Creamy Curry with Tofu

If you read my last post, you know that my pal, Nicole (of Nicole Eats) is completely kickass and my recent cooking inspiration. She has been on a mission lately to help me find a recipe for tofu that will make me actually LIKE tofu. Okay, okay, I am a sucker for a really good scramble. But, I mean tofu as a dish. So, while we were chatting last night I saw a recipe for curried tofu somewhere. It stuck in my brain, so I decided that I needed to make some tofu today...and make it curried. This is not the recipe I found online...or anywhere. This came from my head, and I'm pretty stoked about that. So, I (of course) texted Nicole today to ask if it would work or be any good. I got her approval, and heated up my cast iron skillet.

Making tofu is all fine and good, but what else was this chickpea to make for dinner? Well, I do have a killer rice cooker, so I started some rice. What else? Well, I dug around in the pantry and fridge and scrounged up some awesome. I made a mellow, creamy curry to go with the tofu (which was fucking awesome, by the way), and chowed down.

For the tofu: 

• 1/4 block of pressed tofu, cut into small cubes (or whatever size gets your motor going)
• 1 TB cornstarch
• 1 TB of your favorite curry powder (I've been gifted some Shan brand and it is AWESOME)
• pinch salt
• 1TB oil for pan-frying

1.  Heat the oil in a skillet until shimmering. I had mine over a medium-high heat.
2. Throw the cornstarch, curry powder, and salt into a bowl and mix well with a fork. 
3. Toss in the tofu and shake it around until all the sides of the tofu are covered in starch and spice.

4. Now, carefully pour the tofu into the skillet and make into a single layer if possible. Stir every few minutes, until the sides are a bit crispy and cooked to your liking. 

For the Curry:

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1/4 of a large red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, tiny dice
• 1TB or more of your fave curry powder
• 1/2 can chickpeas
• 1/2 can of LITE coconut milk
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 TB cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water until the starch is dissolved

1. In a skillet with a lid, heat the broth with the curry powder and coriander mixed in. I turned my burner to Med-High for this. 
2. Once it's hot, add in the cauliflower, carrot, onion, tomato and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring every few minutes, until the veg is a bit crisp. I think mine took 8 minutes. 
3. Add in the chickpeas, coconut milk, and cornstarch slurry. Keep the lid off, and stir often so the coconut milk doesn't burn to the skillet. Cook until the sauce has thickened to your preference. Mine took about 6 minutes.

Almost there. Just another minute or 2.

So, there you have it. I officially like ONE tofu. And, I am getting back into my kitchen. Thank you, Nicole! You're my foodie BFF. xoxo meg

Curried Lentil Soup - OMFG!

One of my super-close foodie-vegan-blogger friends, Nicole, posted this recipe recently and I knew with 100% certainty that I had to make it. I knew it was going to blow my mind. I was completely right. This soup is fucking amazing. The recipe is perfect in every single way. The only problem I encountered was that I didn't have any celery because I almost never have it around the house. But, it was still so incredibly wonderful that it just doesn't even matter. Make this shit, dudes. You won't regret it.

Nicole's Curried Lentil Soup

What you need:

• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 quart vegetable broth or water
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 peeled carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced (which I didn't have, but the soup was mind-blowing anyway)
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 4 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp dried chili powder (optional, but I seriously recommend it)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Sautee onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. It should look like this:

2. Add parsley, basil and curry powder and sautee for an additional 2 minutes
   — add chili powder here if you’re using it. Like this:

3. Add broth, salt, lentils and tomatoes and bring to a boil, like so:


4. Reduce to low and simmer until lentils are cooked, about 40 minutes— you may need to add a little extra water/broth (I added about 1 1/4 cups water later in the cooking). Here's what mine looked like when it had cooked down to perfection:

5. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and a dollop of vegan sour cream and enjoy! (I only used cilantro, and it was incredibly tasty). Check it out:

Here's a random delicious photo:

This soup makes carrots happy!

