Stir fry!

Yumcious stir fry with broccoli, eggplant, orange peppers, bokchoy in a garlic, soy sauce plum glaze. Had it with white rice.

Eggplant Bean Stew Burgers!

I had a brainwave at work while eating leftover stew for lunch (pictured above). It had such great flavors of cumin and fennel that I thought it would taste good mashed up as a burger. As soon as I got home, I got to work.

I had about 3 cups of stew leftover which had gotten nice and thick in the fridge overnight. I put it into a big bowl and mashed it up real well. Then I added about 1/2 cup of ground almonds and sunflower seeds that I whizzed up real quick in the blender. Then about 2 cups of whole wheat bread crumbs, a handful of oats and some spices (chipotle chili powder, mesquite and more cumin, salt, pepper). I shaped them into patties and baked in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.

I served them with a topping of harissa mayo (just Vegenaise mixed with harissa, which is a Moroccan chili sauce), grilled onions and mushrooms. YUMMY!

Aubergine Fennel and Bean Stew, Kale Salad.

This is the Aubergine (eggplant) Fennel Bean Stew from The Happy Pear cookbook. I adapted mine a bit. Used kidney beans instead of black beans and I had no pumpkin so I used yellow potatoes instead, otherwise the recipe flavors were the same. I love when eggplants get all silky in a stew like this! I loved the fennel, cumin and cardamom flavors.

Served with whole wheat pita.

Mmm.

More kale salad in a tahini based dressing with chickpeas.

Weekend Cooking: Eggplant and Herb Casserole & Potato Dauphinoise, vegan style.

I love weekends because I have time to labor over special recipes and enjoy a plate of home cooked food in the comfort of my home. Today I brought out two books: Linda's Kitchen by Linda McCartney and River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Two great veggie cookbooks that I love dearly. I just got the second book for xmas and the Linda McCartney I found several years ago at a used book shop in a first edition hardcover with plastic slipcover. I was very pleased to find that one.

First up I made the Eggplant and Herb casserole from Linda's book. Layers of fried eggplant in a flavorful herbed tomato sauce with melty cheese. The recipe called for mozzarella. I used Daiya vegan shreds which worked great and gave the casserole a wonderful cheesy texture along with the silky eggplant. I also added sliced mushrooms in the layers. Really good and satisfying dish but very time consuming because of all the eggplant frying! I'd make it again though. You can find the recipe here. The recipe was originally published in this New York Times article from 1994. It's a great read by the way. I love the description of Paul hovering in the background (guitar in hand) waiting to eat!

This beautiful Potato Dauphinoise recipe is from River Cottage Veg cookbook. I didn't peel my potatoes because I'm lazy but I really should the next time I make this. It calls for heavy cream but I used full fat unsweetened soymilk instead. I probably could have used soy creamer but I didn't have any. I used A LOT of Earth Balance margarine to butter up the baking dish and added little knobs of it throughout the layers. Who doesn't love creamy, buttery baked potatoes? I loved this dish. It went very well with the eggplant casserole.

Eggplant Caponata, Cashew Cheeze Spread and Banana Bread

I like to make snacks that I can eat all throughout the weekend. I made the caponata yesterday after coming home from work because I wanted all the flavors to meld overnight. I used a recipe from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen cookbook. The recipe asks you to roast the eggplant which I was too lazy to do, so I just threw everything in a pot and cooked it slowly. Came out yummy. I plan to use the leftovers (there are lots) to serve over pasta. The cashew cheeze is just raw cashews soaked overnight that I blended with garlic, tahini, oil and salt in my new Blendtec.

Banana bread with chocolate chips and dried cherries. This is to have with hot cups of tea.

Everything is better with chocolate!

A Mediterranean Sunday Lunch.

I was feeling ambitious today and made this beautiful array of foods for my lunch, including dessert. Wish I had a friend over to share it with!


I used my "Olive and The Caper" Greek cookbook to make this luscious eggplant stewed with red wine and basil. It originally called for shallots but I used onions instead. This was so flavorful and you know that anything cooked with red wine is going to be good.


I had a tiny cauliflower that I knew would be a perfect accompaniment to my stew. I roasted it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes to get this beautiful golden charred look.


And from my trusty "Tables of Lebanon" cookbook, I made moujadara (lentils and rice with caramelized onions). I needed some protein to round out the meal so this was a good way to get both a grain and a protein.


My bowl.


