The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Five Spice Tofu

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Have you ever realized that you tend to gravitate towards the same spices/herbs? Some years ago, I noticed that most of the meals I cooked for myself were seasoned with either cumin and hot paprika (still a solid combo!) or some version of Italian seasoning. Sure, occasionally, I would add one or two additional spices to the cumin and hot paprika mix (oregano for Mexican-inspired dishes, coriander and garam masala for Indian-inspired ones) but those three  – cumin, hot paprika, and Italian seasoning – were definitely the ones that I used most heavily.

Yet spices/herbs have impressive health benefits in addition to opening up a world of flavor combinations, so in recent years, I’ve been making an effort to branch out a bit more. Thyme – which I almost never touched for most of my life – has become a staple, as well as dill, sage, allspice, and turmeric. I discovered five spice powder (a mix of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper) in culinary school, when we made five-spice dates, which literally consisted of rolling dates in five spice powder. But what a flavor! This was a spice mix I had to add to my pantry.

While I don’t use it as often as some of the spices mentioned above, it’s fantastic on root veggies, in noodle soups, and in this carrot breakfast pudding. But I probably use it most often in tofu dishes, along with tamari, toasted sesame oil, and chives. Sometimes I stir-fry my tofu and veggies briefly, and then just cover and let ’em simmer with the tamari and five spice. But I also love making Chinese take-out imitations like this dish, which coats crispy, fried tofu in a delightfully sticky, sweet and salty sauce and is perfect over rice or millet. Best of all? The sauce comes together in seconds!

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Turmeric-Ginger Hot Chocolate

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As a morning person, I’m generally refreshed and energized as soon as I open my eyes – ready to tackle whatever the day has in store for me. I do my best work in the morning, and I don’t need coffee or anything else to wake me up. (Afternoons and evenings are an entirely different story, of course.) When I woke up this morning, though, something was off.

I had gotten plenty of sleep, but felt tired and grumpy. I had to leave my apartment early to make it in time for student teaching but couldn’t bring myself to rush. And it felt like a layer of fog covered everything I heard, said, or did. When I arrived at the school where I was student teaching, I was amused to see that the class’s word of the day was “lethargic.” Yup.

Things declined from there. I went to the grocery store to buy zucchini, and they were out. I bought a water bottle that turned out to be unnecessary, and it made my bag uncomfortably heavy. The app I use to display my bus pass kept bugging out, and when I tried to uninstall and reinstall, my connection died after the uninstall. (Of course the bus arrived as soon as this happened!) In short, I was beginning to think I was the new protagonist of the childhood classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  

Luckily, when things go wrong or I’m feeling downright irritable (which I was by this point), I know what to do: eat chocolate. Or in this case, drink chocolate. Generally, ingesting chocolate one way or another (has anyone tried a syringe?) is a pretty solid mood lifter. And I’m happy to say it did the trick today.

Of course, don’t wait until you have a bad day to make this epic hot chocolate. It’s thick, creamy, rich, and comforting, with subtle warming notes from the turmeric-ginger combo. And I do mean subtle: the main flavor here is dark chocolate, but I melt it into a mix of coconut cream, almond milk, and ginger-turmeric tonic for a truly special cup. Whether you feel like you’re on top of the world, at the bottom of a dumpster, or somewhere in between, this hot chocolate is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

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Creamy Carrot Soup

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I first made a version of this carrot soup on a cold, blustery “spring” day just like today, when all I wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and eat something comforting. It came out so flavorful that I forgot about the weather altogether. In fact, I had to abandon my original plan of a carrot-cheddar chowder because the soup tasted awesome and I hadn’t even added the cheese yet.

Despite the absence of cheese, the “finishing cream,” as I’ve termed it, gives this soup a cheesy flavor. It’s rich and luscious, with the bright savory notes of dill, chives, and thyme complimenting the sweetness of the carrots perfectly. A couple spoonfuls of this could do wonders for a mac & cheese (I’ve got comfort food on the brain) or any type of grain-based casserole. That’s if you have any left over, of course. I served it with some smoky tempeh strips and sautéed swiss chard for a very satisfying lunch, and we ate the whole pot.