You definitely should check out Nicole's rocking blog and make some of her fantastic food. She's my foodie crush.

Review: Cinnamon Bakery (They Rule)

GUYS! I've been a ridiculously busy librarian and I've slacked on blogging lately. For that, I apologize. I've been setting up all sorts of programs for my library and attending conferences and stuff like that, so food has been on the back burner.

So, with that said, I'd like to introduce you to Cinnamon! Cinnamon is a vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free bakery based out of Portland, Oregon. My friend, Geanna, has rocked out a starter business and it is booming! Her donuts are sold around Portland, at places like Food Fight (the vegan grocery store in PDX), and she even has a Treat of the Month club. Seriously, you need to check out the site.

I asked Geanna to send me some goodies to review here, and she did. And they ROCKED!!!

Here's what she sent me (and, being the nice librarian I am, I shared with my husband):

Starting at the top left and moving clockwise:

• Cinnamon Sugar Donut
• Chocolate Donut with Chocolate Sauce
• PUMPKIN SPICED MINI DONUT!!!
• Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

DUDES! They were awesome. All of them. I was sad when they were gone, which took only moments for us to scarf them all down. I seriously can't even pick a favorite. My husband, on the other hand, said that the cookies were hands-down, his favorite.

The donuts were perfection. They were sweet, without being overly sweet. They were chewy and delicious. The pumpkin mini donut was perfectly seasoned. The cookies were absolutely fabulous. They had a classic flavor that brought back memories of my childhood. I loved all of it!!

Come visit Geanna at Cinnamon and check out the goodies. You won't be disappointed. 
Here's how you can contact her:
Phone: 971-258-2995
Email: geanna@cinnamonpdx.com
Twitter: @cinnamonpdx

Veggie Curry Potpie - VeganMoFo #15

Potpie with curry-spiced sauce? Yes, please. I won't share the recipe here as I've posted one version of it in the past. Here it is: POTPIE. Instead of making my own crust, I used a sheet of puff pastry (check your labels, some are VEGAN). I use the basis of the original potpie recipe and I changed it up.

Changes:

• topped with puff pastry
• insides: potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, chickpeas, peas
• spices: curry, coriander, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• added a little extra almond milk and broth
• bake at 400 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before eating.

Here's the progression of dinner:

Beets - VeganMoFo #14

I cannot even express to you how many pickled beets I ate today. Let me just say that I think I may have a permanently stained tongue and a forever-fuschia tongue. This sweet little lady at the farmer's market had quart-sized jars of homemade pickled beets and I couldn't resist. I bought one jar. Once I got home, I couldn't stop eating them, so I went back for another jar. Alas, she was already gone for the day. I guess I'll have to try to find her next week. I need my fix. I'm getting the shakes.

On a separate note, what happens when you eat too many beets? Am I going to poo red? Should I be worried?

Scramble from Heaven - VeganMoFo #13

Fuck. I had the BEST breakfast ever this morning. My mummy and I went out for breakfast at a little veg-friendly diner at the Flint Farmer's Market. I got my usual, the Tofu and Brown Rice Scramble. I got sassy and asked if I could add a bunch of veggies to it, and they were super cool about it. So, I added broccoli, spinach, carrots, onions, mushrooms and potatoes. Add to that some sourdough toast with vegan buttah and I had a breakfast sent from above (or wherever). Whatever the case, it rocked my morning to the core. I can never go back to the plain scrambles now.

Happy MoFo!

Fully Wordless Friday - VeganMoFo #12

Vegan Surprise - VeganMoFo #11

The Mr. and I recently attended a local art walk, and we found these vegan chocolate almond cupcakes for sale. All proceeds go to benefit the Flint HorrorCon, which is coming up on the 20th. I would have taken a better photo, but I skarffed it down in about 30 seconds. I love making my own cupcakes, but it sure is nice to have someone else make them sometimes.

These cupcakes had a chocolate cake topped with a chocolate almond frosting. You could smell the almond extract, and it matched perfectly with the chocolate. NOM.

