VeganMoFo # 2: Peachy Custard Pie

I have a confession to make: sometimes I buy too much fruit. It is very true: it's so pretty and so delicious, and at certain times of the year the sheer abundance of whatever's in season can make me a little unhinged. Now that fall is here, it will mostly be pears and apples for awhile, but this past week I indulged in a last hurrah of white peaches (which are not only sweet, juicy and beautiful but big). We've been happily eating them for breakfast with soy yogurt and granola, or on their own as snacks, but I still had four huge ones in the fruit bowl begging to be used before it was too late. October means pie season, and (since I found out that Bird's custard powder is---yes!---vegan) every month means custard season, so I figured I'd combine these two universal truths in a peach and custard pie. The last time we had a custard pie I was too lazy to make a topping for it, and the result was a yummy dessert that looked sort of, well, ugly. So this one has a nifty walnut/oatmeal topping similar to an apple crisp; it's fast, easy, looks nice and tastes really good, so when people come home and go, "Wow, you baked a pie?!" you can simply respond with a serene, Earth Motherly smile that says, "No effort is too great for you, my precious darlings," and serve it up!

Peachy Custard Pie
The Fruit
~ 4 cups chopped, ripe peaches (I never peel fruit, and you don't have to, either)
~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
~ 1 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside. See how easy this is?

The Custard
~ 3 tbsp. Bird's custard powder
~ 2 cups vanilla soy milk
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1/2 tsp. each almond and orange extracts

Prepare according to package directions and allow to cool while you make...

The Topping
~ 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
~ 1/4 cup rolled oats
~ 1/4 tsp. each: cinnamon, ginger, salt
~ 1 tbsp. maple syrup

Mix everything together in a separate bowl and set aside.

The Assembly
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
~ Transfer the chopped peach mixture to a single pie crust of your choice. I used a frozen whole-wheat one from the market; it was fine, but home-made would obviously be better, especially if you're good at pie crust!
~ Pour the custard over the fruit and smooth it out a bit with a rubber spatula, to help it ooze down into the peachiness.
~ Distribute the topping evenly over the whole thing.
~ Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the custard is firming up; this may take a bit longer depending on your oven.
~ Allow to cool at least an hour before slicing; now do you see why they say, "easy as pie?"

Beautiful Leek & Potato Soup

Beautiful soup, so rich and green, waiting in a hot tureen…
Who for such dainties would not stoop? 
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup! 

When I was first learning my way around the kitchen as an adolescent vegetarian, my go-to resources were venerable classics like The Vegetarian Epicure and The Moosewood Cookbook. Both were textbook examples of the hippie vegetarian cookbook: filled with doodles, line drawings, and informally chatty recipes for hearty soups, stews, and casseroles. They also featured lots of eggs and dairy; in memory it seems like everything I cooked contained cheese and/or butter, and a shocking number of quiches were consumed.

Back in those days, Mollie Katzen's Potato Leek Soup was in regular rotation; I happily recall making it in my very first apartment with my then-future husband, sipping cheap wine and (almost) feeling like a Real Grown-Up. Nowadays, veganizing old favorites is a diverting pastime and Real Grown-Up Work Procrastination technique, so I recently dug out my ancient copy of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest - winner of the "Hippiest Cookbook Title of All Time" award - to revisit this beloved standby.

Unsurprisingly, the original recipe calls for cow's milk and half a stick of butter, for which I substituted a combination of bouillon, unsweetened soy milk, and a little olive oil, respectively. Since Mollie was as sparing with vegetables and seasonings as she was profligate with effluvia, I increased those elements, which gives the soup its lovely color.

The finished product was an unqualified success that will satisfy the most nostalgic of hippie food cravings. Add some bread, a green salad with tahini dressing, and a glass of that cheap wine, you'll have a meal true to the spirit (if not the letter) of those cherished, dog-eared, tamari-splattered cookbooks of yesteryear.

