Another year, another chili

http://herbivoracious.com/2009/04/vegetarian-chili-recipe.html
Vegetarian Chili From Scratch
Yields around 10 cups, easily serving 5 (and doubles or triples beautifully)
Vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan (if you modify the garnishes)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
 1 1/2cups dry pinto beans
1 cup dry black beans
1/2 cup dry kidney beans
3 to 6 dried chili pods (any combination of ancho, guajillo, pasilla, cascabel, de arbol, … [see above])
1 small can chipotle pepper in adobo (double check for gluten free, or use dried morita peppers instead)
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1/4 cup canola or other neutral vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon salt

For garnish: Green onion (sliced thin, mostly white parts only), or white onion (minced)
Cilantro leaves
Grated cheddar or queso anejo or cotija
Sour cream or queso fresco
Lime wedges

Carefully sort through the beans removing any extraneous material. Rinse well. Put in the pot you will eventually cook in, add 2 quarts of water, and soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans, add water to cover by an inch or so, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are very tender, which could take 1 to 2 hours depending on their age. Add water occasionally, and stir to prevent any scorching. When nearly done, add 2 teaspoons of salt.

Meanwhile, toast the chilis in a hot, dry skillet until darkened on both sides. Ventilate the room well while you do this, it produces a rather intense smoke that some people find painful. Allow to cool. (Hint: use dispoable gloves for this step to avoid having spicy hands!). Break apart the chilis and dispose of the seeds and stems.

Add the chilis, tomato sauce, half of the adobo sauce from the can of chipotle, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a blender and puree until very smooth. This sauce should be pretty spicy, because it is going in that huge pot of beans soon! Saute the carrot, onion and celery with 1 teaspoon of salt in the oil for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.

Drain most of the liquid from the beans, reserving a cup for later dilution if needed. Add the chili sauce, vegetables and lemon juice to the beans. Bring back to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes or so, allowing the flavors to begin to marry.

Now taste. If it needs more heat or a smoke, add the rest of the adobo sauce. If it needs a lot more heat, you can puree the chipotle peppers and add them. Add salt as needed. You shouldn’t be tasting a lemon flavor, but there should be a subtle hint of acidity that wakes up the sauce. If the whole thing is too thick, you can dilute it with some of the reserved bean-cooking liquid. Serve your vegetarian chili forth with the garnishes listed above.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes:
1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 white onion, diced
1 large poblano chili or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 medium orange sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

To serve:
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese
Chipotle sauce
Pico de gallo (optional)

Directions

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. oil to pan, then onion and poblano chili or green pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized. Stir in garlic and 1 tsp. salt.

In a medium bowl, toss sweet potato with remaining ½ Tbsp. oil and ½ tsp. salt. Add to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then place pan in oven and roast 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare tortillas dorado: Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush 1 side of a tortilla lightly with oil and place oil side down in pan. Scatter a generous spoonful of cheese over center of tortilla and cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is lightly golden on the underside but still flexible. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese. When finished, lightly oil a piece of foil and use it to cover tortillas.

Remove skillet from oven and stir in black beans and black pepper (beans will warm through from the heat of the pan). Top each tortilla with sweet potato mixture, a drizzle of chipotle sauce, and a spoonful of pico de gallo (if using).

From here: http://www.oprah.com/food/Roasted-Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Tacos-Recipe#ixzz21Y6xNDaN

Red Curry Delicata Squash and Tofu

Red Curry Delicata Squash and Tofu
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free
Serves 4

For the red curry paste:

6 dried New Mexico chili pods, stems removed
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
several grinds black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 stalk lemongrass, tender white parts only, pounded and roughly chopped
1 big handful of cilantro, leaves and stems (rinsed)
Tear the chili pods into small pieces. If you like your curries hot, keep the seeds and ribs. If not, throw them out.
Set up your blender and put the chili pieces in the jar. Pour the boiling water over them, cover, and let sit 20 minutes or so. In the meantime, you can gather the rest of your ingredients.
Toast the coriander seeds for 2 minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat.
Add the seeds and all of the remaining ingredients to the blender. Puree for several minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides and top. If needed, add a little more water to get the paste to come together.
Put aside 5 tablespoons to use for the delicata squash red curry recipe below and freeze the rest (unless you will use it in the next few days). You might like to freeze it in individual-use portions so you don't have to thaw the whole thing.
For the curried delicata squash and tofu:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 2x2x1/2" squares and patted dry
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoons of the red curry paste
2 good-sized delicata squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4" (or so) thick half moons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup broccoli florets, cut very small
black pepper
cilantro for garnish

