This was okay. I used fancy buckwheat and sweet potato soba noodles for it and I wasn't super thrilled with how they came out. I think it'd be better with regular soba noodles.

Soba Noodle Salad

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 350g dried soba noodles
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1/8 tsp. wasabi paste
• 1 watermelon radish, peeled and shredded
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• nori, cut into matchsticks, to garnish

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles and salt.
2. Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Drain noodles and rinse under cold water.
4. Toss with sesame oil.
5. Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger paste, and wasabi paste to noodles and toss noodles to coat with sauce mixture.
6. Top with radish, green onion, and nori and serve.

We were supposed to be having "Indian" burrito bowls for dinner last night. But it wasn't until I went to start preparing them that I remembered that we were all out of bell peppers. With that plan out the window and only about an hour 'til dinner, I began frantically searchig for a replacement meal.

Conveniently this socca could be made entirely with pantry staples and freezer ingredients. It's not the heartiest of meals, but it was sufficient for us for the evening. And, added bonus, the Kidlet absolutely loved it!

I think this would be good with a little honey and olive oil drizzled over the filling just before serving, but it was plenty good as it was.

Socca with Kale, Pistachios, and Apricots

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Batter

• 1 1/2 c. chickpea flour
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil (plus more for frying)

Filling

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3 allspice berries, ground
• 300g chopped kale (or Swiss chard/silverbeet)
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped dried apricots (~6 apricots)
• 2 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped
• 1 tsp. wine vinegar
• pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. honey (optional)
• extra olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Directions

Socca

1. Combine chickpea flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and mix well.
2. Stir in water and olive oil.
3. Heat a little olive oil (1-2 tsp.) in a 20cm (8") skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Once the oil is hot, pour in ~1/2 c. of the batter and cook until the underside is browned 2-4 minutes.
5. Flip the socca and cook until the other side is done (1-2 minutes).
6. Remove from pan, add another teaspoon or two of oil and repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter.
7. If desired, keep the socca warm in an oven preheated to 95°C (200°F) while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook for ~5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, cumin, salt, and allspice and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Add kale and apricots and cook until wilted (~5 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and stir in pistachios and vinegar.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. If desired, drizzle with honey and additional olive oil.
8. Top socca with kale mixture and enjoy.

I think my naan probably could've used a longer rise. But I was hungry and tired, so I went ahead with the recipe anyway. It was still tasty, just not as well-proofed as it probably should've been. My pan was also too hot. So the first couple ended up coming out a little burnt.

Vegetarian Keema Naan

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/2 c. cold water
• 1/3 c. yogurt
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Filling

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 oinon, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 3/4 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 fresh green Thai chile, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Bin Bhuna Hua Garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 160g rehydrated dried seitan, crumbled
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. mushroom stock
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. kasoori methi
• 1/4 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Dough

1. Combine water, yogurt, oil, and egg yolk and set aside.
2. Combine flour, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.
4. Cover and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
5. Work in salt and knead for 10-15 minutes.
6. Cover and rest for 30 minutes then stretch and fold. Grab one edge of the dough and stretch it up and over the centre, rotate 90° and repeat stretching and folding. Do 8-10 folds.
7. Repeat step six 2-3 more times.
8. Divide dough into four equal portions.
9. Round each portion, cover, and rest for 20-30 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Filling

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add garlic, ginger paste, coriander, chili powder untoasted garam masala, and pepper and cook for 30-60 seconds.
4. Add seitan, tomato paste, mushroom stock, soy sauce, and methi and cook until pan is almost dry.
5. Stir in Punjabi garam masala and cilantro.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll the dough out flat.
3. Place ~1/3 c. of filling in the centre of the dough.
4. Bring the edges of the dough up toward the centre and seal it closed.
5. Roll the package flat and prick all over with a fork.
6. Lightly grease a cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat.
7. Place a naan in the well-preheated pan and brush or spritz the top with water.
8. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute.
9. Flip the naan over, brush/sprtiz the other side with water, cover, and cook for 1 minute.
10. Remove naan from pan and transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
11. Once all four naan have been browned in the skillet and transferred to the wire rack/baking sheet, place in the oven and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes.

