Samosa-esque Chickpea Pancakes

The past few weeks have been a blur of stuff - some good, some bad, and some downright ugly - with the result that I haven't been doing as much cooking as usual. There are the evenings when I'm out, but also a fair few when I'm home but just too tired and/or lacking in ambition to get busy in the kitchen. This is unfortunate, because I generally use cooking as a way to unwind and decompress: a little music, a cheerful cocktail, some chit-chat with my partner, kids, dog, cat - typically some combination of these - and I'm able to gain some temporary distance from whatever's pressing my stress button.

That being the case, I've found myself compensating by cooking at weird times, like weekday brunch (one of the many sweet things about being a grad student living with a professor who is currently on leave!). In fact, this very morning I announced my intention to "do something crazy with chickpea flour and that bowl of leftover mashed potatoes," a threat upon which I proceeded to make good. The result was something between a pancake, a crepe, and a dosa, with a vaguely samosa-like filling. They were really good, and really filling; we only managed to finish one apiece, so there will be plenty of leftovers. Most importantly, making this satisfied my craving to cook while providing the necessary fuel for yet another multi-faceted day. On to the next thing!

Samosa-esque Chickpea Pancakes
The Filling
Ingredients~1 tbsp. oil (I used canola)
~1 cup onion, chopped
~1 tbsp. garlic, minced
~1 tsp. each: salt, paprika, curry powder, cumin
~1/2 tsp. dill
~1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
~A few grinds of black pepper
~3 scallions, thinly sliced
~1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
~2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

Directions
~In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and saute the onion over medium-high heat about 5 minutes.
~Add the garlic and all seasonings and continue cooking another few minutes.
~Raise the heat to high, add the scallions and mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, being careful to keep the mixture moving so it doesn't stick (you can add a splash of water if necessary).
~Add the green peas, stir to combine, and cook 5 minutes more, until the mixture is getting browned and slightly crispy.
~Cover and set aside to keep warm while you make...

The Pancakes
Ingredients
~1 1/3 cup chickpea flour, firmly packed
~1/2 teaspoon each: salt, curry powder
~1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
~1 1/4 cup water
~Vegetable oil for cooking

Directions
~In a large beaker, sift the chickpea flour, salt, curry powder and turmeric.
~Slowly add the water, stirring well to eliminate any clumps.
~Coat a large non-stick skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat to medium-low.
~Stir the batter and pour about 1/2 cup into the skillet. Turn and tilt the
skillet to spread the batter into a circle about 6" in diameter.
~Cover the skillet and let cook for about 5 minutes; the pancake should be slightly
crisp at the edges and bottom.
~Carefully ease a plastic spatula underneath, lift it and place on a plate. Cover the plate with foil to keep warm until all the batter has been used.

The Assembly (this is the easy part)
~Place a pancake on your plate (warmed plates are nice!), then spoon about the filling across one side.
~Fold over, et voila! Serve immediately, ideally with some sweet mango pickle or chutney. (This would actually make a great dinner, especially with some dal and a green vegetable on the side to round things out.)

Rainy Day Biscuits

As I type this, it is a grey, windy, pleasantly dreary Sunday afternoon, with a rainy/snowy mix of precipitation coating the red and orange leaves: in short, a perfect day to stay at home in my jammies (especially since my luck may have finally run out, and I feel like I'm getting sick). We were also out pretty late last night--damn you for a bad influence, Joe Nugent!--and by the time we were up and caffeinated "brunch" was in danger of becoming "lunch." Nonetheless, I was seized by the idea that biscuits and gravy might make me feel better, so into the kitchen I shuffled, wondering all the while if it might not be a better idea to just go back to bed. About an hour later, as we were happily chowing down, I was glad I'd acted on the impulse, because these were easily the best biscuits I've ever made. As I mentioned in a previous post, our curiosity about Daiya vegan cheese finally got the better of us, and we ordered some from Vegan Essentials. On the whole, I like it, and it's very easy to cook with (ask me about the Welsh rarebit I made last week: aye-yi-yi!), so I thought I'd throw some in and see what happened; you can see the results in the picture. We had them with my own recipe for "sausage" gravy and now, despite my stuffy head, scratchy throat and achy muscles, my stomach is warm and happy. And as God is my witness, I can't imagine that I'll ever be hungry again!

