The Christmas Beast

This was the third year that we had a Christmas Rib Roast and I've got to say, I love the tradition!  This was the first year I had to cook it myself.  Here is the website that was really helpful: http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2011/03/22/restaurant-style-prime-rib-roast/  This year our roast was 7lbs... I think.  It had the bone on with it cut and then tied on.

And here is a reprint of the recipe from Pat:

If you have time or desire – you can “dry age’ the roast for 1-3 days in the fridge. (Pat dry, place on rack over plate with paper towel. Put in fridge, not touching anything) This intensifies the flavor even if done only one day. If your fridge has any “odors” you may just want to skip this step. We had a 3.5# “large end” rib roast in 2010.It fed 6 adults and 4 children with sparse leftovers. For that size we made a seasoning mix of 2 ½ to 3 T of Fleur de Sel + 2 ½ T cracked black pepper + 5 coarsely chopped cloves of garlic. Take roast out of fridge an hour before cooking to bring to room temp. Tie the roast with cotton twine, near each end parallel to the bones – it keeps the outer layer of meat from pulling away from the muscle Adjust the oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 250 degrees. (I think we did 250 w/ convection) . If you plan to make some gravy – you can put about ½ cup of flour in a small ovenproof container. Put it in the oven at the same time as the roast. It will brown/cook and when you use it to thicken the drippings it will give the gravy  a better flavor…since the flour has “has cooked” …plus it will  brown giving the gravy a deeper color. Heat a large heavy bottomed roasting pan ( I used the large cast iron frying pan) over medium high on a burner. Place the in the hot pan and cook on all sides until nicely browned. It should take about 6-8 minutes and may render about ½ cup of fat. Remove roast from pan, set a rack in bottom of pan and return roast onto the rack. Now is the time to season the meat w/ the mixture. Place the roast in oven until the thermometer registers 130 for medium rare – I think it should take about about 2 ½ hours. Once at 130 – remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand about20 minutes ( our roast went from 130 to 143 at the end of resting). Carve away. That’s all I have in my notes – hope it works out as well as your memory of the 2010 beast. Most of the guidance I used is from the Cook’s Illustrated “the New Best Recipe” book. Gravy is always a challenge. I poured the juices from the roasting pan, separating the fat out. I returned the “defatted” drippings to the roasting pan and adding some good beef stock/broth. Scape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. From here on in it’s a personal “game”. . . you need to taste to check for salt level – then decide whether you want to use broth, wine or water to “expand” the quantity … and you can make a thick paste with some of the browned flour – and add a tsp at a time to “thicken” to desired level. Be creative as you like – or if you have enough drippings, you may just want to defat and use it. Hope that provides some type of a recipe for you. Have fun and enjoy! Love to all Pat/Mom

Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup

This soup ROCKED!  A winner.  Thank you, Pat!
Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup (Cooking Light – Best Recipes Nov 2012)

Hands on time: 28 minutes. Total time 28 minutes.

2 tsp canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
3½ cups vegetable broth, divided
1 cup dried small red lentils
1 tsp ground cumin (you may want to adjust to taste)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup water
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 T. fresh lemon juice
3 T. fresh plain low fat yogurt (optional)
¼ cup unsalted pumpkin seed kernels, toasted
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

(Pat said: I shredded a carrot and added it to the soup on the second day + a little more ginger)

Heat a large Dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 4
minutes.

Stir in 3 cups of broth, lentils and the next 4 ingredients (though red pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat,
and simmer 10 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Use blender until mixture is smooth. Return pot to medium heat (Pat uses a hand blender but I much preferred the consistency I could get with the vitamix)

Add remaining ½ c broth, 1 cup water and pumpkin to pot; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in
ginger and lemon juice.

Ladle into bowls; top each with dollop of yogurt, 1 T. pumpkin seed kerenels and 1 T. cilantro.

Makes 4 (1 ½ cup) servings.

Mujadara

This recipe was awesome!  All 5 of us loved it (and that is saying quite a bit that picky Ezra even liked it)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/lebanese-lentils-rice-and-caramelized-onions-mujadara-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown or green lentils (not lentils du Puy), sorted for debris and rinsed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
• 3 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup basmati rice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

Directions

Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

Really Good Vegan Sugar Cookies

I had to make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for Phoebe's class this week and so I went in search of the perfect vegan, soy-free recipe (Phoebe and 3 others in the class are dairy-free).  I think I found a winner!  I adapted the recipe from here:  http://general.fastq.com/~jbpratt/recipes/dairyfree/desserts/sugarcookies.html

Dairy-free Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup palm oil shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg flax paste (1T ground flax to 3T warm water)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rice milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups + 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (Shake and then level off with a knife.)

