Simmered And Sauteed

Easy + Cheap + Healthy + Delicious = My Dahl Recipe

monogamoney — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:43:01 +0000

Dahl was the first thing I ever really learned to cook. I first ate dahl — curried lentils — during my sophomore year of college, when I lived with a girl who had grown up in Nepal. But learning from her was futile; she just poured spices into the pot without measuring, and whenever I tried the same thing the final dish tasted like dirt. Finally, a couple years later, someone gave me an incredibly simple recipe that I still use today. Learning this recipe was a critical step in my understanding of Indian cooking.

Served with rice, this dahl makes a brilliant meal because it can be made entirely with ingredients you keep in your pantry. Just keep lentils, rice, and spices on hand and you will always be able to whip up a great meal in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup lentils
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2-3 TBSP butter, ghee, or oil

Optional toppings
Yogurt
Mint chutney
Tamarind chutney

First, rinse the lentils thoroughly. Put the lentils into a medium saucepan with 5 cups water over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Skim off the frothy stuff that accumulates on the top of the water, and then add turmeric and salt. Continue to cook, uncovered, until the lentils are cooked, turning the heat down a bit if the water approaches a rolling boil. It should take about 15-20 minutes; red lentils cook much more quickly than the brown ones.

When the lentils are cooked, turn off the heat. In a small frying pan, heat the butter or ghee until it’s hot. I like using butter straight from the fridge because by the time it’s all melted, you know it’s hot enough. Add the cumin seeds; if the butter is hot enough, they should sizzle. Stir for 10 seconds, then add the cumin and coriander powders. Stir for another 10 seconds and then dump the butter mixture into the lentils.

Serve with rice, along with yogurt and chutney if you desire.

How to slow-roast a chicken over an open fire

monogamoney — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:54:45 +0000

We were drinking coffee on my parents’ porch in Central Vermont on Sunday morning when the topic of chicken slow-roasted on a spit came up in the conversation. Don’t ask me why. But it all started when my mom said, “People who cooked chicken on a spit in the old days used to say that once the oven became popular, chicken was never the same.”

So Jon decided to build a spit and slow roast a chicken over an open fire. It was 11 a.m.

First, we built the spit and the fire pit. We built the fire pit just by collecting and arranging stones. For the spit, we scrounged in our neighbor’s shop and junkyard. The sides of the spit are ladder jacks, and the spit itself is a copper tube. Jon built little walls of wire on either side of the tube so it would stay in place.

Jon built a fire so that coals would start to form. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any home-grown chickens from the farm where my parents and their neighbors live (the chickens are slaughtered in September; there was only one left and it was frozen).

So Jon bought two chickens from Shaws. We patted them down with paper towels. We seasoned one with salt and pepper and stuffed it with lemons. We covered the other with a spicy Vindaloo rub. Then we tried a few different methods of tying them to the spit with twine.

We put the chicken on the fire around 2:15 p.m. Within a few minutes, they started to take on a beautiful golden tone. The one with the Vindaloo rub looked particularly lovely. Jon turned the spit every 15-30 minutes.

We had no idea how long it would take to cook a chicken over an open fire, but at 3:30 or so we added some vegetables on a grill at the side of the fire. We put a U-shaped piece of re-bar on top of the stone fire pit, then rested the grill on top of the rebar.

We pulled the chicken off the fire around 4:30 p.m.

Yum. Serve with margaritas and homemade mac ‘n cheese.

Lessons learned:

First, it would have been much better to use our own home-grown chickens, rather than a supermarket bird.

Second, we should have built a bigger fire earlier in the day so we had more coals. The vegetables did not completely cook because there just wasn’t enough heat to go around.

Overall, though, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Meal plan for our week-long cleanse

monogamoney — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:03:48 +0000

Here’s what we ate during our week-long (okay, four-day) cleanse. To the extent that we succeeded, I think it’s because I integrated foods into the menu that I knew would be a treat, particularly for Jon. So even though he had to give up his pasta omelets for breakfast, he got spelt pancakes and smoothies.

