My vegetarian adventure

I've decided to go vegetarian for the next 365 days!

As it is, I actually started on April 1st.
One of my friends thought it was an April Fools Day joke, but I was a few days short of my Easter vacation and it seemed like a good idea to start. Besides it's spring; A lot of fresh vegetables will show up on the market in the next few weeks, and I will have a lot of delicious ingredients to choose from.

The idea to become a vegetarian didn't come to me overnight. First, I love vegetables. Second, I have grown more and more sceptical towards modern farming as the animals live on restricted diets and they are given minimal space to live on. Modern breeding have turned many animals into meat producing giants - with large bodies and feet that struggle to carry the weight. I asked myself, will I continue to support this business?

A vegetarian diet is also supposed to be healthy, but expensive and time consuming.
I am curious to see if this is true.
In this house hold we spend $1000 on food and grocery items every month. I hope my project won't add to an already bulging food budget.

In the weeks prior to my adventure, I spent many hours on the Internet, searching for vegetarian recipes and nutrition. I also started a subscription on Vegetarian Times - a magazine dedicated to vegetarian cooking.

I live a fairly busy life. I won't have time to cook time consuming meals every day. I eat out several times a month, and vegetarian menu charts are few and far between here. I think the restaurant business will give me a hard time in the months to come, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Actually, I met my first 'wall' during my Easter holiday. I was starving, and dropped by a nice lunch restaurant. As a meat eater, I have loved the place and eaten there many times in the past. I have seen vegetarian dishes on the menu, so I thought it was a safe place to start.
Not so. On this day the chef was out, and the temp chef had made two dishes: Meat balls or smoked salmon.

I told the waiter I don't eat meat.
'You'll have fish then', she said and that was that!

I found three restaurants that offered vegetarian dishes during my holiday, but the menu was repeated every day and to be honest, it will probably take a while until I eat mushroom risotto, vegetarian lasagna (which contained too much salt, by the way) or broccoli and gnocchi in cheese sauce again. Two weeks on this diet took the fun out of dining out.

I hope my holiday just turned out to be a small bump in the road.
I'm still excited about my project and I can't wait to try some of the new vegetarian recipes I have found.

Stay tuned!

Lauper - sweet anise rolls

I'm sorry for disappearing from the face of Earth...uhm, I guess that will be face of Blogger...without further notice a few months back.
Real Life got in the way there for a little while, but my stove has been screaming my name and this week we reunited.

I went for the flour first. These sweet rolls contain fine grind rye flour and has more fiber than plain white flour. In my book, that makes them almost healthy. I do agree that the amount of dark syrup keeps them from being labelled "Health Food", but if you serve them with cheese instead of jam, it evens out.
Serve them with tea or coffee.

Lauper (- sweet anise bread rolls)

These remind me of when I was a kid, visiting my grandmother who made these all the time.

The rye flour will keep them moist for days. (- but they never last more than a day or two in this house hold.)

2 1/4 pounds white flour
1 pound finely grind rye
1/2 cup canola oil
2 1/3 cup dark syrup
1 1/2 ts salt
1 envelope anise seeds (3 teaspoons)
2 envelopes of yeast (5 teaspoons)
4 cups of milk

Mix flour, salt and dry yeast in a bowl.

Crush the anise seeds in a mortar and add them to the dry mixture.

Heat milk in a casserole until it's lukewarm. Add oil and dark syrup, mix well and pour into the bowl with the dry mixture.

Blend well. Add a little white flour if necessary.
When you have formed a dough, let it rise until double in size.

Roll out 12 large buns (- I usually make around 20 because I like them smaller), and let rise for 30 minutes.

Brush with eggwash if desired, and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until done.

My favourite chicken

I'm picky about my chicken.
For years I only ate chicken breasts, but finally one day I realized that chicken breasts are dry as paper. Neither do they taste much unless you marinate them in something that does.
So I switched to tights. Chicken tights, that is. With skin!

Not only is the meat juicier and holds more taste, I believe this meat is healthier for me too. It makes me happy to eat chicken tights, and being happy is good for my health. My mental health, that is. And everyone knows that ones mental health is important for ones physical health.
See where I'm going?
Since I switched to chicken tights I haven't looked back but I'm back at loving chicken.

I like my chicken baked. I like the meat juicy and the skin crispy.

This is how I make my favourite chicken:

1 chicken tight per person
canola oil
1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce
pepper
a pinch of paprika

Preheat oven to 350F.


Drizzle some oil into an oven proof pan to prevent the chicken to burn.
Then brush chicken with canola oil.(Just enought to coat it lightly).

Place the chicken tights in an oven proof pan. Lightly sprinkle soy sauce over chicken tights. (I will use 1-2 teaspoons per chicken tight)

Then you sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of paprika over the tights. (I use the paprika more for colour than for taste in this recipe).

Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until done.
Turn the oven off and let the chicken rest in the still hot oven for 5 minutes before you serve it.

I usually serve this chicken with cheese filled tortellini or rice, with a salad on the side.

Navratan Korma missing two ingredients...

So, I got home from work the other day and I was so hungry I could hardly wait to get dinner ready.

I made this really tasty Navratan Korma but alas, I was so hungry I completely forgot to add the peas and the nuts at the end *LOL*.

Anyways, it tasted great still but next time I will add all the ingredients. And for the record, this dish is so good it will definitely go into my regular file.

