Chickpea Curry & Coconut Rice

I really burned myself out on curries for a while but I'm back, baby! I didn't know what sounded good, so I just kept adding shit until it tasted exactly how I wanted. It's a mishmash of all my favorite things, and damn was it tasty as hell!

I read somewhere recently about cooking rice in coconut milk for some good flavor. I love coconut milk and I love rice, so there was no way I couldn't fall passionately in obsession with it. I highly recommend making the coconut rice to go with the curry. Recipe: 1 cup uncooked rice to 1 can of lite coconut milk. You won't regret it.

Makes 4 large portions.

What you need:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups cauliflower florets (I steamed mine to cut cooking time down)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 slightly heaped cup roasted cashews, but raw is great too
• 4 large button mushrooms cut into wedges
• 1 very large handful baby spinach, shredded or chopped
• 1-2 TB grapeseed oil
• curry powder, a few TB
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt to taste

 

What you do:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Once it's shimmering, add chickpeas, cauliflower, cashews, onion, carrot, and mushroom. Stir well and cook about 5 minutes. 
2. When the veggies are softened, add the spices and 3/4 of the coconut milk. Let simmer until it thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add more coconut milk or spices. It's your dinner, not mine. When you're pretty much satisfied, turn off the heat and stir in the spinach to wilt. It'll only take about 2 minutes.
3. Serve up over some badass coconut rice.

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower

Fuck Yes! I finally went there. I've had deep-fried, breaded buffalo cauliflower, and absolutely loved it. But, being a chickpea who's afraid to deep fry (long story), I decided to take a "healthier" (see: safer) method to pig out on my favorite sauce and one of my very favorite veggies. For the record, this whole plate pictured above, including the avocado, is only 187 calories. It's 3 cups of cauliflower, about 3 TB of bottled buffalo sauce, and 1/3 of a small avocado.

If you look online, you'll find an assload of recipes for buffalo cauliflower, each more fancy and complicated than the next. I'm here to assure you that this is the easiest. It took zero effort. It's fucking healthy. You'll thank me.

The batch I made was intended for a whole meal for 1 person. So, I'm not giving you an exact recipe. Just do the following and you'll do just fine.

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet (I used a silicone mat, but you could definitely use parchment).
2. Put cauliflower in a bowl.
3. Pour buffalo sauce on cauliflower and flip it around to coat the cauli.
4. Pour the cauli onto the baking sheet.
5. Place baking sheet in oven and cook for 25 minutes, stirring once about halfway through cooking. 
6. Pig the fuck out.

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

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.

Vegan Curry Empanadas

I had a brain explosion a few days ago and decided that I needed to attempt something mind-bendingly tasty. This is the result. Handheld curried goodness. I baked mine because I hate frying and at least pretended that it was healthier. Then I remembered how much fat is in the empanada dough. Oh well, dears, you should make this anyway! It tastes like heaven in a pie-like crust. Make this shit already.

Makes at least 6 empandas depending on the size and how full you fill them. I made 6 that were cut about 6 inches in diameter before folding. The dough makes enough for several more, but I stopped at 6.

Empanada dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup fat (I used 5 TB shortening and 3 TB vegan butter)
• 1/3 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup ice water

1. Combine all ingredients except the water in your food processor and pulse until it looks like pebbles. Then add the water 1/4 cup at a time, pulsing until the dough just holds together. It took me 3/4 cup, but your flour may be drier and need just a smidge more. 
2. Once you get to that point, I gently smooshed the dough together and cut it into 2 balls.Touch it as little as possible. Flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Flour your counter and roll each ball out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used a 6-7 inch diameter bowl, flipped it upside-down and cut around it with a knife. 
4. Fill them up, then seal the edges by pushing the edge together like this:
Press the edges together Then fold it over like so:
5. I lined my baking sheet with a piece of parchment and sprinkled it with a little flour for good measure. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you're assembling the empanadas. I melted a tiny bit of vegan butter with a dash of curry powder and brushed it on each of the empanadas before baking. Cook about 20 minutes in the middle of the oven, then turn on the broiler for about 3 minutes to brown up the top a bit. The end result should look something like this:

I know you need to know what I did to make the filling, so here it goes!


Okay. So, you need some stuff.

Filling:

• 3 small red potatoes, diced quite small
• 1 cup of cauliflower florets, cut about the same size as the taters
• 2 large white mushrooms, chopped small
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red onion, finely diced
• about 6 ounces faux ground beef (I used LightLife Smart Ground Original)
• curry powder
• turmeric
• coriander
• salt and pepper
• 2 TB soy sauce 
• 1-2 TB oil or vegan butter

What you should do with it all:

1. Boil some water. Add the potatoes and cauliflower until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet with the butter/oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegan beef, onions, and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the cauliflower, peas, mushrooms and potatoes, and the rest of the spices and soy sauce. Add the spices until you're satisfied with the flavor. I think I cooked mine about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you roll out your empanada dough. It should look like this: 

Okay. So, these are pretty time consuming. I'll give you that. But, they are SOOO worth the effort.

