The Voracious Vegan » Middle-Eastern

Bad News Needs Comfort Food

thevoraciousvegan — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:12:30 +0000

I woke up yesterday a bundle of nerves. After breakfast Cody was going to take Volvo to the vet and as much as I kept telling myself he would be fine, in my heart I knew we weren’t going to get the news that we wanted.

Life must go on and we all needed our strength so I made towering frothy green smoothies and toast topped with peanut butter.

A little while after breakfast Cody loaded Volvo into the car and drove him to the vet. I tried to wait patiently and focus on the work that I needed to get done. I played with my other dogs, did some research for my book, and even went to the gym for an hour of weight training. I love weight training even more than cardio. Nothing makes me feel more invincible than lifting a huge stack of weights that would have been too heavy for me just a few months ago.

I came home and called Cody to see what was happening. The vet hadn’t diagnosed anything yet and had sent Volvo for a round of xrays. Poor Volvo was so nervous and scared that he had to be sedated.

At this point I was feeling shaky, both from nervous anticipation and the strenuous workout I had just been through. I needed food to recharge my trembling muscles and to keep me going for the rest of the day.

I had more raw Baja cashew cheeze on crackers, leftover roasted veggies with black beans and quinoa, and also muhammara bread and zataar bread that Cody brought back from his business trip to Bahrain.

The restaurant that makes this bread is a tiny little hole in the wall but completely famous for the amazing quality of their bread. It is so soft and light and the fillings are incredibly delicious. Muhammara is roasted onions and red peppers with kalonji black onion sees, spicy and sweet, definitely my favorite. Zataar is a mixture of herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, mint, sesame seeds and olive oil, and much loved in the Middle East. This part of the world takes its bread seriously, so when I tell you that this is GOOD bread, you better know it is really exceptional.

After I finished eating lunch Cody called me with the bad news. The vet diagnosed Volvo with hip dysplasia, a genetic condition very common in German Shepherds. Basically, his hip joints have completely deteriorated, there is no cartialage left to cushion the bones and the bones are brittle and shattered and rubbing against each other.

The only treatment is hip replacement surgery which is not available in Saudi Arabia. Also, Volvo’s age wouldn’t make him a good candidate for surgery anyway. The vet gave us pain medication with glucosamine and told us to keep him as comfortable as possible and not to walk him around or force him to stand because that would put him in more pain. And when the time comes, to call him and he will come to our house and we can put Volvo to sleep surrounded by his friends and family in the shady part of our garden that he loves.

I had to hang up on Cody because my throat closed up with tears and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t imagine the pain that Volvo must be feeling. I hated myself for letting him go through something like this, and felt like I was drowning in guilt. Why hadn’t we taken him to the vet yesterday, last week, last month?

And how could I ever decide when the time was right to put him to sleep? My parents have had to make that decision before, for dogs and horses, but I’ve never had to do it. How in the world do you decide how long another being has to live?

When Cody got home we settled Volvo in the yard on his nice cushioned mat and sat around him and patted him. But he was pretty drowsy from the sedation and understandably grumpy and wanted to be left alone.

Cody and I talked and cried. We decided to take it day by day. Right now Volvo seems to be enjoying his life. He is a ravenous eater, gets excited whenever he hangs out with my other dogs, and is still desperately in love with Polly.

We understand the need to keep a clear head about all this. We can’t let our selfish desire to keep him around force him to live in pain and misery. We know that and we will keep constantly reappraising the situation to make sure his life really is happy and comfortable. For now, the pain killers are working wonders and he is so relaxed and alert. We plan to spoil him rotten and love him for all the time he has left. The vet said that in cases like this the dogs tend to go downhill fast so we are prepared. But we are also hopeful that we still have time for lots of fun, cuddles and treats.

In the face of devastating news my inner Italian grandmother comes out and I am overwhelmed with a desire to feed people. I bustle around my kitchen cooking up comfort food and decadent desserts, insisting that everyone ‘Eat! EAT!’

Last night was no exception. I made Ethiopian lentils and rice with caramelized onions, the ultimate creamy, rich and hearty comfort food. It tastes buttery and salty, savory and deep, one of the world’s most perfect meals. On the side I served lots of bread and creamy, garlicky hummus.

