Monday Moong Dal

 I've literally tried to write this post three times. Sometimes technology isn't our friend and I have to say apple (iphones/computers) really aren't as streamline as you need them to be. For example why isn't there a "command z" short cut on your phone. It would really come in handy and yes I am blaming my phone, partially for not posting this sooner. Anyways as I'm averaging one blog post every three or four months, it seems like I'm due for a recipe. I will not apologize for being such an occasional blogger anymore. I hope you enjoy what I offer up, healthy easy to follow recipes, once in a rare blue moon. This one is the bomb dot com if I do say so myself. It's easy to digest, vegan and excellent for it's anti inflammatory qualities. I created this recipe on some wildly inspired whim a few months back, when I was trying to eat less meat (right now I haven't had meat in almost 2 months - WOAH!). No I'm not going vegan, but I am still on my journey to understanding how to heal my psoriasis. I'll try anything natural. Food is our most powerful medicine or our most perilous poison. What's good for one body can be lethal to another. Right now I'm off meat, diary, gluten, soy, eggs and.... ahh fuck it. I'm happy and I'm feeling good so hopefully my skin will acknowledge that. It's challenging when people invite me over for dinner or  out to a restaurant but I'm just trying to go with the flow. Pushing myself as a chef by limiting my pantry is never a bad thing, I'm always up for a challenge.

Back to the important stuff, the recipe. This warm vegetarian stew uses Indian spices and is some serious comfort food, perfect for the cooler weather coming in. The dish also freezes well, so make extra. You will not be disappointed! 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups moong dal (yellow split mung beans)
2 sweet onions - fine chop
4 cloves of garlic - minced 
2 tbs ginger - minced 
1- 2 red bird chilies - fine chop
2 tbs of tomato paste OR 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
2 tbs cilantro stems - fine chop + leaves to finish
1 can of coconut milk
1L of water or vegetable stock
Tbs coconut oil 
1 tsp cumin
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seed
1tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp fenugreek
Celtic sea salt to taste
1/2 lemon - juice (optional)

METHOD: 
Rinse the dal three times, I like to soak them for a few hours but it's not necessary. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in coconut oil add the chilies and spices then the dal. Add the liquids, tomato, pinch of salt and cilantro stems, then simmer until the lentils are tender, you may need to add more liquids, monitor it. 

TIPS: 
keep ginger in the freezer and grate it in using a microplane, you can also keep the bird chilies in the freezer, one of my favorite cooking hacks. 

SERVE: 
You can add a spritz of fresh lemon once the dish is cooked, some chopped fresh cilantro leaves are nice too. I like to serve with blanched broccoli or wilted greens and a side of brown Jasmin rice.

Make this and let me know if you love it as much as I do. Chow for now!

Oh hello, remember me? Orange glazed tofu with Chinese broccoli & enoki mushrooms

INGREDIENTS: 

firm tofu

garlic

ginger

sesame oil

sunflower oil

brown rice

enoki mushrooms

tangerines 

gai lan (Chinese broccoli)

Chinese 5 spice

cilantro 

soy sauce

cayanne (optional)

black pepper

veg stock 

star anise

Howdy all. I'm sure you've been wondering when I would come back with a new post. Unfortunately I'm still not feeling 100%, kinda run down and weak, but I just couldn't put you all though another Monday without a post. Today I'm going to keep it short and sweet since I don't really have a "recipe" for this dish. The dinner was really thrown together   simply and ended up being delicious not to mention #healthy. Don't be intimidated by the long list of Asian ingredients - they really aren't that scary. They definitely inject a lot of pungent yumminess "umami" to this veganlicious dish. 

BASIC METHODS: 

For rice - 1 cup of rice to two cups of vegetable stock (or water). Add a 1 inch knob of ginger, a smashed clove of garlic, and star anise to the liquid plus a drizzle of sesame oil & soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to medium (simmer) for 20 mins or until all the liquid has evaporated. Add some chopped cilantro to the rice before serving - if you're not a fan of cilantro mint or parsley will also work.

For the gai lan - "blanch & shock" bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the broccoli for 30- 45 seconds then straight into cold water. Then quick stir fry in a hot pan with sesame oil or cold infused olive oil. 

For the mushrooms - sautée mushrooms in a small drizzle of oil for 2 mins then hit it with a splash of soy sauce.

For the tofu - slice tofu into two or three thinner slices and press between paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Dust each slice with Chinese 5 spice & salt. Bring a tbsp of sunflower oil with a drop of sesame oil to a high heat. Then fry the tofu until crispy on each side (about 2 mins), then squeeze the a tangerine's juice over to create the simple glaze. 

I have faith that all you Tomato Snobs can handle these easy instructions. Chow for now. xo

Mmmm Meatless Monday - Parsley carbonara & looking new

If you haven't heard about it before you've been living under a rock. Meatless Mondays is a nation wide campaign to get people to go meatless at least once a week. This beautiful parsley carbonara is an excellent way to enjoy a meatless meal in a flash. The sauce is basically an herb aoli that cooks when it hits the hot pasta.You'll also notice over the next few weeks I'll be playing around with the look of my posts. A new year, a new blogger interface and some new Tomato Snob tricks. PS. I'm also going to be investing in a digital SLR since I love design, photography and lets face it my current point and shoot is a total joke. Stay tuned for exciting new stuff! xo

Parsley Carbonara with macaroni & red bird chilies 

INGREDIENTS: serves 4

box of macaroni pasta - or other 

red bird chilies - optional 

garlic clove - minced

2 egg yolks 

2 tsp dijon mustard

2tsp lemon juice 

1 cup olive oil 

parsley - large handful chopped  

1 cup pecorino romano - grated 

s & p - to taste 

PREP: The "sauce" combine garlic, egg, mustard, lemon juice, parsley in a blender (or immersion blender) slowly drizzle in oil to emulsify. 

COOK: Boil pasta in salted water - add the sauce to the pasta as soon as it's al dente making sure some of the starchy pasta water gets added along as well. Toss with chilies, cheese s&p. DONE!