Red Lentil Soup with Coconut and Lime

This soup is amazing - savory from the veggie broth and lentils, spicy from the curry power, and THEN you end up with little bursts of sweetness from the golden raisins that have been simmering away in the broth. The squeeze of lime at the end gives it a hint of tartness, as well. Adapted from 101cookbooks.com.

(Note to raisin-averse readers: I usually hate raisins with a fiery passion, but they are delicious in this recipe. Don't let their presence here deter you!)

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup red lentils
3 cups water
4 cups veggie broth

1 medium carrot, chopped
3-4 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
3-4 tablespoons curry powder (depending on how much you enjoy spiciness)
2 tablespoons butter
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
Salt to taste
one small handful cilantro, chopped
1-2 limes
2 cups pre-cooked brown rice

Rinse the split peas and lentils. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/2 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.  Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two. Add the curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so (or simmer longer for a thicker consistency). Taste and adjust the seasoning. I added some extra curry powder here for more flavor.

 Ladle the soup into bowls over the brown rice. Sprinkle cilantro over each bowl, then squeeze some lime on top.

Guest Post: Bonnie's Sweet Potato Faux-Rizo Stew

Drool.

Hello fellow lovers of vegetarian food! Since Lisa and Laurel are busy doing other things, I've snuck in to give you all a fabulous guest post. You've seen my recipes on here before, but this time I've fully commandeered the rig. So let's get to it.

This recipe is one of my Grammy's favorites, albeit I tweaked it a bit to fit my particular taste profile, which is spicier and more robust. I call it faux-rizo sweet potato stew. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
1 tsp ground ginger (original recipe calls for fresh. I also used more.)
1 1/2 C sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 bell peppers (I used red and yellow), chopped
1 tsp garam masala (I used more)
Cayenne or your favorite powdered heat, to taste
1/2 C vegetable broth
1 can black beans, drained
1 package soy chorizo (I used tofurky's just to try it, but trader joe's is just as good and much cheaper)
Salt and pepper
Tortillas
Lime for garnish, as you like

Method:
In a soup pot or large skillet you can cover, saute onion, garlic, ginger, and bell peppers in oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sweet potatoes, garam masala, and cayenne and mix well. Add veggie broth, then cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Add beans and soyrizo and cook another 5 minutes until heated through. Add salt and pepper and adjust other seasonings to your liking. Serve immediately with hot tortillas, garnished with lime. Enjoy!

Chana Masala (Chickpea curry)

A delicious, fragrant, spicy chickpea stew. Yes, this recipe has a long list of ingredients (mostly spices), but it's very easy and comes together in about 30 minutes. This is great right out of the pan, but gets even better the next day as leftovers after the flavors have had time to meld. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com), which, by the way, is a fantastic recipe site.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes, chopped small
2/3 cup water (you can also substitute juices from the tomatoes or liquid from the canned or cooked chickpeas for extra flavor)
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
lemon juice, optional

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spices for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the liquid you're using and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt. You can finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like, though I didn't and it was still delicious!

Aloo Gobhi (Potato and Cauliflower Curry)

After many failed attempts to make North Indian food, this one finally turned out brilliantly! This is courtesy of the blog "Sanjha Chulha" ("Common Oven"), at http://sanjhachulha.blogspot.com - with a few adjustments.

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces, making 2 cups of cauliflower florets
2 tbs vegetable/canola oil
1 large onion, cut into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, chopped into small pieces
potatoes, chopped into small pieces - about 2 or so cups total (I used about 8 small red ones)
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garam masala (I love MTR brand)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 tbs butter
1 tbs peeled and finely grated ginger


1. Wash the cauliflower by swishing it around in a bowl full of cold salted water. This adds a little bit of salt before you begin frying.
2. Heat the oil in frying pan and add the onion, garlic and potatoes and fry untill the color of onions is deep yellow and its translucent (approx. 10 min.)
3. Add the cauliflower and fry till the onions are now brown (approx. 3-4 min.)
4. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and garam masala, stir and fry. (approx. 5 min)
5. Mix well.
6. Add the butter and mix, add 6-7 tbs cold water and simmer. (approx. 5-10 min. but it depends, so keep checking till the potatoes are done. if they're taking a while, cover the pan and let it hang out for a few minutes).
7. Stir in the ginger and cook for a minute or two.
8. Serve with rice or roti (flatbread - the naan you can buy at trader joe's is pretty tasty!)

