Vegan Miscellanies

Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

Okay, folks, I finally have a moment to write up the Lebanese red lentil soup post.  I'm sorry I haven't done it earlier -- I type a lot slower than Abram, and have been on vacation until this weekend.  Here's the recipe for one of my few much-cherished comfort foods:

Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

• 1 lb dry red lentils (sorted and washed)
• 10-12 cups water (depending on how thick you want the soup to be)
• salt to taste (I generally use sea salt)
• 3-5 tbsp sunflower or other veg cooking oil (I find that sunflower oil has a relatively neutral taste)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 bunch of fresh Italian parlsey, finely chopped

1. Place lentils in a large pot with water and bring to near boil on high heat. 
2. At near boiling point, bring the heat down to medium and make sure you scoop all of the foam or "scum" off the top.  When the heat is brought down to medium, cook the lentils for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils turn a pale yellow and are fairly soft. 
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the sunflower oil and saute the onion and cumin seeds until the onion is translucent. 
4. Add the sauteed onion and cumin seeds to the lentil pot along with salt (I generally put in a small palmful) and parsley and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and serve in bowls with some fresh-squeezed lemon juice.  Enjoy!

Lebanese Okra and Tomato Stew

While it is preferable to use fresh okra and tomatoes for this dish, canned okra and diced tomatoes will work well when short on time or energy.

This is a delicious, hearty, gut-healthy dish, loaded with vitamins A, Thiamin, B6, C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and dietary fiber. And both the mucilage (the slimy stuff around the seeds) and the fibre contained in the pod are excellent for gastrointestinal health.

But enough about the health benefits. Let's talk taste! This is a very simple dish, but is just bursting with flavour. As with many Lebanese dishes, it is the holy trinity of olive oil, garlic and lemon that flavour this dish. The texture, however, is all in the okra.

Here we go:

• 3-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (some use up to 1/2 cup)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz. can okra (or equivalent of fresh okra)
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or equivalent fresh, ripe tomatoes)
• 5 small white onions, chopped (generally included, but we opted for no onion and lots of garlic)
• up to 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped (we were out, unfortunately)
  
• 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
• sea salt to taste (if using canned okra and tomato, skip salt)

1. Saute minced garlic in olive oil for a minute or two (don't allow too much browning).
2. Add onion, if using.
3. Add okra and bring to boil.
4. Add diced tomatoes and bring to boil.
5. Simmer for a few minutes, or until okra is tender.
6. Add salt and cilantro.

Serve over brown basmati or other long-grain rice. Enjoy!

Mjadrah: Lebanese Lentils with Rice

What you see above is Mjadrah, a Lebanese lentil and rice dish. This dish is, on its own, entirely vegan, though some people spoon yogurt over the top. We replaced yogurt with soygurt.

Jihan had this at home growing up and, after I came across an online recipe for it recently, we decided that we needed to make it.

We had 2 cups of sprouted lentils sitting in the fridge, just enough to make this wonderful dish. She didn't remember all the ingredients off-hand, so I did a little research, reading a number of versions to her until something rang a bell. Using sprouted lentils is our little innovation, as is the soygurt topping.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups small green (Eston) lentils, sprouted
• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Cook rice ahead of time.
2. Pour olive oil into a deep pan and, on medium heat, fry onion until golden (take 1/2 out and leave the rest until it is a rich brown).
3. Put sprouted lentils in a medium pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, then add rice, salt, spices and half of the onion. Mix well and simmer for 2 or 3 more minutes.
4. Serve with caramelized onion and soygurt.

Serves 4

Sprouted Chickpea, Tomato, Avocado Salad

• 2 cups sprouted chickpeas
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 avocados, cubed
• 1/2 cup 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 to 1 tsp black pepper
• sea salt to taste

1. Put sprouted chickpeas, onion, tomatoes and avocado in a bowl.
2. Add olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and salt.
3. Mix well and enjoy, on its own or with pita or tortilla chips.

Minty Cauliflower Stew

(From our Vegan Journal, entry 1--8/2/2003)

1 whole head of cauliflower
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-6 cloves garlic
lemon juice
water (approx. 1.5 to 2 cups)
small bunch of fresh mint
1/3 to 1/2 bunch cilantro
small handful of sea salt

Fry cauliflower florets in vegetable oil until somewhat transparent, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add lemon juice to desired tanginess (we put at least half a cup). Let this mixture simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add chopped mint and cilantro, as well as sea salt and water. Allow to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over brown basmati rice.  Serves 2-4 (the two of us pigged out and ate it all at in one sitting).

My partner made this dish based on a Lebanese recipe she had known growing up. While the garlic, oil and lemon juice make for a bold, tangy dish, the fresh mint and cilantro keep it wonderfully refreshing. For some reason she never thought to make it for us until that day. Too bad! It was soooo good!

Originally Posted on Wednesday, April 04, 2007

1 whole head of cauliflower
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-6 cloves garlic
lemon juice
water (approx. 1.5 to 2 cups)
small bunch of fresh mint
1/3 to 1/2 bunch cilantro
small handful of sea salt

Fry cauliflower florets in vegetable oil until somewhat transparent, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add lemon juice to desired tanginess (we put at least half a cup). Let this mixture simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add chopped mint and cilantro, as well as sea salt and water. Allow to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over brown basmati rice.  Serves 2-4 (the two of us pigged out and ate it all at in one sitting).

My partner made this dish based on a Lebanese recipe she had known growing up. While the garlic, oil and lemon juice make for a bold, tangy dish, the fresh mint and cilantro keep it wonderfully refreshing. For some reason she never thought to make it for us until that day. Too bad! It was soooo good!