Lazy Day and Dinner

June 9, 2014June 9, 2014 / Juliana Lightle / 1 Comment

Cool and cloudy reigned today. Now tornado warnings west of here glide across the TV screen I’ve turned on mute. About now, the severe thunderstorms are supposed to start. A repeat of yesterday when I took these photos from my patio.

Fed Rosie earlier to beat the predicted storm, swept the dirt and little rocks from yesterday’s storm off the drive, and strolled around to get some exercise. After several hectic days of no cooking, decided to cook something vegetarian.

1 medium sized purple onion coarsely chopped

6 medium brussels sprouts cut in half

1/2 large red bell pepper coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon chana masala (East Indian spice)

1 teaspoon berbere (Ethiopian spice)

Olive oil

Pour enough olive oil in 8-10 inch skillet to cover the bottom. Saute the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the brussels sprouts and spices. Stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are cooked but still crisp. Add the red pepper and sauté. Do not over cook. Serve over Jasmine rice.

Not quite ready but almost.

Berbere on left sent from Ethiopia by my friend’s mother.

Jasmine rice ready to serve. Here is how I cook the rice:

Pour enough olive oil in the bottom of the saucepan to barely cover it. Add 1 heaping tsp. finely chopped garlic and briefly sauté. Add one cup rice (here I used white but sometimes I mix red, black and white evenly) and sauté a little bit more. Add two cups water and 1 tsp. vegetarian bouillon (I prefer Better Than Bouillon). Stir and cover with several paper towels or one thick tea towel. Place lid on top and turn down to low. Cook 1/2 hour if using only white rice. Other rice requires double the time.

The finished product ready to eat.

Now I am going back to reading while awaiting the lightning and thunder. About 1/3 way through a light but entertaining read: “Coyote Cowgirl” by Kim Antieau.

Curried Vegetables with Quinoa

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

This recipe originated out of my desire to learn to like quinoa. Except for some quinoa cakes at a local restaurant, I had never eaten quinoa that I thought delicious. Actually, I found it a dreadfully boring food. Nevertheless, I became determined to find a way to like it. Why? Nutrition. It is good for you. So let’s start with how I learned to cook quinoa so it is actually tasty.

Quinoa

Olive oil

1 cup quinoa

1 3/4 cups water

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic–I am lazy about garlic and buy it by the giant jarful, already chopped

1 heaping teaspoon vegetable or chicken base–I use Better Than Bouillon

Rinse quinoa thoroughly–it requires an extremely fine strainer. Pour enough olive oil in a medium sauce pan to cover the bottom. Place the chopped garlic in the olive oil and sauté a minute or so at medium high heat. Add the quinoa, stir quickly to mix with the garlic and oil mixture. Add the water and base. Stir thoroughly to combine the base with the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low. Cook approximate 20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid and is fluffy. Quinoa reheats well in a microwave so you can make extra for meals later.

Curried Vegetables

1/2 medium purple onion, chopped

1 large poblano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

3-4 portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 small beet, sliced and cut into smaller pieces

1/2 cup coarsely chopped butternut squash

Olive oil

1/2 tsp. curry powder–I used Malaysian Seven Seas Curry by Spice Appeal

1/2 tsp. masala–I used Chana Masala by Spice Appeal

Use whatever curry you prefer. This curry is a mite hot.

Saute the onion, mushrooms, squash, and beets in olive oil until slightly tender. Add spices and peppers and sauté until tender but still slightly crisp. Serve over the quinoa or rice.

Regarding olive oil: I use it to make nearly every kind of food from all over the world. I use a lot because I really like it. I have even made pie crust out of olive oil. It is one of those few oils you can use and know it is good for you.

Vegetables with Coriander, Cumin, and Tumeric

January 26, 2013 / Juliana Lightle / 2 Comments

Vegetables are my favorite food. Interspersed with the poems and essays I publish, I try to post unique recipes. My recipes come from years of interaction and relationships with people from all over the world, husbands, exchange students who enhance my extended family, travels to Asia and Latin America, my international friends near where I live. Recently, after a dinner party, I had left over vegetables that needed cooking so one evening home from work, I created this recipe. It is vegan by accident not intention. One could add fish, chicken, turkey leftovers (see recent post for turkey curry), shrimp…you get the idea. The options are endless. I used the vegetables I needed to use up, but take a look in your refrigerator and try what you have on hand. Experiment.

1 medium sized beet, peeled and cut into half coins

1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped

1/2 purple onion, chopped

Several pieces of Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped, leaves cut into large, bite sized pieces

Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped–amount to your own taste

Olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground

1/2 teaspoon cumin–or extra to taste

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Saute the beets, chopped Swiss chard stems, garlic, and onions in olive oil until beets are cooked through. Add spices and poblano pepper. When the pepper is nearly done, add the Swiss chard leaves and cook only until wilted.

Serve over rice. I used equal amounts of black, red, and Jasmine rice.

How to cook rice:

1/3 cup black rice

1/3 cup red rice

1/3 cup brown or Jasmine rice–your preference

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon concentrated broth/bouillon–I use Better Than Bouillon brand which is available Vegetarian as well as Chicken, etc.

Pour enough olive oil into a saucepan to cover the bottom. Add the rice and chopped garlic. Saute at high heat until rice starts to stick, stirring constantly. Add two cups water and the bouillon. Stir rapidly until bouillon dissolves. Turn down heat to low, cover the top of the saucepan with four paper towels or a tea towel folded to make several layers. Put sauce pan lid on the top and cook for approximately one hour. Red, brown, and black rice take twice as long to cook as white rice. Do not peek while rice is cooking. Lifting the lid to check causes the rice to be mushy.