vegan – The Civilized Lunch Project

Hearty Lentils, Wild Rice, and Pinto Beans with Crispy Garlic Croutons

I’m in love with lentils for so many reasons! They’re easy to cook, healthy, and low-cost. For years I’ve enjoyed all kinds of rice, and endless varieties of beans, but for some reason I never experimented with lentils or took the time to learn about the different options. Thankfully, my curiosity was piqued while strolling the aisles of Jay International Foods in Saint Louis.

This wonderful international foods emporium features popular staples from around the world, with products conveniently organized by country. On a recent visit, I was struck by all of the different kinds of lentils (red, green, brown, black, yellow) and their presence in several spots throughout the store. Lentils are intrinsic to so many cuisines from Indian to Italian to Middle Eastern to African and beyond. They are also a mainstay in the United States, and especially popular in vegetarian cooking, because when combined with rice or another grain, they form a complete protein.

The recipe that I’m sharing with you today came together in a rather impromptu way, motivated by a 3/4-full tin of tomato paste (why do so many recipes call for a mere 1 tbsp of paste?), and some leftover wild rice and roasted sweet potatoes. This is my best guess at replicating the stew that I created, which is close enough to get you in the right direction. Just modify to taste, adding more stock (or water) if the lentils and rice are thicker than you like. This is a no-fail recipe, and it couldn’t be easier. You should feel free to add leftovers to the pot. After all, isn’t that what soup and stew-making are all about? I think so.

I’m especially pleased with the addition of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. The acid and the sweetness play beautifully against the tomato-y base. Finished with crispy garlic-y croutons (what a great use for stale bread), a dollop of labaneh or yogurt, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, this dish is also a feast for the eyes.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp cumin

6oz tomato paste

15oz tomato sauce

62oz vegetable stock

2 C brown lentils

1 C wild rice

1 oz can of pinto beans

2 C sweet potatoes, cubed

1 bunch Lacinato kale roughly chopped

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 loaf sandwich bread cut into large cubes (crouton size)

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Labaneh or plain Greek yogurt + chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In an 8-quart stockpot cook the chopped onions in the olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cumin, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil. When liquid is boiling add rinsed lentils and rice, along with a drained can of pinto beans (or use dry pinto beans if preferred). Next add the cubed sweet potatoes and the kale. Reduce heat to simmer and cook with the lid on the pot until the lentils and rice are soft. Stir periodically as you check on the stew’s progress.

Once the lentils and rice are nearly done it’s time to add the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar, along with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, toss cubed bread with a few tablespoons of olive oil, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown and crunchy, flipping them halfway through the cooking time to brown on both sides. I cooked them for about 10 minutes.

Serve garnished with the garlic croutons, a spoonful of labaneh or greek yogurt, chopped parsley, and another splash of balsamic vinegar if desired.

I’m looking forward to eating this hearty, nutritious dish throughout the week. I hope you find it as delicious and sustaining as I do.

Enjoy!

Tasty Tofu Scramble

Tofu

Scrambled tofu that tastes like scrambled eggs — only better? Sounds almost too good to be true. Happily, the recipe that I discovered last week is not only real, but easy to make. One block of tofu will make enough for four people — or a great breakfast four days in a row, which is how I enjoyed it. Scrambled tofu reheats perfectly in the microwave, so it’s also a great dish to make ahead.

One of the things that makes this so exciting is Kala Namak, a mineral-rich black salt from the Himalayas. It’s a go-to for vegans seeking egg flavor without the eggs, and a popular condiment in many Indian chutneys and snacks. Famous for its pungent, sulfurous aroma, the first time you get a whiff of it you may have doubts. Keep going! The terrible stink-bomb smell will dissipate upon cooking. It’s worth it. Your finished dish will be delicious.