So. That was my day of bad news and good food. Like I said, we are going to take it day by day and keep Volvo as comfortable and as happy as we can…until we can’t anymore. I’m dreading this and I just wish I could bury my head under my pillow and wake up to find this was all a bad dream.

Any advice would be welcome.

A Week in Food

thevoraciousvegan — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:56:56 +0000

Now, you know I always eat delicious food; I wouldn’t even think of having it any other way. I only eat what makes me happy which means anything from a big leafy green salad to a decadent fudge brownie. After all, you know my food philosophy motto is: “Drink your green juice but eat your cupcake, too!”

This week has been no exception. I’ve feasted really well and I thought I would share with you some of the tasty highlights.

As always I did the green smoothie chug first thing in the morning. I can’t imagine starting the day without it. Mine always have lots of chard, bananas, blueberries and strawberries/raspberries and soy milk. I love these beauties!

Cinnamon rolls! This was delicious and SO easy. I’ve never had much luck baking with yeast, which is a requirement shared by most cinnamon roll recipes. So, I took a short cut. I took a can of biscuits (many are vegan, even some of Pilsbury’s!), flattened them out into strips, sprinkled them with raw cane sugar and lots of cinnamon, rolled them up, put them in a pan and poured a mixture of melted butter, cinnamon and raw cane sugar all over the top of them. After baking for about 15 minutes I had beautiful, heavenly cinnamon rolls.

A classic vegan favorite – tofu scramble breakfast tacos! I usually saute a bunch of bell peppers, onion, and garlic before adding the crumbled tofu and flavoring it with salt, pepper, hot sauce, nutritional yeast and turmeric. What a hearty and delicious breakfast! I piled mine into a tortilla and enjoyed a very buttery tortilla and fresh berries on the side.

Zatar bread is one of my favorite things to have for lunch, and when it is stuffed with a big cucumber and tomato salad even better! Zatar is a traditional Middle Eastern spice mixture of oregano, basil, thyme, sesame seeds, salt, and olive oil. Where we get it they add a bit of mint to the mix which takes it to another level of deliciousness!

You know me and my love of snack plates so you can be sure I had a lot of these this week. Those crackers are topped with Ani Phyo’s Baja Cheese which is a nut dip made with cashews and flavored with cilantro and lemon, among other things. I adore this stuff and when it is topped with buttery avocado slices and lots of hot sauce it is positively addicting. Add a big pile of fresh strawberries and a tangerine or two and you’ve got yourself a phenomenal snack plate.

Stir-fry snack plate! I made a quick stir fry by sauteing bell peppers, snow peas, broccoli and garlic, mixed it up with some bean sprouts, left over quinoa and rice, flavored it up with cinnamon, ginger and red pepper flakes and topped it all with cashews. On the side I had guacamole with whole grain chips and bell peppers with a tangerine and dates for dessert. This was delicious.

Gena’s Genius Lentil and Walnut Pate! Out of everything I had this week this was by far the best. It might not look too pretty but you have got to make it for yourself so you too can swoon over the savory, rich, warm, salty/tangy flavor of this lentil walnut pate from Choosing Raw. It is ridiculously amazing and I guarantee I will be making it at least once a week. I love lentils and I love dips, and the protein packed power of this dish along with the simplicity of the ingredients and recipe had me sold even before I tried it. But one bite had me convinced – this is one of the best dips ever!

More Ani Phyo inspired deliciousness! These are her much loved raw tacos, piled high with Baja Cheese and a ridiculously smoky and meaty taco meat made from almonds and walnuts. I love love love this dish! I make it all the time and I usually serve it with a side of roasted veggies. Isn’t roasted broccoli the best? I love how crunchy it gets! Yum!

Well, that was a week in my food! I Hope you are having a great week and are enjoying some great food as well!

Persian Potatoes and Rice with Mushroom Confit and Cilantro

thevoraciousvegan — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:52:03 +0000

This is classic Iranian comfort food, known as Tah Dig, and it really doesn’t get any better than this. Cody and I are both in love with this meal, it’s almost a week later and we are still gushing about it. I veganized (and improved upon!) a recipe from this month’s Martha Stuart Living magazine, and if you make it I guarantee you will love it.

