June 27, 2009: Apple Tree Quesadillas

I pulled this recipe out of our Moosewood cookbook terminal Saturday. As I sympathize it, queso way cheese but there's no cheese involved hither at all! Rather, these 'quesadillas' appear to survive named afterward the procedure of filling, folding together with frying tortillas. They're stuffed amongst a sugariness apple-cinnamon mixture, making them an tardily alternative to apple tree pie when you're inwards bespeak of comfort nutrient on a wintery nighttime in.

I forgot to add together the directed maple syrup to the apple tree mixture but didn't immature adult woman it at all. The apples are supposed to survive cooked inwards butter, but I bet margarine would brand a fine vegan alternative. And directly that I've mentioned cheese, I'd dear to attempt swapping out the cinnamon for unopen to abrupt cheddar for a to a greater extent than savoury snack.

Apple quesadillas
(based on a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

3 large apples
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/1 teaspoon soil cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
3 large tortillas
oil spray

Peel together with meat the apples, slicing them into apartment pieces. Place the apple tree slices inwards a large bowl together with toss through the lemon juice together with cinnamon. Don't worry if the cinnamon is well-mixed, it volition survive past times the fourth dimension the apples are cooked!

Melt the butter/margarine inwards a large saucepan or frypan. Arrange the apples across the bottom of the pan together with encompass them, cooking them for 5-10 minutes. Rearrange them occasionally then that they're evenly cooked, removing them from the pan when they're tender but however theatre plenty to concur their shape. Stir through the maple syrup, if you're using it.

Heat a frypan together with lightly spray it amongst oil. Place a tortilla inwards the pan together with gear upwards it on 1 side for a infinitesimal or two, earlier flipping it over. Arrange 1 tertiary of the apples over one-half of the tortilla together with piece of employment out it all to gear upwards for unopen to other minute. Fold over the empty tortilla one-half together with transfer the quesadilla to a plate. Repeat amongst the remaining tortillas together with apple tree mixture.

March 28, 2009: Le Kilimanjaro

Update, 31/12/2014: Le Kilimanjaro has shut down.

Saturday nighttime saw us exploring King Street inward Newtown. We couldn't convince our gaggle of omni friends that Green Gourmet or Basil Pizza were worth visiting, but in i lawsuit mortal muttered something close African nutrient nosotros apace reached consensus. Our Sydney-based hosts pointed us inward the direction of Le Kilimanjaro amongst a few reservations, but their slight ambivalence wasn't plenty to dissuade the residue of us in addition to nosotros settled apace in.

The eating theatre is comfy in addition to atmospheric, amongst diverse African-themed wall decorations in addition to the staff wandering only about inward traditional African ensembles. I'd been expecting something like to our Ethiopian dining experiences, but Le Kilimanjaro serves upwardly nutrient from East Africa including Ghana, Senegal in addition to Kenya. The carte du jour is posted upwardly on a big board amongst helpful descriptions of the many dishes available (including a dish amongst a lift that literally translates every bit 'homosexual tuna'). We weren't overwhelmed past times vego options, but at that topographic point were a decent pose out of side dishes available in addition to at to the lowest degree a distich of mains.

Cindy stuck alone to the side dish menu, opting for Accara (black-eyed beans soaked overnight in addition to and therefore set down amongst mild African spices, fried inward circular balls in addition to served amongst aromatic sauce, $6) in addition to Batansey (fried eggplant inward a mildly spiced sauce amongst onions, $6) dished upwardly amongst a serve of African apartment staff of life ($2).

The flatbread is a chip dissimilar to the Ethiopian injeera - based on cous-cous grain blended amongst onion in addition to spices. It's a chip denser than injeera in addition to didn't quite stair out upwardly for Cindy.

The bean-based balls were also a tad on the diappointing side - the sauce was a lightly-spiced tomatoey sensation, but the balls themselves were a chip heavy in addition to dry. They took a chip to a greater extent than chewing than nosotros expected.

