Tonight Lisa made a vegetarian version of Carbonada, an Argentinian stew. The recipe comes from the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. This stew is loaded with veggies, spices, rice, and… evil?

Chris says:

Oh. When you said we were having Satan for dinner I thought you had somehow secured an audience with our President.

Lisa says:

Um, yeah… it’s seitan, not Satan. Although Satan might have a better texture; this stuff is pretty weird.

Chris says:

Seems fine to me; a little like soggy bread.

Lisa says:

Well, it is “wheat gluten”… makes sense. But you didn’t see me pour it out of the package… yikes.

Chris says:

Pretty hellish, that seitan?

Lisa says:

You are just so amused by that, aren’t you? Anyway, I probably wouldn’t make this again…

Chris says:

The flavors are okay, but you’re right, there are definitely a lot of stews we’ve had that I like better.

Vegetarian Carbonada
——————–
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 medium potato, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 cubed seitan
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the onion, celery, garlic, and oil in a heavy soup pot, cover, and saute for about 10 minutes, until the onions soften, stirring to prevent sticking. Add in the spices and the bay leaf and saute for another minute. Stir in the stock, wine, potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to simmer the veggies and broth for 10 minutes.
Add the seitan, rice, and tomatoes and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

4 Hellish Servings

Lisa made these delicious treats from a recipe in the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. It made for a nice dessert following the swordfish.

Chris says:

What smells like pancakes in here?

Carrie says:

Yum! Were these really hard to make?

Lisa says:

No, they were easy… I just didn’t know how to cut them right.

Chris says:

I don’t care how they’re cut, they’re awesome. I’ll be taking these with me tomorrow…

Maple Walnut Biscotti
———————
1 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or a very light coating of oil.

In a large mixing bow, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the flour mixture. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and walnuts, mixing just until the dough is smooth.

Using a rubber spatula and floured hands, scoop half of the dough out of the bowl and onto one side of the baking sheet. Shape the dough into a 15-inch long log. Make a second log on the other side of the baking tray with the remaining dough. Space the logs at least 6-inches apart.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top of each biscotti log is firm. Remove them with a long spatula to a wire rack and cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut each log on a severe diagonal into about 20 1/2-inch thick slices and place them, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Hot from the oven, the biscotti might be slightly soft in the center, but they will harden as they cool. Allow them to cool completely.

A full plate courtesy of the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. Swordfish is baked in a lemony cilantro sauce with onions, carrots, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. We served it over a couscous with onions and peas, a recipe also from Moosewood.

Chris says:

Lemony!

Lisa says:

And cilantro-y! I love that sauce.

Carrie says:

Wow, I can’t believe I ate this whole thing, but it actually seems pretty light!

Chris says:

It is pretty light — the fish is just baked with lemon juice, herbs, and vegetables… definitely keeps the fish moist.

Swordfish Tagine with Chermoulla
——————————–
1 1/2 pounds swordfish
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 fresh chile, seeded, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rinse the fish fillets and set them aside. Prepare a glass baking dish with cooking spray or oil very lightly. Arrange the onions and carrots in a layer to cover the bottom of the dish and place the fillets on top. Lightly sprinkle them with salt.

In a blender or food processor, combine the cilantro, garlic, ginger, cumin, lemon juice, chile and half the chopped tomatoes and puree for form a smooth sauce. Add salt to taste. Pour the sauce evenly over the fish and vegetables and top with remaining chopped tomatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork (about 140F internal temperature).

This soup also comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Book. It’s rich and creamy, and the corn and potatoes give it a sweet taste, with just a touch of heat from serrano peppers.

Lisa says:

You know what my favorite part of this soup is? The sweet — it reminds me of one of the Great Bowls of Fire recipes.

Chris says:

My favorite part is that it’s going into my mouth.

Southwestern Corn and Potato Soup
———————————
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups Vegetable broth
2 tsp ground cumin
1 medium sweet potato, diced (~2 cups)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
salt
lime wedges
cilantro, finely chopped

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions, garlic, serrano, and salt in 1 cup of the vegetable stock for about 10 minutes or until the onions soften. In a small bowl, make a paste with the cumin and a tbsp of the stock, stir into the pot, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the the sweet potatoes and the remaining stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the bell pepper and corn and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
Puree about 1/2 the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. Add salt to taste and reheat on low heat. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro.

Well, more accurately, a lower-fat version of Caesar dressing made without oil and egg yolks. This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Book.

Chris says:

Wow, for a low-fat Caesar this is pretty good.

Lisa says:

I’ve never made salad dressing before; I like it!

Chris says:

The leftover will be really good to dip veggies in!

Dressing
——–
2 hard-boiled eggs, whites only
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup nonfat/lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup nonfat/regular buttermilk
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 kalamata olives, minced
2 tsp Pickapeppa sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Croutons
——–
4 slices bread, 1/2 inch thick
1 large garlic clove

Salad
—–
Romaine, chopped
freshly shredded Romano cheese

Combine all the dressing ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.
Toast the bread slices. Peel the garlic clove, slice it in half, and rub the cut side against both sides of the toast. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes, and lightly toast again on an unoiled tray at 350 degrees.
Rinse the lettuce and combine with the croutons. Toss with about 1/4 cup fo the dressing to lightly coat. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.