Tag: vegetarian
Ojibwe Wild Rice
Ojibwe Wild Rice
Wild rice has been an important part of the Ojibwe’s diet. While not actually rice, but the seeds of marsh grass, wild rice is harvested around the Great Lakes area by beating the grass with large wooden sticks into canoes. This is a simple recipe that is extremely flavorful and makes a great side dish to accompany just about any protein.
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice washed and rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 leeks
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place rice, water, and optional Grand Marnier in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low; stirring occasionally. Cook for 20 minutes.
- In another sauté pan over medium high heat, melt the butter and add in the leeks.
- Sauté for 8 minutes, set aside.
- After the rice has simmered for 20 minutes, stir in the leeks. Simmer on low for another 20 minutes until the wild rice is tender.
Season with salt to taste.
Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
I’ve very recently fell in love with eggplant parmigiana. I ate it from my work’s deli hot bar. It was good, but I knew that I could make it better. Eggplant parmigiana’s origins are from the southern regions of Italy; Calabrian, Campania, Apulia, and Sicily all claiming it’s creation. The dish consists of breaded and fried slices of eggplant baked in a tomato sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. Instead of frying the eggplant, I baked it in the oven until crispy; reducing the amount of oil used to make it slightly healthier. To completely ruin the healthier aspect, I added a garlic cream sauce to the dish; plus slices of mozzarella.
Ingredients
Cream Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Eggplant Parmigiana
- 1 large eggplant sliced into 1” pieces
- salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups tomato sauce divided
- fresh mozzarella sliced
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant and salt liberally to extract the moisture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Make an assembly line of flour in a bowl, beaten egg in one, and breadcrumbs in another. Dredge the eggplant in flour, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Pour the olive oil on a baking sheet. Place the breaded eggplant on the baking sheet.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes; flipping half way through.
- While the eggplant is baking, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour.
- Pour in the whole milk and continue to whisk for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Take off the heat. Whisk in the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large glass baking dish. Arrange the eggplant on top of the sauce.
- Pour over the cream sauce.
- Place a spoonful of sauce on top of each slice of eggplant; followed by a slice of mozzarella. Season with the dried herbs. Top with the parmesan cheese.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Chinese Coleslaw
Chinese Coleslaw
Never had Chinese coleslaw before? This is a great alternative to the soggy mayonnaise based coleslaw that you are used to. The use of chinkiang black vinegar in the dressing gives it that Chinese taste. Think of it as the Chinese equivalent to balsamic vinegar. Purple cabbage is used instead of green. Roasted peanuts add another textural crunch to the coleslaw. This side pairs great with meat as it balances out the heavy richness.
Ingredients
- 4 cups purple cabbage shredded
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Dressing
- 2 tbsp chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together.
- Mix together the cabbage, carrots, green onions, peanuts, and cilantro.
- Toss the ingredients together with the dressing and serve.