The best of Cindy's bunch was the eggplant dish - a saucy stew filled amongst chunks of deliciously fried eggplant in addition to heavy on the onions. I only snuck a picayune taste, but it hitting the spot quite nicely.

I decided to brave both a primary dish in addition to a side - Ndambe (mid-African spices, lentils, tomato, kidney beans in addition to vegetables, $9.80) in addition to Mboum (cruncy African spinach amongst a romantically spiced sauce, $6), amongst a pocket-size serve of cous-cous ($1.50). Unfortunately things came out inward a fairly shambolic way, amongst the spinach arriving x minutes earlier anything to accompany it in addition to the cous-cous only turning upwardly later on I was good into my stewy main.

Despite the slightly ramshackle service, my nutrient was outstanding - the Ndambe was based on a richly spiced love apple tree sauce in addition to was inundation amongst beans, lentils, chunks of vegies in addition to a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Once I had some cous-cous to soak upwardly the sauce, I was a happy man.

I was fifty-fifty happier in i lawsuit I chomped into my spinach side - it's a real uncomplicated idea, direct maintain some crisp greens in addition to coat them inward a mildly spicy sauce. Simple in addition to real effective - the spinach was everyone's favourite dish, in addition to the fresh greens complemented the heavy stews that made upwardly most of the evening's meals.

Le Kilimanjaro is a BYO place, amongst only a distich of options on the drinks menu. Cindy's 'ginger drink' (freshly squeezed ginger amongst vanilla sugar) was incredibly gingery in addition to strong, but every bit refreshing every bit the carte du jour promised.

My mysterious 'African bloom drink' unfortunately never arrived, therefore it remains an unknown quantity. Maybe they were out of flowers.

Despite some fairly 'relaxed' service, the nutrient (and the prices) meant that nobody walked away also disappointed amongst Le Kilimanjaro, but if we're always seeking African nutrient inward Newtown again, we'll belike walk the other agency along King Street to African Feeling.

Address: 280 King Street, Sydney
Ph: 02 9557 4565
BYO only
Price: Vegie mains: $9.80, sides: $1.50-$6

June 28, 2009: Mapo Tofu As Well As Chinese Greens

Jo's pumpkin together with cumin soup isn't the starting fourth dimension recipe nosotros tried from the warming entries inwards our recent giveaway. On the really solar daytime that nosotros read QuinnT's vegetarian version of Mapo Tofu, nosotros resolved to gear upwards it for dinner. QuinnT substitutes the traditional pork or beef mince amongst TVP, together with promises that "It's spicy plenty to tickle your olfactory organ together with warm y'all upwards on a chill(i) winter's day."

Let me enjoin y'all directly upwards that this recipe is the business. I must acknowledge to wimping out on the chilli dosage, together with I regret that, but it's yet a cracker of a dish. We had to a greater extent than problem than I expected inwards tracking downward Chinese fermented wide beans together with Chinese fermented dark beans - inwards the cease nosotros picked out jars of dark edible bean sauce together with spicy soya edible bean glue from QuinnT)

1/2 loving cup TVP, non yet rehydrated
1 'beef' stock cube
500g tofu
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons chilli paste, to taste
1 teaspoon soil Szechuan peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons dark edible bean sauce (try to larn out Chinese fermented dark beans instead if y'all can)
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy soya edible bean glue (try to larn out Dou ban jiang/Chinese fermented wide beans instead if y'all can)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
water or vegetable stock, every bit needed
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 scallions, chopped

Put the TVP inwards a modest bowl together with crumble over the 'beef' stock cube. Pour over 1/2 loving cup of boiling H2O together with laid the TVP aside to rehydrate.

Chop the tofu into cubes together with house them inwards a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt, together with then embrace the tofu amongst boiling H2O together with allow it stand.

Heat the crude oil inwards a wok, together with then add together the garlic, chilli glue together with Szechuan pepper. Stir-fry them until fragrant, together with then add together the edible bean pastes, carbohydrate together with soy sauce. Stir through the TVP.

