Cauliflower Butternut Red Lentil Curry (Vegan)

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
2/3 cup red lentils
1 jar Trader Joe's Masala curry simmer sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cups veggie broth

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Vegan Baingan Bartha

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• aromatics
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated or finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• spices
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp sea salt
• roasted, skinned and mashed veggies
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1-2 sweet potatoes (optional)
  • 3 tiny golden beets (optional)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/3 cup soy milk creamer

Heat canola oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover and wait until you hear them popping, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the spices and salt and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the roasted veggies and tomatoes and stir. Add the creamer, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have mostly collapsed. Add the frozen peas and cook for 3 more minutes, or until heated through.

Notes: This was very mild. If you want a spicier kick, you could add chipotle powder for some smoky heat.

Sweet Potato Samosa Pie

I saw this recipe and was inspired. I love sweet potatoes. I love samosas. There's really no downside here. Because I had a head of cauliflower, I decided to try this Caulipots style (check out Post Punk Kitchen's Appetite for Reduction for the skinny on that technique). And OMG. Completely delicious.

Note: A lot of the spices are optional here; I happen to have a crapload of Indian spices lying around. You could cheat and just go with more curry powder if you're feeling lazy.

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

2 small or 1 large sweet potato, chopped

2 cups frozen peas

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (you could sub dried)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup vegetable broth + 1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 pie crust OR 1 tube crescent rolls

Indian spice mix:

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

For serving:

tamarind dipping sauce OR chipotle Tobasco

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a largish pot. Add the mustard seeds and cover, until you hear the seeds popping. Uncover and add the onions; cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to get translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute, then dump in all the rest of the spices and stir for one more minute.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potato, salt, veggie broth and water. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower and sweet potato are very soft. Drain off any excess broth and mash the cauliflower and sweet potato together. Add the peas.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a greased pie pan. Top with pie crust or crescent roll dough. Bake until the top is golden (45 minutes for pie crust, 20 or so for the crescent roll dough).

Serve with tamarind sauce or chipotle Tobasco drizzled on top.

Curried Ginger Acorn Squash w/ Apple Stuffing

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 apples - chopped
2 onions - diced
3-4 garlic cloves - minced
1 handful dried apricots
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 bottle real ginger ale
2 acorn squash - seeded and cut into rings

Saute the apples and onions until tender. Add garlic, apricots, salt, spices and nuts and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Place the squash rings in a baking dish. Spoon the filling into the center of the squash rings. Pour the ginger ale around the squash rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until tender.

Curried Tempeh-Seaweed Salad Sandwiches

The inspiration for this comes from the Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches from Vegan with a Vengeance, but tweaked to fit the ingredients I had on hand. Delish.

1 package tempeh, steamed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2-3 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp dried hijiki
1 Tbsp dulse flakes (optional)
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp wasabi paste (optional, but tasty!)
2-3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
3 Tbsp vegan mayo (recipe below)

Cover the hijiki in boiling water for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Using your fingers, crumble the tempeh. Mix everything together. Refrigerate for a bit if desired. Otherwise, smear on bread and nom!

Note: I steam the tempeh right in its package. You could also microwave for a few minutes it to achieve the same effect.

***

Vegan Mayo
-------------

1 cup silken tofu
1 clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
1/4 tsp black salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp capers (optional, but tasty!)

Blend together until very smooth.

***

Ingredient notes: Dried hijiki is a black, slightly fishy-tasting seaweed. I forget where I got mine, but Campbell's and/or Double Dragon are pretty good bets. The dulse flakes also have a slight fishy flavor. I got mine in the bulk section at Campbell's. Black salt (which, confusingly, is pink) can be found at Namaste Indian grocery. It imparts an uncannilyre eggy taste to the mayo.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

This is a thick, spicy, creamy soup. Perfect for fall evenings.

1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each chili powder & garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
2/3 c apple cider
4 cups cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup chickpeas (optional)
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
1 cup plain soy milk

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the spices and salt and cook for another minute. Add the cider and pumpkin, lime juice and chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes or so. Lower heat to low. Stir in the peanut butter and soy milk and stir just until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like. I sometimes add applesauce, agave nectar, orange juice, etc. to balance out the sweet and tart tastes.

