cabbage stew

i think it was the cold spell that swept through raleigh this weekend, but i had a huge craving for something warm and something with cabbage. that could only mean cabbage stew right?

so i just spent my lunch hour coming up with the following cabbage stew recipe. soups are to winter are what salads are to summer, right? so that means, amend the recipe with whatever vegetables might be at hand.

this recipe makes a ton of soup that you'll be eating all week. the ginger, chili, and sesame oil lends itself to an asian soup. omit said seasonings and add basil, parsley, and tomato paste for an italian minestrone soup.

Saute for five minutes
1 T of canola oil
2 chopped onions
3 chopped carrots
1 chopped leak
1 tablespoon of mined ginger
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
Add and saute until mixed
1 head (about 2 lb.) of thinly chopped savoy cabbage
2 pints of vegetable broth
1 package of frozen pepper strips
2 cups of frozen peas
2 tablespoon of toasted seasame oil
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes (or more)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup of lentils (optional. . .added for protein)
Let simmer for half an hour until lentils are tender. More water may need to be added.
Ladle into big bowls and top with
Morning Star Breakfast Patties, cooked and crumbled (optional)

compost fun!

to be a vegetarian is to be aware of your environment, and the many things you can do to help it, right? so i decided to post something that should be of interest to any of my readers. . . . composting!

composting is perhaps one of the easiest things you can do to help our environment; however, people still scratch their head whenever i talk about it. everything will decompose eventually . . .and some things quicker than others. trash that decomposes in a relative short amount of time can be put in a bin (perhaps) and turned into "compost." that means there's that much less trash stinking up our landfills, and less fuel is use hauling off all your crap! Lot of stuff can be composted, 10% to 30% of your total trash.

What can be composted?
To decompose effectively, compost needs nitrogen and carbon. It gets nitrogen from one type of trash, we'll call the "greens," and carbon from another, which we'll call the "browns." Greens are usually your kitchen scraps, as long as they're not bones, meats, oils, or fats (so no nuts, basil pestos, or cheeses). Carrot peelings, apple cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, rice*, and bread*, are just a few examples of stuff to use. Browns are typically paper products. This includes newspapers, receipts, grocery bags, unpaid bills, junk mail or any yard wastes.

More greens than browns should be used, with an ideal situation being a 50/50 ratio.

So where do you put all this stuff?
There are many different ways to compost. You can simply put all this stuff in a pile in your backyard. Cheap as it may be, it will attract critters and might turn into an eyesore. I would recommend getting some type of compost bin. These range from $50 to $150 brand new (or just look for a free one on craigslist like I did). My bin is essentially an overturned trashcan with vents and a top that can be removed for adding wastes. The nicest ones are thick tubes that are on hinges so that the entire bin can be rotated and mixed with one easy motion.

You can actually make your own bin by taking some chicken wire, rolling it into a circle, and securing it on the ground. Due to the "openness" of this module, it would be advisable to not put too much cooked kitchen scraps since it would attract animals.


And what happens when it all goes in there?
Well, it takes awhile for everything to turn into soil. Composting can take as little as a month, or as long as a year. Regular aerating it certainly helps the process. I do this by sticking in a small pitch fork and mixing everything up. Also, it needs to be moderately moist. You can simply spray it down with a hose so that whenever you squeeze hand full, a little water trickles out.

*Some people claim that grain shouldn't be composted. As long as you keep a variety of "greens," then this shouldn't be a problem.

Veggie Pot Pie

Pot pies are pretty standard. My boyfriend has been bugging me to make one for quite awhile now. I looked over numerous recipes, and found that very little varies between them when compared to other American mainstays (like say Chili, or Meatloaf). Due to only two of us being in the house, I used an 8"x8" casserole dish. If you're using a standard 2 quart casserole dish, then I'd recommend doubling the recipe.
Using the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry for the crust was convenient and delicious. However, due to it having trans fat in it (which I was unaware of until I bought it), I will probably use Athenos phyllo dough next time. . . .or I could just make my own!


Makes 4 servings
Preheat oven to 400.
Thaw out:
1 puff pastry sheet


Saute for about 10 minutes:
2 Tablespoons of butter (or oil)
1 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium onion)
1 cup carrots (about 2 medium carrots), coursely chopped
1 cup celery (about 3 stalks), chopped 1/2" slices
1 zucchini, sliced

Add and mix to veggie mixture
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried tarragon
1 cup of chopped and peeled russet potatoes (or fingerlings if they're available)
Mix together and then add
1 cup of soy milk
1/4 cup of flour
1 cup of water + 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or more) or 1 cup of vegetable broth
Simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until it thickens

Add and let cook for another 5 minutes
1 cup of frozen black-eyed peas or crowder beans
1 cup of frozen peas
Pour in casserole dish
Top with pastry puff. Cut slits to vent. Top with a sprinkle of dried parsley or chevril.
Bake 40-45 minutes, watching that crust doesn't get burnt

Daal (Indian Red Lentil Soup)

i'm always experimenting with indian food. now that fall is hear, i wanted to try my hand at daal, a very popular indian soup. lentils are an excellent source of protein, so a big bowl of this soup can certainly serve as a hearty lunch or a dinner with some warmed indian naan.

Saute over medium heat for five minutes:

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 chopped onion

2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil

Add:

1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of garam masala*

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Saute another minute or so to incorporate flavors. Then add:

1 14 oz can of light coconut milk

2 12 oz cans of petit diced tomatoes, drained

1 28 can of vegetable broth
1 teaspoon of lime juice

1 cup of red lentils**

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro chopped

Cook for 30-45 minutes until lentils are tender.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro or basil and with naan***.

Enjoy! This will keep for about a week and freezes well. Makes 4-6 servings.

* garam masala is a mixture of spices. this can be found in most nicer grocery or ethnic food stores.

** red lentils are a bit harder to find than the mainstay green lentils. my local harris teeter carries them from a brand "arrowhead."

*** trader joe's carries an excellent freezer pack of naan which heats up in the oven in about 4 minutes.