Hosting Vegans: Roasted Kale and Lentils

Preparing dishes fit for a friend with preferences for vegan cuisine can be tricky-- no products from animals of any kind, oftentimes we forget about butter, chicken stock, and also milk and eggs. Literally, from start to finish, and regardless of the method of cooking, we are real carnivores! (And honestly, I like it!) But being so accustomed to cooking with animal products, it becomes a lot of fun and educational for me to make a completely vegan meal.

My vegan arsenal of ingredients couldn't get more colorful!

So the question becomes how to serve a hearty, soothing dish for the fall weather without adding all these hidden enhancements? Well let me show you and you'll see: I will fill your stomach with hearty legumes, satisfy your senses with an amalgam of complimentary spices, and hopefully make you love me with a little extra lemon!

Kale and Lentils cooked with Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Ingredients:

• 1c brown lentils, rinsed
• 2c vegetable stock
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2c kale, finely chopped
• sea salt
• 1/4 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp fresh winter savory leaves
• 1 tsp Seven Spice
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1 tsp chile paste
• rind from 1/4 preserved lemon

Directions:

1. Boil lentils for 20 minutes in a vegetable stock on medium heat
2. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat cook the onions, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and continue to cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes more.
3. Add kale, spices, rind from 1/4 preserved lemon, and sea salt.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover frying pan and let kale cook until softened and wilted (about 7 minutes more).
5. When lentils are cooked , drain any excess water, and mix the lentils with the onions and kale. You'll know they are cooked when you can easily squash one when you pinch it between 2 fingers).
6. Garnish with fresh lemon wedges and mint to serve.

Nutrition Facts for 1 cup of this dish:
260 total calories, 28gm total carbohydrate, 10gm fiber, 16gm protein, 2gm fat
(2 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 0.5 Fat, and 2 protein exchanges)

Poached D'Anjou Pears with Spice Glaze

A quick dessert that I often fall back on uses simply pears and whole spices that I usually have on hand and rarely use. The preparation takes around 10 minutes to cut the pears, cooking requires around 20 minutes of simply ignoring it, and to serve, arrange these on a platter and garnish. Instead of using D'Anjou pears, you can use a smaller, skinnier, more brown-skinned pear called the Bosc pear. I like to use the bosc pear because of its darker color and better contrast for a fancier dessert presentation. But in a more laid-back setting, D'Anjou pears are great, and also easy to find!

Sometimes I get myself confused with the type of pear to use in cooking, but of the more common types, the Bosc and the d'Anjou pears are easier to cook. Here is a fabulous article describing some of the more common types of pears and their uses.

Poached D'Anjou Pears with Spice Glaze
Serves 8 (where one serving is 1/2 pear)

Ingredients:

• 1/2c sugar
• 4c water
• 4 pieces Star anise
• 1 TB peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, opened, with seeds scraped out
• vanilla bean seeds (approx 1/2tsp)
• 2 TB fresh ginger root, sliced thinly
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2c honey
• 1 tsp whole green cardamom pods
• 4 d'anjou pears
• 1 TB corn starch
• Vanilla ice cream, or berry sorbet, and ground nutmeg for garnish

Directions

1. Wash and slice pears in half vertically down the length of the stem.  
2. Using a melon baller, grapefruit spoon or shrimp fork, scoop out seeds.

1. Mix water, sugar and spices together in a 8qt pot. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling.
2. Once the water begins to boil, add the pear halves. Cover the pot and let simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Gently scoop the pears out of the boiling water. Place them on a serving tray, cut-side up.
4. For your spiced glaze, reduce heat to medium and continue simmering.  Remove 1/2c of the boiling sauce and cool to the touch by placing it in a freezer for 5 minutes. 
5. Add the cornstarch to this reserved spice mixture, and mix well until no cornstarch lumps remain. 
6. Add this to your simmering spice sauce, and stir constantly until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
7. Garnish pears by placing a teaspoonful of goat cheese in each pear and topping it with first the hot spice sauce and then some freshly ground nutmeg.

Nutrition Facts for one half pear with 1 TB glaze:
89 total calories, 22 gm total carbohydrate, 2gm fiber, 0 gm protein, 1gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Moroccan Braised Lamb Shanks

When I get the itch to pamper myself, and a sincere itch to cook, I'll do something with lamb.  Its not easy to find fresh lamb meat, usually its frozen, and not often halal. But when an opportunity arises to get good, grass-fed fresh lamb meat, I definitely suggest you do it quickly. Lamb has a slight game-like flavor, similar to goat and deer meat, but it is a few degrees milder, but also lamb that is farm-raised is degrees less gamey than its grass-fed counterpart. I prefer to use lamb over beef in most dishes, including those with ground meat.

