68 posts tagged “carrots”
I cannot believe I'm late this month. I made the dish very early one but simply had no time to post it. Life happened; work happened; and many other unexpected things happened. Anyway, here it is: this month's Daring Cooks challenge. It's a vegan and gluten-free challenge chosen and hosted by a wonderful vegan. Imagine that! I was naturally excited and grateful.
September's Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She has chosen Indian Dosas, a vegan and gluten-free delicacy to suit everyone's dietary needs.
Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).
Serves 4
Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher
Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour) [I used chickpea flour instead]
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed
Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated
Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced
Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.
Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste
1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.
Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced
1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
September's Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She has chosen Indian Dosas, a vegan and gluten-free delicacy to suit everyone's dietary needs.
Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).
Serves 4
Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher
Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour) [I used chickpea flour instead]
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed
Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated
Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced
Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste
1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.
Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced
1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Verdict: This dish is very easy to put together. You can make the sauce and filling in advance. Totally a keeper!
This is a wonderfully delicious pasta dish made with fried vegetables and seasoned with only salt. Simplicity is beauty itself in this case.
I finally made this heavenly vanilla yogurt pound cake from Veganomicon because I found soy yogurt in the local store. Moist and rich, this pound cake will send fat straight to your waistline if you don't stop eating it soon enough.
I was able to get us Teese and then I put plenty of it on this pizza with the classic mushroom marinara sauce.
I still cannot believe that I never thought of making a curry-flavored risotto before. I happen to be on a curry kick now, so I found my hands cooking a yellow curry risotto last night.
Yellow Curry Risotto
(Makes 5-6 servings)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
2/3 cup baby carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/3 cups white jasmine rice or arborio rice
1 16-oz can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 cup warm organic vegetable broth
3 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded
1 1/2 cups snap peas, ends discarded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups hot water
A healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the carrots have softened a bit.
2. Add parsley and cook for another minute.
3. Add rice, and mix well until the rice is throughly coated with oil. Cook for a minute or two. Pour in the coconut milk and add curry powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. Mix well and cook until the liquid is pretty much absorbed.
4. Ladle in the warn vegetable broth. Mix well and make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook until most broth has been absorbed.
5. Add in Brussels sprouts and snap peas, as well as one cup of hot water. Again, keep stirring from time to time and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat the same process until all the water has been used up.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in salt and pepper and thoroughly mix. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
I also made my first simple strudel - an apple strudel. Since I have been very fond of phyllo dough recently, I used six sheets of phyllo dough for each strudel. The filling is easy: cored and chopped apples, cinnamon and nutmeg, cooked in butter with brown sugar. Baked for 40 minutes in the oven under 375F degrees. I didn't dust the strudels with powdered sugar on top. I was too eager to dig in. :)
Yellow Curry Risotto
(Makes 5-6 servings)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
2/3 cup baby carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/3 cups white jasmine rice or arborio rice
1 16-oz can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 cup warm organic vegetable broth
3 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded
1 1/2 cups snap peas, ends discarded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups hot water
A healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the carrots have softened a bit.
2. Add parsley and cook for another minute.
3. Add rice, and mix well until the rice is throughly coated with oil. Cook for a minute or two. Pour in the coconut milk and add curry powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. Mix well and cook until the liquid is pretty much absorbed.
4. Ladle in the warn vegetable broth. Mix well and make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook until most broth has been absorbed.
5. Add in Brussels sprouts and snap peas, as well as one cup of hot water. Again, keep stirring from time to time and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat the same process until all the water has been used up.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in salt and pepper and thoroughly mix. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
This is a very quick meal to prepare, with restaurant quality. A few shortcuts make this pasta dish creamy, zingy, hearty, and very gratifying. Without much ado, the recipe is below.
Spinach and Pinto Bean Pasta
(Makes 2 servings)
6-7 cloves garlic
2 cups portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 16-oz. can pinto beans, mashed well
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1 1/2 tsp. red curry paste
3 roasted long-stem artichokes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
A healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Enough whole wheat elbows for two people
1 cup baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
9 oz. fresh spinach
1. Saute garlic and mushrooms over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until garlic is golden and mushrooms have softened a bit. Take care not to overcook. In the meantime, cook the pasta (according to the package instructions) and carrots together. In the last 30 seconds, throw in the spinach. Remove from heat immediately and drain well.
2. Add the mashed beans and thoroughly mix. Add the tomato, mix well, and heat through. Remove from heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushroom and bean mixture with all the ingredients from sour cream to salt. Add in the drained pasta and veggies and toss to mix well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve and enjoy!
