Vegan Challenge Days 1-3

On Monday I made the Ethiopian Tomato Lentil Stew.  Here's the recipe again with my changes and adaptations in red.

Curried Tomato Lentil Soup (Shorba Addis)
Serves 3

(I ended up doubling the recipe to make more for left overs)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (berbere is preferable - couldn't find, so I used regular curry)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (Couldn't find so I used fennel seeds)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (ended up using only 4 cups because that's what I had)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
1/4 cup whole wheat orzo pasta

Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion until it is brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and fenugreek, sautéing them for about 1 minute. Add the veggie broth and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is thoroughly combined with the broth. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the lentils and stir. Once the soup comes back to a simmer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add the potato and orzo; cook the soup, covered, for 5 more minutes.

The first part of the recipe went well, but then the soup didn't really simmer, maybe because there wasn't enough water, or because I turned the heat on the stove down too low.  I will have a gas stove someday!  So then I guess because it wasn't really simmering, the potato and orzo didn't cook in the 5 minutes.  15 minutes later they were barely done.  Luckily they cooked when reheated for lunch, but in the future I would definitely partially cook at least the potatoes for a minute in the microwave, and add more of the water.  I had some left over roasted cauliflower in the fridge, so I added that too.

Before it starts to simmer

End results: It was ok.  I probably won't make it again for myself.  I'm definitely not a fan of the fennel, taking a bite and getting one of the seeds was not a fun experience, and I'm not a fan of curry powder.  I like red Thai curry, but not Indian curries, and they don't sit well with my stomach either.  Good lesson and on to the next culture to try food from, Morocco!

Breakfasts have been easy, it hasn't felt like that much of a change honestly, and I've continued with the left-overs for lunch plan, along with some hummus with carrots rather than Thousand Island dressing or anything.

Last night we planned to make an Asian Lime Grilled Tofu, got everything out on the counter, and then realized that the tofu needed to marinate for 2 hours.  Being already 7pm, that wasn't happening, so we went to plan B and made a black bean chili.

Black Bean Chili

Four servings • 45 minutes to prepare

http://wellvegan.com/recipes/black-bean-chili 

This is a simple chili recipe for when you’re short on time but eager for something warm and hearty. I like to serve it with fresh cilantro, avocado and green onion.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cans (15–16 ounce) black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 can (16 ounce) tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn
Chopped fresh cilantro, green onions, tomatoes or avocado

Instructions

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, tomato sauce, and corn (if using). Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, green onions or other toppings.

We followed the recipe pretty closely and it turned out well, especially for eating it right after it's made.  Chili is always better the next day when the flavors have had time to meld together.  Plus we were watching Chopped, so what we made looked like nothing compared to those talented chefs.  Especially when they only get 20-30 minutes and crazy ingredients!