Meat, meat, and then add meat.

• 2 pounds ground round beef
• 1 pound Italian sausages, skinned and crumbled
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• Some fresh chilies, chopped to form a rough puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• One 6-ounce can tomato paste
• One 30-ounce can red kidney beans, drained

1. In a large heavy skillet, brown the ground meat and sausage in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Transfer to a 4-quart pot. In the same skillet, add the beef stock and bring to a boil.
2. Remove the stock from the heat, then crumble the saffron and add to the stock. Set this aside.
3. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to a second skillet and cook the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
4. To the second skillet add the chilies and seasonings. Stir together.
5. Add the tomato paste and beef stock to the second skillet. Mix together thoroughly, then add this to the meat and bring to a boil. Stir. Reduce heat and simmer in a half-covered pot for 1-1/2 hours.
6. Add the beans 10 minutes before completion.
   Link

All the labour for this dish happens prior to the actual cooking, in the making of the paste. This can all be done earlier in the day if you're cooking for a crowd. This dish has hardly any vegetables so the prep work's fairly painless. Based of a Camellia Panjabi orginal.

In a large, preferably non-stick, fry pan dry-roast the coconut, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, red chilies, cloves, and cinnamon for 5 minutes over low heat stirring often. After the 5 minutes add 2 oz of the cashew nuts along with the onion. Continue to roast for about 10 minutes, continuing to stir frequently. When it's done, dump the mixture into the food processor along with 3/4 cup water and grind it to a smooth paste and set aside.

Take 1 oz of the remaining cashew nuts and grind them in the pestle and mortar. Add about a tbsp of water and continue to grind until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Once you're ready to start cooking, heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. I didn't use all oil but instead a mixture of half ghee and half oil. Add the curry paste you made to the oil and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the cashew nut paste and some salt to taste and fry for another 2 or 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to a medium-high, add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes. Next add the coconut milk/water mixture, cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

Add in the remaining cashew nuts and cook until the chicken is done.

This is a lazyman's lasagna with more taste but less formality and eggplant. Quick and simple to make a large amount of decent food. This is a Moosewood receipe, I've really only altered some of the ingredient amounts compared to their original.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I used a 13" by 9" glass lasagna type dish that my mom left at my place to make this dish. Oil the dish.

Mix together the onions, basil, salt, and tomatoes.

Heat the oil in a small frypan over medium heat. I might try some butter next time instead of the oil. Throw in the garlic and the bread crumbs and cook for about 3 minutes, until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Remove from the hot pan and set aside.

Spread out half of your tomato mixture in the bottom of the oiled dish. Sprinkle the pasta for the next layer. Then a layer of spinach, then mushrooms, and then half of your cheese. Top it off with the rest of the tomato mixture then the browned bread crumbs.

Cover with foil and and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve it up with a green salad following behind.

This is simple to make if you have the paste made. You can buy the paste but give making it yourself a try. It's not difficult and it will always taste better than store bought. Plain jasmine rice goes great with it. I'll post the thai green curry paste recipe soon but I'm pretty sure it's easy to buy.

In The Kitchen

Add the vermouth (or dry white wine), green onions, lime leaves, curry paste, and lemongrass to a large saucepan or stockpot and simmer until the wine is almost evaporated. You'll need a heated serving dish that'll hold the mussels in a bit so get that ready now. I usually accomplish this with a pre-heated oven at about 250 degrees.

Once the vermouth's almost completely evaporated, drain the mussels, add them to the pot, put on the lid and steam them for about another 5 minutes, until the shells open up.

Once the mussels are done, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and put them in the heated serving dish, cover and keep hot. Don't worry too much if you scoop up stuff besides the mussels, it's not a big deal if you get a few tag alongs.

Once the mussels are out of the way, strain the liquid they were cooking in into a clean saucepan and simmer it to reduce it and strengthen the flavours. Reduce it for at least 5 minutes, longer if you can.

Once the liquids reduced, stir in the coconut milk and cilantro and heat through.

Once this sauce is ready, pour it over your mussels and serve them up. Serve with fresh lime wedges the sliced jalapenos on the side. Adding the jalapenos to the bowls allows each person to adjust the heat to what they prefer.

Quick and simple chickpea curry.

In The Kitchen

Heat the ghee in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until tender and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add everything else except the chickpeas, coconut milk and cilantro. Cook, and stir, for a minute or two and then add the chickpeas, coconut milk, and tomatoes. It's winter so I'm stuck with canned tomatoes. I usually add just the tomatoes and a bit of the liquid at first, then add more liquid after I taste it and see what the texture is like. Mix well, reduce and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the cilantro just before you serve.

Here's some comfort food that we cooked up tonight. Once again, using uncooked beans instead of canned is key. Working with green lentils is fairly painless since there's no soaking required. We had this with plain white rice, I'm looking forward to the leftovers. This recipe's inspired by an Andrea Chesman recipe.

