown, but it's not necessary), cooked (make sure it isn't sticky)
1 large white onion, diced (or 1/4 lb scallions, chopped)
carrots (three medium sized),cut into medallions about 1/4 inch thick
the juice of 1 lime
toasted sesame oil, to taste
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
garlic (about 2 tablespoons,minced)
3 medium sized chicken breasts marinated (optional)
olive oil

instructions:
cook chicken breasts in olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic. set aside to cool. cube the chicken once it cools.
in the same pan, add rice & carrots. cook on medium-heat for about 2 minutes. reduce heat. add scallions. add a splash or two of sesame oil. add lime juice. while the rice & veggies are cooking, season the mixture to your tastes. add chicken to rice by folding (don't stir, you may break the rice, & nobody really wants that). return to high heat. cook for about 5 minutes.

serve w/ as many or as few veggies as you like, with or without soy sauce, with tofu, red meat, or pork. it's up to you! just don't forget the lime juice. lol.

black eyed peas with brown jasmine rice

(i meant to make this post days ago, but i've had a series of internet issues that have resulted in my becoming comcast's bitch as opposed to verizon's or earthlink's again)

if you're a person from the african diaspora or live in the southern united states, you probably know about the new year's day tradition of eating black eyed peas & collards to bring in a new year of wealth & prosperity.

so, here's my recipe. late as hell (i forgot to publish it after adding photos) . . .

ingredients:

one 1-lb bag of goya frijoles caritas (it says in english somewhere on the bag, black eyed peas), soaked & rinsed
one carton of trader joe's vegetable broth
diced bell peppers (assorted colors)
olive oil
1 small red onion
sofrito
garlic, crushed (to taste)
salt, pepper, adobo & whatever spices you like (to taste)
bragg's liquid aminos (for the smoky taste)

instructions:

1) saute veggies & sofrito in olive oil, in the same stock pot you're going to cook the peas in.
2) once the onions are translucent, add veggie stock, braggs & spices.
3) add peas. bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4) cook the peas to your desired consistency.
5) serve with the rice of your choice. enjoy!

note: i cooked my brown jasmine rice with bay leaf. YUM.

crispy eggplant w/ curried tomato sauce

(courtesy of omi)

an improvisation with yummy results. one of those "i can't believe it's (almost) vegan!" type deals.
all spices are to taste--if you want a truly curried sauce, use more powder. if you just want to hint at curry, use less.

1 medium eggplant or 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2" slices
3-4 whole tomatoes, diced (or 1 can whole tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce (probably 1/2 can if using canned tomatoes)
1 can coconut milk
1 medium or small red onion
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled & diced (use appropriate substitution for powdered)
2-3 cloves garlic
1.5 cups jasmine rice*
egg wash (1 egg, beaten with 1/2 cup water)**

olive oil
vegetable oil (optional--for frying i usually use a mix of soybean & olive oil)
kosher salt (optional)***
plain breadcrumbs
curry powder
sage
basil
thyme
bay leaves
salt & pepper
honey or vegan sweetening agent (approx. 1 tsp)


1. dice the onion, ginger, and garlic. season with curry powder, salt, pepper, sage, basil and thyme. set aside.
2. if using fresh tomatoes & tomato sauce, dice the tomatoes and set aside. if using canned tomatoes, you can open the can later.
3. cook rice according to package directions, adding a bay leaf. remove the leaf from the rice before serving.
4. time to fry the eggplant! heat about 1 cup olive and/or vegetable oil (enough to almost cover the eggplant slices) in a pan. the oil should be almost smoking before you add the eggplant.
5. pour the egg wash (or vegan version) into a dish. in a separate dish, pour out some breadcrumbs and stir in salt, pepper, and approx. 2 tsp curry powder. dip the eggplant slices in the wash, then the breadcrumbs. fry the eggplant until it's golden brown, about 3 min on each side. drain using paper towels and set aside.
6. reserve enough oil from eggplant frying to sautee your onion/ginger/garlic mixture (about 2 tbsp).
reheat the oil in the same pan (don't wash it! keep that flavor!) and sautee the mixture until onions are translucent.
7. reduce to medium heat and add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a bay leaf. bring to a boil.
8. add coconut milk to taste, and adjust seasonings. if there is any bitterness, add honey SPARINGLY until it fades, stirring well after each addition.
reduce heat to simmer and cover. bring to a second boil (about 5-7min).
9. once sauce is boiling, taste again and adjust seasonings as needed. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF!
10. when you like the sauce, puree it in a blender or food processor until smooth.
11. make a bed of the jasmine rice, place several slices of eggplant on top, and pour the sauce over it all. enjoy!!

