Best of All Falafels!

I followed this recipe and just added a bit of lemon juice. The result was excellent:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755

I also made two spreads to go with the falafels. One was a simple humus (canned chickpea, half clove of garlic, 1 tbsp tahini paste, 1 tbsp yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper) and also a spicy tahini sauce (1 tbsp tahini paste, 1 pinch of cumin, 1 tbsp yogurt, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, some chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper).

Toppings: slow roasted eggplant, coleslaw, tomato, onion, etc

Orzo Salad

Eggplant, Chickpea and Almond Stew

Ingredients:

• eggplant x 1
• tomato x 1 small can
• chickpea x 1 can
• almonds x 1/4 cup
• garlic x 1 clove chopped finely
• onion x 1/2 chopped finely
• turmeric x 1 tsp
• smoked paprika x 3 tsp
• chili flake (optional) x 1 tsp
• cilantro x 1 cup
• olive oil, salt, pepper

Slice the eggplant in 1 cm rings, then in quarters. Salt them generously and let them sit in a stainer for 30 minutes. Dry, coat with olive oil and roast in the oven (325 F) for 30 minutes. Check periodically, turn and make sure they don't get burned in one side. Once the eggplant is ready (it has to be soft but not fully falling apart), take out and set aside. In a pot, sauté the onion, garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and chili flakes. After 5 minutes add tomato and pinch of salt/pepper. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes. Add eggplant, cilantro and chickpea and let the stew simmer 20-30 minutes on low heat (adjust the seasoning if required). Serve with rice.

Mutter Paneer

Ingredients:

• crushed tomato x 1.25 cups
• tomato paste x 3 tbsp
• water x 0.5 cup
• cream x 0.5 cup
  
• shallot x 2 chopped finely
  
• garlic x 2 cloves chopped finely
  
• ginger x 1 inch grated
• curry powder x 1 tbsp
• chili flakes x 1 tsp
  
• paneer x 450 grams cubed
• sweet green pea x 1 cup
• salt, pepper, vegetable oil, butter

Saute shallots, garlic and ginger in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Add curry and chili flakes and saute for another 5 minutes. This helps the spices to wake up and develop their flavors. Add tomato (both crushed and paste) and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. While simmering lightly fry cubes of paneer. Add cream to the sauce and mix well. Add peas and fried paneer and let it cook for another 10 to 20 minutes until all the flavors are blended. Serve with basmati rice and thick yogurt.

Bulgur Wheat Cooked in Tomato with Fried Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• bulgur x 1 cup
• crushed tomato x 1 cup
• water x 1.5 cups
• shallot x 2 small
  
• slivered almonds x 1/4 cup
• cherry tomato x 1 handful, quartered
• cilantro x lots
• chickpea x 1/2 can (or more)
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  
• turmeric x 1.5 tsp
• salt, pepper, smoked paprika, olive oil

In a medium size pot, fry chopped shallots in a generous amount of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and turmeric. After 2-3 minutes, add crushed tomato, season with salt and pepper, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add water and bulgur and let cook for 20 minutes. Add fresh chopped cilantro, slivered almonds, lemon zest, juice and cherry tomatoes. In a separate pan, fry chickpeas in olive oil for 5 minutes, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and serve on top of the bulgur.

Deconstructed Mushroom Omellete with Baked Egg

Ingredients:

• egg x 1
• your favorite mushrooms, sliced
• slice of bread x 1
  
• cheddar, gouda or montray jack cheese
• fresh herbs
• salt, pepper, butter

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Saute mushrooms in butter, set aside. Separate the egg yolk and place it in the middle of a buttered ramekin. Beat the egg white with a whisk until it starts to foam and doubles in size. Add seasoning and chopped herbs to the egg white, gently folding them in. Pour the white on top of the yolk, making sure the yolk stays in the middle. Bake the egg in the oven for 8 minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile reheat the mushroom, melt the cheese on top of the bread under a broiler and once the egg is out of the ramekin, assemble the "omelette"

Egg Meg Muffin

Fried egg, avocado, sesame seed bagel, gouda cheese, raspberry, blueberry and grapefruit

SOYA - Vegeterian Restaurant in Paris

20 rue de la pierre levée, Paris, Telephone: 01 48 06 33 02

Tomato Chipotle Soup

Ingredients:

Tomato x can
Chipotle chili pepper x 1
Onion x 1 chopped
Carrot x 1 chopped
Parsley x 1 bunch
Cream x 1/2 cup
Ginger x 1/2 inch
Spinach x 1 cup
Your choice of fat (butter, olive oil, ...)
Salt and pepper

Saute onion, carrot, ginger, chipotle and parsley stalks in butter. Season. Add tomato and more seasoning. Bring to boil and let it summer until the flavors are developed. Add spinach and more parsley. Blend until smooth. Mix with cream and season if necessary.

Corn Soup (Take 2)

Ingredients:

• Corn, 5 cobs, dekerneled!
• Onion, 1 medium, chopped
• Carrot, 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic, 2 cloves, chopped
• Red chili, 1, deseeded and chopped
• Vegetable Stock, 1 cup
• Cream, 1/2 cup (optional)
• Cilantro
• Butter
• Salt, pepper, chepotle pepper (optional)
  

Saute onion and carrot in butter for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, chili and some chopped cilantro stalk. Add corn and some chopped cilantro to the mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock, bring to boil and simmer for 10 - 15 minuets until the corn is cooked. Take off the heat. Add some more cilantro, chepotle pepper and cream and blend until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve (in batches) for a smoother texture. Garnish with a couple of cilantro leaves and black salt.