Imagine fluffy, fragrant basmati rice filled with juicy, buttery mushrooms and bright cilantro, all topped with crispy, salty potatoes, and really, can you imagine anything better?

Tah Dig

3 quarts water

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

5 cups chopped white mushrooms (sliced thinly and then chopped small)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tsp liquid smoke

2 large potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds

1 cup cilantro, chopped

8 Tbsp vegan butter, divided

extra vegan butter to grease pans

extra cilantro and a handful of pomegranate kernels for garnish

- In a large frying pan in a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of vegan butter cook the chopped mushrooms on medium high heat. Drain the liquid that they give off frequently, you always want to keep the pan as dry as possible. Once most of the liquid has cooked off and poured away, add the liquid smoke, garlic, and soy sauce, and continue cooking the mushrooms until they are brown and caramelized.

- Bring the water, salt, and cinnamon to a boil in a large pot and gradually add in the rice, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until the grains are tender but still slightly firm. Drain rice and add to it the mushroom confit and 4 Tbsp of vegan butter.

- In a large pot melt 4 Tbsp of butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange 3 layers of potatoes in the bottom of the pot in the melted butter, in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly, working from the outside.

- Sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the potatoes and top with the rice mixture, pressing down lightly to form an even layer. Place a cotton kitchen towel or a paper towel over the surface of the rice, covering completely. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are crisp and golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

- Remove towel, run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pot, and invert onto a serving platter.

A 10K Thursday!

thevoraciousvegan — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:10:25 +0000

*** Before I get started I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment or send me a message in response to my previous post. I really hope you all understand how much it meant to me. Just reading all of your kind words brought tears to my eyes several times and completely brightened my day. I don’t know how I got so lucky to ‘meet’ so many great friends, but I am so glad I did. Thank you! ***

Yep, there was a 10K this Thursday…..

…for Cody! I don’t feel ready to run quite so far yet. I love running and have been going out into the desert with my dogs to run several times a week, but 10k? Not even close!

The race began at 7:30am so we were up at 6:00 and guzzling our green smoothies by 6:30. Ain’t she a beaut’?

While my adorable best friend Polly and I cheered from the side-lines, Cody enjoyed the run.

Here is Cody passing us by on lap one, grabbing a bottle of water from one of the race helpers. Child labor, tsk, tsk.

Run, Coco, run! Poor guy, he is so shy and I just kept screaming out encouragement and snapping his picture. Ha ha ha!

Crossing the finish line! Hooray!

He said he had a blast and can’t wait to do another. I’m so proud of him!

When we headed for home we were both famished. He had just run 10 kilometers and I had worked up quite a hunger from standing around, playing with Polly, and cheering very loudly whenever I saw Cody. We knew we needed a big brunch!

As soon as we got home I ran into the kitchen and began cooking. I am always so hungry when I wake up earlier than usual! So, I made a batch of hashbrowns, a few tofu omelets from Vegan Brunch, toast, and a big pile of citrus. I can’t get enough citrus lately, I eat it almost every meal! I chopped my tofu omelet up and put it on toast with some homemade tofu mayo and mustard, it was ridiculously good.

My dad had spent the morning across the causeway shopping and hanging out in Bahrain and when he returned this afternoon he had brought Cody and me some goodies. These things are awesome and totally unavailable here in Saudi Arabia, so I feel like I got a whole bunch of little treasures.

(I think this is my dad’s way of trying to bribe me to keep cooking for him even after The Great Vegan Challenge of 2010 is over!)

Soy flour, I’ve never used it before but I can’t wait to try. Anyone have any suggestions? And vegan mayo! Hallelujah! I LOVE mayonaisse SO much, you have no idea. They don’t carry this at all here in Saudi Arabia so I haven’t had any in way too long. I am beyond thrilled to have it back in my life and I think my raw veggie wraps are too.

Chopped basil in oil. This stuff smells ridiculously good, I can’t wait to use it. It is just like pesto, but without the cheese. I’m thinking it is going to have to go on pasta!

I love these things! They are great for you and they taste wonderful as a little snack, or added into oatmeal or even baked into cookies. YUM!

I’ve never tried these before but they look interesting, don’t they? I’m glad that they are organic, that will be a nice change to my typical food. Here in Saudi everything isn’t so much sprayed in pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer as it is bathed in them. Yummm……not so much.

