Deliberately vegetarian baked beans

This time, I really was trying. The following is an iteration of the "accidentally vegetarian baked beans" that I made awhile back. I used Arabic-style crispy onions to emulate the effect of bacon.

The recipe is written as executed, which came out very well. A couple of tweaks I would recommend:

• Cook the beans the first time to the doneness you want at the end. Don't cook them to firm because you figure they will get mushy. For whatever reason, they don't soften up much in the slow cooker.

• Vegan worcestershire sauce is, of course, not exactly the same as the kind with anchovies. There are many brands. Choose one, taste it, and adjust the other proportions.

• I didn't have any paprika, so it's not in the recipe, but I still think it should have some.

• Definitely needed more molasses. At least another tablespoon, maybe two.

• I cooked the beans for 8 hours, plus one hour of resting, because that's the time I had. It needs more. I'd say try around 12 hours cooking, plus 1 hour resting.

Based on this recipe for barbecued beans:

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/05/crockpot-bacon-bourbon-baked-beans/

First pass:

http://tofuvavohu.blogspot.com/2012/08/accidentally-vegetarian-baked-beans.html

INGREDIENTS (AS USED, NOT AS RECOMMENDED):

• 1 1/4 lb dry great northern beans
• 1/2 stick kombu
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/8 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 cup bourbon
• 3 tbsp strong brown mustard (I used a homemade batch with only bourbon)
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegan worcersteshire sauce (note to self -- update with brand)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• ~ 1tsp salt

DIRECTIONS (AS USED, NOT AS RECOMMENDED):

1. Pick over and rinse beans. Soak overnight. Drain, cover with water. Add kombu piece. Boil to desired final tenderness, 25-45 minutes depending on a variety of factors. Drain, remove kombu, set aside.
2. Mix the onions and garlic in a bowl. Add about half the salt and mix thoroughly.
3. In a large, heavy pan, over high heat, heat the oil almost until almost the smoke point. Add the onion mixture. Cook until starting to get crispy, turning thoroughly intermittently. When done, set aside.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients (spices, liquids) in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
5. Combine everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shut off heat. Stir. Let stand uncovered for one hour before serving.

Kashk e bademjan (Persian eggplant)

I've been trying to make my own variant of this since December, when a Persian friend opened my eyes to it. I finally nailed it. The trick was the special preparation of garlic. I have no idea if this is authentic (beyond the substitution of lowfat sour cream for kashk), but honestly it's too tasty to care.

Proportions--sorry, I didn't measure anything! But with this sort of thing, it's really a matter of taste.

• 1 large purple eggplant, sliced into 3/4" slices. Don't peel it!
• 1 head of garlic, peeled but not chopped or cut at all! Just remove the skins!
• 2 small onions, chopped
• Handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
• A few leaves of fresh basil
• Between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup lowfat sour cream
• About 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1/4 of a lime

Directions--

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Roast the eggplant for 40 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Allow to cool until near room temperature (20 minutes or so).
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat.
4. Once a single piece of onion will sizzle in the olive oil, add all the garlic and onion. (You did leave your peeled garlic intact, right?) Saute until golden.
5. Put everything in a food processor. Don't make it too smooth; you want some texture.

Garnish with a bit more parsley and olive oil. Delicious with sliced cucumbers!

Pumpkinseed Nutella

My sister told me about sunflower Nutella, but I didn't have any sunflower seeds, so I tried it with pumpkinseeds. I prepared the liquids first (halving the recipe) and then added them in a little at a time. I'm glad I did, because the original called for way too much liquid. I have attempted to reflect my final proportions here.

• 1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (may need to adjust)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp milk

In a wide, heavy pan, toast the pepitas over medium heat, turning constantly with a spatula. They will pop! So make sure you don't lean close to the pot. The will start to smell awesome after a couple of minutes. When a good number of them are golden, take them off the heat and continue turning. Transfer to another vessel and cool in the freezer until they are room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine all of the other ingredients in a measuring cup.

Put the room-temperature pepitas into the food processor. Grind for several minutes, stopping each minute to scrape the sides of the bowl. After going much too long as little granules, they will suddenly and magically turn into an awesome green nut butter the color of pistachio ice cream.

Add everything else and continue to process. You may have to scrape the sides several times.

Makes one 8oz jar.

Red beans and rice (wine base)

New Orleans got me thinking about red beans and rice, and this post in the NY times got me thinking about red wine bases for beans. This involves some juggling--probably not a great recipe for beginners.

1 bottle red wine
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
12 oz Andouille sausage, shredded
4 oz bacon
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
zest of one lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp malt vinegar
1 lb red beans
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 piece kombu -- optional, makes beans more tender
Salt to taste

1. Soak beans overnight.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine rosemary, bay leaves and wine. Let simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.
3. Meanwhile, drain beans and put with the kombu in a medium pot, with enough water to cover + 1". (You can always add a little more and drain some if you're worried.) Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 35 minutes or until tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot, cook the bacon as slowly as you can to get as much fat out as possible. Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.
5. Cook the onions and garlic in the bacon fat until soft. Add the peppers and cook together until very soft, about 15 minutes.
6. Take the kombu out of the bean mixture. DO NOT DRAIN!
7. Strain the wine reduction into the pot with the onions. Combine everything into this pot.
8. Mash the beans a little bit with a masher. This releases starch and causes the stew to thicken.
9. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting with salt and vinegar as necessary.

Serve with white rice.