Feeds: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Cooking Time: 45 minutes.
Unique Equipment: Pestle and Mortar.

Shopping List

• Onions, 3 medium.
  
• Garlic, 6 cloves.

• Tomatoes, 28 oz can.
  
• Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp.
  
• Olive Oil, 1 tbl.

• Lentils, Green, 1 cup.
  
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tbsp.
  
• Allspice Berries, 3/4 tsp.
  
• Coriander Seeds, 1/2 tsp.
  
• Red Pepper Flakes, 1/2 tsp.
  
• Salt and Black Pepper, to taste.
  
• Water, 4 cups.

Meez

• Lentils, Green, Rinse well in several changes of water.
  
• Water.
  
• Garlic, Peel 2 cloves and smash slightly with the flat part of a knife.

• Olive Oil.

• Onions, Chop.

• Garlic, Finely chop the remaining 4 cloves.

• Tomatoes, Roughly cut the tomatoes in the can.
  
• Tomato Paste.

• Cumin Seeds.
  
• Allspice Berries.
  
• Coriander Seeds.
  
• Red Pepper Flakes.

• Salt and Black Pepper.

In The Kitchen

Combine the lentils, water and the smashed garlic cloves in a dutch oven or stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Do NOT drain off the liquid, just pick out the garlic cloves and discard them.

In another large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes until the mixture is starting to brown. Don't add any salt during this process since it will keep it from browning nicely.

I made this with canned tomatoes but I'm looking forward to trying it the next time I have some local fresh tomatoes. If you can get fresh, just blanch them for 30 seconds, peel, seed, and half them.

Add the cumin seeds, allspice berries, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes to the pestle and mortar and grind. Add the cooked lentils, their liquid, the tomatoes, tomato paste, and the ground spices to the browned onion mixture. Simmer it for about 15 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.

I find it difficult to get excited about the often bland meat-free burgers that are on the market. There seems to be a small selection that have actual taste and they usually cost a pretty penny. They also tend to be pre-frozen and processed.

These burgers have a great taste and are packed with fresh ingredients. I found kids like to help make them, especially at the part where you mash up the tofu by hand.

This is based on a Moosewood original. I'll place a link here to the book if I ever get a book list up.

Feeds: Makes about a dozen burgers.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes.
Unique Equipment: Potato masher.

Shopping List

• Tofu, 1 cake(12 oz).
  
• Eggs, 2 large.
  
  
• Onion, 1 large.
  
• Carrot, 1 large.
  
• Green pepper, 1.
  
• Parsley, fresh, 1/4 cup.
  
• Basil, small handful fresh, or 1 1/2 tsp dried.
  
  
• Vegetable oil, 3 tbsp.
  
• Bread crumbs, 1 cup.
  
• Walnuts, 3/4 cup.
  
• Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp.
  
• Dark sesame oil, 1 1/2 tbsp
  
• Tamari soy sauce, 3 tbsp.
  
• Black pepper to taste.

Meez

• Vegetable oil.

• Onion - Finely chop.
  
• Carrot - Grate.
  
• Green pepper - Finely chop.
  
• Basil - Finely chop.

• Eggs - Lightly beat.
  
• Bread crumbs.
  
• Walnuts - Finely chop.
  
• Parsley - Finely chop.
  
• Dijon mustard.
  
• Dark sesame oil.
  
• Tamari soy sauce.
  
• Black pepper.

• Tofu - Press for at least 30 minutes.

In The Kitchen

Heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, green pepper and basil and saute for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the lightly beaten eggs in a large bowl with the bread crumbs, walnuts, parsley, dijon mustard, sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, and black pepper and mix well. Add the tofu to this, breaking it up as you go. Add in the sauteed vegetables. Mash this mixture together well with a potato masher.

Form this mixture into burgers and bake on an oiled baking sheet until they're browned, about 30 minutes.

I haven't tried it but I'm sure you could use this sauce for ribs or meat of some kind if you prefer. I'm going to try to modify this and make some baked beans with it at some point. Rice and a salad go well with this dish.

Feeds: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Unique Equipment: None.

Shopping List

• Onion, 1 medium.
  
• Garlic, 2 cloves.
  
• Ginger, 1" piece.
  
• Tofu, 2 packages.

• Vegetable oil, 2 tbsp.
  
• Maple syrup, 1/2 cup.
  
• Soy sauce, 1 tbsp.
  
• Ketchup, 1 tbsp.
  
• Worchestershire sauce, 1 tbsp.
  
• Paprika, 1 tsp.
  
• Mustard powder, 1 tsp.
  
• Red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp.
  
• Tabasco sauce, 1 tsp.
  
• Salt, 1 tbsp.

