It's Monday, time to get the week started. Hope your weekend was good. Mine was fairly quiet.
Here are six yummy vegetarian recipes to get the week started, including Kung Pao Tofu and Vegan Lentil Burgers. Enjoy!
CARROT TART WITH RICOTTA AND FETA
This comes from Sue Li on The New York Times cooking email. Sue wrote, “Carrots work beautifully in this simple tart, but onions, parsnips, beets, zucchini or pumpkin work just as well. The key is to cook the vegetables before putting them on the tart, since the moisture released by baking raw vegetables would make the puff pastry soggy and prevent it from rising. Once you remove the tart from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. The tart can be served warm, or cooled to room temperature, and would make a great addition to a picnic.”
Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour.
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020174-carrot-tart-with-ricotta-and-feta.
Ingredients
Flour, for rolling out dough
1 (14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pound multicolored carrots, scrubbed and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces ricotta
4 ounces feta, crumbled
1 garlic clove, grated
Chopped fresh parsley, chervil or chives, for garnish
Preparation
Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, lightly score a border around the perimeter of the puff pastry about a 1/4-inch away from the edges. Place puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick the pastry inside the border using a fork to prevent puffing in the center. Bake on top rack until puff pastry is lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, toss carrots with 1 tablespoon oil, season generously with salt and pepper and spread into a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast carrots on the bottom rack (underneath the puff pastry) until the edges are golden brown and carrots are still crisp-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
While puff pastry and carrots are in the oven, blend ricotta, feta and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread the cheese mixture onto the puff pastry up to the border and arrange the carrots in a single layer on top. Bake until the carrots are tender and the edges of the cheese mixture are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs before serving.
VEGAN LENTIL BURGERS
This comes from Bunny Erica on the Genius Kitchen site. Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Yield: 8-10 burgers
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup dry lentils, well rinsed
2 1-1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup rolled oats, finely ground
3⁄4 cup breadcrumbs
Directions
Boil lentils in the water with the salt for around 45 minutes. Lentils will be soft and most of the water will be gone.
Fry the onions and carrot in the oil until soft, it will take about 5 minutes.
In a bowl mix the cooked ingredients with the pepper, soy sauce, oats and bread crumbs.
While still warm form the mixture into patties, it will make 8-10 burgers.
Burgers can then be shallow fried for 1-2 minutes on each side or baked at 200C for 15 minutes.
VEGETARIAN TACO SOUP IN THE CROCKPOT
This recipe left me in a quandary: do I post it on Taco Tuesday with tacos, or should I post it with soups? I guess this would fit in both places, which is why I'm adding it today.
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, “I love Mexican food. Or, perhaps it's more accurate to say I love Mexican-American food. Or rather, I love both!
“This vegetarian taco soup recipe with kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans isn't going to win any awards of authenticity, but it's quick to prepare (you really just dump everything in the crockpot), easy, high-protein, nearly fat-free, and deliciously satisfying. Plus, it's a great vegetarian and vegan option for families on a budget. Keep it vegan by omitting the optional cheese and sour cream toppings, or use dairy-free and vegan substitutes.”
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 480 minutes; Total Time: 485 minutes; Yield: 6 servings as a main dish
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can kidney beans or navy beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 7-ounce can green chiles (optional - you may want to omit this if you're cooking for kids)
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes (Mexican-style is best, if you can find it) - do not drain
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Optional garnishes:
tortilla chips or corn chips
grated cheese
chopped green onions
fresh chopped cilantro
Preparation
Add ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low crockpot setting for 8-10 hours.
If you're in a hurry, you can also set this on high in the crockpot for 3 hours.
Top each bowl of soup with optional garnishes to serve: cheese, a dollop of sour cream, some tortilla chips or corn chips and fresh chopped cilantro or green onions.
This is a thicker soup, similar to a stew. To thin it out, you can add a little vegetable broth or soy milk, if you like.
MARTHA STEWART'S MASHED POTATOES
This comes from Martha Stewart in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. This yumminess begins, "One of our family’s favorite dishes growing up was the delicious mashed potato recipe Mom would prepare to accompany her roast pork loin, roasted chicken, and, on Thanksgiving, her big roasted turkey. Her secrets? Idaho potatoes, peeled and boiled until fork-tender. Lots of fresh butter. A lot of cream cheese and hot milk added for creaminess. Salt and pepper, of course. It was not possible to find Yukon Golds in the Nutley Co-Op, where we shopped for all our groceries in the ’40s, or in the ShopRite, which came to Nutley, N.J., in the early ’50s. But these days, I love the tenderness of Yukon Golds, and I grow a hardy crop of them in my Bedford garden in New York. I also use both heavy cream and milk, and I use a food mill with the finest sieve to ensure the creamiest, smoothest and silkiest mashed potatoes ever."