Breakfasts

Spelt pancakes with peanut butter and maple syrup
Smoothies for Two

Lunches

Jon: tofu sandwich (huge failure), salads the rest of the week
Hannah: Chana Masala and Easy Veggie Curry with Almonds and Coconut Milk over super whole grain Lundberg brown rice; Sweet Potato Ratatouille over whole grain couscous

Dinners
Jon: see Lunch, Hannah
Hannah: see my post on cleanse failure. When I succeeded, I had the same stuff I ate at lunch.

Easy Veggie Curry with Almonds and Coconut Milk

monogamoney — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:58:12 +0000

This is a variation on my Easy Veggie Curry. You could use the exact same recipe and just add almonds (or cashews, or peanuts) and coconut milk, but I made a homemade curry powder using a recipe from 101 Cookbooks.

First, the ingredients:

1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tablespoons curry powder

1/2 cup slivered almonds, or 1 cup cashews or peanuts, toasted
1 cauliflower
½ pound green beans
bunch spinach
1 can coconut milk (I usually use light)

1-2 cups stock (optional)
1 medium onion

2 or more cloves garlic

1 tablespoon honey
1 tsp salt

1-2 packages extra firm tofu, optional

1. Boil the cauliflower for about five minutes, until it has softened but isn’t completely cooked. While the cauliflower is cooking, toast the nuts in a small saucepan over medium heat for two minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and toast for about a minute. Mix in the onion and garlic, increase heat to medium-high, and then add the curry powder and salt. Saute until the onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower and green beans, and saute for two minutes. Add the coconut milk and honey, and the tofu if you’re using it. If you’re using stock, you can add it now to make more broth (and enhance the flavor), or use it instead of the coconut milk. Simmer for five minutes. Taste it and decide if you want to add more curry powder. It should be very flavorful. Add the nuts and spinach at the end.

Serve by itself or with chana masala over rice; add a spoonful of plain yogurt if desired.

The failure/success of our week-long cleanse

monogamoney — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:34:22 +0000

About six weeks ago, I wrote about my big plans for a “cleanse.” In a moment of weakness, I had gotten my husband to agree to spend five days eating 100% vegan, only whole grains, no sweets, and no alcohol.

Well, the cleanse began last Monday, and I must say that anyone who sticks to any sort of dietary restriction is officially my hero.

On Day 1, I was invited to a friend’s for dinner. “Can you eat ricotta?” she asked. “Sure!” I said. Then I remembered. Ricotta is a cheese. Cheese is made of milk. I’m supposed to be a vegan this week. Since I didn’t want to have an all-asparagus meal, I ate the ricotta dumplings anyway.

On Day 2, I was invited to a lovely awards dinner and didn’t want to insult my hosts by going hungry.

On Day 3 … well on Day 3 I was offered a cupcake.

Day 4 was pretty good. I had a few sips of alcohol.

All in all, I didn’t stick to the cleanse for one single day. Despite the slip-ups, however, we still ate about 50% healthier than we usually do. And on Wednesday, Jon said: “I really like this vegetarian thing!”

Seriously, he said that. I’m not making it up. Then it got even weirder: he suggested that we eat only vegetarian during the week until Memorial Day.

So veggie month begins today. I’ll post my “cleanse” meal plan shortly.

Smoothies for Two

monogamoney — Fri, 13 May 2011 22:04:22 +0000

I’ve been trying to ensure that Jon and I eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, which, it turns out, is ridiculously difficult. So I’ve reintegrated smoothies into our breakfast regimen. It’s pretty easy, as long as you use frozen fruit and rinse the blender before leaving for work. This recipe makes yummy two 14-ounce smoothies, each with 1.5 servings of fruit.

3 cups frozen fruit (i.e. blueberries, strawberries, mango, peaches. I like using a combination of a fruit that’s high in vitamin A, like mango, with a fruit that’s high in vitamin C, like the other three.)
1.5 cups orange juice
1/2 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon Green Vibrance powder or protein powder (optional; will reduce deliciousness)

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend.

