Category Archives: Vegan

Karl’s Garlic and Chive Harcourt Vert

I wanted a green vegetable to go with roasted turkey and stuffing. The traditional American side dish involves overcooked green beans, canned mushroom soup and fried onions. Some people actually look forward to this dish every year.

Karl’s Garlic and Chive Harcourt Vert

Karl’s Garlic and Chive Harcourt Vert

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Filed under Holidays, Side Dishes, Steaming, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Jan’s Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from a Washington’s Green Grocer recipe

What is a Thanksgiving turkey without the sauce? Jan read recently that while many of the ingredients of an American Thanksgiving feast had a New World origin, the culinary aesthetic was definitely Old World.  The serving a tart fruit sauce with greasy roasted meats comes straight from the (European) Middle Ages.

Jan’s Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

Jan’s Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

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Filed under California Fusion, Holidays, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Sichuan Pickle Salad

This is Eilene’s birthday week, so she got to choose Sunday’s dinner. She wanted spicy chicken and pan fried noodles. While this is a meal in itself, I thought that a cold, vegetable salad would be a nice addition to the meal.

Karl’s Sichuan Pickle Salad

Karl’s Sichuan Pickle Salad

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Filed under Pickles, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Chinese Broccoli with Mushroom Sauce

On Christmas morning my family likes to go out for dim sum (点心; snacks), Chinese small plates. Frequently we go to Tai-pan in Palo Alto. In addition to the many and varied flavors, Tia-pan’s presentation is always impeccable—no chopped vegetables sloshed on a plate. Of the many excellent dishes we had, one was the one we always order is Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce.

Karl’s Chinese Broccoli with Mushroom Sauce

Karl’s Chinese Broccoli with Mushroom Sauce

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Filed under Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Harcourt Vert with Red Bell Pepper

I needed a vegetable to go with the chicken Madeira that I was serving for Jan’s visiting friends. I decided on French green beans, Harcourt vert, that are thinner and more tender than regular American green beans. Plain green beans are a bit boring, so I decided to add more interest with herbs and red bell pepper.

Karl’s Harcourt Vert with Red Bell Pepper

Karl’s Harcourt Vert with Red Bell Pepper

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Filed under California Fusion, Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Potato Thyme

I am making chicken Madeira for Jan’s visiting friends. Sauce and meat needs starch. I decided that what was called for was a variation on my mother’s parsley potatoes.

 

Karl’s Potato Thyme

Karl’s Potato Thyme

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Filed under California Fusion, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Tarragon and Chive Potatoes

For Sunday dinner, I am making Beef Bourguignon. What is a stew without potatoes? I could just toss the potatoes in the stew and call it good, but I decided that I would prefer them as a potato side dish.

Karl’s Tarragon and Chive Potatoes

Karl’s Tarragon and Chive Potatoes

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Filed under California Fusion, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Chili Verde Sauce

Tomatillos are not an ingredient that I use very often. These hard green relatives of tomatoes may be eaten raw, but they are a key ingredient to salsa verde. This Sunday, I decided that I would try making the Mexican restaurant staple, chili verde.  This dish is most commonly made with pork and this is simply called “chili verde.” However, if you use the same sauce with beef, chicken, or as a vegetarian dish.

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Filed under Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Refried Beans Azteca

I wanted to do something a little different with my refried beans. Sunday’s Parade Magazine had an article on ways to make your beans a little different. Adding chocolate seemed like a perfectly Mexican thing to do, but I have never seen a refried bean recipe that included it.

Karl’s Refried Beans Azteca

Karl’s Refried Beans Azteca

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Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Mexican Brown Rice

Technique drawn from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Jan is pushing me to use more “low glycemic” starches in my diet. I wanted beans and rice to go with my chili verde. To please her, I am using brown rice, instead of my usual white rice.

Karl’s Mexican Brown Rice

Karl’s Mexican Brown Rice

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Filed under California Fusion, Rice, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian