Anytime bean and mushroom casserole (V)

If you are interested in changing your diet to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol) it is a good idea to avoid animal fats (meat and dairy products). This delicious bean and mushroom casserole I  make at Thanksgiving can be enjoyed year round. Here is a vegan recipe that is much tastier than the mushroom can version:

2 cups freshly steamed green beans or 2 cans of French cut green beans 

1 package fresh mushrooms (about a cup when sauteed)

1 ½ cup almond milk/non-dairy milk

1 ½ tbsp flour

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 can or 2 cups French Fried Onions

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian spice mix 

¼ tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Let beans drain if using canned beans. Clean and cut mushrooms in ½ inch pieces. Saute on low heat until liquid is gone, about 15 – 20 minutes. 

2. Heat oil in sauce pan and add flour. Stir until all is well mixed and slightly brown. Slowly add non-dairy milk while stirring. Once the sauce has thickened, add soy sauce, nutmeg, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Save ½ cup French onions for topping and mix the sauce with mushrooms, fried onions and beans in an oven proof form. 

4. Top with remaining onions and bake at 350 F about 30 – 40 minutes until the onions have a nice crispy look. 

You can prepare up to step 3 the day before and add the remaining 1/2 cup of fried onions right before baking.

Rårakor & Raggmunk (Latkes)

Much of the food I grew up with in Sweden is close to traditional Jewish specialties. Before Swedes started eating pasta and rice, they used potato in various shapes and forms as a staple. Rårakor are Latkes without onions served with Lingonberry jam and often accompanied by smoked pork.  Raggmunk is similar, but is more of a potato pancake with eggs, flour and milk.

Rårakor (vegan)

4– 5 potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Generous amounts of butter for frying

Peel and coarsely grate potatoes. Mix with salt and egg and form patties. Fry immediately.

Raggmunk

3 potatoes

2 eggs

1 cup flour

2 cups milk

Start by whipping eggs, adding milk and flour and a tsp of salt. Let soak for 10 – 15 minutes. Grate potatoes and add. Fry in butter or margarine until potatoes are soft and serve as a standalone dish with lingonberry jam (buy at IKEA or Shaller & Weber).

Aloo Gobi, Pakistani Cauliflower dish (V)

A woman in my book group is from Pakistan and when she hosts, she cooks wonderful Pakistani dishes. I especially enjoyed her Aloo Gobi. Here is her recipe:

 

1 large cauliflower head

3 medium size potatoes
2 medium size onions

3 tbsp ginger paste (I used 2 tbsp grated ginger)

2 tsp garlic (I used 3 garlic cloves)

1 1/2 tsp turmeric(I used 1/2 tsp and added coriander and cumin)

1 tsp red chili powder (I am a wimp so I used 1/4 tsp)

Salt to taste
3/4 cup olive oil

1. Chop cauliflower in to small pieces and dice the potatoes.

2. Slice onions finely and fry in oil till light brown. Add ginger and garlic and lower the heat. Fry for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Add all the spices, then add the cauliflower.
3. Increase heat and stir well till it is mixed/coated with the onion and garlic. Add potatoes and stir till the potatoes are nicely coated with oil.
4. Lower the heat and let it cook till the cauliflower and potatoes are tender and all the water from the vegetables has dried and you can see the oil around them, about 40 minutes.

My award winning pork dish

This is my favorite pork recipe, which won an honorary mentioning in a Swedish food magazine. I usually serve this marinated dish with boiled potatoes (Swedish staple), but the magazine suggested pairing the pork with white rice and canned mandarin segments.

1 pork file
1 - 2 finely chopped onions
1/2 cup canola oil
2 1/4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/4 tbsp vinegar
2  garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp chopped ginger 
6 crushed coriander seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
375 F for 30 minutes or until cooked through

Trim file and slice in 2/3 of an inch thick slices. Arrange slices tightly next to each other in an oven proof form. Cover with finely chopped onions Mix all other ingredients and pour over. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Heat oven and bake until cooked through - about 30 minutes depending on how thick the meat is and how cold the dish is when placed in the oven.

Serve with salad and boiled potatoes or rice. Try with canned mandarin slices - their orange color look pretty if served in small decorative bowls placed on the table. Beer (lager), white wine or a light red go well with this dish.

Coffee history & health

Coffee has several health benefits

I'm a coffee addict and need some strong a.m. java to kick off my day. To my delight, coffee is now considered a healthy beverage. Recent studies indicate that high coffee consumption may prevent strokes, protect women against breast cancer and men against prostate cancer. In Europe, coffee was initially considered a medicinal drink until the 17th century when it went mainstream. Coffee houses, where the black brew stimulated conversation, soon mushroomed. In 1660 London had 2,200 coffee houses where people met, conducted business and caught up on the latest news. In the US, coffee was introduced by Captain John Smith of England who founded the colony of Virginia in Jamestown in 1607.