Beautiful Leek & Potato Soup

Ingredients:
~ 3 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk 
~ 3 cups water
~ 2 tbsp. "no chicken" bouillon
~ 2-3 bay leaves
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 large yellow onion, chopped
~ 2 large leeks, cleaned and chopped (about 3-4 cups)
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 2 stalks celery, diced
~ 2 large carrots, chopped
~ 4-5 large Yukon Gold potatoes (Mollie says "fist-sized"), cubed
~ 1 tsp. each: marjoram, dill, thyme, rosemary
~ ¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
~ Dash nutmeg
~ A few healthy grinds fresh black pepper
~ 1/2 cup white wine
~ 3/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley

Directions:
~ Combine the soy milk, water, bouillon, and bay leaves and bring nearly to a boil. Cover and set aside.
~ In a large, deep pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and leeks; sauté about 2-3 minutes.
~ Add the garlic and seasonings (except the fresh parsley); cook another few minutes.
~ Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, and wine; cook 5-7 minutes more.
~ Add the soy milk/bouillon mixture to the pot, cover, and bring briefly to a boil.
~ Lower the heat to simmer and cook another 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
~ Remove the bay leaves, stir in the fresh parsley, and allow to cool briefly.
~ Transfer to a food processor and blend in batches or puree with an immersion blender. You can add a bit more water if it seems too thick.
~ Return to heat, being careful not to boil; taste for seasoning (I find the bouillon sufficiently salty, but your mileage may vary) and serve hot.

French Toast!

One of my favorite childhood breakfasts was french toast, afloat on a veritable sea of butter and maple syrup. This was sort of a special event, since we weren't really a sit down breakfast family; on an ordinary day, a cup of tea and an English muffin would probably be it, but on a weekend or holiday we'd get something more exciting. Anyway, as an adult, I find that the combined flavors of vanilla, cinnamon and maple summon up all sorts of comforting associations, especially now that autumn is here and the mornings are cool. Yesterday was one of the first days we reached for the warm, fuzzy robes before heading downstairs, and since it was Saturday, I thought: "Hmmmm...(vegan) french toast and (tempeh) bacon!"

There are a number of good vegan french (or, as they are often called, "fronch!") toast recipes out there; the common denominator is chickpea flour, which does something miraculous to the batter. If you've never tried it, I guarantee you will be astonished at the way it helps ordinary bread achieve the magical, crispy texture of those cozy childhood breakfasts. The following recipe is the way I do it, but the quantities are probably pretty forgiving; I like a fairly thick, gloppy batter and whole grain bread, while you may prefer it thinner, or want to use white bread, or French bread, or even raisin bread, you crazy nut. It's also possible you may not share my cinnamon/vanilla jones (although I find that incomprehensible), so go ahead and tinker around until you get the french toast of your dreams. Then again, you may decide that it's perfect, just the way it is!

French Toast

Ingredients
~ 6 slices toasted whole grain bread (I like the Ezekiel sesame variety)
~ 6 oz. vanilla soy yogurt (or plain, but more vanilla is always better!)
~ 1/2 cup soy or other non-dairy milk
~ 1 tbsp. maple syrup
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1 tsp. cinnamon
~ 1/2 tsp. salt
~ 1 tbsp. corn starch
~ 1/4-1/3 chickpea flour, depending how thick you want your batter

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
~ In a relatively shallow mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the toasted bread. The batter doesn't have to be totally smooth, but everything should be well combined. Place one slice of toasted bread in the batter and let it sit for a minute or two.
~ Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray or about 2 tbsp. canola oil.
~ Add the soaked bread to the pan and cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until miraculously brown and crispy; as you cook each soaked slice, put another dry one in the batter to await its turn in the pan.
~ Adding more oil or cooking spray as necessary to prevent sticking, continue until all the bread is cooked, transferring the finished slices to a baking sheet to keep warm in the oven.
~ Serve with vegan margarine, maple syrup, sliced fresh fruit and tempeh bacon for a breakfast (or brunch, or even dinner, what the hell!) that will fill your tummy with a warm, happy feeling on a chilly fall day.

Twin Pizzas!

Double, double, toil and trouble...well, not really. But aren't they cute? Even their mother couldn't tell them apart! Don't be fooled by the ancient, skanky baking sheets upon which they are so ignobly displayed, these were some seriously quality pies. I say "were" because after strutting and fretting their (brief) hour upon the table, they were...well, no more. Alas.