I am sending this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast. This week's host will be Hillary of Chew on That.
Spinach and Pinto Bean Pasta
(Makes 2 servings)
6-7 cloves garlic
2 cups portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 16-oz. can pinto beans, mashed well
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1 1/2 tsp. red curry paste
3 roasted long-stem artichokes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
A healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Enough whole wheat elbows for two people
1 cup baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
9 oz. fresh spinach
1. Saute garlic and mushrooms over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until garlic is golden and mushrooms have softened a bit. Take care not to overcook. In the meantime, cook the pasta (according to the package instructions) and carrots together. In the last 30 seconds, throw in the spinach. Remove from heat immediately and drain well.
2. Add the mashed beans and thoroughly mix. Add the tomato, mix well, and heat through. Remove from heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushroom and bean mixture with all the ingredients from sour cream to salt. Add in the drained pasta and veggies and toss to mix well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve and enjoy!
I am sending this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast. This week's host will be Hillary of Chew on That.
Since I made Bryanna's vegan quiche, I have been on a quiche kick. I made another quiche yesterday. This time it was a crustless version. The original recipe was from Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe. Johanna has a beautiful blog featuring vegetarian food. I often visit her blog to simply look at the food porn. For this quiche, I adapted quite a bit from her recipe and let me assure you that the vegan version came out really delicious.
Crustless Asparagus and Potato Quiche (Vegan)
Adapted quite a bit from this recipe by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe
(Makes 4 servings)
3 small potatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup carrot, grated
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 lb. asparagus, woody ends discarded, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, 12-15 spears reserved and cut to fit halfway across your cake pan or flan dish (it doesn't have to be perfect)
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dried dill weeds
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 block extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. plain soy milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame tahini
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven at 350F.
1. Simmer diced potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain, and set aside.
2. Sauté carrots, garlic, spring onion, and asparagus (except for the reserved spears) for 6-7 minutes. Add the herbs and mix well. Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Blanch the reserved asparagus spears in boiling water for 15 seconds.
4. In a food processor, add everything from tofu to salt and pepper, and blend very well.
5. Mix the cooked potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and tofu mix in a large mixing bowl. Combine well.
6. Pour everything into an oiled 9-inch cake pan or a flan dish. Arrange asparagus spears on top of the mixture with cut ends in center and heads at the edge to create a star or spokes pattern.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. It is cooked when golden brown on top and firm to touch. Serve warm.
Crustless Asparagus and Potato Quiche (Vegan)
Adapted quite a bit from this recipe by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe
(Makes 4 servings)
3 small potatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup carrot, grated
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dried dill weeds
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 block extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. plain soy milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame tahini
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven at 350F.
1. Simmer diced potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain, and set aside.
2. Sauté carrots, garlic, spring onion, and asparagus (except for the reserved spears) for 6-7 minutes. Add the herbs and mix well. Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Blanch the reserved asparagus spears in boiling water for 15 seconds.
4. In a food processor, add everything from tofu to salt and pepper, and blend very well.
5. Mix the cooked potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and tofu mix in a large mixing bowl. Combine well.
6. Pour everything into an oiled 9-inch cake pan or a flan dish. Arrange asparagus spears on top of the mixture with cut ends in center and heads at the edge to create a star or spokes pattern.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. It is cooked when golden brown on top and firm to touch. Serve warm.
I'm not a big fan of polenta, but from time to time I do have a certain craving for polenta. My hubby often says that polenta is so bland and tasteless without a good texture. The only way of preparing polenta that both of us can enjoy is to deep-fry polenta. Even then, deep-fried cauliflower still beats it easily. So, I have accumulated three tubes of prepared polenta bought in the supermarket (just in case my whims should dictate that I want polenta again), and I have been feeling worse and worse about buying them. Besides, it is the weekend, so the fridge is full of half this and that, and leftover vegetables, a quarter loaf of bread, and whatnot. This gave me an excellent opportunity of making a soup from everything but the kitchen sink, and finally submit the it to the Souper Sundays that I have been meaning to participate since over six or seven weeks ago.
I have planned to make a rather bland but nourishing soup out of potatoes, but before I knew it, I completely cut potatoes out of the equation, and I was determined to somehow make polenta a star of the show this time, not in the deep-frying pan. So this is how the recipe came about.