Happy MoFo!

Pub Pickles - VeganMoFo #10

I didn't make these, but I ate the shit outta them. A friend of mine's fella works in a restaurant/pub and made me a vegan version of their famous fried pickles. I am told the breading is made of flour, beer, soy milk, and spices. They are tremendous. I am a lucky chickpea. My friends spoil me. Actually, we spoil each other. I keep them supplied in vegan treats, and they make me yummy savories in exchange.

Happy MoFo!

DrinkyDrink - VeganMoFo #9

Coconut Mojitos? Yes, please. Some girlfriends and I went to a little indie restaurant for dinner and, while my food was not spectacular or noteworthy, these coconut mojitos were mind-blowing. I had several. Fear not, I had a DD. I don't know the measurements used, but I know what was in them.

• Coconut rum
• Mint leaves
• Simple Syrup
• Lime juice and slices
• Soda/seltzer water

You need to make these.

Happy MoFo!

Easy Weeknight Dinner - VeganMoFo #8

Recently, the fella and I discovered that Gardein has started making these Crispy Chik'n Filets, so (of course) we had to get them. I decided after a long day at work that I needed to make an easy dinner. I baked up the filets with some spices (poultry seasoning, garlic salt, pepper). I made some spaghetti with jarred sauce (again, I added some spices) and mixed in a boatload of Parmela (vegan parm). Add a bit of homemade garlic bread, and you have a super easy, quick meal.

Now, I'd like to do a quick review of the Gardein Crispy Chik'n Filets.

Flavor: Yummy. I thought it tasted better than real chicken. Then again, I haven't eaten an animal in years, so I don't know. My Mr. is an omni, and he absolutely loves them. Between these and the Gardein crispy tenders, I just may be able to convert him. I digress. The flavor is excellent, and the breading has a nice flavor. I do love adding some poultry seasoning to mine, along with a little pepper, but we also liked them without any additional seasoning.

Texture: Nice and crispy breading outside. Slightly flaky "meat" inside. The chik'n looks like white meat chicken. NO GRISTLE! Ahhh, the joy of meat replacements. No guessing about the weird chewy bits.

Sauce: We didn't use it. I stuck with my old standby sauce that we both like.

Ease: Basically, these are the easiest part of dinner. You just pre-heat the oven, cook these for 10 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 8-10 minutes. So damn easy.

Now comes the obligatory message about this review:
I bought the product myself. Gardein has not asked me to do a review. I really like the filets and I highly recommend them.

HAPPY MOFO!!!

Brussels,Tatoes, and Chickpea Cutlets - VeganMoFo #7

I woke up to a freezing house and dreaded getting up to get ready for work. I just couldn't drag my ass out of my nice, cozy,warm bed. But, my dears, I have responsibilities. I started shivering as soon as I left the comfort of my blankets, and it seemed I couldn't get warm all day long. Cold days means comfort food cravings. Who am I to deny myself comfort? How many times can I type "comfort" in this post?

Potatoes=comfort food (I grew the potatoes in giant pots in my yard this summer)
Chickpeas cutlets=comfort protein
Brussels sprouts=comfort cabbages

So, yeah. That's what I made.

The sprouts:
I've learned that I can make super yummy Brussels sprouts in my cast iron skillet instead of roasting them in the oven. They cook a lot quicker and they are generally perfect. Just heat some oil over medium heat and, once hot, add your sprouts. Sear them until they start to caramelize. Then, I put a lid over the skillet and steam them for about 4 minutes.

The chickpea cutlets:
The cutlets are on page 133 of Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I will say that I've made them quite a few times and I change up the recipe pretty much every time. I use the cookbook as a guide for the basic ingredients, but I change up the spices and such. Here's one of my main changes, though: I use steak sauce instead of the soy sauce called for in the recipe. Why? It fucking rocks, that's why. I also add some very finely diced red onion, maybe 3-4 TB. I also suggest using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika, as well as adding a little poultry seasoning. Don't worry, it doesn't have poultry in it...just spices. The recipe says you can either pan-fry or bake the cutlets, and I always bake them. This time, I made them thicker than I usually do, and it was a great idea. They didn't get dried out, and they were a bit chewy. Bonus tip: dip them in steak sauce.

