Madras Lentils - an oil-free variant

I always love Madras lentils, but the point here is an oil-free variant, since I have adopted Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's oil-free vegan lifestyle. Actually, this is a very easy recipe.
It is amazing how cooking with oil now tastes dull to me...

Pulses are plentiful on Starling Avenue, so any lentils and such are easy to find.

Ingredients:

3-4 cups of water (or you can also use some cooking water from green leafies, like spinach, etc.)
2 cups of red split lentils (Masoor Dal)
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large potato, peeled and cubed [1 russet or a few yukon gold]
1 Qt pack of tomato sauce/puree
1 15 Oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 15 Oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt, Real Salt, or Sea Salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste

Watch it with the red pepper - the above may be too hot for some palates, so you may want to start with 1 tablespoon of red pepper the first time you try if you have a sensitive palate.

Preparation:

• bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the chopped onion, garlic, 
• add lentils and potato and simmer for about 45 mins,
• add in ground cumin, dried oregano, salt
• add in 1Qt of tomato puree, 1 15 Oz can of diced tomatoes
• add in 2 Tablespoons (to taste) of Indian Red Chili Powder, or Dried Crushed Red Peppers, or Cayenne pepper
• mix in a can of unsweetened coconut milk
• keep stirring with a wooden spoon all the time
• let it simmer until if feels "done."
• You can puree it, if you want it smooth.

This is excellent to freeze portions so you have this ready in a flash during the week. Over rice, with some fresh veggies, and you're done. A very healthy meal.

About the Stores

All the stores in my Starling Avenue food triangle are now posted on Nextdoor. You can get everything you need for the above recipe in one quick shopping excursion up and down Starling Avenue. SWAD lentils are everywhere. The Pioneer at 1345 has my favorite, Pomi Tomato Sauce. And the Key Food on Unionport usually has Muir Glen canned organic tomatoes.

WHY VEGAN DOCTORS ARE SUING THE GOVERNMENT: Dr Neal Barnard

It helps to realize how much the food and agricultural industry has dictated nutritional information in this country and around the world. I know, for I grew up in that dairy country, Holland, and while I was raised vegetarian, my parents were deeply convinced that dairy, including milk, eggs, cheese and yoghurt was actually healthy for you. Not until a few years ago did I discover that the complete vegan diet is simply the way to go, healthy, delicious and nutritious.

What also helps is to remember how skewed our information stream has really become, for the recent obsession with deaths from opioid addiction and heroin overdoses puts this in perspective:

• 78 deaths a day from heroin overdoses is a national health crisis, and we send in the marines,
• 1671 deaths a day from cardiovascular illness is business as usual, and the USDA blithely continues to recommend animal proteins and dairy, even in its latest version of "MyPlate." 

An objective reader might conclude that cardiovascular disease should be the bigger priority, and the government should stop promoting more of it, i.e. animal protein, fats and dairy. Sugar, white flour and whipped cream are a more dangerous addiction than opioids. Time to tune in to Dr. Neil Barnard, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and others who are focused on the right priorities.

Meanwhile, John Oliver recently put the whole mess with opioid addictions in perspective beautifully: 

Meaning again that iatrogenic disease, disease caused by doctors and the side effects of medicine continue to be a serious issue. A recent piece on Nutrition Facts makes the same point all over again: Medical Care: The Third Leading Cause of Death.

Taking responsibility for your own health and nutrition is really up to you, and it pays to do your own research and to scrutinize the validity of the government's assertions. The USDA is in the business of supporting the food industry, and the health and well-being of consumers is an after thought. What PCRM is doing is of critical importance, and we all need to pay attention and come to our own conclusions.

The Starling Avenue Food Shopping Triangle

There are areas in the Bronx where the selection of fruits and vegetables leaves something to be desired, but Starling Avenue is the exception that perhaps proves the rule. Indeed in our own district there is a dearth of good grocery shopping in many areas, especially also since the Key Foods at the Bruckner Plaza shut its doors last August, and we understand it won't be till next August before there's a new store coming in, I believe a Shoprite. Be that as it may, in the interim it may be worthwhile from people in nearby areas to shop on Starling avenue, we have such a selection of stores, it is almost unbelievable. It is a real shoppers paradise, especially if fresh produce is your thing.

The anchor stores of the Starling Avenue Food Shopping Triangle are:

1. Chang-Li Supermarket on 2079 Benedict Avenue, corner Unionport Road.
2. Key Foods on 1535 Unionport Road
3. Pioneer Supermarket at 1345 Castle Hill Avenue

Chang-Li Supermarket

Key Foods on Unionport

Pioneer at 1345 Castle Hill

Two outliers are:

• World of Spice, for West-Indian specialties, on Westchester Avenue, right by the Castle Hill Elevated subway station.
• Lady Afrique International Market on Castle Hill, across from Pioneer, for West African (principally Ghanaian) staples and specialties.