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St. Paddy’s Day Cabbage with Caraway and Thyme

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The first word used to describe cabbage isn’t generally “decadent,” but when it’s caramelized in butter with leeks, caraway seeds, and thyme,  I’d say decadent is a pretty apt description. It’s maybe not quite as decadent as last year’s St. Paddy’s Day recipe, which fell in the realm of sweets and desserts (Irish whiskey banana bread!), but – as a side dish, it’s pretty damn delicious. And Irish to boot!

Green cabbage is traditional for St. Paddy’s Day, and butter, caraway, and thyme are often used in Irish cuisine. I don’t know if it’s traditional or not, but I happen to like this with a little pinch of ground mustard thrown in for a slight kick. (I actually thought about serving this with a mustard cream but decided the cabbage was so good on its own I didn’t want to overwhelm it with a sauce.)

Serve this cabbage alongside whatever your St. Paddy’s day meal pièce de résistance happens to be. Or, if you are looking to create a vegetarian pièce de résistance, try using this cabbage as a stuffing for baked potatoes and serve them with the mustard cream I almost made (combine mustard, sour cream, and minced fresh parsley). Options abound! (Oh, and you might as well make the aforementioned whiskey banana bread for dessert!)

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Golden Porridge

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When the sun decides to stay hidden for multiple days in a row and the weather is dark and gloomy, there’s nothing better than a bit of gold to brighten up your morning. Especially when that gold takes the form of a warming, hearty breakfast that will give you the fuel you need to start your day, sun or no sun.

This golden porridge is delicately spiced with turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon and uses a mix of gluten-free oats and quinoa flakes for a really lovely texture that is reminiscent of steel cut oats. Don’t panic though – there is a VERY big difference between this porridge and steel-cut oats: it doesn’t take forever to cook!

Finally, I love this recipe because you can customize it to your liking. I happen to be a turmeric freak and often make this with a full teaspoon of turmeric, but I’ve tried to tone it down for my readers. If it’s still a bit heavy on the turmeric for you, or you think it could really use more cinnamon, or maybe you’re feeling a nutmeg vibe, this recipe is yours to fiddle with. Spice it however you’d like. The same goes for sweetener: add a bit of maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey…whatever floats your boat. Or leave it unsweetened, which is what I’ve opted for lately. With some fresh fruit and a bit of candied ginger, I find that I really don’t crave any extra sweetener at all, and my body is happier for it.

So, ready to whip up a batch of porridge? Just make sure to store any leftovers far away from Goldilocks.

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Red Velvet Pancakes (Baked!)

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Red velvet cake is often an appalling maroon color that can really only be achieved with copious amounts of red food coloring – not that appetizing. However, this iteration of red velvet apparently only surfaced during the Great Depression, when an extract company created a food coloring-heavy recipe in an attempt to boost sales. Before that, it was a much more natural color, with the “velvet” term referring to the smooth texture. In fact, the key characteristics of red velvet are buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar – not red dye.

Be that as it may, there is something luscious about the color red, especially when Valentine’s Day is coming up. So I decided to give these pancakes a slightly redder tint with sustainably-harvested red palm oil, a buttery-tasting oil with a lovely hue that is high in Vitamins A and E. This also has the added benefit of making them dairy-free!

Finally, just in case you wanted to make these for a Valentine’s Day breakfast, I wanted to give you a recipe that didn’t leave you slaving over the stove frying pancakes on a weekday morning. Thus, the batter for these pancakes is actually made the night before and is simply poured out onto a sheet tray and baked the next morning. You can then use your favorite cookie cutters to make pretty little dainty pancakes, that – slathered with a “red velvet butter” and fresh strawberries – make for an elegant breakfast.

And yet, despite their elegance, there’s a heartiness about these too. They are made with whole grains like teff and sorghum that will give you an excellent morning boost.

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Quick & Dirty Coconut Chutney

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Let me just say right off the bat that this is not a traditional coconut chutney recipe. For starters, instead of using fresh coconut that you then have to chop or grate before grinding to a paste, I use shredded, dried coconut softened in boiling water. There is also no tempering oil – I just add a little chili, cilantro, and lime juice and away we go!

