This really has to be the last time I share a recipe from Donna Klein’s book, Supermarket Vegan.
Really, it will be. I promise.
But, if I haven’t convinced you to snap up this book yet, I hope this is the recipe that does so. I hear Monique and her mother each got one of Donna Klein’s other books. I’m eager to hear what sort of solid-gold recipes they’ve found!
(Donna Klein, I not-so-secretly love you.)
With green beans instead of snap peas, because that's how, on this particular Sunday afternoon, I rolled.
So! Asian-style Lentil Stew. I thought this would be a home-run with my husband, but he’s turned his nose up at it twice, while the rest of us have eagerly gobbled down his portion. Finally, he told me he doesn’t care for it because it’s “too onion-y.” Oh. That’s not Ms. Klein’s fault at all. That’s mine! Lately, I’ve been seeing onion on the ingredient list and just dicing up an entire monster, instead of listening to the measurement. Next time I’ll give that a shot and see if he likes it. Whoops!
Recipe: Asian-style Lentil Stew
Adapted from Donna Klein’s Supermarket Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/ tablespoon peanut oil (I use olive or vegetable, depending what I have on hand.)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (You know how I feel about the onion measurement..)
- 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 14-ounce can (or 1 3/4 cups) of low-sodium vegetable broth (I used the No-Chicken bullion!)
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 1/3 cup brown rice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy or tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
Instructions
- In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add water, broth, lentils, rice, salt and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to between low and medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer, again stirring occasionally, until the lentil and rice are tender. This is about 15 minutes.
- If, at the 15-minutes-left mark, you’d like to add snap peas, or green beans or some other veggie, now is the time!
Number of servings (yield): 4
I might be showing you this picture more for the napkin than the food. Please, notice the napkin.
Oh? You’re still here? I thought we were finishe– Oh! The napkin? Where did I buy it? Funny you should ask, because I totally made it. By myself. It’s really no big deal…
(Yes, it is.)
Okay, I’ll be honest, I’m not a great seamstress. In fact, it’s been a mini-goal of mine to get around to learning how to properly sew on a machine, so I can make myself fabulous skirts out of old clothes. Not only is that up-cycling, it’s also potentially cheaper! I say potentially, because who knows how many gizmos and gadgets this budding hobby will turn me towards. I’ve seen it happen with both knitting and gardening. I just love hobby accessories!
So, on this Sunday I decided to finally put the How-To sewing book I Amazon’d to use. After some cursing, a little pacing, and a few fumbled attempts at bobbin-winding, I managed to come out on top with two green napkins.
I'm not sure if I've ever shown a picture of just how much I blow up a kitchen when I cook. Well, apparently the same goes for sewing. That cat, though... I did not put that cat there.
It’s not like I have a great desire for handmade napkins, but that just happens to be the first lesson in the book. I think that was two weeks ago. It took me at least a week to clear this table again and the sewing machine is currently sitting at my feet, furiously working to re-gather the inch of dust I wiped off of it in the first place. I’m not sure if sewing is going to be my thing. Maybe it’ll take a year to sink in, like knitting did.
Or maybe I'll just keep making these sweet napkins.