Tag: kale

Vegan spanish tortilla with kale

I had an excess of gorgeous red potatoes this week and wanted to use up some kale and silken tofu I had lying around, so I decided to make a Spanish tortilla for dinner. Spanish tortillas are not the same as Mexican flour or corn tortillas – they are more like a potato omelet. I googled “vegan spanish tortilla tofu” and adapted the first two recipes I found: one from FatMornings (which is adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance [VwaV]) and one from Hungry Vegan. I think this would probably be fine with either asceptic (boxed) or fresh, water-packed tofu, but I used the water-packed silken variety ’cause that’s what I had in the house. The chickpea flour/tofu mixture gave this a nice consistency, the turmeric added a little color, and the black salt added a little egg-like, sulfuric taste. This would make an excellent brunch dish!

Ingredients
Part 1
1/4 c (4 tablespoons) olive oil
8 small red or 4 medium Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and de-eyed, sliced into even 1/4 inch slices
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

Part 2
1 pound silken or soft tofu, drained of any excess water
1 c plain soy milk
3-4 cloves garlic
3 Tbs chickpea flour
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Part 3
1 bunch kale, chopped fine
1/4 c bread crumbs, optional

Method
Part 1: Preheat oven to 375 F (350 F for a convection oven). Pour the oil into the bottom of a 10″ x 13″ baking pan (or 10″ cast-iron skillet). Add the sliced potatoes and onion and toss to coat with the oil. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Part 2: Meanwhile, place all the ingredients listed under Part 2 above into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. The consistency should be pourable, but not too thin – sort of like the consistency of an egg/milk mixture you’d use for a (nonvegan) quiche back in the days when you didn’t know any better.

Part 3: Once your potatoes and onions are soft, add the chopped kale, then pour on the tofu mixture and mix to combine. Top with breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake, uncovered, until set and browned on top. This took about half an hour in my convection oven, but it could take up to an hour according to the Fat Mornings/VwaV recipe. That recipe also calls for letting the dish cool before serving, but I served it straight from the oven and it was delicious! Nice topped with some fresh, diced tomato, or even salsa! Next time I will try it with the red pepper-almond sauce from VwaV.

Lima bean & root vegetable stew

Lima beans are delicious and nutritious. This recipe pairs these happy little legumes with turnips, potatoes, kale, and carrots in an aromatic broth. Most of the measurements are estimates and you can use more or less of an ingredient without fear – for example, you can use more broth & make this a soup!. I used some herbs that I harvested from my garden this fall and put in the freezer, but fresh or dried herbs would work fine as well. The fennel root is optional – it was something I had in the freezer and needed to use up.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons tomato paste
16 ounces water or vegetable broth
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small purple-top turnips, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small bunch kale (about 4-5 stalks)
1 cup diced potato (about 2 small)
1 cup diced fennel root
1 16 oz bag frozen lima beans
sage – 2 large fresh (frozen) leaves, chopped or teaspoon dried
tarragon – 1 tablespoon fresh (frozen) or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, then simmer, covered, for about half an hour or until the vegetables are done.

Sweet potato-kale burritos

I spent a fair amount of my childhood in Texas eating Tex-Mex, so this recipe feels like “home” to me. I probably make burritos using this method about once a month, on average, and it’s always such a quick and delicious meal. I cheated by using a microwave to cook the sweet potatoes, kale, and peppers/onions – it would be better done in a skillet, but I was in a rush!

Ingredients

All hail the sweet potato!

1 medium sweet potato, peeled, diced into about 3/4″ pieces
1 small bunch kale, tough stems removed, chopped medium-fine
1 cup chopped bell pepper and onion  (I used frozen from Trader Joe’s)
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt, or to taste
4 whole wheat wraps/tortillas
1 can Eden Organics refried black beans
about half a jar of Appalachian Naturals Veracruz salsa
About 3/4 cup shredded “cheddar” (Daiya or soy cheese – could also use something like this vegan queso)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a microwave-safe bowl, toss your chopped kale, sweet potato, and peppers/onions with about a tablespoon of water and the cumin and steam, covered, in a microwave for 4 minutes. Stir, check for doneness, and cook for another minute or two until your sweet potato is done. Meanwhile, divide the refried black beans among each of the wraps, spreading onto most of the surface of each one with a spatula. When your sweet potato/kale mixture is done, spoon onto each of your wraps. Take each wrap, fold in the sides, roll up into a log, and place into a rectangular baking dish. The dish should be sized so that your burritos are snug against each other and snug against the sides of the dish. Once all the burritos are lined up in your pan, cover them with the salsa and cheese (I like my burritos covered, but not drenched – to each her own) and pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Lentil-Potato-Kale Soup

I love lentils. So easy to use, so delicious & nutritious. This soup is chunky, robust, and flavorful, not to mention wicked easy and quick.

Ingredients
1 t olive or canola oil
1 small red onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 small to medium potatoes, scrubbed & diced
1.5 to 2 c dry masoor dal (red lentils with skins on) or french green/brown lentils
big bunch of kale, washed, destemmed, torn into small bits
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1-2 carrots, diced
4-5 large button mushrooms, chopped
8 c liquid (veg broth, water, or mixture of both)
Splash of sherry
1 T Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 t cumin
1/2 t sage
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t celery seed

Method
Warm the oil in the bottom of a large pot. Add onions & mushrooms and cook over medium heat until softened. Add liquid, then add rest of ingredients. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for half an hour or until lentils and potatoes are done. Enjoy topped with croutons.