makes approx. 3-4 servings

*depends on how "indian" you want this to taste. you can probably use plain white or brown rice as well, but nothing tastes like jasmine rice cooked with bay leaves.
**or whatever vegan concoction makes breadcrumbs stick to food. :-)

***some ppl salt eggplant before using it. i find it doesn't matter, but you can try it.
after slicing the eggplant, put it in a colander with a plate underneath. layer the eggplant in the colander, sprinkling each layer with kosher salt. after about 30-60 minutes, the water will come out of the eggplant. pat dry with paper towels, brushing off any excess salt. cook as directed.

spicy mango fried rice.

i made the coconut forbidden rice about 2 weeks ago, & was looking for something to do w/ allllllll the leftover i had. so, i froze it & thought really hard about what would be suitable. it's tooooooo hot for soup, & i wasn't about to attempt much else (sweet sticky rice was out because of the ginger & garlic) beyond plain old coconut rice as a side dish. then i thought about it. i like mango & coconut outside of desserts.
so i came up w/ spicy mango fried rice! here goes nothing. all measurements are estimations, children...

2 cups coconut forbidden rice
1 cup trader joe's frozen mango chunks, thawed slightly and diced
2 small cloves (or one large clove) garlic, peeled & pressed
3/4 teaspoon pureed ginger
2 tbsps olive oil (or whichever oil you cook with -- butter or margarine would mess w/ the flavor)
ground ginger, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
onion powder (i didn't have a real onion), to taste
blk pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
chili powder, to taste

1) mix the diced mango & seasonings in a bowl; set aside. (i let mine sit for about 10 minutes or so before i started cooking, so the mango would get thoroughly spicy)
2) in a skillet or wok, heat the oil to its frying point.
3) add rice. stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
4) add fruit/ spice mixture. stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the mango is tender.
5) remove from heat. serve.

i like my rice kinda crisp so i kinda overcooked it, then added the mango. i let the whole dish cool before tasting any of it. it was really good. i'm supposed to be sharing it w/ my homegirl but i genuinely don't see that happening. lol.

happy eating.

coconut forbidden rice.

this is my own variation on the recipe for purple jasmine coconut rice which i posted a few days ago, from 101 cookbooks. this was a complete stab in the dark, as i (a) didn't want cashews or shallots, & (b) had never cooked w/ forbidden rice ever in my life . . . i used heidi's measurements for the rice, coconut milk, water & salt.

2 cups forbidden (aka black) rice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (i use the foco brand, which is hella cheap & thick as thick can be -- do NOT use lite. use regular, whichever brand. & please for the love of pete, don't use coconut creme.)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 large clove of garlic, crushed (optional)

soak the rice in cold water for 45 minutes to an hour in the pot you'll be using to cook it. once the rice is finished soaking, drain & rinse it twice. add to the pot the water, sea salt & coconut milk. stir the mixture. place the pot over high heat, uncovered. bring rice to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. lower the flame to a low simmer. cook for about 20 minutes without stirring the rice or removing the lid. remove from heat. allow the rice to sit for 20 minutes (still covered). fluff the rice with a fork & serve with the garnish of your choice.

this was a really easy recipe.
i ended up adding about a half cup more coconut milk once i'd finished though; the taste wasn't quite right to me.

next time i'll try some shredded ginger . . .

recipe links!

so, i was snooping around/ drooling over heidi swanson's 101 cookbooks site (see the links) & discovered something that i think might change my life if i prepare it: purple jasmine coconut rice. yes, lord! i can't wait to find some rice & cook it. yay!

then i found a recipe for some meatless 'burgers' on starchefs.com, thanks to a random link on mighty foods (again, see the links).

thanks to the message boards on vegiac.com, there's an oatmeal cookie that i can eat without feeling all extra crazy. (i'm gonna get tested for celiac mid august so this site has been a BIG help as of late)

happy cooking!