Don’t these look so pretty? I’m really excited to give them a try. I’m such a sucker for pretty packaging, and these just make me feel all healthy and nutritious and I haven’t even had any yet. Well done, design teams, well done.

Tobasco spicy salt! How cool is that!?!? I love that it is in a Tobasco bottle. This really has me and Cody, excited. It is delicious and so fun to add to everything.

My dad even brought back a bunch of toys for the animal herd….

But Jack, being the jerky little brother of Polly and Lobi snatched all of the toys for himself and wouldn’t let anyone else play. Oh Jack, you are so bratty but I love you so much! He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body….just a lot of very naughty ones.

After unpacking all of our goodies and playing with the dogs I went out to the stables to visit with Ender. We bought him some fly boots and a fly sheet and I couldn’t wait to put them on him. Basically they are thin net wraps for his legs and a very thin net like blanket to drape over his entire body that will prevent flies from landing on him. Almost all of the other horses at the stables already have these things, so it was definitely time for Ender to get some, too.

I have no adequate way of explaining how horrendous the flies are out here. From sun-up to sun-down they are blood sucking monsters. Ender has very sensitive skin and I have gone to the stables in the afternoon to find blood running down his legs from fly bites. He kicks his legs and stomps his feet and nips at the flies constantly, but even though he is covered in gallons of fly spray they still won’t leave him alone. So, full body fly netting! He looks ridiculous/adorable and I will take pictures soon, I promise.

Once at home I had way too much writing to do to even begin thinking of cooking. And besides, all I really wanted was hummus, moutabel and sambusa. So that is exactly what I ordered from a nearby restaurant for delivery.

It was all delicious, and dessert was, of course, a bowl of citrus and fresh blueberries. What a sweet way to end a very sweet day.

I hope some of you have a few great suggestions for how I can use my new special treats from Bahrain. I would love to hear any of your ideas!

*****

Don’t forget to enter my Grand Opening Giveaway #2 for your chance to win a whole bunch of amazing goodies from the wonderful Vivapura company. Good luck!

3 Hours, 2 Countries, 1 Shopping Spree and a Giveaway!

thevoraciousvegan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Saudi Arabia has very strict visa laws, like no tourists allowed and strict time limits on how long foreigners can stay in the country. I have a 5 year multiple entry/exit visa but I have to leave the country every six months. The best way to do this is head across the causeway (the long bridge connecting the country of Saudi Arabia to the island country of Bahrain) to Bahrain and as soon as I have the right stamps on my passport saying I officially left the country, pull a u-turn and come right back in. Keeps my visa valid and doesn’t take too much time at all! And I’m used to spending time on the causeway. The last 2 years of high-school I lived at home in Saudi Arabia but had a driver take me to the American high-school in Bahrain every day, which meant I spent a lot of time on that bridge!

This weekend I needed to get my visa stamped so my dad and Cody and I decided to make a day of it. Since it was Eid we knew the causeway would be packed, so in order to miss the rush, we headed out early. And by early I mean EARLY. We were on the road by 6am.

Sunrise on the causeway.

With my passport all stamped and my visa nice and valid we pulled a u-turn and headed back to Saudi Arabia and saw this on the way…

This ugly behemoth is supposed to one day be a shopping mall but this part of the world is totally saturated with needless construction projects and it has been empty for years.

At this point it was about 7am and we were starving so we decided to head to a local legend for breakfast.

Latif’s! This place is absolutely beloved by every Aramcon I know. I have been eating there since I was a little kid and it is still just as good as ever.

Since I am a woman I am not allowed to enter through the front door, I have to enter through the special ‘Family’ door and isolate myself in the ‘Family’ section. While the compound that I live on is very liberal and women can drive and wear and do whatever they want, once I leave the compound I have to follow the rules of the country.

Sequestered away in the ‘Family’ section. Yep, I’m wearing an abaya. Believe me, I only do it because it is the law.

The menu!

The giant oven where the magic happens.

Our delicious breakfast, hot and fresh out of the oven.

We ordered one plain zaatar bread and one zaatar bread topped with black olives. They were both epically delicious!

Graffiti scrawled on the wall of the ‘Family’ section. Very poignant and heartbreaking. It reads: “I’m gonna change my life. Whatever happen I will travel and do what I like 2 do.”

