avocado & bravado : a food blog » vegan

lentil soup with ras el hanout

Rose — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:45:20 +0000

Cory’s brother Casey moved back to the Midwest a couple weeks ago. On his last night in San Francisco, we invited Casey over dinner. It was a gym night, which meant dinner consisted partly of leftovers, prepared Trader Joe’s food (sweet potato gnocchi!), and a quick salad I made from whatever we had on hand. It had been an exhausting and busy week for the both of Cory and I. I checked out early that night, promptly falling asleep soon after dinner. I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Casey, but he and Cory got to hear me snort in my sleep (the joys of living in a studio apartment!). Casey cleared out his pantry and fridge before coming to our apartment and brought us a bunch of goodies – 18 eggs, 4 pounds of red lentils, vegetable broth, canned olives, canned mushrooms, and more frozen okra than I’ll ever know what to do with.

The first meal I made with Caseyfood was soup, of course. Making a soup from the lentils and vegetable broth was the easiest choice, since I could happily eat lentils everyday. I used a mixture of red and brown lentils, since red lentils tend to get mushy and brown lentils stay firmer so long as they’re not overcooked. I flavored the soup with ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, that means “the grocer’s head” – a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. Ras el hanout blends vary, but generally include cinnamon, dried chili peppers, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and clove. Some mixtures include harder to find ingredients like dried rosebuds, golden green Spanish fly, grains of paradise, and cubebs. I made a mixture myself with what I had on hand, but ras el hanout blends with exotic spices can be found at Middle Eastern and gourmet groceries. And just a small warning: this makes a very large batch of soup!

Lentil Soup with Ras el Hanout
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2 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice
1 onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) or water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 cup brown lentils (I ended up using a little more than 2 cups total, I measured 500ml on accident)
ras el hanout (see recipe below)
salt, to taste
1 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook until translucent, or 5-7 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic and stir for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, broth or water and lentils to the pot. Add salt and ras el hanout and stir. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils become tender. Stir in the cilantro and add more salt to taste, if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Ras el Hanout
(from the epicentre)

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I recommend a half teaspoon, but it really depends on how much heat you like)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon clove

Mix all the spices until combined, add the spice blend to the soup.

Serves 8-10

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ta’meyya (egyptian falafel)

Rose — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:05:18 +0000

Somewhere, in the deep dark depths of YouTube there is a video of starring yours truly, on a mission to find my one true love – the Egyptian falafel. Maybe if you poke around a bit, you can find it. But for vanity reasons, there is no way I’m posting it here (my Arabic was atrocious, I was 10 pounds heavier, and most importantly, what on earth was I wearing?).

You may be familiar with falafels made from chickpeas, but Egyptian falafels are made from fava beans. Fava beans are a staple of the Egyptian diet. So much so the Egyptian word for falafel, ta’meyya derives from the word “food”. I love the bitter and nutty taste of fava beans and prefer them over the more well known chickpea based falafel. Then again, I’m biased since I love all things Egyptian.

Although a straight forward process, falafel making is a time consuming task. The only special equipment you need is a food processor or blender, to blend the beans into a paste. There’s no need to use a deep fryer to fry the falafels, a large pot and frying oil will do the trick just as well. My frying oil of choice is peanut oil, but in Egypt sunflower oil or vegetable oil are more commonly used in cooking. As for baking falafels, you can’t see me right now, but I’m frowning. Some of the best things in life are fried, you know.

Just a heads up to anyone out there who is like me, the kind of person who doesn’t read recipes until I’m just about to start cooking – this recipe requires the beans to soak for 24-48 hours and there are a lot of time consuming steps involved. They’re definitely worth the effort, if you’re looking for a taste of Egypt… in fried form.

Ta’meyya
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s New Book of Middle Eastern Food)
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1 pound dried and skinless fava beans (broad beans), soaked for 24-48 hours
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
cayenne pepper or chili pepper (optional, to taste)
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup parsley
1 cup cilantro
2 leeks, white and green parts
6 scallions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)
frying oil (I used peanut oil)

In a large pot, soak the beans in a generous amount of water for 24-48 hours. Change the water a couple times a day. After the beans have finished soaking, pour out the water into the sink and spread out the beans on a large towel on a hard surface. Let the beans dry for about an hour.

After the beans have had time to dry a bit, put them in a food processor and pulse until the beans form a paste. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Add the spices and baking soda and pulse a few more times until the spices have mixed through, or until the paste is smooth. Let the mixture rest for a half hour.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the parsley, cilantro, leeks, scallions, and mince the garlic. Add them all to a very large mixing bowl or stock pot, along with the bean paste and knead with your hands until mixed through. Take small clumps of the mixture and patties that are 2 inches in diameter roughly 1/4 inch thick or into balls the size of golf balls. Optionally, dip the falafels into a bowl full of sesame seeds just before frying.

Heat a large stock pot with at least 2 inches of frying oil. Working in batches, fry the falafels in batches until brown, turning over once. Transfer the falafels to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve hot.

Serving variations:

- With hummus or tahini
- With pickled vegetables
- In a wrap or pita bread with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and tahini sauce or hummus
- In a salad

Serves 6

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cilantro and avocado dip

Rose — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 07:57:05 +0000

Wednesday was avocado & bravado’s first anniversary. Truth be told, the day would have likely gone unnoticed had it not been for Dreamhost pestering me everyday to renew my domain name. Time has flown by so quickly, it certainly doesn’t feel like a year since I decided, “I’m going to start a food blog and hope someone besides my mom will read it.” I have been blogging in some form or another for over 10 years, since the days when I was an angsty teenager who was obsessed with Peter Murphy (I still kinda am). But I haven’t ever blogged so frequently before – 158 recipes later and here we are.