Gently drain the diced tofu. Once the sauce is bubbling, add together them to the mix together with brand certain they're good coated inwards sauce. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes on depression heat, adding a trivial extra H2O or stock if it looks every bit good dry. (This is a expert fourth dimension to prep the Chinese greens!)

In a modest cup, mix the cornflour amongst only plenty H2O to degree a paste. Stir the glue through the tofu together with sauce. After allowing only a infinitesimal or 2 for thickening, transfer your Mapo Tofu to a serving dish together with sprinkle over the scallions.

Chinese greens inwards 'oyster' sauce
(adapted from a recipe together with tips from Rasa Malaysia)

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
large bunch of assorted Chinese greens (I intend nosotros used bok choy together with choy sum)
2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
several dashes of white pepper

In your smallest saucepan, oestrus upwards 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir shaver the minced garlic until it only begins to plough lite brown, together with then transfer the garlic crude oil to a bowl together with laid it aside. The garlic volition brownish upwards farther every bit it sits inwards the hot oil.

Bring a large pot of H2O to the boil. Blanche the greens inwards the H2O for 20-30 seconds, inwards batches if y'all require to, draining them every bit shortly every bit they're slightly wilted.

Back inwards the smallest saucepan, stir together the remaining oil, oyster sauce, water, carbohydrate together with white pepper until they're a smoothen sauce.

Arrange the blanched greens on a plate, pour over the oyster sauce together with and then the garlic oil. Serve together with consume immediately!

March 30, 2009: Luscious Moroccan Pumpkin

published on Nourish Me to a greater extent than than a twelvemonth ago. (Though I'll re-create the recipe here, you lot should click on over to admire her photos of the process.) It takes a niggling to a greater extent than attempt than you're probable to direct maintain spare on a weeknight but the repast is thus satisfying too the leftovers thus perfect for luncheon - fifty-fifty at room temperature, afterwards travelling roughly inward a lunchbox - that nosotros didn't regret it i bit.

The pumpkin itself is roasted to melting softness, but the sweetness yielding flesh belies a fiery spice rub that includes chilli, cumin too coriander. Prunes don't direct maintain the most glamourous icon but they are at their most luscious inward this confit - they most disintegrate into syrup unopen to the shallots too garlic that are already braising inward the same pan. The confit is finished amongst a handful or ii of blanched almonds. If I'd carefully read ahead I belike would direct maintain purchased ready-blanched almonds but I was pleasantly surprised at how tardily it was to variety them from their skins; I'll produce it in i lawsuit to a greater extent than amongst confidence when a recipe requests that its almonds live blanched.

It all rests on a bed of couscous, too is finally strewn amongst fresh herbs. What a agency to welcome autumn!

Luscious Morrocan pumpkin, amongst prune-shallot confit too couscous
(following a recipe from Lucy of Nourish Me, who credits Nadine Abensur's Cranks Bible)

For the pumpkin:
1 pocket-size jap (kent) pumpkin, 1.5kg
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons chilli flakes
1 heaped teaspoon ras el hanout
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari

For the confit:
500g shallots (these ones)
2 handfuls raw almonds
300g prunes
2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch of body of body of water salt
6 cloves garlic

For the rest:
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 generous pinch saffron threads
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch mint (or coriander), washed too roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the pumpkin into large wedges; scoop away whatever seeds too pulp, but give-up the ghost along the pare on.

Gently oestrus a frypan too toast the coriander, cumin too chilli for a pair of minutes, until fragrant. Give them a few minutes to cool, too thus grind them rounghly amongst a mortar too pestle. Transfer the spices to a large bowl, too stir through the ras el hanout, maple syrup, petroleum too tamari.

Toss the pumpkin pieces through the dressing, too thus house them inward a baking dish (or two). Sprinkle over the remaining dressing (if you lot direct maintain whatever - nosotros didn't!) too bake the pumpkin for 45-60 minutes, until tender. Check the pumpkin each xv minutes too plough them over.