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes; Total Times: 1-3/4 hours; Yield: 8 to 12 servings
This was featured in "We're Talking Thanksgiving with Martha Stewart, David Chang, Galy King, Gwyneth Patrow and More," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026245-martha-stewarts-mashed-potatoes.
While you're at it, check out Julia Moskin's guide, "How to Cook Potatoes."
Lastly, if you haven't signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes, guides, and more.
Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 9 medium potatoes)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
Preparation
Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and add a pinch of salt. Set a steamer basket in the pot, making sure the water doesn’t seep through the holes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Add the whole potatoes to the basket and steam until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. (Be sure to check the water level halfway through.)
Remove potatoes from the pot and let stand until just cool enough to handle. Rub off the skins and discard. Cut the potatoes into pieces and pass through a food mill or ricer into a large bowl.
Add the cream cheese, butter, cream and milk to the bowl and mash with a masher (or beat with an electric mixer). Season with salt and pepper, and beat to desired consistency. Return the mashed potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm until serving. (The potatoes can be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered; you can reheat on the stove or in the microwave before serving.)
ROASTED POTATOES AND ONIONS
This comes from allrecipes, and begins, "Roasted potatoes and onions are a tasty alternative to mashed potatoes, fries, chips, and all the other ways potatoes are prepared. If you are looking for an uncomplicated and flavorful roasted vegetable dish, then this is it!"
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Servings: 6
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241713/roasted-potatoes-and-onions-easy-and-delicious/.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 onion, halved and each half cut into quarters
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Combine potatoes and onion in a roasting pan; cover with canola oil and olive oil. Add garlic, onion soup mix, rosemary, and black pepper; stir until potatoes and onion are evenly coated. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until potatoes and onion are browned and edges are crispy, 15 to 30 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
For really crispy potatoes, remove the foil after 10 minutes. For softer potatoes, keep the foil on the entire cooking time. Softer potatoes can be whipped or mashed to make incredible mashed potatoes.
Sauté bell peppers on the stovetop for 10 minutes before serving them on top of roasted veggies.
Stir with a large spoon every 15 minutes if you don't want pieces seared to the pan.
KUNG PAO TOFU
This yumminess is from Ham El-Waylly in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Ham wrote, "Fiery from dried chiles, tingling with Sichuan peppercorns and studded with peanuts, this kung pao tofu recipe is a vegetarian take on kung pao chicken, the classic Chinese American restaurant staple. Though variations on this dish abound, this version swaps in tofu for chicken, treating the tofu similarly. Pressing the tofu removes excess moisture, leaving more room for flavor to penetrate and giving it a denser, chewy texture. The cornstarch coating helps the tofu brown, makes it crisp and acts as a sponge for the savory, spicy, tingly sauce."
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Yield: 3 to 4 servings
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025397-kung-pao-tofu.
Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1 tablespoon black vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper or 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 teaspoons cornstarch (for the sauce) plus 1/4 cup (for the tofu)
Salt
Grapeseed or other neutral oil, as needed
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch squares
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
4 whole Tianjin chiles or chiles de árbol, crushed
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
White rice, for serving
Preparation
Drain the tofu, wrap in a clean kitchen towel, set on a plate and put a cast-iron skillet or other weighty object on top. Let it press for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
While the tofu is pressed, prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin, rice wine, vinegar, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic, ginger, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1/3 cup water until combined.
After the tofu has been pressed, unwrap it and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Transfer tofu to a medium bowl, season with salt and coat in 1/4 cup cornstarch; set aside.
In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add enough neutral oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When it starts shimmering, add the tofu. Cook until one side is golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes, then flip. Cook until the other side is crisp and golden brown, another 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
Add the red bell pepper, celery and scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the red bell pepper starts to soften while maintaining some bite and the vegetables char, about 4 minutes. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and chiles and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and sauce, and stir to coat; make sure the sauce simmers and thickens, about 2 minutes. Finish with the peanuts and cilantro, stir again, then serve immediately with rice.
