Nigerian-Style Jollof Rice

A popular, standard dish in West Africa, jollof rice originated among the Wolof people of Senegal and spread to many other countries in West Africa, including Nigeria. I first read about it in a novel by a Nigerian author and it sounded so delicious that I had to find out how to make it. Although it is often made with chicken or fish, this is a vegetarian/vegan version that I enjoy.

Ingredients

 

1 c. uncooked brown basmati rice

½ c. wild rice

½ c. finely chopped onion

½ c. finely chopped red pepper

15 oz. (one can) diced tomatoes or two large chopped fresh tomatoes

3 tbsp. tomato paste

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. coconut milk

2 c. vegetable broth (vegetarian soup stock or substitute water)

2 crushed cloves of garlic

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. coriander

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. nutmeg

A couple of shakes of habanero pepper sauce (optional)

15 oz. artichoke hearts (optional)

Directions

For the vegetable mixture, finely chop the onion and pepper and lightly cook them in the oil for 5 minutes over medium heat then turn the heat off. Finely chop the tomatoes. Crush the garlic. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste to the onion and pepper.

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add the rice, the coconut milk, the vegetable mixture, and the spices. The habanero pepper sauce can be added while cooking or it can be kept aside to be added later according to how spicy each person wants their own rice.

Cook the rice, covered, on a very low temperature until all the liquid is absorbed (about 45 minutes). Fluff with a fork and allow to sit for 5 minutes. If you add artichoke hearts, put them into the rice for the last few minutes of cooking to warm them up.

Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. For those who eat cheese, this dish is delicious with grated cheddar cheese melted on top.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

Dolmas are perfect finger food for parties, an excellent snack, or they can be served as a main dish.

Ingredients

2 c. cooked long-grain brown rice or brown Basmati rice

¼ c. pine nuts

1 crushed clove of garlic

3 tomatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. fresh Greek oregano

1 tbsp. fresh basil

½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. black pepper

35 canned grape leaves (15 oz. jar)

¼ c. water or vegetable broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat an oblong baking dish with olive oil.

If the rice is not yet cooked, then cook the rice – 1c. of dry rice will yield 2 c. cooked rice. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and combine with crushed garlic. Chop the oregano and basil as finely as possible. Add all the other ingredients to the tomatoes and combine with the rice. This is the filling.

Gently separate the grape leaves without tearing. Put a spoonful of filling into each grape leaf at the stem end and roll them tight, folding the sides as you go so the filling will not fall out. (You may need to cut off protruding stem.) Place the rolled grape leaves in the greased baking dish. Pour the water or vegetable broth over them.

Bake covered at 350° for 20 minutes.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Middle Eastern Swiss Chard Soufflé

This soufflé incorporates many classic Middle Eastern ingredients found in Palestinian and Israeli cooking. The flavor reminds me a bit of spanakopita. Since I don’t eat filo dough because of the gluten, I love to do this soufflé for that Mediterranean-type meal.

Ingredients

5 eggs (yolks and whites to be separated)

½ cup mayonnaise

4 tbsp. brown rice flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ c. finely diced onion

2 large crushed garlic cloves

4 oz. crumbled goat feta cheese

1 large bunch of Swiss chard (about 8-10 leaves)

½ c. chopped parsley

¼ c. chopped cilantro

1 tsp. dill

½ tsp. black pepper

salt to taste

2 lemons

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Pull the central stems from the chard and chop it into small pieces. Do this by placing about 3 leaves together, rolling them up, and cutting across in thin strips, then cutting through the strips perpendicular to chop them down smaller. Chop the parsley, cilantro, and onion. Put the chard, parsley, cilantro, and onion into a large vegetable steamer in a large stew pot (it’s OK if some of the veggies fall over into the water below but try to keep as much as possible out of the water to retain minerals). Make a little well in the top of the vegetables and put the crushed garlic in it. Steam the vegetables for 4 minutes.

Separate the yolks and whites. Place the whites into a mixing bowl by themselves to be used shortly. Note that this recipe only works if the eggs are cold because the egg whites will need to be beaten stiff. The yolks go into a mixing bowl to be blended with the other ingredients.

Combine the egg yolks, mayonnaise, flour, baking powder, dill, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Press all liquid out of the vegetables, then add them to the egg yolk mixture. Blend all the ingredients well. Fold in the crumbled feta so that it is evenly distributed.

Shake a little salt into the egg whites as this will help them beat up fluffy. Beat them on high until they are stiff and stand in peaks when you lift the beaters out. Grease a deep eight-inch round casserole dish. Add the egg whites to the mixture of other ingredients and fold them gently together in a sort of sudsy soup.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350°. Check to be sure the soufflé is done by inserting a knife in the middle. It should come out clean with no gooey mixture stuck to it. Bake for longer if the soufflé is not done. You have to serve the soufflé immediately if you want it to be admired for its fluffy appearance because it will drop swiftly, but it will still taste delicious after it drops.

Cut the lemon into wedges and serve on the side. Squeeze a little lemon on your portion of soufflé for a slice of perfection.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Acorn Bread (Gluten-Free)

Refer to the recipe entry explaining how to make acorn meal. This is a variation on a cornbread recipe that includes acorn meal, which gives the bread a distinctive unusual nutty flavor.

