Categotry Archives: Dinner

Veggie Red Chile Stew

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Christmas 2013

Last night I made two pots of chile: red chile with liver broth and veggie red chile. Guess which one was better? You got it. Moral: NEVER put liver broth in ANYTHING. Corollary: Never stretch a pot of liver chile hoping to dilute the taste. You just get more. Here’s how to make the excellent veggie version:

Saute:

1/2 onion, diced
3 corn tortillas, ripped up
2 tbsp olive oil

Add and saute:

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons New Mexico chile powder (or other medium-hot variety)
1 tablespoon paprika

Stir in:

1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes,
1 can water (or more)
2 cubes veggie bouillon

Et voila!

 

Black Lentil Hummus

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We happened to have cooked black lentils in the fridge one evening, and this recipe came into being. Lentils have more fat and protein than chickpeas, the usual hummus legume (but the same carbohydrate content). This gives lentil hummus an even lower glycemic index than traditional hummus. January 2014.

  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup cooked and drained black lentils
  • 1 crushed garlic clove
  • 1/2 – t teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Pulse in a small blender, adding only as much water as needed for pureeing. Serve with carrot sticks and romaine lettuce leaves.

Lentil Hummus Salad (a variation)

Assemble the ingredients for Black Lentil Hummus in a bowl, bypassing the blender step. Add freshly chopped vegetables like tomatoes, green onions, radishes, carrots and parsley. Toss.

 

Aunt Karen’s Spring Roll Dipping Sauce

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My sister Karen introduced us to this fine, very fresh meal.

Aunt Karen’s Spring Roll Dipping Sauce

To be served with a colorful array of sliced vegetables, prepared tofu, ground peanuts, rice/tapioca spring roll rounds, a bowl of hot water and napkins.

saute briefly:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive or canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot bulb, minced

add to pan:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 tsp. chili flakes
3/4 cup water

add after mixture comes to a brief boil; then pour into a small, attractive serving bowl:

1 tsp. rice vinegar
juice of half a fresh lime
add to steaming bowl, et voilá!
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced

suggested veggies:
red peppers
red cabbage
carrots
squash

also provide:
cilantro, mint and basil
ground peanuts
chopped limes

 

Family notes:

November 2015: Anna and Maddie prepared this meal for Scott’s 53rd birthday party. We had a small intimate dinner at their 9th East apartment downtown. –Helen

February 2016: Anna’s boyfriend, Tony, and the girls came over for Sunday dinner after an afternoon of sledding with little brother, Petey. We added portobello mushrooms marinated in the dipping sauce and then broiled to the spread. Highly recommended! –Helen

With a rare occurrence of having an actual Sunday off, eating these delicious spring rolls was like the cherry on the sundae of my Sunday. – Tony

 

 

GF Lactose-free Cornbread

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For all those gluten-free, lactose-free cornbread lovers out there!

Gluten-free, Lactose-free Cornbread for Everyone

flour option 1:
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup oat flour

flour option 2:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup bean flour
3 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

flour option 3 for wheat eaters:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup white wheat flour

add to flour:
1/4 cup sucanat or brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg

variation 1:
I made a fortuitous mistake and put in 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, so I added 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp baking powder. This version has more corny texture. Try it!

Combine dry ingredients. Mix. Add wet ingredients. Try muffins! Bake 20-25 minutes (less for muffins) at 400 F.

Lima Bean Spinach Soup

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Lenitas Fea’s Lima Bean and Spinach Soup
June 2008
Maddie, Katie, Anna all like this! You couldn’t even taste the coconut (if you want more of a coconut flavor, add more coconut flour and water).

1 cup dry lima beans, cooked
1 bunch spinach, finely chopped in food processor
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1-2 tsp bottled curry paste
2 Tbsp coconut flour
salt

Lime Cilantro Barley Quinoa Brown Rice

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Good, but I have no idea where the idea came from.

A kid-friendly whole-grain dish.
cook 5 minutes. Let sit. Chill:
1/4 cup quinoa cooked
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup water.
cook 30-45 min. Chill. Stir into quinoa:
1/4 c hull-less barley
1/4 c wild/brown rice mix
1 1/4 c water.

stir into grains:
1/3 cup pine nuts, sliced almonds or chopped pecans
1/2 cup largely chopped snow peas, snap peas or lightly steamed fresh
peas
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lime, depending on taste
1/4 cup canola oil
salt to taste

As you can see, there’s great variety possible in the veggies and nuts.
The basics of the seasoning, though, are important because they’re
wonderful.

Parsley Quinoa Salad

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Maddie and Mommy’s Parsley and Quinoa Salad
January 2008
Maddie and I listened to Harry Potter 7 while we made this, apple crisp and Swiss chard.
cook, then cool:
½ cup dry quinoa
1¼ cup water
place in strainer; pour a quart of boiling water:
1 large shallot, sliced
add to quinoa and shallot:
1 head parsley, finely chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
lemon juice to taste
red wine vinegar to taste
salt to taste

 

Katie’s Polenta Crust

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One evening, Katie suggested I make a pizza crust out of polenta, since her dad can’t eat wheat. Gluten-sensitive persons, this is pizza heaven. Gluten eaters, enjoy this elegant variation of a traditional crust.
1 onion chopped, sautéed in olive oil
1 cup polenta, stirred in
½ tsp salt
1 cup water + 2 eggs (stirred in)
salt

Spread onto pizza stone. Rub with olive oil, herbs, and minced garlic.

Posole with Lima Beans

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One of my favorites.  My mother says you can’t make vegetarian posole, but I disagree…  Good eaters: You’ll like this, I promise.

Credit for this hearty soup goes to my mother, Maria Salas, who fed me the pork
version (also yummy) throughout my childhood. Thanks, Ma!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 C dried hominy (quick version–one 15 oz. can)
  • 1 C dried lima beans (my memories of canned lima beans aren’t fond;
  • try the shortcut at your own risk)
  • 3 little cans mild green chilies (slower–roast and peel your own chilies)
  • 1 white or sweet onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Salt
  • Canola oil

I like to cook the hominy in a pressure cooker because otherwise it takeforever. Lima beans are the quickest-cooking beans I’ve encountered. Hominy takes twice as long, so I cool and open the pressure cooker halfway through and add the beans. Best bet: cook them separately until you get the timing down.  Boil the salt, chopped onions, garlic and chilies with the probably-still-a-little-undercooked hominy until everything is soft (the hominy will eventually flare out and lose its chewiness). Add the perfectly done lima beans.

Add a tablespoon or two of cold-pressed canola oil. Don’t leave this out! I just put it in last to spare the lovely mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids from excessive heating. Maybe it’s just a quirk of mine. You can add it anytime, really.

Potatoes in Savory Turmeric Broth

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INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ C dry split peas
  • ½ C dry red lentils
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 quart water
  • ½ t salt
  • 2 medium red potatoes, julienned

Boil for 30 minutes. Remove the onion and herbs; set aside. Drain broth into bowl. (Use legumes for another dish.) Boil potatoes for 1 minute in water. Rinse and drain. Put in medium saucepan.

For Potatoes:

  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • salt
  • pepper
  • another bay leaf
  • cooked onion, pureed

Add to potatoes with broth. Boil until potatoes are soft.

 

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