Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Vegetarian Gumbo

I've actually never had a *real* gumbo so I don't have anything to compare this to but I think it was really rather fantastic! I'm not even sure I can really call it a gumbo since it doesn't have okra in it... isn't that a key ingredient (or is that just a stereotype?) :)

This is a great "clean out the fridge" or "use up your CSA basket" recipe. It's full of wonderful veggies and is an easy one for you to substitute whatever you have.

I served mine over a bed of quinoa (told you I qualify for that Level 7 Vegan even though I'm not even vegan... lol) but I'm having the leftovers over rice tomorrow for lunch! Yum! :)


I highly recommend letting this sit and simmer for an hour (original recipe said 40 minutes). This will allow the carrots to become tender and will really let the great cumin-paprika-cayenne flavours to really meld together even more! It takes a while, but once you have everything chopped up and in the pan it's not a lot of work.

Serves 4


Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/6 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes, juice included, diced
1 cup green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup parsnip, diced
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

Method:
1. Stir together the oil and flour in a Dutch oven until smooth. Cook over high heat until the roux becomes a dark caramel colour (think a nice chocolate brown), stirring constantly.

2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Stir in all the remaining ingredients and the veggie broth (or water). Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until the carrots are tender.

Reference:
Based on the Vegetarian Gumbo recipe from the May 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. The only changes I made were to use broccoli and zucchini in place of the okra. I also used vegetable broth in place of the water.

Raspberry Smoothie

I wish I'd realised I had this smoothie book while I was on antibiotics a couple weeks ago! I was really hoping for some more adventurous ways to eat yogurt... these would have been great! Oh well... :)

I had to have some dental work done today (just a bit of a follow-up to a root canal I had last week - hence the antibiotics) so I figured that was as good an excuse as any to reward myself with a smoothie! Well, I got home around 11 and was starving but still numb. This was a nice way to tide me over until I could eat something a bit more substantial.

Makes 2 small smoothies

Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup frozen strawberries

Method:
Place all the ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth/most of the chunks have been broken up. Serve immediately.

Reference:
Based on the Raspberry Cream recipe from the book Smoothies and Ice Treats by Lindsay Barnes and Any Shawgo.

Black Bean-Quinoa Pilaf

This was so basic and easy (not to mention fast!) but so tasty!

The original recipe that I worked from actually called for chickpeas to go with the quinoa but I decided black beans would be great. Besides, I had half a can of black beans that needed to be used. ;) I also added a little cilantro which was fantastic.

Here's another funny quote from Veganomicon:
"Don't forget that cooking with quinoa at least once a week will elevate you to Level 7 Vegan in no time!" Heh... I'm not even vegan but I think I qualify for that. ;) In my opinion, quinoa is quite possibly the world's most perfect food. Well, after avocado, of course!

This could be used as a side dish alongside just about whatever (and not just vegetarian stuff). I just had mine with a side of broccoli, sweet corn, and some chopped bell peppers that I just steamed together.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tbsp. ground coriander seeds
Several pinches freshly ground black pepper
A little sea salt
1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup (1/2 of a 15-ounce can) of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
2-4 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Method:
1. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat in a small stockpot until softened. Add the garlic and saute about 2 more minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Saute about 1 more minute.

3. Add the quinoa and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add the beans and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to very low. Add the cilantro, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Stir occasionally during this phase.

Reference:
Based on the Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf recipe from the book Veganomicon.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

London Calling...

..."Yeah, I was there, too..."
well, I will be in a week and a bit! woo hoo! :)

And, yes, I am a massive fan of The Clash... I actually believe they strip you of your British citizenship if you say you're not... lol ;) Same with the Beatles, Queen, the Stones, you know, all those other iconic English bands... (*sigh*... new music sucks!)
OK, so maybe in the case of bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols, the government actually likes you better if you say you don't like them! heh... However, I will argue that dissent is the highest form of patriotism, so... ;)
Just don't let on to the Queen if you don't care for Sir Paul!