We've run out of a lot of staples and I desperately need to do a grocery shop. In the meantime, we didn't quite have enough leftovers to feed everyone for dinner, so I needed to come up with something pretty quick-like. I briefly entertained the idea of trying to make some stuffed naan, but figured that'd be way too slow for today. In the end I settled on this chickpea and spaghetti dish.

I was worried that this was going to turn out bland but, with the garlic mayo, it's actually really good! I think it'd be better with a bit of kale or spinach mixed in. And possibly a drizzle of lemon juice along with the mayo, but it's very nice as is.

Fideos with Chickpeas and Garlic Mayo

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil, divided
• 375g whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 5cm pieces
• 2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 400mL diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. smoked or sweet paprika
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 c. vegetable broth
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 150g chopped kale (optional)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 c. Garlic Mayo

Directions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat in a broiler safe pan.
2. Add spaghetti pieces and mix/stir to coat in oil.
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until noodles are toasted (~6 minutes).
4. Remove noodles from pan and set aside.
5. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan.
6. Add onion and 1/4 tsp. of the salt.
7. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened (~5 minutes).
8. Add drained tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to medium.
10. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook for 30-60 seconds.
11. Stir in toasted spaghetti.
12. Add water, chickpeas, kale, wine, reserved tomato juice, pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.
13. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
14. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until noodles are just tender (15-18 minutes).
15. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper position and preheat broiler.
16. Transfer pan to oven and broil until slightly brown and crisp on top (~5 minutes).
17. Sprinkle with parsley and served topped with garlic mayo.

We made this as part of Fideos with Chickpeas and Garlic Mayo, and it really is not an optional part of the recipe; topping each bowl of fideos with it is mandatory. The original recipe calls for making garlic aioli from scratch, but we just winged it with some mayo in the fridge.

All quantities are very approximate, since I just put things together until it tasted right.

Garlic Mayo

The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook

Ingredients

• ¼ C mayo
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp powdered mustard
• ¼ tsp black pepper
  
• ⅛ tsp coarse salt

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.
   

I needed to make something to augment our dinner options. I needed to be relatively quick and easy and involve vegetables. It also needed to be something that we had all the ingredients on hand for already. Bonus points if it called for something we'd been having trouble using up. After a few minutes flipping through the vegetarian cookbook it was between latkes and tamale pie. Latkes won out because they were a little simpler and let us use up some carrots and potatoes that'd been hanging around. We also figured there was a good chance the Kidlet would like them. This, sadly, turned out to be wrong, but we tried!

These latkes are a little more involved than my usual approach of stirring eggs into grated potatoes, but they did turn out pretty nice. I'm not sure I'd always bother going to the extra effort, but it's nice to know a few tricks for making really good latkes. TF certainly enjoyed them!

Latkes

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 400g potatoes, grated (preferably russet or some other floury variety)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 onion, grated (or chopped fine)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• oil, for frying

Directions

1. Combine potatoes, carrot, onion, and salt and mix well.
2. Wrap half the potato mixture in a tea towel and wring out as much water as possible, reserving liquid. Repeat with second half of potato mixture. Set liquid aside for 5-10 minutes to let starch settle out.
3. Microwave potato for 1-2 minutes in 30 second intervals. It should be warmed through but not hot. Spread out onto a baking sheet and set aside to cool.
4. Once the potato liquid has separated, carefully pour off the water from the starch.
5. Add eggs to starch, beating and mixing well.
6. Return potato mixture to bowl and pour starch-egg mixture over.
7. Add parsley and pepper and mix well.
8. Pour oil to a depth of 3-4 mm and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
9. Scoop generous 1/4 c. portions of latke mixture into the hot oil and flatten with a spatula to form pancakes.
10. Cook until underside is golden-brown, flip, and continue cooking until second side is done.
11. Repeat until latke mixture is used up.
12. Serve with sour cream and/or applesauce.

