Eggplant Rice Bowl

"Gyuu-don" in Japan is a popular beef rice bowl. Gross I know. But don't worry! A super tastier & healthier rice bowl is ready to take it's place as Number One!

EGGPLANT RICE BOWL!
"Nasu-don"

makes 4 bowls

2 medium Asian eggplants (or one regular large eggplant)
1 onion, chopped
1 C "dashi" (konbu, wakame, or vegetable stock)
1/4 C + 1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp mirin (rice vinegar)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 C water + 2 Tbsp cornstarch

Short grain rice, cooked (bout 4 cups)

Toppings:
grated ginger (the kind in the tube. or pickled ginger works well too)
scallions

1. Cut eggplants in half



2. Grill the eggplants until the skin is wrinkly and just starting to char.
Try broiling them in the oven, or on a high temp close to the heat source in your toaster oven. For a last resort, try a creme brulee torch!



3. Place them in an ice bath for 5 minutes.



4. While waiting, place dashi stock, soy sauce, vinegars, and sugar in a pan on medium heat and bring to a simmer.

5. After the ice bath, peel the eggplants and discard the skins (the smell will tempt you, but don't eat them yet!)



6. Cut each eggplant in four long strips and then cut those in half, giving you 8 pieces.



7. Add eggplant and onion to broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.



8. Slowly pour in the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir constantly until it thickens.



9. Pour over rice. Top with scallions and ginger. Dig in! (Oh it's so good!)



No eggplants? No worries! Use any veggies on hand with the same sauce.

Lentil dahl with sweet veggie couscous

Oh, such a wonderful little lunch!




A veggie sandwich with homemade big bread and tofu mayo.
Sweet Couscous from the McDougall Diet online cookbook.
Lentil Dahl by Gellian McKeith's You Are What You Eat.

Lentil dahl with vegetables

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 cup of red split lentils per person

1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground coriander
pinch of cayenne
½ a cauliflower
1 stalk of broccoli
½ a turnip
1 tsp garam masala
tamari
nori flakes


Put the lentils in a large pan with PLENTY of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that appears.

Turn down the heat, add the spices, except the garam masala, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped vegetables, tamari and garam masala and cook until the vegetables are soft.

Serve the dahl on top of the rice and sprinkle with nori flakes.

I obviously used brown lentils just fine and 1 cup makes a TON. If you want lots of leftovers, go ahead and double it! I also just used veggies at hand & no nori.

Sweet Couscous
Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup couscous
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 tablespoons brown sugar*
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Let rest for 3 minutes. Top with sliced bananas, if desired.
*Original recipe calls for honey.

Oh man, this is so good! The contrasting tastes with steamed vegetables and the dahl on the side are amazing!

Omni Dinner Pleasers #2

Another successful dinner party where omnis eat delicious vegan food without even realizing it!
Hopefully this will be many in a continuing series that will inspire you when you need to impress!

Menu:
Mexican Herb Biscuits
Salad with sesame dressing
Taco Casserole
Mexican Rice
Flan


I started with a spin on the two big winners (biscuits & croutons) of the last Omni Dinner series.

*Appetizer*


Mexican Herb Biscuits (Ronin Recipe)
I altered the spices to include oregano, garlic, cumin, and paprika.
Awesome.

*Salad*


Fresh salad with croutons
Lettuce with avocado, tomato, onion, homemade sesame dressing (Ronin Recipe) and homemade garlic-rosemary croutons.
Croutons:
Bread, olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary
Lightly rub bread with oil, shake on garlic powder and rosemary. Rub into the bread. Cut into squares, place in toaster oven oil side up. Toast until light brown.

*Main 1*


Taco Casserole (Ronin Recipe)

I cannot tell you how many times I have made this for all sorts of occasions, and it always goes down so well. It really is a staple in my recipe repertoire because it is so EASY and FLEXIBLE!
This time I used kidney beans, onion, peppers, stewed tomatoes, and corn plus one packet of taco seasoning and some hot sauce (baked in 2 small pans).
Served on the side:
Salsa, Avocados, Onions, Tomatoes, Lettuce, and hot sauce of course!

*Main 2*
Mexican Rice
(not pictured)

Prepare and start cooking rice as you normally would. Half way through the cooking process, stir in:
Stewed tomatoes, mince onion, garlic powder, salt, dash of paprika, dash of turmeric, and mixed chopped vegetables (corn, carrot, peas...). Add more spice as desired.
Finish cooking as usual. Give it a good stir before you serve. MMMM!

*Dessert*
Flan


A.K.A.: Creme Caramel or Custard.

Vegan box mixes of flan are actually fairly easy to find. Try checking the Latin food section (Goya brand is vegan). Just follow the box directions and use soymilk!

Here is a recipe for Vegan Caramel Flan by VegCooking Blog. I have not tried this to know how good it is.


Sit back and enjoy the compliments!