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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

Vegan

Turmeric Milk or Haldi Doodh

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Turmeric Milk or Haldi Doodh

Golden Milk, Turmeric Milk or Haldi Doodh – whatever you call it, this a a tasty way to get some of nature’s most health-filled spices. I’ve known about turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, but Wed-MD has a much longer list of the benefits. It’s easy to see why I’ve been reading that this beverage is every Indian mother’s go-to remedy (sometimes without any sweetener, ugh). My friend Prethi confirms this, and judging by the expression on her face, it was an unsweetened version that she drank as a child!

We take supplements, but I strongly believe that it’s better to get nutrients as part of your food rather than concentrated if you can. I may have to make this a daily habit to see if it helps my arthritis.

I’m putting what I started with in the recipe. You can add more or less to taste or be adventurous and toss in other spices – kind like chai but without the tea. Exercise caution – the turmeric stains, worse than beets!  

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Turmeric Milk

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Prep Time: 1 min
  • Cook Time: 4 mins
  • Total Time: 5 mins
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Indian
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Description

A tasty, healthy alternative to coffee, tea, or hot chocolate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk, (any milk, I used coconut)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ginger

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan
  2. Simmer to heat and combine flavors
  3. If you’ve added some chunky spices, you may want to strain before serving

Notes

Substitute other sweeteners for honey, if desired

I would have grated a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, rather than using dried, if I’d had some

Optional spice additions: 2-3 whole black peppercorns, 1 star anise, 2-3 cracked cardomon pods, cinnamon stick (or sprinkle with ground cinnamon)

According to Dr. Weil, be sure to add some black pepper to your drink. The pepper will help your body absorb the turmeric!

 

Zupa z Brokułami i Marchewką Broccoli and Carrot Soup

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Broccoli soup with carrot red bell pepper soup
broccoli carrot soup
Inspired by a soup at Corleone, my favorite restaurant in Krakow, I’ve prepared two soups and served them up in one bowl. Together the soup colors and flavors complement each other making the combination so much better that either soup on its own. It’s easy to do and makes for a very striking presentation for Broccoli and Carrot Soup
My starting point for any soup is the prepackaged bundle of vegetables that every Polish housewife uses. I’m going to miss this when I return to the states.
the bundle of soup veg available in any Polish market

Smacznego!

Lois

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two-tone broccoli carrot soup

Broccoli and Carrot Soup

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Two delicious soups in one bowl, what could be prettier?

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 leek (the white and light green part), sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 small parsnips, sliced
  • 1 small celery root, peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 carrots, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small head broccoli, chopped
  • Stock, chicken or vegetable (for vegan)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • a dash of cayenne (optional)

Instructions

  1. Divide the oil between two saucepans
  2. Divide the leek and onion between the two pans, season a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook over medium high heat until soft
  3. Divide the parsnip, celery root, and garlic between the two pans
  4. Add 7 carrots and the red bell pepper to one pan
  5. Add 1 carrot and the broccoli the other
  6. Continue to cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 3 – 5
  7. Add stock to both pans, just enough to cover the veg
  8. Simmer until everything is tender
  9. Blend until smooth (I use an immersion blender)
  10. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary, and cayenne if you’re using it
  11. Pour both soups into a bowl at the same time (easy to do with liquid measuring cups), adding whatever finishing touch your veggie-loving heart desires, suggestions below 🙂

 

Carrot – red bell pepper soup
Broccoli soup
Pour both soups into the bowl at the same time
Garnish with dots from a spoon handle
Or run a knife back and forth through the soup for a zig-zag pattern

Vegan Sesame Seed Cookies

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We were planning for a cross-country car trip with out vegan daughter when I first made these tasty cookies. It’s often difficult for her to pick up snacks when we’re grabbing a hot dog from a gas station shop, so I was determined to pack some delicious and nutritious goodies for her. These vegan sesame seed cookies hit the mark on both counts!

vegan sesame seed cookies

One of the other goodies I made for her called for toasted sesame seeds. I had toasted a pan full of sesame seeds when I made the vegan snack bites. I was keeping my eyes open for a recipe that might use up the rest. They happily became vegan cookies – adding to our road snacks for our trip with Lisa. The recipe is from Food Bridge – bridging cultures through food. This cookie is one of the pastries made for an Israeli – Moroccan henna ceremony. It’s an interesting read.

Since I was just using up sesame seeds, I had to scale down the recipe, but this is a cookie where you’ll want to make more! It’s not a case of saying this tastes good for a vegan recipe; we all loved them. The texture was both crisp and chewy and the sesame flavor was mouth watering!