I've just been using regular old non-vegetarian fish sauce in all my cooking so far. (I got a bit bottle ages ago and I'm still working on using it up.) The folks at America's Test Kitchen recommend Bragg Liquid Aminos as a good vegetarian option when you need to substitute fish sauce. They also suggest this recipe as a good homemade alternative.

Vegetarian Fish Sauce Substitute

From The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 7g dried sliced shiitake mushrooms

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients over medium heat and simmer until mixture is reduced by half. (~30 minutes)
2. Strain and cool completely.
3. Store in fridge for up to 2 months.

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower

The original recipe is just for cauliflower. I was a little short on cauliflower the first time I made it so I decided to add a bit of tempeh to bulk it out. That turned out so nice that I decided to just keep the tempeh in as a regular part of the recipe.

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower (and Tempeh)

Slightly adapted from the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 (400mL) can lite coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4" florets
• 200-250g tempeh, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, torn into rough pieces

Directions

1. Whisk coconut milk, fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, sugar, curry paste, and pepper flakes together in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1 tsp. oil, garlic, and ginger paste.
3. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over high heat until shimmering.
4. Add cauliflower, water, and salt. Cover and cook until cauliflower is just tender and translucent. (~5 minutes)
5. Uncover, add tempeh, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and cauliflower is tender and well browned. (~10 minutes)
6. Clear centre of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into skillet until fragrant. (~30 seconds)
7. Stir garlic mixture into cauliflower and reduce heat to medium-high.
8. Whisk coconut milk mixture to recombine. Add to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. (~4 minutes)
9. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

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Variations

Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 (400mL) can lite coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos or vegetarian fish sauce substitute
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4" florets
• 200-250g tempeh, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, torn into rough pieces

Vegan

Same as vegetarian version, just make sure your sugar is vegan.

The last couple of times we've gotten cauliflower in our produce basket, we've ended up making a cauliflower and tofu Thai red curry. And, while delicious, I was craving something a little different. This curried cauliflower soup is a variation on the "creamy cauliflower soup" from my latest go-to, The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. (I thought the addition of lime juice and curry powder sounded more interesting than the basic soup. I mean, I'm sure it would be tasty with just the chives, but the Thai curry paste worked so well, I figured an Indian curry powder would be lovely.)

Curried Cauliflower Soup

From the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 leek, sliced thin
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 4 1/2 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. lime juice, divided
• 1/2 c. lite coconut milk
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove and thinly slice the core of the cauliflower.
2. Cut 1 heaping cup of 1/2" florets from head of cauliflower.
3. Cut remaining cauliflower into 1/2"-thick slices.
4. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat.
5. Add leek, onion, and 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt. Cook until leek and onion are softened but not browned.
6. Add ginger paste and curry powder and cook for another minute or so, being careful not to burn the spices.
7. Add 4 1/2 c. water, sliced core, and half of the sliced cauliflower. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
9. Add remaining sliced cauliflower and simmer until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily. (~15 minutes)
10. Melt the remaining 5 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
11. Add reserved cauliflower florets and cook, stirring often, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and nutty.
12. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl.
13. Toss browned florets with 1/2 tsp. lime juice and season with salt to taste.
14. Pour browned butter into a separate bowl and reserve for garnishing.
15. Puree soup until smooth.
16. Stir in coconut milk and 1 Tbsp. lime juice.
17. Garnish with scallions, browned florets, browned butter, and pepper.

The garnish looks pretty and all. That said, I think next time I'd stick with scallions and pepper for garnish and not bother with the whole browned butter thing. It would drastically reduce the fat content and takes out a few steps to boot!

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Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 leek, sliced thin
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 4 1/2 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. lime juice, divided
• 1/2 c. lite coconut milk
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• pepper, to taste

Stir-Fried Tofu and Bok Choi

I made this a few days ago and all three of us absolutely loved it. It took an hour and a half (!) to make, but I think it was worth it. When making it in the future, though, I think I'd make a double or even triple batch; that'll take longer to make, but the time increase should be sublinear and the single batch I made vanished shockingly fast.

