A tale about 'Big Red'...

My last post was not about a potato; this post is not about a pot. But yet, it is. 

I don't often use "Big Red", as it's been aptly named.  Not because I don't love the way it cooks; but because using it is such a production. I have a similar relationship with my Dutch Oven that many have with their slow cookers (although I think a Dutch Oven is probably less of a pain).  It's beautiful, it distributes heat fabulously and makes light work of even tough dishes, and it's relatively easy to keep clean.  But it's one of those appliances I don't use often, so it doesn't garner prime real estate in my already-too-small-and-crammed-with-stuff kitchen. 

Big Red lives on a shelf; in a cupboard barely used, right next to the refrigerator, about 6 feet above my head.  Being an even five-feet tall has many disadvantages - especially in the kitchen.  Digging out the 'once-in-a-while' appliances notwithstanding.  It's a delicate balancing act to retrieve Big Red that requires me, a step stool, some heavy lifting and baited breath.  And that's just to get to the lid (which I'm convinced weighs more than the pot).  Or I could just ask Daddy Vegan to get it down for me, but I'm fiercely stubborn and independent about these things (and I wonder where Little Miss gets it from). One of these days I'll learn.

Anyway, enough about the pot. Safe to say it survived it's perilous journey from the cupboard to the stove, otherwise we wouldn't be looking at this pretty picture of it.

There's one dish I always make in my Dutch Oven: Lentil Stew.  I'm not sure how or why this tradition began.  I don't even think the inspiration for this recipe started with "In a Dutch Oven..."; it probably just called for a large stockpot.  But Daddy Vegan had recently surprised me with this much-longed-for pot in my absolute favorite color in the world, and I was eager to try it. So 'Dutch Oven' lentil stew was born.

It's a hearty, deeply rich and satisfying stew; the kind you make on a cold winter's day, in a Dutch Oven, and sop up with tons of fresh crusty bread. To the uninitiated, you'd swear it was a beef stew. But, seeing as it's being posted on a vegan website, it's completely animal-free. 

Perhaps the best part about this stew is how simple - and versatile it is.  I call it "Leftover Lentil Stew" because it's a great way to use up leftover veggies kicking around your fridge or freezer (yes, you can use frozen vegetables here).  Any combination of veg works, from the basic celery and carrots to eggplant, squash, sweet potato and more.   Oh - and did I mention it only takes 20 minutes to cook?  (Weeknight Dinner Warriors rejoice!)

The broth has a southwestern kick to it, with cumin and chili powder being the dominant flavors, but additions of pure pumpkin puree and oregano give it a wonderful earthy "meaty" flavour too.  It's been cold and a bit snowy this weekend, and Daddy Vegan and I were craving something a little more warm and cozy.  And it just so happened I had some celery, carrots, corn and other veggies that were looking a little sad.  They're much happier now! 

Try this stew once as it's written below, and then experiment with the flavors; add different vegetables, adjust the amount of seasoning, or even try new seasonings.  It's a great canvas for carrying delicious bold flavours.

Enjoy!

"Leftover" Lentil Stew

(adapted from www.fatfreevegan.com)


Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (if you like heat then leave in some seeds)
zest of half a lemon
2-3 cups vegetables - fresh or frozen - diced or cut into small chunks (I used carrots, celery and corn)
1 19oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 15 oz can cooked lentils, drained and rinsed well
3.5 cups + 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chili powder, divided in half
1 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup quinoa
2/3 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (if you can't get pure pumpkin puree, you can use pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp brown sugar (skip this ingredient if using pumpkin pie filling)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a Dutch Oven, heat 2 tbsp vegetable broth on med-high heat.  Add onions and saute until golden and translucent; about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapenos and lemon zest. Cook, stirring constantly to keep garlic from burning until soft; about one minute.  Add cumin and 1 tbsp chili powder and cook for 1 minute, allowing spices to warm through and become fragrant. 

2. Stir in tomatoes, using your spoon and the juice from the tomatoes to loosen any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. (That's where the real flavor is).  Stir in mixed vegetables, lentils, remaining 1 tbsp chili powder and oregano.  Pour in remaining vegetable broth and stir well.  Bring to a boil.

3. Add quinoa and simmer, covered, on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all veg are tender.  Add in pumpkin puree, salt and pepper to taste and brown sugar (if using).  Simmer uncovered on medium heat for an additional 5 minutes.  Stew will appear a bit liquid, but will thicken as you stir it and will continue to thicken after it's removed from heat. 

4. Remove from heat; stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Serve hot.

Back to Basics...

picture and original recipe courtesy of Peas and Thank You

When I first met Husband almost 9 years ago, I was a relative vegetarian.  I say 'relative' because I wavered on things like fish or seafood (and eggs), but I didn't eat any red or white meat in any way, shape or form.  Husband, on the other hand, was a super-carnivore. To him, vegetables were merely decoration and took up valuable space that could be occupied by meat. And fish was something you kept in an aquarium - not on your plate.