We were all wrapped up with our delicious breakfast by 7:45 and it was time for shopping! I decided that we needed to check out an Asian market I had heard about to see if we could find some miso paste and seaweed. Two things that I love that can be very hard to find around here.

On the way to the store we saw this interesting sign painted on a shop window:

Inside the Asian market, which was just as awesome as I had heard. We found 2 types of yummy miso and they had all the seaweed we could ever want. Victory!

Next on to Tamimi Market on the Corniche where we stocked up on some delicious pantry items that the commissary here on our compound does not carry.

We were all done by 9am and headed back to home sweet home! What a morning.

When we got home I was hungry…again! Here is what I feasted on:

That is pistachios, oranges, apples (which I later sprinkled with cinnamon) and some yummy yogurt top
ped with freshly ground flax seeds. Delicious and nutritious!

The rest of the day flew by in an exhausted stupor. By the time dinner rolled around I knew I needed something ridiculously amazing so we busted out some of our shopping spree finds, Amy’s brand vegetable chili, Frito chips, and Tofutti sliced cheese, and made insanely yummy frito pie! What a delicious day!

And now for some exciting news! I am currently in the process of revamping and redesigning my blog and to kick off this exciting transition I have planned a whole slew of great giveaways for you awesome readers! I was recently contacted and offered free coupons to try some amazing looking products. Unfortunately, here in Saudi these products aren’t carried, so we decided to turn that chance over to you!

So, if you would like to win a coupon for a free product from French Meadow Organic Bakery and a coupon for a free product from Rich’s Coffee Rich Non-Dairy Creamer and RichWich Topping just leave a comment on this post and in one week I will announce the randomly selected winner. The winner will win BOTH of these coupons so good luck! I wish I could have snatched up these coupons myself because the products look fabulous, I am especially intrigued by these awesome looking hemp bagels.

Good luck!

Eid Mubarak!

thevoraciousvegan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:18:00 +0000

Eid Mubarak! Ramadan is over and now it is time to party! And by party I mean feast on delicious vegan food!

To celebrate the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid we enjoyed a huge table full of potato and onion samosa, hummus, moutabbel and garlic naan. Delicious!

Vegan Shawarmas

thevoraciousvegan — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:15:00 +0000

One of my favorite memories from growing up in Saudi Arabia was when my dad would leave the secluded sanctuary of our peaceful company compound and head out to the surrounding city, Khobar, and bring us back bags and bags of shawarma s, falafels, and sambosa from the greasy, rat infested street side stands that dotted those grimy lanes. He would burst through the front door of our house, struggling to balance the multitude of goodies in his arms, and as soon as I laid eyes on the brown paper bags, soaked through with grease and reeking of exotic spices and rich smoke my mouth would begin drooling and I would dance around him in an ecstasy of anticipation. Shawarmas usually consist of roasted chicken, thick, spicy garlic and herb yoghurt sauce, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes wrapped in warm, fluffy Arabic bread. When I became vegan, I thought that I would never again taste one of my favorite childhood treats.

In fact, shawarmas hold such a central point in the landscape of my mind, one of my earliest memories is of my father teaching me the ‘proper’ way to eat a shawarma. My father and mother grew up in Saudi, just like me, and we both ate shawarmas as regularly as most American kids eat hot dogs and hamburgers. The ‘proper’ way that my father schooled me on repeatedly had to do with the thin tissue paper that most shawarma stand operators wrap these juicy, delicious sandwiches in. There is a complicated twist, an unnecessary tuck, a spiral knot and finally a flourish of folding that they all do in the blink of an eye that completely encases the shawarmas and makes them easy to carry but almost impossible to unwrap for the untrained expat kid. I was lucky. My father taught me the trick, and once I knew it, the simplicity of it all made me feel a bit silly. You just had to know exactly where to grab the right fold and shake shake shake and out your shawarma would slide, perfectly held together and ready to be devoured.