This is an Indian vegetable korma with nuts, paneer cheese, and an adjustable list of vegetables. It is in a tomato-cream sauce as opposed to the usual yogurt based sauce.
I didn't find paneer cheese so I substituted it with regular cottage cheese.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil,
divided
1/3 cup nuts, chopped (you can mix cashews,
pistachios, almonds)
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1 (8 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup water
1 T raisins
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup chopped potatoes
4 ounces paneer, cubed (Or use cottage cheese)
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir onion into the skillet, and cook until tender. Mix in garlic paste and ginger paste, and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Pour in water, and mix in raisins, carrots, cauliflower and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
2. Heat remaining oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the paneer on both sides, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Place in a bowl with enough hot water to cover for about 2 minutes to soften, then stir into the skillet with the vegetables.
3. If you don't have paneer cheese, add cottage cheese straight to the skillet.
Stir coconut milk into the skillet with the vegetables. Add frozen peas. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Sprinkle nuts on top and serve with rice, salad and naan bread.

100 vegetarian foods that everyone should eat at least once.

I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but I am definitely a listmanian.
Here's my score:

1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked
2. Tabouleh
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam)
4. Fresh figs
5. Fresh pomegranate
6. Indian dal of any sort
7. Imam bayildi
8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu
9. Freshly made hummus
10. Tahini
11. Kimchi
12. Miso
13. Falafel
14. Potato and pea filled samosas
15. Homemade yogurt
16. Muhammara
17. Brie en croute
18. Spanikopita
19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes
20. Insalata caprese
21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards)
22. Freshly made salsa
23. Freshly made guacamole
24. Creme brulee
25. Fava beans
26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles
27. Fattoush
28. New potatoes
29. Coleslaw
30. Ratatouille
31. Baba ganoush
32. Winter squash
33. Roasted beets
34. Baked sweet potatoes
35. Plantains
36. Chocolate truffles
37. Garlic mashed potatoes
38. Fresh water chestnuts
39. Steel cut oats
40. Quinoa
41. Grilled portabello mushrooms
42. Chipotle en adobo
43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal
44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas
45. Frittata
46. Basil pesto
47. Roasted garlic
48. Raita of any type
49. Mango lassi
50. Jasmine rice (white or brown)
51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry
52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie
53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette
54. Quince in any form
55. Escarole, endive or arugula
56. Sprouts other than mung bean
57. Naturally brewed soy sauce
58. Dried shiitake mushrooms
59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…)
60. Fresh peach ice cream
61. Chevre
62. Medjool dates
63. Kheer
64. Flourless chocolate cake
65. Grilled corn on the cob
66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili
67. Tempeh
68. Seitan or wheat gluten
69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese
70. Sweet potato fries
71. Homemade au gratin potatoes
72. Cream of asparagus soup
73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip
74. Mushroom risotto
75. Fermented black beans
76. Garlic scapes
77. Fresh new baby peas
78. Kalamata olives
79. Preserved lemons
80. Fried green tomatoes
81. Chinese scallion pancakes
82. Cheese souffle
83. Fried apples
84. Homemade frijoles refritos
85. Pasta fagiole
86. Macadamia nuts in any form
87. Paw paw in any form
88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind
89. Paneer cheese
90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!)
91. Fresh pasta in any form
92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps
93. Green papaya salad
94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes
95. Pickled ginger
96. Methi greens
97. Aloo paratha
98. Kedgeree (the original Indian version without the smoked fish, not the British version with fish)
99. Okra
100. Roasted brussels sprouts

Read more here: http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2008/09/04/the-vegetarian-hundred/

Stale bread with tomatoes....or Panzanella if you want.

The Italians have an amazing way of making the most boring food taste like it was made to please your palate. Take stale bread, for instance. Most of us will throw away the last slices of three days old bread. Not in Italy. Not only do they transfer it into something new, they even dare to call it a salad. Or Panzanella, if you want.
I love this dish but make sure you use day old bread and the best tomatoes you can buy. It makes all the difference!

4 slives of stale bread, cut into cubes
1 T garlig oil
4 T canola oil

1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
1 lb tomatoes, cubed*
1/2 cucubmer, cubed
fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
4 T canola oil
1 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat ove to 300F.
Place cubes bread in an oven proof dish.
Mix 4T canola oil and 1T garlic oil in a small cup. Sprinkle oil over bread and toss gently afterwards. Let the bread dry in the oven for about an hour. Let cool.

Mixt the ingredients for the dressing in a cup.
Then mix tomatoes, cucubmer and onion in a large bowl. Add the dried bread cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle the dressing over the bread and vegetables. Sprinkle basil leaves ontop and toss lightly.

I'm still picking chanterelles...

I have found this wonderful place in the forest behind my house.
It's a little opening between the trees, and the ground is covered in orange, meaty and delicious chenterelles.
I call it my heaven.
I have lost count on how many pounds I have picked so far. Most of them are already in the freezer, but last night - after another hunt for the forest gold - I sauteed some of the mushrooms in REAL butter and ate them with brown rice.
It was so good, I decided I deserved a little treat. You know, I had picked the mushrooms, cleaned them and sauteed them, of course I deserved a treat.
So I opened a bottle of Chardonnay white wine and poured myself a glass.
I am pretty sure, at least about 99 percent sure, I would pick last nights chanterelle dinner over any ice cream.
Yup.....pretty sure!