Tag Archive for 'peppers'

Tofu Curry

Published on March 3, 2011 in Asian, Grains + Rice, Thai and Tofu + Tempeh. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

This is a nice and easy recipe from my mom that’s really yummy. What I like about it is that you can really add whatever you have into it — I usually use red peppers and mushrooms, but if you want to add whatever’s fresh at the farmer’s market, say zucchini or eggplant or those little baby corn on the cob things (you know, the ones Tom Hanks nibbles typewriter-style in Big), have at it. It’s flexible. We like that.

NOTES:
This recipe calls for your basic curry powder, but if you want to do a Thai version, substitute about 1-2 tablespoons of a Thai curry paste in place of the powder and garlic. If you want to make it spicier, just whisk in more after you’ve added the coconut milk. And use some basil leaves instead of cilantro.

Suffice to say, you’ve got options. Always a good thing.

Tofu Curry

1 block firm or extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
A generous handful (about 6-8) mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini, but whatever you have)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (preferably cashews)
1 13.5 oz/400 mL can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped

Press the tofu between several layers of paper towel and place a few heavy cans or pot on top (definitely don’t use a Brita pitcher that you’ve just recently filled with water. That would be really unwise. Especially if it tips over and spills a gallon of water everywhere. Just FYI).

Cut the tofu into 3/4″ cubes and brown in a sauté pan on medium heat (or in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC). Heat oil over medium heat and cook the onions until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for a couple minutes. Stir in the curry powder, followed by the nuts and cook for another minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Add tofu and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and cayenne. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with brown rice and garnish with the cilantro.

Tempeh-Stuffed Peppers

Published on February 23, 2011 in Grains + Rice, Main Courses, Side Dishes and Tofu + Tempeh. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

As I’ve mentioned many times before, my mother is an excellent cook. So much so that it is possible for me to name the exactly three times Mom made something that was just not up to snuff. I’d say that’s a pretty good record for any cook, let alone one who had four kids in five years and cooked pretty much every meal we ate.

Two of the recipes were admittedly experiments — recipes pulled from magazines with the promise of a catchy name or an exotic list of ingredients. The first one, “chicken in a biscuit” was a misguided attempt at creating a casserole out of bone-in chicken pieces and biscuits. Soggy, unattractive and just not right. The second, cheese blintzes, had too much going on. I seem to recall some kind of sweet sauce that perhaps would’ve been better served with a dessert blintz rather than a savory one.

The third — and my siblings may disagree with me on this one — was stuffed peppers. I think part of the problem was that I really hated green peppers — this is back when a mellower-flavored yellow or red pepper was not an option. They were just so strong, as was the filling, and my youthful taste buds just couldn’t take it. To be honest, I’m still not crazy about green peppers, but am working on learning to like them (cooked, not raw).

All of which is to say, I’m not sure what possessed me to make stuffed peppers. I suppose it was the lovely peppers I found at the market, combined with a surplus of tempeh, along with some leftover brown rice that needed to be put to use. Stat.

And I must say, they turned out rather well. I would even venture to say this would make a nice side or main dish at a dinner party. I mean, come on — things in edible packages are cute and festive (with lids to boot!). I stuffed the peppers with a Spanish style filling, but you could go in lots of different directions here: Mexican (cumin/chili powder/chipotle), Indian (curry/cumin/turmeric), Italian (basil/lemon/oregano), Asian (sesame/soy/satay)…you get the idea.

So maybe it was just me. Maybe Mom’s stuffed peppers were actually really good, and I just was too young to appreciate them. But I’m still not going to attempt chicken in a biscuit. Not a chance.

Tempeh-Stuffed Peppers

4 peppers (in the color of your choosing)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (~1 cup), finely chopped
16 ounces tempeh
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup of veggies (corn, carrots, edamame, peas all work well), fresh or frozen
1 cup crushed tomatoes (or pasta sauce in a pinch)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
Salt
Red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup cheese, shredded (provolone, mozzarella, fontina, cheddar all work)

Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove stem, seeds and white ribs. Cook the peppers (and tops) in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove with a strainer or tongs and drain in a colander.

While the peppers are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Crumble the tempeh into the pan, and cook until tempeh browns, 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add veggies, rice, spices and tomatoes and stir to coat. Add the stock a bit at a time if the mixture is dry. Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Remove from heat.

Arrange the peppers cut side up in an 8″ square pan coated or sprayed with olive oil. Fill the peppers with the tempeh mixture, then place the tops back on each pepper. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and tuck the pepper tops along the sides of the pan. Sprinkle each pepper with a couple tablespoons of cheese. Bake uncovered another 15 minutes, or until tops are browned.

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

Published on November 3, 2010 in Beans + Legumes, Mexican, pasta, Salads and Side Dishes. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .


