Vegan Chili

 

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Vegetarian Chili

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 2 to 3 serrano chiles, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds baby bella mushrooms, diced
• Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, crushed between your fingers
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated and both finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Two 14.5 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes (with juices)
• 3 cups water, or more as needed
• Two cans black beans, drained and rinsed under cool water
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• Cooked brown rice, for serving
• Sour cream, for serving
• Chopped green onions, for serving
• Diced avocado, for serving

Directions

• Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large heavy Dutch oven and saute the onions, bell pepper, poblano, and serrano chiles until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes.

  Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and cayenne, and continue to cook, stirring as needed, until the mushrooms have given off their liquid and then begin to brown around the edges, 4 to 6 minutes longer.

  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cilantro stems, bay leaves, and cook until the spices are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

  Stir in the canned tomatoes and 2 cups of the water. Bring to a simmer, lower heat so that the chili gently bubbles, and cook for about 20 minutes, adding more water if the chili gets too thick.

  Add the beans and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the corn and any additional water to correct the consistency if the chili has become too thick. Cook until the zucchini is softened but not mushy, about 10 minutes, then stir in the cilantro leaves, correct the seasoning with salt and cayenne, and remove from the heat.

  Serve the chili garnished with a spoonful of brown rice, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of green onions and diced avocado.

Date and Honey Zucchini Bread

The same edition of the Press Enterprise that brought me the eggplant tart brought this recipe.  I haven't tried it yet.  But I'm going to!

Date and Honey Zucchini Bread

Start to finish: 11/2 hours

Servings: 10

11/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

11/2 cups white whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

11/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 eggs

1 cup honey

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups packed shredded zucchini (not peeled)

1 cup coarsely chopped medjool dates

Set a rack in the center of the oven.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mist a Bundt pan with baking spray.

In medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well beaten.

Stir in the honey, oil and vanilla, then fold in the zucchini.

Add dry ingredients and chopped dates to the zucchini mixture.

Stir just until the dry ingredients are just moistened.

Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out clean and dry, 50 to 60 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional information per serving: 510 calories; 210 calories from fat (41 percent of total calories); 24 g fat (2 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 55 mg cholesterol; 71 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 40 g sugar; 7 g protein; and 400 mg sodium.

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Vegetable Noodles

Summer is best time to start making vegetable ‘noodles’

By MELISSA D’ARABIAN

Published: July 12, 2017

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Vegetable “noodles” are super trendy, and summer is the best time to make them since the king of the veggie noodle — zucchini —is ubiquitous, and inexpensive.
Go ahead and load up, because zucchini is a true powerhouse of vitamins. One cup provides over a third of your daily vitamin C, and about 10 percent of five additional vitamins and minerals, and weighs in at under 20 calories.
While “zoodles” are easily the most popular noodle, noodles can be made from a variety of vegetables.
Try other summer squashes, winter squash such as butternut, beet, carrot, sweet potato and parsnips.
Veggie noodles are easy to make, too. You can buy an inexpensive spiralizer to make quick work of cutting perfectly-shaped noodles.
Or, you can even use your vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons from your vegetables; no special equipment needed.
Cooking the noodles is quick, too: usually by steaming or sauteeing briefly.
Some veggies, like summer squash, can be left completely raw if you want, and made into a cold summer noodle-like salad.
If you have been seeking the perfect recipe to dip your toe into the veggie noodle world, today’s recipe is perfect.
Sunshine Vegetable Ribbons can be made in mere minutes using only a vegetable peeler and a pan as equipment.
The flavors are bright and familiar: a little garlic, lemon, toasted pine nuts and nutty parmesan cheese.
Serve this as a pretty first course, as a side dish or even as a vegetarian main course, with a thick slice of crusty Italian bread on the side.
Once you’ve mastered the vegetable peeler noodle, get creative and explore the endless options for this new technique, swapping in vegetables for pasta in your favorite recipes.
Sunshine Vegetable Ribbons
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 15 minutes
2 large carrots, peeled
2 crookneck squashes (yellow summer squash)
2 zucchini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 ounce parmesan cheese, shaved into shards with a vegetable peeler
Lemon zest or fresh herbs for garnish, if desired
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Use a vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons (like flat noodles) of the vegetables. (You will likely have a thin core remaining of each vegetable.)
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.
Add the garlic and saute for one minute, until fragrant.
Add the vegetable ribbons, a pinch of salt, and stir.
Add the lemon juice and cover with a lid for just one minute (or longer if you want very soft ribbons).
Remove the lid, and remove from heat.
Serve on four plates, topped with pine nuts, parmesan cheese, black pepper and lemon zest or fresh herbs.
Nutritional information per serving: 128 calories; 66 calories from fat; 7 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 6 mg cholesterol; 408 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; and 6 g protein.

Zucchini casserole

This recipe comes from my friend Margaret Wettling.  It's a great way to use up a lot of zucchini, and even non-vegetable lovers (i.e. Leon Bogdan), like it.

This will make you one loaf. Double it to fill a 13x9 inch pan.