Grilled Tofu with Spicy Peanut-Soy-Ginger Sauce

This has been my go-to recipe for grilled tofu this spring/summer. It's super easy and extremely flexible - I think I've prepared it differently each time I've made it based on what I've had on hand! Adjust and alter to your hearts content...I'm convinced you really can't go wrong with this combination of flavors.

1 block tofu, drained and sliced into 1/2" thick grillable-sized slices
peanut butter
hot water
juice from half a lime
soy sauce
garlic, minced
grated fresh ginger or powdered ginger
cayenne pepper or hot sauce
black pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped


Pat your sliced tofu dry with a clean dish towel to get out any remaining water, drizzle with just a touch of soy sauce, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together several spoonfuls of peanut butter (I prefer crunchy!) with a tablespoon or two of hot water until the peanut butter kind of dissolves and gets nice and saucy. It's better to start with just a bit of hot water and add more as needed to get the desired consistency. Add to this: the juice from half a lime, several tablespoons of soy sauce, as much minced garlic as you can stand, about a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger or a couple of pinches of the powdered variety, several dashes or pinches of hot sauce or cayenne, a couple grinds of fresh black pepper, and a nice handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Mix well.

Taste and adjust to your preferences! Like things spicy? Add more heat. Prefer it a bit saltier? Add a couple shakes of soy sauce. Want to repel vampires? Up the garlic content. You get the picture.

Get your grill going, oil it up a bit, and spread out your tofu slices. Grill until you have nice grill lines on the bottom side and then flip. Now, brush on a good layer of the sauce on the tops of the tofu slices. When the bottoms are all perfectly grilled, remove tofu from the grill and flip it over onto a plate so the non-saucy side is up. Brush (or pour!) on plenty of the sauce. I like to save a little bit of the sauce so that as I serve the tofu I can drizzle more on each plate to let it mingle with whatever veggies or salad I am serving. Yum.

Steamed dumplings (with edamame or shrimp)

Thank you, Mark Bittman! These dumplings are easy and amazing. The original recipe calls for shrimp (which is delicious), but I also made some with edamame, which were equally amazing. I chopped ingredients by hand, but a food processor would make things a long easier (and get you a smoother texture, especially for edamame).

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, or about 1 1/2 cups of shelled edamame
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped scallions
a package of dumpling skins
Juice of 1 lime


1. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and ginger in a bowl. Put half the shrimp (or edamame), half the cilantro and all the scallions in a food processor and pulse; add just enough of the soy mixture to create a smooth paste, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a bowl. Roughly chop the remaining shrimp/edamame and cilantro, add them to the bowl and stir to combine.

2. Place a dumpling skin on a work surface, moisten the edges with water, and put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center. Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, squeezing gently, to pleat the sides; some of the filling should remain exposed. Repeat with the remaining dumpling skins and filling, keeping the dumpling wrappers and dumplings covered with damp towels while you work.

3. Rig a steamer in a large pot over an inch of water; bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, add the lime juice to the remaining soy mixture to make a dipping sauce.

4. Put as many dumplings in the steamer as you can fit in a single layer and cover the pot. Cook until the wrappers are tender, 4 to 6 minutes, then transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with the dipping sauce.

West African Groundnut Stew . . . via Moosewood

Another recipe that totally intrigued me and will have to make when I have time to cook again. This one is also from Doctorandmama, who swiped it from Moosewood.

2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles
1 teaspoon pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple or apricot juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
1 ½-2 cups chopped okra
½ cup natural peanut butter



1. Sauté the onions in the oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Stir in the cayenne and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and sauté, covered for a few minutes.
4. Mix in the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes.
5. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
6. Add the okra and simmer for 5 minutes more.
7. Stir in the peanut butter, and simmer gently until ready to serve, stirring frequently. Add more juice or water if the stew is too thick.
8. Serve over rice, and wash it down with ginger beer.

Ginger Beer!

