Heights Eats

I finally made sweet potato tacos, as suggested by Nate a few posts ago. I did gussy them up a bit, though, and was really happy with the results. The recipe is below. There’s enough in these that additional toppings aren’t necessary, but you might want hot sauce available (they’re really good spicy).

–a little oil – 1 small onion, chopped – 1/2 cup raw cashews – cumin – 1 sweet potato, cut into small chunks – tomatoes, salsa or marinara (whatever you have on hand) – 1 cup water – 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional, but nice) – peel and juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon) – ketchup – barbecue sauce –soy sauce –hot sauce –brown sugar (optional)

–taco shells

(1) Sauté onion in a bit of oil until translucent. Add cashews and cumin; sauté until cashews darken.

(2) Add sweet potatoes and sauté for a minute or two. Add water and tomatoes. Cook until softened but not mushy, adding more water as … continue reading

I recently made Mark Bittman’s Braised Tofu in a Caramel Sauce and served it over Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan with a Vengeance Coconut Rice:

Although this dish is vegan, it definitely tastes decadent. Fried tofu in a rich sauce is very flavorful and substantial. Sarah didn’t even like tofu until she’d had it fried (which is the most traditional preparation anyway). We liked this so much we made it two weeks in a row.

The tofu preparation is basically Darlene Schmidt’s Thai recipe, while the dish itself is from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Braised Tofu in a Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 –2 lbs tofu
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar (optional)
1 cup oil for frying

1 cup sugar

6 limes
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB. soy sauce or tamari
1/2 cup + 2 TB. water, preferably warm
1 Tb brown sugar

1/2 cup peeled and … continue reading

This is fast becoming a soup blog, but we’ve had some good luck with them lately (and some good reader response), so here’s another one.

If you read the recipe below, you’ll notice two bulbs of garlic. That said, the roasting really mellows the flavor–the garlic is powerful but more warming than sharp or pungent.

The pureed white beans make this a hearty, filling soup that can easily be the centerpoint of a meal. Rustic bread and carrot sticks are a good accompaniment.

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup(from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan with a Vengeance)Serves 62 Tb Olive Oil1 medium-sized onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)1 teaspoon saltA few dashes fresh black pepper1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed4 cups vegetable broth, or 2 boullion cubes dissolved in 4 cups water3 cups cooked great nothern beans, drained3 fresh sage leaves, chopped1 bay leafJuice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste2 heads garlic, roasted*In a stockpot over medium-high heat sauté the onions … continue reading

This week we got the Vegan with a Vengeance recipe book. While I don’t think we will becoming Vegans anytime soon (we love cheese too much!), we are looking to include more vegetarian dishes in our diets. So the first recipe we tried with the Matzo Ball Soup because I have been craving Matzo Ball soup lately. I made the veggie broth recipe from the book the night before, and then the next day I made the Matzos. The broth itself is very flavorful, so we were pretty excited to try the soup. The preperation of the matzo balls was pretty simple, but we had to refrigerate the dough overnight. The following day when I made the soup, the dough stuck together really well and actually smelled pretty good too. When the matzos were done cooking they looked to me just like “real” ones. I reheated the broth and added the carrots and dill, then added three … continue reading

It’s soup season, and I recently made White Bean and Black Olive Soup from The Moosewood Cookbook:

The aroma of this soup was the envy of a number of people near the microwave at work today. Here’s the recipe:

2 T olive oil1 heaping cup chopped onion1 stalk celery, diced1 medium carrot, diced1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt (1 tsp. is fine with kalamata olives)1 tsp. oregano1 ½ tsp. basil1 small (5 to 6 inch long) zucchini, diced1 small bell pepper, diced3–4 medium cloves garlic, crushedFresh black pepper4 cups water3 oz. tomato paste (1÷2 small can)¼ cup dry red wine (optional, but a good addition)2 cups cooked white beans1 cup sliced kalamata olives (or plain black ones)1 T fresh lemon juice

minced parsely and tomato (optional) for garnish

1) Heat the olive oil in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and herbs. Sauté over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

2) … continue reading

Sarah and I have a tradition of going to Aladdin’s on the way home after a vacation. We’re generally worn out from the trip and feeling a bit out of it, and Aladdin’s food always makes us feel better. Specifically, though, I think it’s the hummus and felafel that does it. Hummus always makes me feel better when I’m tired, and it helped get me through the day lately after only three hours of sleep.

Here’s an easy recipe:

1 can chick peas*, drainedliquid reserved from chick peas (optional)1 lemon, juiced3–4 Tb. tahini (stir with bread knife if separated)2 cloves of garlic1 t. kosher saltolive oil1/2 t. cumin (optional)

Crush garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle (optional, but improves flavor). Put chick peas in your food processor (preferable), blender or a bowl. Process or mash together chick peas, 2 TBs lemon juice, 3 Tbs tahini, and some of the garlic and salt. Taste and add remaning lemon juice, tahini, garlic, … continue reading

For Thanksgiving this year we are headed to my folks house, but I have offered to bake some bread. I am making Mark Bittman’s New York Times No Knead Bread, which was posted last year. For those who are not familiar with this recipe, it is extremely simple and does not require any labor. The results are the best home made bread I have ever made. It has a nice crust and sourdough-like flavor. Instead of following the instructions for the baking part I usually split the dough in two and bake it in two separate loaf pans — but everything else remains the same. Also this dough would be easy to modify — you could add garlic and herbs or cheese at the second rise for equally fantastic results.

No-Knead Bread

Published: November 8, 2006; New York Times

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street BakeryTime: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

Sweet Potato and Cashew Tacos

Braised Tofu in a Caramel Sauce w/ Coconut Rice

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

Vegan with a Vengeance Matzo Ball Soup

White Bean and Black Olive Soup

Culinary Remedy for Fatigue

No Knead Bread