Mashed potatoes: 
Peel and dice some potatoes. Boil them until they're fork-tender then drain them. Mash in some almond milk and vegan butter. Add a little salt and pepper. Pig out and get a carb-coma.

Happy MoFo

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Biscoff Frosting - VeganMoFo #6

 

I've been meaning to make something tasty with Biscoff spread for months, but never got around to it until today. I decided to make a dozen of these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes that I found on The PPK website this morning. It just so happens that I had 1 single vanilla bean left in my spice cupboard, so I took the plunge. I made some of the tastiest vanilla cupcakes I've ever had. My only complaint is that vanilla beans are so expensive or I'd buy them more often. If you get the chance, though, definitely make the PPK's vanilla bean cupcakes. Their recipe comes with a chocolate ganache topping, but I wanted to attempt a  Biscoff fosting instead.

The frosting gave me some trouble. I couldn't get it to be as firm as I wanted it, without getting really foamy in texture. I'll just have to keep working on it. Because it isn't yet perfected, I don't have an exact recipe. Here's what I used, though:

• about 1/2 cup Biscoff spread
• about 1 TB room temp vegan butter
• about 2 TB shortening (to make it creamy and hold its shape)
• about 2 cups powdered/confectioner's sugar
• about 3-4 TB almond milk

You just blend it all together with a hand mixer until nice and smooth-ish and to your liking. Mine tasted spectacular with the vanilla bean cupcakes. The texture was mostly smooth, but a bit softer than I prefer. After I piped the cupcakes, I let them set out for about an hour for the frosting to firm up a bit and hold its shape.

Here are some photos of the cupcake progress:

Two-Lentil Dal (a la Robin Robertson) - VeganMoFo #5

Perhaps you haven't heard of her, but Robin Robertson is an excellent vegan cookbook author. She recently (September 2012) published a cookbook titled Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker, and this is the first dish I've made. I'm not sure what it was supposed to look like, but I do know the dal tastes excellent with some rice and my homemade vegan garlic naan. The texture of my dal was similar to refried beans....thick, slightly lumpy, almost creamy. I have no idea if that's how it was supposed to be, but I did end up cooking mine 9 hours while I was at work, so that may be to blame. Regardless, we LOVED IT!!

If you haven't noticed before, I tend to always alter recipes, and this one was no different. I added in a few tiny carrots from my garden, along with a bit of my favorite curry powder. Because I started cooking this at 9:30 am and didn't get home until 6:30, It may have been slightly overcooked, but it was still 100% delicious. Like, insanely delicious. The recipe called for cardamom, and I will admit that I was skeptical. I'd only really ever used cardamom in sweet treats and zucchini bread. It turned out perfect, though, and I'm interested in adding it to other curries in the future.

I think the only other change I might make in the future is to add a little wedge of lemon when I serve it. Lemon is such a perfect complement to lentils, especially Indian-spiced lentils. Unfortunately, this isn't my recipe to share, but I do highly recommend that you check out Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker  from your local library (hey, I can't help it; I'm a librarian) or just splurge and buy it. I am so excited to try a ton of the other recipes now!

Happy MoFo, everyone!

Rice Salad - VeganMoFo #4

Rice Salad. Never had it before. So, I invented it. It was pretty good, too. I am known for my pasta salad among my social circle, and I wanted to try something new. I pretty much just made my pasta salad with rice instead of pasta. Don't ask me why because I really don't know.

It all started with some leftover white rice and some raw veggies in the fridge. Add in some spices and some vinaigrette and kapow! You have rice salad. Don't eat it cold out of the fridge or else the rice will be hard. I used cold rice, then let it warm to room temperature. PS- mine turned pink from the purple carrots I microplaned.

