For the first time in my cooking life, I'm finding it hard to cook good food for myself. The accumulation of sleep deprivation over the past 8 months means that now, when Hugo goes to bed and I've finally got a few minutes to myself in the evening, I collapse on the couch and wish someone would just bring me a cold beer and a bag of potato chips for dinner. After a few comatose moments, I'm usually able to drag myself into the kitchen to fix a cheese sandwich and a bowl of yogurt for dinner, but my vegetable consumption has been pathetic lately. It's not like there isn't anything in the house – I buy plenty of vegetables to experiment with for Hugo – it's just that I'm all out of beans at night, when it's time for me. And these dark winter days mean that I need more than just a bowl of steamed broccoli to make me feel good.
But the other day, the nice people at Clarkson Potter sent me a copy of the latest Martha Stewart Living cookbook, Meatless, and suddenly things are looking a lot brighter over here. First, there were roasted cubes of celery root and onion tossed with boiled lentils and dressed with nothing but lemon juice and olive oil. I would never have thought to combine celery root and lentils, but the combination was delicious. I prepped everything while Hugo was hanging out with me in the kitchen; then, when he'd gone down for his nap, all I had to do was toss it together before digging in. It was so full of flavor and so filling. This is my new favorite lunch, I proclaimed to myself. (The original recipe has you add parsley, but I used some za'atar, since I have an industrial quantity of it, and it was amazing.)
Then I got distracted by a soup that has you roast eggplant and chickpeas in one pan together (so easy!), before mashing them together with some broth and garlic and onion, finishing each bowl off with oregano and a dollop of yogurt. There was fried rice made with leftover brown rice (I finally cracked the perfect brown rice code in my rice cooker!) and shiitakes, and crisp little patties made out of mashed white beans that I ate with tomato sauce and basically, what I'm trying to tell you is this book is so full of inspiration and good food that I haven't really come up for air since.
Happily, Potter was kind enough to send a second copy along for a giveaway! So, for a chance to win a copy of Meatless, please leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner at random tomorrow. Good luck!
Update: Martha is the winner and has been emailed. Thank you all for participating – comments are now closed.
Lentils with Caramelized Celery Root
Adapted from Meatless
2 cups water
3/4 cup green or brown lentils
1-2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 onion, chopped
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Za'atar, to taste
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring the water and lentils to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer gently, partially covered, until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
2. Toss the celery root and onion with the 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste and put in a roasting pan. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized.
3. Add the celery root and onion to the bowl with the lentils. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper, za'atar and remaining olive oil to taste. Serve.
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472 responses to “Tuesday Giveaway!”
Oooh vegetables! I love them so much! These recipes sound great.
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I would love a new meatless cookbook! I am really cutting down on my meat consumption. The way the animals are raised and what is truly going on in our food chain. Also, watching and reading about GMO’s and not buying anything processed.
I believe the answer is in going meatless and vegetarian and it sounds, as if this book, is the perfect fit.
I have a blog myself and would love to have the chance to test the recipes and post on my blog!
Thanks for the opportunity!
~Laurie
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Man, I’ve been there with feeling like I’m not getting enough vegetables — winter is especially hard. Not that I don’t love kale, but it’s harder to incorporate winter greens in a packed lunch or breakfast — unlike, say, asparagus, where you can just steam a whole bunch of it at the beginning of the week and eat your way through it quite happily.
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Thanks for sharing this recipe – and all your others. It would indeed be lovely to win this book. Otherwise, I (and many others, I’m sure) will have to order a copy. Keep up the great work of mothering, cooking, baking and blogging.
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Wowow love this book I am veg since 16 years and I am always looking for new inspirations 🙂
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Sounds like a great book. I’m adding it to my wish list!
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Carmalized celeriac…. I hadn’t thought of it, but GRAND idea. Sprinkled with pomegranate seeds?
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Love to cook vegetarian and need some new inspiration to appease my carnivorously inclined husband and particular preschooler. Thanks!
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Would love a copy, my sister in sleeplessness.
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Thank you for the opportunity! I just moved to Finland, and my Finnish family has no idea what to make for a vegetarian. This would give us all some ideas!
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Martha Stewart’s vegetable recipes in the past have become my family’s favorites do must try this new cookbook. Even more so since my friend’s doctor said she would have a much better chance of survival after breast cancer treatment if she ate vegan. Thank you for great post!
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Exciting news that meatless is full of flavor and new ideas. I look forward to mixing it up.
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I’m a vegetarian who’s desperately in search of new inspiration while I try to churn out a dissertation here in Berlin (True story [though slightly stalkerish]: sometimes I see brunette women with baby boys on the Ubahn and wonder if it’s you. 🙂 ). Anyhow, I’d really love this book to rescue me from my current meal rotation of of “random vegetables thrown on rice” and “chopped veggies dipped in those lovely but too-rich dips from the Maybachufer Wochenmarkt.”
