Monday, November 18, 2024

Lentil Soup with Too Much Fresh Ginger

This one scales well and freezes well too.  Feeds 20 hippies.

Prep time ~ 60 minutes; cooking time ~ 5 hours

  • 2 lbs red lentils
  • boiling water
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 hot pepper, diced very small (optional)
  • 1 lb. carrots, diced
  • 5 ribs celery, sliced
  • 4 medium onions, chopped
  • too much fresh ginger (1/3 cup), sliced across the fibers, then diced into tiny squares
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 5 L veggie stock (cubes, powder, or containers all work)
  • 15 cloves of garlic (more if you dare), peeled, ends trimmed, and chopped in half (the big cloves chopped in thirds)
  • 6 bay leaves
  • salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Rinse the lentils in cold water then put them in a large metal bowl
  2. Over-cover the lentils in boiling water, stir them, and let them sit for about 2 hours, topping up with boiling water as needed to keep them covered (they may swell to about triple their dry volume)
  3. In a very large soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the pepper, carrots, celery, onions, and ginger on low heat until the onions are just starting to get translucent
  4. Drain the lentils and rinse them
  5. Add spices, lentils, stock, garlic, and bay leaves to the soup pot
  6. Bring gently to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 2 hours (or more), stirring to keep the lentils from burning (on my stove, this means every 15 minutes or so)
  7. Add salt; how much will depend on how salty the stock is
  8. Serve with sourdough
     

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Glory Bowls

 This recipe shamelessly copied from Canadian Living (original here).  Introduced to us by our friends C & A (and their kids M & J), these have quickly become a house favourite vegan recipe.

For the meal, make sure to have hot rice, tofu, and lots of grated veggies (carrots, cucumber, beets) plus greens as desired.  Chili crisp is optional too.  Everyone starts with a base of rice and loads up on veggies and tofu.

But what really makes it is the sauce, which drenches everything.  It goes like this.

In a blender, combine:

  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed 

Put the blender on slow, open the top once it's reached equilibrium, then pour in:

  • 1 1/2 c vegetable oil

Store in the fridge in an airtight jar.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Experimental Eggnog

 Based on the recipe from https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/homemade-eggnog/, with some modifications (less sweet, more creamy, more vanilla, less-cooked egg):

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • , for topping

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and creamy.
  • In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir often until mixture reaches a bare simmer. 
  • Add a big spoonful of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Repeat, adding a big spoonful at a time, to temper the eggs. 
  • Once most of the hot milk has been added to the eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan on the stove. 
  • Whisk constantly for just a few minutes, until the mixture is just slightly thickened (or until it reaches about 155 degrees F on a thermometer). It will thicken more as it cools.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
  • Pour the eggnog through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or other container and cover with plastic wrap. 
  • Refrigerate until chilled. It will thicken as it cools.  
  • Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, and fresh whipped cream, if desired.