So, back to the point of this blog post! ;) Check out these other fabulous things I found to do while we're in the motherland! lol... (couldn't resist)

First, I should probably tell you where we'll be. DH has never been and I haven't been back in 11 years (homesick much..?) so we are doing a bit of the touristy stuff and trying to see a bit more of the country than I normally would.
*We're starting out with 3 nights in London (I'm not a city person so any longer and I think I'd probably implode). I have not been to London since 1986 (when my dad ran the London Marathon) so it's been a while! Think it's changed much? lol :)
*After London, we're heading to Bath which is one of my favourite places on the planet. We're having 2 nights there.
*Next stop, Caernarfon (don't worry, I can't pronounce that either!) which is a lovely little coastal town in North Wales. Just one night there (I wasn't kidding about *little* town...)
*After that, it's up to York for 2 nights. York is just so bloody lovely. No trip to England is complete without a stop in York.
*Finally, we'll be spending the last week and a half in the Lake District which is my home. :) You think a trip to England is not complete without a stop in York... well, it's even less complete if you don't get to go up to the Lakes! ;) No, not biased... it really is a gorgeous area and full of history (um, the whole country is..) Plus, it's right on the Scottish border so you can have a quick hop up there while you're at it!
We're staying in bed and breakfasts (which is really the way to do it if you go to the UK) in London, Bath, Caernarfon, and York. In the Lakes (since there will be quite a few of us), we've actually rented a house which will be great!

No, I will not be driving..! lol :)

Here are my finds:
**London:
Well, it's basically all the obvious stuff... however, some *not so obvious* things on my must-do list are the Tate to Tate Cruise on the Thames (that would be pronounced Tems, not Thaymes...! heh) which goes between really great museums and also makes stops at the London Eye and the Tower.
There is a restaurant called the Wapping Project which I'd like to check out. For whatever reason, eating dinner in a converted power station is strangely enticing to me...
Get really lost on the Tube... (actually, I love the Tube! And it's really hard to get lost on it... great, just jinxed that!)
Oh, and a trip to London without going to Harrod's is absolutely out of the question! ;)

**Bath:
Oh my gosh! So, I was reading more about the glass-blowing thing (I did post about that in my vacation post below, right?) and found they have this thing where you can blow glass with Mr. Darcy! lol :) How funny... great idea for a bachelorette party or a girls' night out!
Yes, I was very tempted to make a dirty comment about that blowing glass with Mr. Darcy sentence but I'll leave that to your imaginations... ;)
There is a museum of costume in Bath - a fashion museum! How fun! :) I'm not, by any means, into fashion but I do love the history of it so that's on the list!

**Caernarfon:
So the big pull of Caernarfon is the castle. It's a great castle that's still in very good condition. It's also the place where the Prince of Wales is crowned. Read: Tourist Trap but whatever... :) Should be worth a look around.
Caernarfon is also in the Snowdonia National Park. Excuse my ignorance on this, but Mount Snowdon is something like the tallest peak in Great Britain... oh bugger! Now I have to look that up :) OK, well, I was *almost* correct - it's the highest peak in Wales and the highest in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands.
Figured I'd enlighten you all with that piece of useless information... You'll thank me if you're ever on Jeopardy!

**York:
So there's obviously the stuff like York Minster but here's the other goodies I found...
Jorvik - it's a viking centre! I'm pretty darn sure I have quite a bit of viking running through my veins so this is on my list for sure!
The York Brewery Tour. I won't deny the fact that I love my beer! :) Well, look where I'm from! I think beer makes up the remainder of what's in my veins..
They have a river cruise I'd like to take as well as a walking tour through all these haunted places in York. Yorkshire is known as one of the most haunted areas of England so that should be, um, chilling! :)
Oh! And the golden nugget of my York research - I found this York Pass thingy that gives free or reduced admissions to a ton of attractions. Obviously you pay up front for it but it pays for itself in no time!

**The Lakes:
Um, yeah, I'm just excited about going home for the first time in 11 bloody years! There are some touristy things we definitely have to do but it will be mostly about catching up with family and my best friend who I haven't seen in, you guessed it, 11 bloody years!

And, for your listening pleasure, here you go ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqO1b-5RsAs

Yes, I realise the song is maybe just a bit *anti-London* but whatever... it was the punk/anarchy era! What do you expect?!
And I can still use it in my post about being excited about going to London! So there... heh :)

"I never felt so much a' like..."
(so that's what he says at the end... lol)

Jealous yet? :)

Strawberry-Orange Smoothie

In my quest to use up stuff from the kitchen, I have rediscovered the joy of smoothies! :)
Part of this was cleaning up my cookbook shelf and finding a smoothie book I forgot we had!