I love lamb because it has a heavy, warm flavor, that even after a bite I feel pampered when I need it most. It is rich and delicious.  But be forewarned, lamb is a very fatty type of meat. 

Lamb shanks as they begin to boil with water, browned onions, garlic, and spices. 

With my family's history of a lemon surplus, I even had to preserve a lot of my extra lemons. I adapted a method that I got from the whole foods store, and made my own recipe for preserved lemons here.
Combining my love of lamb with an overabundance of and passion for lemons, I made a beautiful braised lamb shank. This dish involves a lot of time and nursing. You can be passively revisiting your pot every 30 minutes or so, but you should be nearby. After starting my dish, I ran a few errands at the post office, came back to turn my lamb, responded to a couple emails, returned to turn the lamb, cut my vegetables, returned to turn the lamb, etc. If you start at 3pm, you'll have dinner by around 7-7:30. Do this on your days off from work! Otherwise, you'll eat dinner at 10pm and die from exhaustion! I paired the lamb with sauteed fingerling potatoes and my recipe for roasted beets.

This dish pairs well with rice flavored with saffron and turmeric(not pictured) or some pan-fried potatoes seasoned with allspice and roasted beets. 

Hang in there, if you don't like lamb but love lemon, I'll give you other recipes to make with the preserved lemons, like one with chicken & olives, or I'll have more on my post about preserved lemons.

Moroccan Lamb shank with Vegetables and Preserved Lemons
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tsp allspice
• 3 lamb shanks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Preserved Lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coin shape.
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-circles

Directions:

1. Use a wide, ideally shallow pot for this dish. Lamb shanks are large and they should ideally sit flat on the bottom of the pot. For this dish I use a wok or large, 4"deep pot or skillet that has a lid.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, until they become soft and slightly clear, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer until garlic has browned slightly.
3. Stir in the four spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add lamb shanks, arranging in a layer on top of the onions. 
5. Add enough water to cover the lamb about halfway, then season with salt and pepper (alternatively, I use beef or lamb stock with black pepper and leave out the salt for a boost of flavor).
6. Bring to a boil, uncovered over high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 3 hours, turning your shanks about every 30 minutes to keep them moist. 
7. Scatter preserved lemon slices over meat and top with vegetables. Cover pot and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
8. Arrange meat and vegetables on a large serving platter. Skim and discard fat from sauce, pour a little sauce over meat and vegetables, and serve remaining sauce on the side. 

Nutrition Facts for 1/2 lamb shank and 1c carrots and zucchini:
460 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 5gm fiber, 27gm protein, 16gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 3 Fat, and 4 protein exchanges

Roasted Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

Moroccan food oftentimes uses warm spices like cinnamon and paprika to flavor dishes, but sometimes fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult to obtain. In this recipe using olives and preserved lemons, I'll showcase two common ingredients that, when preserved, will be usable even up to 2 years later. This use of preserved foods is perfect on a night when you don't feel like going shopping for ingredients, or just want to slap something together that is inexpensive and healthy. This dish cost me 8 dollars, excluding spices. :-)
So for my dish I first sauteed the onions with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes or until they were beginning to caramelize. Then I added the onions and sauteed them more. The smell of these two pungent friends was so powerful that I had to open the windows and turn on two fans.

The strength and flavor of organic onions and garlic is much stronger than the non-organic ones, and if using organic, you may get by with using less. In my opinion, more of these is always better. Open the windows before starting the cooking process. ;-)

After the garlic and onions are slightly browned and overly-fragrant, add your dry spices and continue to sautee for another minute or so. This fragrance will be even more wonderful. I like to make this dish when having guests for dinner. It provides such a wonderful smell to welcome your guests inside and make their mouths water with delight.
Add chicken stock or broth, add the chicken, and the diced skin of 1/2 of a preserved lemon. This is a great dish to make when not many fresh vegetables and lemons are in-season.

Thinly sliced preserved lemon, from a jar that I found in the back of the cupboard (over a year old, but ohh so delicious!)

Boil these together until the chicken is cooked, then strain the chicken, onion, and lemons out of the broth. Using the remaining broth, boil some diced potatoes for 20 minutes, then strain these and put them beside the chicken. In the remaining broth, boil lemon juice and chopped, pitted green olives until the mixture becomes slightly thickened. To serve, just pour the olive-lemon sauce over the chicken.