What I used:

• 2 cups leftover white rice
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1/3 cup minced bell pepper
• 1 medium purple carrot (or orange), microplaned or grated
• vinaigrette of your choosing, I usually wing it and make my own on the fly
• salt and pepper
• pinch of coriander powder
• garlic powder or very finely minced garlic clove

What you do:

1. Mix everything together in a bowl and adjust your seasonings as needed. 
2. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and let sit out at room temp for 1 hour. If you are making it ahead, cover and put in the fridge. Then let set out 1 hour before serving. You want room-temperature rice.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - VeganMoFo #3

 

Craving sweets lately? You're not alone. The cooler Autumn weather makes me crave the comforts of my childhood, like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and yes, COOKIES. Who doesn't love cookies, really? I prefer my chocolate chip cookies kind of simple and with lots of toasted walnuts. Don't like nuts? That's just wrong.

Here's a trick I learned a long time ago to really make your cookies rock: toast your nuts before you add them to the dough. I lay mine out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 375 for about 6 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set out for a few minutes to cool. Kapow! Your nuts are toasty.

So, depending on the size of your cookie scoops, this makes close to 2 dozen. I used a 2-TB scoop and it yielded 18 cookies.

What I used:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup room temp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 egg substitute (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
• 1 cup plus 3 TB flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional, but recommended)

What I did:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. I toasted my nuts while I made my cookie dough.
2. Using a stand mixer or a hand beater, cream together the sugars, vanilla, and the butter until well mixed and sort of creamy looking.
3. Add in the egg, flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined with no dry spots. 
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts, if using. 
5. Scoop out onto a baking sheet covered in parchment or a silicone mat. If lining with foil, you may want to very lightly spritz the foil with cooking spray. I kept mine about 2-3 inches apart because they will spread out some. If you like a flatter cookie, you may want to smoosh the scoops down just a bit before baking.
6. Bake for 7-11 minutes, until golden around the edges and still soft in the middle (soft,but not raw). Then remove from oven and leave on pan to cool about 5-10 minutes. If you like a crispier/crunchier cookie then,by all means, bake them longer. We just prefer a crispy edge with a chewy interior here.

Chickpea Salad on Crackers - VeganMoFo #2

Chickpea salad is the shit. You should probably make some. It's insane on crackers. It's killer on toast. Hell, it's great on a spoon. No matter how you eat it, I assure you that you'll dig it. One can of chickpeas makes enough for 2 sandwiches or an entire sleeve of crackers. It will keep for at least 24 hours in the fridge, but I can't imagine that it will even last that long. Be warned: chickpea salad is insanely addictive.

I have made this so many different ways, but the following is my basic version. Add whatever you want: celery, seaweed, whatever. Go forth and create food!

What you need:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 Tb vegan mayo (I prefer Vegenaise)
• 1 TB mustard
• 1 dill pickle spear, chopped (also good with a spicy dill spear)
• 1 tsp pickle juice
• 2-3 TB minced red onion
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce or aminos
• salt and pepper
• pinch of fresh dill (optional)
• 2 TB sunflower seeds (optional)

What you do:

1. Pile everything into your food processor and whir it until it reaches a consistency you dig. Adjust your seasoning and chow down.

Lazy Breakfast - VeganMoFo #1

You caught me. I forgot to buy groceries for the start of Vegan MoFo. I spent yesterday tiling my kitchen and completely spaced the fact that MoFo started today. So, what I did was have a super lazy breakfast. I baked some canned crescent rolls (check labels, some are vegan). They aren't healthy by any means, but they are good in a crunch. I added some nuts for a few healthy fats. These were a Germack brand mix of salt and pepper pistachios and cashews (they're called Castachios).Germack is a local Detroit nut company that roasts stellar nuts. No joke. They rule.

Now, I have to get my ass in gear and get to work. Ah, the life of a librarian.

Happy MoFo 2012

Vegan Food Swap - September Reveal

I signed up about a month ago to a fun little thing called The Vegan Food Swap sponsored by Cat at The Verdant Life vegan blog. Want to learn more about it? Click here to read all the details, rules and to fill out the registration form.

