Southwestern Corn and Potato Soup

From "Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favourites"
Serves 4-8

So the book says that "everyone who has tried this soup absolutely loves it." I wouldn't say I LOVE it, but it is quick, easy and tasty. It was just a little sweet for my taste. I think a heartier portion of cilantro and perhaps the seeds to the chiles would have packed more of a punch. Also play around with the amount of lime you put it, I found it needed a lot to cut the sweetness.

1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 small fresh chile, seeded and minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp ground cumin
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
salt to taste

lime wedges
finely chopped cilantro leaves

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions, garlic, chile, and salt in 1 cup of vegetable stock for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. In a small bowl, make a paste with the cumin and a tablespoonful of the stock, stir it into the pot, and simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and the remaining stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes soften. Add the bell pepper and corn and simmer, covered for another 10 minutes, or until all of the vegetable are tender.

Puree about half of the soup in a blender or food processor and return it to the pot. The soup will be creamy and thick. Add salt to taste and gently reheat on low heat. If desired, serve with lime wedges and top with cilantro.

Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust

Tasked with making a dinner for eight on a particularly hung-over Sunday in February, I made this dish as a side. I'm not sure I should actually review this dish as, in my foggy state, I forgot to add both the eggs and the milk to the dish. But since everyone seemed to enjoy it even without these ingredients, here it is!

Note - a real pie pan will be my next kitchen investment. In addition to the missing ingredients, this would have made this dish much much better as sadly the potatoes really stuck to this pan.


From The New Moosewood Cookbook
Serves 4 to 6

Convenience Tips: Use food processor with grating attachment to grate cheese, potato, and onion in that order. (No need to clean in between.) Prepare the filling while the crust bakes.

Crust:
2 cups (packed) grated raw potato
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
flour for your fingers
a little oil

Filling:
1 Tbs olive oil or butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1 medium cauliflower, in small pieces
2 eggs (or 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white)
1/4 cup milk (lowfat ok)
1 cup (packed) grated cheddar cheese
paprika

1. Preheat over to 400F. Oil a 9-inch pie pan.

2. Combine grated potato and onion, salt, and egg white in a small bowl and mix well. Transfer to the pie pan and pat into place with lightly floured fingers, building up the sides into a handsome edge. (Those are Mollie's words, not mine - haha)

3. Bake for 30 minutes, then brush the crust with a little oil and bake it 10 more minutes. Remove from oven, and turn the temperature down to 375F.

4. Heat the olive oil or butter in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, stir, and cover. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 minutes)

5. Spread half the cheese onto the baked crust (OK if its still hot). Spoon the sauteed vegetables on top, then sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and milk together, and pour this over the top. Dust lightly with paprika.

6. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until set. Serve hot or warm.

Vegetarian Chili

From The New Moosewood Cookbook
Preparation time: 1.75 hours
Serves 6

This has been one of my favourite recipes since Sarah introduced me to it months ago. Though this recipe claims that the bulgur will provide a "ground-beef-like texture" I didn't believe this claim until I tried it. Sure enough, it does!
I like to make some alterations to the original version shown below. As Sarah once said: "There just aren't enough recipes that call for lima beans." And since, to the horror of my lima bean-hating mother, it turns out I actually agree with Sarah I like to cut back on the kidney beans and add in some lima beans for good measure. Last night I was out of these so I threw in a can (yes a CAN) of mixed beans and also one of black eyed peas. Also add the juice of one lemon to the recipe right at the end. It infuses it with zesty goodness! It turned out well enough that I took a sample in to work today for my boss to try. Result? Success! The photo? Not so much... Sorry!

2.5 cups dry kidney beans, soaked
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium stalk celery, diced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. chili powder (more, to taste)
1.5 tsp. salt (more, to taste)
black pepper and cayenne, to taste
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 14.5-oz. can tomatoes
3 Tbs. tomato paste (half a small can)
Optional toppings (but highly recommended by Cari!):
finely minced parsley (or cilantro)
grated cheese

1. Place the soaked beans in a Dutch oven or kettle, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 1.25 hours) Watch the water level during cooking, adding more if necessary. Drain off any excess water when the beans are done.

2. Heat the tomato juice to boiling. Add it to the bulgur in a small bowl, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Add this to the cooked beans.

3. Head the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, halt the garlin, carrot, celery, and seasonings. Saute over medium heat about 5 minutes, add bell pepper, and saute until all the vegetables are tender.

4. Add the sauteed vegetables, tomatoes (au jus), and tomato paste to the beans. Simmer over lowest possible head, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes or longer. After about 15 minutes, add remaining garlic. Taste to adjust seasonings, and serve hot, topped with parsley and/or cheese.