But I digress. It's been awhile since I posted, since everyone at my house is busy with classes again (except the dog and the cat, who are home-schooled), meaning less time to mess around in the kitchen. On the one hand, this makes me kind of sad because I really love to cook; on the other, it makes the time I do have seem more valuable, since it's a welcome opportunity to do something creative while giving certain parts of my brain a rest. This weekend, my Big Plan was to work hard all day on Saturday, in order to justify spending Sunday afternoon at the PetRock Festival, an annual local event in support of a number of animal welfare agencies.

You can read their mission statement here, and should definitely check it out next year if you're in or around New England: http://www.petrockfest.com/content/view/24/43/. It's a ton of fun in a very worthy cause; if nothing else, you've probably never seen so many or such a variety of hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves clept all by the name of dogs in one place, unless you hang out at Westminster!

Anyway, I did spend most of Saturday immersed in paper writing, despite the cat's Big Plan to nap directly on top of the article I needed. By late afternoon, I just wanted to unwind in the kitchen, and had been thinking about pizza all week. Ordinarily, I'd make my own pizza dough (see above in re: less time to cook), but in this case a prepared whole wheat version, from a company called Rustic Crust, was just fine. And really, it's all about the toppings, anyway, isn't it? This time I used fire-roasted tomatoes, baby spinach, caramelized onions, sliced olives and--this is what catapulted it into the stratosphere of pizza yumminess--an adaptation of the cashew ricotta from Veganomicon (Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, Da Capo Press, 2007), using cashews and pine nuts. This stuff is completely addictive: the first batch I ever made barely survived long enough to get into the casserole for which it was intended, because we were eating it straight out of the food processor. It adds a wonderfully creamy, substantial quality to this pizza that guaranteed its speedy disappearance and made me very glad that I'd made two.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Spinach, Olives and Cashew Ricotta
The Onions

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 3 cups thinly sliced onions (about 2 large ones)
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ ½ tsp. salt
~ Fresh black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are becoming brown and crispy. Set aside.

The Cashew Ricotta
~ 1 lb. firm tofu
~ 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
~ 1/2 cup pine nuts
~ 1/4 cup lemon juice
~ 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tbsp. dried basil
~ 1 tsp. each salt, dried rosemary
~ Fresh black pepper

In a food processor, mix all ingredients to form a smooth, delicious paste.

The Other Stuff
~ 2 prepared pizza crusts (I like whole wheat)
~ 1 28 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained in a colander
~ 1 cup sliced black olives
~ 3 cups baby spinach leaves

The Assembly
~ Preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.
~ Coat the pizza crusts with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil; just smear it on with your hands.
~ Divide the drained tomatoes between the two crusts and distribute evenly.
~ Drop the cashew ricotta by big spoonfuls on top of the tomatoes. You can spread it around a bit, but try not to actually mix it in with the tomatoes.
~ Place the spinach, caramelized onions and olives (in that order) on top of the ricotta layer.
~ Lower the oven to 425. Transfer the pizzas to lightly oiled baking sheets, pizza pans, or directly on to the oven racks if you like (just keep an eye on them so they don't burn!).
~ Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is firm and the toppings are beginning to brown. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Quasi-Caribbean Feast

I'm going to start this post with a shout-out for a great restaurant in my very own hometown. The One Love Cafe is a tiny storefront place that serves Jamaican food in a warm, homey atmosphere, usually with Jimmy Cliff or Bob Marley in the background. Best of all, they have a whole page of vegan options, and for anyone who has ever fallen in love with Caribbean food, finding an animal-free interpretation within 10 minutes of your own kitchen is pretty sweet.

That said, we don't get to eat there (or anywhere!) as often as we'd like, because we have kids, work, school, animal companions, crazy families and all the other stuff that informs modern life. On the other hand, I love cooking gigantic meals, especially when there's a theme...it's kind of like a costume party for food, you know? So it was that a recent craving for sweet/hot/spicy food resulted in a really excellent dinner; what follows is a litany of several dishes, some original, some adapted, that complement one another beautifully. As ever, you should feel free to tinker with seasonings, quantities, etc., (to my mind, the fun of cooking is all about experimentation), but I can honestly say that all of these recipes kick some serious butt just as they are.

