ministryofreviews

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“Sorry” as a Verb

I have done some deplorable things. I have behaved in ways that make me disgusted and embarrassed at the same time.

I used to think saying sorry was enough. I used to feel that since I was incredibly kind and generous 99% of my life, that the 1% in which I was horrible didn’t carry as much weight… as though there was some sort of general balance on a scale. It was a very egocentric way of looking at things and a great way for me to be a coward who can continue his cycle of toxic behavior.

What that selfish perspective kept me from seeing was that for some people, that 1% bad behavior was 100% of their interaction with me. It’s no wonder a simple, “I’m sorry” did nothing to ease the pain I caused; nor affect the cycle of my behavior.

Personal growth isn’t always pretty or poetic. Sometimes, it’s an appalling realization that you’re an asshole… a moment of clarity that inspires the kick in the ass you need to make changes.

Don’t just say… SHOW!

When a person matures, “sorry”, comes to life. Its emphasis is placed on demonstration more than vocalization. I learned that until that moment of clarity, you’re exponentially more likely to continue the poisonous behavior.

When “sorry” becomes a verb, behavior is changed and healing can begin.

#sorry #verb #behavior

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Pinto Posole

It’s still cold outside! Let’s cozy up with some soup and trust that warm spring weather is on its way. If you enjoy bean-based chili recipes and tortilla soup, you are going to love this pinto posole.

I traded pinto beans for the pork you’ll find in traditional posole recipes, so this stew is vegan. It’s also hearty, spicy and delicious.

This hearty vegan posole is made with pinto beans instead of pork! This easy Mexican posole recipe is healthy, spicy and delicious. Leftovers taste even better the next day. Recipe yields 4 bowls.

INGREDIENTS

2 to 4 guajillo chili peppers*

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large white onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

½ cup (4 ounces) tomato paste

1 bay leaf

3 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained

32 ounces (4 cups) vegetable broth

2 cups water

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided

1 lime, halved

Recommended garnishes: sliced avocado, shredded green cabbage, chopped radish, onion and/or jalapeño

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut off the stem ends of the chilis and shake/flick the chilis to remove as many seeds as possible (it’s ok if some remain). Rinse them and pat them dry.

Heat an empty Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until a few drops of water evaporate quickly from the pan. Toast the chilis in the dry pan, pressing them flat with a spatula for a few seconds until fragrant, then flip them over and press them again for a few seconds. Remove the toasted chilis and set them aside for now.

In the same pot (still over medium heat), warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant while stirring, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the toasted chili peppers, bay leaf, hominy, beans, vegetable broth and water to the pot. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 25 minutes.

Remove the chili peppers and bay leaf from the soup and discard them. Stir the cilantro and juice of ½ lime into the soup. Taste, and add more salt (I usually add at least ¼ teaspoon more) and/or lime juice if necessary. For extra richness, add a little splash of olive oil and stir it in.

Cut the remaining lime into small wedges. Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with lime wedges and other garnishes of your choice.

#food #recipe #pinto posole

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Epic Vegetarian Tacos

Truly amazing vegetarian tacos featuring easy-to-make refried beans, quick-pickled onions, and creamy avocado sauce! Your whole family will love these meatless tacos. Recipe yields 8 hearty tacos (about 4 servings).

INGREDIENTS

Essential components

Quick-pickled onions

Creamy avocado dip

Easy refried beans

8 corn tortillas

Recommended garnishes

Salsa verde

Shredded green cabbage (for extra crunch)

Crumbled Cotija or feta cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the onions, avocado dip, and beans as directed, in that order.

Once they’re ready, warm the tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat in batches, flipping to warm each side. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range. Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

To assemble the tacos, spread refried beans down the center of each tortilla. Top with avocado dip and onions (for reference, I used all of the beans and about half of the avocado dip and onions). Finish the tacos with garnishes of your choice, and serve immediately.

Leftover components are best served separately; reheat the tortillas and beans before serving. Leftover pickled onions and avocado dip are great on quesadillas, nachos or tortilla chips, sandwiches, etc.

#food #recipe #epic vegetarian tacos

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Crispy Falafel

Raise your hand if you love falafel! I’ve gone back into the archives to highlight my all-time favorite homemade falafel recipe. Making falafel at home can be tricky, but this recipe is easy.

Six reasons to love this healthy falafel recipe:

These falafels are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The insides are tender, delicious, and full of fresh herbs.

They’re baked instead of fried, so they contain significantly less fat than fried falafel. And your house won’t smell like fried food for days. Winning!

Once your chickpeas are sufficiently soaked, the falafel mixture comes together in no time. If you have someone to help shape the patties, they’ll come together even faster.

These falafels are gluten free and vegan, so they’re a great party appetizer.

These falafels freeze well, so they’re a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand for future salads and pita sandwiches.

On that note, this recipe is easily doubled! See recipe notes.

How to Make the Best Homemade Falafel

Bake it, don’t fry it. I say this because frying requires a lot of sizzling hot oil, and that scares me. I also don’t have a good vent over my oven to take the fried food smell far, far away. Plus, you can use a reasonably amount of heart-healthy olive oil in the baked version.

Coat your rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. That way, you get a fried effect in the oven, and you don’t have to brush the little falafels individually with olive oil. Winning!

Use dried chickpeas, not canned. Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They’re far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you’ll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

Soak the dried chickpeas for at least four hours. If your chickpeas aren’t sufficiently softened, you’ll have unpalatably tough pieces of chickpea in your falafel. There’s just no workaround here.