LG,
k.
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This book sounds fabulous! Exactly what I need for some inspiration this winter!!
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Sounds delicious! I will keep my fingers crossed…
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Ach, I’m also feeling the baby-induced / sleep-deprived / winter fatigue. The number of times that I’ve eaten cereal for dinner is embarrassing, so thanks for sharing this. It was timely. I hope that you get some sleep!
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Just the inspiration I need. I am trying to bring my meal loving family over to the dark side of eating vegetarian. Any help is appreciated!
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That recipe looks delicious! I’d love a copy of this book.
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I could definitely use the vegetarian inspiration having grown up eating beef & peas, beef & tomatoes, chicken & broccoli…
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I would love this cookbook!
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I’m always looking for more great vegetarian recipes!
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I would love to win this book! Meatless is the direction I’ve been going for a little while, and more cooking inspiration would be wonderful.
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I’ve been drooling over this cookbook on Amazon! So many delicious recipes, I would love to win!
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dear luisa,
am in the same boat as you, after putting my 3.5 year old to bed (after I’ve made her eat all her veg and try new things) while holding my 7 week old, I’m exhausted and the contents of my organic veg box remain untouched and I end up making a bowl of pasta for dinner. Would love a copy of the book. Thank you for posting and sharingm
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I’ve been meatless for twenty years but can always use more inspiration. I can only assume that the genious, also known as Martha will magically expand my kids’ veggie-horizon. The woman makes things happen.
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I would love this to cook more interesting meals for my vegetarian teenager.
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The eggplant and chickpea soup sounds delicious!
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My husband just agreed to try one meatless meal per week- this would be awesome inspiration!
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I just finished reading your book and I loved it! I was inspired to find some quark and make the sour cherry cheese cake! We all enjoyed it very much!
Thanks so much for giving us so much wonderful food to think about during this cold, snowy, and sometimes gloomy winter!
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I just stumbled across this blog and (more importantly) YOUR book a few months ago. Love! Ich war Austauschschuelerin und habe ausserhalb Koeln gewohnt. I miss Germany so much and your book carried me back there. Keep writing!
Heidi
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Habe schon so viel Gutes über dieses Kochbuch gehört, dass ich absolut sicher an der Verlosung teilnehmen möchte.
Ich weiß nicht, wie Du es schaffst, trotz Baby so viel zu bloggen – hätte ich damals nicht hingekriegt!! Meine Hochachtung!!!!!
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The recipe you posted on Instagram looks good! Glad you’re taking time to take care of you!
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I think a similar chickpea and eggplant soup ran in Everyday Food a whole back. (Oh Everyday Food, I miss you.) Roasting the chickpeas created a unique texture.
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I have a celery root in my fridge right now waiting for the perfect recipe. This is it.
I remember the sleep deprivation vividly, even though my son is five. It gets better.
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meatless meals are so on my mind today! before i read this post i was just wandering what vegetarian dish to cook.
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Yum! I’m always looking for good meatless recipes. Thanks!
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Oh Luisa, I would LOVE this cookbook! I live in Brooklyn and the cold New York winter makes me crave vegetables something fierce.
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I live in Brazil and have a 1 year old at home and always had the same problem! Now she can eat with us, which makes it a lot easier but I’m running out of healthy ideas!
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I think I want to win this book most of all because it’s my birthday today! But also, everything looks (and sounds) delicious.
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I’d love to win 🙂
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Sounds like great flavors….and easy recipes to keep moms eating!
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Thank you for the giveaway. Those 2 recipes sound delicious. I love your blog!
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This looks amazing, we’re always looking for meatless meals. I just finished your book this weekend on the train from NYC to Boston, loved it!
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The recipes sound amazing! And I am glad you’re inspired to feed yourself well, Luisa.
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With an 8 1/2 month old, I try to prepare dinner during the morning nap… the slow cooker is my new best friend! I find prepping throughout the day makes for an easier evening, since that’s when I crash!!
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Sounds great! Always trying to be more inventive with vegetarian recipes
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I’m ashamed to say this is my first comment on your amazing blog. I’m a former expat…born in Bonn, grew up in Cologne, years in NYC, now in VT. And slowly going meatless. Really looking forward to cooking from this book. And thank you for My Berlin Kitchen. It really touched me.
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Sounds like a great book! I would love to try it out! And the lentils with carmelized celery root looks delicious.
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I’d enjoy this one for take-to-work lunches.
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Thank you for sharing this recipe! I think that cooking “meatless” is a creative challenge. I appreciate your exploring it on this blog. Last night I made a vegetarian chili that included cocoa powder! It was delicious!
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