Veggie Foodie

Ingredients:

• 1 big fat leek or 2 slightly slimmer ones or 2 bunch green onions
• 3-4 small-medium new potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cube of vegetable bouillon + 3 cups water or 3 cups vegetable broth
• Salt to taste (note that bouillon / broth may bring its own salt)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup full-cream milk

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash leek / spring onions
2. Chop leek / spring onions, about 3/4 inch pieces
3. Scrub wash potatoes to remove all the soil from the potato skin
4. Chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes
5. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and saute onions and potatoes for a few minutes
6. Add the vegetable bouillon + 3 cups water or 3 cups vegetable broth, salt, pepper and bring to boil
7. Cover the pot and simmer it on medium heat for 25-30 minutes till potatoes the completely cooked
8. Mash with potato masher
9. Add milk, bring to boil and then take it off heat
10. Serve with your favorite bread

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds kabocha squash or any other winter squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp agave nectar or maple syrup
• ½ tsp salt

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot
2. Sauté onions in the oil for 4-5 minutes
3. Add garlic, paprika and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute
4. Add sherry and cook for another minute
5. Add squash, vegetable broth and 1 cup water and cook the squash for about 20 minutes
6. Remove the pot from heat, remove the bay leaf and let it cool
7. Puree soup in food processor until smooth
8. In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil
9. Add pine nuts and salt and fry / roast the nuts till they are light brown in color
10. Add agave nectar or maple syrup and heat it on low heat for 5-7 minutes till the syrup gets thick in consistency, constantly stirring to make sure it doesn’t get burnt
11. Serve the soup hot in a bowl with a spool-full of pine nuts in sweet syrup

Serves: 6

Inspiration source:

Vegetarian Times, January 2009, page 44

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 vegetable instant bouillons
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, if necessary as the vegetable bouillons will provide all the needed saltiness
• 1/2 stick (2 ounces) butter
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
•  4 red bell pepper roasted and skinned and seeded
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup full cream milk
• 1 cup dry sherry / sherry cooking wine
• 8 ounces marinated artichokes, finely chopped
• Shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Puree roasted red bell pepper and keep aside
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil
3. Saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic in the oil for 2-3 minutes, till soft
4. Add vegetable bouillon, thyme, black pepper and cayenne pepper and saute for another 2-3 minutes
5. Add butter and melt. Stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan
6. Add water, red bell pepper puree, stir well and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer on medium / low heat for 15 minutes, stirring as necessary
7. Stir in milk, sherry and artichoke and heat for 5-10 minutes
8. Garnish with your favorite cheese and serve with warm hearty bread

Serves: 6

Inspiration source: Home Cooking The Costco Way, page 70

Ingredients:

For the stock

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 4 cups water
• 2 green chilies slit
• 1 small piece ginger, sliced
• 1 lemon grass stalk, chopped
• 1 small onion, sliced

Other ingredients

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup spring onion greens, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetarian Tom Yum paste (available at most Asian grocery stores)
• salt to taste

To serve

• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
• lemon wedges to serve

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the stock in a pot and bring to a boil
2. Simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain. Discard the flavoring ingredients
3. Return to the pot and add the mushrooms, carrots, spring onions greens and salt
4. Stir the Tom Yum paste and bring to boil
5. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and lemon wedges

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

http://www.tarladalal.com/recipe.asp?id=4988&MailerId=236&RecipientId=276620

Rasam

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked toor dal
• 5 cups water
• 4-5 medium-size tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp rasam powder
• 3 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp hing (asafetida)
• 2 tbsp lime / lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Method:

1. In a big pot, add cooked toor dal, water, chopped tomatoes and boil for 10 minutes
2. Roast cumin seeds and peppercorns for a couple of minutes until an aroma is released. Grind / pound to fine powder
3. Add rasam powder, cumin-peppercorn powder and salt to the boiling pot
4. In a small vessel, heat ghee or oil, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds
5. When mustard seeds pop, add hing and curry leaves and add this spice infused oil to the boiling pot
6. Add lime / lemon juice, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with curd rice or masala dosai (or both!)

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

Soul Food Recipes by Hema Alur-Kundarg, published in India Currents, Dec ’07 issue