While the pumpkin is roasting, convey a medium-sized saucepan of H2O to the boil. Add the shallots, whole, too simmer them for simply i minute. Scoop them out but give-up the ghost along the water. When they're cool plenty to handle, peel the shallots too laid them aside.

Reheat the H2O too add together the almonds, blanching them for 2 minutes. Scoop them out onto a plate too in i lawsuit to a greater extent than give-up the ghost along the water. When the almonds are cool plenty to handle, you'll detect their skins are puffed too wrinkled! It doesn't accept likewise much attempt at in i lawsuit to popular them from their skins. Lucy suggests toasting these inward the oven for 8 minutes but nosotros didn't direct maintain whatever room amongst all that pumpkin; instead I toasted them inward the same frypan nosotros used for the spices.

Remove pits from the prunes, if they direct maintain any. Use the same frypan in i lawsuit to a greater extent than to oestrus the petroleum for the confit. Fry the shallots until they're deeply golden; live patient too don't skimp on this step. Add the salt, garlic too prunes. Give them a stir to coat everything inward oil, too thus add together a generous scoop of the blanching water. Cook the confit at a rapid mensuration for at to the lowest degree one-half an hour, adding to a greater extent than H2O equally its absorbed. The shallots should agree their cast (treat them gently!) but encourage the prunes to intermission downwards a niggling into the sauce. Stir through the almonds during the lastly few minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the couscous too saffron. Pour over the boiling water, add together the oil, too give it a rattling brief stir earlier roofing the couscous too allowing it to remainder for five minutes. Gently toss the couscous amongst a fork.

On each plate (or a unmarried large platter), layer upward the couscous, confit too pumpkin wedges. Sprinkle over the fresh mint too serve.

July 1, 2009: Pumpkin, Carrot Together With Cumin Soup

Mapo Tofu earlier the contest fifty-fifty closed, Cindy insisted nosotros start doing things properly - outset alongside our contest winner, Jo, too her roasted cumin pumpkin soup. I expected every entry of our contest to last soup of some form, too I was especially looking frontwards to soups that would deal me principal my developing stick-blender technique. Aside from the stick-blending, this was all pretty elementary - some roasting, a chip of simmering too you're done. The halt production was pretty impressive - rich too warming, alongside the cumin giving the soup a chip of an border beyond merely the sugariness pumpkin too carrot.

We fiddled roughly alongside the recipe a tiny bit, every bit Jo suggested, adding carrot to the base of operations of pumpkin but otherwise leaving things every bit she suggested.


Roasted cumin too pumpkin soup

1.5kg pumpkin, peeled too sliced
3 carrots, sliced longways
2 small-scale onions, diced
A dyad of tablespoons of terra firma cumin
2-3 cups of vegie stock
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Lay the pumpkin too carrot out on a tray, drizzle alongside the one-half of the olive fossil oil too sprinkle alongside the cumin.

Roast the pumpkin too carrot for nigh 20 minutes, plow everything too hand it some other 20 minutes.

When the pumpkin has nigh 10 minutes left, estrus the remainder of the fossil oil inward a big pot too saute the onion until it's fourth dimension to stimulate got the vegies out - they should last overnice too soft.

Add the vegie stock too thence smush inward the roast vegies too their pan juices. Simmer for nigh fifteen minutes, stirring regularly too thence blend everything together alongside your stick blender into a shine paste.

Simmer for some other few minutes, adding H2O if you lot take away to modify your soup's consistency. Serve alongside some delicious breadstuff too relish the wintertime warmth.

March 31, 2009: Norsiah's Kitchen

We've been visiting Norsiah's Kitchen occasionally on lazy weeknights to grab some cheap, tasty too fast dinners but the blogging gods conduct maintain conspired against us - no camera, no peanut sauce available or simply a lack of enthusiasm. This fourth dimension nosotros came prepared. The carte du jour is reasonably veg-friendly, amongst rice too noodle dishes, gado gado too a hit of Norsiah's specials.

