Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 83

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable stock

1 tablespoon mirin

Lime wedges for garnish

PREPARE THE quinoa first: Combine the quinoa, juice, water, and soy sauce in a medium-size pot. Cover, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir a few times, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12 to 14, minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa appears plumped and slightly translucent. Uncover, fluff, and let cool.

For best results, place the quinoa in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. If you're in a hurry, chill the covered quinoa for at least an hour. When ready to use, break up any chunks of the cold quinoa with a fork.

Prepare the stir-fry: Use the largest nonstick skillet you have (at least 11 inches in diameter) or a wok. Have all of your ingredients chopped and easily within reach. Place the cashews in the dry pan and heat over low heat, stirring them, until lightly toasted, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the cashews from the pan, raise the heat to medium, and add the peanut oil, scallions, and garlic. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sliced chile pepper and ginger. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and peas. Stir-fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the bell pepper is softened and the peas are bright green. Add the basil and mint, and stir for another minute before adding the pineapple and quinoa.

In a measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, vegetable stock, and mirin. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir to incorporate completely and coat the quinoa. Continue to stir-fry 10 for 14 minutes, until the quinoa is very hot (it helps to use two spoons/spatulas to scoop the quinoa around).

Serve with lime wedges and additional soy sauce, to season individual servings to taste.

LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND SPICED PITA CRISPS.

SERVES 4 TO 6.

if served without pita TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES.

This is referred to as Mujadarah or Enjedra and a dozen other names in the Middle East.Terry says she could live for months on the simple and scrumptious meal of rice, lentils, and onions, and be a.s.sured she has d.a.m.n well tried.Try it and be amazed how few ingredients can make something so yum. It's a different version of comfort food; here spiced red lentils transform into creamy, golden mash that just melts right into the fragrant rice and rich caramelized onions. Serve alongside braised chard or kale.

Subst.i.tute brown, green, or black lentils for the red lentils. Unlike red lentils, these varieties hold their shape so this dish will have more of a pilaflike consistency, but is still delicious.

3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings (about 2 pounds)

cup olive oil

1 cup long-grain basmati rice (brown or white), rinsed

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 cinnamon stick

teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground c.u.min

PREHEAT THE oven to 400F.

In a large, deep baking pan, toss the onion rings with the olive oil to coat. Be sure to separate the rings and spread them out in the pan. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often. The idea is the get most of the onion rings deep brown, crisp, and even burned on the edges. The deeper they roast, the sweeter they'll taste. When done, remove from the oven and set aside.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the rice, cinnamon stick, ground c.u.min, and allspice. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover and add the lentils, stir gently only a few times (too much stirring can break the rice grains); cover, bring to boil again, lower the heat to low, and cook for an additional 45 minutes, until the liquid is completely absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside the covered pot for 10 minutes.

Use a fork to gently fluff the lentils and rice. Remove the cinnamon stick. Gently fold the caramelized onions into the lentils and rice, making sure to drizzle on any remaining olive oil from the roasting pan. Stir thoroughly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPICED PITA CRISPS.

SERVES 4.

TIME: 15 MINUTES.

Crunchy, easy to make, and great with any dip or spread, too. A nice way to use up pita that's just a little past its prime.

4 white or whole wheat pitas

Olive oil for brus.h.i.+ng

1 teaspoon or more per pita of the following spices; pick just one and stick with it, or be like a crazy person and experiment with these mixtures:

Garam Masala

Garlic powder, c.u.min, cayenne, and salt or

Lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt

PREHEAT THE oven to 350F.

Slice open a pita along the edges, and carefully open and separate each half. Brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with your seasoning(s) of choice. Spread the pitas on cookie sheets (a little overlapping is okay) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Watch and be careful not to burn.

Cool on the cookie sheets and store in plastic bags.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH MEXICANA WITH TROPICAL AVOCADO SALSA FRESCA.

SERVES 4 TO 6.

TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES.

If you throw the word Mexicana on something it automatically connotes that there's black beans and corn in it, right? Okay, good. This is baked spaghetti squash tossed with mildly spicy black beans and corn, topped off with a fruity salsa fresca. We used pineapple, but you can use mango or papaya, if you prefer. Spaghetti squash gets its name because, when cooked, the flesh divides into pretty strings that resemble, you guessed it, spaghetti. It's a good idea to make the roasted squash a day in advance; that way you can have this dish on the table in under half an hour.

Our testers had good results microwaving the spaghetti squash instead of baking it. Since we don't have microwaves (as we keep repeating), we weren't able to test that, but do an Internet search for how to microwave a spaghetti squash and have at it. Is it wrong for a cookbook to tell you to Google something? Probably, but no more wrong than having a microwave.

1 spaghetti squash (use one in the 3-pound range) Tropical salsa fresca: 1 cup chopped tomato (-inch chunks)

1 cup chopped pineapple, mango, or papaya (-inch chunks)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into -inch chunks