An Island French Christmas 2013

Vegan ratatouille served with "cheezy" millet/brown rice mash, and red wine reduction.

After hearing someone I know name Disney's "Ratatouille" as their favorite Christmas movie (don't know why haha), it gave me the idea to create this warm hearty dish as a Christmas entree for myself and lovely side dish for the rest of the family back home on Guam.  This classic French dish is sure to please everyone :)  Merry Christmas!!!!

Ratatouille - inspired by the official recipe used for the movie.

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow peppers, seeds and ribs removed, sliced in half
• 1 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced in half
• 2-3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic, divided
• 1/2 c. finely diced yellow onion
• 3 tomatoes (about 12 oz.), finely diced, juices reserved
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 3 zucchini (4 to 5 oz.) sliced in 1/16-in. rounds
• 2 eggplant (4 to 5 oz.), sliced into 1/16-in. rounds
• 1 yellow squash (4 to 5 oz. ), sliced into 1/16-in. rounds (Guam did not sell summer squashes but they had butternut so I substituted that and thought it actually worked out better!  Plus, it's more of a wintery feel to the dish.  Definitely go for the butternut).
• 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-in. rounds
• 1/8 tsp. dried thyme leaves (I did about 1/2 tsp by accident and it was good!)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the peppers cut side down on a foil-lined sheet. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.
• Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil (Or 1-2 teaspoons), 1 teaspoon garlic and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juices, fresh thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Do not brown.
• Add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt and discard herbs. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet.
• Reduce the heat in the oven to 275 degrees.
• Down the center of the skillet arrange a strip of alternating slices of zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash and Roma tomatoes, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap the vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled. (It's a little confusing, just arrange them artfully with a good amount of overlap, with the center of the pile being mounded up a bit higher)
  
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, the dried thyme, 2 teaspoons olive oil in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over the vegetables.
• Cover pan with foil and seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (to cut time I baked for 1 hour then turned it up to 300 degrees covered for another 30mins.  Final 30mins I uncovered and baked).

"Cheezy" Millet/Brown Rice Mash

• I cooked about 1/2 cup millet and brown rice combined in a rice cooker and to make it into more like a porridge used about 1-2 cups of water.  I also used majority millet and just sprinkled in a few brown rice grains.
• After rice cooker finished it into a porridge I boiled it it in a pot and added .5-1 cup water and really boiled it down to thicken it.  This is so you still get the benefit of a soft grain but sturdy enough to assemble on your plate.
• While boiling grains sprinkle in some nutritional yeast to give it that cheezy flavor.  Plus it gives your dish that protein kick as well.  I probably put in about 1/4 cup.
• You can also cook the grains in a pot as well.  I use Bob Mill's whole grain millet which will take about 30-45mins to cook without the rice cooker.

Red Wine Reduction

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 1 garlic clove sliced
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1/2 apple (use fuji or granny smith) sliced
• Pinch salt
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in a pot.  Bring to a boil over stove and immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Cook until reduced by 2/3.
• Drizzle on top of dish or on sides.

Be sure to serve the dish warm and assemble as you please.  I liked having the grains underneath the ratatouilleI hope you all have a very ratatouille holiday!  

A Vegan Thai Feast - Christmas 2013

MELE KALIKIMAKA!  I know it's been a while since I've posted but wanted to share a delicious vegan thai meal that my boyfriend and I whipped up for the holiday season.  It includes a vegan thai green curry and fresh avocado spring rolls.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, remember the best part of the meal is sharing it with those you love ;)

Vegan Thai Green Curry

This curry was so onolicious.  You can substitute regular potatoes for the squash, but to make it macrobiotic good to use seasonal squashes such as butternut or kaboucha.  The squash actually helps sweeten the curry as well.

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp thai green curry paste

2 cans of coconut milk

2 slices of thai galangal.  If you can't find this, then can substitute regular ginger.

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cups vegetable broth

2 stalks lemongrass peeled and halved

1 pack extra firm tofu cubed

2 cups broccoli chopped

2 bell peppers seeded and chopped

1 eggplant cut into half moons

1 tbsp lime juice

5-6 green thai peppers, sliced open

1.5 cups cooked brown rice.

2 cups cubed butternut squash

1 carrot sliced in chunks

Directions

1. Before starting your curry be sure to prepare your rice in a rice cooker.  If you don't have a rice cooker on hand then place uncooked rice and water into a pot with pinch of salt.  Bring to boil then turn down to a simmer and let cook 40-60mins.  Remove lid and let stand for 10 mins and fluff with fork.
2. Heat a heavy pot with the sesame oil to low-medium heat and add curry paste.  Saute for 3 mins.
3. Stir in coconut milk & vegetable broth.  Add lemon grass, galangal slices, thai green peppers and cubes of tofu.  Bring to simmer and cook uncovered for at least 20mins.  You can remove the lemongrass, galangal, and peppers after this.
4. While curry is cooking prep your other vegetables.  Add in butternut squash, carrots, and eggplant since these take the longest to soften.  Stew for 20 more mins.  
5. Add in rest of veggies and cook for another 8-15mins.
6. Once all veggies are cooked through add in lime juice and serve immediately over brown rice. Curry can keep in fridge for up to 5 days.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients

1 pack of rice paper

1 pack of maifun noodles

Dipping sauces - I like to use Thai Kitchen Sweet red chili sauce and Annie Chun's Thai Peanut

1/2 carrot

1/2 zucchini

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 lime

1 romaine lettuce

1 pack of sprouts

1 avocado

1/2 head of red cabbage

Directions

1. Soak the maifun noodles in warm water for 10mins, drain, and place in fridge to cool.
2. Chop the bell pepper, carrot, zucchini into thin sticks.  
3. Slice the avocado into thin wedges, and shave the red cabbage into shreds.
4. Wash and break up romaine lettuce.  When assembling the roll I like to use just the leafy parts.  
5. Assembly
• Have a plate of water nearby to soak the rice paper.  Place paper in water until all is submerged, then remove and lay on new plate to assemble roll.
• Add shredded lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, noodles, sprouts, zuccini and noodles to center of roll.  Add noodles and avocado last.  Squeeze slice of lime in middle.
• Roll short ends of roll to center then tuck and start rolling.
• Dip in sauces and enjoy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Xander!