Back to the action January 16, 2009

Hello everyone!  Mother Hubbard’s is back again for the semester.  I think I’ll be posting recipes here every other week.  Unfortunately, because the portions I make are so big, I don’t have exact measurements to make a normal amount.  I just use common sense as well as test as I go along, but these are pretty simple:

Carrot-Lentil stew:

Red Lentils

garlic

carrots (as many as you can handle)

onion

celery

bay leaves

thyme

cayenne

tahini

dulse

Boil then simmer the lentils and veggies until cooked through (about 15 minutes).  Add spices and tahini to taste when done.  Let sit 5-10 minutes then serve.

Kidney Bean Stew:

Kidney beans (canned or dried)

rutabega or turnip

carrot

onion

kombu seaweed

bay leaf

ginger

miso (I used red)

fresh parsley

The soaking time for uncooked kidney beans is at least 8 hours, but they could also sit overnight.

Boil veggies until desired softness (with soaked kidney beans if uncooked).  Add spices when done (with kidney beans if cooked) and let sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the flavor.

Valley of the Dahls January 23, 2008

A recipe for a Mother Hubbard’s favourite, Indian Dahl

2 c red lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

.25 tsp ground cardamom

4 cloves garlic

4 c vegetable broth

1.5 c tomatoes

.25 c fresh cilantro

2 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

a handful of shredded cabbage

Boil the lentils until  tender, set aside.

Saute onion in a saucepan with the cabbage, garlic, cumin, olive oil, and cardamom.

In a pot, combine the veggie broth,  tomatoes, ginger, turmeric and salt.

Add the lentils, veggies and spices to the pot, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over rice, sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro.

Yum!

Alice’s Date Squares November 7, 2007

This recipe is a Veganized variation of my mom’s (Alice’s) gorgeous date squares.

2 cups pitted, chopped dates

1tbsp brown sugar

1 cup water

.25 tsp lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour (or wheat flour if you prefer)

.5 tsp baking soda

a pinch of salt

1 cup vegan margarine

1 cup unpacked brown sugar

2 cups quick oats

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  In a saucepan, combine dates,  1 tbsp brown sugar, water and lemon juice.  Bring this to a boil and cook for approx. 5 minutes (or until the dates are tender enough to be crushed with a fork).  Set this aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix in margarine, remaining brown sugar, quick oats and knead until combined.

Press half of the dough into a greased 8X8″ pan and cover this with the cooled date mixture.  Top with the remaining dough and press this all down.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool and cut into squares.

*This makes about 15 squares.

Black Bean and Corn Stew November 3, 2007

First served Oct. 25, 2007 in Mother Hubbard’s kitchen. Now you can make it at home!

serves about 6

1 can black beans
1 cubed eggplant
1 chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer it spicier)
2 tbsp dried parsley
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp soy sauce
.25 cup miso

Saute the veggies, beans and corn with the dried parsley, garlic, soy sauce, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper for about 5 minutes (until browned).
Set aside 1 cup of the sauted mixture, and puree the rest in a food processor. If you don’t have fancy kitchen gear, a potato masher works fine too (and gives you a great arm workout!). Add the miso as you mash/ puree.
Combine mashed mixture with the 1 cup of reserved veggies and beans.
Allow to simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Killer Vegan Apple Crisp October 24, 2007

Watch out, this recipes is dangerous. Dangerously good, that is!

4 tart apples (I use empire usually)

.75 c sugar

.5 c flour

1tsp cinnamon

1.5 c quick oats

.25 c vegan margarine, softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and slice the apples (thinly), toss them with .5 c of the sugar, 1 tbsp flour and all of the cinnamon.

Spread this into a greased baking dish

In another bowl, mix the quick oats with the remaining sugar and flour. Knead in the softened margarine and sprinkle this over the apples.

Bake for about 45 minutes, and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Bon appetit!

Hummus October 20, 2007

Ok, so here’s the famous hummus recipe:

2 cans chickpeas
1 bulb roasted garlic* (or about 3 cloves raw, chopped finely)
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp tahini
water and olive oil as needed

Blend all ingredient together in a food processor, adding oil and water to create a smooth texture.
This is the basic recipe: you can add other goodies to this to make a flavoured hummus extravaganza (ie, sunflower seeds, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, the kitchen sink…)

*roasted garlic is soooo easy and heavenly: simply take a whole head, slice off the very top, drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 300 degree oven until golden (about 20 min). Once cool, squeeze the garlic out of the skin, discard skin and enjoy the mellow garlic-fruit.