This is a recipe of my darling dad’s, who is sadly, heartbreakingly, no longer with us. My dad was a late bloomer in the cooking department, but once he got going, there was no stopping him! He was the mad scientist to my mom’s Betty Crocker, doctoring a recipe or just making it up as he went along. He never met a spice or condiment that he didn’t like – and I definitely take after him in that regard. I’m not exactly sure where this pasta salad recipe came from, but it’s right up my alley with lots of spices and goodies in every bite. My dad had such a zest for life and that always came across in his cooking – full of flavor, fun and gusto.


This is a great summer picnic salad; it just feels beachy and fun to me. Never mind it’s November. I’m just going to pretend I’m still in Buenos Aires, where it’s Spring, so there. And yes, you can eat it right away, but it gets better if it sits in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors get incorporated into the pasta and everything gets nice and cold.


Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

Pasta:
1 pound penne (or other pasta with nooks and crannies, e.g., fusilli, farfalle)
1 15-ounce/210 g can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (about 2 ears worth of fresh)
1 cup celery, diced (about 2-3 stalks)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup pickled pepperoncini, chopped (optional, but this is what gives it some heat)
Tabasco or other hot sauce (optional)

Dressing:
2/3 cup Italian salad dressing (bottled or homemade)
1/2 cup mayonnaise or Veganaise
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1//4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste

Boil the pasta in salted water according to directions. While the pasta is cooking, chop and prep all your veggies. Make the dressing in the bowl you’re going to serve the salad in and dump the veggies in. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the bowl, mixing well. Taste for seasoning; add salt if necessary.

Veggie Chili

Published on January 2, 2010 in Beans + Legumes, Main Courses, Mexican and Tofu + Tempeh. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .


It’s weird living in a place for a limited amount of time. We’re planning on being here for a year mas o menos, so it’s not like I’m about to outfit my kitchen with every gadget under the sun. But it was a very sad situation when we first moved into our apartment – the pots and pans were truly gross – unsafe in fact (scraped off Teflon – yuck), and there was not a SINGLE cooking utensil to be found. OK, so there was silverware, but I’m not counting that. So, believe it or not, I have been subsisting on the following items:

• Large sauté pan
• Large stock pot
• Small saucepan
• Half-sheet pan
• Rubber scraper
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Cuisinart Mini Prep (Mom brought it down and I use an adapter – could NOT live without this little baby)

And you know what? It’s kinda cool. I’m roughing it! The truth is you don’t need an egg slicer, a garlic press or ten different pans. You can actually make lots of things without a lot of stuff. I do miss my dishes and serving pieces, and I sometimes long for my pretty French blue Le Creuset enamel Dutch oven, but I’ll survive. It’s forcing me to be a more ingenious and flexible cook. And that can only be a good thing, right?

So, as a celebration of my limited kitchen contents, I’m sharing my delicious veggie chili recipe. One pot, one spoon. Works for me.

NOTES:
If you want to up the protein factor, you can add a block of tempeh (one 8 oz. package) after the red pepper is in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can add half a bag of tofu crumbles or mycoprotein (Quorn is the brand name I use, and it’s available at Whole Foods and, clearly, not here) after you add the tomatoes and beans.

Feel free to use any combination of beans – chickpeas or cannellini beans also work nicely. I also tossed in some zapallito redondo (which as far as I can make out is a round zucchini; who knew?) because I’d never seen it before, and therefore, had to buy it.

While this is technically a one-pot meal, it’s nice to have it over brown rice and don’t forget the toppings (condiments, people, condiments!): sour cream or plain yogurt, cheese (sharp cheddar, jack, etc.), avocado, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), your favorite hot sauce, and fresh cilantro. Any or all of the above, por favor.

Veggie Chili

1 glug* olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1-½ tablespoons ground cumin
1-½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 jalapeño, minced with seeds (hot) or without (not so hot)
28 ounce/784 g can crushed tomatoes
2-14 oz/210 g cans black beans
1-14 oz/210 g can kidney beans
½ cup fresh (about one ear’s worth) or frozen corn (optional)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (I know it sounds weird, but it works!)
Salt

* glug = 1-2 tablespoons, 1 if you want to be healthy, 2 if you want to live on the edge

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, sautéing until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for a minute or two. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne (and/or jalapeño) and cook for about 5 minutes (or as long as it takes you to open the cans of tomatoes and beans). Add tomatoes, beans (with the liquid or if you’d rather rinse that business off, add a bit of water instead, ½ – 1 cup). Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.

Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or if you have more time, then by all means, simmer away, 2-3 hours should do it. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and if it’s looking too thick, add a little water or veggie stock if you have it. Once you’re ready to serve, turn off the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Serve with all the goodies mentioned above!