Ingredient cooking challenge, Final week: fresh basil and/or pumpkin
We are going to do an ingredient cooking challenge, starting after the blog recipe cooking challenge is completed. This will be a great opportunity to try some new ingredients, new dishes with ingredients, and just to have fun with cooking, and talking about food. There are 13 weeks/13 ingredients, and the last week will be a surprise challenging ingredient. Try to make dishes that have the ingredient as the star, or one of the main ingredients. Get recipes from books, blogs, wherever! Come back, and talk about them.
Feel free to discuss where you've found your ingredients. Some things might be harder to find in certain areas.
1. okra (Jan.25-31) (look in fresh produce, frozen)
2. quinoa (Feb. 1-7) (look with grains, bulk bins, "health" food)
3. kale (Feb. 8-14) (look in fresh produce)
4. plantains (Feb. 15-21) (look in fresh produce, ethnic markets)
5. avocado (Feb. 22-28) (look in fresh produce)
6. edamame (Mar. 1-7) (look in frozen)
7. jackfruit (Mar. 8-14) (look in ethnic aisles, markets)
8. barley (Mar. 15-21) (look in grains, bulk bins)
9. wild mushrooms (Mar. 22-28) (look in fresh produce, spices (or wherever dried mushrooms can be found)
10. collard greens (Mar. 29-Apr. 4) (look in fresh produce)
11. tarragon (Apr. 5-11) (look in fresh produce, spice aisle, bulk bins)
12. nuts and seeds (Apr 12-18)
13. basil and/or pumpkin (Apr. 19-26)
The Corn, Kale and Sweet Potato Chowder I made for dinner today came out flavorful, even with all the liberties I took with the recipe(below). This hearty, colorful chowder combines chopped kale, bell peppers, corn, tomato, carrot and kale. (I left out the sweet potato because I didn't have any.)
I halved the recipe(which serves 10), and used a small can of corn, a 14oz can of diced tomato and a half can of pico de gallo salsa to replace the fresh corn, tomato and hot pepper sauce, respectively. I also added black beans, and garnished my bowl of steaming chowder with Daiya cheese and cilantro.
http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/71/Corn-Kale-and-Sweet-Potato-Chowder/
Corn, Kale and Sweet Potato Chowder
INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup each diced carrot, celery, onion, tomato and sweet potato
* 1/2 cup each red and green capsicum(peppers)
* 6 ears fresh corn off the cob (or approx 2 cups frozen)
* 3 liters vegetable stock
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 tablespoon sea salt (or to taste)
* 1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
* 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
* 1/2 cup corn starch blended with 1/3 cup water
* 225 grams / 1/2 pounds chopped fresh kale
METHOD
Place all vegetables except kale in large stock pot. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then lower heat to maintain a simmer. Add thyme and bay leaves.
When vegetables are almost tender (about 40 min) increase the heat to medium and thicken with corn starch mixture (add slowly while stirring). Stir in the kale. Then add salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the kale is wilted.
NOTES
Serves: 10 Freezes well.
Tweety, those look really good!
Saskia, that chowder sounds right up my alley - bookmarking that recipe:)
I made Terrys Terrific Kale Sandwich from vegweb:
http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss15/erthfemme/005-1.jpg
Pretty good, not terrific though. The capers and olives (I used regular black ones) gave it a nice tang and saltiness. I used less oil and red chili flakes than the recipe called for and used garlic powder instead of fresh (being lazy). I did have it on rye but with a slice of muenster un-cheez too. I guess having this sauteed kale on a sandwich was a heartier way to get my greens at lunch instead of my usual salad, but I don't think it's anything that begs to be made again.
Greens for a sandwich? That's odd. Maybe in a wrap with some hummus but a sandwich? Won't be trying that one. LOL
Greens for a sandwich? That's odd. Maybe in a wrap with some hummus but a sandwich? Won't be trying that one. LOL
hehehe, I agree. ; )
eta: <3 berryraw
Greens for a sandwich? That's odd. Maybe in a wrap with some hummus but a sandwich? Won't be trying that one. LOL
hehehe, I agree. ; )
eta: <3 berryraw
I thought that too, but I'm low on ingredients and cash this week and the recipe worked for my situation. It really wasn't too bad though:) The cheez I put on it helped redeem it.
Used the remainder of the kale to make citris raison kale using the recipe in Vegan Soul Kitchen for collard greens. Came out yummy, but a tad on the sweet side.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs213.snc3/22037_1241256190355_1197836956_30577964_4552944_n.jpg
I pooped out (no pun intended) on kale week, because we just didn't go to the store to get kale.
I did buy 2 large plantains yesterday, so I'll have to figure out something in the next couple days!
I pooped out (no pun intended) on kale week, because we just didn't go to the store to get kale.
;D Haha!!! Thank you for the LOL.
I made the Plaintain Stew from the Indian Vegan Kitchen.
I realized too late that I was supposed to have green plantains, and instead I had the almost-totally-black stage. I don't think it made too much of a difference in terms of flavor, just the plantains themselves didn't hold together, which is fine. It's a nice alternative for using plantains instead of frying slices, but it's not really the same effect - this is a thick, creamy stew (and in my case, the plantains were a part of the sauce), mildly plantain-flavored, as opposed to my beloved, deep-fried sweet & crispy plantains. Anyway, I would probably make this again, except with coconut milk or coconut cream instead of grated, just because it's stringy.
For my first plantain experience, I made tostones with 2 plantains. However, I did more of a medium fry, than a deep fry. I tried them after the first fry, and I was like, "Hm..k." They are not as sweet as I was expecting (not sweet at all, and mine were yellow), and so much like potato. After the flattened second fry, they are better, but still meh for me. I'll have to try them in something. Maybe I'd enjoy a sweetened thing more.
plantains don't get sweet until they are black and shrively.
Yup, you want them almost totally black for maximum yumminess. like this:
http://abigailblake.com/sugarapple/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ripe-plantain-2.jpg
When they're yellow or even green, they can be thinly sliced and made into chips. But IMHO, chips <<< fried (black) plantains
Yeah, I get that now...
It's weird because everything I read said "green," or "yellow." Bah!
ya i would have never known plantations were supposed to be that color... i would have thought they were bad... thanx for the info :)
is there any other good way to eat them besides fried?
If you search this blog: http://lazysmurf.wordpress.com/ for plantains, there are a couple recipes. There's at least one recipe in Vcon, and a couple in Vegan Soul Kitchen.
I can't get plantains where I live :( These recipes look awesome!
They can also be steamed or baked in the skin, and then mashed with soymilk/etc and cinnamon. Sort of a breakfast/dessert thing.
AC, another weird thing is that "tostones" apparently means fried, green/yellow plantains (so like the potato-y things you made), but I keep seeing "tostones" as referring to the fried sweet plantains (platanos fritos). So there are recipes out there for two different dishes with the same name : /
I've only had/heard of tostones being the potatoey way. I think I'll make some if I go to the store tonight, I've never made them fresh, only fried up frozen ones.
Also,
I hope the secret ingredient is pumpkin.
Mm. I made tostones. Eating them now. I've never made them from scratch, so good!! I used green plantains, and I'm dipping them in ketchup. I have one plantain left, but I have a feeling I might use it for more tostones.
I'm excited for avocado week! It will be weird to try to use them in different things....
Pages