This one was fantastic!

Makes 1 1/2 high-ball sized smoothies
(no idea how else to measure that! I'd say it was enough for 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup non-fat or low-fat vanilla yogurt (you could use soy vanilla yogurt to make this vegan)
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
4 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

Method:
Stick all that in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses. Enjoy.

I'm dying to try this with some frozen raspberries or blueberries in place of the strawberries. Or, how good does a triple berry smoothie sound? Yum! :)
Ooh, and how about adding something fun like a splash of rum, vodka, gin, or tequila? ;) Hey, I'm on summer break, I can play! ;)

Reference:
"Super Healthy Shake" from the book Smoothies and Ice Treats by Lindsay Barnes and Amy Shawgo.

Going Green!


Heaven-on-a-plate... seriously!
(Unfortunately my blurry photo does not do it justice... still trying to figure out a new camera!)

Meatless pasta dishes like this were a gateway drug for me transitioning from sort of omnivore (chicken and fish) to pretty much full-time vegetarian! heh...
Once I get back from England, I'm giving up fish, too. I just have to have my last decent plate of fish and chips and then I can completely cross over to the dark side. ;)
Hubby actually predicted today that I'll be vegan in the next couple years. I doubt it - I just love cheese way too much! And I just don't know what I'd do if I was denied my Cherry Garcia! ;) I do love vegan cooking and baking (in case that isn't obvious) but I'm not sure I could go full-time vegan.

This has a really wonderful *kick* to it from all the garlic and the little sprinkle of red pepper flakes. I am a huge garlic fan but if you're not, you can always cut back a little! I highly recommend leaving all the cloves in, though...
The wine and lime flavours also shine through - don't worry, the garlic is not so much that it over-powers them. I used spinach in place of arugula (trying to use up what we have) but any green leafies will be good in this dish.

My favourite thing about this dish, though, is how healthy it is even though it seems so sinfully delicious! :)
Let's see... we've got calcium in the spinach (not to mention iron, beta-carotene, and fibre!); all the wonderful omega fatty acids in the avocado; the antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering powers of the garlic; and the calcium, vitamin A, and cancer-fighting properties of broccoli.
Dang! Give this dish a cape and some tights - it's a super-hero! :)

Here's the recipe so you can experience it for yourself!

Pasta Della California
(yes, I was singing "California Dreaming" the entire time I was making this... and then for whatever reason, as I was eating it morphed into "Hotel California"... shut up!)
I just have to share this great quote about this recipe from the book Veganomicon. It's too wonderful not to...
"If we said in the title that this was pasta with avocado no one would take us seriously, so instead we call it Pasta Della California. Anything with avocado in it can be called 'California,' right?"
Since I live in California, pasta with avocado is absolutely not unheard of but the whole "oh, it has avocado! Let's call it California!" bit killed me... it's so true...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 pound spaghetti, linguine, or angel-hair pasta
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
A bit of grated lime zest (use an organic lime so you don't end up with *poison pasta*!) - I used the zest of about half a lime
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1/8 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. sea salt
A good bit of freshly-ground black pepper
2 cups chopped, loosely-packed spinach (or arugula)
1 avocado, sliced and cut into chunks

Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prep all your other ingredients while the water boils (this cooks so quickly!) Once the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. When there is about 3 minutes left on the pasta, add the broccoli and cook with the pasta.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes. Gently heat, stirring often, for about 2 minutes (watch it - be careful the garlic does not burn!)

3. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil so the wine reduces (2 minutes or so). Add the broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and bring back to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the arugula or spinach.

4. Remember to add that broccoli to the pasta! :)
Once the pasta and broccoli are done, drain them both in a colander.

5. When the arugula/spinach is wilted, add the broccoli and pasta to the skillet. Use a pasta spoon to toss it around and make sure everything gets covered in the garlicy goodness! Cook about 3 minutes longer, stirring often. Add the avocado and turn off the heat. Gently toss the avocado in with the pasta and veggies, being careful not to squash it.

6. Serve with a couple good grinds of black pepper. Spoon the leftover garlic sauce over the bowls of pasta.

Reference:
Pasta Della California from the book Veganomicon.