Eggplant-Free Ratatouille With Couscous

monogamoney — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:27:18 +0000

I have a thing against slimy foods. To my husband’s continual dismay, I don’t like raw tomatoes. And I have never understood eggplant, which in addition to being slimy is also, in my opinion, kind of flavorless. So I only added ratatouille to my cooking repertoire recently, after I had a revelation: I don’t have to use eggplant. I use sweet potatoes instead. I’m still experimenting with cooking times for the vegetables, but this is roughly what I did tonight. This recipe makes about 6 servings.

First, the ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
A couple cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large sweet potato, cut in ½-inch pieces
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each, cut in ½-inch pieces
1 orange, red, or yellow pepper, cut in ½-inch pieces
8 oz diced or crushed tomatoes, canned
3 teaspoons seasoning (mix basil, oregano, paprika, or use any seasoning mix you like)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
2 cups water or stock

Heat oil in a very large sautee pan with high sides, or in a dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and saute about five minutes. Add the sweet potato and seasoning and saute another five minutes. Add the tomatoes and water, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes partially soften. It may not take quite as long — maybe they cook faster when they’re in season? — but recently I’ve found they need about a half hour total, even if cut small. Try them frequently, and make sure to test a couple of them before deciding they’re ready, because they may not cook evenly.

Add the zucchini and summer squash and simmer another 5 minutes or so until everything is almost completely cooked. Then add the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve over couscous, cooked according to package directions (it takes about five minutes for couscous to cook). I used whole grain couscous, which is just as good as the non-whole grain stuff.

Chana Masala Recipe (Curried Chickpeas)

monogamoney — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:22:05 +0000

It’s time for me to share my easy and fabulous recipe for chana masala (curried chickpeas). This recipe is great for ~~three~~ four reasons.

I ALWAYS have these ingredients on hand.
It’s easy.
It’s delicious.
And it’s healthy.

You can use canned chickpeas in a pinch, but cooking them from scratch is pretty easy, requires only a little pre-planning, and is worth the effort. This recipe could probably serve 8 people; I make a lot at a time and usually freeze some of it. It’s best served with rice and another curry dish, such as Easy Vegetable Curry or Easy Vegetable Curry with Almonds and Coconut Milk (to be posted soon!).

First, the ingredients:

2 cups dry chickpeas (roughly 4 cans pre-cooked chickpeas)
2 cups stock or 2 cubes bouillon
1 medium or large onion, chopped or food-processed
2 cloves garlic (or more)
1-2 tsp fresh minced ginger or ginger paste
8 oz tomatoes, crushed or pureed, canned is fine
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander
1-2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
chili powder or crushed red pepper to taste (1/2 tsp or more)

1. If you’re using dry chickpeas, put them in a large stockpot or dutch oven and cover them liberally with water or a combination of water and stock. Add a couple teaspoons of salt and cook, covered, over medium heat for about 2.5 hours, until they are fully cooked. If you soak them overnight, they’ll cook more quickly. Drain the chickpeas and set them aside.

2. Chop the onions; yesterday, I used a mini-prep so the onion and garlic were almost pureed. Heat a couple tablespoons oil or ghee in a very large saucepan or dutch oven, then add the cumin seeds and toast them for a minute at most.

3. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger. I keep a jar of ginger paste on hand and use a spoonful of that, because peeling and mincing ginger is so annoying.

4. Sautee for a couple minutes, and then add all the rest of the spices (cumin powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, spicy stuff). FYI if you don’t have all those spices, you could just use the equivalent amount of curry powder (2 tablespoons). Continue sauteeing until the onions are soft, about five minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes. I don’t like eating chunks of tomato, so I start with a can of diced or crushed tomatoes and puree it in the mini-prep. You could also use tomato sauce — either a nice homemade marinara or a good jarred version like Rao’s. Stir and simmer for another 3 minutes or so.

6. Add the chickpeas. Simmer the dish for another 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to meld and the tomato flavor to mellow.