Cream the shortening and sugar together.  Add the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and
salt.  Mix.  Add the milk (or fruit juice).   Mix.  Add about a cup of flour at a time to
the creamed mixture.  Mix as much flour in with the mixer and the remainder by hand. 
Add extra if needed.  Roll the dough using a rolling pin (put in fridge for a short amount of time).  Cut cookies to be about 1/4
to 1/3 inch thick.  Place on parchment paper.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for
8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden brown on the bottoms (or firm
on the tops.  (It takes longer for larger cookies.)  Sprinkle white or colored sugar on top
before baking or frost the cookies after they are baked and cooled.  Makes about 56
cookies (less if they are larger).

Becoming (almost) Vegan

We have always strived to eat as little meat as possible and before children this meant quite a few meals with cheese or soy as the main protein.  Once Lillian came along and was allergic to dairy and soy (and later Phoebe to eggs) we switched to eating more meat.  With the help of a friend (thanks, Goldie!) I stumbled across Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book.  Between that and watching the documentary "Forks over Knives" I was convinced of a few things:
1.  Vegan diets are proven to be better for your health to a much larger degree than I realized
2.  Protein is actually in a lot of plants
3.  By eating meat and bread (and not enough veggies) my body will continue to be hungry and over stuff itself in order to get the necessary nutrients.  Eating a diet of plants means I'm getting more nutrients per calorie and not over eating.
4.  Now that I knew that I didn't need meat for nutrients I could consider being concerned with the animal industry practices that I have long tried to turn a blind eye to.

So I suppose we're not fully vegan, just mostly.  I am sure one could put together a very healthy diet that involved a little bit of meat (Fuhrman's plan isn't entirely vegan) but for us, it's been vegan and eggs at home and whatever out.  The kids eat a little more meat than Mark and I do while out.

I recall asking a vegan friend a while back 'what do you eat for dinner?' because it just didn't make sense to me and when she responded with lots of soy products I knew I couldn't do that (allergies).  But I have now learned enough recipes to do it.  So here is my ongoing list of vegan dinners

Vegan Dinners Featuring…

Beans

-mama’s sneaky black bean soup (vlb)

-katherine’s black bean soup

-bean burritos

-black bean and corn salad (whole foods website)

-chili

-stuffed peppers

-Red kidney beans with tomatoes and garam masala (doodle bug)

-Sherry’s chick pea stew (doodle bug)

-Chana Masala

-Minestrone soup

-Quick Chick Pea Curry (180 complete veg kitchen)

Lentils

-mujadara

-lentil soup (doodle bug)

-sloppy lentils                                                                                              

-lentil Egyptian stew

-lentil burgers (home made or don lee from costco)

Quinoa

-Quinoa salad with mushrooms, avocados, almonds, garlic salt & dressing

-Black bean & Quinoa (allrecipes)

Nuts

-Quinoa salad

-peanut & ginger stir fry

Other

-Aloo Gobi

-Portabella Mushroom burgers

-Pasta & sauce (add beans)

-Butternut squash soup

-Gingered acorn squash (240 complete V K)

-steel oats with kale

-veggie and hummus sandwiches

-veggies, wild rice and honey mustard wraps

Eggs (ok, I know it’s not vegan, but we eat eggs)

-scrambled

-quiche

Veggie side dishes

-kale krispies

-baked cauliflower

-everything steamed – broccoli, beans, peas, carrots

-sauted spinach, kale

-kale salad

Homemade Vegan Indian Cuisine

Chana Masala and Aloo Gobi.  Will be back with more info

Chana Masala (very good) http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/ChanaMasala.htm

• 1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon (approx 2 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.
Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy your chana masala!


Aloo Gobi http://veganrd.blogspot.com/2012/03/authentic-aloo-gobi.html

• 1 medium head cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into bite-sized florets
• 3 medium potatoes (red skinned really nice), peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed (about 1 cup chopped leaves, packed)
• 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 14.5-oz can organic diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 cup or so of water
• 2 tsp garam masala

Cut up the cauliflower and potatoes. You can do this in advance, keeping the cauliflower covered and the potatoes in cold water. It might be wise to de-leaf, wash, and chop the cilantro well in advance too, since this is really a time suck. (Doing fresh herbs in advance helps me greatly with time management!)

Heat canola oil and cumin seeds in a very large saucepan.

When the seeds start to sizzle, add the onion and saute for about 7-8 minutes over medium heat. You want to cook the onions to transluscent, not brown them.

Add cilantro, turmeric, and salt. Stir until well-combined.

Add tomatoes, juice and all, and the garlic and ginger. Stir well until heated through.

Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus water. Toss gently so that the veggies are coated with the sauce.

Cover pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Test veggies to be sure they're tender.

Add the garam masala, stir again, and serve. I find that this tastes best if you let it sit in the pan (off the heat) for about 15 minutes, served warm rather than hot.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad-- YUMMY!

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro
4. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/detail.aspx