And dessert was a basic lemon white cake. So soft and tender!

Easy weeknight meal.

I was craving baba ghanooj today so on the way home from work, I picked up a few eggplants and made it in about 20 minutes. I used the recipe from Tables of Lebanon which was a little lemony for my taste but still very good. It's probably my fault as I used 4 smallish eggplants (instead of 3 large) and didn't reduce the lemon which I should have figured to do. I also made a salad and grilled a couple of portobellos with garlic and olive oil.


The baba sure is pretty isn't it? I blended the heck out of it so that's why it is so smooth.


At the last minute I added chickpeas to my salad. Gotta have some protein.

Grilled Vegetable Marinara Spaghetti and Yogurt Parfait

Sorry about these awful night time pics! We didn't eat dinner until late because we went for our run first. My husband whipped up a marinara spaghetti and I heated up the grilled vegetable salad from last night and added them to my plate. I also added a clove of crushed garlic. It was delicious and very much welcome after an hour of pain!


Dessert was a soy yogurt parfait with strawberries, granola and coconut. I drizzled a bit of date syrup on it too because the yogurt was unsweetened.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Sometimes I get really overwhelmed by the amount of veggies I have in my fridge that I usually want to throw them into a stew pot and call it dinner. I forget that simple preparations like grilling can get the job done too. I had one japanese eggplant, a red and green pepper that was nearing it's due date. I cut them into slices, brushed them with olive oil and grilled them until they were soft with charred marks. Then I cut them into bite size pieces and tossed them with a simple dressing of olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Was really easy and delicious!


Served with mashed potatoes and Heinz british baked beans.


For dessert we had root beer floats!

Brinjal Curry

I had some nice eggplants that needed to be used so I pulled out my favorite cookbook Olive Trees and Honey and made the Brinjal Curry recipe. It's a tasty curry of eggplant, chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach and spices like cumin and mustard seeds. Went well with both rice and pita spread with dairy free margarine.

Lebanese Moussaka

A few nights ago I went to a local Lebanese restaurant and ordered the moussaka. It was so delicious. Velvety pillows of eggplant with chickpeas and onions in a tomatoey sauce spiced with cinnamon and allspice. I knew I had to make it at home. I used the recipe from 'Tables of Lebanon' but instead of cooking it in the oven, I let it simmer low and slow on the stove for an hour. It was perfection. I enjoyed my moussaka on the patio along with a side of hummus, bread and pickled turnips.

A Moroccan Lunch.

I made two beautiful Moroccan salads for myself today to enjoy on my backyard patio. The one in front is called 'zalouk' which is a cooked eggplant salad with onions, garlic, tomatoes and green peppers flavored with cumin and paprika. The one in back is called 'khizou harra' which is a cooked carrot salad that is flavored with cumin, paprika, lemon, olive oil and cilantro. The zalouk recipe is from 'Olive Trees and Honey' cookbook (one of my absolute favorites!).


Such vibrant color! This carrot salad recipe is from a book called "Food of Morocco".


Served with warm whole wheat bread and a little bit of cauliflower bean dip that I made last week. Gotta have some protein!

Lentil Massaman Curry

I had a chunk of Thai massaman curry paste in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I made this beautiful curry that has lentils, eggplant, potatoes, red bell peppers and peas. This is dinner tonight paired with Thai jasmine rice.

Easy Going Weekend.

I spent the majority of yesterday and today just seriously relaxing. No television, no phone, no computer to distract me. I only allowed music to create atmosphere while I sat on my patio outside soaking up sun and leisurely enjoying food on a tray with a good book and Nag Champa filling the air with a soothing, sweet perfume. I didn't allow myself to distract myself with thoughts like "What else could I be doing right now? Should I find something to do? Should I run errands?" I let thoughts like that float away while I enjoyed my time alone in a complete restful state in mind and body. All of this was something I really needed and to be able to enjoy delicious simple food as well was a bonus.


I did all the cooking early in the morning so it was ready for me to load up on a tray and take outside. I made Zalouk (Moroccan eggplant relish) and Tabbouleh (Lebanese parsley and bulgur salad) to enjoy with whole wheat pita and a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. I used Olive Trees and Honey cookbook and Tables of Lebanon cookbook to make these recipes.


Couldn't forget dessert! I got these because Trader Joe's ran out of the Trail mix cookies that I love so much. These were great too and even had coconut in them.


