SNDC is Not a Dinner Club

5:30 p.m. Sunday, Ben and I are hosting: 1201 NE 21st Ave.

I’ve never had fennel, and have been obsessing over this fact of late. So let’s double this recipe.

We need:

• 4 fennel bulbs (2 pound total), stalks discarded — I will track this down.
• 1/2 cup whole almonds (preferably Marcona), lightly toasted- Me.
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil – Me.
• 20 garlic cloves, finely chopped – Have some, need more.
• 1/2 cup raisins – Me.
• 4 teaspoons whole coriander seeds – ???
• 1 teaspoon grated orange – Me.
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice- Me.
• Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled (can use turmeric instead) - ???
• 1 cup chopped cilantro – Me.

Should we have it with rice or quinoa, maybe?

If so, we still need:
- A head (or partial head) of garlic, to supplement what I have on hand.
- 4 teaspoons whole coriander seeds.
- rice or quinoa.
- optional: saffron threads if somebody has saffron already. If not, we can substitute in turmeric, which Ben and I have.
- Beverages.

PS - I created an account at maximumportland,com, but can’t figure out how to post there. Maybe a switch needs to be flipped before I have that power?

This could be my last post here, now that Maximum Portland is converted to an SNDC clearing site. The Netflix-like book-borrowing service I was trying to remember the name of tonight is Booksfree.

FANCY (but dairy-free) grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Spiced-Up Grilled Cheese

1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies
1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses
12 3/4-inch-thick slices sourdough bread
18 ounces sharp fake (dairy-free) cheddar cheese
4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
olive oil

Creamy Tomato-Leek Soup

1 tablespoon no-dairy margarine
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
3 leeks, divided (2 thinly sliced in half moons and 1 thinly sliced lengthwise)
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 14-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy coffee creamer
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt & pepper, to taste

I’ll have tomato paste, molasses, fresh tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, olive oil, butter, garlic, margarine, sugar, pepper, oregano, salt and pepper, beer, wine and juice.

One thing I don’t have is a griddle that can fit more than two small sandwiches at a time. It would be a BIG HELP if someone could bring a griddle big enough for at least three.

That leaves:

- nine inches of sourdough bread
- chipotle chiles (I’m a little nervous about these myself, so let’s make them optional)
- fake cheese
- 3 leeks
- soy coffee creamer
- celery seed
- 3 cans whole tomatoes
- optional other beverages
- one or more griddles, as big as possible

3520 SE Taylor St.
Portland, OR 97214
Sunday, January 11, 2009
5:30 p.m.

Cinnamon Chili

1 onion, chopped and browned in medium size pot (larger than large saucepan) or crockpot

Add to pot:

• 2 cups concentrated vegetable stock – Dan
• 1 large can tomato sauce – Dan
• 20 oz. diced tomatoes, drained (try fire roasted tomatoes) – Dan
• 1-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4-6 cloves garlic chopped – Dan
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• paprika
• oregano

Cook for a while, then add to pot:

• 1 bag of Morningstar Crumbles
• salt and pepper to taste – Dan
• cinnamon to taste – Dan
• sugar, 1/8-1/4 cup? to taste – Dan

Simmer at least 1 hour for full flavor.

• Wine – Dan

Tried this two weeks ago, and got snowed out. So lets try again. My place (1201 NE 21st Ave.) at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. How about this?

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil – Me & Ben.
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion – Me & Ben.
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic – Me & Ben.
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup tomato paste – Me & Ben.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil – Me & Ben.
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt – Me & Ben.
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper – Me & Ben.

The rest of it:

• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 2 pounds firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic -Me & Ben.
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil – Me & Ben.
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt  – Me & Ben.
• ground black pepper to taste  – Me & Ben.
• 3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I think fresh is OK instead.)

So we need:
4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
3/4 cups parsley
2 pounds tofu
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach or a bunch of fresh spinach.

Plus maybe a juice and/or wine? We have some beer in the fridge right now, too, which we’d be happy to share.

My place (1201 NE 21st Ave.) at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. How about this.

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil – Me & Ben.
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion – Me & Ben.
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic – Me & Ben.
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup tomato paste – Me & Ben.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil – Me & Ben.
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt – Me & Ben.
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper – Me & Ben.

The rest of it:

• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 2 pounds firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic -Me & Ben.
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil – Me & Ben.
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt  – Me & Ben.
• ground black pepper to taste  – Me & Ben.
• 3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I think fresh is OK instead.)

So we need:
4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
3/4 cups parsley
2 pounds tofu
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach or a bunch of fresh spinach.

@ Dan’s Place
3520 SE Taylor St.

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers (recipe doubled)

Note: This recipe also calls for peanuts, but I propose leaving them out as I sometimes have a slight intolerance for them.

• 2/3 cup olive oil – Dan
• 4 large red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced – Dan
• 6 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger – Dan
• 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped – Dan
• 2 14-to 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained well, cut into 1-inch cubes – Dan
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal – Dan
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice – Dan
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach leaves
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil

• Beverages

That leaves soy sauce, red pepper, spinach, basil, and beverages.

Where is SNDC this week? It’s not our turn to host, is it?

Okay, so I bought this lovely Indian cookbook a while ago, but haven’t had a chance to try it out much…so, I’m proposing an Indian style dinner. This will also pretty easily lend itself to being both vegan and vegetarian, with the exception of the naan (I’ll elaborate more on naan options below). The recipes look a lot more intimidating than they really are…it’s mostly just a lot of spices. If I’ve inadvertently overlooked someone’s food allergies/sensitivities, please let me know!

Items still needed:

• chives or green onions,
• 2 heads of cauliflower,
• 2 cans diced tomatoes,
• fresh cilantro,
• fresh lemon,
• frozen peas

Tumeric Rice (peelay chaaval)

2 cups basmati rice Lena
3 tbs vegetable oil Lena
3 whole cloves Lena
1 bay leaf Lena
4 cardamom pods Lena
1-inch stick cinnamon Lena
2 cloves garlic Lena
1/2 tsp ground tumeric Lena
1 tsp salt Lena
2 Tbs. finely sliced chives or the green part of green onions

Gobi Matar Masala (spicy cauliflower and peas–and we’ll add potatoes to make it more hearty)
courtesy of a friend of a friend, Vegan Yum-Yum

2 Cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets
2 Onion, chopped small Lena
1 tsp Ginger Powder Lena
2 tsp Powdered Cumin Lena
2 tsp Cumin Seeds Lena
2 tsp Coriander Lena
2 tsp Chili Powder Lena
4 tsp Garam Masala Lena
1 tsp Turmeric Lena
8 tsp Olive Oil Lena
2 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1/2Cup Water Lena
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt to taste Lena
Fresh Cilantro
1 Lemon

For the naan…the traditional recipe calls for a small amount of whole milk yogurt and ghee, which is clarified butter. I’m going to go ahead and make a traditional recipe, and I’ll look at New Seasons when I go this afternoon for a vegan naan.

Brian and I are still planning to host SNDC at our place tomorrow, but we’re still coming up with a recipe. After breakfast and some grocery store brainstorming, we’ll get back to you, so stay tuned.

The Owl House is located at 4022 SE Caruthers Street.

Brian and Lena