The result? A surprisingly close approximation to the coconut chutney you might be used to eating. It can certainly be served immediately; however, if you want it to more closely resemble a chutney made with fresh coconut, let it sit in the fridge overnight. The chutney will absorb more liquid and the texture will be closer to fresh. Of course, if you go this route, you may need to add some extra lime juice the next morning as acid tends to mellow in the fridge. So, if this happens, just remember the words of Harry Nilsson.

Now, you may not want to DRINK this coconut chutney a la Nilsson, but you will want to dollop it on all manner of dishes. It is wonderful on Indian-spiced potatoes, dals (Indian lentil stews), or spicy vegetables. Try it on these buckwheat kati rolls, chickpea cakes, cauliflower steaks, or with this lovely mung bean salad.  And vegans – wherever you might crave raita, try this instead.

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Christmas Tamales

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Everything is bigger in Texas. The restaurants, houses, highways, cars…even the tamales. Well, when there’s a tamale novice making them, that is! (Yes, I’m referring to myself.) While not a novice tamale lover or eater, I definitely struggle with the spreading, folding, and proportioning side of things, which led to some laughably gigantic tamales that definitely weren’t Texas appropriate. (If my mother in law’s smoothly spread, nicely proportioned tamales are any indication, they’re expert tamale makers down here.) By the way, hers are the ones pictured. I had to move mine out of the way when taking photos!

This is also her family recipe, which she shared with us last year when our Christmas tamale making tradition started. I had every intention of writing a post about them then, but never got around to it. So this year, I’m making sure to share the tamale love. Fair warning, the recipe doesn’t have any measurements – it’s a “do by feel” kind of process which is actually much more my speed. (I never measure when I’m not creating or testing blog recipes!) That said, I think it’s pretty forgiving and easy to follow, if fairly time consuming. Making tamales is a multi-hour process that is best done with friends, family, or both. In addition to yielding deliciousness, it’s quite fun!

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Shakshuka

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There was a time in my life when I ate shakshuka on an almost daily basis. The Shuka Truck (now sadly closed) used to park very close to my office and was one of my frequent lunch spots. But before I wax poetic about shakshuka, let me just make sure everyone knows what it is: a delicious, middle-eastern/North-African dish composed of eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce.

Because shakshuka is eaten in so many parts of the world, there are many different varieties. This also means that – like tomato sauce in general – it is highly customizable. The tomato element can be spicy, smoky, tangy, spiked with warming Middle-eastern spices like cumin/paprika, or laced with fresh herbs like parsley and basil. Single servings of shakshuka are also a great way to use up leftover tomato sauce – just sauté some chives in olive oil, add your sauce, spice it up if you wish, and then crack some eggs into it!

The version below is simple and delicious – the tomato sauce base falls on the tangy end of the spectrum and uses Italian spices. In addition to making a great base for my shakshuka, this is the sauce I use for spaghetti dinners and pizza nights. While I call for fire-roasted tomatoes, there is no smokiness – the fire-roasting simply helps give this sauce plenty of zest while keeping it free of onion and garlic. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Baingan Bharta

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Some food has a season, and baingan bharta is one of those foods. One of my all-time favorite Indian eggplant dishes, baingan bharta is best enjoyed at the intersection of two important external realities:

  1. Eggplant and tomatoes are in season
  2. Keeping the oven at 450°F for an extended amount of time doesn’t make you want to kill yourself nor result in AC bills that trigger thoughts of bankruptcy.

Now, more often than not, when one of these considerations rings true, the other does not. However, thanks to this very late autumn, eggplants and tomatoes are still in abundance at the Greenmarket, even while the weather starts to turn a tad chillier. And that means – time for baingan bharta!

This recipe is onion and garlic free, but extremely flavorful. Eggplant is roasted until very tender, and then the flesh is cooked with scallions, ginger, serrano, tomatoes, and the perfect blend of Indian spices. Finished with some fresh lime juice and cilantro, this is eggplant at its best.

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