My sender, Hindy, from Confident Cook, Hesitant Baker picked the PERFECT surprises for me. Thank you, Hindy!!

First up: the plantain chips are killer!! They're crispy, tangy, and spicy (all snacks should fit these requirements). I couldn't help but shove them into my face by the handful.

Second: the YumEarth Sour Beans blew my mind. My fella and I had to force ourselves to stop munching them. They're the best jelly beans I've ever had.

Third: the popped apple chips are pretty tasty. A little sweet, pretty flavorful. I'd definitely buy them if I saw them in a store.

Finally, I love almonds. Almonds rule almost as much as cashews. These almonds are nice and salty and tasty. Definitely a winner.

Overall, it was a fun experience and I'll probably do it again next month!

Smoothie from My Garden

Okay, so the title of this post is a tad misleading. It's not 100% from my garden, but it is mostly stuff I grew. I grew the carrots, kale, and strawberries, but not the orange or banana. Sorry, but the harsh Michigan winters prohibit such fruits. That is your geography/science lesson for the day. This smoothie is seriously awesome. It tastes like magic. Or maybe it's just that I haven't made a smoothie in weeks. Whatever the case, it is still pretty damn yummy...and (gasp) good for you!

What you need:

• 1 banana
• 1 small seedless orange, peeled
• about 6 strawberries (average sized)
• about 6 smallish kale leaves with the thick stems removed
• 2 small carrots or 1 medium
• a few bits of ice

What you do:

1. Do I really need to tell you how to throw everything in the blender and blend the shit out of it? Nah. I didn't think so.

Coconutty Potato Lentil Curry

Curry sure isn't pretty, but it tastes kickass.

I've been meaning to make a coconutty curry for ages, but just haven't. Until today, that is. I had asked for inspiration and @greenvegnliving delivered. She recommended a recipe by Mark Bittman for potato lentil curry. It sounded tasty to start with, but I absolutely can't resist altering recipes like a mofo. I know; I'm a badass. You don't have to tell me. I added all sorts of flavor and goodness to the original recipe and it fucking rocks. I can't wait to have leftovers tomorrow. You do know that curries are even better the second day, right?

Serves 4 adults with rice and flatbreads

What you need:

• 1 can coconut milk (I used full-fat)
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 TB (or more) curry powder of your choice
• 1/2 tsp celery seed or celery salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp powdered mustard seed.
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
• salt (I used a cool coarse black salt from Hawaii - NOT the sulfurous kala namak salt)

 What you do:

1. Heat a large-ish sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the lentils, 1 cup water and 1 can of coconut milk and mix well. Now mix in your spices except the salt (adding salt early in cooking lentil can cause them to not soften). Above are the starting measurements for the spices. Add whatever you want. 
2. Once the liquid starts to bubble, give it another stir, put a lid on the pot (slightly askew to let a tiny bit of steam out), then turn the heat way down to low. Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Now, add in the onion, potato, and carrot. Here I added another cup of water because it had cooked down so far. Mix everything really well and put the lid on all the way. You'll cook this for about 20 more minutes on low. I set my stove timer to go off every 4 minutes to stir it. I just wanted to make sure it didn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Add more water and/or adjust your spices as needed. Cook until your potatoes are soft and everything tastes KILLER! The longer you simmer over low, the more time the spices have to develop a stellar, delicious sauce.

Curry-Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

This was my dinner tonight. A massive bowl of roasted curry-spiced cauliflower. It was spectacular. Like, for real. Ever have those days where you don't much feel like cooking? Yeah, me too. That was today. This holiday weekend was busy, busy, busy! I went to a couple Detroit Tigers games and watched them sweep the Chicago White Sox. I suppose you could call me a late bloomer in enjoying baseball, despite growing up with my entire extended family being rabid baseball fans. Speaking of baseball, did you Michigan veggie peeps know that Comerica Park serves vegan and vegetarian goodies at their Brushfire Grill snack bar? Hummus and veggies, veggie dogs, veggie burgers, black bean burgers and vegetarian sausages all make appearances at Brushfire. Kind of cool, if you ask me. So, beside going to a couple games, I've spent a lot of time reading (I'm a librarian after all) and cooking, and reading cookbooks. It was kind of the perfect weekend, if you ask me.

