Warm Lentil and Potato Salad with a Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette, smitten kitchen

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2 large shallots, 1 halved, 1 finely diced,
4 sprigs of thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 cup dry small green lentils (see Note up top for varieties)
1 small bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed to a paste (I use less)
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed if salted, drained if brined, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.

Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.

Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.

Serve alone, with a soft-cooked egg on top, or as a side to a larger roast, chop or sausages. Reheat as needed. If you plan to make this at the outset of several meals and would like to eat it warm, I’d keep the dressing separate, warming only the lentils and potatoes and stirring in the cold dressing to taste.

Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days. Makes 4 lunch servings, 6 servings as a side dish

Spicy Vegan Dragon Noodle Salad Recipe, Isa Chandra Moskowitz

dragonnoodlesalad
Servings:4

8 ounces pad thai rice noodles
1 cup cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
8 cups crisp salad greens
For the Peanut Dragon Dressing
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or as needed
To garnish
fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons toasted or black sesame seeds

For the Peanut Dragon Dressing:  Place all of the ingredients in a small blender or food processor and blend until very smooth.

Keep tightly sealed and refrigerated until ready to use. It will keep for up to 5 days
For the noodle salad:

Prepare the noodles according to package directions. It’s very important not to overcook them! Often the package says to boil water, then turn it off and let the noodles steep for about 8 minutes. Set a timer to be safe.

Once soft, immediately drain and run cold water over them until cool.
In a very large mixing bowl, toss noodles, radishes and cucumber with most of the dressing, setting aside a little bit for drizzling.

Place a bed of greens on each plate and top with noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with a little cilantro, and serve.

salsa

6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
seeded and minced jalapenos amount determined by how hot you want it
1/4 red bell pepper, fine dice
1/8 red onion, fine chopped
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lime, juiced
Chili powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
Fresh scallions, cilantro or parsley, to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in refrigerator for up to 12 hours for flavor infusion.
Serve with tortilla chips.

chicken-style seitan — the happy herbivore

1/2 c. wheat gluten
1.5 tsp no-chicken broth powder
2c. un-chicken simmering broth

In a mixing bowl, combine vital wheat gluten, no-chicken broth powder, and a 1/2 c. warm water, stirring until a dough forms.

Turn dough (seitan) out onto a clean surface and knead for 1 min. Cut dough into strips, breasts or any other shape, being mindful that it will more than double in size during cooking.

Bring simmering liquid to a boil add seitan, then reduce heat to low and simmer with lid slightly ajar for 50 min. to 1 hour, stirring every 10 – 15 min. Save any excess liquid.

You can stop here if making spedies.

if you are using the seitan as cutlets, preheat oven to 350 Grease a large cookie sheet, do not let the pieces touch.

Bake for 20-30 min, until a golden skin forms.

Flip over halfway through cooking time.

To make gravy, add up to 1 c. non- dairy milk to the leftover cooking liquid then heat over medium heat, adding salt and pepper.

Guaca-chi The Washington Post, August 7, 2013

This marriage of kimchi and guacamole isn’t anything close to traditional, but it’s what happened when Food editor Joe Yonan was called upon to make a quick appetizer for a group of hungry people while he was staying in an unfamiliar house.

Don’t mash the avocados the way you would when making guacamole; they’re best left in chunks. The dish is best served just after it has been made.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.  Makes 1 3/4 cups (4 appetizer servings)

  • Flesh of 1 ripe avocado, cut into large chunks
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought kimchi, preferably spicy, with its liquid
  • Sea salt (optional)

Toss the avocado chunks with the lime juice in a serving bowl.

Chop the kimchi if the pieces are bigger than bite-size, then gently toss it and all of its liquid with the avocado. Taste, add salt if necessary, and serve.

Chickless Pot Pie Trisha Yearwood

1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup small diced potatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup butter substitute, such as Earth Balance
1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
2/3 cup almond or soy milk
Two 9-inch deep dish, unbaked pie crusts, lard free

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onions in the butter substitute until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, celery seed and garlic powder. Cook for 2 minutes to get the flour taste out. Slowly stir in the broth and then add the milk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the drained vegetables.

Roll out one of the unbaked crusts and place in a 9-inch-deep pie plate. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust. Roll out the second pie crust and place on top. Seal the edges and cut small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Note: Line a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with foil and place the pie on that before cooking. It will keep any filling from dripping into the oven and burning.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chickless-pot-pie-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Ridiculously Easy Southwestern Coleslaw

southwestern-coleslaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 medium cabbage
2 carrots
1-2 hot chile peppers, thinly sliced or chopped
5-6 tablespoons salsa verde
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons vegan mayo or lite silken tofu
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar (or other sweetener)
1/4 teaspoon cumin

salt to taste

  1. Remove and discard the core of the cabbage, and cut cabbage in half. Use a food processor fitted with a shredding disk to shred the cabbage and carrots. Place in a serving bowl along with the sliced chile pepper.
  2. Whisk all remaining ingredients together until smooth. (If you’re using silken tofu, you may need to blend it in a small blender or food processor.) Add the dressing to the cabbage and mix well. Add salt to taste. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Check seasonings before serving and add more salsa, lime juice, cumin, or salt if necessary.

Impromptu Mushroom Gravy – Fat Free Vegan

My mushroom gravy is always an ad lib affair; I don’t think I ever make it the same way twice. Here’s the basic recipe, but the amounts of herbs should be adjusted as necessary. This time I kept them light so that they didn’t compete with the timbales’ seasoning.

1/2 onion, minced
10 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sherry (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons unbleached flour (substitute with arrowroot for gluten-free)
1/4 cup plain soymilk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized non-stick saucepan, saute the onion until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of water, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for another minute.

Add the vegetable broth, herbs, nutritional yeast, sherry, and soy sauce. In a bowl, whisk or blend (with a hand blender) the soymilk and flour together until smooth. Add it to the saucepan and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.