So. We have a few things going on here, but let's start with what I'm calling "Quasi-Caribbean Marinade for Tofu and/or Veggies." This is basically an adaptation of the Jerk Seitan marinade in Vegan With A Vengeance, except I’ve added some coconut milk and upped the onions and sweet spices. I’m not too crazy about seitan, so I used tofu instead, and it turned out fine; the key is to press the tofu for at least 30 minutes, so it will soak up the marinade. One batch will easily marinate a pound of cubed, extra firm tofu and a whole mess of veggies: an eggplant, a huge zucchini, a yellow bell pepper and two sweet potatoes took a bath in this after the tofu had its turn, and they were all great. With some rice or millet (recipe follows) on the side, and a generous application of jerky coconut sauce (ditto), this is the perfect dinner for when you want something that tastes warm and sunny. A few rum drinks wouldn’t come amiss, either, so make sure to lay in some ginger beer for dark & stormies.

Quasi-Caribbean Marinade
Ingredients:
~ 2 tbsp. oil (I used hot chili oil, but use whatever you like)
~ 2 tbsp. maple syrup
~ 2 tbsp, minced garlic
~ 2 tbsp. grated ginger
~ 1 cup finely chopped onions
~ 2 tbsp. tamari
~ 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
~ 1 tbsp. good curry powder
~ 1 tsp. cinnamon
~ ½ tsp. each: cayenne, nutmeg, allspice
~ Fresh black pepper to taste
~ 1 cup lite coconut milk

Directions:
~ In a large-ish mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients and stir well to combine.
~ Add 1 lb. extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2" cubes, and marinate at least 2 hours; I leave it all day if I can get sufficiently organized in the morning.
~ Remove the tofu cubes from the marinade and place on an oiled baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning once halfway through.
~ Serve with rice or (even better!) the millet recipe below; in a perfect world you’ll have some sautéed collard greens on the side as well.
~ NB that you can use the remaining marinade for whatever vegetables you plan to have alongside. Just rub it all over them, add a little coarse salt and pepper, then roast them on an oiled baking sheet at about 450 degrees until they’re all brown and lovely. The time will vary according to the vegetables; I think sweet potatoes, red bell peppers and zucchini lend themselves particularly well to this treatment.

Onion and Scallion Millet
Ingredients:
~ 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
~ 1 cup finely chopped onions
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, curry powder, coriander
~ Fresh black pepper to taste
~ 1 cup millet
~ 2 cups vegetable stock

Directions:
~ In a dry skillet, toast the millet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the grains begin to brown and give off a toasty scent. Remove from the pan and set aside.
~ In a saucepan, heat a little broth and add the scallions. Saute over medium heat about a minute before adding the onions and cooking another 2-3 minutes.
~ Add the millet and seasonings; continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
~ Raise the heat, add the stock, cover, and bring to a boil.
~ Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
~ Fluff with a fork and serve alongside marinated, baked tofu and roasted vegetables, topped with...

Jerky Coconut Sauce
Ingredients:
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tbsp. ginger
~ 2 tbsp. flour
~ 2 tbsp. maple syrup
~ 1 tsp. each: curry powder, allspice
~ ½ tsp. each: cayenne, nutmeg, salt
~ Fresh black pepper to taste
~ 1 cup lite coconut milk
~ 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
~ ¼ cup peanut butter

Directions:
~ In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic and ginger. Saute for about 3 minutes, adding some water if necessary to prevent sticking.
~ Reduce heat to low, and add the maple syrup and seasonings.
~ Add the flour and about ¼ cup of the soymilk, stirring constantly to make a roux.
~ Raise the heat to medium, and gradually add the remaining coconut milk, soymilk and peanut butter, stirring constantly until it thickens (this could take 5-10 minutes; be patient, already!).
~ Serve over tofu, millet, roasted veggies, or whatever else you like; seriously, this stuff would be good on anything.