Most of the time spent making it was in preparation. I started disassembling, washing, dividing, and slicing the bok choi while the tofu was draining, and I had finished those and was about halfway through the carrots when the tofu was done cooking. Definitely give this one a lot of lead time unless you have sliced bok choi and julienned carrots already lying around.

Ingredients (Sauce)

• 128mL vegetable broth
• 64mL soy sauce
• 32mL Chinese rice wine
• 16mL sugar
• 5mL sesame oil
• 10mL corn starch

Ingredients (Stir-Fry)

• 500g extra firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
• 85mL cornstarch
• 3 green onions or half of a white onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 15mL ginger paste
• 45mL canola oil
• 500g bok choi, cleaned, stalks and greens separated, greens cut into 2cm strips and stalks thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled, cut into 5cm lengths, and julienned

Procedure

1. Spread tofu out over paper towels and let drain for 20 minutes; pat dry.
2. While tofu is drying:
   - Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl, slowly whisking in the corn starch; set aside.
   - Combine onions, garlic, ginger, and 5mL of oil in a bowl; set aside.
   - This is also a good time to finish slicing the bok choi and carrots.
3. Toss tofu with cornstarch until well coated.
4. Heat 30mL oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the tofu and cook until crisp and well browned on all sides, ~15 minutes. Remove the tofu with a slotted spoon.
5. Add the remaining oil, the bok choi stems, and the carrots and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until vegetables are crisp-tender, ~4 minutes.
6. Clear the center of the skillet and add the onion-garlic mix. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds, then stir together with vegetables.
7. Stir in tofu and bok choi greens.
8. Whisk sauce to recombine, then stir into skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes.

Potato Vindaloo

It's a curry recipe, but shockingly it's not from 660 Curries but rather from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. That said, this is quite similar in construction and flavour profile to the meat vindaloos in the former; it just uses sweet and russet potatoes rather than pork or beef as the centerpiece.

The original recipe calls for peeling the sweet potatoes; we didn't bother and it turned out just fine.

Ingredients

• 30mL canola or peanut oil
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 500g russet potatoes, cut into 1cm pieces
• 500g sweet potatoes, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2.5mL coarse salt
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 20mL paprika
• 5mL ground cumin
• 4mL ground cardamom
• 2.5mL cayenne
• 2.5mL ground cloves
• 625mL water
• 2 bay leaves
• 15mL mustard seeds
• 1 (~800mL) tin of diced tomatoes
• 37.5mL red wine vinegar
• 64mL fresh cilantro, minced

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onions, both potatoes, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and potatoes begin to soften at the edges, ~10 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, and cloves; cook until fragrant and the potatoes are well coated in spices, ~2 minutes.
4. Gradually stir in water, deglazing the bottom of the pot as you do.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
6. Stir in tomatoes with their juice and vinegar and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, ~15 minutes.
7. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Vegetable Pot Pie

This recipe has been somewhat modified from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. The mushrooms were doubled, swiss chard was replaced with kale (which I find less bitter, and which we have in abundance), and the turnip -- difficult to find here -- was replaced with a rutabaga. The latter required some adjustment to the cooking time, since it turns out that rutabagas cook much more slowly than turnips do; we ended up having to disassemble the first pie, remove the rutabaga chunks for more cooking, and then return them and reassemble it.

The original recipe calls for a deep-dish pie plate, and is not kidding about it. If you don't have one (as we don't), buy or make two top-crusts and bake two shallow pies. If you only have one pie plate, you can keep half the pie filling in the fridge for a day or two while you eat the first pie.

Ingredients

• 1 pie top crust
• 60mL unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 500g cremini mushrooms, quartered (or halved if small)
• salt and pepper
• 350g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 250g rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3mL grated lemon zest
• 15mL lemon juice
• 250g black kale, stemmed and sliced into 2cm pieces
• 30mL all-purpose flour
• 500mL vegetable broth
• 125mL freshly grated parmesan
• 30mL fresh parsley, grated
• 1 large egg (or two small ones)
• water