World of Spice

Lady Afrique International Market

The main event, the Bangladeshi markets on Starling Avenue

Some are purely Bangladeshi, some have West-Indian as well as West-African specialties and a few have some more Indian and Pakistani ingredients as well, so if ethnic cuisine is your thing, here is where the action is.

1. Bangla Town Supermarket, at 2161 Starling Avenue
2. Halal Meat & Grocery at 2148 Starling Avenue
3. Poshora at 2142-2144 Starling Avenue
4. Al Aqsa Halal Meat & Supermarket at 2109 Starling Avenue
5. Premium Halal Meat & Fish at 1500 Olmstead Avenue, corner Starling Avenue - 24 hours
6. Friends Grocery & Halal Meat - 24 Hours
7. Neerob Bazaar at 2085 Starling Avenue, developing an interesting selection...

Bangla Town

Halal Meat & Grocery

Poshora Market

Al-Aqsa

Premium Halal Meat & Fish

Friends Grocery

Neerob Bazaar

So, there you have it, be my guest. You will find most all the ingredients I ever use in this neighborhood, and I seldom have to go far, and sometimes I turn the stove off in the middle of cooking if I find out I forgot something or ran out of something... it's just too easy to do!

Happy shopping!

Starling Avenue Stew with Swiss Chard and Jackfruit Seeds

Jackfruit has been plentiful on Starling Avenue this summer, and my girlfriend brought some home several times, as it was selling for 99 cents per pound, at Premium Halal Meat & Fish and other stores. The seeds are edible, and first we roasted some... that was not bad. But then I had a hunch, which led to this new dish, a Starling Avenue original. You could make it with seeds of the Jackfruit, or, if those are not available to you, you could make it with chestnuts. Key foods on Unionport sells organic chestnuts in a bag, or Chang-Li Supermarket on Benedict Avenue also sells chestnuts in bags, under the brand name of Homei.

This recipe meets all the criteria for Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's no-oil vegan lifestyle.

Jackfruit Arils & Seeds (Wikipedia)

The jackfruit itself has become a favorite desert, and that is saying a lot, for I don't normally eat desert. In the process of taking the pods out of the fruit, you must take the seeds out, and when they dry the outershell which is whitish, dries up very quickly, and you can peel it off. The seeds themselves can very well be roasted, especially when they are fresh, but if you dry them you could try this stew. Notably some stores also offered the Jackfruit seeds for sale at $4.99/lb. Here goes for the recipe this is for 2 people. The overall flavor of this dish is "nutty," and the tastes harmonize well, but you can make variations.

Ingredients & Variations

• Farro for a grain - you cook it like rice, but it has a very rich, nutty flavor. Around here you can find it at Good 'n Natural on White Plains Road, its from Bob's Red Mill. Alternatively you could use a brown Basmati rice.
• Swiss chard. Chang-Li Supermarket regularly carries this vegetable. You could uses spinach instead, but again the Swiss Chard has that rich, nutty flavor, that sets it apart.
• A chopped onion.

Preparation:

• In a pan, cook the chopped onion in two cups of water for about 10-15 minutes, with the peeled jackfruit seeds. Turn down to a slow simmer.
• Meanwhile you washed the chard and chopped up the stems into inch-long pieces.
• First add the stems of the chard to the simmering pan, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Chop the leaves of the chard into about inch-wide strips, and add them to the pan - let it simmer until the leaves are wilted and soft to eat.

Serve the stew over the farro. The whole thing has a rich, earthy, nutty flavor, and it should not need anything else. Enjoy.

The Year of the Pulses 2016 - United Nations

The United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of the Pulses. As luck would have it, I live in little Bangladesh, on Starling Avenue in the Bronx, and there are some ten stores on my street alone that sell any number of pulses: endless varieties of lentils (red lentils, whole lentils, Urad Dal, Masoor Matki-crimson lentils), green peas, yellow split peas, chick peas, and on and on and on.

In supermarkets around there are many more varieties from Spanish Cuisine, the entire Goya Foods line, either dried, or in cans, and there are even some interesting organic entries here and there, some you can find at Chang-Li supermarket (they stock Braggs Apple Cider and Liquid Amino's) on Benedict avenue, and Pioneer Supermarket on Castle Hill has a small, but growing section of organic produce and some organic dry goods, including excellent organic black beans from a brand called Wild Harvest.

