Samosas

As far as I am concerned, no other cuisine prepares potatoes better than the Indian, and samosas rank near the top of my list of favorite eats. My good friend and colleague Vyshali recently clued me into her trick to take the hard work out of samosas. Now we can enjoy them any night of the week! Good timing for this too... Daniela recently had a samosa pastelillo and was in love. I should have known... potatoes wrapped in crispy dough... What's not to love?

Vyshali's original direction suggested frying the samosas. But, unfortunately, whenever someone says "fry" I always hear "bake". Ooops. ;-) These did great in the oven. And Daniela promptly claimed the leftovers for her lunchbox.

Samosas

8 flour tortillas, cut in half (semi-circles)
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes, thawed
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon All-Purpose flour
1-2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1- Preheat oven to 400.

2- Place the potatoes, spices, stock, salt and pepper in a sauce pan, and cook on low until heated through and stock has evaporated.

3- Whisk the flour and enough water to make a moderately thick slurry. It should be the look and consistency of Elmer's glue.

4- Warm the tortilla semicircles in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high).

5- Shape each tortilla piece into a cone. Brush some of the flour "glue" along the loose edge and press it against the body of the cone to secure the shape. Hold the edge in place for a few seconds and place the cone to dry in a wire rack while the rest of the tortilla cones are shaped.

6- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of potato filling into each cone and pack well into the cone. Pinch top edges of the cone together and secure with more flour "glue". The filled cones should now look like triangular pillows.

7- Place the filled tortillas on a baking sheet and brush the oil.

8- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the tops start to brown. Turn each tortilla over and bake and additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Black Bean Brownies, Semi-Homemade

One day I got home from work and decided everyone wanted black bean brownies. But it was one of those days... After a long day at the office I just didn't feel like measuring and whisking a gizillion ingredients. So I channeled my inner Sandra Lee and grabbed that box of brownie mix from my pantry...

It IS perfectly fine to take a shortcut sometimes. Right?

Black Bean Brownies, Semi-Homemade

1 18-20oz box brownie mix*
1 teaspoon corstarch
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Optional:
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk brownie mix and cornstarch (and optional ingredients). In a medium bowl, whisk the water and oil. In a food processor, process the beans until smooth. Add the water and oil mixture to the beans and continue processing until completely blended. Add the bean mixture to the brownie mix mixture and stir to combine. Pour onto prepared pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack.

* I have tried this recipe with the following brownie mix brands:
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate (20 oz)
Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies

Vegan Waffles

I used to make these for Gabi to take on waffle days at daycare (at least once a week), back when he couldn't eat any egg at all. His teachers always commented how good they looked and smelled. I guess he wasn't scarred from not eating the class waffles with the rest of his buddies.

Vegan Waffles

1/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegan milk (I prefer coconut)
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mix all the dry ingredients and all the wet ingredients in separate bowls, and then combine and whisk until just moistened. Pour onto waffle iron. Mine takes 6 oz of batter at a time and makes 2 7" squares. I got about 5 squares out of this batch, so I am guessing this makes about 2 cups of batter.  This batter can be made ahead of time, and it benefits from refrigerating overnight.

Variations:

Lemon-Blueberry waffles: Add to the dry ingredients the zest of 1 large lemon; use lemon juice, not the vinegar; add 1/4 cup dried blueberries; let the batter stand for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight) to give the blueberries time to reconstitute.

Fruit Pie waffles:  Cut the amount of milk to 1/4 cup, and add a large can of pie filling to the batter.  After pouring the batter onto the waffle iron, top batter with crushed graham crackers before closing.

Lentil-Cheese Chimichangas

An episode of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show rescued a Mexican restaurant the other day. It reminded that I've been meaning to play with a vegetarian version of a childhood favorite of mine, the chimichanga.

I have never seen a healthy, vegetarian version of the chimichanga. They are usually stuffed with chicken, pork, or beef, and then they are deep fried. My complete nemesis. That is why I have not eaten one since quitting meat in 1990. It has been long overdue that I remedy that.

My family loved these. I assembled them the night before. Then, I nuked them for 3-5 minutes (until they were hot) before broiling. Buen provecho!

Lentil-Cheese Chimichangas

1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
3/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
salt and pepper to taste
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil

1- Place lentils in sauce pan, cover with water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain.

2- Mix cooked lentils, salsa, onion powder, garlic powder, corn, and cheese until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3- Warm the tortillas in the microwave until pliable, for about 30 seconds.

4- Divide the lentil filling evenly among the tortillas and fold them burrito-style. Place chimichangas seam side down on greased cookie sheet.

5- Brush the chimichangas with the olive oil. Broil for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.

Steel Cut Oatmeal

I can't stop eating oatmeal.

Can someone help me?

I am desperate.

Steel Cut Oatmeal
Makes 5 servings

1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups water
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1 cup chopped dried apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup groud flaxseed
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1- Put oats and water in pressure cooker. Lock the lid and bring to pressure.

2- Cook on high-pressure for 5 minutes.

3- Turn the heat off and let the cooker depressurize on its own. This will take 10-15 minutes.

4- Open lid and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Tofu Chorizo Hash

Every Christmas season, as I watch (many times) how the Grinch steals the last can of Who-Hash, I am reminded of how much I loved that most flavorful of comfort dishes from my childhood, corned beef hash. And how much I have missed it since giving up meat 20 years ago.

I had a duty to myself and other vegetarians to fill that void with an appropriate replacement. Here it is, my friends. I present to you sunny-side up egg's best friend:

Tofu Chorizo Hash
1/2 lb firm, water-packed tofu, drained well
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste

1- Freeze the tofu, then thaw it. Place the slices in a strainer on top of the sink and press with the back of a spatula until liquid is squeezed out.

2- On a large skillet over medium-high, heat oil. Add onions and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.

3- Add tofu, soy sauce, tomato paste, and paprika. Cook for about 5 minutes, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan frequently.

4- Add potatoes and 1 tablespoon water, and cook on low covered for about 8 minutes, scraping bottom of pan every couple of minutes, until potatoes are heated through. You might need to add more water, if it becomes too dry to scrape the bottom of the pan.

5- Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Eggless Salad Sandwich Filling

I had some leftover thawed tofu from a chili I made this past week. I made a quick salad sandwich filling with it.

The curry powder, mustard and mayonnaise set a stage similar to that in real egg salad. I had some gorgeous green onions from my farmers' market, so I had to throw some of that in there too.

I DO love real egg salad, though.

Eggless Salad Sandwich Filling

Makes 4 servings

5 oz firm tofu, frozen and thawed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I like Light Vegenaise)
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 sprig green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1- Squeeze the tofu (like a sponge) and discard the liquid.
2- Crumble the tofy and add the rest of the ingredients.