7. Serve over rice.

8. Reap praise.

To make the chana saag variation: If you don’t care if the spinach is blended, just add it at the same time you add the chickpeas. If you want it to be blended, you can wilt it in a separate pan and puree it in your mini-prep along with your tomatoes. You can also puree it raw, it just won’t blend quite as nicely.

Why Mark Bittman’s Pasta-Risotto is My New Go-To Meal

monogamoney — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:35:27 +0000

About a year and a half ago, I read Mark Bittman’s piece on cooking pasta like risotto. Since then, it has gradually become a staple in our kitchen, a go-to meal that I make when we’re low on groceries. It’s perfect because it can be made almost exclusively with ingredients that I always have on hand, but it’s as tasty and satisfying as a meal that’s been planned for a week. If I’m really low on food, I’ll use an onion and throw in a couple handfuls of frozen peas at the end. But you could also add chicken, sausage, spinach, or anything else that you think will work. I never actually watched the video where Bittman presents the recipe, so this is what I worked out on my own, which may differ from his instructions.

Ingredients
1 pound pasta of any type (I prefer penne, but when I’m out I’ll use spaghetti or linguine broken into 2-3 inch pieces)
About 8 cups stock, or a combination of stock and water
1 medium or large onion
1-3 cups vegetables: frozen peas, fresh spinach, asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces, zucchini or summer sqaush cut 1/4-inch thick, sauteed mushrooms, etc.
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Optional mix-ins
1 lb sausage or chicken, cut in bite size pieces
Garlic
Toasted walnuts or slivered almonds
Grated parmesan or gruyere

Heat the stock in a medium saucepan. In a dutch oven or large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. If you’re using meat, cook it first, then remove it from the pan. If you’re using mushrooms, sautee them next so they soak up the meaty oil, and remove them just before they are fully cooked. Then add the onions, salt and pepper and sautee them for about five minutes. Add garlic if you’d like and sautee for another minute or two. Add the pasta, and mix it up until it’s coated with oil. Add one cup stock, and stir until it has all been absorbed into the pasta. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

If you’re using peas or spinach, which take no time to cook, just keep repeating the last step until the pasta is cooked, and add the veggies at the end. Thick penne could take as much as 20 minutes to cook. Smaller penne might take 15, and spaghetti could take a few minutes less. Just start tasting it after about 10 minutes and go from there. If you’re adding something like asparagus, you’ll want to add it in before the pasta is fully done so it has a chance to cook. Zucchini should cook in 3-5 minutes and asparagus should take at most a minute longer.

Add toasted walnuts at the end if you’d like; they would go well with chicken and mushrooms or spinach and peas. Grate a little cheese on top just before serving.

Fine Dining in Vermont: A Photo Essay

monogamoney — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:01:49 +0000

Last weekend, Jon and I went to visit my parents, who live in an intentional community in Vermont. I used to call it a commune, just because most people understand what that means, but I’ve decided in my maturity to switch to a more accurate term. I lived there between 5th and 10th grades, before I decided to get the heck out and go to boarding school.

Above, you can see the road leading to the barn. The field where the cows graze is to the left. Below, Jon is standing just past the barn, looking out over the hay fields towards some of the houses where my parents’ neighbors live. As you can see, it’s mud season. My parents live on a dirt road and navigating the spring ruts and potholes in a 1995 Saturn is a challenge to say the least.

Each year, my parents and their neighbors raise two cows. Here are this year’s cows, who will become next year’s beef.

They graze outside and feed on hay in the winter. They live in this small barn, next door to the chickens.

These are laying hens, not meat hens. Or rather, they were all supposed to be hens. A “chicken sexer” — yes, that’s a real job — is supposed to make sure that when you order female chicks, you only receive female chicks. I guess the chicken sexer made a mistake, because we ended up with a rooster as well.

He’s kind of a looker, isn’the?

We ate a lot of fresh eggs, and a prime rib roast from last year’s cows.

(This is the roast after the meat was browned but before it was put in the oven.)

Jon and my dad also spent time in my dad’s shop, making cabinets for the local food co-op. My father leads the co-op renovation team.

Special thanks to Instagram (as you can see, we’ve been experimenting.)