Disclaimer: I haven't actually tried this yet, but the idea of making ginger beer by leaving some water and ginger in the sun for a day sounded too good to pass up. I'll be making it for sure once finals are over :)

Swiped from Doctorandmama: http://open.salon.com/blog/doctorandmama


1 pound fresh ginger
1 lime
4 pints water
granulated white sugar, 1 to 2 pounds (to taste)
4 pints sparkling water


1. peel and grate the ginger root
2. juice the lime, and retain the peel
3. place the above ingredients into a large jar with the water
4. place the jar in the sun for an entire day
5. strain out solids, and sweeten the liquid to taste
6. allow to settle in the refrigerator for 2 days
7. add sparkling water to taste or desired fizziness

Spicy Jamaican Jerk Tempeh

This was adapted from the International Vegetarian Union (ivu.org), which adapted it from Vegetarian Times . . . yes, a long list of adaptations, from which has come a sweet, spicy, and delicious dish. Matt describes it as "Christmas-y" thanks to the lovely combination of allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon :). The list of ingredients is long, but it comes together very quickly with the help of a blender!

3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup sliced scallions (I used both white and green parts)
1/2 tsp cayenne (less if you don't want it to be quite so spicy)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup fruit juice - I used a juice that was a combination of apple, orange, and pineapple. You could also use apricot, peach, or mango juice.
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 8 oz packages tempeh, cut into triangles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare marinade by dumping all ingredients (except tempeh) into a blender. Press "on." Now you're done! (Alternately, if you don't have a blender, you could just whisk all the ingredients together).

Brush a pan with olive oil; place the tempeh inside (it doesn't necessarily have to be in one layer). Pour the marinade over the tempeh and turn to coat. Bake for about 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Yum!

Spinach and soba noodles with lemon-ginger dressing

Tangy and ginger-y and oh so yummy. This is adapted from Steamy Kitchen (steamykitchen.com), which was discovered by the lovely Lupe and is now one of my new favorite sources of inspiration!

For the dressing:
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
1 bunch spinach
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles until just tender. Toss in the spinach for the last 10 seconds or so, just until it wilts.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba and spinach with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Toss until well combined.

Tofu-Stuffed Portabellos

Moosewood calls this a "showstopper" -- and it SO is. This is totally our new favorite recipe! We made it with the lemon-ginger noodle recipe that I'm about to post and the combination was fan-tabulous.

for stuffed mushrooms:
1 cake of firm tofu, 16 oz
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced canned water chestnuts
1/3 cup minced scallions
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup peanut butter
3-4 tbs light miso (or to taste)
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
4 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp cayenne
4 portabello mushrooms, about 5 inches in diameter
2 tbs soy sauce

for sweet and sour sauce:
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbs cold water

preheat oven to 350. Oil a baking pan. In a bowl, crumble tofu with your fingers. Add the peppers, water chesnuts, scallions, rice, peanut butter, miso, ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, cayenne, and 1 tbs soy sauce. Stick your hands in it and mush it all together. set aside.

Twist off mushroom stems and gently rinse caps to remove dirt. place the caps gill-side up on the oiled pan. In a small cup, stir together remaining 3 tsp sesame oil and soy sauce. Brush the mushrooms with the mixture, then mound one-quarter of the filling on each mushrooms. Bake for 35 minutes until mushrooms release juice and filling is firm. While the mushrooms bake, prepare the sweet and sour sauce.

sweet and sour sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine apple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and bring to a boil. stir the dissolved corn starch into the boiling sauce; reduce heat and stir for one minute, until sauce thickens. serve hot over mushrooms.

Squash and Lentil Soup

Mmmmmmmmm, this soup smells like fall. And tastes like fall. And will make you feel all warm and toasty on a chilly day.

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch chunk ginger root, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
about 3 C veggie broth
about 2 C water
1 1/4 C red lentils, rinsed
1 medium sized squash (I used a kabocha!)
salt and pepper, to taste
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Quarter and deseed your squash. Arrange squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat several TBSP olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant. Add ginger and cumin and saute for another minute or two. Add veggie broth, water, and lentils - I wasn't precise with my fluid measurements so play it by ear. You might start with a bit less and then add some more later in the cooking process as the liquid evaporates. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes partially covered.