4 Cups grated zucchini
1 Cup Bisquick
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup grated cheese (I like parmesan.)
1 Tablespoon parsley
Garlic to taste
4 eggs

Mix everything together. Bake at 350 degrees or until golden brown and bubbly.

See? Easy.

David Kline's zucchini pasta sauce

David Kline of Benton gave me this recipe - a perfect way to use up leftover zucchini!

Zucchini
half onion
cooking oil
Tomato
garlic
sugar
salt
Fresh Basil

Fry half onion and a clove of garlic in cooking oil. Fry small chunks of zucchini in cooking oil till tender and brown. Cut tomato and stew in sugar and salt with basil until thick.

Chicken with fennel, tomatoes and zucchini

I look forward all year to the fennel from Dancing Hen Farm, outside Benton, just so I can make this recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 2 small bulbs)
• 2 cups finely chopped zucchini 
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds or fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Dredge the chicken in breadcrumbs. Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium heat. Add fennel bulb, zucchini, and leek; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (broth through tomatoes). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Return the chicken to pan; cover and cook 12 minutes or until the chicken is done. Sprinkle with fennel fronds.

Cooking Light 
NOVEMBER 2001

Mushtaq's Zucchini Pakora

Ingredients:
  1 large zucchini, cut into thin slices. Or eggplant. Or potatoes. Or sweet potatoes. Whatever veggie.
  2 ounces of besan (chickpea flour. Bloom Naturally sells it.)
  1 ounce white flour
  1/3 tsp ground cumin
  1/2 tsp tumeric
  1/2 tsp coriander powder
  1 tsp garlic powder
  1 tsp onion powder
  1 pinch chili powder
  Vegetable oil to fry
  Salt to taste.

Mix all ingredients together, add water to make a dipping batter.

Heat oil enough to fry in a flat pan.

Dip zucchini, place it on hot oil, and fry as many as you can fit without overcrowding pan. Turn them over once or twice so each side cooks thoroughly and look golden brown.

Take them out and put them on paper towels to soak excess oil.

Full disclosure - I can't get the batter to coat the zucchini properly. But it can be done - I've seen Mushtaq do it. So maybe you'll have better luck.

Mushtaq's Dal with Zucchini

Ingredients:
  6 ounces pink lentils - 3/4 Cup. They sell 'em at Bloom Naturally.
  2 medium zucchini, cut into cubes
  1 small onion, chopped
  3-4 large garlic cloves, chopped or sliced
  1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
  1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  Salt and chili pepper - preferably green chili, but ground or crushed chili can be substituted.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 2 minutes.

Add tumeric and cumin, stir for one minute.

Add zucchini, stir for 2 minutes.

Add lentils. Cook for a minute or two, then add 1 1/2 C water.  Bring to boil.

Lower heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes, or until lentils and zucchini are tender. You can use less water  or more, depending on if you want your dal thick or soupy.


Sizzling
Here's how to add extra pizzaz.

Ingredients:
  1/2 small onion
  2 cloves sliced garlic
  2 dry chilis.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the above ingredients. Fry.

When onion slices are brown, add to to the dal. Be careful - it might spatter when it hits the lentil.

Mushtaq Elahi's Vegetable Curry

I learned this and other recipes from Mushtaq Elahi's cooking class. Mushtaq is from Bangladesh; owns Sakuntala restaurant in Bloomsburg with his wife, Millie; used to be journalist in New York; is a supporter and former board member of Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble; a supporter of local artists, whose work he shows in his restaurant; founder of the Bangladeshi New Year celebration in Town Park, Bloomsburg; a supporter of the local foods movement; and generally an interesting and excellent all-around guy.  I'm posting this and his other recipes with his permission.

This comes out especially good with cauliflower.

Ingredients:
  About 2 pounds of vegetables, such as cauliflower, potato, carrot, cabbage, zucchini, cut into medium pieces and washed.
  2 TB vegetable oil
  1 medium onion, chopped
  3/4 tsp ground turmeric
  1 tsp ground cumin
  1-2 green chilis, sliced or chopped. In a pinch, you can use chili powder instead
  1 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds
  Salt to taste

  Heat oil on medium heat.
  Add onion and green chili, cook until onion looks icy white.
  Add spices, cook until the content becomes aromatic - about 1 minute.
  Add potatoes and carrots, cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Then add other vegetables, which take less time to cook Stir well.
  Add water, 1/2 to 1 C, depending on how saucy you like it.
  Cover and cook 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are cooked.
  Turn heat off.
  Sprinkle roasted ground cumin over the vegetables.  Cover.
  Serve with rice and daal.

  Roasted ground cumin seeds
  Toast 2 tsp of cumin seeds, then use a coffee grinder to grind into a fine powders. Keep the powder in a tightly sealed container.

  Tips - stir the veggies before they're cooked to coat with spices.
          - To cut cauliflower, cut halfway down the stem and break it apart. Soak it in ice water 10 minutes before cooking - then it won't be mushy.