Polenta Minestrone
(Makes 4 servings)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8-9 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks or finely diced
1 1/2 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dried basil
Half (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 cup organic vegetable broth
3 cups water
2 cups tomatoes, finely diced and juice reserved
1 tube store-bought polenta, cubed
2 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and mushrooms over medium heat in a large pot for 9-10 minutes until onions and celery soften and turn translucent.
2. Add Italian herb seasoning, basil, and tomato paste and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the vegetable broth and water. Add tomatoes and polenta. Turn to boil and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Turn off heat. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Notes:
1. I used half a can of tomato paste because I really wanted a very tomato-y soup, but you can easily use from 2 teaspoons of that to any amount you feel like.
2. If you don't like polenta, feel free to use potatoes, like I originally planned. It will be great too. Though the creamy polenta cubes do lend a very pleasant texture to the soup overall.
3. The herb mix can be easily adjusted to suit different tastes and moods. Fresh herbs will be great.
I am submitting this soup to Souper Sundays, an excellent event started and hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. If you are interested in sharing your soup recipes with other soup lovers, please see here for more details.
I have planned to make a rather bland but nourishing soup out of potatoes, but before I knew it, I completely cut potatoes out of the equation, and I was determined to somehow make polenta a star of the show this time, not in the deep-frying pan. So this is how the recipe came about.
Polenta Minestrone
(Makes 4 servings)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8-9 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks or finely diced
1 1/2 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dried basil
Half (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 cup organic vegetable broth
3 cups water
2 cups tomatoes, finely diced and juice reserved
1 tube store-bought polenta, cubed
2 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and mushrooms over medium heat in a large pot for 9-10 minutes until onions and celery soften and turn translucent.
2. Add Italian herb seasoning, basil, and tomato paste and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the vegetable broth and water. Add tomatoes and polenta. Turn to boil and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Turn off heat. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Notes:
1. I used half a can of tomato paste because I really wanted a very tomato-y soup, but you can easily use from 2 teaspoons of that to any amount you feel like.
2. If you don't like polenta, feel free to use potatoes, like I originally planned. It will be great too. Though the creamy polenta cubes do lend a very pleasant texture to the soup overall.
3. The herb mix can be easily adjusted to suit different tastes and moods. Fresh herbs will be great.
I am submitting this soup to Souper Sundays, an excellent event started and hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. If you are interested in sharing your soup recipes with other soup lovers, please see here for more details.
I don't know where to begin. This is my first Daring Bakers challenge, and this month saw the launch of the new Web site of the Daring Kitchen. That's right! It's not just for Daring Bakers any more. In April the first Daring Cooks challenge will be revealed. In case you are wondering, I did sign up for the Daring Cooks challenge as well. So I'll be a very busy bee in the kitchen from now on. A huge Thank-You to Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and Lisa of La Mia Cucina for starting these challenges.
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
Lasagne is a dish that few people can resist. It has certainly transcended the borders. As my first Daring Bakers challenge, I was really excited to try my hands on a savory dish instead of a giant cake that will tempt me for two weeks and increase my waistline further more. As vegans, we have always loved lasagne as a all-time favorite in our family. It's creamy, yummy, doughy, and filling. What more can we really ask for?
Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time
10 quarts (9 litres) water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Lentil-Mushroom Ragu
6 pieces vegan Mozzarella cheese
The biggest challenge for me this time is to make fresh homemade pasta from scratch. Thank God, Bryanna already solved this problem for us vegans long time ago. I simply used her recipe with 10 oz. fresh spinach (dried as much as possible and really finely chopped). The dough was surprisingly easy to make and extremely pliable. Below is my fresh pasta dough ball after kneading and before resting. I'll definitely try to make some vegan ravioli with the same recipe. Even rolling out the pasta noodles was much easier than I thought. I didn't break any piece, amazingly.
The Bechamel Sauce was comparatively really easy. I simply subbed Earth Balance butter and soy milk. It's a very simple but delicious white sauce.
For the Ragu, I found an excellent vegan Lentil-Mushroom Ragu recipe recommended by other Alternative Daring Bakers. It was really tasty and had a great meaty texture. The original recipe called for puy lentils but I only had red lentils in the cabinet (my mistake). It didn't affect the taste much, and I added some fresh edamame to add a little more toothsome texture.
I must admit that assembling the lasagne turned out to be a little more work than I imagined. Since the fresh pasta cooked really fast (5 seconds) in boiling water - because the noodles were rolled to be really thin (newspaper transparency), I decided to cook each layer of noodles and assemble right away. It was a good thing that I made the sauces before cooking the pasta. All I remember now is that it was layer after layer and layer after layer. I topped the lasagne with six big pieces of vegan mozzarella cheese, which turned out to be a perfect addition to the overall flavors.
