Lentil Salad

Lentil Salad

I found this recipe in the April/May 2013 Vegetarian Times.  I thought it sounded like a great dish to make ahead of time and take to the lake this weekend.  It was really great - I will make this again and again!

I started by cooking a bag of lentils in broth.  They only take about 15 minutes.  I drained them and scooped out 4 cups worth, keeping the rest for another use.

While the lentils were cooking I asked Brennan to make up the vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (you could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar), olive oil, Kosher salt, and pepper.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped vegetables like carrots, fennel, celery, or radishes.  I went with carrots and radishes, dicing them somewhat.

Add the lentils, vegetables, diced cucumber, fresh parsley, and season with Kosher salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for up to a day and top with more fresh parsley before serving at room temperature.

 

It was a great accompaniment for the brats, sweet corn, fruit salad, tomato salad, chips, and Gouda and apple appetizer that Brennan made for us! 

 

 

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Enjoy!

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

 

This recipe was featured on Smitten Kitchen this week, and I realized I had all the ingredients so decided to try it right away instead of putting it in my well-meaning, ever-growing folder full of great sounding recipes that I really want to try.

 

Pickled vegetables have all sorts of nutritional properties, and they are really versatile.  I decided to pick up some containers and try it out.

 

This is a refrigerator pickling method - not the heated canning method, so any glass jar with tight lid will work.  You'll see I've started with plastic containers until I find the right sized glass ones that I'm looking for.

 

Deb from Smitten Kitchen suggests any firm, crunchy vegetable, but Deb's tip - she wouldn't use red radishes again because they turn everything pink. 

 

Suggested Vegetables for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

Radishes

Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers

Carrots

Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

Kirby Cucumbers

Cabbage

 

But the list is really chef-preference.

 

 

Suggested Uses for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

On Sandwiches

Alongside Grilled Anything

As a Side Dish

On Top of Salad

On Top of Rice or other Whole Grain

 

 

I started with a mandolin but mine was not working well, so I just julienned the vegetables with a good knife instead.  Then I split them up into my 3 containers.

Next I brought distilled white vinegar, sugar, Kosher salt, and yellow mustard seeds to a simmer until the sugar and salt dissolved.  Then I added cold water and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Poured the pickling mixture over my vegetables, made sure they were all covered, and refrigerated them for 24 hours.  They can be eaten within 1 hour though.  They last up to a month in the fridge.

 

So far I've just eaten them by themselves, or with lunch.  But I think they'd be great on a pulled-pork sandwich - julienned even thinner.

 

Very tasty - slightly addictive!

 

 

 A big thank you to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for the recipe!!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Nishime Vegetables

Nishime Cooked Vegetables

 

 

Nishime (Ni-SHEE-may) is a style of cooking vegetables that allows the veggies to cook in their own juices, with very little water.  My understanding is that Nishime typically means "Waterless Cooking".  I have read about this style of cooking in a number of places and decided to try it out.

 

You can use just about any vegetables in Nishime, but the ones I see recommended the most often are in the Leafy, Root, and Round vegetable categories.

 

Leafy Suggestions:

Bok Choy, Cabbage, Turnip or Mustard Greens, Kale, Leeks

 

Root Suggestions:

Burdock, Carrots, Daikon Radish, Other Radishes, Parsnips

 

Round Vegetables:

Any Squash or Pumpkin, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Rutabaga, Turnips, Shiitakes

 

 

The suggestion I saw most commonly for Nishime is to choose 3 vegetables to cook together.

 

Last night I cooked Napa Cabbage, Daikon Radish, and Acorn Squash - and it was a hit!

 

I will certainly use this style of cooking regularly!

 

Every recipe I read for Nishime Vegetables included a piece of Kombu sea vegetable.

I never did get a reason for why it's important, but I figured it was so I purchased Eden brand Kombu at my local natural foods store.  It should last me quite a while!

 

 

I placed a piece of Kombu in my pot and barely covered the bottom of the pot with water.

Some directions say no more than 1/4 inch of water.  Just enough to barely cover the bottom.

 

 

Then I layered my three vegetables on top of the kombu.

The fastest cooking is placed on the bottom, and the longest cooking is placed at the top.