Back to the cauliflower. I got a head of cauliflower a couple days ago at my local farmer's market for $1 and knew I needed to get it used today, so I heated up my oven and started chopping it into large-ish florets. Suddenly, the fucking lightbulb went on in my head; I needed to add some curry powder. I love cauliflower (especially roasted) and I love curry spices, so this couldn't possibly go wrong. Right?

In case you were wondering, I was right. I ate the whole head of it. Don't hate me because I'm hungry.

What you need:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into large florets
• 1-2 tsp curry powder of your choosing
• Oil (I used some melted coconut oil)
• salt and pepper

What you do with it:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Put cauliflower into a large bowl, drizzle with  coconut oil and sprinkle with curry powder. Use a serving spoon and stir to coat the cauliflower with oil and curry powder. It should look like this:

3. Spread cauli on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the veg and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. 
4. At the 15 minute mark, remove from the oven and use tongs to flip the florets over. Cook another 12 minutes, or until you're happy with the texture and caramelization.

Review -- Pacific Northwest Kale Chips

Recently, I received a request from Melisser at Vegan Cuts asking if I would be interested in reviewing Pacific Northwest Kale Chips, and I absolutely jumped at the chance. I've seen them on the Vegan Cuts website a few times, but, I kept putting off trying them out. So, apparently, it was some sort of magical intervention on behalf of the universe that I finally got to try them. There are 3 flavors of the kale chips, and all 3 are raw, gluten-free and vegan!! Can you even freaking believe it? The flavors are: Stumptown Original, Cheezy Crunch, and Glacier Peak Greens.

One day earlier this week, I got home from the dream job to find the box sitting on my porch. I'm pretty sure I actually squeeeeed when I saw it. Hey, I get pretty damn excited about food. I can honestly say that I was skeptical about kale chips in general. Hell, it took me years to even give kale a shot in my green smoothies. So, I was a little skeptical. Well, my loves, my skepticism was completely unwarranted. I liked all 3 flavors...but I emphatically LOVE the Glacier Peak Greens. They're spectacular! I crave them now.  On to the reviews!!!

Cheezy Crunch
These are definitely my least favorite of the kale chip trio. I still think they're good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them again. I think that maybe it was just that they weren't cheesy enough. Or, maybe, what happened is that I tried the other two first and found them to fit my tastes more. It happens...people have different tastes. You may find them to be your favorite.

Ingredients: organic kale, organic cashews, organic yellow bell pepper, organic onion, organic lemon juice, nutritional yeast, organic turmeric, salt.

Stumptown Original
These chips come in a very close second place to the Glacier Peak chips. They are nice and crunchy, with a gentle spiciness and a mild nutty flavor. I can't get over how delicious they are!

Ingredients: organic kale, organic hazelnuts, organic red bell pepper, organic onion, organic garlic, organic lemon juice, nutritional yeast, organic turmeric, organic cayenne, salt.

Glacier Peak Greens
O.M.G. These things are incredible. You can see from the photo below that the GPG flavor has cilantro, lime and jalapeno. They're nice and spicy with a touch of tang from the line. Really, they are so freaking good! Don't just take my word for it, get some for yourself.

Ingredients: organic kale, organic cashews, organic yellow bell pepper, organic onion, organic cilantro, organic jalapeno, organic lime juice, nutritional yeast, salt.

You can order Pacific Northwest Kale Chips from their website, as well as from Vegan Cuts here.
You can also follow PNKC on twitter here, and Vegan Cuts here.

If you're wondering, Vegan Cuts is a website that offers special deals and great prices on 100% vegan products and services. I've made numerous purchases from their site for awesome products. 