I was really blown away by the taste of this lasagne. The fresh pasta was really doughy and had a wonderfully earthy taste from the spinach in the dough. The Ragu and Bechamel Sauces mixed with the spinach pasta created such a symphony of different flavors and the whole dish simply melted in our mouths.
It took me altogether six hours and a half to finish the whole challenge, and the time wasn't mostly inactive waiting time. It was really hard work, which I already knew before joining the Daring Bakers challenge. But it was so worth every minute of work! Now I don't know how I can ever go back to eating dried lasagne noodles. Next time I'll make the sauces one day in advance and make plenty of fresh pasta and freeze some.
Maybe you will be interested in checking out the new Daring Kitchen Web site. You can also be a member if you dare to dream a little. You will certainly have many nice eats and treats, I promise you. :)
Lasagne is a dish that few people can resist. It has certainly transcended the borders. As my first Daring Bakers challenge, I was really excited to try my hands on a savory dish instead of a giant cake that will tempt me for two weeks and increase my waistline further more. As vegans, we have always loved lasagne as a all-time favorite in our family. It's creamy, yummy, doughy, and filling. What more can we really ask for?
Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time
10 quarts (9 litres) water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Lentil-Mushroom Ragu
6 pieces vegan Mozzarella cheese
The biggest challenge for me this time is to make fresh homemade pasta from scratch. Thank God, Bryanna already solved this problem for us vegans long time ago. I simply used her recipe with 10 oz. fresh spinach (dried as much as possible and really finely chopped). The dough was surprisingly easy to make and extremely pliable. Below is my fresh pasta dough ball after kneading and before resting. I'll definitely try to make some vegan ravioli with the same recipe. Even rolling out the pasta noodles was much easier than I thought. I didn't break any piece, amazingly.
Maybe you will be interested in checking out the new Daring Kitchen Web site. You can also be a member if you dare to dream a little. You will certainly have many nice eats and treats, I promise you. :)
Susan's wonderful stew recipe really saved my week. I was really at a loss when I couldn't find anything in my recipe collection that would be suitable for my whimsical stomach. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this recent recipe on Susan's Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. The only thing I altered was the beans. I only had pinto beans, but I love them. This recipe is definitely another keeper.
This Coconut Milk and Orange Blossom Tart from Homemade Heaven is another wonder. I love coconut desserts. Combining coconut milk and orange flavor is a new thing for me. So far I have only used lemon or lime juice with coconut milk, but apparently I missed out big time on using the orange flavor. This tart is wonderful, warm and cold. It's a good thing that I only made one.
Purplesque has recently posted this wonderful soup recipe. I wasn't able to make the sourdough bread to go with the soup, but I'm really in love with the soup itself. The only little change is that I used yellow squashes instead of my favorite zucchini which is unavailable for the moment. Definitely a keeper!
Nothing like a hearty soup to ease all the little challenges that life surprises us with.
Hubby made a really great pasta today, just in time for the Presto Pasta Nights #104. Our pasta dishes are extremely healthy in that the vegetables are never over-cooked (only par-boiled for 30 seconds to 1 minute). The pasta sauce is more or less fresh because we mix everything in including olive oil and sea salt without cooking it. The pasta comes out with a freshness from the garden and a richness that comes from each ingredient shining through the whole dish. And, you only need to spend 10 minutes before you can savor some real yummy and creamy food.
If you can find a good brand of guacamole in your local supermarket, like the Wholly Guacamole we used, then you don't even have to make your own. But it's a small affair to puree some avocado with peppers and onions in any case. Feel free to use your own version and add your own twist.
(Makes 2 servings)
1/3 cup guacamole (homemade or store-bought)
2 long-stem artichokes, well-drained and chopped
1/3 cup freeze-dried chives
1 to 2 tsp. dried parsley
2 large cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of red pepper flakes.
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
3 to 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
1/5 to 1/4 cup halved walnuts
6 oz. spelt ziti
3 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup carrot matchsticks
1. Mix everything from guacamole to walnuts in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
2. Cook spelt ziti according to the package instructions, al dante. In the last minute, throw in broccoli and carrots. Strain.
3. Mix the ziti, broccoli and carrots with the above "sauce" in the large mixing bowl to incorporate everything well. Serve immediately.
I am sending this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast. This week's host will be Ben of What's Cooking.
