The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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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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Spicy Tibetan-Style Potatoes & Spinach

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This dish is great because it’s so versatile. Can it be an stand-out veggie side? You betcha. How about a main dish? Yup – just serve it with your favorite grain, add in some lentils or chickpeas for protein, and maybe a drizzle of yogurt over your bowl of goodness for good measure! It also makes a fantastic stuffing: use it for cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, inside my buckwheat kati roll wrappers, or as the filling for a fabulous fusion taco. (Add some chopped cilantro and potentially some mild feta, drizzle with yogurt and maybe some mint chutney and you are in taco fusion heaven!) It’s also fantastic for breakfast alongside some eggs. In fact, I really can’t think of a savory-meal situation where it couldn’t play a role!

Yesterday, my husband and I enjoyed this over millet with some Lapsang Souchang tea. And what a wonderful meal it was! As bite after bite of warming, spicy potatoes coated in a flavorful gravy of Indian spices like  turmeric, paprika, coriander, and garam masala hit my palate – along with crispy bits of scallion and serrano –  I was reminded of the potatoes our Tibetan housemate used to make when I was little. Granted, I will not go so far as to say these are “authentically” Tibetan. I’ve never studied Tibetan cooking and I was actually going for North Indian when I put this recipe together. However, they definitely have a Tibetan or Nepalese flair!

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Lemony Chive and Spinach Pesto (Vegan/Dairy-Free Option)

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Sometimes you gotta change it up a bit. Basil pesto is great – no argument here. But we’ve now reached the part of summer where it is HOT. And that means I need something a bit zingier – something with more freshness, more brightness. Because I’m sure as hell not going to find that in the swampland that is NYC right now.

Are you with me? Good. You should be. Because this pesto is yumtastic. Or yumtacular. Or whatever your favorite made-up compound superlative conveying deliciousness happens to be. Bright and grassy, it has a complexity of flavor that you don’t often get with a standard pesto, where everything hits you all at once. Taste  a spoonful of this, and your first impression will be fresh, lemony, and zingy – then the flavor will begin to evolve, giving way to something much fuller, richer, and creamier. If you are used to using raw garlic in your pestos, you’ll notice that the sautéed chives lend a flavor that is deeper, subtler, less abrasive, and more complex. Those delicious chives will begin to strut their stuff, and you’ll marvel at how such a small stalk  – when given the proper treatment – can bloom and blossom into a full-on umami symphony.

Or  – since not everyone is as food-obsessed as I am (you guys, I just typed the phrase “umami symphony”), you’ll just be like: “Mmm, this is yummy. I should put it on pasta.”

And indeed you should.

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Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with it, my capacity to eat heavily, heartily, and indulgently. Luckily, that ability lasted just long enough to use up all the delicious Thanksgiving leftovers. But Friday’s pie for breakfast and let’s-eat-every-hour-because-we-can mentality has left me craving something nourishing, cleansing, and light. Something to banish the sluggishness that comes from two straight days of overindulgence.

This hot and sour noodle soup is the perfect antidote to the Thanksgiving hangover. I’ve never been one for wavering between indulgence and deprivation (I think that’s pretty silly) so this soup is in no way deprivation food. It’s deeply flavorful, and provides everything your palate could want – saltiness, sourness, sweetness, crunch – it’s all there.

And it’s there with a nourishing quality that is most welcome right now.

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Indian Cauliflower Steaks with Spiced Chickpeas and Spinach

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When I think of vegetables that are naturally beautiful, cauliflower definitely isn’t the first one to come to mind.  It’s oddly shaped, lumpy, blandly colored (although colorful cauliflower does exist, but not in most grocery stores), and just downright unglamorous. I mean, if asked to choose a vegetable based on beauty alone, most of us would go for the bright red, perfectly round and lusciously smooth-skinned cherry tomato, or the beautifully-tiny purple and white striped fairy tale eggplant, or possibly one of endless gorgeous varieties of microgreens. Certainly not lumpy old cauliflower.  Yet cut a cauliflower in the right way, and suddenly you have something that definitely starts to compete – maybe even outright beat – those perky, perfectly shaped, and vibrantly colored veggies in the beauty department.

The cauliflower steak, ladies and gentlemen, is the pinnacle of unexpected elegance – it’s the point in your favorite (or least favorite) teen movie when the nerdy girl lets her hair down at the homecoming dance or house party or wherever else the super original plot sets the pivotal scene, and Freddie Prinze, Jr (or whoever is playing the Freddie Prinze, Jr role) suddenly realizes what he’s been failing to see.  I mean, who would have thought cauliflower could be so elegant? And so visually striking?

And that’s where the She’s All That comparisons can end (phew!) Because while – if memory serves correctly – Freddie Prinze, Jr’s character had to work quite hard to win Laney’s heart, cauliflower steaks are super easy to prepare. They are also incredibly versatile, really fun to eat, and naturally gluten-free (grain-free too!) 

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Spicy Tofu Scramble

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I think that tofu scrambles get a bad rap. They are often the token vegan item on an egg-filled brunch menu, which doesn’t do them any favors. And it’s not because they can’t stand up to a good omelette; it’s because they’re often employed as an egg substitute. In my opinion, trying to make tofu taste like scrambled eggs is silly – even if you succeed, a less-good version of scrambled eggs is just not that exciting to eat for breakfast. (If you’re a vegan who really misses eggs, than okay, go for it. I do see the value there.) But I’d rather eat a tofu scramble that isn’t trying to be something else, because it really doesn’t need to be! Since tofu is a neutrally flavored food on its own, it can take on whatever flavor profile you want it to.  And that means you can infuse loads of delicious flavor into it, flavor that can provide serious competition for even the most delicious egg dish.

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