The star of the carte du jour is the sweetness soy too peanut sauce, that gets slathered over our favourite dish - the Tahu Telur (deep fried tofu inward eggs amongst vegetables amongst the soy too peanut sauce, $7.50).

This is a rich, peanutty sauce, amongst a hint of spice too sweetness. It's clearly non skillful for you, amongst shimmery bits of fossil oil inward the sauce too thick chunks of eggy batter around the tofu. The sprinkling of sprouts too cucumber on operate yesteryear assistance us pretend that it's non killing us, but it's belike best enjoyed periodically.

The sauce is best soaked upwards amongst some rice, too the nasi goreng sayur (fried rice amongst vegetables too tofu - $7) is simply the ticket.

The rice too tofu conduct maintain a calorie-free spiciness, which is milder than the to a greater extent than powerful peanut soy suace. The tofu is liberally sprinkled throughout the rice, making it a real satisfying repast on its own. Adding a few spoonfuls of the peanut sauce from the tahu telar takes it to a whole novel delicious level.

Norsiah's is a pretty unassuming house - all plastic chairs too newspapers from January, but it's most ever total of students too locals - it's slowly to come across why, amongst massive too tasty meals for less than $8.

Address: 604 Swanston Street, Carlton
Ph: 9347 7079
Prices: $2-$7.50

July 2, 2009: Ruby Vino Lentils On Polenta

giveaway-winning soup I decided to showtime trialling entries from the peak alongside Elizabeth Bennet's carmine vino lentils. Not alone are they winter-appropriate, but she explained that they're peculiarly plumbing fixtures for the shift from June to July: "Italians consume lentils as well as sausages (or cotechino) on New Year's Eve to convey luck as well as coin inwards the coming year. Since it's nearing the terminate of the Financial Year, why non movement it to ensure riches come upwardly revenue enhancement refund time?"

Liz didn't instruct out a exactly measured recipe hence I'm non certain how unopen this rendition is to hers. I couldn't rails downward fresh sage as well as crushed upwardly approximately dry out leaves instead, as well as this seemed to move out fine. Though I recollect Liz meant for us to plonk several sausages on peak of the lentils, nosotros were downward to our concluding 2 home-made sausages inwards the freezer hence I chopped them upwardly as well as stirred them into the saucy lentils. And every bit for the sauce itself, it was lovely though I'd live on tempted to cut back the book of stock side yesteryear side time. Regardless, it soaks gorgeously into the cheesy polenta.

Red vino lentils on polenta
(based on directions from Elizabeth Bennet)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot
2-3 sticks of celery
2 x 400g cans lentils, rinsed as well as drained
3/4 loving cup carmine wine
1 1/2 cups 'beef' stock (I'll purpose less side yesteryear side time)
1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crushed
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 large vege sausages
1L water
1 loving cup polenta
3/4 loving cup parmesan, grated

Bring the fossil oil to medium oestrus inwards a frypan, as well as hence saute the onion as well as garlic inwards it for 2 minutes. Add the carrot as well as celery as well as saute for a farther five minutes. Stir through the lentils, wine, stock as well as herbs as well as simmer the lot until the lentils are tender as well as the sauce has reduced a little.

Pop the sausages nether the grill, turning them in ane lawsuit or twice, until they're crisp on the exterior but nonetheless tender inwards the middle. Slice them into generous chunks as well as add together them to the simmering lentils.

Bring the litre of H2O to the boil inwards a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk inwards the polenta, ensuring at that topographic point are no lumps. Reduce the oestrus as well as kicking the bucket on whisking the polenta for 10 minutes. Remove the polenta from the heat, stir through the parmesan as well as permit the polenta to correspond five minutes.

Season the lentils as well as polenta to taste. Scoop polenta mounds onto plates as well as peak them alongside the carmine vino lentils, garnishing alongside a few extra parsley leaves.