Category Archives: Main dishes

15

Apr. ’18

Vegan veggie-lentil scramble

Vegan veggie lentil scramble 2

I am in the process of working my way into eating vegan. It’s a process because I like eggs, mainly because they are quick to prepare and versatile. I asked Spirit for help with my transition, and I received this egg substitute recipe that was relatively quick to prepare and tasty–not amazingly tasty, but tasty enough to be included in Yumtritious Eating! I will be receiving more scramble recipes to help me with my move to veganism.

 Makes 2 cups, 1 serving

Ingredients

1 tsp mustard

1 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp tahini paste (from whole sesame seeds is best)

1 small radish

1/3 cup red lentil flour

1 medium size or 2 small tomatoes

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, preferably cold pressed

Salt to taste

Steps

  1. In a bowl, mix the mustard and water, then mix in the tahini paste.
  2. Dice the radish (equal to 3-4 Tbsp), then add it to the bowl and mix it in well.
  3. Add the red lentil flour to the bowl and mix it in well. The mixture will be crumbly.
  4. Dice the tomato (equal to 3/4-1 cup), then add it to the bowl and mix it in well.
  5. In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  (Make sure the bottom of the skillet is completely covered by the oil because lentil flour can get stuck.)
    Vegan veggie lentil scramble 1
  6. When the oil is hot, spread the mixture thinly in the skillet so that as much as possible is touching the skillet. Leave it to cook for 4 minutes.
  7. With a spatula, flip the mixture over and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Remove the skillet from the heat, and immediately scoop the mixture onto a plate.

 

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08

Jan. ’18

Chicory Leaves with Lentils and Hazelnuts (vegan)

 

Chicory leaves and lentil hazelnuts

Today I went to the local Farmers Market and picked up several bunches of chicory leaves. This is the season for chicory, and it looked so inviting that I had to buy it. (It’s not pretty and it was rather dirty, but it called to me nonetheless.)

Chicory leaves

The chicory I bought is grown near my home in the middle Galilee, and it looks like the varieties called Catalogna and wild chicory. It was full of soil so I washed it well using the instructions for “Cleaning leafy greens and other dirt-filled veggies” on the Food Prep Tips page.

Chicory is very nutritious, so it’s a worthwhile green to learn to work with. Once I got it home, I had no idea what to do with it so I asked Spirit for a yumtrititious recipe. Since it’s cold outside, I wanted to make a warm dish, and I was hungry so I wanted a recipe that I could make in under an hour. Here is the recipe that Spirit gave me. Thanks, Spirit!

The recipe has two parts: the chicory part and the lentil-hazelnut part. I’ll present the instructions for each part separately, but I made them at the same time.

Chicory Leaves with Lentils and Hazelnuts -cooking

Makes 4 cups 

Ingredients for the Lentil-Hazelnut mixture

1/2 cup green lentils, sorted and washed

1 1/4 cups water

1 tsp turmeric

1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp black pepper (in most of my recipes I use white pepper, but here I wanted a stronger pepper taste)

 

Steps

  1. In a small pot, bring the lentils, water and turmeric to a boil, then lower the heat. Cook the lentils for 20-25 minutes until the water has evaporated. The lentils should be a bit chewy and not soft. (Add 1-3 Tbsp water during the cooking to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
  2. Mix in the chopped hazelnuts and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir regularly to keep the mixture from getting too stuck to the pot.
  3. Turn off the heat, then add the mustard powder and pepper.
  4. Set pot aside.

Ingredients for Chicory saute

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium size onions, chopped

7 cups (packed) chopped chicory

1 1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp coarse salt

1/4 c milk substitute (I used rice-almond milk)

Steps

  1. In a large pot, saute the onions in olive oil until the onions are soft (5-6 minutes).
  2. Add the chicory and saute 7 minutes.
  3. Stir in the salt and cardamom, then add the milk substitute and stir until the milk is completely mixed in.
  4. Remove from heat and add the lentil-hazelnut mixture.

 

 

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30

Dec. ’16

Black beans and couscous (vegan)

black-beans-and-couscous

Black beans and couscous are delicious and nutritious when combined with spicy vegetables. The combination is good hot or cold, and can be served with salad fixings or alone.