Menu - July 6-11

Haven't posted one of these in a while ;)

Here's my *trying to use up all the stuff we have in the house before we leave the country* menu for this week:

Sunday - Pasta della California; Hubby had leftovers (don't pity him! It was what he wanted...)

Monday - Black Bean and Quinoa Pilaf; Margarita Salmon for DH.

Tuesday - Vegetarian *Gumbo* (well, not really gumbo since I don't have okra...); Hubby will have either a burger, roasted potatoes and a salad or spicy Tex-Mex chicken.

Wednesday - Lemon Pasta for me (yum!); Some sort of pork chop for hubby. Any ideas? I've only ever made Giada's Parmesan pork chops for him! I'm extremely pork-illiterate since I never really ate it even before I went veg...

Thursday - Lentil-Cauliflower Curry; Chicken with Jack Daniel's (home-made!) BBQ sauce.

Friday - Spaghetti! I'll have home-made marinara; hubby will have the marinara with some seasoned ground beef and Italian sausage mixed in.

Saturday - um, haven't gotten this far yet ;) We have a birthday party at the beach to go to in the morning (lunchtime-ish) so we'll take some stuff to grill. No idea what's for dinner yet... I'll figure that out as the week goes on.

Have a delicious week!

Orzo and White Beans

This is a great bean and pasta dish with a yummy vegan pesto! I highly suggest making extra pesto and freezing it - you'll never miss the cheese.
I added extra veggies to this but never wrote them down (and didn't take a photo) and I've since forgotten what I added... I'm pretty sure it was a little petite peas and maybe some broccoli. Any vegetables you have on-hand would be a good addition.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/2 can white beans (I ended up using garbanzo beans)
2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1/8 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Method:
1. Drain and rinse the beans but leave them in the colander. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

2. To make the pesto, place the parsley, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon peel, balsamic vinegar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. Add extra lemon juice, salt, or vinegar as needed.

3. When the orzo is cooked, pour it into the colander over the beans. Return the pasta and beans to the pan and add the pesto. Add extra lemon juice if desired.

Reference:
This was posted by JoyGotDots on the Nest. She adapted it from a recipe by Lorna Sass.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Vacation All I Ever Wanted...

*Great, now that bloody song will be in my head all weekend...*

In just 11 days, we'll be on a plane to England! I am so beyond excited, you have no idea! :)
For those who don't know, I actually grew up in England (The Lake District) and lived there the first 13 years of my life. Yes, that means I've lived in San Diego quite a bit longer than that but I'm still a British citizen (and don't plan on giving that up!)

Anyway, I'm sitting here doing some holiday research and just found this really great deal in Bath. As you know, Bath is home to the historic Roman bath houses. Well, there is a thing you can do where you have a 2-hour session at the Thermae Bath Spa, a ticket to tour the Roman Baths, and a 3-course lunch at the Pump House restaurant. It's only 55 pounds per person which is about $100-$110. Might sound pricey but everything in Europe is pricey! I think that's a really good deal, and really, when the hell will we ever have the opportunity to do that again? :)
Hopefully hubby will go for it...

Wonder if he'll also go for a trip through the Jane Austen Centre with me... lol ;) Right... Might be doing that one alone..!

More on my trip later... I just got so silly excited about that spa deal that I had to share! :)

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins


Mmmm... nothing says summer like fresh blueberries! These muffins are vegan (and soy-free), low-fat, and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids due to the addition of ground flax seeds. They are also full of blueberries which makes them a great source of antioxidant vitamins! They totally feel like cheating, though ;)

I really don't think the flax seeds affect the taste at all (they do make the muffins look darker) but if you choose to leave them out, use 2 cups of flour instead of only 1 2/3 cups. Flax seeds can be found at health/natural food stores (I get the Bob's Red Mill ones - they can often be found in bulk bins, too). If you have a decent regular grocery store in your area, you may be able to find them there, too.