                       

Cauliflower Steaks

Cauliflower steaks. WTH? They're essentially just thick slabs of cauli roasted in the oven. Easy. They really require no commentary! Just spritz them with some cooking oil or olive oil. Roast in a 435 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes total, flipping halfway through cooking. Don't forget to salt them just a little. When you roast it like this, you can even eat the stalk if you want. It gets nice and tender. I made mine with some mashed taters, steamed veggies and some vegan Caesar salad. It was a wholesome, filling, delicious meal. Nothing snarky there. So, yeah, I thought I'd expose you to the wonders of the cauliflower steak. NOM!

Spicy Peanut Veggies & Noodles

I have been itching to make something spicy and peanutty for a while now. So, get this, I did it. Amazing, I know. Shower me with praise. Or not. I just know that this turned out awesomely and I will absolutely be making it again. For the noodles, I used a thinnish spaghetti noodle as that's what I had onhand. You can use whatever you want, but I like long, floppy noodles. Hahaha. I used to love lo mein noodles, but they have eggs in them, which is oh so sad. I haven't tried the rice noodles yet...they kind of freak me out for some reason. Perhaps I shall soon. Who knows. Crazier things have happened. In the meantime, I highly suggest you make this ridiculously yummy dish. I know you'll like it.

This makes 3 rather large servings or about 5 as a side.

What I used:

• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 carrots, grated
• 1/2 red onion, cut into thick strips
• 1 cup pea pods, ends removed and cut in half
• 5 button mushrooms, cut into chunks
• noodles
• 1/4 cup (or a bit more) smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2-3 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 TB (or more) sriracha sauce
• a couple TB water
• 2 tsp coconut oil 
• dry roasted peanuts for a tasty garnish

What I did:

1. I steamed the broccoli and cauli for about 5-6 minutes until they were just tender enough to spear with a fork (the broccoli will be a vibrant greeen). Then, I heated the coconut oil (you can use any oil) in a skillet over medium heat. I sauteed the onions until they started to lose their color. Then added in the carrot and mushroom along with the steamed broccoli and cauli. While the veg is cooking, start cooking your pasta.
2. While the pasta and veg are still cooking, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha and water. It seems like it will never mix together, but keep on whisking. Taste it when it looks homogenous and add any more spices as necessary. Set aside. 
3. By now, your veggies and pasta are ready. I added the pea pods in the last minute of cooking the veg because I love them nice and crispy. You can do whatever you want. Now, add the sauce to the pasta and then gently fold in your veggies. I let mine sit a few minutes to meld together and this is what it looked like:
   
   
   

The 3 C Curry - Vegan MoFo #17

It's nearly impossible to get a good photo of curry. This will have to suffice.

What is a 3 C curry you ask? Cauliflower, Coconut & Chickpea curry. And, it's one of the best curries I've ever had. Serve it over some rice and you've got an awesomely heatlhy and tasty dinner.

This morning, at my farmer's market, I got a MASSIVE head of cauliflower for $2.00! I had to have it. Then, after my impulse purchase, I had to figure out what to do with it. Some people buy handbags or candy on impulse, I buy veggies. Don't judge me! Well, I hadn't made curry in quite a while, so I decided that that's what I needed. I got the basis for this here, but I definitely changed it up quite a bit. I served mine over brown rice, and it made enough for 4 meals, no problem.  Enough chatter, on to the recipe!

What you need:

• 1/2 head large cauliflower cut into florets
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 can rotel or other diced tomatoes with chilis (I drained mine a bit)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 small red onion diced (or half a large one)
• 1 1/2 TB curry powder- Mine's exceptionally strong muchi curry powder, so you may need more.
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt and pepper
• 3-4 TB unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 dashes ginger
• 2 small jalapenos, seeded and minced (completely optional)
• 1 1/2 TB coconut oil

What you do:

1. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet (with a lid) over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are somewhat translucent. Then add the curry powder and stir. 
2. Now add the cauliflower, chickpeas, coconut flakes, jalapeno, rotel, and almond milk and stir well. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low and cover with lid. This will help the cauliflower and the carrots steam and soften. Just stir it once or twice to make sure it isn't all sticking to the bottom of the pan. I think I cooked mine like this about 15 minutes, until the cauli and carrots were softened to my liking.
3. Then remove the lid and let the liquid cook down some. Maybe 5 minutes or so. Then, you're done. Easy. This is why I love curries. The hardest part is waiting for it to get done.

A year ago today, I shared my version of Chickpea Tu-Not Sandwiches! Mmmm. You should try them :)

Veggie Fried Rice - Vegan MoFo #14

OMG! I am seriously in food-love with making my own fried rice now. It's completely crazy how easy it is. My pal, Lidia, of Air Eater taught me that you need to cook your veggies and your rice separately. How I didn't know this is a shame!

You can't necessarily make this on-the-fly unless you already have cooked rice just hanging out in your fridge, so it does take a little planning. I threw the rice into the rice cooker this morning and then popped it into the fridge before heading out to get stuff done. When I got home, I grabbed my coconut oil and got to work.

I had (and still have) some fresh veggies leftover in my fridge from the veggie platter I made for my pal's bridal shower. As I hate wasting good food, I decided last night that I needed to make some sort of veggie dish. Then, this morning I saw Lidia's post about making fried rice and I knew it was the answer. You could probably make this out of just about any veggies, but I had carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, onion and some frozen peas. Just make sure you cut them all small, and about the same size, so they cook evenly.

Makes enough to serve at least 4 bowls, depending on the size of your bowl.

What I used:

• 2 1/2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
• 4 TB coconut oil, separated in half between the rice and the veggies
• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp sesame oil
• soy sauce or tamari or Braggs aminos to your tastes
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups diced carrot (I didn't exactly measure)
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets (it was all I had left)
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 2/3 cup frozen peas

What I did:

1. Heat 2 TB coconut oil in a deep skillet (that has a lid) over medium heat. Add in the carrot and cauliflower, stirring. Let cook about 3 minutes. Then add in the broccoli and onion. Stir occasionally, and cook about 3 minutes. Add the peas, then turn heat to medium-low and put the lid on. Meanwhile, start the next step.
2. Heat the other 2 TB coconut oil in another skillet over medium heat. I used nonstick. Add in the rice and use a wooden spoon to break up any chunks. Stir frequently so all the rice is lightly coated in oil and then add in the sesame oil. Stir again. I think I cooked mine about 5 minutes. I stirred it often so that no chunks formed and the rice was all cooked through. 
3. By now, the veggies should be fork-tender, so go ahead and gently fold them into the rice. Add a little soy sauce and stir well. Taste and add any other salts or spices you'd like.

See?! You can totally make this. And you should stop by Lidia's blog or her twitter (@lidialf) and thank her for sharing her knowledge with me! I truly have such amazing vegan internet pals!

Aloo Gobi - Vegan and Rockin'

Alrighty. Now, this dish is not pretty. It's not photogenic. But, it tastes freaking awesome. I have a love of many Indian dishes, but for some reason, I'd never tried Aloo Gobi before now. I was staring into my nearly empty fridge today, trying to avoid a trip to the grocery store, when I spied a head of cauliflower and a few potatoes in the veggie drawer. Hmmm. Lightbulb!

After doing a quick search online, I found that there was a name for what I was about to attempt. Shit, I had no idea there was a name. I was just thinking it was a cauli curry. So, anyway, I decided to give it a shot. I didn't use a recipe, I just threw some stuff together. I think next time I'll add either some peas or some chickpeas. This time, I just stuck to the basics: cauliflower and potatoes. I ate mine on some garlic naan, which I learned how to make a few months ago. So freaking delicious. I can't even believe how easy it was to make.

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 as a main dish, especially if you serve it with some naan. It would be good with pitas, too. If I used a pita, I'd make a garlic butter and brush it on the bread then toss it in the oven for a few minutes. Yummmm!

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 TB canola oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 TB curry powder, mine was a basic McCormick brand curry powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamom (optional)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
• dash madras curry powder
• salt and pepper to your tastes

Method:

1. In a large flat skillet that has a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, spices, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and mix very well. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes and cauliflower are covered in spices. Then add the lid and turn heat to medium-low. Stir every few minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. If your lid doesn't have vents, you will need to put your lid off-kilter to let some of the steam escape.
3. Cook about 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked to your liking. I like mine a little softer, so it took about 19-20 minutes. Taste and adjust your seasonings, if you need to. Maybe it's just me, but it seems to get more flavorful as it cools. And it was awesome as all hell on the garlic naan.

Comfort Food -- Vegan MOFO #9

Isn't that a gorgeous head of yellow cauliflower?  I think the farmer called it cheddar cauliflower.  To me, it tastes just a smidge more sweet than plain white cauliflower.  While this tasted fabulous raw and oven-roasted, I think I still like the white kind better.  

Everyone needs comfort food sometimes; foods that make them feel all warm and snuggly inside.  That was me today, which was perfect because I had some broccoli and cauliflower that were starting to head south, and I hate wasting food.  I also had some Idaho potatoes in my fridge that I kept forgetting about, so I made a few of them into a super yummy, salty and buttery mash.  I don't have any real recipes for this dinner, though.
What we had for dinner:

• Oven-roasted yellow cauliflower
• Steamed veggies--broccoli, yellow cauliflower, carrots
• Super yummy mashed potatoes
• Gardein Crispy Tenders with a dash of garlic salt

For the cauliflower, I chop mine into florets and spread them out on a cookie sheet.  I lightly spray them with an olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with some sea salt.  I bake them in 425 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning halfway  through.  I like them with a little bit of char, but if that's not your thing, then take it out earlier.

For the mashed potatoes, I peeled 3 medium sized Idaho potatoes, then cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.  I boiled a pot of salted water, then added the potatoes.  Cook about 8-10 minutes, or until the potato cubes are fork-tender.  Then drain and put in a deep bowl.  Add a bit of your milk of choice,  maybe 2 TB.  Add about 4 TB Earth Balance and 1 1/2 tsps of salt.  I blend mine by hand mixer, then add more salt or butter as necessary.