When squash is tender, carefully slice off and discard skins. Cube squash and add to soup. Cook over low heat for another twenty minutes. Using a potato masher, gently mash squash until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve hot, topped with a dollop of sour cream and garnished with more cilantro and toasted whole wheat bread.

Orange Pan-glazed tempeh

I stumbled across this on the absolutely lovely www.101cookbooks.com (whose author took it from chef Jude Blereau and her book "Coming Home to Eat: Wholefood for the Family"). With a few changes here and there, it's officially become my new favorite tempeh recipe. Yum.

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
2-3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (or ginger pressed in a garlic press)
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
roughly 10 ounces of tempeh
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lime
a handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then add the ginger pieces as well.. Add the tamari, mirin, and maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

Cut the tempeh into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces.

Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over it from time to time.

Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the cilantro scattered on top.

Moroccan-inspired Chickpea Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, and Kale

This giant pot of stew will feed a small army...or you'll have leftovers for a week!

1 small butternut squash
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
3 TBSP olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch chunk garlic root, peeled and minced
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dill
2 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped
1 medium-sized head of kale, stalks removed and chopped

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place face down in a lightly oiled glass pan and bake at 400 degrees for about half an hour, or until tender. Remove from oven, carefully trim skin off, and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Meanwhile, place chopped sweet potatoes in a pot with a steamer basket and steam for about 20 minutes.

Heat 3 TBSP olive oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add onions and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, tumeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne, and saute another two or three minutes. Add steamed sweet potatoes, roasted squash chunks, dill, chick peas, chopped tomatoes with their juice, and about a cup of cold water. Cover and let simmer over medium heat until the stew thickens and all flavors meld, about 20 minutes. While stew is simmering, steam the chopped kale for about five minutes until bright green. Mix steamed kale into stew. Taste and adjust seasonings.

This stew is delicious served over brown rice with chopped raisins. Top it all off with a spoonful of yogurt!

Hyderabadi-style omelettes

I've only eaten this made with egg, onion, and spices, but I bet it would also be seriously tasty with some chopped tomato and red pepper tossed in. Could potentially be served with aloo gadda (potato fry) for a spicy brunch :)

2 eggs
2 tbs chopped onions
1tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp meat masala
¼ tsp turmeric
Pinch of salt
about 2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
Splash of milk

Sauté onions in oil till translucent. While they're cooking, whisk all other ingredients together in a small bowl. Add to pan and cook as you would an omelette, or scrambled eggs.

Bendakai/Ladyfinger/Okra Curry

So I know that okra totally gets a bad rap above the Mason-Dixon line . . . but it is SO SO good in this curry. Also, in India it’s called “ladyfinger,” which I think is kind of cute.

About 1 ½ cups okra, chopped into ½ inch pieces.
½ of 1 small onion
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon moong dal
¼ teaspoon turmeric
10 curry leaves
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (literally, equal amounts of ginger and garlic mashed together with a bit of salt added as a preservative. Supposedly it’ll keep in the fridge for a month, and you could totally use it in stir-fries as well . . . )
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coconut
Pinch of salt
½ tsp meat masala (a sweeter garam masala with cinnamon and cloves. You can buy it pre-made . . . Everest and MTR are good brands that you should be able to find in Indian stores in the U.S.)

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a pan; add the cumin, mustard seeds, and dal and cook for about 30 seconds. Add turmeric and stir. Toss in onions, then add about ½ cup water; let cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, chili, coconut, and salt and cook for about 5 more minutes, adding more water if the mixture starts to dry up; it should be somewhat watery and gravy-like. Add okra and simmer ‘till it’s tender; sprinkle on meat masala and serve with yogurt.

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread

Swiped directly from epicurious.com. With the belief that food time is play time and that cooking should be an ongoing experiment in tasting and smelling and intuiting what foods/spices/herbs belong together, I am usually unable to follow recipes with any precision. When it comes to baking, however, I am under the impression that there is a very strict magic at work that turns goo into cake (or bread or pie or whatever other wonderfully sweet treat you are creating). So after reading rave reviews about this gingerbread, I decided I had to make it, and made no alteration other than to use fresh ginger instead of powdered and whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. I think that nutty chewiness that the whole wheat flour adds is actually quite lovely. Let me know what you think!