When I think about it, having a food blog is kind of strange. I post recipes of the dishes I’ve made and share them with strangers. When I first launched avocado & bravado, some acquaintances who had no idea that I had ventured into the world of cooking, assumed I’d gone the route of dutiful housewife (girlfriend, rather) on a quest to become the next Martha Stewart. Not quite. Um, do I look like Martha to you? I grew up knowing very little about food and even less about cooking. As I’ve mentioned here before, I chopped my first onion a few weeks shy of my 23rd birthday. If a reformed McDonald’s addict can learn to cook, so can you. And if I’ve made any impact at all on your cooking or helped boost your confidence in the kitchen, I couldn’t possibly ask for anything more. Thank you all for the kind comments, emails, and constructive criticism throughout the last year. Oh, and a big thanks to the occasional troll for the laughs. I’m looking forward to updating avocado & bravado for many more years to come.

Now that I have a shiny new camera, there are many many more recipes in the queue, but I haven’t had much time to edit most of the pictures. So the recipe I have for you today is a simple avocado and cilantro dip. Cory bought blue corn tortilla chips for a stew he made a couple weeks ago. We never have tortilla chips on hand, so the urge to snack on them was pretty strong. But it would be a shame to snack on just the chips alone, so I wanted to make a dip to accompany them. I planned on making guacamole, but I was missing many of the ingredients. That was okay, though. Once the cilantro was chopped, everything came together rather quickly and I didn’t even miss the tomatoes, onions, or chilies. Also, I ate almost the whole thing in one sitting. Just a warning for those with very little willpower.

Cilantro and Avocado Dip
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2 medium-sized avocados
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop out the meaty avocado goodness into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork and mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and cilantro.

Serves 2 (or less!)

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carrot oatmeal

Rose — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:59:33 +0000

Growing up, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about moving away from my hometown. I wanted to live in a city. A city where pigeons replaced squirrels, the buildings were tall, and public transportation could get me everywhere so I’d never have to buy a car. I would live in an apartment with high ceilings, large windows with great views, white walls, hardwood floors, a clawfoot tub, black and white checkered floors in the kitchen and bathroom. And most importantly, I’d share that apartment with a fluffy cat and a guy who loved me very much.

I am immensely grateful that most of those are now a reality — some are more important than others, of course. I’m okay with not having a clawfoot tub or checkered floors. But what I would like a better view of the city. And a cat. Definitely a fluffy cat. Cory and I are both itching to move. Both our apartment and the neighborhood we call home are quite nice. We’re a short walk away from a very famous street where my dad did a lot of drugs about 40 years ago. However, after two years of the same grocery stores, bus routes, and restaurants, I think it’s time to move on. We’re looking to move closer to work, to an area where the buildings are taller, the streets are steeper, and the cacophonic sounds of the city will lull us to sleep every night.

On one of my worst fears about moving (though it’s still months away!), is that we won’t be able to find an apartment with as much storage space in the kitchen. Though admittedly, we could afford to downgrade… a little. There are so many odds and ends I’ve picked up over the last couple years that I’ve only used for one recipe and never touched again. In between loads of laundry last week, I was consumed with thoughts of moving and decided that I need to make more “pantry meals” in the upcoming months. A lot more. So I whipped up carrot oatmeal for a late lunch. All of the ingredients are things I use often, so I definitely failed in making a dish made from neglected pantry items. I think the block of tamarind, rosewater, mung beans, candlenuts, palm sugar, wheat berries, and split peas will have to wait for another day. Don’t be put off by carrot oatmeal just because it sounds unusual. It’s not anymore strange than carrot cake, Persian carrot jam, or Indian carrot halwa. The natural sweetness pairs well with oatmeal. It’s also a good way to use up old carrots that have been lingering a little too long in the fridge.

Carrot Oatmeal
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2 teaspoons coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1 1/2 cups water, for boiling
1 carrot, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I always use whole)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a couple pinches of cinnamon

In a small saucean, add the butter. Once melted, stir in the oats, letting it toast over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir often. Add water and carrots and reduce the heat to a simmer. Keep the lid slightly ajar on the saucepan, and let simmer until the oats are done (about 20 minutes, or 10 minutes more for mushier oats — but I’m far too impatient).

Stir in the milk, sugar, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and serve.

Serves 2

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sumac carrots

Rose — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 07:29:29 +0000

I’ve mentioned my love for sumac many times in the one year history of this blog (well, it will be one year in a little over two weeks!). Sumac is a spice that I sneak into just about anything. I love its sourness, it’s not as overpowering as lemons can be. Sometimes I even find myself eating small spoonfuls of it just before adding it to dishes. Hey, it’s not nearly as weird as trying to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. Sumac adds a nice tart kick to vegetable dishes and I’ve been roasting lots of vegetables lately (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and carrots). Partly as an excuse to keep the oven on for over an hour (our heater is only in one room!), but mostly because there’s no such thing as eating too many vegetables. Or too much sumac. Sumac most likely isn’t available at your local grocery store, but can easily be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores – or places like Amazon.com, if you’re willing to shell out a couple dollars for shipping.

Sumac Carrots
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1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Toss the carrots with olive oil, sumac, and salt on a baking sheet or baking pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with a little bit of parsley before serving, if you’re feeling fancy.

Serves 2

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