It is believed that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia. Initially people drank a decoction of leaves and berries from the coffee bush, but in the 13th century people started roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee. During the Medieval times coffee drinking spread from Africa and the Middle east through trade. During the 17th century the Dutch were successfully growing coffee in Ceylon and Java. Java, a synonym for coffee, also served as a base for most of the coffee grown in Central and South America.

In Sweden, King Karl XII made coffee drinking popular after he brought home a coffee maker from Turkey in the early 18th century. Just like the Turks, Swedes prefer their coffee strong. There is a Swedish version of Irish Coffee, Kaffekask, where you put a quarter in a coffee cup, fill with coffee until you don't see the quarter and then add aquavit until the quarter becomes visible again. These days, however, Swedes drink more lattes than Kaffekasks.

Chocolate frosting, regular and vegan

My daughter's 18th birthday is today, 11.11.11. She is a vegan and a chocolate lover so I am surprising her with vegan desserts. She finds traditional frosting way too sweet and prefers the cream cheese-based variety. Most vegan chocolate frosting recipes call for ridiculous amounts of sugar and fat. Below is a traditional frosting recipe I took and adapted eliminating heavy cream and replacing dairy products with canola oil, soy milk and vegan cream cheese.

1 x 8 ounce package of vegan cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
1/4 cup of confectioner sugar
1 cup of semi sweet chocolate morsels
Instead of 1/4 cup heavy cream I used:
1/8 cup of soy milk
1/8 cup of canola oil

Beat cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy. Melt morsels with soy milk (or heavy cream) and canola oil over slow heat, constantly stirring. No need for a double boiler, just use a regular pot. It should be creamy. Add slowly to cream cheese/sugar mix. Beat until fluffy.

Chicken spread from leftovers

In my mother's kitchen, wasting food is considered a felony. She grew up amid food insecurity and considers expiration dates an invention with the purpose of selling more food to those gullible enough to throwing away instead of trusting their eyes, noses and taste buds.

Whenever I have leftover grilled chicken, I cut it in small pieces. Then I mix equal amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise with a little rice vinegar and generous amounts of curry powder and raisins. Sometimes I add grapes cut in small pieces and chopped walnuts. Tastes great on toasts with a salad on the side. The amount of sour cream and mayo depends on how much chicken there is, but for half a chicken I use about 1/3 cup of each and two tsp of curry powder. You can also add chopped celery stalks.

Gnocchi (V)

The first time I ate gnocchi was when backpacking in Italy. The gnocchi served at a Pompeii restaurant were too doughy - the place was probably a tourist trap. Recently I discovered that gnocchi is a great way of using leftover potatoes. Yesterday I made vegan gnocchi in preparation for my daughter's birthday on Friday - she loves gnocchi. I used leftover baked potato and sweet potato from Meatless Monday dinner. The gnocchi are now in the freezer awaiting their final destination. I am planning to make a sauce with mushrooms, garlic, onions, tomatoes and fresh basil.
Update: I boiled and fried the gnocchi and everyone loved them - didn't get any leftovers. Frying after boiling made a huge difference. Crisp on the outside and soft inside instead of doughy.  

Gnocchi
1 1/2 baked Idaho potatoes
1/2 baked sweet potato
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 + cup wheat flour or semolina
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
While still warm, grate baked potatoes or use a ricer. Add salt and olive oil and mix. Add whole wheat flour and then add wheat flour until the dough becomes non sticky. Make a ball, cover with plastic and let sit for about 15 minutes. Divide into four pieces and roll into 3/4" thick strings. Cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces. Using either a gnocchi tool or a fork, make ridges along the gnocchi. After this step I put mine in the freezer. .

My byline in the New York Times

On October 26 a letter I wrote to the editor of the New York Times was published. This is probably the only time I will see my byline in this prestigious paper. The topic is sex ed, which I regretfully am no expert at. Click on the headline of this blogpost to read the letter.

Meatless Monday: Swedish Pancake recipe

In Sweden Thursday is traditionally the day when soup and pancakes are served. Usually the Thursday soup is pea soup with tiny pieces pf smoked pork to add flavor. Meatless Monday doesn't allow for any pork, but liquid smoke is an alternative way of adding flavor to pea soup.

This Monday, I am sharing my Swedish pancake recipe. Swedish pancakes resemble French crepes - they are thin and don't contain any baking powder. Left-over pancakes can be served the following day with other leftovers. I like to fill them with mushroom stuffing, grate some cheese on top and bake in the oven at 375 F for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

4 servings:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups milk
2 tbsp melted butter or cooking oil
pinch of salt

Mix ingredients and let sit for at least 10 minutes at room temperature. You can also make the batter in the morning, cover it and leave in the fridge for dinner time.