Over the past "almost-decade", I taught Husband to embrace vegetables, love seafood and even eat tofu. He taught me to eat steak.  We found a happy medium of herbivore and carnivore. And it worked for quite a while.  But somewhere along the way, that changed.  Little Miss joined our family, and it made us stand up and take notice of our lifestyle - and eating habits.  Suddenly words like 'organic' and 'natural' were part of our everyday vernacular - and our grocery list.  A few years ago, you'd be hard pressed to find fresh fruit or vegetbales of any kind in our kitchen; now our fridge and countertops are overflowing with bright colored, sweet fruits and veggies of all kind.  We stopped buying meat from the grocery store and sought out an organic butcher.  Dairy and egg products had to be organic and antibiotic free.  We strived to feed Little Miss only homemade food - with very little additives or processed ingredients - and for the most part, we've been successful. She's definitely a "picky eater", but she's always chosen homemade over processed. (I think I've borne the only child on the planet that HATES Kraft Dinner.)

Husband and I however, weren't as diligent about our own diets as we were with hers. Until now.  Ok - I'll admit, I'm still not as diligent as I should be. I give in to temptation quite easily.  I'm a professional baker - it kind of goes with the territory.  But Husband has adopted a new clean lifestyle - which no longer includes meat.  Or dairy. Or Bread. Or anything processed. Yes, you read that right.  Nothing processed.  Only whole or raw plant-based foods.

Switching away from meat has never been a big deal for me. I've always been 'take it or leave it' about meat.  Whole food cooking however, was a completely foreign concept, and challenged everything I know (and love) about cooking.  No oils, no dressings, no premade or processed sauces, condiments or ingredients of any kind.  Over the years, I've accumulated quite the pantry full of exotic oils, condiments and other funky (and totally processed) ingredients.  Those brightly colored bottles and boxes have been replaced with bags of all natural granola, organic vegetable broth, goji berries, raw cacao and tetra packs of almond milk. This is so NOT my pantry.

Admittedly, I haven't embraced this change easily - or willingly. I'll be honest, I pretty much do all the grocery shopping and cooking around here. So a change like this is huge.  It was as if my entire world was turned upside down.  Meals suddenly required extreme planning. Take out was no longer an option. Labels needed to be scrutinized.  Cooking became a nuisance rather than a joy.  Simple acts like sauteing onions in a bit of oil, or buttering toast were monumental challenges to overcome.  It annoyed me.  And for quite a while, I resisted it at every turn. Until one day I stopped to think about what I was resisting: a husband who loves his family enough to change his lifestyle so drastically so that he can live a long, healthy life.  I must be out of my mind.

It just so happened that this drastic change - and epiphany on my end - coincided with the release of an amazing book called "Peas and Thank You" - a cookbook written by a mom who chose to raise her family (which includes two small children) vegan, and it's full of amazing recipes.  This cookbook has changed my perspective on vegan cooking. Dishes don't have to be laden with fats, or dairy products or meat to be delicious.  And there are many wonderful - and easy ways to substitute those elements and still create a wonderful meal. 

What was - as recently as a couple of weeks ago - a huge upset and inconvenience, has become a challenge that I'm a little more willing to accept:  to find new ways to cook delicious food in a whole-food-healthy way.  And I'm putting my culinary skills to the test.  For example, I figured out the other day that avocado is an excellent substitute for butter. It's rich, creamy, melts easily and hello...it's a fat! (A healthy fat to boot.)  This little trick came in very handy in the recipe I'm sharing below.  The mashed potato topping wouldn't be mashed potato without a little "milk and butter".

Little Miss and I are not completely following Husband's diet. She's only two and still requires certain foods that he won't eat. But we've modified our eating habits quite a bit. She's never cared for meat anyway, and we're doing our best to ensure she gets all the protein, iron and other nutrients she needs from other sources.  And while I still cook with oil or butter at times for me - I'm much more conscious about how much I'm using - and how often.

It's been 3 months since Husband started this quest. In that time, he's lost over 60 lbs, is in great shape and looks and feels way better than he has in a very long time.  And I'm extremely proud of him.  So proud that I made him a modified version of Peas and Thank You's Indian Shepherd's Pie.  It's definitely a "Sunday Supper" kind of meal. It took multiple pots and multiple appliances to make. But the look of utter satisfaction and delight on his face when he tasted it was worth it.  And it really didn't take that much modfiying to make it a "whole food" recipe. Oh - and honestly, you won't even miss the meat!

Enjoy!

Indian Shepherd's Pie

This is my version of the recipe - I've adapted it from Peas and Thank You: simple meatless meals the whole family will love.

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed in 1-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed in 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon very ripe avocado
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/3 cups water
2 cups cooked lentils (I used green lentils but any kind would work)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander (ground)
1 cup organic spinach, choppped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add sweet potatoes and butternut squash.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. When potatoes and squash are fork-tender, drain and add to a large bowl.

3. Using an electric or stand mixer, add avocado and non-dairy milk and cinnamon and whip until fluffy and lump-free.

4. In a smaller pot, cook lentils according to package instructions.

5. In a large skillet, saute onion, carrots and chick peas in 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for one minute.  Add remaining broth, curry, coriander and simmer.  Add lentils to pot when ready and cook for another 3-5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Add spinach and dried cranberries and stir until combined.

6. Grease a 2 quart baking/casserole dish with avocado and add vegetable mixture.  Top with mashed squash and sweet potato topping and spread evenly to cover filling.  Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.