1 C Guinness Stout
1 C dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C grated fresh ginger (or 2 TBSP ground ginger)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 C packed dark brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
3/4 C vegetable oil
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Generously butter a 10" bundt or springform pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugars, and fresh ginger (if you're using ground ginger, add it with the other spices to the flour). Whisk in oil, then cooled molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Watch carefully to keep from burning! Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Dust cake with confectioners sugar, and serve with freshly whipped unsweetened cream. Gingerbread is better if made a day ahead, and will keep 3 days, covered, at room temperature.

Lemony Butternut Carrot Soup

Well, fall is officially back. I recognize it not only by the cooler temperatures and a handful of yellow leaves, but also by my burning desire to turn colorful vegetables into warm creamy soups. And this soup, eaten with a good chunk of crusty bread, is certainly a new favorite.



1 medium butternut squash
splash olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8-10 cloves garlic
1-2" ginger root, peeled and grated
1 lb carrots, roughly chopped
3-4 C veggie broth
2 C water
2 C unsweetened soy milk
juice from one orange
zest from one lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Chop the squash into quarters, deseed, and place in a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water. Roast in a hot oven (450 degrees) for about an hour until squash is very tender. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil. Add onions, whole garlic cloves, and grated ginger and saute until onions are fragrant and translucent. Add in carrots and stir well. Pour on veggie broth and water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow carrots to simmer about 30 minutes. When squash is cool enough to touch, peel off the skins, roughly chop squash, and toss into the soup. Simmer all an additional 10 minutes.

Using an immersion or standing blender, puree the soup and return to the pot over low heat. Stir in soy milk, juice from one orange, zest from one lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer an additional five minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve hot topped with any combination of sliced scallions, chopped fresh parsley, yogurt, or spicy toasted squash seeds. I served mine with all four, and it was awesome!

This makes a wonderful, colorful meal when accompanied by some delicious crusty bread and a plate full of Cabbage, Carrot, Broccoli Slaw.

Black Bean Sauce (for Stir-Fry)

This sauce adds a twist to the standard stir-fry, and it's good excuse for an excursion to Chinatown!

For stir-fry:
Whatever veggies you like - I used broccoli, eggplant, and zucchini
1 carton of extra-firm tofu

Drain tofu well (pat it dry!) and cut into bite-sized pieces. Fry in a little bit of canola oil till it's browned and crispy on all sides. Cut up veggies and cook however you like; you could stir-fry them as well, or steam them for a few minutes.

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans (I could only find black bean paste, so I used that instead)
1 tbs vegetable oil

Stir together the water, soy sauce, Sherry, maple syrup, vinegar, and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is evenly suspended.

Heat a tablespoon of veggie oil in a medium-sized pan or pot and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, less than a minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan. Whisk the sauce occasionally while bringing it to a boil and simmer 1 minute, until it thickens. Dump in the veggies and tofu and heat for another minute or so.

Serve over brown rice.

Lettuce-Wrapper Tofu

Yummy, and easy if you toss everything in a blender/food processor!

Start with:
1 block of extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled.

For the tofu marinade, combine the following ingredients:
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp water
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of pepper

Pour over tofu and stir to coat; let stand for 15 minutes.

Now, prepare cooking sauce:
2 1/3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs dry sherry
2 tbs water
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine ingredients and set aside.

Finally -- the real ingredients! All of these need to be minced; you can toss all of them into the food processor.
8 medium-sized mushrooms, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, minced
1 can water chesnuts, minced

To cook:

Stir-fry marinated tofu for about 3 minutes, until hot. Set aside.

Add about 1 tbs of oil to pan and heat. Add ginger, garlic, and onion and cook for about one minute. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chesnuts to pan and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Return tofu to pan. Stir cooking sauce, add to pan, and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens.

To serve, you'll need:
about 30 lettuce leaves, washed and drained
hoison sauce
brown rice

Spread each leaf with hoison sauce; add a spoonful of rice and a spoonful of the tofu mixture. Wrap up in a little package and eat!