Simple Dal

We've made a lot of this lately. It is great the first day and even better the second. And it is cheap and super quick to make. I've frozen bags of this for Kyle to bring to work for lunch. And it is very easy to double.

1 c. dried red lentils
2 t. ground ginger
1 T. minced garlic
4 cardamom pods (I got mine in the Whole Foods bulk spices)
1 T. mustard seeds
2 whole cloves
1 t. black pepper
salt
2 T. butter

Combine lentils, giner, garlic, cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, pepper in saucepan and add water to cover by about 1 inch. Cook at a steady simmmer until the lentils are quite soft-- about 20-30 minutes, salting when they soften.

Remove cloves and pods, stir in butter. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve over rice.

How do you clean your mushrooms?

I'm curious. (And, Caron, just because I know you'll ask-- not the hallucinogenic kind.)

falafel wisdom

i need your advice about falafel. the last batch i made, i tried to fry instead of my usual method, broiling. anyway, the balls fell apart when i placed them in the oil. potential ball jokes aside, what did i do wrong? i'd like to get it right.

A well-tested Dyer recipe

This is a fairly quick and very easy recipe that we make pretty often. I'm certain in is not authentic at all-- but it is very, very good.

I'm actually making right now for dinner tonight.


Pork and Mango Picadillo
3/4 lb. ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. coriander
1 t. oregano
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. thyme
1/3 c. chopped green onions
2 c. salsa
1 mango, cubed
1 T. fresh cilantro (optional)
slivered almonds, toasted
couscous

In skillet, cook pork and drain fat. Stir in onions, garlic and spices. Cook for 2 minutes more. Gently stir in slasa and mango. Cook till heated thru. Serve spooned onto cooked couscous. Top with cilantro and almonds.

Black Bean Burgers

Caleb asked for a veggie burger and sweet potato fries for his birthday meal. a week plus later, i delivered. found some recipes online that i was very happy with and will definitely use again. we served the burgers with pepper jack cheese, cabbage salsa and guacamole. yummy and FILLING.

* 1 12oz Can Black Beans (or 1-1/2 cups cooked yourself)
* 1 chopped & boiled potato (any sort, soft enough to mash)
* 1/2 yellow onion, minced
* 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2T chopped cilantro
* juice of 1 lime
* 1 T cumin
* cayenne to taste
* 1tsp salt
* dash o pepper
* about 1/3 cup cornmeal (enough to form patties)
* 1/2 jalapeno (optional)
* 1 ear of corn cooked & shaved (optional)

Mash up the beans and potato. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash together with your hands. Form into patties of desired size and fry em up in plenty of olive oil until crispy.

A couple tips:
--Let the mixture sit for a while to let the cornmeal soak in and firm it up. i didnt do this and the later ones really turned out better and firmer than the first ones i cooked.
--after the first few, i also found that dredging the burgers in flour helped them brown nicely.
--we also added an egg b/c there didnt seem to be much in the recipe to help with binding. not sure if you'd need it or not.

recipe found at: http://brainfag.com/writing/156/

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

These have a perfect bit of spice to them! Don't even need ketchup.

Credit for this recipe goes to this blogger where full post and photos may be found.

Sweet Potatoes, one per person
Olive oil (see below)

Seasoning Mix:
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into strips about 3 inches long and 3/4 inches thick.

In mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together coriander, fennel, oregano, and Aleppo pepper. Mix in salt. (This makes enough for several batches of sweet potatoes, so you'll need a small jar to store the extra.)

In plastic bowl, toss together cut sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. You will need about 1 T olive oil and 2 tsp. of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how spicy you like it.

Spray flat roasting pan with non-stick spray. Spread out sweet potatoes in single layer. Roast 30-40 minutes, turning about every ten minutes. Sweet potatoes should be softened through and lightly browned when they're done. (They will only be slightly crisp. If you wanted them crisper I might increase the temperature to 450 F or use convection if you have it, but sweet potatoes never get as crisp as fried potatoes.) Serve hot.

Garlic, Spinach and Chickpea Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
5 cups vegetable stock
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
2/3 cup heavy cream (i use fat free half and half)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons corn starch (can use cornmeal)
9 oz spinach, shreded
ground cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and stir in garlic and onion. Cook until tender. Season with cumin and coriander and fry another minute.

Mix vegetable stock and potatoes into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in the garbanzo beans, and continue to cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 more minutes.

In a small bowl, blend the cream, tahini, and corn starch. Mix into the soup.

Stir spinach into the soup. Season with cayenne pepper and salt. Continue to cook until spinach is heated through.

Serves 6