Procedure

1. Melt 30mL butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onions, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their liquid, ~5 minutes.
3. Add sweet potato and rutabaga. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fork tender, 1-2 hours. (The original recipe calls for cooking "until potato and turnips begin to soften around the edges", but if you do this with rutabaga it will still be "soft around the edges" and rock hard in the middle when it comes out of the oven. Doing it this way runs the risk of slightly overcooking the rutabaga and sweet potato, but both are highly tolerant of overcooking and completely unforgiving of undercooking.)
4. Meanwhile, roll out the crust and cut four vent slits in it. As the filling approaches tenderness, preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Once the sweet potato and rutabaga are fork tender, stir in the garlic and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
6. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, ~2 minutes; remove and buffer in a bowl.
7. Melt remaining 30mL butter in the now-empty pot over medium-high heat.
8. Stir in flour and cook for one minute to  make a roux.
9. Gradually whisk in broth, deglaze, and simmer until it thickens slightly, 1-2 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and whisk in parmesan, parsley, and lemon juice.
11. Stir in cooked vegetables and any accumulated juices, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
12. Pour filling into a deep dish 9" pie plate, top with crust, and bake for 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

These came out quite tasty (despite skipping a couple steps). I do feel like they could've done with a bit of extra protein though. For a non-vegetarian version, I'd probably just add a bit of bacon or ham. For vegetarian protein... I'm not sure what my top choice would be. I don't feel like tempeh or tofu would work particularly well for this. Maybe vegetarian bologna?

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Broccoli

The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 large russet (or other floury) potatoes
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into smallish florets
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar, divided
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. half-and-half (10% cream)
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
• 3 scallions, sliced
• pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Optionally rub potatoes with oil¹. Bake potatoes at 400°F (200°C) for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Combine broccoli, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. water, cover, and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove lid and cook for an additional minute until water is gone and broccoli is bright and tender-crisp.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
6. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a half cm border along the edge.
7. Return the skins to the oven for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and 1/2 tsp. salt to the potato flesh and mash with a fork until butter is melted and mixed in well.
9. Stir in 1 c. Cheddar, sour cream, half-and-half, mustard, and scallions.
10. Add pepper to taste and fold in broccoli.
11. Spoon filling back into skins and top with remaining Cheddar.
12. Put under broiler for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and beginning to brown on top.
13. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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1 The oil will get your skins to bake up a bit crispier. I didn't bother because we ended up getting some baking potatoes that had been wrapped in foil, so I just baked them in the foil without any oil. ^Back

Millet Cakes with Carrot & Spinach

This recipe comes from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. Despite some initial skepticism as to how well the cakes would hold together, the recipe worked exactly as described. The recipe here has been modified slightly from the original to account for a lack of shallots (we used an onion instead) and the fact that our chickens lay small eggs.

Ingredients

• 250mL millet, rinsed
• 500mL water
• salt and pepper
• 45mL peanut oil
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 150g chopped or shredded spinach
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10mL English-style Madras Curry Powder
• 64mL plain yoghurt
• 2 small eggs
• 30mL minced fresh cilantro

Procedure

1. Combine the millet, water, and 2mL of salt in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the millet is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15-20 minutes.
3. Once the millet is cooked, remove the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, while the millet is cooking, heat 15mL of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, ~3 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and carrots and cook until the spinach wilts and the carrots soften, another ~2-3 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic, curry powder, 2mL salt, and 2mL pepper and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Remove to a large bowl.
7. Stir together yoghurt, egg, and cilantro; combine with the millet and vegetables in the bowl and stir until well mixed.
8. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions, flatten into patties, and refrigerate on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, until cold and firm.
9. Heat 15mL of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Place four of the cakes in the skillet and cook for ~15 minutes, turning halfway through, until browned on each side.
10. Remove the cooked cakes and repeat with the other four.

I'm really glad this came out as tasty as it did, 'cause it was a pain in the butt to make. I mean, it wasn't difficult, but it dirtied practically every bowl in the kitchen and the soaked bulgur was a awful to deal with. Next time I'll experiment with using cheesecloth instead of paper towels when draining the bulgur. That won't solve everything, but I think it'll be an improvement over the paper towels.