Rainy Day Biscuits
(NB: if you don't have any vegan cheese or don't want to use it, just make the recipe as is but add an extra 1/4 cup margarine to the amount listed.)

Ingredients:
~ 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose, if you prefer)
~ 5 tsp. baking powder
~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, sage, dill
~ 1/4 cup chilled Earth Balance or other vegan shortening (I freeze it and then grate it into the flour)
~ 1/3 cup grated cheddar flavor Daiya (or other vegan cheese)
~ 2/3 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk

Directions:
~ Preaheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
~ In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and seasonings.
~ Add the shortening and "cheese," if using. Mix with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.
~ Add the soy milk, and mix with a fork until you have a smooth dough (don't overwork it or your biscuits will be tough!).
~ Turn out onto a floured surface and roll or press until the dough is about 1/2" thick.
~ Use the floured rim of a glass to cut the dough into circles, and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and beautiful.

The "Sausage"

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1/2 cup chopped onion
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 carrot, finely diced
~ 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
~ 2 veggie burgers, crumbled (I used Amy's California burgers, but any vegan burger or crumbles would do)
~ 1/2 tsp. salt
~ 1 tsp. each: sage, thyme, parsley
~ Fresh black pepper


Directions
~ In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for 2-3 minutes.
~ Add the garlic, carrot and spices; cook another few minutes then add the mushrooms.
~ After about 5 minutes, add the crumbled veggie burgers, raise the heat to high, and cook 5-10 minutes more, stirring often and adding a splash of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and set aside.

The Gravy

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 2-3 tbsp. flour
~ 2 cups vegetable broth
~ 1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 tsp. each salt, thyme, sage, dried parsley
~ 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke (or 1 tsp. smoked paprika)
~ Lots of fresh black pepper
~ A good shot of hot sauce, to taste

Directions:
~ Combine the soy milk and vegetable broth and heat to almost boiling, either on the stove or in the microwave.
~ In a saucepan, warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the flour and the spices, stirring to make a roux.
~ As it begins to thicken, add the broth/soy milk mixture gradually, stirring constantly.
~ Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking 5-10 minutes, until you get the consistency you like (you can always add more liquid if it's too thick, or turn the heat up to reduce it if it's not thick enough).
~ Add the "sausage" mixture and combine thoroughly.
~ Ladle generously over your biscuits for a delicious and astonishingly filling breakfast. Or lunch. Or whatever.
~ Go back to bed and take a nice, long nap, ideally with a dog, a cat and/or a person you love.

Khichari with Dill and Tomatoes

Greetings food fans. This is Desdemona’s spoiled-rotten partner here, hopping on the Elizavegan/Vegan MoFo bandwagon. As careful readers of this blog might have sussed out, Desdemona is currently participating in that steeplechase of the knowledge industry, graduate school. Contrary to what many people believe, this does not just involve lying in a hammock, reading all your favorite books, taking sips from a fruity drink, and waving a quick hello to your friendly professor from time to time. This year’s MoFo coincides with an actual mofo of a semester, and although messing about in the kitchen is a major source of pleasure and relaxation for her, she is instead grading her way through a muddy torrent of midterm exams. I’ve been doing somewhat more cooking as she slaves away, and am happy to contribute a post to bump up the count a little; it’s the very least I can do in thanks for the love - and the astonishing food - with which she showers me every day.

OK, enough mushy stuff. Tonight’s dinner is an Indian khichari (a stew of dal and rice), which seemed like the perfect thing to make as the weather cools and snow flurries drift down on our little corner of the world. Indian food has been a go-to cuisine for me for many years: it is much easier to make than people think, it tends to get enthusiastic responses from guests, and North America is blessed with so many immigrants from the subcontinent that most ingredients are now available in any large or medium sized community, and in many smaller ones.