Heat a big, heavy skillet or a wok over very high heat. You'll need some sort of cover, but it doesn't have to be tight fitting. When it is hot, add two tablespoons of the oil and 5 seconds later, the tofu in a single layer. Fry on both sides until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula to paper towels and season with a bit of salt.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, the sugar, and the curry paste. Fry, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the squash and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir and fry for one minute, then add 1/4 cup of water and cover. Cook until the squash is tender, occasionally lifting the lid to stir, check doneness, and add a little water if needed. When it is nearly done, add the broccoli. Cook until the squash is done. This will probably take about 10 minutes total.

Remove the cover and add the tofu. Stir to mix. If needed, add just a little more water to get a little bit of glossy sauce.

Serve with rice, garnishing with a grind of black pepper and the cilantro.

From here: http://herbivoracious.com/2009/10/red-curry-delicata-squash-and-tofu-recipe.html

Spicy Corn Fritters

"Whatcha got there?"
"Some Corn Fritters."
"Corn nugs, check."

INGREDIENTS
Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large clove garlic, minced

Fritters
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups of corn kernels, (see steps for cutting corn from a cob) cut from 3 large cobs (or frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
4 large scallions or green onions, finely sliced (about half a cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Grapeseed, canola, or peanut oil (a high smoke point oil) for frying

METHOD

1 Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium high, let boil for 5-10 minutes or so, until the mixture becomes somewhat syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool. The sauce should continue to thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick, you can add a little water to it to thin it out a bit.

2 Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin in a medium bowl. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir until just combined.

3 Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon as soon as it is in the pan. Work in batches. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated. Note that the fritters will likely splatter a bit as you are cooking. So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes while you cook. Makes approximately 16 fritters. Serve immediately with the sweet chili dipping sauce.

From here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spicy_corn_fritters/

Baked Tofu with Soy and Sesame

Baked Tofu with Soy and Sesame (Makes 4 servings, recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.)

1 block (14 oz.) extra firm tofu
3 T Tamari (or use low-sodium soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
olive oil, for spraying baking sheet
optional: sliced green onions and /or black sesame seeds for garnish

Cut tofu in half crosswise. (I would also cut each piece in half again to make four pieces, not shown in these photos.) Blot each piece on both sides with papers towels, pressing down to remove as much liquid as you can. (You don't have to do this as carefully as when cooking tofu with a quicker method, but the wetter the tofu the longer you'll have to bake it.)

Turn oven on and set to 350 F. Whisk together the sesame oil and Tamari in a small bowl, then use pastry brush to brush both sides of the tofu pieces generously with the mixture. Let tofu marinate in the soy-sesame mixture for 5-10 minutes while the oven heats.

Spray a non-stick baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray and place tofu slices on sheet. Bake about one hour, not turning, but brushing with the soy-sesame mixture several times, until the glaze is all gone. It's done when the tofu feels firm to the touch, and looks glazed and nicely browned. I cooked my tofu about 70 minutes, using a toaster oven.

I got it from here! http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2008/06/baked-tofu-recipe-with-soy-and-sesame.html

Moroccan Baked Eggs with Red Peppers & Spinach

Arianna Huffington: kitchen whiz.

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, minced
4 cups loosely packed baby spinach
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips
6 large eggs
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon harissa
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Set a large saute pan over high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add minced garlic then add spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 45-60 seconds until just wilted and drain on paper-towels to remove any excess moisture.
3. Divide the spinach and roasted red peppers between two small gratin dishes (about 4 inches long). Arrange vegetables so there are 3 nestling spots for eggs. Crack an egg into each of the spots.
4. Combine cream and harissa together in a small bowl. Drizzle harissa cream in and around each dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with pieces of goat cheese and season with paprika.
5. Bake on a sheet tray in oven for 8-10 minutes until egg whites are cooked through but yolks are still soft. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

From here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/moroccan-baked-eggs-with-_n_1060962.html

Antipasto-Style Penne

from here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/antipasto-style-penne-10000001940997/

Ingredients
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup refrigerated pesto
3 ounces provelone or mozzarella, chopped
1 (7-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 8 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop bell pepper; place in a large bowl. Stir in olives, pesto, provelone, tomatoes, and artichokes.

3. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to bell pepper mixture, and toss gently to combine. Spoon about 1 cup pasta mixture into each of 6 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining cheese and 2 teaspoons pine nuts.