To make this meal perfectly balanced, you may place in half the plate a piece of chicken and some potatoes, and fill the remaining half of the plate with vegetables (adding some red tomatoes or orange carrots will surely entice your taste buds with a colorful display). The chicken will be so delicious you may want to go for seconds. Practice self-restraint by eating more vegetables instead. This will ensure your meal is well balanced, and not excessive carbohydrate or protein.

The recipe:

Braised Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• One 5lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Rind of half of a preserved lemon (recipe for preserved lemons here)
• 1 cup new potatoes (the lower starch ones), chopped into approx 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup green olives

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add paprika, allspice, cinnamon, and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and seven spices; add to skillet.
3. Rinse one preserved lemon, discarding the pulp. Dice the lemon rind into fine pieces and add this to the chicken.
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, straining the onions and sprinkling them over the chicken.
5. In remaining broth place your diced potatoes over medium heat. Allow this to return to boiling. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Strain these and plate them alongside your chicken. In the remaining broth, add olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour over chicken.

Nutrition facts for 1 piece of chicken and 1/2c potatoes:
390 total calories, 15gm total carbohydrate, 1 gm fiber, 19 gm protein, 13gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 2.5 Fat, and 3 protein exchanges)

A Most Decorated Salad

Tabbouleh is a parsley and tomato salad popular during the summer months. It requires extra time and effort to chop the variety of ingredients, so it is usually done when there is extra time to spare. Tabbouleh differs from kitchen to kitchen, with many people adding their own touches, like allspice instead of seven spice, or additional vegetables such as radishes lettuce or cucumber, or simply different ratios of ingredients, most commonly, more bulghur (cracked wheat).

My tabbouleh I prefer unaltered, moist with vegetables and tomatoes, and plenty of lemon.
This dish is filled with plenty of antioxidants, vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, monounsaturated fats, and fiber.

Tabbouleh
Makes enough for 6 people
Ingredients

• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup bulghur (cracked wheat), fine or medium ground
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine 
• 3 stalks fine green onion, chopped fine
• 2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped with stems removed (approx 3 cups)
• 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped (approx 1/2 cup)
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced fine
• Juice from 1 lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1/2 tsp seven spices
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. start by rinsing the burghul, and soaking it in water for about 30 minutes.
2. While the burghul is being soaked, chop the vegetables and combine them together in a salad bowl, chopping the tomatoes last. 
3. Fold the burghul gently into the vegetables to prevent the tomatoes from being smashed.
4. Garnish with diced tomatoes and sumac or sliced radishes and paprika and serve!

Nutrition facts: 

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of tabbouleh:
60 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 1oz protein, 1gm fat
(0.5 Carbohydrates (0 NET carbs), 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Oranges and Dark chocolate

Do you want a low sugar, low fat dessert that is healthy for a diabetic as well as someone with heart disease? Do you want more antioxidants? Are you wishing there were healthier desserts and snacks out there?
I peeled a few oranges removing the white rag with the peel, and sliced them horizontally into rounds, arranging them nicely on a plate. After which I simply took a bar of dark chocolate with orange flavoring and grated it over the orange slices using a micro-planer. Ohhh, I love this little tool for grating parmesan, or for micro-grating/zesting orange or lemon peels. It is also handy in making little chocolate and white chocolate shavings over coffee or as a topping for cakes.

I decided to add a bit of color, also because I was overambitious ran out of oranges! So I used some grapes that a farmer from my work gave me as a centerpiece.  Because my dad was watching his sugar intake, I made him this instead of an extravagant cake, and we shared it family-style with appetizer forks.

My saving graces: by using high quality chocolate, freshly picked fruits, and having a pleasing presentation, this light dessert satisfied our sweet tooth, gave us antioxidants in the form of dark chocolate and vitamin C, and was very well loved.

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges peeled with white outer rag peeled off
• 1/4 bar of Lindt 'Intense Orange' dark chocolate
• Garnish as desired. I would prefer mint leaves or halved green grapes

Arrange orange slices on a plate in whatever pattern you desire. Grate chocolate directly over the slices, making sure chocolate stays cool and is grated quickly.
Yum!


Nutrition facts for 3 orange slices:
40 total calories, 10gm total carbohydrate, 1 gm fiber, 0.25gm fat  (0.5 Diabetic carbohydrate exchange)

And here's version 2, adding chunks of chocolate and brighter fruits provide more contrast and a beautifully delicious display. Add a mint leaf to the center strawberry for added color and appeal.