Wash it all down with my preferred version of a cocktail that claims to be "Bermuda's national drink." Be that as it may, it's good with Jamaican food, too...I think this is what the better class of pirates would drink at a cocktail party.

Dark & Stormy
Ingredients:
~ 6 oz Gosling's Black Seal rum
~ 8 oz high quality ginger beer, such as Barritt's
~ Juice of 1 lime
~ Lime wedges for garnish

Directions:
This is a drink that you "build." Divide the rum between two ice-filled glasses (highballs, if you've got 'em), then top with the ginger beer and lime juice. Give the most perfunctory of stirs, and serve garnished with lime wedges. Aarrgghh; bottoms up, maties!

Corn and Zucchini Bisque

August can be such a bittersweet month. On the one hand, summer is drawing to a close, the days are getting shorter, and the whole back-to-school thing looms ever larger on the horizon. It's sort of like the Sunday afternoon of the year: there's nothing on TV but "Wild Kingdom," and you haven't even started your homework yet. On the other hand, Mother Nature's bounty is at it's zenith: there's fresh corn! And tomatoes! And zucchini...lots and lots and lots of zucchini. As noted in a previous post, I'm personally incapable of raising anything but our annual bumper crop of mint, but we're blessed with green-fingered friends who are generous with their bounty (Christine and Jeffrey, you know who you are). Why, in the past three days alone we've produced a couple dozen zucchini muffins, a pile of party-bound crudites to accompany muhammara and hummus, and the zucchini pasta with raw cashew alfredo sauce from "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen," which was not only incredibly easy but totally yum; highly recommended. Nonetheless, we still have a few left, just crying out to be eaten before it's too late.

To complement this plethora of pulses, two days ago we picked up a dozen ears of beautiful corn, of which we ate only six. I am a firm believer that just-shucked corn should be cooked immediately and eaten right off the cob, but the fact is that it's easy to get a little excited at the farm stand and overbuy. All that uneaten corn provoked the overpowering urge to make some sort of chowder or bisque, and it occurred to me that here we had two summery things could only be made better by swimming together (well, actually, being pureed together) in a lovely, thick, thyme and tarragon-scented soup. And so they were; this recipe is the perfect use for the extra ears you couldn't quite finish, and tastes really good on those late August evenings that carry just a hint of cooler nights to come...and it will get rid of some of that zucchini, too!

Before making this, you should banish any nasty childhood memories of those gross, mushy chowders with the flavor of bacon grease and the texture of {{shudder}} canned creamed corn, and get ready for this fresh, mildly spicy concoction that knows what a corn-based soup should be. Be forewarned that this recipe calls for a ton of vegetables, and the lion's share of the labor is in the chopping; don't be alarmed by the volume of the ingredients, because they cook down a lot, and once pureed make a perfectly reasonable quantity of soup. You're going to want it for leftovers, anyway, because it will be even better the next day. This soup is actually surprisingly filling, and a little goes a long way. We had it with just a great big salad, but it would be delicious with some nice crusty bread, especially as the weather cools down. Neither corn nor zucchini season is over yet, so we'll probably be having this at least another once or twice before it's time for apple pie.

Corn and Zucchini Bisque
Ingredients:
~ 1 tbsp. oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 2 cups chopped onions
~ 1 cup chopped scallions
~ 1 cup diced celery
~ 1 cup diced carrots
~ 1 cup diced bell pepper
~ 8 cups chopped zucchini
~ 8 cups corn (about 8 cobs' worth)
~ 1 tbsp. tarragon
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, parsley, basil
~ 2 tsp. each: rosemary, dill
~ ½ tsp. nutmeg
~ ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper,
~ ¼ cup fresh thyme
~ 2 cups vegetable broth
~ 1 cup soymilk

Directions:
~ In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a minute or two before adding the garlic and celery. Sauté another 3-4 minutes, adding a little of the broth to prevent sticking if necessary.
~ Add the scallions, carrots, bell peppers and all the seasonings except the fresh thyme. Stir until well combined and cook another 5 minutes.
~ Add the zucchini and mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the zucchini is getting soft.
~ Add the corn, fresh thyme and remaining broth, return to a boil, then replace the cover and cook over low heat for 10 more minutes.
~ Remove from heat and add the soymilk. At this point, you can transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend in batches, or simply puree with an immersion blender; we're going for a smooth, bisquelike texture here.
~ Return to heat, being careful not to boil, and serve immediately.