Choose your dried chickpeas wisely. Try to buy your dried chickpeas from a store with high turnover, because old chickpeas need longer to soften. If you have options, pick the chickpeas that are the smallest, since they’ll soften faster.

Falafel Serving Suggestions

Serve falafel as an appetizer, wrap it into a pita sandwich, or add it to salad for a protein-rich topping. Falafel goes great with any of the following ingredients:

Pita bread, warmed or toasted (tear it up for pita “croutons”)

Fresh greens (such as spring greens or chopped romaine)

Tomatoes, sliced

Bell peppers, cut into strips

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Raw red onion, thinly sliced, or quick-pickled onions

Feta cheese, crumbled

Sauce: Something creamy like tzatziki, hummus, or tahini sauce, and maybe a spicy sauce like zhoug or shatta, too

Here’s a tahini dressing recipe that goes great with this falafel, too:

1/4 cup tahini

Zest and juice of 1 small lemon

1 tablespoon white miso

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Pinch of cayenne

1/3 cup water

Crispy Falafel

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup dried (uncooked/raw) chickpeas, rinsed, picked over and soaked for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator

½ cup roughly chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)

½ cup packed fresh parsley (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)

½ cup packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)

4 cloves garlic, quartered

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon (about 25 twists) freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

With an oven rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into a large, rimmed baking sheet and turn until the pan is evenly coated.

In a food processor, combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

Using your hands, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Place each falafel on your oiled pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, carefully flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are deeply golden on both sides. These falafels keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.

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Best Lentil Soup

This soup recipe was a long time coming! Over the years, I made some lackluster lentil soups that never saw the light of day on this website. No vegetarian food blog would be complete without a proper lentil soup, though, so I perfected one of my own.

Here it is. My lentil soup is made with mostly pantry ingredients but includes hearty greens and a squeeze of lemon for bright, fresh flavor. It’s seasoned with a few of my favorite spices and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Honestly, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.

How to Make the Best Lentil Soup

Five reasons to love this recipe:

The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients but tastes gourmet.

This lentil soup has an amazing hearty texture that’s lightly creamy (yet there is no cream). The trick is to blend up a portion of the soup once the lentils are tender, and then pour it back into the pot. It’s like magic.

This nutritious, well-balanced soup counts as a meal if you enjoy a generous portion. Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, iron, and folate.

Lentil soup packs well for lunch in a leak-proof container, and it tastes even better the next day.

This soup freezes and defrosts well. Make soup now and enjoy it later!

Best Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained

1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups of water

1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ to 1 medium lemon), to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. One-fourth cup olive oil may seem like a lot, but it adds a lovely richness and heartiness to this nutritious soup.

Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, in order to enhance their flavor.

Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.

Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Securely fasten the lid, protect your hand from steam with a tea towel placed over the lid, and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the puréed soup back into the pot. (Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.)

Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For a spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

Serve while hot. Leftovers will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for several months (just defrost before serving).

#food #recipe #lentilsoup

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5 Veg Dishes Recipes

Extra Vegetable Fried Rice

I set out to create a more interesting take on greasy take-out vegetable fried rice. Here it is in full glory, and it’s as flavorful as it is colorful. Hooray!

I used brown rice, naturally, and even threw in a handful of greens, which offer even more health bonus points. (The greens are optional.)

Extra Vegetable Fried Rice

Learn how to make vegetable fried rice—it’s a simple and satisfying dinner! This vegetarian recipe features extra vegetables and brown rice. Recipe yields 2 large or 3 moderate servings (I think you could double it if you have a large enough skillet, but you might not get as much caramelization on the edges of the veggies and rice).

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ teaspoons + 2 tablespoons avocado oil or safflower oil, divided

2 eggs, whisked together

1 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about ½ cup)

2 cups additional veggies, cut into very small pieces for quick cooking (see photos for size reference; options include snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, and/or fresh or frozen peas—no need to thaw first)

¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste

1 tablespoon grated or finely minced fresh ginger

2 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups cooked brown rice (*see notes!)

1 cup greens (optional), such as spinach, baby kale or tatsoi

3 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce**

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Chili-garlic sauce or sriracha, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe comes together quickly. Before you get started, make sure that all of your ingredients are prepped and within an arm’s reach from the stove. Also have an empty bowl nearby for holding the cooked eggs and veggies. I’m suggesting that you start over medium-high heat, but if at any point you catch a whiff of oil or food burning, reduce the heat to medium.

Warm a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until a few drops of water evaporate within a couple of seconds. Immediately add 1 ½ teaspoons of oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Add the scrambled eggs and swirl the pan so they cover the bottom. Cook until they are just lightly set, flipping or stirring along the way. Transfer the eggs to a bowl and wipe out the pan with a heat-proof spatula.

Return the pan to heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the remaining veggies and salt. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally (don’t stir too often, or the veggies won’t have a chance to turn golden on the edges), until the veggies are cooked through and turning golden, about 3 to 5 more minutes. In the meantime, use the edge of your spatula or a spoon to break up the scrambled eggs into smaller pieces.

Use a big spatula or spoon to transfer the contents of the pan to the bowl with the cooked eggs. Return the pan to heat and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and mix it all together. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the greens (if using) and green onions, and stir to combine. Add the cooked veggies and eggs and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tamari and sesame oil. Taste, and add a little more tamari if you’d like more soy flavor (don’t overdo it or it will drown out the other flavors) or salt, if the dish needs an extra boost of overall flavor.

Divide into bowls and serve immediately. I usually serve mine with chili-garlic sauce or sriracha on the side. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 to 4 days (if you used purple cabbage, it might stain your scrambled eggs a funny blue color, but it’s fine to eat).