Smacznego!

Lois

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vegan sesame seed cookies

Vegan Sesame Seed Cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Dessert
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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup organic sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 330 F
  2. Combine sesame seeds, flour, sugar, and baking powder
  3. Stir in the oil
  4. Stir in the water and vanilla
  5. Roll the dough out on parchment to 1/4 inch thick
  6. Cut using a glass or cutter dipped in flour
  7. Remove the scraps to re-roll
  8. Move the parchment with the cookies to a baking sheet and pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, until light golden

 

 

 

Vegan Snack Bites

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We’re traveling this week with our daughter – a road trip for us, meeting her in Vienna and then off to a few spots in Germany.  The last time Lisa was in this part of the world, she was vegetarian, and I know that presented some challenges.  Now, she is vegan.  We’re visiting some large cities, so I’m hoping we can find some vegan restaurants because a girl needs more than salads and french fries.

To add some fun and variety, I’ve made some vegan treats for our trip.  As I googled vegan snack travel, I found Oh She Glows, a great food blog featuring vegan recipes.  The author is working on a cookbook which I can’t wait to buy for Lisa.

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup dates, pitted
1/2 cup dried sweetened cherries or cranberries
50 g dark chocolate, chopped (no chocolate chips in Poland) just under 1/4 cup
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts
pinch salt
toasted sesame seeds, desiccated coconut, or additional finely chopped nuts

Directions

  • Finely chop the almonds in a food processor.  (I used the mini processor attachment for my immersion blender which meant as ingredients were added I had to divide the dough into four batches.  If I had a large, powerful food processor, I would be making these on a regualar basis!)
  • Set aside 1/3 cup of the chopped almonds
  • The only dates I could find were a little dry, so I covered them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drained, and then added to the processor.  Probably because my processor and motor are small, I had trouble getting this mixed, so I added a few teaspoons of the date water to help it blend
  • Add the cherries or cranberries and process
  • Add the chocolate, pecans or walnuts, and salt, process
  • Stir in the reserved
  • Roll into balls about an inch in diameter
  • Roll in sesame seeds, coconut, or nuts
  • Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use

Note: to toast the sesame seeds, put them in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes, until they begin to take on a little color

These are on their way to the freezer.  Otherwise, they would have been eaten long before our trip.

White Bean Hummus

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A wine bar meal in Ireland with Erin and Tim, our niece and her fiancee, inspired this recipe. It was our first meal together in Galway – a very fun evening. When they make a movie about the trip, I expect the working title to be Four Foodies on a Roll.  We all like to try new things, and it was one of those trips where I’m making notes about things to try at home and interesting presentation ideas.

We don’t have a big selection of beans in Poland, so this was made with fasolka, a small white bean.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked white beans or 15 ounce can drained
2 – 4 tablespoons liquid from beans
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 – 3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
leaves from one sprig of thyme, or a pinch of dried thyme

Directions

  • Blend all ingredients in a food processor, using just enough liquid from the beans to get a nice spreadable texture
  • Serve with bread and/or raw vegetables

 

Fresh Blueberry Sherbet

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After success earlier this week with a pineapple sherbet made mainly with fresh fruit, I had to try it with something else. Blueberries are plentiful and cheap right now, so they were the perfect candidate. Rather than freezing it for later, we served this sherbet right after blending, the texture was perfect. Soft and smooth, but not soupy.

I found the frozen blueberries more difficult to blend than the frozen pineapple, but I am using a little immersion blender rather than a big food processor. It worked best, if I started with just a small amount of blueberries with the milk and kept adding berries, a few tablespoons at a time, as it became smooth.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh blueberries, frozen
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup milk (any kind, non-dairy for a vegan version)
1 teaspoon lime juice

Directions

  • Process all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth
  • Add a more milk if needed, a tablespoon at a time
  • Can be frozen to serve later, remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving
Serves 2 – 3

Chleb żytni razowy na zakwasie (Polish Sourdough Rye Bread)

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Our supermarket bakery used to make a Polish Sourdough Rye Bread, żytni, that was our favorite.  It was dense and most, sliced very thin, about a quarter of an inch.  They package a 2 or 3 inch section of a loaf, so it was always fresh, even with just the two of us in the flat.  It was a darker rye than the flour I’ve used here.  So now, I’ll have to start experimenting with different flours.  I picked up one at the organic market this morning that is a coarser grind, but it’s doesn’t seem to be darker.