Minty Lentil and Bulghur Salad

One of the problems with summertime is that hot weather often means a decreased interest in cooking, which doesn't necessarily equal a disinterest in eating. As the lazy afternoon wears on, dragging what's left of your ambition inexorably in its wake, empty tummies can turn into a serious nuisance. This is when a substantial grain and/or bean salad can be a lifesaver: if you make it in the morning, while everything is still cool and pleasant, it can sit contentedly in the refrigerator all day, just waiting for you to come along and eat it, preferably on a bed of leafy greens with a nice, cold glass of dry white wine.

Fresh herbs add something wonderful to salads like this, but be aware that, should you feel moved to make this in the winter, you can also substitute dried mint. Mint has a particularly summery taste, and we use a lot of it at my house, for the simple reason that we have so much, and thereby hangs a tale. First, the gentle reader should know that I come from a long line of gardeners; both my mother and sister are blessed with what the English charmingly call "green fingers," as opposed to just thumbs, which is all we get here in the States. In fact, I have an as-yet-undeveloped theory that this digital disparity may explain the overall floral lushness on the other side of the pond, but I don't want to digress. Anyway, the sad part of this story is that this green gene is apparently recessive, because whether the fault lies in my fingers or thumbs, I am the horticultural aberration in my clan: I can kill a houseplant at 20 paces, with the very kindest of intentions.

When I moved into my house, one of my homely domestic ambitions was to plant an herb garden, which I immediately did. It wasn't large or splendid, but it had a pretty wide variety of things, and I actually met with a bit of success, at least at first. Everything went south when I foolishly introduced (wait for it, gardeners...) mint into the mix; soon after, I had a truly magnificent mint garden, which continues to flourish to this day. Of course, this is still a very useful thing, and over the years I've developed a lot of recipes using this most aggressive of herbs. It's good for tea, mojitos, and Pimm's cup, but I think it's especially good in Mediterranean-themed salads like this one. Combining lentils, bulghur, bell peppers and---that's right, kids---KALE with a healthy dose of mint, it's fresh, nutritious and filling without being heavy. Be warned that this recipe makes a lot, enough for a party, or to feed off for a few days, so you can cut it in half if you want a more reasonable amount of food. The best part is that if you make it ahead of time, all you have to do is take it out of the refrigerator when you're uncorking that wine and everyone will think (okay, know) that you are a sorceress, a goddess, and the heroine of the dinner hour! Unless you're a dude, of course, in which case you can switch that to "sorcerer, god (in the classical, pantheistic sense) and hero." But enough talking: now, we cook!

Minty Lentil and Bulgur Salad

Ingredients

The Salad
~ 1.5 cups green or brown lentils
~ 4 cups water
~ 1 stick cinnamon
~ 1 bay leaf
~ 2 cups bulghur wheat
~ 3 cups vegetable stock
~ 1 small bunch kale (or baby spinach), about 4 cups chopped
~ 1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
~ 2 small carrots, diced; about 3/4 cup
~ 1/2-1 cup chopped fresh mint, depending on your mint jones (or 2 tbsp. dried mint, if it's winter!)
~ 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

The Dressing
~ 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
~ 1/4 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons' worth
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, tarragon, thyme, marjoram, and dill
~ Fresh black pepper to taste

Directions
~ In a saucepan, bring the 3 cups of stock to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the bulghur, and cover tightly. Allow to sit about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
~ In a separate pot, bring the 4 cups of water, the cinnamon stick and the bay leaf to a boil. Add the lentils and return to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer for 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked but still have some bite. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaf, drain and set aside.
~ In a large bowl, combine bulghur, lentils, chopped vegetables and mint.
~ Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad mixture; stir thoroughly to combine.
~ Refrigerate for as long as possible before serving; I make this as much as 24 hours in advance, because the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Top with the pine nuts and serve on salad greens; it's equally good cold or at room temperature.