Meez

• Vegetable oil.

• Onion - Slice finely.
  
• Garlic - Finely chop.
  
• Salt.

• Maple syrup.
  
• Soy sauce.
  
• Ketchup.
  
• Worchestershire sauce.
  
• Mustard powder.
  
• Red wine vinegar.
  
• Ginger - Grate or finely chop.
  
• Paprika.
  
• Tabasco sauce.

• Tofu - Slice into 1/2" thick slices lengthwise and press for
  at least 30 minutes.

In The Kitchen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in saucepan, add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the maple syrup, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, worchestershire, mustard powder, wine vinegar, ginger, paprika, and tabasco. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes.

Cut the pressed tofu slices into sticks about 3/4" square and place them on an earthenware roasting pan. Pour the sauce over the tofu and turn to coat. Cover with a lid, or foil, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, basting occasionally.

It's revisited since it had an drier evil twin that I abolished and started anew. It's another attempt to steal a traditionally meat-based dish and make it work with the toad-food.

If you can plan ahead, marinate the tofu in the jerk sauce overnight. This
version has rum in it and you can put in a lot more than 3 tbsp.

Feeds: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Unique Equipment: Pestle and mortar.

Shopping List

• Onion, 2 medium.
  
• Chillies, 2 fresh red.
  
• Garlic, 2 cloves.
  
• Ginger, 1" piece.
  
• Lime, 1.
  
• Tofu, 14 oz.
  
  
• Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp.
  
• Thyme, 1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried.
  
• Allspice berries, 1 tsp.
  
• Soya sauce, 1 tbsp.
  
• Brown sugar, 2 tbsp.
  
• Cloves, 4 to 6.
  
• Salt and Pepper, to taste.
  
  
• Rum, 3 tbsp.

Meez

• Vegetable oil.

• Onion - Finely chop.

• Chillies - Finely chop.
  
• Garlic - Mince or finely chop.
  
• Thyme - Finely chop if using fresh.
  
• Allspice berries, cloves - Grind in pestle and mortar

• Brown sugar.
  
• Lime - Juice, reserving the juice. Grate 1 tsp of the rind.
  
• Ginger - Peel and mince or finely chop.
  
• Rum.

• Salt and Pepper.
  
• Soya sauce.
  
  
• Tofu - Slice into 1/2" slices and press for at least 30 minutes.

In The Kitchen

Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add the onions and cook until they soften and start to brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the chillies, garlic, thyme, allspice and cloves. Mix together and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, lime rind and juice, ginger, rum, cover and simmer until it forms a paste, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the soya sauce and set it all aside to cool slightly.

Cut the pressed tofu into triangles, or some other shape you prefer, and place in a large mixing bowl. Dump the paste you just made in and stir until it's well distributed. Use a wooden spoon so you don't break the tofu pieces up too much.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees on an unoiled cookie sheet. Spread the tofu out so that it's only one layer. Cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes in the oven and pull it out to stir the tofu once or twice. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to finish browning the tofu. It will take about 45 minutes in the oven all together. In the end, you want to tofu nicely browned and crispy on the outside but soft and meaty on the inside.

It is what it sounds like. It's a work in progress but it's already pretty tasty. Let me know if you have any feedback or advice.

Feeds: 4.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes.
Unique Equipment: None.

Shopping List

• Tempeh, 8 oz.
  
• Onions, 2 medium.
  
• Fennel bulb, 1/2 bulb, optional.
  
• Mushrooms, mixed varieties, 1/2 lb.
  
• Garlic, 3 to 4 cloves.
  
• Chillies, fresh green, 2.
  
  
• Butter, or vegetable oil, 4 tbsp.
  
• Soy sauce, 3 tbsp.
  
• Stock, or bouillon, 2 cups.
  
• Yogurt, plain, 1 to 2 cups.
  
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Meez

• Butter.

• Onions - Peel and finely chop.
  
• Fennel - Finely chop.

• Garlic - Mince or finely chop.

• Tempeh - Cut into 1/4" cubes and poach.
  
• Mushrooms - Brush and slice.
  
• Soy sauce.

• Stock - Heat.

• Chillies - Finely chop.

• Yogurt.
  
• Salt and pepper.

In The Kitchen

Heat butter in a medium saucepan or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and cook, stirring often. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic and chillies. Cook until the onions start to brown, don't add any salt as it will prevent browning.

Once the onions have started to brown, add the already poached tempeh along with the mushrooms and soy sauce. Cook until the tempeh browns, about 10 minutes. Add the bouillon, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. I usually use a vegetarian beef flavoured bouillon for this which seems to work well. If you're using your own stock, you'll probably want to reduce it well so it contains a lot of flavour.

Remove from the heat and mix in the yogurt. Serve over freshly cooked pasta or rice.