Best of all for the herbivorous crowd, most of the various cuisines of India have deep-rooted, vigorous, and complex traditions of vegetarianism. This one is adapted from Yamuna Devi’s Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, which is one of the biggest and most impressive Indian cookbooks out there. The dish comes from Gujarat, the pronged bump on India’s west coast, just below the Pakistani border, the source of some truly excellent cuisine. If you’re ever in Toronto, go way out into the suburbs to the Exotic Indian Cuisine Restaurant on Albion Road, and thank me later.

Some notes on ingredients and preparation:
(i) This recipe calls for chana dal, which is readily available at any Indian grocery store. If you don’t have it in the house, substitute yellow split peas – you won’t notice the difference! Devi recommends soaking the dal for 5 hours, but in fact I cut myself short on time and ended up soaking it for only an hour. It was fine.

(ii) Lord Krishna’s Cuisine adheres to Ayurveda, a traditional system of diet and medicine that does not use onions and garlic, which are thought to inhibit meditation and devotion. I’ve always been an enthusiastic consumer of these two ingredients, but it’s an interesting fact that I had been cooking out of this cookbook for several years before someone pointed out the absence to me! Although I’ve never been tempted to add onions and garlic to the excellent recipes in this book, you could always give it a try if you feel like it.

(iii) Many of the recipes in this book include hefty quantities of ghee or clarified butter. In my pre-vegan days, I enjoyed both the smell of cooking ghee and its taste in the dishes, but I often found myself eating three spoonfuls of something and feeling uncomfortably stuffed. Now many Indian restaurants are cutting out the ghee for health reasons, and I find that these recipes are much better all-round with vegetable oil instead. I also bumped up the spices by a factor of 1.5 or 2, as I always do with Indian recipes.

Khichari with Dill and Tomatoes
Ingredients
¾ cup split chana dal or yellow split peas
¾ cup basmati or other long-grain white rice
6½ cups water or vegetable stock
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ cup chopped fresh dill or 1 heaping tbsp. dried dill
1 tsp. garam masala
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chili peppers
¼ tsp. asafoetida powder (½ tsp. if you dare; we do!)
3 medium-sized tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions
1. Soak the dal or split peas in hot water for 5 hours, or as much of 5 hours as you have time for. It’ll be fine.
2. Place the dal, rice, water, turmeric, dill, and garam masala in a 3-4 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and slowly cook for 1-1½ hours. The dal should be soft and the rice cooked; basically, the consistency of a nice bowl of oatmeal at breakfast. Remove from the heat.
3. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When it is hot (about a minute), stir in the cumin seeds and red chili. Fry until the cumin seeds are brown. Sprinkle in the asafetida powder and immediately add the tomato pieces. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and glisten with oil. Pour the fried seasoning into the cooked dal, stir in the salt, the lemon juice and serve hot. This isn’t a very spicy dish, so go ahead and heat it up with a bunch of Indian pickle if you’ve got it!

Scrambled Polenta (or, "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery")

I know, right? It's genius! I was inspired to make this by Cupcake Kitteh's Vegan MoFo post from about a week ago. I love polenta, but don't make it very often, so I confess that the brilliant idea of using it in a scramble had never occurred to me. But it's so good! It's also dead simple, really fast--especially if you already have leftover cooked polenta--and makes a nice change from tofu. I put scallions, onions, mushrooms, red bell pepper and basil in our scramble because A. that's what was handy, and B. we like a lot of veggies, but go ahead and use whatever's available, and in less lavish quantities, if you wish. We also had some blue Sheese languishing in the fridge, which I figured couldn't possibly be a bad idea (it wasn't), so in it went. The result was creamy, delicious and a perfect late breakfast on a cool October morning; that said, I can see it making an appearance on the dinner table very soon, maybe with some pine nuts for a little extra excitement. (I should also mention that this makes a pretty huge amount, so you might want to halve it; then again, the leftovers were amazing!)

