Melange

ingredients:

olive oil
1 head cauliflower
3 large carrots
20 cloves garlic
4 Tb lemon juice (1/4 cup)
salt, pepper
2 cups chickpeas
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs.

pasta for four (~12 oz), prepared according to package directions

equipment: pot and colander for the pasta
large wok or frying pan for the melange.

this dish was inspired by the hummus principle:

1) hummus is good
2) hummus is good with carrots

-and-
3) there was a cauliflower in the fridge at the time.

also, I was reading Dune when I made this dish; so even though it does not contain any cinnimin, it is named Melange after the spice that is mined in dune that makes their universe possible (the pilots use it to get high in order to do the special navigation needed to traverse wormholes and such)

anyways: on to the recipe.

it's also a really cheap recipe, $3 or so per serving.

0) put up a pot of salted water to boil the pasta; and follow directions on the package.

1) chop up cauliflower, into large, bite size pieces; about 2 inches long, by 1 inch wide, with 1/2 inch depth or so. the important thing is that they are all about the same size.

2) blanche them: put them in the wok, with 1/2 cup water, cover it, and turn the heat to high. check them in about 7 minutes, they should be fork-tender at about the same time\
the water is all used up. (this trick also works well for blanching broccolli in other recipes)

3) meanwhile, cut the carrots into coins; all about the same size (1/2 inch thick); and dice the garlic.

4) when the cauliflower is fork tender (a fork just barely goes through it, remove to a bowl.
if the water isn't all boiled off yet; let it go for another 30 seconds or so

then, add 2 Tb of oil, turn down the heat to medium-high, and saute the carrots for 10 minutes, or until they are tender and somewhat caramelized.

5) add the minced garlic, saute for 2 minutes

6) add back in the cauliflower and the chickpeas. saute for 2 minutes

7) add in the lemon juice, and salt and pepper; saute for 2 more minutes.

8) serve on top of pasta, drizzling more olive oil over it, and topping
with whole wheat bread crumbs.

a beautiful cauliflower:


how many carrots to use:


diced carrots:

diced garlic:





stir-frying the carrots:

final stir-fry:

stuff I like

I need to add more photos and recipes.

but right now, here's some stuff I like; please note that I *just* joined the amazon associates program.

epicor: helps me breathe better, and not get sick as much. there's even medical studies that show it is effective. myself; I was only sick for 1 day during the last month; when others were sick for a week.



stitch-n-bitch: the book that has taught me so much about knitting, including how to fix mistakes. (they are not fixable in crochet, as least that I know of)

food scale: this has sped up my cooking; plus saving me from unnecessary washing of measuring cups

my dietary restrictions

Jill's allergies

created on: 1/27/05

Last updated: 3/25/2009 - chickpeas are good again, and after 14 years I've now added cranberries (in small amounts) back to my diet

I'm a vegetarian who pretty much eats only parve food- no dairy, no red meat, no fowl(chicken, turkey...) but I do eat kosher fish and eggs.

Instead I drink lots of rice and/or soy milk.

There's medical reasons for all the weird foods I can't eat (eating asparagus landed me an overnight stay in the medical center in college) so they are real.

First, what I like to eat: then: the actual restrictions.

food I like...

I'll always be happy with lots of vegetables, some protein, and

some whole grains. protein is key. if in doubt, I'll take a banana, two eggs sunny side up, and some whole grain toast. throw in an avocado (one of my favorite foods) and I'll be very happy.

things I like:

• broiled/roasted salmon; seared tuna steaks marinated in lime and soy
  sauce
  
• brown rice, whole wheat pasta; quinoa, millet (whole grains are key)
  
• stir-fries, tofu, stews,
  
• trader joe's meatless meatballs
  
  
• there's lots of vegan recipes up on the post punk kitchen
  
  • Mango ginger tofu
    

---

here's the restriction list:

no: red meat, poultry (obviously no pork either)
no dairy

note: I've found a good recipe for tofu-ricotta cheese, in a recipe (like lasagne) it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing :)

note: only tofutti soy cheese and mozarella soy cheese are okay, all the soy cheeses that are flavors that I can't eat (cheddar, for example)
that contain natural flavors are suspect unless they are un-aged and certified vegan. (Also,lots of soy cheese contain casein, a milk protein. So only soy cheeses marked vegan are okay)

no peanuts (all other nuts okay)
(small amount of peanuts (like peanut oil in roasted nuts) are okay, I just can't eat peanuts or peanut butter.)

no lentils, split peas, or other similar teeny beans
(black beans, white beans, pintos, chickpeas etc are fine :)
no asparagus
no corn kernels (processed cornmeal okay)

no celery in large quantities, small chopped up bits that have been
sauteed and baked to within an inch of their life (like in tempeh loaf
and stuffing) are fine

oranges: only navel, valencia, and blood oranges are okay (clementines,tangerines and others can give me migraines)

no chocolate
no nitrates (found in preserved meat and fish-especially lox)
no beer

Note: hidden cheese:

The following foods tend to include cheese as an ingredient:

(so I avoid them)

• pesto
  
• quiche
  

that's it for the allergies..

thanks for reading this far!

Jill R. Singer -- jillrenee@alum.mit.edu

Last updated: 3/25/2009