Gravy is delicious. And generally not good for you - traditionally it is fat mixed with gluten and then fatty meaty broth is added to it. So it's fatty broth thickened with fat. If that sounds appealing, maybe you should stop reading and go eat some gravy. Because *this* gravy is none of those things.
In fact, when my sister asked for the gravy recipe I was talking about yesterday, I really had no idea what she was talking about. This isn't really gravy.
I made a very, very, very large batch yesterday, and I didn't measure anything, so here is an approximation.
Step One: The Rice Cooker
Cook a pound of white beans in the rice cooker. I have been completely infatuated with my rice cooker since the first time I thought to try to cook beans in it. I just threw them in with some water, hit the 'brown rice' button, and it beeped at me later, to reveal incredibly well cooked beans. Very soft, perfect for pureeing - probably more perfect for pureeing than a can of beans. But still had a bit of firmness. Anyway, well cooked beans is step one.
Step Two: The Food Processor
Okay. I took out one cup of beans to add to the turnip soup I was making, and then threw the rest of them (drained, but not perfectly) in the food processor with one veg bouillon cube (I have a favorite brand now, they are powdery rather than sticky), and some seasoning. I'm not sure what all I put in there or in what quantity, but I recommend a lot of spice. I really did just grab random things off the spice shelf - I can't really taste spice, so I just tried to keep it in the category I would describe very generically as "Savory European" in case someone else ate it. I do think there are spices that add umami - rosemary, sage, and thyme come to mind. Maybe fennel, too. (There are debates about glutamates that I don't wish to add to - I am just saying I cannot smell spice, but I can taste a savoriness.)
Acceptable inclusions:
Black Pepper
Sage
Fennel (I think of fennel as a "sausage" seasoning, which makes it good here)
Oregano (eh) or Marjoram (equal)
Thyme (I couldn't find mine!)
Basil (only in VERY SMALL quantity - otherwise too sweet. I didn't include any for this reason, but I know you're going to want to, so fine.)
Rosemary (just a pinch)
Tarragon might be good? I wouldn't add it, though.
Olive oil: you need to add some. Maybe 1/4 cup.
Tamari. Do not forget to add Tamari. Traditional gravy is naturally very salty. This tastes much better when you get your salts balanced out by adding Tamari.
If you turn off your food processor and it resembles hummus rather than gravy, add more liquid (including maybe some more oil.)
Once that's all blended up, you get to the (what now seems unnecessary) option third step, Tempeh.
Step Three: Tempeh.
Boil your tempeh for ten minutes, then crumble it and mix it (by hand, not blended) into the gravy.
As I was making this happen last night I kept thinking to myself "why am I adding more beans to a bean mixture? Is this really necessary?" And it is delicious.
This makes A LOT of servings - I spread some on toast with a spatula for dinner, put 2 servings in the fridge for meals this week, and then froze about ten more servings. I freeze them in bags I can cut open, and place the chunk o' gravy on two slices of frozen bread, and bake for thirty minutes to produce perfect, crispy toast covered in a delightful bean gravy.
Yum.
6/9/14
6/8/14
Turnip Soup
Last week for turnips at the farmers market, or so I was told. I looked at a couple of recipes that called for miso and tahini and lemon. I left out lemon, and added greens.
This had a rich and deep flavor that was unlike anything I've tasted recently. I think it was the miso. I found two tubs of miso in the fridge, one of them expired in 2012. I threw that out. The other was unopened. I think I've only had miso once in the last few months, and it wasn't anything to write home about. Maybe the key to delicious food is to not eat expired things, after all.
2 bunches turnips, greens kept, cleaned, and chopped
4 c water
1 c white beans
1/4 c miso
1/4 c tahini
tamari to taste
brown rice, cooked
Boil turnips in water for 15 minutes, take out a 1/4 c of the cooking liquid to whisk with the miso, add the tahini and whisk, then pour it back in, adding your beans and greens. The greens will be done quickly, season to taste with Tamari, serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings.
6/1/14
Baked Oatmeal, Redux
I eat this almost every day, sometimes twice a day. I already have this recipe blogged on here, but this is the updated version from memory - it is simpler and makes oatmeal twice as thick! I cut it into 8 pieces, which is a generous breakfast serving rather than the smaller version previously blogged.