Polish sourdough rye bread

I found this recipe on a Polish website by searching google.pl for żytni przepis (recipe).  I’ve put their recipe into google translate and will give you my edited version of the results below.  They also have a nice video of the process.  The audio is in Polish but if you’d like more visual clues, check it out.

We’re about to start on our second loaf, and I have another batch of starter “cooking” on the kitchen counter.  I had wondered what to call this mixture of equal weights of rye flour and water.  I had hoped it would be a poolish considering the Polish roots of the term and this bread, but no.  According to the King Arthur website, this preferment, because there is no commercial yeast added, it is a German style sour dough starter.  Which also makes sense; this area used to be part of Prussia.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Chleb żytni razowy na zakwasie (Polish Sourdough Rye Bread)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Bread
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A dense dark bread, chock full of sunflower seeds

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg of rye flour type 200 (about 12 cups), divided
  • 850 ml of warm water (4 1/4 cups), divided
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 200 g of sunflower seeds (1 cup)

Instructions

  1. Mix 50 g (1/2 cup) of flour and 50 ml (1/4 cup) of warm water in a glass vessel
  2. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 24 hours
  3. Repeat this process for the next 3 days, stirring in 50 g of flour and 50 ml of water each day
  4. Your sourdough starter will be growing for 4 days
  5. On the fifth day, transfer your starter to a large bowl and add 500 g (4 cups) of rye flour and 500 ml (2 1/2 cup) warm water (44 C or 110 F), mix and cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight
  6. To the dough, add 150 ml (3/4 cup) water and the salt
  7. Next add 500 g (4 cups) rye flour and seeds
  8. Knead the dough lightly; it should still be a little sticky
  9. Divide dough into two parchment lined loaf pans
  10. Lightly score the top of the bread diagonally, in both directions giving a criss-cross pattern
  11. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the loaves with boiling water*
  12. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours
  13. Preheat the oven to maximum temperature for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 200 C or 400 F Brush loaves again with boiling water,* put in the oven and bake for 55 minutes
  14. Cool before slicing
  15. Bread stays fresh for about a week
  16. Yield 2 – (8 or 9 inch) loaves

 

Be sure the glass vessel you use for your starter has room for the daily additions of flour and water as well as room for a little growth – 1 liter or 1 quart should be fine

 

* I believe the boiling water is to set the crust, much like cooking bagels in water before baking.  It keeps the top from expanding and gives you a denser loaf.

Almond Milk

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Homemade almond milk

When I was a child, tonsillectomies were very common.  I remember hearing that kids who had their tonsils removed got to eat all the ice cream they wanted.  It sounded like a pretty good deal at the time.  Years down the road, the post-surgical diet changed to something less appealing – Jell-o and Popsicles because dairy products produced phlegm and doctors didn’t want their patients coughing right after surgery, so this is something I have known for a long time.

Fast forward to 2013.  Earlier this year, Ed and I tried a three day detox diet.  The website was recommended to us by our friend, Julie, who as a cancer survivor (that sounds too passive, Julie is really more of a cancer conqueror), has a very healthy lifestyle.  To give you an idea how well it’s working for her, when we met in Scottsdale years ago to cheer on our niece and her friends at a Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk, I had to ask if she’d had some work done, a chemical peel maybe?  The answer was no, but she was seeing a naturopathic oncologist who had her eating a very healthy diet and spending a lot of time in the sauna.

With such a glowing appearance, Julie’s recommendations carry a lot of weight.  Much to my surprise, we enjoyed the food of this detox plan and continued eating a similar menu of smoothies, soups and salads, after the 3 day period. For me the only drawback was that it involved a lot of prep work.  After a week or so, I realized that a cough I’ve had for years had disappeared.  Could it be the lack of dairy?  Yes, I think it could be!  Remind me to tell my pulmonologist who did say it was due to allergies.

Since then, we haven’t ruled out dairy, but we’re more mindful about eating it – often seeking out alternatives because it does seem to bring on coughing and sneezing.  We’ve tried almond milk and rice milk in our coffee and tea.  (As someone who is at high risk for breast cancer, I don’t like to consume soy on a regular basis.)  In the last few weeks, our supermarket has been out of almond milk, so this morning, we tried making our own.  The recipe is from the detox plan, and I wish we hadn’t waited to long to try it.  It it many times better than the almond milk we’ve been buying.  I didn’t feel at all deprived having it in my chai this morning.