In short, I am in Pulse heaven, and gradually I am learning more and more recipes, and ever since I decided to go 100% vegan a year and half ago, I am having more fun with food than I ever did in my life before.

One recent favorite recipe came from the Whole Foods website,
for Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup:

Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup

• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups dried yellow split peas
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• vegetable bouillon, tamari, or liquid aminos to taste 

Method: 

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes or until translucent, adding little water if necessary to prevent sticking. Stir in ginger and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add 8 1/2 cups water, peas and sweet potato and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer 15 minutes. Carefully purée soup with a hand held immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth and creamy. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

My personal variation is that I spray the pumpkin seeds (available at Chang Li), with Bragg's Liquid Aminos after toasting them on an oven tray. That just gives them a little extra flavor. You can just snack on them, or use them as suggested here, to spice up certain dishes.

The recipe is simplicity itself, and my routine has become to cook large pans of soup, and freeze two or three portions, so that I always have soup in stock in case I have limited time for cooking. A quick soup and a salad will tide you over.

Veganism is spreading

Lately it seems that veganism is spreading with amazing speed, both the no-oil vegan cuisine promoted by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, also known as the Plant Perfect Diet, and the low fat Engine2 Diet promote by his son, Rip Esselstyn, aka the Plant Strong Diet, and then there is always the hybrid program,  Forks Over Knives, based on the movie.

The number of stories is growing, and in many cases people are successfully eliminating a whole list of medications from their lives, and instead of spending the rest of their lives worrying about the side effects of their medications, not to mention drug interactions, eating healthy is becoming more wide spread.

The Starling Ave Wrap-up & Starling Avenue Vegan Wrap

Increasingly, Starling Avenue is becoming a Mecca for shopping for Fruits and Vegetables, including the fact that a lot of organic stuff can be found, if you know where to look. Here is an outline:

• Start with Chang Li Supermarket at 2079 Benedict Avenue, that is your widest selection of anything in the area.
• Then, there is Key Food on Unionport Avenue (in Parkchester), which has some interesting organic stuff, if you know where to look. One of my faves is Organic Chestnuts, which I like to combine with Brussels Sprouts.
• Then, you can go up and down Starling Avenue, which is a virtual Little Bangladesh in the Bronx, and there are fruit and vegetable vendors up and down the street, and you can find amazing stuff.
• On your way out, if there's anything you have not found yet, there's always the Pioneer Supermarket at 1345 Castle Hill Avenue. I like them for their organic salads and organic banana's and organic cherry tomatoes. Lots of other good stuff as well.

Here is your itinerary: Starting from Pioneer, through Starling Avenue, to Chang-Li and ending at Key Foods. If it's fresh food and you haven't found it yet, there's something missing.

The Starling Avenue Vegan Wrap

Crispy 100% Whole Wheat Roti

Start with a Crispy Whole Wheat Roti, which you can get at any of the Bangla stores on Starling Avenue, and here goes:

• Heat your roti(s) as per instructions
• A good schmear of (home made) hummus on about 1/8th of it. 
• Some brown rice or quinoa, or any other grain you like.
• Some steamed veggies, like string beans, or okra, or kale, or carrots, whatever suits you,
• Some Teriyaki sauce. Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or Tamari or Shoyu on your steamed veggies
• Alternatively use fresh salad or watercress, etc.
• Maybe some roasted or fresh mushrooms
• Add a fork full of Sauerkraut or Kimchi

Roll this up. Finger lickin' good. The ideal solution to take with you if you're trying to avoid road food (I make two of them and roll them up in a strip of paper towel, with Saranwrap around it, and put it in a sandwich bag to take with me if I'm likely to get stuck in a place where there's little choice.

It's little things like these that make me feel that I've never eaten so well in my life as since I went all Vegan, about a year ago today.

Vegan Tempeh Stew based on Banana Peel Thoran

Here were the recipes I started with:

• Banana Peel Thoran Recipe
• Banana Peel Thoran Recipe #2

This a cooking style from Kerala, so my friend Francis who works at a store on my street helped me to source some of the ingredients, the Hing, and the Urad Dal, as it turns out smack across the street from me at Poshora:

Poshora Market, 2142-44 Starling Avenue

And here's what I made of it:
I used the first recipe above, but I added sliced tempeh, marinated for 24 hours in water with coriander, and instead of one onion, I used 3 decent sized onions, to really make a nice stew. By the time you do all this the whole thing becomes a protein rich stew. Combine with brown rice and some green vegetable, and you're in business. Of course the Banana peels were from organic banana's I got from Pioneer on 1345 Castle Hill. For Tempeh your best address in the area is Good 'n Natural, at 2173 White Plains Road.