SCRAMBLED POLENTA
The Polenta
Ingredients
~6 cups vegetable broth (or water)
~1 3/4 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)
~1 tsp. each: kosher salt, sage, thyme

Directions
~In a large pot, bring the broth or water to a full boil.
~Add the polenta, salt, sage, and thyme, stirring constantly (I used a whisk to prevent lumps).
~Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking--and stirring!--for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is soft.
~Remove from heat, then set aside to cool and firm up for about an hour.

The Scramble
Ingredients
~2 tbsp. olive oil or vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
~1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
~3 cups sliced mushrooms
~3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
~1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
~1/2 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves
~A few grinds of fresh black pepper
~1/2-3/4 cup grated blue-flavor Sheese, or other vegan cheese, depending on how "cheesy" you like things (optional)

Directions
~In a large skillet, melt the margarine (or heat the oil), and saute the onions over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
~Add the mushrooms and bell pepper and continue cooking another few minutes.
~Add the scallions and black pepper and cook another minute or so, until the scallions are just wilted.
~Scoop in the cooled polenta, about a cup at a time, bashing it up and stirring to mix with the veggies.
~Keep the mixture moving so it doesn't stick to the pan; if it does, you can add a splash of water or broth to deglaze the pan and scrape up the bits.
~Add the fresh basil and the Sheese (if using), and stir to combine. After another minute or so remove from heat and serve hot. This was so good--and so filling--that we just ate it on its own, but you could easily make it the centerpiece of a more substantial meal with sauteed greens, roasted veggies or a nice green salad on the side

Tom Kha Gai: Good for What Ails You!

In these days of burgeoning swine-flu mania, I confess to being one of those recalcitrant skeptics. I'm not opposed to vaccinations or anything, but I do object to the media's ongoing campaign to manipulate the public, and am not about to drink that particular variety of Kool-Aid. One recent, blustery afternoon, I was running around, cruelly squeezed between various obligations, and felt as if I "might be coming down with something" - a feeling which often manifests as a craving for soup. That being the case, rather than run to the barber surgeon demanding to be bled like the guy in the picture, I headed to the Buddha Hut, one of the growing number of vegan restaurants in our fair city. I settled into a table by the window, fished out my book, gratefully accepted the proffered pot of tea and ordered a bowl of "Thai spicy coconut soup." For $3.95 I received a portion I could barely finish, and was quickly restored to a sense of health, well-being, and the ability to get on with my day.

Anyway, as I was slurping it up, I decided to ignore Mr. Wizard's warning to kids like us and try this at home. Which I did, with (I must say) rather spectacular results. I make no claims to any type of authenticity, but was just bashing around in the kitchen trying to recreate the flavors, textures, etc., associated with those rich, complex soups that make you go "mmm" in ways you don't fully understand beyond wanting another spoonful. I used soy curls to replace the Buddha Hut's faux "chicken," but if you don't have soy curls, just marinate some pressed, cubed tofu instead. I also omitted the traditional baby corn because it's one of the only foods my partner actively hates (along with parsnips, which he insists have "an aura of evil"), and the finished product was received with great enthusiasm. I'll definitely make this soup again, especially with flu season coming on; thus far there's not so much as a curly tail or snout in sight, and I plan to keep it that way!

TOM KHA GAI
The Marinade
Ingredients
~ 1 cup lite coconut milk
~ 1 cup "no chicken" broth
~ 1 tbsp. each: minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce
~ 1 tbsp. each: dried basil, Thai green curry paste
~ 1-2 tbsp. hot sauce, or to taste (I used Sriracha)
~ 1 tsp. dried lemongrass
~ 1 cup Butler soy curls (or 1/2 lb. pressed, cubed extra-firm tofu)

Directions
~ In a large beaker or bowl, mix all marinade ingredients thoroughly.
~ Add the soy curls or tofu, cover, and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours (the longer the better).
~ Drain, reserve marinade, and set aside.