As I often say, my favorite way to cook is to have time-intensive staples prepped and waiting in my fridge. (Favorites are caramelized onions, a pot of farro, and roasted vegetables.) With these basics at hand, it’s easy to freestyle on a whim. This scrambled tofu is now on that list of foundational necessities. It’s phenomenal dressed up with herbs, onions, and vegetables, as the mood and occasion inspires. It’s also great on toast, in a pita, rolled up in a tortilla, or all by its lonesome, without any carbs at all. The last time I made it, I added pan fried red peppers with lots of cumin and thick slices of avocado

As an “almost vegan” for just two months, I have a lot to learn. But one thing I knew from the start is that I don’t want to eat a lot of processed products that simulate meat, eggs, or dairy. I’d rather just celebrate the beauty and tastiness of plants, and learn how to cook them in exciting new ways. However, this dish really does taste amazingly like scrambled eggs. Flavored with brewer’s yeast, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and Kala Namak, in a tahini and oat milk base that makes the tofu super creamy, I’d argue it’s even better.

It’s ironic. The best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had aren’t really eggs at all.

Next-Level Tofu

Vegetables

I’ve been thinking about the last thing that really spoke to me. Inspired me. Made me dig deep, but also made me laugh. And I tell you what, it was a couple of weekends ago during the Earth Day celebration in Forest Park here in Saint Louis. I’ve only been in my new city for a couple of months, so it was very energizing to be at a festival with such a large group of people. The crowd was diverse, as any group of people gathered in the middle of a city might be. But there was a sense of unification with everyone seemingly talking about some aspect of the environment — or at the very least, creating something beautiful for people to experience.

A total stranger gave me a few pouches of seeds: milkweed and heirloom zinnias. (If you’re interested in attracting Monarch butterflies to your garden, this will do the trick, he said.) I thought of his very kind act today when I prepared a new bed for planting them in honor of May Day. It seems like a perfect day to plant seeds that will bring butterflies. When he gave me the pouches of seeds, he also told me that the zinnias are from his 88-year-old neighbor’s plants. It made me feel good about the future of the flowers.

Spoiler Alert: I don’t think this post is going to have much to do with tofu, except to say that you should absolutely snag a copy of Bryant Terry’s Vegetable Kingdom and make the jerk tofu recipe on page 143. It would be criminal to provide the details here, (for so many reasons, not the least of which is copyright infringement). But beyond the obvious, it’s really more because you need to experience the whole damn book. The photos, the soundtrack, the beautiful writing, and the soul in every ingredient. Plus, chef doesn’t let you off easy. You’ve gotta marinate the tofu overnight in a homemade marinade. And make some garlic chips, and blanch some collard greens, and last but not least, make a cilantro sauce. It sounds harder than it is. It’s not hard. But you just can’t be in a hurry. You’ll need to give yourself over to cooking. Fry that garlic and meditate. Chop the peppers and reflect on the meaning of life. Cooking with Bryant Terry is simple yet profound.

See, that’s the real point of this here essay: peak experiences. In my view of late, the really exciting stuff is pretty darn simple. For example, grocery shopping. I used to dread it until I started to think about it in a new way. It used to be so gray and utilitarian. Now, I start by reading cookbooks. And then I go to wonderful international food stores and farmers markets.

My all-time favorite food writer is Nigel Slater because he writes in a very meandering fashion. You feel like you’re with him, puttering about in wooden clogs, snipping herbs from your garden and staring at the clouds. Eventually, he decides to make a stew. Impromptu style based on his mood, and pantry, and something poetic way down deep in his soul. He lifts you up with his free-spirited approach. After all of my reading, I usually haven’t settled on exact recipes, but I’m ready to make a list of spices, oils, grains, and nuts that I’m lacking — just in case. Usually, I focus in on at least one dish that I’m going to make.

In this case, it was the jerk tofu from Vegetable Kingdom. Partly, I was zeroing in on a recipe with tofu because of Michael Greger, M.D. I found this dude recently while googling how to optimize my microbiome. Next thing I know, I’m spiraling down a very exciting Internet rabbit hole, listening to a long playlist of science-based, heavily-researched videos on nutrition, diet, and health-optimization. After about 3 hours of YouTubing, I was ready to try a plant-based diet. And by that, I mean, try being a vegan. (Although, I quickly started calling it nearly-vegan, because I can’t seem to give up labneh on my flatbread, and parmesan on my pasta!) The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!

