Vegetarian Fajitas

Did you think fajitas couldn't be vegetarian? That's what I thought, since they usually consist of mostly meat with a few veggies. But they can be vegetarian, and they can also be really good! Below is my Vegetarian Fajita recipe, modified from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Linda Fraser. This recipe only takes about 25 minutes altogether!


Ingredients:
1/2 onion

1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 large tomato
1 tbsp cilantro
cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 ripe avocado
salt
lime juice
large tortillas


Cut the onion in half and then slice. Slice the bell peppers as well. Combine the bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a large bowl. Stir together the oil, chili powder, cumin, and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over the vegetables and stir until coated. Let this marinate while you cut the tomato in as many wedges as you can (8-12). Chop the cilantro and grate the cheese. Prepare the guacamole by mashing the avocado and adding salt and lime juice to taste. Cover tightly.

Heat a wok or large frying pan and add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook for one more minute. Serve immediately on tortillas with the cheese and guacamole. Serves 3. 

Eggplant Tomato Curry

I never liked eggplant. So I was hesitant to try this recipe. But I set a goal to try new recipes, even if I don't like some of the ingredients or have never heard of them. So I tried it, and it is SOOO good!! Every time I buy the eggplant, I think "this can't really be that good. I don't even like eggplant." And every time I ama amazed at how yummy it is!

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
3 large tomatoes
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves
1 cup oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella) seeds (I have omitted this sometimes and it's still just as good)
1 Tbsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups basmati rice

Put the rice on to cook.
Slice the eggplant in half and slice into wedges. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 30 minutes so the bitter juices can be drawn out.
Boil water in a medium saucepan, score a cross in the top of each tomato and plunge in boiling water for ONLY 20 seconds. Drain and peel. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Mix 1/3 tomato, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender.
Rinse eggplant and dry with paper towels (don't omit this or the water will splatter in the pan).
Heat 1/2 cup oil on medium in a large, deep frying pan and add half the eggplant in a single layer. Cook until brown, then turn over (you can add a little more oil if needed). Transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain. Add remaining oil and cook the rest of the eggplant, remove.
Add fennel and kalonji to the oil left in the pan. Cover and allow to pop for a few seconds. Add tomato and ginger and other ingredients except eggplant. Cook, stirring until it is thick and smooth (be careful!). Add eggplant, then cover and cook several more minutes. Serve hot over cooked rice and enjoy!
(Adapted from the recipe in A Little Taste of India cookbook).

Soup, Salad, and . . . Latkes?

So Adam and I have made some very yummy dishes the last two days. We made two different kinds of soup and a yummy salad all from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. They were just so good I want to share them with the world!

Winter Vegetable Soup

from http://www.marthastewart.com/336693/winter-vegetable-soup

This yummy vegetarian soup is much better than I expected. The squash is the key ingredient. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 bunch kale ( 3/4 pound), ribs cut away and discarded, leaves torn
• 5 1/2 cups (43.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed
• 3 sprigs thyme
• Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add squash and kale and cook until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add broth, beans, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash and kale are tender, about 12 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan, if desired.

Chicken and Chickpea Soup

from http://www.marthastewart.com/318142/chicken-and-chickpea-soup

Cinnamon, coriander, and cilantro make this soup taste really yummy, and it has a sort of Moroccan flavor. Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used garbanzo beans, which are almost the same thing)

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook, skin side down, until skin is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until browned, 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in carrots and return chicken to pot. Stir in broth.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer, partially cover, and cook until chicken is falling off the bone, 50 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from soup. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into large pieces, discarding skin and bones. Return meat to pot. Add chickpeas and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon garlic, lemon zest, and cilantro; sprinkle over soup before serving.

Escarole Salad with Apples

from http://www.marthastewart.com/312496/wilted-escarole-with-apples

This salad is so good, and really easy. You basically only need lettuce, apples, and an onion.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced small (1/4 onion works too)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 bunch (about 1 pound) escarole (I just used green leaf lettuce)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add shallot and season with coarse salt and ground pepper; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add apples and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cider vinegar. In a large bowl, toss escarole, roughly chopped, with apple mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Latkes

Latkes are potato pancakes served traditionally at Hannukah. I am not Jewish, but I have never made them before and it sounded fun. :) I just peeled and grated 3 Russet potatoes, and seasoned them with salt and pepper (generously). I also added a good amount of dried minced onion because I thought it would make them more interesting (it definitely did!). Let it sit for a while (at least 10 minutes) and mix the juices in so they will stick together. Then heat a few teaspoons of oil in a large pan and place spoonfuls of potato in the pan, flattening with a spatula. Cook on both sides until they are done.

I think they are usually served with sour cream, but we didn't have any, so we ate them with cottage cheese. It turned out great. I hope you like them too!