2 c (or a 15 oz container) greek yogurt (for the protein!)
2 c unsweetened soy or almond milk
4 c rolled oats
1/4 c ground flax seed
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 t cinnamon
enough frozen fruit to cover the bottom of a baking dish.
OPTIONAL: 1 c almonds, chopped in the food processor.
Mix the dry ingredients, pour on the soy milk and the yogurt, mix it up. If it breakfast time now, eat some batter in a bowl with some frozen fruit!
Otherwise, cover your baking sheet with frozen fruit, cover that layer with the oatmeal mixture, bake at 350 for one hour.
2 c (or a 15 oz container) greek yogurt (for the protein!)
2 c unsweetened soy or almond milk
4 c rolled oats
1/4 c ground flax seed
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 t cinnamon
enough frozen fruit to cover the bottom of a baking dish.
OPTIONAL: 1 c almonds, chopped in the food processor.
Mix the dry ingredients, pour on the soy milk and the yogurt, mix it up. If it breakfast time now, eat some batter in a bowl with some frozen fruit!
Otherwise, cover your baking sheet with frozen fruit, cover that layer with the oatmeal mixture, bake at 350 for one hour.
Pad Ki Mao, the Drunkard's noodle
This is my go-to Thai order, and I recently acquired a Thai delivery addiction, and the only cure for the addiction seemed to be to make it myself at home.
Here's how it goes:
Boil some water. While waiting for the boil, get out some tofu, an onion, a jalapeno (or a thai chili if you have it), maybe a bell pepper, whatever vegetables are on hand that might be good in this dish. And a ripe tomato. The tomato is your key ingredient.
Timing is key: you should throw your rice noodles into the boiling water, turn off the heat and cover it, right at the moment the oil in your wok is hot enough to start. Hot. Not medium. Not Medium-high. High.
First I throw in the cubed tofu, and I chop my onion into wide wedges while stirring the tofu occasionally and then throw in the onion. Then the jalapeno, and other vegetables. Tomato last. You should be constantly stirring in between chops, and the moment you add your tomato you should pull your rice noodles pan off the stove and rinse them in cold water.
Drain the noodles well, then throw them in the pan and sprinkle them with soy sauce to taste. (I use a lot.) If your jalapeno wasn't hot enough, you can also add some garlic chili paste. Stir. Cook. Stir. When it looks like drunken noodles, you're ready to eat.
Sometimes I joke that my favorite Thai restaurant can deliver faster than I can boil rice noodles. But this dish is pretty quick to cook. My favorite quick dinner.
Quinoa Curry
This basic dish became my go-to once I realized that post-losing-my-sense-of-smell I loved all spicy things and all things involving coconut milk. I couldn't find rice that day, and quinoa is better for you anyway. Immensely adjustable (no beans? throw in some lentils. Whatever vegetables you have work. I ran out of curry paste so I through in 1/4 cup of Ethiopian berbere seasoning and that was great, too.)
I once was trying to get rid of some oregano, or maybe some cumin, I don't know, and I threw that in. Tasted fine to me, but everyone else thought it was disgusting. I learned a lesson.
2/3 c quinoa
2 c water
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can coconut milk
1 veg bouillon cube
1.5 c cooked beans
4-6 c frozen vegetables
1/2 can thai curry paste of your choosing, or any other spice mixture you have, to taste.
Throw everything but the vegetables into the slow cooker. Turn it on. Check it later. If the quinoa is cooked, add the vegetables, stir, put the cover back on, and leave it on for another 1/2 hour or so. Alternatively, turn off the slow cooker and check it much later.
I once was trying to get rid of some oregano, or maybe some cumin, I don't know, and I threw that in. Tasted fine to me, but everyone else thought it was disgusting. I learned a lesson.
2/3 c quinoa
2 c water
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can coconut milk
1 veg bouillon cube
1.5 c cooked beans
4-6 c frozen vegetables
1/2 can thai curry paste of your choosing, or any other spice mixture you have, to taste.
Throw everything but the vegetables into the slow cooker. Turn it on. Check it later. If the quinoa is cooked, add the vegetables, stir, put the cover back on, and leave it on for another 1/2 hour or so. Alternatively, turn off the slow cooker and check it much later.
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