Rich Potato-Kale Coconut Curry

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
8 oz. frozen kale OR spinach
2-3 cups tiny potatoes (or larger potatoes cut into chunks)
1 can braised wheat gluten, rinsed and drained
1 5 oz. can Singapore curry gravy
1/3 package Shan Korma Chicken seasoning (note: contains no actual chicken)
1 14 oz. coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 can butternut squash puree
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute onions until they are starting to get translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Dump that into a crock pot. Add everything else. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Ingredient notes: I picked up my curry seasoning at Double Dragon and Namaste, respectively. This was a little too spicy for me (and I have a higher tolerance than your average Iowan). I ended up dumping roughly 6 oz. of pureed silken tofu into the mix to make it palatable. So you can certainly feel free to use any (milder or hotter) curry seasoning that you desire.

Potato-Butternut Curry w/ Edamame

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
a few pinches saffron
4-5 potatoes of various sorts, diced
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen peas or edamame
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp salt

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add mustard seeds, stir, and cover so that the popping mustard seeds don't escape. Let pop for 30 seconds or so, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic, curry, garam masala and saffron and cook for another minute or so. Add the potatoes, and if uncooked, the squash. Add the water, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the peas and, if cooked, the squash. Add salt to taste and cook, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated. Serve with rice, dosas or flatbread and tamarind sauce.

Chickpea-Spinach Curry & Whole Wheat Chapatis

I've been craving Indian food all week, but the buffets around town never seem to be open when I want to go. So tonight we made the Chickpea-Spinach Curry from 'Vegan with a Vengeance' with some whole wheat chapatis from 'The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen.' Now, I've never had much success with either curries or bread products at home. They always come out mediocre, and I never repeat them. This combo, however, was an unqualified success. Tastes just like the buffet, and it's damn good for you to boot!

I pretty much followed the curry recipe to a tee, so I won't repeat it here. I did stir in 3 tablespoons of plain soy yogurt at the end for extra tangy creaminess (I used Wildwood brand, which is made a few hours away from here in Grinnell, Iowa). I topped my curry with Pickapeppa sauce, which reminds me of the luscious tamarind sauce at Tandoor, and scooped it up with these fabulous flatbreads.

Chapatis
===============

Adapted from Peter Berley's 'The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen'.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 fl. oz. water
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine flours and salt. Add the olive oil and water and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky. Form a dough ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for an hour.

Unwrap the dough, divide it into four pieces and roll each piece into a ball. One at a time, put the ball on a floured surface, then roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it's very, very thin.

Spray a skillet with olive oil, then heat over medium heat. Add the dough circles and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until they are browned with darker spots. Put on a plate and cover with a towel until ready to eat.

Butternut Curry w/ Sweet Potato Leaves

I got the inspiration for this from a library book on African cuisine. The book included a recipe for pumpkin curry, which reminded me of all the times I had spicy, savory, coconutty pumpkin curry for lunch in Thailand. I was surprised at how easy it was to nail this recipe in one. Truly delicious.

1 medium butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
6-8 oz. sweet potato leaves (or spinach)
1 cup green beans, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 drizzle olive oil
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, cardamom & garam masala
1/2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 tsp peanut butter
2 tsp tamarind paste (or lime juice)
1-1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp white miso

Arrange the squash cubes on a baking sheet and spray generously with canola oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cubes are tender. Meanwhile, steam the green bean pieces. Remove the squash from the oven.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, spices and red curry paste. Stir until the garlic is well coated. Cook for a minute or two, just until fragrant. Add the squash cubes, green beans and coconut milk and lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk the peanut butter, tamarind paste, soy sauce and miso together, then add to the pot along with the water. Stir well to dissolve everything. Add the sweet potato leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the leaves are wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Grilled Plantains w/ Black Bean-Corn Relish & Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries

Grilled Plantains
1 semi-ripe plantain, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tsp sucanat or sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp lime juice
dash salt

Rub the slices with lime juice and sprinkle with sucanat and salt. Generously oil the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Black Bean-Corn Relish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a few shakes chipotle hot sauce

Combine the corn kernels and a little water in a small saucepan. Cook the corn for 3 minutes, or until no longer raw. Drain the corn and add to the black beans. Add lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and hot sauce and mix well.

Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
5-6 strawberries, quartered
2 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped or 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

Combine the mangoes, strawberries and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Let set for a few minutes, then serve!

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 cup dry sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Boil the water in a kettle and pour it over the tomatoes, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain and set aside. Put the pine nuts in a dry saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until just golden.

Crush the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt & pepper in a mortar and pestle until they form a thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the olive oil and tomatoes, and pulverize with the pestle. Finish the mixture off with a hand blender until smooth.

Toss with pasta or gnocchi and consume!

Creole Okra, Tomatoes & Corn

A co-worker of mine brought this to our Mardi Gras potluck, and it was surprisingly delicious. Okra is a vegetable I've always been skeptical of (something about the combination of hairy and slimy that turns me off), but this is genuinely delicious. We served this with Red Beans and Rice Deluxe for a killer combination.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced mild green chiles, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, juice reserved
1-1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 dash each salt and pepper
1 16-oz. package frozen okra pieces
1 cup frozen corn

Drain the tomatoes and the chiles over a large bowl to catch the juices. Saute the onion powder and garlic in the olive oil until they start to brown, then add the chiles, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add okra, corn and reserved tomato juice. Cover and cook until heated through and the okra is no longer crunchy.

Curried Chickpea Tomato Soup

With my last batch of Potato Scones, I froze some of the unbaked scones by wrapping them in Saran Wrap and then sticking them in a Ziploc bag. I forgot to defrost them before starting this soup, so I just popped them straight onto a baking sheet and baked them for 30 minutes at 375. They didn't rise very well, but they were still damned addictive.

16 oz. (1/2 box) Imagine creamy tomato soup
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 heaping teaspoon mild curry paste OR curry powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 dash each liquid smoke and chipotle Tobasco (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a soup pot and simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Cauliflower-Sweet Potato-Lentil Curry

After a lunch out at the Indian buffet, I was inspired to make this analogue to aloo ghobi (potato-cauliflower curry). It turned out to be surprisingly delicious, especially considering my general non-fondness for cauliflower.

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium-large sweet potato, cubed
2 handfuls red lentils
2 cups veggie broth
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 heaping tablespoon white miso
1 Tbsp Pickapeppa sauce, or to taste
1 sprinkle each:
- curry powder
- turmeric
- caraway seeds
- mustard seeds
- cardamom
- garam masala

Mix all the above in a large pot and cook over medium heat for 30-45 minutes or until everything is tender and mushy and golden.

1/2 cup quinoa
1-1/2 cups water
pinch of salt

Boil the above until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Ladle a little quinoa into the bottom of a shallow soup bowl and top with cauliflower mixture.

Ingredient Notes: Pickapeppa sauce is a tamarind-based condiment that adds a lot of flavor to this curry; you could substitute chipotle Tobaco or veggie Worchestershire sauce. Use any or all of the curry spices; a good curry powder mix will probably do just fine. I used frozen oven fries instead of sweet potato, just because I could. You could eat this curry with cous cous or rice or any other tasty grain... I just happen to like quinoa's flavor and short cooking time.

Butternut-Curry-Coconut Soup

I never get Asian soups right on the first try. They're always missing something, no matter how closely I follow the recipe. This one took a bit of tinkering, but it was marvelous the next day (and the day after):

1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices fresh ginger
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1-1/2 cups butternut squash puree
4 cups vegetable stock
salt to taste
2 handfuls cilantro leaves
3-4 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 can light coconut milk
1 10 oz package silken tofu
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 Tbsp sucanat or sugar

Sautee the oil, garlic, ginger, lime zest, curry paste and tumeric for a few minutes, or until the garlic is starting to brown. Add the butternut puree and tofu and cook for a few minutes more, then add the vegetable stock and salt. Cook for 20 minutes or so, then add cilantro, basil, coconut milk, tomatoes, lime juice and sugar. Cook for a few more minutes, taste, adjust seasoning. Remove from heat. Using a handheld blender, puree the soup and serve.