Carrot Ginger Soup (Take 2)

Ingredients:

• Carrot 5 normal size, chopped
• Ginger 1 inch, graded or chopped
  
• Onion 1 medium size, chopped
• Shallot 1, chopped
  
• Garlic 2 cloves, chopped
• Cream 1/2 to 1 cup
  
• Vegetable Stock
• Red chili 1, chopped
  
• Coriander 1 fistful, chopped
• Butter 1-2 tbsp
• Olive oil (just a bit)
• Salt, pepper

Note: This is a simpler version of my previous carrot ginger soup. The difference is that, this time I made my own vegetable stock and the result was much better. It's so easy: boil 6 cups of water with some vegetables and herbs! I used some onion, garlic, carrot, ginger, chili, scallion, thyme, cilantro stalks, salt and pepper. Make a big batch and you can keep it in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 6 to 12 months!

Now the soup: sauté the onion in butter/olive oil (2 minutes), add garlic and ginger, salt, pepper, chili (3 minutes). Now add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, then add vegetable stock, until it covers the vegetables and let it cook, low heat for 10-15 minutes until carrots are fork tender. Let it cool down a bit, add coriander and blend well until very smooth … add cream, mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Beet Soup

Bring 4 to 5 scrubbed red beets to boil in cold salted water. Turn the heat to medium. Cook until fork tender (not too tender), about 40 to 60 minutes. Drain but reserve the cooking water. Peel and slice the beets into big chunks. Return them to the pot, add 1 to 2 cups of the cooking water and 1 cup of cream. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a chunk of goat cheese in the middle of the bowl.

Butternut Squash Soup + Salad

Butternut squash 1
Sage 1 bunch
onion 1/2
garlic 2 cloves
celery 3 stalks
carrot 2
butter 1 tbsp
vegetable stock 1/5 liter

peel and chop the squash in 1 inch cubes. dress them with olive oil, chopped sage, salt and pepper. roast in 300 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile fry some sage leaves in olive oil (30 seconds for each leaf) until crispy. Let the sage chips sit on a paper towel. Then saute the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and butter in the same pot for 5 minutes. Add the squash and vegetable stock to the mix. Bring to boil and let sit for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth. let sit until you are ready to serve. Garnish with a couple of sage chips. Serve with freshly toasted croutons and a nice salad!

Lentil Soup

shallot 1
onion 1/4 of a medium size
garlic cloves 4 cloves
butter 1 tbsp
tomato (crushed) 1 cup
vegetable stock 4 cups
lentils 1 cup
parsley 1/2 cup
dried lime 3 (found in Persian food stores)1
golpar 1 small pinch (found in Persian food stores)2
dried chili flakes 2 pinches
turmeric 1 tsp
salt and pepper

Saute onion, shallot, garlic, turmeric, golpar, chili flakes, salt and pepper in butter for 3 minutes. Add tomato and bit more salt. After 3 minutes add lentils, dried lime and parsley, bring to boil, turn the heat down and simmer until the lentils are soft. Blend using an immersion blender and serve with a nice bowl of spinach/tomato/pecan/onion/goat cheese salad.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_lime
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golpar

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• Carrot 3 normal size (1 ½ lb), chopped
• Ginger 1 inch, graded
• Onion 1 medium size, finely chopped
• Garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
• Coconut milk ½ can
• Vegetable Stock 1 ½ cups
• Curry powder 2 tsp
• Coriander 1 fistful finely chopped
• Butter 1-2 tbsp
• Olive oil (just a bit)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Salt, pepper, kayan pepper (optional)
• Scallion, finely chopped for garnish
  

Sauté the onion in butter/olive oil (2 minutes), add garlic (1 minute) add curry powder, salt, pepper, kayan (3 minutes) add ginger (1 minute) add carrots, sauté for 5 minutes then add vegetable stock and let cook, low heat for 15-20 minutes until carrots are tender. Let cool down a bit, add coconut milk, coriander and lemon juice/zest and blend well until very smooth … taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with fresh chopped scallions. Noosh e jaan!

Creamy Corn Soup

ingredients:

• corn 3-4 cobs
• onion 1 small
• garlic 2-3 cloves
• chili (optional) 1 de-seeded
• butter enough to saute the veg
• cilantro 1/2 bunch
• mint a few leaves
• creme or milk 1 to 2 cups
• creme freche 2 to 3 tbsp
• vegetable stock 1 to 1-1/2 cups
• salt, pepper, cayan and chepotle pepper (optional)

heat pot, add butter, onion. after 2 mins, add garlic and chili. after 1 min add corn. after 4-5 mins add chopped cilantro stalks. once the corn is aldente add the liquid (creme and veg stock) cook for a bit, add creme freche and the rest of the cilantro. use a blender to make it smooth. adjust salt/pepper. you can let it cook for longer of you like the corn softer, or like the texture thicker ... garnish with cilantro leaves and some creme fresh! noosh e jaan!