Currently, I’m on day two of this plant-based experiment. I must say, it feels pretty good. (In my stronger moments, I even think about giving up the labneh and the parmesan. But not yet, not yet.) At the moment, I’ll just say two things. First, I’m pondering how to indulge my love of food writing, but in a way that is uniquely me. And meaningful to me. There’s a plethora of gorgeous, food-styled content in the world. I mean, it’s staggering. I know because I spend a decent amount of time scrolling and saving it. The downside of all this food porn, is that it makes it very daunting to get in the game. What could I possibly add? What ingredient could possibly be novel? To be honest, I don’t know yet. But, I’m hoping that my ramblings will lead me down the garden path, Nigel Slater style.

My second thing has nothing, directly, to do with food. But I really must rant. I am so discouraged by the American front lawn. It’s such a thing. And to me, a baffling thing. Everyone on my street seems to have a lawn that is being “treated.” I keep wondering: treated for what? These guys wearing ghostbuster backpacks roll up and spray some mysterious thing on the lawns being treated. I don’t feel good about this. But the polite, Midwestern-born part of me doesn’t want to be rude or strident. I really am not comfortable getting up on a soapbox. I feel a bit shy. But at the same time, I feel a lot of despair over this lawn-treatment phenomenon. I don’t know how our notion of beauty (aka: uniformity) got so messed up. Like the guy with the pouches of seeds at Earth Day, I want to hand out inspiration to my neighbors. I want to share knowledge. I want to show people that there’s a different path.

I say all of this with humility. I used to be such an eye-rolling skeptic. I mean, that’s a story for another day. But there was a time when I just wasn’t that interested in the perils of monoculture, or composting, or eating my organic greens. It pains me to think that I wasn’t open to the obvious. And now, it’s baffling looking back.

So I’m going to mediate while frying my garlic chips. What can I do? My first thought is to lead by example. Lectures never seem to work. Create something beautiful on the block that moves people. Call in the butterflies. Turn a lawn into a prairie. I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but I have faith that even little acts of kindness and beauty can make a difference. Stay tuned.

Roasted Cauliflower

Vegetables

While I will always love printed cookbooks, it’s hard to deny the inspiration I get from the thousands (millions?) of influencers, chefs, food photographers, and stylists online. Lately, I’ve really been enjoying Vegan Challenge 4 U where I recently found a fabulous recipe for roasted cauliflower with a golden drizzle (tahini, lime juice, maple syrup, water). If you enjoy dishes that have tremendous eye appeal, major health benefits, and are foolproof and delicious, this is one you need to try right away.

I made it today for lunch and ate the entire head of cauliflower in one sitting — no regrets! Cauliflower is loaded with many nutrients and plant compounds that are good for your health. And, a medium-sized head of cauliflower has 12g of fiber. (The recommended daily fiber intake for women is 25g and 38g for men.) Apparently most people in the U.S. only get about half of that amount, which is a shame because sufficient fiber intake is good for gut health, regulates blood sugar, and so much more.

However, the health benefits aren’t the thing that will be on your mind when you whip this up for lunch or surprise guests at your next dinner party. The main thing you’ll be thinking is: “OMG this is bomb!” I also love how it’s a great example of culinary alchemy in that it transforms a frequently maligned and unloved vegetable and turns it into the much-loved star of the show.

Tender and buttery on the inside, golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside. All it needs is a drizzle of high-quality olive oil, some salt, and pepper. The golden drizzle sauce that I made today takes it over the top, but you can skip it if you are worried about calories or trying to avoid refined sugar.

After such a satisfying lunch, I do what I always do after cooking a new dish: I research more ways to celebrate the key ingredients. Wow. There are so many ways to prepare cauliflower. I was reminded how I went through a big phase a few years ago, where I obsessively made cauliflower pizza crust almost every week. The hype is real: it’s good! It does, however, take some effort. So after my initial love affair, I turned my attention elsewhere.

Today was a good reminder to make cauliflower a regular item on my shopping list. I also learned that this vegetable is often paired with black olives in a variety of Mediterranean dishes, as in this roasted cauliflower salad with anchovies, olives, and capers. Mmmmm. I can’t wait to go shopping so I can snag all of the ingredients and give it a spin.

Happy Cooking!