Vegan Urad Dal Makhani (w cashew cream)

Soak 1/2 C raw unsalted cashews in 1 C of water for an hour.

Pressure cook 10 minutes at high:
1 C urad dal (split with skins on (looks black and white)  (no need to soak)
3 C water
Let pressure reduce naturally. Open pressure cooker, then strain off extra water. Reserve.

Meanwhile, saute in avocado or other neutral oil:
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt 
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB ginger, grated (microplane)
(I saute the onion and salt first until sweating, then add the garlic and then the ginger a few minutes later, since the onion needs more time. Get them nicely browned but not burnt).

Pour 1 can chopped tomatoes into blender. Add 1/2-1 C water (I use the water to rinse out the last drops of tomato from the can). Scoop the caramelized onion mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth.

In a hot pan with oil, add 1-2 tsp cumin seeds, stir for 60 seconds.
Now add and stir for another 30 seconds:
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1 tsp chili powder 

Into the hot spice pan, pour the pureed tomato onion mix (be careful, it wants to splatter). Stir to scrape up the goodies at the bottom of the pan.  This is your curry sauce.

Now stir in the cooked urad dal from the prior step, plus:
1 can cooked kidney beans (drain off liquid first)
1 TB kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) 
1/2 tsp amchur (sour mango powder) or lemon juice to taste
salt to taste

Let it simmer until combined and soft. The urad dal will break up a bit.

Make the cashew cream: drain off the soaking liquid. Combine the soaked cashews with 1/4 C fresh water in blender, blend until smooth (scraping down the sides of the blender to catch chunky bits).  (cashew cream recipe from https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-the-ultimate-vegan-cashew-cream-242648)

Top dal with some cashew cream. Serve with rice.


inspiration links:
https://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=13297
https://www.thecuriouschickpea.com/vegan-dal-makhani/
https://twosleevers.com/pressure-cooker-dal-makhani-buttery-lentils/

Chinese Egg & tomato

My friend introduced me to this dish, she said the restaurant didn't have it on the menu but was able to make it when she requested it. I had never seen anything like it and fell for it! It has a soothing flavor and is soft and easy to eat (ideal for tooth/jaw issues).

Adapted from the NY times recipe, adjusted for our tastes. I really enjoy the white pepper!

PREP

Microplane 1 tsp ginger
slice 2-3 green onions
slice 3 medium tomatoes (1 lb) into narrow wedges

Mix:
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar 
1 TB ketchup 
2 TB water 

separately beat together:
6 eggs
2 TB Shaoxing wine 

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 to 1 tsp salt 
1/4 -1/2 tsp white pepper

COOK

Heat a wide pan. Add 3 TB avocado oil.  Fry the green onions for 30 seconds. Pour in the egg, scramble until just set. Pour egg back out into a bowl.

Add 1 TB avocado oil to hot empty pan. Fry up the grated ginger for 30 seconds. Now add the sliced tomato, stir. Cook until the tomato is starting to come apart.

Add the cornstarch-ketchup mix. Now add the cooked egg back in, stir to combine. Take off heat.

Serve over steamed rice.

Vegan soy curl, broccoli "Mongolian" stir fry

Inspired by this post from V Nutrition, I made this soy curl veganized version of "Mongolian Beef & Broccoli".  It was surprisingly convincing and tasted like take out!

METHOD

Rehydrate 2 C soy curls in hot water for 10 minutes. Then drain and press out the extra water. Reserve.

Prepare:
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 TB microplaned ginger
1 head broccoil, cut into bite size pieces
4 cremini mushrooms, sliced thin

Mix up the liquid sauce ingredients in a cup:
1 TB hot water
1 TB cornstarch 
1 TB maple syrup 
3 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
1/8 tsp chili oil 

In a hot saucepan, add 1 TB neutral oil (we use avocado oil).  Fry up the garlic and ginger for 60 seconds. Then add broccoli and mushrooms and cook until halfway done/starting to soften.  Add the soy curls and the sauce ingredients and stir. Place lid and cook until warmed through and broccoli is soft. The sauce will thicken a bit.

Serve over rice.

vegan chili (instant pot)

We've been making this vegetarian chili for several weeks now,  and have altered it to our tastes. It's super satisfying, especially with vegan cornbread.  Makes a lot, it'd be great if you are having people over or need to feed a crowd.   With the instant pot you can set this up ahead and have dinner just about ready when you get home or when you are done doing something else.

Place into the instant pot:
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 green bell peppers, cut into large chunks
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced into small pieces

1 can chopped tomato
28 oz can of pureed tomato
1-2 C water 

1 TB salt
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 -3  tsp chili powder 

Pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. I like the instant pot's keep warm function. You could also slow cook this all day long if you don't have an instant pot.

Once it's finished cooking, add, and stir:
2-3 C cooked beans: I use canned (and drained) kidney beans and home cooked pinto beans (we cook and freeze these ahead)
1/2 C chopped cilantro 
1 C frozen corn 

Let the heat of the soup warm up the beans and corn. Once it's warmed through, serve with cornbread.

vegan corn bread (w wheat and cornflour)

1.25 C flour

1 C cornmeal or cornflour 

1/3 C sugar (up to 1/2 C sugar if you want it sweet) 

0.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.25 C almond milk

1/3 C avocado oil 

1 tsp applecider vinegar  (to get the most lift and excellent texture 

8x8 pan. bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes. 