It will keep in the fridge for 4 days, so if we’re not using it up quickly enough, I’ll just add it to our green smoothies rather than using water for blending.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almonds (200g)
3 1/2 cups water
2 – 3 tablespoons honey (or 3 dates)
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  • Soak the almonds in water overnight or at least 8 hours
  • Drain the almonds, discard the soaking water
  • Blend the almonds with the 3 1/2 cups water, honey, salt, and vanilla (I used my immersion blender)
  • Strain the mixture through a fine sieve
  • There will be a lot of ground almond sludge in the bottom of the sieve, I had to keep scooping this pulp to the side to allow the liquid to drain through
  • Press the ground almonds with the back of a spoon to get the last little bit of almond milk

P.S. – you’ll be left with a lot of ground almond in the sieve.  We both had thoughts about how it might be used, baked goods, meatloaf, smoothies, but for now, I’m inclined to just toss it.  It seems to have lost so much flavor that there would be no point in recycling it.  If you find a suitable use, let me know!

 

Ukrainian Borscht (barszcz ukraiński)

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I dropped in on my parents recently, around lunchtime.   They’re both great cooks, so I wasn’t surprised to be asked to join them for a bowl of borscht rather than a ham sandwich.  The Ukrainian version my mom found on Allrecipes was my favorite in my somewhat limited borscht experience.  I have tried Polish barszcz in Poznan.  The Polish version is a brothy-soup, with a strong, tart flavor and is served with a croquette on the side.  In comparison, this Ukrainina verion is a hearty, stew-like soup and milder in flavor.

 

Adapted from: Allrecipes

For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage.  For a vegan recipe, skip the sausage and the sour cream or substitute a vegan sour cream

Ingredients

16 ounces bulk pork sausage (I made my own hot breakfast sausage)
3/4 cup red lentils
1 3/4 cup water, divided
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded

3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 ounces tomato paste
1/2 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
8 ounces diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream, for garnish
parsley, for garnish
Directions
  • Brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, drain and set aside
  • Soak lentils in 1 cup of water, while cooking sausage and shredding vegetables (about an hour)
  • Drain lentils, reserving water, process lentils with a few spoons full of the water in a blender or food processor.  It should resemble a slightly watery hummus
  • Add 8 cups of water to a large Dutch oven, add the sausage and bring to a boil
  • Add beets, and simmer 15 minutes
  • Add carrots and blended lentils, cook for 15 minutes
  • Add cabbage and tomatoes, continuing to simmer
  • Heat oil and onion in a frying pan, cook until the onion is tender
  • Add garlic to onion and cook 1 minute; add tomato paste and 3/4 cup water
  • Stir over heat until tomato paste and water are blended, transfer to soup pot
  • Simmer 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper
  • Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and diced parsley
Servings 8 – 10

Dal Fry

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Dal Fry

It’s only a little bit unusual that I went to Poland to learn to cook Indian food. Poznan is such an international city that it isn’t surprising that one of my friends would be from India. Lucky me, that she shared my love of cooking and sharing recipes! When my friend, Prethi, taught me to make dal fry, she said it was a very basic, simple Indian dish.  I can tell you, though, there is nothing simple about the flavor.  This lentil stew or gravy has a rich, complex taste with layers of flavor, finishing with a bit of heat.  I could very happily eat this everyday.

I had dal fry at an Indian restaurant in Houston with my friend, Letha. I didn’t know what it was, but I love it! How nice that I can whip up a batch at home now.

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Dal Fry

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2 tablespoons, clarified butter (for vegan, substitute oil)
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (small black seeds)
  • 1/4 cup garlic, minced
  • 1 chili sliced
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • cilantro, finely chopped for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prethi cooked the lentils in a pressure cooker, covering them with just over an inch of water. She had them on high heat until the cooker “rattled” and then simmered for 10 minutes. They were cooked until they were mush-like. I don’t have a pressure cooker, so I will have to boil them until they’re falling apart.
  2. Whisk lentils in cooking liquid and set aside
  3. Add clarified butter and oil to a frying pan over medium-high heat
  4. Add the mustard seeds and cook until the seeds start to pop
  5. Add the garlic and chili, cook 2 minutes, stirring
  6. Add cumin seeds and onion, cook 2 minutes, stirring
  7. Add tomato, cook 3 minutes, continuing to stir
  8. Add salt, cook 5 minutes
  9. Add purred lentils and turmeric
  10. If the texture is thicker than desired (maybe on reheating), just add a little more water
  11. Garnish with cilantro, serve over white rice or peas pulao