Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto

In my world of vegan eating, grains are the ho-hum part of my meals. Whole grains have a ton of health benefits (they lower the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also contribute to body weight management and gastrointestinal health), but I just don't get very excited about them. My go-to grains are oat bran and oatmeal, brown rice, and homemade whole-wheat bread (which is a stretch). Sometimes I decide to be super healthy and make quinoa, and sometimes I go crazy and have white rice.

In the spirit of needing to diversify my grain eating, I made the Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto from Vegan Yum Yum...and fell in love! If this is what whole-grain eating can be about, I'm totally in.


I've never had barley before and was so surprised by how chewy it was, I cooked it 10 minutes longer than the recipe called for. It was still chewy, but wonderfully so. The final dish was super creamy, tomato-y, and just plain yummy. This would be a great side dish to bring to a potluck, and omnivores will have no clue that the creaminess comes from soymilk and nutritional yeast instead of butter and milk.

Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1.5 cups canned pureed/diced tomatoes (14.5-oz can), pureed a bit in a blender or mashed
• 1 cup soymilk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp miso, mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste

1. Put the barley olive oil, basil, and oregano in a cold medium-sized pot that has a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir well until barley is coated with oil. 
2. Once the barley sizzles (about a minute), add the minced garlic and cook for another minute then add the tomatoes, milk, water, nutritional yeast, miso, and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low.
3. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir well, re-cover, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until it's as chewy as you like.The mixture should be creamy, but not soupy, and the barley should be very chewy and not mushy.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe has transformed self-declared Brussels sprouts haters into lovers. It's become the dish my family asks me to bring for holiday dinners. And it's so simple to make!

I made it this week because I couldn't pass up the Brussels sprout stalks at Trader Joe's. I'm sure I'll be making it again for the holidays.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Recipe from Vegetarian Times

• 2 lb. Brussels sprouts, large sprouts halved, small sprouts left whole
• 3 Tbs. olive oil (I used less; just make sure the sprouts are nicely coated)
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 2 Tbs. vegan margarine (Earth Balance), optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss Brussels sprouts with oil in large baking dish or on baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Roast 45 minutes, or until tender, loosening sprouts from baking dish or sheet with spatula every 15 minutes, and making sure they brown nicely. 
2. Transfer to serving bowl and toss with maple syrup and butter, if using. 
   

Note: Serve immediately, but these taste just as good at room temperature.

Seitan Pot Roast & Truffled Mashed Potatoes

Nothing says fall comfort food like pot roast, gravy, and mashed potatoes!

First I made the Seitan Pot Roast from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook. It called for No-Beef Broth and Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, also recipes in the cookbook. They were so quick and easy to make, I didn't mind the recipes within recipes. The seitan is quick and easy to put together, then you simmer it in the no-beef broth with veggies for an hour, then bake it for another 25 minutes until it's firm and the outside is crispy.

I topped it with No-Beef Gravy, which was also simple to make because I'd already made the No-Beef Broth.

Yum! The pot roast was meaty without being, well, meaty. It was tasty, filling, and a true comfort food with the gravy on top.

I made Truffled Mashed Potatoes, a new recipe from Vegetarian Times, as a side. Recipe below. Confession: I've never made mashed potatoes before! The version from my childhood is full of butter and sour cream. It looms so large and perfect in my memory that I've never wanted to make another version...and I haven't tried a vegan version.

The Truffled Mashed Potatoes didn't disappoint. It was definitely different, but the truffle elevated it to a level of fanciness not normally found in this gold ole' dish. It was also very quick and easy to make, which is always a plus in my book.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes from November 2011 Vegetarian Times

• 2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 2-3 Tbsp truffle oil (I used 2)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (I used dried)

1. Bring potatoes, garlic, and enough water to cover all by 1 inch to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
2. Transfer drained potatoes and garlic to a mixing bowl and mash or mix with hand mixer (what I did) with enough cooking liquid until everything is smooth and creamy. I didn't use much cooking liquid--probably 1/4 cup. 
3. Stir in truffle oil and parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired. 

Appetite for Reduction: Ye'abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collards)

For all you nutrition-loving folks, here's an interesting note from Appetite for Reduction: 1 cup of collards has the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of 2% cow's milk but has way more fiber (7 grams versus 0 in milk) and less saturated fat (0 grams versus 3 in milk). Clearly, collards are better! ;-)

Veganonicon started my love affair with collards, but this recipe for Ethiopian-style stewed and sauteed collards, Ye'abesha Gomen, made me fall in love all over again. How can something that tastes so good be so good for you? That's the magic of Appetite for Reduction!

This recipe starts out by stewing chopped collards in vegetable broth for a half-hour until they're nice and tender. Then you saute onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and red pepper flakes in a little bit of olive oil, then add the collards and cook everything for a few minutes. I loved it. My omnivore husband grudgingly tried it and even more grudgingly admitted it was "not bad," which, translated to my love of food, really means "very good!"