Want something awesome??? You can get 10% off your next order at Vegan Cuts with the code "BLOGFRIEND" (does not count on your shipping...just the merchandise). This offer expires on October 31, 2012.

This is the first time that I've done a review in exchange for a product. But, I have been 100% honest and am not being compensated in any way for my review. I just happen to really believe in the Pacific Northwest Kale Chips and I truly think you'll like them.

Spaghetti and Balls

I've been so busy lately that the blog has been neglected. I do apologize for that. Things are calming down again and I should be able to start cooking more. As an act of good faith, I have decided to share my latest attempt at pasta sauce with you. It is quite yummy. And garlicky. And goes perfectly with The Sexy Vegan's Balls (pictured above). The balls are nutty and moist....all the things a ball should be. Haha. But, really, they are quite delicious. The recipe is not mine to share and can be found in his cookbook.

I had an abundance of tomatoes that were on the verge of going to veggie heaven, so I decided to attempt another marinara sauce. I never remember what all I put in it the last time I made it, so it always turns out differently. This one turned out even more different because my sweet basil died and the only fresh basil I had was Thai basil (it has a slight licorice flavor). It turned out much better than I had anticipated. In fact, we scarfed all the sauce up in one fell swoop. No leftovers made for a sad chickpea the next day.

Serves 2-3 people

• 6-ish tomatoes (I had 3 large romas, 1 regular, and 2 medium-size orange ones)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 TB olive oil (I started with 2 and kept adding it as needed)
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• a palmful of fresh basil leaves, maybe about 1/4 cup, then minced
•  2 TB fresh parsley, minced
• Parmela vegan parmesan substitute, at least a couple TB
•  1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano, depending on your tastes. I used 1/4 as I don't particularly love it.
• salt and pepper
• 1 TB sugar
• 1/4 cup almond milk (sounds weird, but helped in combatting the acidity of the tomatoes)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add the tomatoes to an oven-safe dish and lightly coat with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and roast for about an hour. Once they are soft and getting some browned spots, go ahead and remove from the oven. Let them cool down a bit before handling them. 
2. In a skillet, heat 1-2 TB olive oil over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the onion and cook until softened. Then add in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant and is soft. Turn down the heat to low. 
3. Take your tomatoes, a smidge of olive oil, the fresh herbs, sugar and milk and blend it up in your food processor until it is to your liking in terms of chunkiness. Now add this to the skillet and let cook together for at least 10 minutes. I added in the vegan parm and let it cook another 4-5 minutes. Adjust your seasonings and you're done.

Herbed Cashew Ricotta

Every once in a while I get a craving for ricotta cheese, but being cruelty-free, I don't indulge in dairy. I can't find any vegan ricotta in a 50-mile radius, so I decided to try and make my own version using cashews. If you haven't already tried it, raw cashews can make an astounding number of sauces and cheeses. I made a mayo-like creation with them as well as an alfredo sauce with them, both of which were spectacular. For this ricotta, I decided to add some herbs and use it for pasta with onion, garlic, and sauteed zucchini. SO GOOD! Dudes, you should totally give cashew ricotta a chance.

This makes a little over a cup of ricotta, depending how much water and fresh lemon juice you add.

What I used:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
• fresh lemon juice - I used juice of 1 whole lemon, adding a little at a time and tasting often
• fresh herbs to your liking (I used basil, dill and flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small fresh clove of garlic (optional) 
• 1tsp olive oil
• salt
• a little water to loosen up the cashew ricotta in the blender

What I did:

1. Drain and rinse off your soaked cashews. Add them to your blender or food processor. 
2. Add a couple TB of fresh herbs and the garlic(if using). Squeeze some lemon juice in and a splash of water. Whir until the cashews are mostly creamed with a little texture remaining. 
3. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and herbs as needed. It should look something like this:

I let mine sit in the fridge, covered, for about an hour and the flavor got even better. Now, you can add it to an awesome dish, like this: