I love a good hidden veggie pasta, and this dish is no exception. Almost smoky (smoky would be awesome here), a little tart, a little silk – this one is good.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Burnt Eggplant Pasta
2 small purple eggplants
Salt, pepper, neutral oil
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon Thai roasted red chili paste
1.5 Tablespoons tamarind paste
1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1.5 cups cooked pasta
Lemon or sumac powder
Preheat your oven to 220C/400F and prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or tinfoil. Halve your eggplants lengthwise, score, dust with salt & pepper and sprinkle with neutral oil. Bake about 40 minutes, or until blackened but not turned into charcoal.
Pull and let sit to cool.
In a medium saucepan, sautee the onion and garlic (chopped) in 2 Tablespoons of oil until nicely browned. Hit with salt and pepper.
Scoop the eggplant guts into the onions and stir to combine.
Add the red chili paste, tamarind paste and pomegranate molasses. Stir to combine.
Chuck into the bowl of a food processor and whiz until mostly blended. Taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.
Put back into the pan with the cooked pasta.
Chop the pistachios and parsley. Fold into the pasta mixture and serve topped with the lemon or sumac powder.
This dish is based on a half-remembered few bites of absolutely delicious I had in the Souq in an Iraqui? Iranian? Syrian? restaurant awhile back. No idea if the flavors are quite what I tasted, but the theory is based on a popular dish called Tahdig. Tahdig means “bottom of the pot” and from what I’ve heard is a good comfort food. I can definitely see that, and we could all use a little comfort right about now.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Vaguely Persian Crispy Rice
1.5 cups leftover cooked rice (I used a long grain wild/basmati mix and I heartily suggest something along those lines)
1/2 yellow onion
2 Tablespoons mustard oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons butter or vegan butter substutute
1 small butternut squash, roasted with salt & pepper
1 scallion
Pomegranate molasses
Fresh parsley
Slivered almonds
Optional: leftover chicken sauteed simply with salt, pepper & oregano in a little oil
In a smallish nonstick pan, bring the mustard oil up to temperature over medium-high heat. While that’s working, mince the garlic. Add the turmeric, mustard seeds and garlic to the hot oil. Let bloom, stirring occasionally a few minutes or until the seeds just begin to pop and the air smells great.
While the spices are working, roughly chop the onion.
Add and sautee until softened.
Add the leftover rice, stir well to combine, season with salt & pepper and smash flat onto the bottom of the pan. I smashed mine with a potato masher into as thin and even a layer as possible.
Let cook undisturbed until crisped on the bottom. You will know the rice is done when the brown rice starts to pop, the air smells a bit nutty, and little bits you push from the outside of the pan to the edges look toasty. This is a nerve-wracking prospect.
When your rice is about 2/3 of the way done (or you’re at peak ‘I know it’s burnt’ anxiety), add the butter in pieces all around the pan.
While that’s working, chop and reheat the squash. Chop the scallions. Chop the parsley.
When the rice is ready, top with the squash, scallions, parsley & slivered almonds. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses over top. Serve with the chicken if you need a protein in your meal.
Have I told you guys about my obsession with the food from the Expanse/Leviathan Wakes universe? I love this book series (the show is great too), and it’s rife with enough description of common dishes to get this nerdy brain whirling.
I’m fascinated with how these dishes might taste – whose flavors would have influenced them – what technologies are possible in this universe – and what materials and ingredients would be available.
In the Expanse universe, there are three main societies: Earthers, Martians and Belters (humans who live exclusively in space; not on a planet). I could go on about the sociology, political landscape and happenings of the books – suffice it to say that these are the three main factions of import, and what I’m captivated by is the food available on ships or space stations.
So, the first question is what’s available to cook with? Humans have made farming colonies, so it’s safe to say that things like rice (maybe), peas or pea protein, soy, maybe something like kelp, mushrooms, tomatoes, probably things like bean sprouts, peppers, zucchini – other things you can grow in limited space would be available. I think most common would be soy products in all forms, mushrooms and something to make noodles with – rice or kontjac come to mind. Meat would be very scarce; same with dairy. Coffee is available, though most is terrible and I’m not sure if any is exactly what we mean by good coffee in this world. We know cheese is hella expensive and rare. Some analogues are available – mention is made to the lime and peanuts in Pad Thai, with mention that the speaker has never actually tasted the real version of either.
Now, the flavors: who likely had enough people to launch into space to populate the skies? China/Asia, India, ships are involved so Greece, mention is made of some Arabic peoples, I believe someone looking Irish is mentioned (though it could just be a character in the television show I’m thinking of), some generic Anglo Saxon people are seen – I think on the show at least I saw a blonde or two, an Islander of some description, African people of some descent (American or otherwise). The odd Russian. Pretty much everyone, but I’m thinking the majority at least at first were Asian and Indian.
What I’ve seen as the predominant food influences are a mix of those two cultures with some other comfort (lasagna for instance) thrown in for good measure, and I’m imagining the dishes including mushrooms & noodles lean vaguely Italian (at least in my mind).
There is a strong noodle culture in this universe, and hawker stalls which I’m imagining use woks. Microwaves and/or toaster ovens seem to be available on ships. Reconstituted food is also popular, though doesn’t seem at least to be preferred – especially not on space stations, where bars and restaurants are also available.
I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, I’ve do men a lot of pondering on the subject 😁
A warning here for my texture issues people. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is bouncy, chewy and a bit rubbery. If that bothers you as much as it does my DH, this dish is not for you. Though, from what I’ve heard, finer bits of the stuff make a nice substitution for beef when making a vegetarian version of Taco Bell’s meat.
This recipe is based off the one from the Fan site The Slow Zone. I upped the spice quantity quite a bit from their original suggestion. I may also go back and rework the TVP some day, substituting in red bean paste if I can figure out how to get that to fry up how I need it to (this dish is supposed to look like dog food – kibble is a derogatory term). I went with TVP because it was used in this recipe and I believe it would be available in the universe.
gluten-free (if you use gf flour), vegetarian, vegan
Kibble:
8 ounces textured vegetable protein or soya chunks (TVP)
1 Tablespoon flour (gf or all purpose)
1 Tablespoon oat milk (the original recipe called for yogurt, but I didn’t have a good nondairy substitute available – you could probably omit)
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons neutral oil
Sauce:
14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil. Once it’s boiling, cut the heat and add the TVP and salt and let soak 30 minutes to rehydrate. Once plump, drain well and press as much water out as possible.
Toss in a large bowl with the rest of the Kibble ingredients but the oil.
Put the clean saucepan back over medium heat. Add the sauce ingredients, bring up to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 15 – 20 minutes, adding salt and pepper as needed. More heat if you want that, too.
In your largest frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the drained and squeezed TVP and fry, moving frequently so it doesn’t stick, until browned.
Toss the fried kibble with the sauce and serve – I prefer mine with some super al dente rice pasta.
I set out to make a chimichurri-based salad, and ended up taking a trip to India instead when at the last minute I discovered my herbs had betrayed me. And it works.
Bombay chutney is a condiment used in a popular Indian street food sandwich and is kiiiiinda akin to the green mint chutney sauce served alongside a number of dishes alongside tamarind sauce. My version is a beautiful shade of emerald and has a nice spicy kick. It’s addictive, and I can’t wait to try making something akin to the actual sandwich, because I can only imagine how Bomb it would be with potato.
Like mashed potatoes. In a patty …. 🤤 But I digress.
This base recipe is great for lunch or dinner – I served it hash-style when fresh with some leftover Beyond Meat bratwurst & egg and again the next day for lunch with my favorite tuna and some bright crunch. Both ways were fantastic, but I think day 3’s lunch was actually my favorite.
gluten-free, vegetarian base, vegan base, paleo base
Lunch-To-Dinner Bombay Chimi
Base
1 head cauliflower
1 small red onion
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Bombay Chutney
1/4 cup neutral oil
Preheat the oven to 200C/375F and prep a baking sheet.
Break the cauliflower up into bite-sized pieces and spread out over the prepped pan. Halve and thinly slice the onion; add. Thinly slice the garlic; add.
Sprinkle liberally with salt & pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the chutney and oil. Pour over the veggies on the pan and toss well to combine, making sure to hit each piece.
Roast 25 minutes or until deeply browned.
Dinner Hash
1 leftover and cooked Beyond Meat bratwurst per person, sliced into rounds
1 – 2 eggs per person (optional)
1 handful chopped green beans
2 tsp. neutral oil
1 tsp. butter (vegan or otherwise)
In a large skillet over medium high heat, stir-fry the green beans in the oil until browned. Season with salt & pepper and add the bratwurst. Stir-fry until warmed through. Push to the side, add the butter and an egg per person to the pan. Fry until your desired doneness is reached. Serve with about 1/4 of the cauliflower per person.
Lunch Salad
1 medium cucumber, chopped
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can chili (red pepper) tuna, drained (optional)
To your leftover cauliflower, add the rest of the ingredients and toss. Warm to room temp if desired by zapping for :30/:45 or so and tossing.
Serves 2 if you’ve got half the cauliflower left; 3 if you only fed 1 the night before.
This sounds like a weird one, but is addictive. This dish is based on a crazy good hummus a girlfriend and I (hello, Val @hellotinywonder) had at the staple ‘bring your out-of-town guests’ place Damasca One, a stunning mostly-Syrian restaurant in Souq Waqif.
The dish we had tasted like vegan sloppy joes in the best possible way – sweet and tangy eggplant nestled in luscious kibbeh on a bed of silky hummus. It was a stunner, and the stand-out of the night (at least for me – there was also a fantastic lentil dish I couldn’t eat enough of to parse).
My recreation is solid (as attested by another girlfriend, who I had the chance to make it for – Annmarie of last weeks’ Za’atar Eggplant fame). No kibbeh in mine, and longer cooking is definitely better – but it’s super freaking good and probably a touch healthier.
I’m super pumped that I have leftovers!
Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Sweet & Sour Eggplant Hummus
Sauce:
1 large purple eggplant
1 red pepper
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
Neutral oil
Salt & pepper
Ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
Hummus:
1 can chickpeas
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. tahini
1/2 tsp. cumin
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper
Toppers:
Pomegranate arils
Toasted pine nuts
First, roast the veg. Preheat your oven to 200C/375F. Prep a baking sheet.
Chop the pepper into big chunks and put to 1 side of the tray.
Chop the eggplant into 1/2 inch pieces and put to the other side of the tray.
Sprinkle both with neutral oil, salt, pepper & ground cumin.
Bake for 30-ish minutes or until soft and blackened lightly in spots. Set aside to cool.
While that’s going, slice the onion as thinly as possible. Mince the garlic. Add to a saucepan with 3 Tbsp. neutral oil over low heat. Add some salt & pepper.
Let gently cook, stirring occasionally, 30 – 45 minutes or until the onions are deeply caramelized.
While those are both working, whiz all hummus ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or acid if necessary. Set aside.
When the veggies are baked, whiz the peppers a bit to break them up some.
Add the whizzed pepper, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. oregano, and 3 Tablespoons water into the onion mixture. Let cook a few minutes to combine.
Whiz to combine a bit better, dump back into the pan, fold in the eggplant, and cook an additional 10 minutes to reduce back down a bit and let the flavors mature.
To serve, lay the hummus down, top with the eggplant mixture and sprinkle with the toppers.
1 purple eggplant
Za’atar
Your favorite cooking oil
Salt & pepper
Line a baking sheet with paper or silicone. Preheat your oven to 200C/375F.
Slice your eggplant into thick “steaks” however you like – width or lengthwise.
Lightly score each slice with a knife in a crosshatch pattern, taking care not to slice through the pieces.
Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.
Top very generously with za’atar (enough time form a crust).
Sprinkle lightly with your oil of choice to kind of stick the spice down. Alternately, you can mix the spice and oil together in a bowl, then smooth over the eggplant slices – depends on how much oil you want to use.
Bake 25 – 35 mins or until softened and browned – a bit crisp if they’re thin slices.
This is a great little choose-your-own-adventure dinner that’s perfect for batch cooking – or a party.
Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Crispy Miso Tofu Bowl
1 block extra firm tofu
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 tsp. honey or agave
2 tsp. date molasses
2 Tbsp. sriracha
3 Tbsp. coconut aminos or soy sauce
2 tsp. white miso
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
3-4 big handfuls baby spinach
2 c. sautéed green beans, chopped
1 green onion, sliced into thin rounds
1 Tbsp. pickled ginger, minced
Nori, snipped into small strips
Furikake
Toasted sesame seeds
Togarishi spice or red pepper flakes
Sushi rice (short grain rice cooked with 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil and salt)
First, place paper towels or a tea towel over your tofu and press with a plate or something heavy about 30 minutes to remove all the water.
Prepare your oven to 200C/375F. Line a baking sheet with paper or a silicone pad.
Make a sauce by whisking the sweetener, molasses, soy, sriracha and miso.
Slice the tofu into small squares, and fold 2 Tbsp. sauce into the tofu carefully – making sure not to break the squares up. Dust with pepper & cornstarch and toss.
Dump out into the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake 10 mins, flip, and bake an additional 10 to crisp.
Sautée the spinach with the garlic and ginger and add the green beans to warm through. Add the rest of the sauce and toss to coat.
To assemble, place rice in a bowl, add the tofu and veggie mix. Top with furikake, nori, sesame seeds, togarishi, pickled ginger and green onion.
This is a solid non-dairy cheddar-like cheese that doesn’t use nuts. Cashew cheese is great, but can be really expensive – and really calorie-dense. Not exactly a weeknight food.
This version tastes pretty cheesy, makes a decent Mac & cheese (better, strangely, with sauerkraut mixed in), and would make a good dip base.
Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Vegan Nut-Free Cheddar
1 medium russet potato
1 medium carrot
2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice 1 lemon
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Roughly chop the potatoes and carrot and boil until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and let cool a bit. Add to the bowl of a blender or food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and add a little more lemon juice, spices or salt. I find if I’m missing some punch, extra mustard powder works well.
If you need an even thicker cheese sauce, heat in a pan slowly, stirring often, until desired thickness is reached.
Oooooh, this is a good one. Velvety, unctuous, vegan – and delicious.
If you’ve got it, some quickly fried tempeh would be fantastic – and location-appropriate- here. I used crisped tofu, which is also great.
Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Indonesian Coconut Curry
3 cloves garlic
2 small shallots
2 red chilis
1 Tbsp. turmeric powder
1.5 inches fresh ginger
4 macadamia nuts
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. black pepper
Few grinds salt
4 Tbsp. coconut oil
6 small white potatoes
1 can light coconut cream
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
1 pkg. extra form tofu
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
First, preheat the oven to 200C (375F).
Prep the tofu by slicing into bite-sized squares, covering with paper towels or a tea cloth and pressing with something heavy. Let sit half an hour.
Delicately place in a large bowl. Add the oil, coconut aminos and cornstarch – lightly fold to combine without breaking.
Turn the tofu out onto a prepared baking sheet in a single layer, ideally with a little space between the pieces. Bake 10 minutes, flip, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until crisped up and browned. Remove and set aside.
Make a curry paste by whizzing everything above the coconut oil in a food processor until a paste forms, adding a little water if necessary.
Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry until very fragrant and just beginning to brown.
Add the potatoes, coconut cream and kaffir leaves and stir to combine. Sautée 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are softened and the sauce reduces down to a velvety smoothness.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking, fold in the crisped tofu.
Ok, so I’m on a harvest-theme here lately, and all the dishes that have been making me happy speak of (North American) Fall.
This dish is lighter-than-expected, makes a lovely salad for surprise company, and can be bulked up easily to feed a crowd.
It’s also fantastic topped with leftover turkey pancetta and pepitas from last week’s Fall Harvest Soup recipe.
Quick note: if your coconut flakes look like mine (shreds) and you toast your cauliflower as deeply as me (I like some burnt pieces), this dish may look like it has croutons in it. Which was giving my brain a weird disconnect that was less than pleasant. The coconut in here is actually really pleasant and gives a nice little subtly sweet nuttiness with a bit of texture.
Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30
Harvest Cauliflower Pilaf
1 smallish head cauliflower, cut into small bits or riced (I did small bits because with my current kitchen setup I just can’t be bothered to fully rice cauliflower)
1 apple (Granny Smith or Fuji – you want something with a bit of tartness or crispness)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Double hand full flat leaf parsley, chopped
Pomegranate seeds (I’m lazy and buy mine prepared – I used a good amount and keep adding more fresh every time I go for leftovers because they’re delightful and so very pretty. Use however much your eye wants to bring nice color to this otherwise very green dish)
3 Tbsp. coconut milk (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
Few generous sprays oil (I love a grape seed oil pump I’ve been using lately – it’s really cutting down on the amount of oil I feel I have to use)
Generous sprinkle black pepper
Liberal amount of salt
Generous sprinkle cayenne pepper
Generous sprinkle curry powder
Generous sprinkle cumin powder
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup unsweet shredded or flaked coconut
Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Prep a baking sheet with a liner, process your cauliflower into tiny bits, and spread in a single layer.
Hit with the oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, and curry). Toss and roast for 35-40 minutes or until your desired toastiness is achieved.
In the last 5 minutes (or if you forget, stir the cauliflower, flip the pan around and put back in the oven), chuck the almonds & coconut on the pan. Roast to toast 3-5 minutes, being careful to watch and make sure these delicate additions don’t burn.
When done, add to a large bowl.
Chop and toss in the apple, garlic and parsley. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Toss to combine. Add enough pomegranate arils to make yourself happy.
Serve room temp or cold – either way is fantastic.
Serves 4 as a meal or a party as part of a larger spread
Gastography 