At special request of a friend, recipes for a) beet & tempeh curry and b) red lentils. I don't eat vegan all that often but some dishes are so good there is zero reason to put any meat in for flavor. Beets and red lentils are two of my favorite foods and I love pairing them as I did here.


You will need:

• 3 good sized beets with greens attached
• one medium red onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 inch cube of ginger, minced or grated
• 1 medium jalapeno, minced or (I just tried this tonight for the first time) grated. Discard the skin after grating.
• 1 lb tempeh
• 1 cup lentils
• 4 cups water
• cooking oil
• cumin seeds
• ground cumin
• turmeric
• salt
• pepper.

1. Put the cup of lentils and 4 cups water into a pot with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric, bring to boil, turn down to medium and let simmer uncovered while you work on the other things. 25 minutes will be enough and you can do most of the rest in that time.
   
2. Rinse the beets and their greens well. Chop the greens coarsely, chop the beets no bigger than 3/4" pieces (you can also slice thinly, julienne, etc. whatever you like. 
3. Saute the onion, 3 cloves of the garlic, the ginger and the jalapeno 6-8 minutes on medium high.
4. Add the beets and a half cup of water and cover, reducing to medium low. After 10 minutes add the greens and tempeh, 1 tsp each of ground cumin, turmeric, salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cover and let simmer.
5. Fry the remaining garlic and 1 tbsp cumin seeds in 3-4tbsp oil over medium-low heat for 30 seconds to a minute. Take it off the heat.
6. Take the lentils off the heat and if need be use a wire mesh strainer to drain excess liquid. Pour the lentils into the pan with the garlic and cumin seeds, mix well and let sit.
7. Check the beets. They should be al dente (cooked through but still slightly firm). Take them off the heat.
8. Put in mouth.

My daughter loves tacos, but of course statistically speaking the chances are that when she wants them will be a school night. Here's a pretty up-scale taco spread that is easy to put together in a half hour or so.

What you need:

• 1/2 lb of protein per person (we gravitate toward shrimp and boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
  
• paprika, salt, chili powder of some sort, ground cumin
• a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (found in nearly every grocery store)
• 6-10 corn tortillas per person
• 1-2 ripe avocados
• salsa
• cilantro & radishes (optional)
• grated cheese (also optional)

First, pat the thighs dry if that's what you're using. Mix 2 parts salt and one part each chili, cumin and paprika in a small bowl. Mix and rub over the chicken. Pull out one of the chipotles, chop it finely, put it in a second larger bowl and stir with several teaspoons of the adobo sauce and 2-3 tsp of vinegar. Throw the (uncooked) shrimp in the bowl and mix well. Let them sit a bit while you chop radishes and cilantro.

Quick guac: slice the avocado in half lengthwise, remove the pit and scoop the meat into a bowl with a spoon. Add 3-4tbsp of salsa, a pinch of salt, either a minced/pressed garlic clove or a pinch of garlic powder, and a tbsp or so of vinegar. Mash up the avocado and mix with the other things and you've got 3 minute guac.

Then: heat 3-4tbsp of oil over medium high heat in a saute pan. Put the chicken in, cover and leave for 4 minutes or so. Turn once, cover again and then after another 4 minutes remove. Add the shrimp--they will take much less time, 3-4 minutes. Put the tortillas into the microwave wrapped in a damp towel for 45 seconds.

Chop the chicken into ~1/2" pieces, put on a plate with the shrimp and bring everything to the table. Plan on doubling up the tortillas since they tend to break.