Ingredients

1

1 1/2 cups dry black beans, soaked in water for at least 6 hours and drained

1 tsp cumin seed or ground cumin

3/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

5 cups water

2

1 package whole wheat couscous (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lecithin

3

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium size onions, chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bell pepper, green or red, chopped

1 green chili pepper or other spicy pepper, chopped small (I left in half of the seeds for added spiciness)

3 medium size tomatoes, chopped

Steps

  1. (Ingredients from section 1)  Put the beans, spices, and water into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and cook until the beans are softened, about 35 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the beans keep their shape and aren’t too soft.
  2. (Ingredients from section 2) Add the couscous and salt, cover the pot, and cook 8 minutes. Check the water occasionally to make sure the couscous doesn’t start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add water as necessary.
  3. When the couscous and beans have finished cooking, remove from heat and stir in the lecithin.
  4. (Ingredients from section 3) While the couscous and beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
  5. Saute the chopped onion until softening.
  6. Add the chopped pepper, chili pepper, and garlic and continue sauteing for 5 minutes.
  7. Add the tomatoes and saute five minutes more. When the vegetables are soft, remove from heat.
  8. Add the sauteed vegetables to the couscous and beans and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Servings: 8-10
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03

Jun. ’15

Pasta with Creamy Crunchy Pesto and Tofu (vegan)

 

Creamy Crunchy Pesto

Tofu for pesto

 

 

 

 

 

 

This recipe explains the assembly of the dish, with exact instructions only for the pesto here:

 https://yumtritiouseating.com/2015/05/25/creamy-crunchy-pesto/

The tofu is cut into small chunks and sauted in olive oil until starting to brown and then tamari sauce is added, continuing the sauteing until the tofu is nicely browned.

The pasta should be whole wheat or other whole grain so that it adds nutritional value to the meal.

Assembly

  1. Put a serving of pasta into a bowl or onto a plate.
  2. Top with enough pesto to make your taste buds happy.
  3. Add the tofu chunks, then mix.

I don’t have a picture of the finished product, because I ate it too quickly. 🙂   Enjoy!

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13

May. ’15

Lentils and Rice Plus

Lentils and Rice plus

Lentils and rice are a well known yummy and nutritious combination. There are hundreds of recipes for lentils and rice. I’m adding this recipe because it ups the nutritional value of the dish and is yummy.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils

1 tsp ground cumin

4 cups water

—–

1 cup brown rice

½ Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp tahini paste (from whole sesame seeds is best)

4 chard leaves–stalks cut away from the leaves. Stalks diced. Leaves coarsely chopped (Keep the stalks and leaves separate)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds)

Pepper to taste. I used 1/4 tsp white pepper

Steps

  1. Wash the lentils, rice, and chard (separately 🙂 ). You can soak the lentils and rice if you’d like. For chard washing instructions, look at the Food Prep Tips page. Drain them well before using.
  2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and then saute the chopped onion until translucent and starting to brown.
  3. Stir in the garlic, and then stir in the cumin.
  4. Stir in the lentils, and then add the 4 cups water.
  5. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
  6. Add the rice, salt, pepper, tahini paste, and chard stalks (not the leaves), then stir well to mix. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat and cover the pot.
  7. Cook for 20 minutes.
  8. Uncover the pot. (If the water seems too low, add up to 1/2 cup more.) Pour on the nuts and the chopped chard leaves. Don’t mix. Cover the pot and cook for 10 more minutes.
  9. Remove from heat and mix well.
Servings: 6-8

Lentils and Rice plus2

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28

Apr. ’15

Lubiya and Molochiya Stew

Lubiya and molochiya stew

Lubiya (cowpeas) is a legume that is nutritious and easy to cook. It is an important addition to the vegetarian diet. Black eyed peas are a type of cowpea. See Wikipedia for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpea

Molochiya (mallow) is a leafy vegetable that is nutritiously building for the body. It is an important addition to all diets, especially diets that are lacking in iron and Vitamin E. See Wikipedia for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulukhiyah

Ingredients

1 cup lubia

½ tsp dried marjoram

—–

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups loosely pack molochiya leaves, chopped

1 ½-2 tsp salt

1 cup brown rice

2 bay leaves

2 ½ cups water

Pepper to taste (optional)

Steps

  1. Wash the lubiya and then soak it for at least four hours. Drain the water. Cook the lubiya in a large pot or a pressure cooker. Use enough water to cover the lubiya well, and add the marjoram. If using a pressure cooker, cook under pressure for 20 minutes. If using a large pot, cook until the lubiya is soft but holds its shape. Drain the lubiya. (Save the water for use in soup.)
  2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and then saute the chopped onion until soft.
  3. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the molochiya and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add the salt.
  4. Add the rice and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover the pot.
  5. Cook the rice mixture for 40 minutes. Check the water level in the pot after 25 minutes. If the rice is starting to stick, add ½ cup more water.
  6. Stir in the pepper and the drained lubiya. Mix well. If the lubiya was not hot when you added it, warm the mixture making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Servings: 4-5
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