Buster ate a bit too, do you see evidence of tabbouleh on the floor? He found a spot under the shade of my caftan to get comfy.


A while later I was craving peanut butter so I made a sesame Ezekiel toast with crunchy pb and date syrup.

Greek Gigantes, Lemon-Caper Potato Salad & Baba Ganouj

You don't understand, I crave Mediterranean flavors all the time! Yes, I switch gears and do Thai or Indian and even good old American but when it comes to food that just does it for me, it's this kind of food. I think it's because of the glorious mediterranean climate here in California that gets me in the mood. Today I revisited Greek Gigantes. I made it once before using a recipe I found online. This time I used Diane Kochilas' recipe from "The Greek Vegetarian" cookbook. You're supposed to use authentic greek big beans but large limas do the trick just fine. I also omitted the honey and used a bit of sugar to counterbalance the tartness of the tomatoes. They turned out beautifully creamy and tender and flavored with lots of dill. I also made potato salad with lemon-caper mayo and dill. Also baba ganouj and fresh pita to round out the meal. Husband and I ate together and washed it all down with a cold beer/tomato juice cocktail.

Edited to add a picture of dessert! How could I forget to put this up?

Date cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. All vegan!

Rockin' Moroccan.

Zeilouk d'Aubergine. (Moroccan eggplant relish). I think I may have overdid it on the tomato paste because it's a lot redder than I think it's supposed to look. Looks aside, this was wonderful. A tangy relish of cooked eggplant, green bell pepper, onions and tomatoes. Recipe from Olive Trees and Honey cookbook.


Delicious meze platter: eggplant relish, baba ganouj (store bought), lavash bread and assorted olives.


Moroccan vegetable stew with couscous and onion-cinnamon raisin topping. Recipe also from Olive Trees and Honey cookbook.

Eggplant Chickpea Stew, Russian Salad and Lemon Cake

Munazalit Bathinjan or Eggplant and Chickpea Stew from "Classic Vegetarian Recipes from The Middle East and N. Africa". Origin of this recipe: Lebanon and Syria. It's wonderful both hot and at room temperature and served with pita and/or quinoa.


I made this delicious Russian Salad (from The Olive and The Caper cookbook) a few weekends ago and made it again today. It has potatoes, green beans, carrots, peas, baby lima beans and lemon caper mayo. This time I added lots of fresh dill.


Lemon cake!

Pita Pizzas & Penne with Walnut-Dill Pesto

I'm really enjoying all of these mediterranean foods I've been eating. I already know that a lot of the ingredients in mediterranean cooking are very healthy and should be eaten as often as possible. Fresh vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruits and all of the wonderful flavorings like garlic, olive oil, spices, herbs just make this the most wonderful kind of cooking in my book.


Last night for dinner I made pita pizzas using whole wheat pita bread, tomato sauce, fresh sliced tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, tangy black olives, faux feta and oregano. Delicious!


For lunch today I made this tasty penne dish with walnut-dill pesto, sauteed garlic, eggplant, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms and olives. A gorgeous symphony of flavors!

Weekend Meze.

It rained last night and the forecast had predicted rain today but it has yet to come. I took advantage of the current blue skies and sun with slight breeze to lunch al fresco once again. I'm really getting used to this! It makes me look forward to the weekend. Come summer, this is will be a regular thing. Can't wait.


Another meze lunch with lots of things to nibble on and again with the mediterranean theme. I just got a new cookbook, "The Greek Vegetarian" and I wanted to use it today. I made from it Eggplant Puree with Walnuts and Fava Bean Stew with Mint. I also made hummus and a greek salad.


Hummus on the left and Eggplant Puree with walnuts (Makedonitiki Melitzanosalata) on the right. The eggplant puree was delicious and garlicky. The walnuts are first ground to a paste and then processed with roasted eggplant pulp.


Fava bean stew with mint (Koukia Stifado me Dyosmo). Delicious and filling tender fava beans with a base of tomatoes, red onions, garlic, mint and dill. I added dill because I'm crazy about it and a lot of greek dishes have fresh dill so it seemed rather fitting.


Greek salad with cucumbers, olives, red onions and "Betta Feta", a tofu based faux feta from The Ultimate Uncheese cookbook. Drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.


First of the jasmine blooms I've seen this year.


Buster eating pita.


Dessert is banana bread that I made with the biggest ripest bananas that I found in our fruit bowl. The cake sunk in the middle a bit because of my impatience. I peeked in the oven way too many times!