The Soup
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. coconut oil
~ 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
~ 1 cup thinly sliced onion
~ 1 tbsp. garlic
~ 1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
~ 2 cups mushrooms, very thinly sliced
~ Marinated soy curls
~ 2 cups "no chicken" broth
~ 3 cups lite coconut milk
~ 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced (seeing a pattern here?)
~ 2 cups chopped, fresh basil leaves

Directions
~In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut and sesame oils and saute the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
~Add the peppers and mushrooms; cook another 5 minutes.
~Add the soy curls, broth and coconut milk. Cover, raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
~Taste for seasoning (you might want more salt, a shot of hot sauce, etc.), then add the scallions and chopped basil. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.
~Serve hot and feel any incipient snout, tail, etc. symptoms settle themselves down with contented grunts.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

I love muffins: they're warm, comforting, make the kitchen smell great and have no equal in terms of sheer, instant baked-goods gratification. In case you haven't noticed, it's now full-blown autumn, in all it's multi-hued, Octobertastic glory, which means that pumpkins, squashes, pears and apples are to be found in abundance, begging to be cooked and eaten as the chilly evenings draw in. That being the case, I looked at the big bowl of apples on my kitchen table this afternoon and thought, "Hmmm, I bet I know what you'd like to be." These muffins are not only full of yummy fall flavors like nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, etc., they're also really (dare I say it?) healthy, with a mere 2 tbsp. of canola oil and the same amount of maple syrup in a whole dozen, so you can sprinkle a little extra cinnamon sugar on top and feel virtuous! (Please excuse the crummy photo; I'm a cook, not Cecil bloody Beaton, dammit!)

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Ingredients
Dry:
~2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
~1 tbsp. baking powder
~1 tsp. cinnamon
~1/2 tsp. each: nutmeg, ginger, salt
Wet:
~1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin, canned or fresh
~1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
~1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soymilk
~2 tbsp. canola oil
~2 tbsp. maple syrup
~1 tsp. vanilla extract
~1 1/2 cups chopped apple (this was about 2 small Macs)
~1/2 tsp. each sugar and cinnamon, mixed (optional)

Directions
~Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit, and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
~In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and sift together thoroughly. Add the chopped apples and toss to coat; this will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
~In a separate container, mix the wet ingredients.
~Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture, and mix with a wooden spoon. (Be careful not to overmix, just make sure things are combined!)
~Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tin; if using, this is the time to sprinkle your cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top.
~Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.
~Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before turning out.

Our new friend, Bubbles!

As the leaves turn orange, the air gets cooler and Thanksgiving (whether Canadian or American) approaches, lots of people start thinking about turkeys, and we are no exception: we love them! Last year, on the day before our Thanksgiving, my son and I were driving down a wooded road when we encountered a line of seven turkeys, crossing the road in an admirably calm, orderly fashion. We stopped to wait for them to pass, as did the car coming in the opposite direction, the other driver and I exchanging broad, delighted smiles as we watched their slow, stately progress. After all seven were safely in the woods, I drove off thinking how happy and grateful I am to be vegan, and hoping that, if that woman was not already a vegetarian/vegan, she might think more carefully about what she put on her plate when she sat down to dinner the next day.

Nearly a year has passed since that November afternoon, and the holidays are once again practically on our doorstep. As they draw nearer, it's tough to think about all the animals who suffer so needlessly to fulfill people's skewed notions of what constitutes a "celebration," and my partner and I gird our loins for the inevitable onslaught of moronic advertising, masturbatory foodie rhetoric and ham-handed (you should excuse the expression) "jokes" about tofurky, People Eating Tasty Animals, etc. But. After reading a post by Susan over at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/), I was inspired to do something positive by taking part in Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project. To quote their web-site: "Since 1986, this program has encouraged people to save a turkey at Thanksgiving through sponsorships that help us rescue animals and provide care for them at our sanctuaries, as well as educate and advocate for turkeys, and other farm animals, everywhere." For a mere $25 (probably about the same price as one of those wretched, pathetic carcasses filling the freezers of the local grocery stores), you can sponsor a single turkey, or even adopt a whole flock for $150. So go ahead, adopt a turkey; you know you want to! Then we can start pondering all the delicious, healthy, vegan dishes we want to make this Thanksgiving!

http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/adopt/sponsor.html