Inspired by: 

https://www.noracooks.com/the-best-vegan-cornbread/

https://food52.com/recipes/31697-no-fuss-vegan-cornbread

Evergreens Sombrero Salad Meal Prep

PREP

Wash, dry and cut lettuce. One head of lettuce is about 3 salads (lunch for one person for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Too much more and the cut greens wilt)

Seed and dice 1-2 jalapenos

wash grape tomatoes (they keep better whole, versus dicing a big tomato)

dice cheddar cheese into cubes

thaw frozen corn (if you are prepping ahead, then you can leave frozen and they'll thaw in the fridge)








DRESSING

Make half batch dressing: https://www.loveandlemons.com/cilantro-lime-dressing/. Food process:
1 C cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1/8 C lime juice (i.e. half a lime)
1/4 C olive oil
optional: 1/4 C water
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
one quarter of the seeds from the jalapeno (i.e. half a jalapeno)


ASSEMBLE

2 compartments lettuce
heaping 1/8 C diced jalapenos
1/8 C corn
1/4 C cooked chickpeas or black beans
5 grape tomatoes
1/2 oz cheddar cheese (or heaping 1/8C of cubed cheese)

Matcha Babka, or green tea swirl sweet bread

Make the brioche dough

On the day of baking, mix up:
1/3 C sugar
1/4 C melted butter
1.5 to 2 TB matcha powder

Roll out the dough with some flour to dust. Roll into square or rectangle. Make sure it's not stuck to the board underneath.

Spread the matcha  goo over the top thinly.

Roll up, jelly roll style.

Cut lengthwise down the roll.

Twist the two halves so that the cut side is up

See these photos from David Lebovitz how to assemble babka.

Alternative fillings:
- Cinnamon Raisin:  1/3  C sugar. 1/4 C melted butter. 2 TB cinnamon.  1 C raisins.
- Chocolate babka like David Lebovitz

Lamb Meatballs

I've become a fan of meatballs, especially lamb ones!  They are easy to eat on a soft food diet.

We make a batch up and freeze what we don't eat the first night. When you are ready to reheat, use the microwave (takes a long time on the stove to thaw frozen meatballs).

MEATBALLS
Saute in olive oil with salt:
1 diced yellow onion
2 C chopped mushrooms

Remove from heat, put the cooked veggies into a mixing bowl. Add and mix in the bowl:
red pepper flakes
ground black pepper 
1.5 lb ground lamb
1 C panko/breadcrumbs
1 egg
Optional: finely chopped parsley

Form into meatballs.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet (a little fat will render out during cooking)

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Turn. Then bake another 15 minutes. Check by cutting open a meatball, make sure it's cooked (no longer pink).

PASTA
Boil pasta in salted water.  I really like spaghetti.  Drain.

SAUCE
In the pan that cooked the mushrooms, deglaze with
1/2 C white wine
1/2 C veggie or chicken stock
1/4 C lemon juice

Add the cooked meatballs and cooked pasta and toss to coat and warm through. Serve.

Pasta Salad

I'm in the mood for pasta salad! It's a great BBQ or picnic food as you can prep it in advance. It's a carbohydrate that you can sneak veggies into.  I was inspired by this recipe, and this one, and this one from Food52. If you forgo the cheese, then it's vegan.

METHOD
Boil pasta in salted water. Drain.

Mix and match the veggies/add ins that you like:
Tomato or cherry tomato
Cucumbers
Capers, Olives, Red onion (thinly sliced)
Bell Pepper, Zucchini
Optionally choose one cheese: Feta, cheddar, parmesan

DRESSING
olive oil
white or red wine vinegar (I have a meyer lemon vinegar that is lovely in this)
or use lemon juice instead of the vinegar
salt & pepper

Choose your favorite:
Fresh herbs: basil, parsley, dill
Dried herbs: oregano, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder

Mix all together in a glass bowl. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Aloo Gobi (Indian potatoes and cauliflower)

This is a great party/potluck dish. The ingredients are cheap and mostly pantry staples.  It's a great autumn/winter dish as you can easily find potatoes, onions and cauliflower.   You can serve it hot or at room temp, and it holds relatively well, so you can cook it ahead of time.

I brought this to a brunch party today; the potatoey-goodness paired well with the other breakfast items.  It was a great way to sneak vegetables in!  Even though I'm an omnivore, I love bringing healthy vegan foods to parties, so that there's a healthy option, exposes people to new plant-based foods and typically helps reduce the amount of animal products that each person eats. I also have fewer fears of food sitting out at room temp if it's all plant-foods!

METHOD:

Prep first:
Dice 1-2 onions
Chop up 1 head of cauliflower into florets
Dice 3 potatoes (any kind, I used russet and yukon gold)
Grate 1 TB ginger

Measure out spices into a ramekin:
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander 

In a hot pan with olive oil, brown the onions with salt. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.

Now add the spices and stir. Let them cook in the hot oil for 60 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the chopped potatoes and cauliflower into the pan and stir to coat.

Now add liquids: 1 can diced tomatoes, and a little bit of water (probably 1/4 C). Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes until fork tender.

Serve as is, or with whole wheat toast, basmati rice or roti/naan breads.