South Asian Noodle Extravaganza

makes about 4-5 servings

Cook enough noodles enough for 2
leftover quinoa and beans (1/4 to 1/2 cup each)

2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp hing (Indian Spice, garlic powder can be used in place of)
1/2 tsp amchur or mango powder (indian spice, optional)
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1/2 tbsp red thai curry paste
1/4 cup of water
 1 small cauliflower chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 bunch broccolini chopped
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp peanut thai sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp cilantro

Heat the oil with the cumin and the hing.  Add the cauliflower and the rest of the vegetables.
Add the mango powder, coriander, salt, and nutritional yeast and water.  Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Mix the tahini, curry paste, peanut sauce, tomato paste,sriracha, and vinegar in a separate container.

Add the mixture to the vegetables and stir.  Add a can of beans, package of mushrooms or some leftover quinoa or rice -- if you have it. Let the sauce and ingredients heat up for 5 minutes.

Once vegetables are desired consistency and temperature, take off the stove and mix in the lemon juice and cilantro.

Serve :) 

Green Mania

Green Mania

2 baby bok choy

1 bunch of kale or other dark leafy greens

1 bunch of asparagus

1 yellow pepper

1/2 tsp lemon zest

juice of half of a lemon

juice of 1/4 of an orange

1 tsp fresh sage

1 tsp fresh oregano

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp oil

2 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger

1/2 -1 tsp salt

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

At bare minimum, add the salt, balsamic and lemon zest... and for added flavor add the garlic and ginger.  

Fry the garlic in oil along with the stems of the leafy greens.  Add the ginger and asparagus.  When the asparagus becomes bright green add the yellow pepper and the rest of the seasonings and vinegar.  Add the leafy greens, when the leaves become just wilted, add the fresh herbs, lemon and orange juice-- if using.  

Serve :)

Vegan Malai Palak

Typically my attempt at Indian food always turns into an Indian- American fusion.  So I apologize for the lack of authenticity in it's taste. Despite the taste not immediately bringing you to India, it is unique and flavorful in it's own right. It has a tinge of bitter green taste yet the sweetness and the spice from the flavor combinations satisfy the palette. Ultra healthy with lots of vegetables, it does take a bit of time to prepare but worth it ;)  

Vegan Malai Palak 

2 large zucchinis (alternatively eggplant or mushrooms could be used)

Juice of one lemon

1 medium red onion sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 inch stick ginger minced
3 adobo peppers
1 tsp each, garam masala, and turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of fenugreek powder
2 bunches baby bok choy and 1 bunch large bitter greens of your choice -- such as dandelion greens

1 can of kidney beans

dash of salt

1/2 cup of cashews

1 cup water
1/4 tsp of baobab powder
1/4 tsp of lucuma powder

*I used the baobab and the lucuma powder as sweet tangy ingredients, alternatively tamarind paste could be used or lemon and a little bit of agave.

*If using eggplant, marinate the eggplant with salt for 10-20 minutes, squeeze out the excess water, and then marinate it with the lemon and adobo peppers. 

Marinate the zucchini in the lemon juice and chopped adobo peppers for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime the rest of the vegetables can be prepared.
Saute the zucchini (or eggplant or mushrooms) for 5-7 minutes. In another pan, saute the onions, add the ginger and garlic and then the chillies and fry till cooked. Mix in all of the powdered spices.  Then add the greens. Cook till the greens wilt. Remove the mixture, and put it into a food processor. Return the processed greens to the pan, turn on the heat and add a cup of water. Add the zucchini. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring at intervals. 

Grind the cashews into a powder and then blend them with 2 tbsp of water or just enough water to make it thick and creamy.  

Add them to the vegetables and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

 Serve with rice or rice tortillas (we like to cut the rice tortillas in fourths and toast them, they make a great healthy chip, depending on how long they are heated they will be less crispy)

Ultimate Hollandaise Veggie Toss

I went to a potluck yesterday, as I am the only vegan that I know at my work/school I had to choose something that could work even if it was the only thing that I could eat.  I thought about bringing dessert too, I just didn't have that much time to do it as well.

I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge, but I wanted a really nice sauce to go along.

I wanted the sauce to remind me of a hollandaise sauce.

Surprisingly I did a really good job at getting that 'eggy' flavor and consistency.  Not quite sure how I did it, but the interesting this was, this sauce could also be made with a little less liquid and really tastes reminds me of deviled eggs! It would be interesting in future recipes to play with this recipe a little more.. and combine it with some kind of a tofu recipe to actually make vegan deviled eggs!! It would certainly be a fun experiment.

Ultimate Hollandaise Veggie Toss:
Serves 8-10

1 small head of broccoli chopped
1 bunch of kale chopped
1 small head of cauliflower chopped
1/3 head of purple cabbage chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 bunch of asparagus chopped

1/3 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of oil
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1tbsp of 1/4 tsp of agave
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of tapioca starch
1/2 tsp of mustard or powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp of broth powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1-2 tbsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of all purpose herbs

Steam the asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli together in a pot until a bit softer but still with a crunch. Put steamed veggies in a big bowl to stir.  Then steam kale for a minute, add to the other vegetables.  Steam the cabbage for a very short time, 1-2 minutes, it shouldn't lose it's dark purple color. Let the cabbage cool a bit before blending it with the other vegetables so it doesn't bleed its color onto them.

Whip the rest of the ingredients together, if it's looking anything but creamy, keep whipping :)

If it's still too bitter, you can always add more agave, salt, and apple cider vinegar.
If it doesn't have enough flavor, you can always add more smoked paprika, salt, mixed herbs and
cayenne.

mix the sauce with the veggies, and serve hot!

Unfortunately a couple hours had past before it was served at the potluck and it didn't hold up as well. I may have been overly judgmental of it, because I was very disappointed, but someone did still come up to me and complimented me on the dish... so it's possible that it was fine but I was too critical of it.
I will find out today, if chilling before serving would have improved it.  Some dishes are really incredible once chilled, so I am crossing my fingers on this one! I will let you know as soon as I eat this for lunch if chilling it prior is the best method for this guy.

Also, the hosts were so gracious and made the two main dishes vegan--- I'm pretty sure for me, because I'm the only vegan I know in that circle.  Amazing, it's these small -- to me big-- acts that really touch the heart!

Best!!

Esther