Baked Squash Kibbeh

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 900g butternut squash, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. coriander, ground
• 1/4 tsp. five spice powder
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. mint, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. fine bulgur
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 c. crumbled feta

Directions

1. Place squash in covered bowl and microwave for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until softened and beginning to brown.
3. Add garlic, coriander, and five spice and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
4. Mash squash and add onion mix, cilantro, mint, salt, and pepper.
5. Place bulgur in a bowl and cover with at least an inch of cold water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
6. Drain bulgur through a fine mesh strainer. Wrap in paper towels and squeeze out as much water as possible.
7. Stir bulgur and flour into squash mixture.
8. Press mixture into a greased 9" springform pan and score into eighths.
9. Brush with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with pine nuts and feta and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and removing ring from pan.
12. Slice along score lines and serve.

Ultimate Chili?

America's Test Kitchen bills this as the "ultimate vegetarian chili". And the recipe is good, don't get me wrong. I'll definitely be keeping it around and making it (or some version of it) again. But I think I'd stop short of calling it the "ultimate" chili.

I made the recipe as directed and sampled it at the end of cooking. It was tasty. But it was definitely better after a few tweaks. And I think I'd make a few more if I made it again as well.

Ultimate Vegetarian Chili

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1kg assorted dried beans¹
• 3 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 2 dried California or New Mexican chiles
• 1 arbol chile (optional)
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 14g dried porcini mushrooms²
• 4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 c. canola oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1kg onions, chopped
• 1L water
• 500mL vegetable broth
• 2/3 c. bulgur³
• 4 c. chopped plum tomatoes⁴
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 jalapeño, minced⁵
• 6 garlic coves, minced
• 3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp. roasted garlic paste (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, minced

Directions

1. Dissolve salt in 3L cold water. Add beans and soak (at room temperature) overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.
3. Place dried chiles on baking tray and roast at 300°F (150°C) for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, toast walnuts⁶.
5. Grind chiles, mushrooms, oregano, and cumin seeds and set aside.
6. Heat oil⁷ and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
7. Add ground chiles, mushrooms, oregano, and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
8. Add beans, water, and vegetable broth.
9. If using range/oven: Bring to a boil, cover, then transfer to 300°F (150°C) oven to cook for 45 minutes.
   If using InstantPot: Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
10. Add bulgur, walnuts, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, dark soy, light soy, brown sugar, and roasted garlic. Stir to combine, cover, and continue to cook.
    If using oven: Place back in oven for ~2 hours.
    If using InstantPot: Slow cook on high for 1 hour.
11. Stir in vinegar, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

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¹ I used a 50-50 mix of kidney beans and black beans. ^Back
2 Use shiitake if you can find them. ^Back
3 The recipe calls for medium grind bulgur. I could only find coarse white bulgur or fine brown bulgur. I ended up going with the fine. I think any grind would probably be okay, it just depends what sort of mouthfeel you're going for. I think I would actually prefer the medium, but fine grind is still perfectly acceptable. ^Back
4 Feel free to use tinned diced tomatoes for this. I just had a tonne of fresh tomatoes on hand that needed to be eaten, so they went into the chili. ^Back
5 I'd be tempted to replace the fresh jalapeño with an equivalent quantity of pickled next time. ^Back
6 The original recipe called for walnuts to be toasted and then finely ground. I did this and found the results to be acceptable. That said, I think that just toasting chopped walnuts and not bothering to grind them down further would be even better. ^Back
7 I used medium heat on the InstantPot sauté setting. I'd recommend medium-high for electric ranges or medium for gas. ^Back

Rustic Polenta Casserole with Mushrooms and Swiss Chard

This recipe is courtesy of my shiny new America's Test Kitchen cookbook. It is so tasty! It takes some time to put together, but it's not difficult. And it makes a decent amount and reheats beautifully the next day. It also works well as a make-ahead dish. You can cook the polenta and assemble the casserole ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven to warm it up and melt the cheese right before serving.

I will definitely, definitely be making this one again. I think this may be my new favourite way to use Swiss chard. And, honestly, I think if you have an abundance of chard, you could probably safely double it without upsetting the balance of the dish.