So, like I said, I figured shawarmas were something that I wouldn’t eat again once I became vegan. Oh, how wrong I was. Once I began cooking and eating portabello mushrooms I knew they would make the absolute perfect shawarmas. Portabello mushrooms completely soak up the flavors of the spices that they are marinated in, the smoky cumin, the tangy dill, the zesty paprika, and when you bite into them….ohhh I groan just thinking about the juicy flavor explosions that drizzle down my chin. And to replicate the rich garlic herb sauce, I just substituted veganaisse for the traditional yoghurt, which worked perfectly, but vegan yoghurt would be just as good. This garlic herb sauce is outstanding, and was always my favorite part of eating shawarmas. Laden with garlic and highlighted with the tang of fresh dill and parsley this sauce is, in my opinion, what really ‘makes’ a good shawarma.

This shawarma recipe is so quick and so incredibly authentic I’m perfectly confident that the juicy, rich, savory, lip-smacking goodness would fool any Aramco Brat. Now if I could only learn that shawarma wrapping method….

Ingredients (to make 4 shawarmas)
6 portabello mushrooms, sliced into long strips
4 pieces of flat arab bread (in the states most people called it pita or greek bread)
Chopped up pickles, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers

Marinade for the mushrooms
1 and ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup soy sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp dried dill
2 cloves diced garlic

-Completely combine the marinade mixture and allow the portabello mushrooms to soak for 1 – 2 hours before cooking

Garlic Herb Sauce
12 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise (or vegan yoghurt)
½ tsp salt
1 and ½ Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 and ½ Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced fine

-Combine completely. (This tastes the best the more time it has to sit in the fridge and let the flavors combine, so I usually make it about the same time I start marinating the mushrooms.)

Making your shawarma!

-Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and cook them in a large frying pan on medium high heat for around five minutes. The mushrooms will give off a lot of liquid as they are cooking and I usually drain it off 2 or 3 time during the cooking process to ensure that the mushrooms don’t get too soggy.
-Slather a piece of Arabic bread with the garlic herb sauce and pile it high with the cooked mushrooms, cucumbers, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions. Wrap up the bread and enjoy!

Tajin Khurshuf M’Qualli

thevoraciousvegan — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:28:00 +0000

Moroccan Artichoke Tajin

I love artichoke hearts. They are so tangy and have such a great texture, this is one of my favorite ways to cook them. I don’t know what it is but lately I’ve been cooking so many dishes from my childhood. Growing up I always loved Tajins of any kind but especially with artichoke hearts, they made the whole dish so tart and rich. The herbs and spices I added, like fresh chopped cilantro, cumin and ground coriander seeds infuse this dish with an intoxicating aroma. The mild backdrop of buttery sauted onions and diced tomatoes really let the tanginess of the artichoke hearts, lemon and capers shine through.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 cups basmati rice, cooked according to directions
2 15oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and rough chopped
2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, diced fine
4 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 TBSP capers
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 Cup chopped olives
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBSP cumin
2 tsp ground coriander seeds

-Cook basmati rice and set aside
-Saute onion in a bit of olive oil until tender and yellow
-Add garlic, cumin, dill, black pepper, red pepper, coriander and the tomatoes and cook on med heat for 5 minutes
-Add the artichoke hearts and cook for 10 minutes more
-Add the lemon juice, the lemon zest, capers and olives and cook for 5 minutes more
-Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantor
-Serve over basmati rice
-Enjoy!

Vegan Sambusa

thevoraciousvegan — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 05:18:00 +0000

Crispy, salty outside, spicy, luscious inside! This works great as an appetizer, or, if you’re like me, an all day banquet of deliciousness!

Ingredients:
a few packages of phyllo dough or wonton wrappers
two packages of soyrizo
one onion
several cloves of garlic
fresh parsley
fresh cilantro
2 can of mixed veggies

First saute the onion and garlic in a frying pan and once they are browned and tender add the packages of soyrizo and continue cooking until it is hot and crispy.

Once the soyrizo and onion mixture is done cooking add in the two cans of mixed veggies, making sure to drain the water out first. Cook for a few minutes to distribute the flavors (make sure to add a ton of spices like cumin) and then remove from heat.

Once the mixture is removed from heat toss it with the chopped up cilantro and parsley.

Place a spoonful of the mixture onto the centre of each square of phyllo dough.

Next, wet down two adjoining sides of the dough with a bit of water.

Next, fold the dough across the mixture and form a triangle. Press down firmly on all the sides making sure the dough holds together.

Drop each sambusa into a few inches of vegetable oil and fry until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!