Ingredients

½ c. acorn meal

¾ c. yellow cornmeal

¾ c. brown rice flour

¼ c. flax seed meal

2½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

4 tbsp. maple syrup

2 eggs

1½ c. plain yogurt

¼ c. water

¼ c. butter

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Beat the eggs. Melt the butter. Combine the wet ingredients. Put the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend just until moistened and no dry pockets of dry ingredients remain.

Put the batter in an eight-inch square baking dish. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425º for 25-30 minutes. Insert a knife to see if it’s done and continue to bake for a few more minutes if the inside is still wet.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Acorn Meal

I find it comforting to know that if all the systems collapse and I have to forage in the woods for food, I know how to make acorns edible. On the other hand, it would be much more difficult to do render acorns edible without my food processor and oven. Acorn meal is an exotic and flavorful addition to a number of recipes. Refer to my acorn bread recipe for a basic use for acorn meal.

To make acorn meal you first collect acorns. The smaller the cap, the less bitter the acorn. To begin with, you pound the acorn with a hammer to crack it open and then you remove the outer shell. Once you have a stack of inner acorn meat, you throw that into your food processor and spin it until it is ground down into a fine meal.

Next you must leach the acid out of the acorns so that they are no longer bitter. Put approximately 1 cup of acorn meal into a jar and cover it with approximately 2 cups of water. Put a cloth napkin over the top and hold it in place with a rubber band. Let the acorn meal stand in the water. The Natives would leach the acid out of acorn meal in the old days by letting it sit in a flowing stream of clean water. It takes about a week to remove the acid from the acorn meal. Change the water at least once every day. Twice is better. During the course of the week, the water will become clearer. You can take a little taste of the acorn meal to see if it tastes bitter, but after a week of soaking in the water, the acorn meal should be relatively free of acid.

Spread the acorn meal out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Put it in the oven on a very low temperature, about 150° or 175°, for 3-4 hours until it is dry. It will turn dark in color. You can also put the acorn meal on top of a wood stove for a couple of days to dry out slowly, or use a food dehydrator to dry it. Once it is basically dry, throw it back into the food processor to separate out the individual pieces. Store it in the freezer so that it doesn’t lose nutritional value. 

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Sea Palm and Tofu in Coconut Milk

Sea palm is a form of kelp that is found only off the coast of Northern California. (It is available from the Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company—I don’t know where else to get it.) I feel fortunate to live in the “home” of sea palm and so I have it readily available. If you are skeptical about eating seaweed in anything other than sushi, then try this recipe. You will likely find yourself pleasantly surprised. Because the recipe includes coconut milk, honey, and apple, it is a little sweet and so it might appeal to children who otherwise would have nothing to do with a seaweed dish. For those who find the texture of the sea palm jarring, I suggest that you cut the strands down into smaller pieces. The flavor (and nutritional value) of the sea palm is sensational. 

Ingredients

½ oz. dried sea palm

¼ c. apple juice

5 oz. firm tofu (cubed)

1 c. coconut milk

¾ c. grated carrot

1 medium apple, cored and grated

¼ c. chopped scallions

2 tbsp. finely chopped ginger

2 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. tamari sauce (non-wheat for the gluten-free)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

2 tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ c. slivered almonds 

Directions

Soak the sea palm in the apple juice for 20 minutes to rehydrate it. Grate the carrot and apple. There is no need to peel the apple. Remove the core but leave the skin on.

Combine the scallions, ginger, honey, tamari, chives, basil, and nutmeg and simmer them together for 8 minutes in the coconut milk (moderate heat). Add the sea palm and apple juice and simmer for another 8 minutes (low heat). Then add the grated carrot and apple and the cubed tofu and simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes. Additional apple juice can be added (a little at a time) to keep the dish from becoming too dry.

Sprinkle with slivered almonds before serving. This dish is especially delicious when combined with a wild rice, such as black japonica or red rice.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom Sauce

Spaghetti squash is an extraordinarily satisfying substitute for pasta. This is good news for those who wish to avoid pasta to lose weight or reduce consumption of grains for other reasons. The recipe that follows can be made with your favorite tomato sauce (as written) or with other types of sauces, such as pesto or simply olive oil with crushed garlic. I have not provided a recipe for tomato sauce here since there are so many varieties of tomato sauce to choose from. Just pick one of your standards.

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

3 c. (24 oz.) tomato sauce of your choice

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. baby Portobello mushrooms (chopped)

1 tsp. oregano

1 garlic clove (crushed)

6 oz. grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and the first layer of strings. The spaghetti squash is a tricky squash to “clean” prior to baking because it is stringy by nature. You want to remove the tough strings at the core, but you don’t want to dig out the flesh of the squash, which is what you will bake and eat. Put the squash halves upside down on a cookie sheet with a little water in it (up to about ½ of an inch). Bake at 350˚ for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of the squash) or until the squash is clearly soft when pierced with a fork. Check frequently after 30 minutes in the oven so as not to overcook. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the squash meat and toss it in a large bowl. Separate the strands so that it resembles spaghetti.

While the squash is baking, cook the mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan for one minute on high heat and then turn the heat down to medium. Sauté the chopped mushrooms, crushed garlic clove, and oregano in the olive oil, drizzling in a little water as needed to prevent the mushrooms from drying out. The mushrooms will cook for approximately five minutes, until soft but not rubbery. Stir frequently.

When the spaghetti squash is done, warm the tomato sauce in a pot over low heat until it is hot. Add the mushrooms to the sauce and fold them in. Pour the tomato/mushroom sauce over the spaghetti squash and serve. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!