So I placed the Napa Cabbage, then the Daikon, then the Acorn Squash.

 

(I'll use larger chunks of Napa next time)

I sprinkled a little sea salt on top and covered the pot, bringing the vegetables to a boil.

Then (without lifting the lid) I reduced it to simmer for 20 minutes.

 

Then I added a few drops of soy sauce and re-covered the pot for 5 more minutes.

 

And the vegetables were done!

I understand that if there is liquid in the bottom of the pot, then I may have started with too much to begin with.  I'll reduce my water even more next time.

 

Drain and serve.

 

Very much like steaming, the vegetables were sweet and thoroughly cooked and had a comforting feel to them.  A great way to serve vegetables!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare) (Japanese for Bon Appetit!)

 

 

Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice

A dish that is always popular in our house is any kind of fried rice.

I had a lot of vegetables on hand so made up a big dish of Vegetable Fried Rice with Brennan yesterday.

It was really good.

I started by heating a little sesame oil in the frying pan and chopping up some Daikon radish and garlic to cook for 3 minutes.

I used a mandolin to slice 3 carrots and cook them as well.

Then I added a pinch of salt and let the vegetables saute for a few minutes.

I like brown rice, but my family doesn't, so I cooked 1 c of white rice (it makes 3 cups of rice) and then added it to the vegetables.

I drizzled 3 Tbsp of water on top, along with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.

I tossed it and let it cook for 10 minutes or so.



Just before moving to a serving bowl I added some chopped broccoli and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

It was good re-heated for dinner as well!

Other great ingredients could be:

**Shrimp or Chicken

**Water chesnuts

**Bamboo shoots

**Scrambled egg

**Edamame

**Scallions

**Cabbage

**Peas

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食飯

sihk faahn

Cantonese for Bon Appetit!



Daikon and Carrot Pickles

Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickles

So my guess is you're not thinking this dish sounds all that delicious?
It really is though!

Homemade refrigerator pickles are supposed to be really good for your immune system.
Many vegetarians, vegans, and others on medically-recommended diets (like those recovering from chemo) eat them daily.

I made up a jar and we've all been eating them for the past couple of days.
I've never made cooked pickles before (through the canning process), so I was happy to see how easy this refrigerated pickles recipe was.

This version is traditionally Vietnamese.  I modified several recipes I found on various recipe sites.

You start by julienning 3 carrots and Daikon radish and placing them in a bowl.

Sprinkle 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt over the vegetables.  Toss them until they are tender enough that you can bend a piece of Daikon without it snapping.  It took about 5 minutes.

Then place the vegetables in a collander and rinse and drain them well.
In the bowl add 1/2 c sugar, 1 c white vinegar, and 1 c warm water.
Mix it well to dissolve the sugar.

Pack the vegetables in a clean glass jar and pour the vinegar mixture in.
Seal and refrigerate 24 hours before eating.

I am sure you can substitute a sugar alternative for the real sugar in this recipe, but I just followed the normal directions. 

Ways recommended to enjoy the pickles:

**In place of coleslaw or sauerkraut
**As a side dish with your meal
**On pork or beef sandwiches
**Chopped up in fried rice
**Chopped up on a salad
**In a spring roll

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Ăn ngon nhé Vietnamese for Bon Appetit!

Steamed Radishes

Steamed Radishes

For the life of me I can't remember where I found this recipe.

I like to give credit whenever possible, but this one just escapes me.

Brennan chose radishes one day at the grocery store and I served them in a salad.

The boys liked them "ok" but weren't crazy about the "spicy-ness".

I heard about steaming radishes to bring out an almost sweet side.

They were much more popular served steamed.

Once washed and trimmed, I place the radishes in my microwaveable steamer and cover with water.

I use this Pampered Chef version that I've had for 12+ years.  It is perfect for steaming vegetables.

 After 7 minutes in the microwave, I drain the radishes (the water is dark purple!) and season with a little butter and salt.

They're best served immediately.

Radishes are super healthy so I am always happy to serve them when the boys pick them out.

While maybe not my favorite vegetable, they're tasty steamed and a quick side dish.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Eat Your Veggies!