Vegetable Curry

Before I get into the recipe, I need to apologize. I actually made this dish a month ago and have been so busy / tired / lazy that I haven't gotten around to writing this entry. Normally, I wouldn't feel any more guilty about this than I would about any of my other late posts, but this recipe was a request. So, please forgive me! The recipe comes from "Now You're Cookin': Vegetarian".

Without any further delay, I present:

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

1 pound of mixed vegetables (I used carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, zucchini, and sweet potato)
2 onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon hot curry powder
1 tablespoon sweet chile sauce (I always have a supply of this around the house. I like the Trader Joe's brand)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 10-ounce can coconut cream (I could not find this to save my life. I found creme de cocoa, which is too sweet, and coconut milk, which is too thin. I was doubling the recipe anyway, so I used a can of each to thicken up the coconut milk and cut the sweetness of the other. It worked out well, should you need to do the same. Naturally, after I had made the dish, I discovered plain coconut cream at Trader Joe's)
Optional
rice, to serve the curry over

Note: I forgot some of my ingredients in the fridge until the last minute, so not everything is pictured above.

Serves: 4 - 6 (385 calories per serving, not including the rice); Prep time: 40 minutes (if you're slow at peeling and trimming vegetables, like I am); Cook time: about 10 minutes (plus, the cooking time for the rice)

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables, peeling, trimming, and chopping as necessary, then cut into even-sized pieces.

2. Start cooking the rice according to the instructions on the box.

3. Peel the onions and chop finely.

4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, cooking for 5 minutes.

5. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute.

6. Mix in the coconut cream (or mixture, in my case) and bring to a boil.

7. Add the vegetables, cover, and then let simmer until the vegetables are tender.

8. Mix in the sweet chile sauce and soy sauce.

9. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Review: I'm glad that I know now where to buy coconut cream, but I thought the curry turned out wonderfully. I actually liked the hint of sweetness with the spice of the curry.

Happy eating.

Cheers,
Emma

P.S. Here's Izzy wearing a fancy scarf.

Carrot Cake

I realized that I was severely lacking in the dessert department on this blog, so I thought I'd try to remedy that situation. My mom is famous for her amazing carrot cake, so I had her teach me how to make it. The original recipe comes from this weird Holiday cookbook that JCPenney randomly published in 1996. My mom's perfected the recipe anyway, so who cares where the original is from?

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups flour
Frosting
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 to 1 box powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional
green and orange cake decorating frosting

Note: We made two cakes.

Serves: 12 (430 calories per piece); Prep time: about 30 minutes; Cook time: 35 - 45 minutes

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and grate the carrots. We used a Food Processor for the latter.

3. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them. Add the oil and continue to beat.

4. Sift the dry ingredients (minus the carrots, obviously).

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the eggs and oil mixture and beat.

6. Sample your fine work.

7. Gently fold in the carrots.

8. Pour the cake batter into a cake pan that has been lightly sprayed and floured. We have a spray with flour in it.

9. Bake for 35 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean.

10. Let the cakes cool. Meanwhile, put all of the ingredients for the frosting in a mixing bowl and beat. My mom tends to use a full box of powdered sugar, but if you want it a little less sweet or diabetes-inducing, you can use a mere half box.

11. Sample your fine work.

Note: Do not let cute begging cats sample your fine work. It's too delicious for them.

12. When the cake is cool enough, spread the frosting on it.

Optional
13. Decorate your cake with frosting carrots. I did twelve, once for each piece of the cake.

14. Stuff into face.

Recipe Review: If you're not drooling right now, there is something wrong with you.

Happy eating.

Cheers,
Emma

French Onion Soup

This has been one of my favorite meals since I was a little kid. When I first became a vegetarian, my grandma was hesitant  to convert the recipe for me. She was worried that it wouldn't taste as good without beef stock. I finally convinced her to try and it was just as good (if not better!). Now she even makes it with vegetable broth when I'm not home. I decided I was long overdue to learn how to make it myself. The original recipe came from Julia Child, but my grandma has tweaked and perfected it over the years.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
5 cups of yellow onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts vegetable stock (obviously, the original recipe calls for beef broth)
1/2 cup dry red wine (the original calls for white wine, but we use red to give the broth that rich color it would normally get from the beef stock)
1 baguette
2 cups Swiss cheese

Note: I tripled the recipe. Because leftovers are awesome.

Serves: 6 - 8 (575 calories per serving); Prep time: 30 - 45 minutes; Cooking time: nearly two hours

Directions:
1. Cut the baguette into 1-inch slices.

2. Put the slices onto a baking tray. Set your oven's broiler to High. Put the bread in the oven until the tops are golden brown. The bread should toast pretty quickly, so you'll want to just stand by the oven and not walk away to do something else.

3. Flip slices, put back in oven, and toast the other sides. The great thing about making the croutons is that you can do it in advance. I actually made mine a week before I made the soup. I just put them in a baggie and stored them at room temperature.

4. Peel the onions and slice them in half.

Note: This will be the most excruciating part of the whole process. You will cry like you've never cried before. I was texting a friend when the onion tear gas hit me.

5. Cut the onions into thin slices. Or use a Food Processor, if you're lazy like me.

6. Put the butter and oil in a large pot and set the burner to Medium. Add the onions.

7. Cover the pot and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

8. Take the lid off the pan, turn up the burner to Medium-High, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden.

9. During this time, you'll want to grate the Swiss cheese. I used the Food Processor again.

10. After the onions have cooked for 40 minutes, sprinkle in the flour and stir for 3 minutes.

11. Add the vegetable stock and red wine to the pot.

12. Bring the soup to a boil, and then let simmer for 40 minutes.

I used my 40 minute break to make my lunch, The Best Damn Egg Salad, and to ponder the mysteries of life with Ruby and Tobey.

The great thing about this soup is once the 40 minute simmer is over, you can turn the burner off and let it sit, uncovered, until you actually want it. I made my soup hours in advance and then reheated it to a simmer when we were ready to have dinner.

13. Once it's hot again (should you make it in advance), put the soup into oven-proof bowls or a dish, and put the croutons in.

14. Pile the cheese on high.

15. Set your oven's broiler to High and put the bowls in the oven.

16. Keep in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

17. Stuff into face.

Recipe Review: It's labor intensive and time consuming but it is completely worth it. You won't even miss the beef broth, I promise!

Happy eating.

Cheers,
Emma