Fasolada

I had no idea that there were national foods until I saw it as a theme during this blogging marathon. Back in India, it was norm during our school days to learn about our national animal, bird, flower and so on but I had never come across this "national food" thing. I wondered why and it turns out that India has no national food after all. It is not surprising considering the fact that the food varies vastly from state to state there. 
When I went through the wiki list of national foods, most of the names seemed alien to me at first glance and I started wondering whether I would be able to find vegetarian recipes at all that suit my taste. A little time spent on researching those names lead to not only interesting vegetarian recipes but also this vegan recipe called fasolada from traditional Greek kitchen.
Fasolada / Fasoulada / Fasolia literally means beans. Fasolada pronounced fasolatha is a hearty, bean based soup. This healthy, filling soup is one of the national foods of Greece. White beans are slowly simmered along with the other vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, tomato and parsley until they are softly cooked and seasoned. Olive oil is generously used in the traditional recipe but I used it sparingly.

Ingredients: (2 Servings)
1/2 cup white beans (I used navy beans.)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 big onion, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 big carrot, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup celery cubes
Puree from 1 tomato
Few sprigs of parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
* I pressure cooked the navy beans ahead. If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight to cook them fast. The soaked beans then can be cooked in a sauce pan along with the vegetables.
* Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic. Fry until they turn pinkish.
* Add carrot, celery, tomato puree, parsley and about a cup of water. Cook until vegetables are tender. If navy beans have not been cooked earlier, they can be added as well along with the veggies. Add enough water so that the beans are immersed in water through out the cooking process. Simmer until beans are soft.
* Add the seasonings at the end of cooking, simmer for few minutes and turn off the stove.
* It is served with crusty bread and olive oil. I served it warm with bread croutons.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods".

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Quinoa - Masoor Dal Soup

I wondered whether I need to post a full course meal each day if I choose "lunchbox" theme in this marathon and bombarded Valli with emails. Valli in her usual, flexible style told to go easy. A "three course meal" kind of lunchbox sounds so whimsical in this fast paced world. However it was a "typical norm" in India for a generation before us. The women had the patience, energy and dedication to deliver such meals to the head of the household. I have neither cooked a full course meal for my husband's lunchbox till date nor planning to cook one in the future. However, he is sure to find a fulfilling, homemade, fresh food each day when he opens his lunchbox. 

My husband likes to carry a single item in a microwaveable box since he enjoys his food hot. Breakfast dishes / rice items / soups are some of his favorite lunch items and particularly the latter one seems so fuss free to me as a cook. And so, sometimes I pack just a soup. However, if not pairing with a salad / sandwich, I try to make it a wholesome and fulfilling one by going with a grain-bean-veggie combination. Today's "lunchbox" idea for BM#10 revolves around the same theme yielding a nutritious, guilt free lunch. I don't follow a particular recipe when it comes to soups but I stick with those ingredients that seem to work in a recipe.

Ingredients: (For 3-4 servings)

1 Tbsp olive oil / butter

1 onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 cups chopped vegetables (I used celery, beans, carrot)

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1/4 cup quinoa and/or millet

1/4 cup masoor dal 

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat oil and add onion, garlic and celery. Fry until onion softens and then add the veggies. Saute for a couple of minutes more.

Add about 5 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then add the vegetable bouillon cube, masoor dal, quinoa/millet and salt. Cook until the dal and quinoa/millet are done.

To quicken the process, the entire contents can be transferred to a pressure cooker and cooked up to 3 whistles. Season with pepper and serve hot.

Note:
The soup would be not be as thick as the one in the image. I purposely added less water to show the contents.

Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking.

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Simple, Sunday Meals - Soup and Sandwich

Salad:
Carrot, cucumber, lettuce & tomato

Veggie Burgers sans Cheese:
Soy patties toasted with a little butter, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber slices, dill pickle along with mustard and ketchup gave company to toasted, multigrain, thin sandwich bread.

Minestrone Soup:
This wholesome Italian soup doesn't follow a standard recipe and can be either a vegetarian or a non vegetarian soup. It is prepared with the ingredients at hand and usually contains vegetables, beans and pasta.

Ingredients required for 6 servings:
1 - 2 Tbsp oil
1 small onion - peeled and diced
1 small carrot - peeled and diced
1 small potato - peeled and diced
1 tomato - diced
1 celery stick - diced
1/4 cup of zucchini cubes
A handful of chopped green beans or frozen green peas
Celery leaves
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1/4 cup small shell pasta (I used elbow pasta.)
1/4 cup any white beans, cooked (I used navy beans.)
1 tsp - Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
(Also add garlic, if preferred.)

Making soup:
* Heat oil in a deep sauté pan and add the onions. Sauté them on low heat till they turn translucent. Then add carrot, potato, tomato, celery, celery leaves, zucchini, green beans or peas and add sufficient water. Cook on medium flame till the vegetables soften.
* Then add tomato sauce, seasoning and simmer for some more time.
* In the meantime, cook pasta al dente and drain.
* Stir in the cooked pasta and beans. Adjust the consistency of soup adding water, if needed and season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for a few minutes more so that all flavors mingle.



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'Soup'er Sundays - Vegetarian Harira

I gather from various online sources that harira is a traditional soup of Morocco, a country of diversified cuisine. Thought it can be had any time, traditonal families usually reserve this soup for those special occasions like dinners of holy Ramadan month or feasts thrown after a wedding. The ingredients used in the soup may vary from region to region. However, the standard recipe has small amounts of meat, lentils, and garbanzo in a tomato base, with spices and herbs thrown in it.
On this chilly day, the idea of curling up on a couch with a bowl of soup seemed so invigorating and hence here is harira - the hearty, harmonius blend of chickpea and lentils. A vegan version of course.



Ingredients needed for 4 servings:
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger - peeled & grated
1 small onion - finely minced
1 celery stick - diced
2 tomatoes - diced (I added tomato & tomato paste)
2 Tbsp lentils (soaking for a couple of hours makes cooking faster)
A handful of garbanzo beans / chana - soaked overnight and cooked till tender or scant 1/2 cup from a can
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder or a 1" cinnamon piece
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Vegetable stock / water - About 5 to 6 cups (I added a Knorr bouillon cube when the water was boiling)
1 - 2 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from a small lemon
Minced parsely/cilantro for garnish

Making Harira:

• Heat the oil and add the minced ginger and fry till it turns golden brown.
• Then add onion and fry it till it turns translucent.
• After that, add celery and chopped tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes turn mushy.
• Then go the lentils, turmeric powder, cinnamon, cumin powder and about 2 cups of vegetable stock / water.
• Cook till the lentils are tender. Mix the flour with little water and make a paste with out any lumps. Add this paste and the cooked garbanzo and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes more. If using beans from a can, drain the liquid and wash them before adding. Keep adding water as needed through out the process.
• Add salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Stir in the lemon juice and parsley / cilantro.

Harira is going to be a part of -
DK's AWED - Africa guest hosted @ PJ's
Susan's MLLA - 22 edition guest hosted @ Ruchika's
Vegetarian Marathon - Beans @ Silpa's

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