My changes from the original recipe are in purple. One additional change I will make in the future will be to use fresh lemon juice in place of the lemon extract.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup ground flax seeds (I buy the whole flax seeds and grind them in the coffee grinder. They won't provide the nutritional benefits if they are un-ground).
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Zest of 2 organic lemons (my Microplane is my best friend!)
3/4 cup agave nectar (or 1 cup granulated sugar)
1 cup non-dairy milk (rice, soy, almond)
1/3 cup canola oil or applesauce (this serves as the "egg")
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1 tbsp. white distilled vinegar

1 1/2 cups fresh organic blueberries

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, flax seeds, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest.

3. In a large bowl, combine the agave nectar, "milk", oil or applesauce, lemon extract, and vinegar. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture until just blended (you may have to work out a few lumps). Gently fold in the blueberries.

4. Fill muffin tins about two-thirds full. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Feel free to lick the spoon - there's no egg so you won't get sick (and the batter is super-yummy!)

5. Let sit for 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Remove the muffins from the tin and cool completely.















Reference:
This recipe was found in the book The Joy of Vegan Baking which was a gift from Nestie Widdel22 so thanks to her. :)
In my opinion, the joy of vegan baking is being able to lick the spoon/bowl/etc... ;) Plus it's so darn yummy - you'd never guess these were egg- and dairy-free!

Fresh Berries with Almond Cream

Yum... what a wonderful low-fat dessert! You will not believe how creamy the sauce is even though I used fat-free milk. :)

Plan at least 5 hours ahead for this!

2 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1 cup fat-free milk
1/8 cup sugar
3/4 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. amaretto
1/8 cup fresh organic raspberries
1/8 cup fresh organic blueberries
1/4 cup fresh organic strawberries

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Roast the almonds on a baking sheet for 15 minutes until they become light brown. Allow them to cool and then pulse them in a food processor or coffee grinder until they are finely ground.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the ground almonds, 3/4 cup milk, and sugar. Stirring every minute or two, bring this mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the almonds steep for 1 hour.

3. Strain the mixture over a glass bowl through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on the almonds to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids left in the sieve.

4. Bring the almond-milk mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup milk. Gradually stir the cornstarch-milk mixture into the simmering liquid. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Add 1/2 tbsp. amaretto and stir.

5. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to keep a skin from forming. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

**The custard can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.**

6. Marinate the berries in the remaining amaretto for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, beat the custard with a wire whisk. Pour the custard over the berries.

Reference:
From The Occasional Vegetarian (Original recipe title was "Mixed Berries with Almond Cream). The only change I made was to use strawberries in place of blackberries. You can make this with whatever berries you have on hand.

Harira

This is a North African soup that is traditionally served as part of the evening meal during the month of Ramadan. I had a friend in high school who was from Algeria - she introduced me to all the wonderful flavours of North African/Moroccan cuisine; it is so fantastic!

Anyway, this soup is really healthy and full of those great flavours! It's a good source of protein and a decent source of dietary fiber. Plus, it's completely cholesterol-free!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, chopped (I used red onions)
2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup peeled, diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup undrained canned tomatoes, chopped (even if you get the diced tomatoes, chop them up a bit so you don't have massive tomato chunks - learn from my mistakes ;)
3/4 cup diced potatoes *see note
Pinch of saffron
1/2 cup lentils *see note
1/2 cup drained cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

*Notes:
1) My potatoes really never cooked which was a disappointment (and I diced them pretty small!) I think next time, I'll boil them a little before adding them to the soup - hopefully that will help! I'll just have to be careful not to boil them for so long that they become too mushy. Nothing like ashy soup due to mushy potatoes.
2) I foresaw this problem with the lentils and was able to prevent undercooked lentils (hey, at least I got that right!) You can soak the lentils in hot water for 10-15 minutes prior to adding them. This helps start the cooking process so you won't have hard lentils in your soup! Use a 2:1 ratio of lentils to boiling water for soaking. Drain before adding to the soup. (I let my lentils sit for quite a bit longer than 10 minutes - I just started the soaking process while I was still chopping veggies and let them soak until I added them. Probably about 25-30 minutes total).

Method:
1. In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions in 1/2 cup vegetable broth for 10 minutes. Combine the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of the hot broth to form a paste. Stir this paste back into the pot along with the carrots, celery, and remaining stock. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and potatoes and continue to cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Crumble in the saffron. Stir in the lentils, chickpeas, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until lentils are cooked and everything is heated through.

Reference:
From the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favourites Cookbook.