vegetarian week day 3

Dinner for night three of vegetarian week was Punjab Chickpea Stew. I've been a fan of Indian food for a long time, but we've been cooking it more and more recently. I love all the different flavors in every bite and the aromatics that float through the house as everything simmers. This stew is healthy, vegetarian, easy to make, and most importantly - delicious! 

punjab chickpea stew

serves 4

adapted from Cooking Light

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 1/2 c onion, diced 

1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated 

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, grated 

4 cardamom pods, crushed 

1 cinnamon stick

2 1/2 cups water

2 carrots, diced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

Cooked rice

Plain fat free greek yogurt, to garnish

Cilantro, to garnish

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (I used enameled cast iron). Saute onion for 3-4 minutes. Add grated ginger, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Saute for another 3-4 minutes. 
• Add cardamom pods and cinnamon, and pour water on top. Add carrots, chickpeas, fire-roasted tomatoes, and juice from tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. 
• Discard cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Serve over rice and garnish with plain greek yogurt and cilantro. 

vegetarian week day 2

We had a great Asian noodle dish with authentic scallion pancakes for night two of vegetarian week. I was determined to have all of our vegetarian weekend be: 

• Filling
• Flavorful
• Diverse in ingredients

While it is common to replace meat with things like tofu or tempeh, we didn't do this. If you like tofu, it would be  a great addition to this dish.

lemon ginger udon

Serves 4

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1/4 c. rice vinegar

1/3 c. soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp 

9-10 oz udon (or you can use fettucine or linguine)

1 tbsp butter

2 medium carrots, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler 

1/3 c. red onion, large dice

1 c. bok choy, shredded

Handful of cilantro, chopped

• Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, grated ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and EVOO in a jar. Shake to combine. 
• Prepare udon in salted water. Drain and set aside. 
• In a wok (or large skillet) heat 1 tbsp EVOO. Melt 1 tbsp butter into oil. Saute carrot and onion for 2-3 minutes. Add bok choy and a few tablespoons of the sauce.
• When bok choy has wilted, toss udon and remaining sauce together with vegetables. 
• Serve with cilantro on top. 

scallion pancakes

Serves 4

1 1/4 c. flour

2/3 c. water

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

4-5 scallions, finely chopped

• Mix flour and water until it forms a soft dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp paper towel for 30 minutes. 
• Cut the dough into 2 equal parts. Set one piece aside. 
• Spread cutting board or counter with a small amount of oil and roll one piece of dough out into a thin rectangle using a rolling pin, around 10 x 12 inches.
• Sprinkle half of the scallions evenly across the rectangle. Roll tightly, creating a long snake of rolled up dough. 
• Coil the roll, then using an oiled rolling pin, roll out into a "pancake." Repeat for second piece of dough. 
• Heat a skillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and cook the pancakes, 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and flaky.
• Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve 3 wedges to each person. 

vegetarian week day 1

James and I try to eat completely vegetarian one to two days a week, but we decided to do a whole week of eating only vegetarian. While we believe it always important to be environmentally-conscious, it is the perfect time to encourage others to do so since this Saturday is Earth Day!

It is commonly thought that vegetarians eat no meat because of animal rights. While I am ALL FOR animal rights, I typically choose to eat vegetarian for environmental reasons. We typically only buy meat from organic, and humane treatment farms to begin with. Some of the statistics regarding the ecological footprint for the production of meat are shocking:

• Land equaling the size of seven football fields is bulldozed every hour across the globe to create more room for farmed animals and food to feed them. 
• The EPA reports that roughly 80% of ammonia emissions in the US come from animal waste.
• Growing a pound of corn takes 100 to 250 gallons of water, while growing the grain, for feed, to produce a pound of beef takes 2000-8000 gallons of water!
• Producing a little more than two pounds of beef causes more greenhouse gases than driving the average car for 3 hours.
• Tons of animal waste end up in giant pits in the ground or on crops, making agricultural runoff the number one source of pollution in our waterways. 
• A meat eater's diet is responsible for seven times as much greenhouse gas emissions compared to a vegan's diet. 

While I have not made a change to eat 100% vegetarian all the time, I do try to practice this multiple times a week, or in this case, trying it out for a whole week straight. Switching to even one more vegetarian meal a week is a step in the right direction towards cutting down on your ecological footprint. 

So vegetarian week #1 of 2011 begins...


Our first meal of the week is gourmet grilled cheese & tomato soup. I blogged these recipes back in February. It is a delicious and gourmet spin on a comfort food classic.