Using a non-stick pan, melt a little butter (not necessary but adds flavor) and pour a thin layer of batter. Wait until firm and flip over. The pancakes are best served freshly made, but can also be made in advance.
Serve with your favorite jam or simply sprinkle sugar on top, roll up and devour.

Book group food: Swedish Cabbage Pudding and Pakistani-inspired eggplant dish

Recently I hosted my book group and, inspired by the previous host,  decided to make a Swedish dish. My Cabbage Pudding was a humble concoction comparable with the feast of the past month when our gourmet chef of a host offered eight home-cooked carefully composed dishes representative of her native Pakistan. I loved her seasoning and decided to serve a Pakistani-influenced eggplant dish in addition to the cabbage pudding.


Cabbage Pudding
(6 - 8 servings)
1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 - 2 heads of cabbage
4 - 6 tbsp molasses
1 1/2 tbsp potato starch
Left over rice, potatoes or old bread, grated carrot
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup broth
1/2 stick butter
salt/pepper

1. Quarter the cabbage heads, remove hard core and thinly slice rest of cabbage
2. Fry in butter in batches - it is a lot of cabbage - at the end when soft and brown drizzle each batch with 1 - 2 tbsp molasses.
3. While the cabbage is frying, mix ground beef with a couple of mashed boiled potatoes or 3/4cup boiled rice or 3 - 4 milk soaked bread slices. Mix in milk and broth until a you get a loose dough. Add potato starch, salt and pepper. It should become a runny dough.
4. Start with a layer of fried cabbage and cover with ground beef mix. Top off with another layer of cabbage.
5. Oven 375F for about 45 minutes or until the ground beef is cooked through.
Serve with boiled potatoes, brown sauce, pickled cucumbers and lingonberry jam.

Eggplant with onions and tomatoes (V)
2 medium sized eggplants
2 yellow onions
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cans crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsps turmeric
1/4 tsp cardamon
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1. Slice eggplants in 1/2 inch slices and sprinkle salt on each side. Put in colander and let sit for about 20 minutes to remove bitterness. If you use small eggplants this step is not necessary.
2. Chop onions and fry on low heat in olive oil. Add spices and mix. Add garlic one onions are slightly soft and fry for two more minutes.
3. Dry off eggplants with paper towel. Quarter the slices and add to onion mix. Fry and mix so that eggplants and spice/onion mix blend. Add crushed tomatoes.
4. Simmer on low heat stir occasionally for about 40 minutes or more. Add salt if desired.

Veronica's Spice Cookies (V)

My daughter asked me to make vegan cookies for a bake sale at her high school. This recipe was popular among teachers and students. Try it and then vary ingredients depending on what texture you like. You can replace some of the wheat flour with ground oats, grinding the nuts together with the oats. Experimenting and discovering new pleasures is what I enjoy with baking and cooking.

2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or 1 cup whole wheat/1 1/2 cup unbleached flour

½ cup oats

1 cup raw sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup canola oil

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp vinegar

½ - 1 cup cranberries or raisins

½  cup chopped almonds or other nuts

Mix flour, oats, sugar, spices and baking soda. Mix wet ingredients and combine with dry ingredients. Add nuts and berries. You can use small forms or just bake them on an oiled baking sheet. Bake in 390F for 12 – 15 minutes depending on size of the cookies.

Black Bean Soup (V)

This is an easy recipe that you can vary depending on what is in your fridge. The other night I had two leftover boiled potatoes I added. Don't feel you have to follow every step of the recipe - the important thing is to simmer soup long enough for the beans to get soft if you use dried beans.

You need at least:
1 - 2 onions
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
3 cups black beans or dried beans
2 tbsp cooking oil (olive or canola)
1 - 2 grated carrots
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cardamon
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 - 5 cubes of broth
If you use dried beans, start by rinsing them and boiling them for a few minutes in a covered pot. Turn off under pot and leave lid on for an hour.

1. Chop onion and fry in cooking oil.
2. Add all spices except for bay leaf
3. Mince garlic and add to onions and spices
4. Once onion is soft, add crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, beans, and the remaining ingredients
5. Simmer until everything is soft and flavors have blended - if you use dried beans this can take an hour. To save time, I use a cast iron pot and turn the heat off after it has boiled for a while. the cast iron keeps the soup warm and it continues to cook even though the heat is not on. Taste and add more spices if desired. For additional saltiness and spice: add fish sauce (will make it un-vegan).