Appetite for Reduction: Jerk Asparagus

Really flavorful and simple to make, I loved this asparagus recipe from Appetite for Reduction. Asparagus are sauteed with garlic, ginger, allspice, red pepper flakes, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. I had it as a snack with some Cauliflower Hummus and homemade pita, but it would be a great main dish served over rice or even whole-wheat pasta, or as a salad topping.

Veganomicon Review: Sauteed Collards

In my quest to fit more super-nutritious dark, leafy greens into my diet, tonight I tried the second Veganomicon recipe for cooked greens, Sauteed Collards (first was Easy Stir-Fried Leafy Greens).

Using this mix of turnip, mustard, and collard greens plus spinach from Trader Joe's was a mistake. Not only was it more than twice as much ($3.99) as a bunch of collards at Giant Eagle ($1.79), but the spinach cooked up so much quicker than everything else and got all mushy while the other greens cooked. Aside from that, this recipe was fantastic! First, you saute a bunch of garlic (4 cloves for 1 pound greens) in a bit of olive oil (I used less than the recipe calls for; Veganomicon tends to use too much oil for me). Then you add your greens, saute for a few minutes, then add the concoction that makes these greens so yummy: vegetable broth with soy sauce and liquid smoke (1 teaspoon each of soy sauce and liquid smoke in 1/2 cup vegetable broth for 1 pound of greens). They cook for a few minutes in the broth; mine cooked unevenly because of the mix of greens. Still! Delicious! A year ago before I started eating vegan, I'd never imagined that I'd be saying "Mmmm!" while eating a plate of greens, but here I am with a belly full of greens and a smile on my face. Two thumbs up!

Braised Broccoli with Lemony Tahini Sauce

Since I first made this recipe from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cook Book, it's become one of my favorite broccoli recipes. It's quick to make and delicious. You can use either broccoli or cauliflower, and you can roast the veggies (toss with a little oil and toast at 400F for about 30 minutes) instead of braising the veggies. The recipe is very similar to this one from a 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, which I've made many times and love. Today I modified Bittman's recipe a bit to use less oil and had it for lunch with leftover Tamarind Lentils (that I didn't love, but I hate to throw them out.)

Braised Broccoli or Cauliflower with Lemony Tahini Sauce
4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (Bittman's recipe calls for 3 tablespoons)
• Vegetable broth for braising
• 1 large head (about 1 & 1/2 pounds) broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (I didn't use zest)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions (with my modifications)

1. Coat a large deep skillet with cooking spray and heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets, stir to coat with oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the oil gets used up, add a little vegetable broth so that they can cook without burning and sticking to the pan. Remove the broccoli.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan along with the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, tahini, a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth. Stir until a relatively smooth sauce forms and begins to bubble and thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water or broth if it's too thick; thick sauce will clump and not spread easily over the veggies.
3. Return the broccoli to the pan, stir to coat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is fully tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add the parsley if using. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms

I wanted a veggie side to go with my leftover Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions, so I made these stuffed mushrooms, a recipe I adapted from WeightWatchers. This is quick, easy to make, and very low-cal. Makes a good, quick, snack by itself or a meal when combined with a salad and some type of beans or lentils.

Note that you'll likely have filling left over. It's good scrambled up with some tofu.

Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 24 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
• 1 pound(s) button mushrooms, about 24 large mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1cup(s) onion(s), chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 - 2 slice(s) whole-wheat bread, processed into bread crumbs (I used 1)
  
• 1- 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning (I used 2)
  
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
2. Remove mushroom stems from caps and finely chop stems; reserve caps and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté mushroom stems, onion, garlic, and spinach until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.
4. Stuff each mushroom cap with 2 tablespoons of filling mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed sides up, on jellyroll pan. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes; serve warm.
5. Note: The mushrooms can be stuffed in advance, covered, refrigerated and then baked later in the day to save on last-minute preparation time.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 1 for 4 mushrooms

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

This recipe from the January/February 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times was really good. I didn't use cranberries. I don't think you need to, but if you're a cranberry person (I'm ho-hum about them), this would probably be even better. This would be good for a dinner party--looks and tastes great.
I bought this huge new skillet from Ikea for $25. I really needed something that allows for room when I'm sauteeing; this works great.
Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 2 shallots, halved and sliced (1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp walnut oil

Instructions

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and toast 3 to 4 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add olive oil and swirl skillet to coat bottom.
3. Add Brussels sprouts and cook 5 minutes, or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Stir in cranberries, agave, and 1 cup water. Partially cover skillet, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and Brussels sprouts are tender.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in walnut oil and toasted walnuts. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 5