Polenta Casserole with Mushrooms and Swiss Chard

Slightly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 c. water
• 1 c. whole (3.25%) milk¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. cornmeal/polenta²
• 60g Parmesan, grated (~1 c.)
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter³
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 700g-750g mushrooms, trimmed and sliced⁴
• 3 Tbsp. garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic, minced)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh, minced)
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes⁵
• 250g Swiss chard⁶, stemmed and cut into 1" pieces
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 125g fontina cheese, shredded (~1 c.)⁷

Directions

1. Combine water, milk, cornmeal, and 1/2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until very thick.⁸
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
3. Add onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook until onion is softened.
4. Add mushrooms and cook until they have released their liquid and are well-browned.
5. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute or so.
6. Add tomatoes (and their juice) and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened (~10 minutes).
7. Stir in chard, 1 handful at a time, and cook until wilted.
8. Season with pepper (and, optionally, more salt if desired).
9. Once polenta is sufficiently hydrated and thickened (I usually find this takes ~an hour), remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and butter.
10. Pour polenta into a greased casserole (or lasagna pan).
11. Spread mushroom mixture on top of polenta.
12. Top with shredded fontina.
13. Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F.
14. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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¹ I actually used 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream + 1/2 c. 1% milk instead of whole milk. I know that works out to ~18% MF rather than the 3.25% of "standard" whole milk, but I had some whipping cream that needed using and I didn't really want to mess around with trying to get the exact percentage. I figured that, if anything, the extra fat would help "protect" the dairy from curdling while the polenta was cooking. <sup>Back

2</sup> The original recipe calls for "coarse-ground polenta". I didn't bother trying to find something that was coarse or specifically marketed as polenta. If you can find coarse-ground cornmeal, I'm sure that would be lovely. I just used the regular (medium-grind) that I already had on hand. And I was very happy with the results! <sup>Back

3</sup> I just realized that I totally forgot to add the butter to the polenta! I guess, between the missing butter and the extra cream the fat content probably just about balanced out to what it was supposed to be. Yay for happy coincidences! <sup>Back

4</sup> The original recipe calls for white mushrooms. I almost never use white mushrooms and default to substituting cremini (aka baby bella) anywhere that white mushrooms are called for. For this particular instance, it just so happened that there were a variety of other mushrooms on sale for half price, so I ended up doing a mix of everything from the sale bin: oyster, king oyster, white oyster, black oyster, enoki, and cremini. Personally, I would recommend that at least 1/3 of the mushrooms used in this recipe (~250g) be cremini, but feel free to go wild with the other 2/3! I loved the results of my mushroom mix. <sup>Back

5</sup> So, apparently I really wasn't awake when making this. I completely missed the tomatoes! It was delicious anyway. I'm sure it would be even moreso with the tomatoes though. It would give it a bit more substance and sauciness. At least the lack of tomatoes really gave all those varied mushrooms a chance to shine! I'll try making it with the tomatoes next time and see how it compares. That said, if dinnertime rolls 'round and you suddenly discover you're out of tomatoes, don't be afraid to make it without them! You'll still end up with an amazing dish. <sup>Back

6</sup> I think collard greens and/or beet greens would also work particularly well in this recipe. Spinach and/or kale would probably also do in a pinch. <sup>Back

7</sup> If you can't find fontina then provolone or a mild Gouda would make good substitutes. <sup>Back

8</sup> This is where ATK and I differ in our approaches. Normally I swear by their tips, tricks, and recommended techniques, but not for polenta! They recommend bringing the liquid to a boil first and then adding the cornmeal in a thin stream while stirring back and forth. This technique seems to be "common knowledge". "Everyone knows" that you have to add polenta to boiling water/liquid in a thin stream and stir it constantly or else you'll get clumpy, lumpy polenta. I don't do this. I just dump the cornmeal into the water in one big scoop. But I add it while the water is still cold. I've never had a problem with polenta cooked this way being at all lumpy. Even when I neglect the stirring quite a bit. I got this tip from a page on Serious Eats and it has never failed me. ^Back