Vanilla Pound Cake with Nutella - For Click

I refuse to be a coward anymore. I refuse to let myself think I am not good enough for anything. I refuse to chicken out of 'Click' event just cuz I think my camera is too basic, or my pictures are just average or I know nuts about photoshop. I will keep sending in entries cuz like my favourite teaches in school once told me, the first step to winning is participation. And once you do, you realise its not the winning that matters more. So here is my entry to Click Flour. Its very simple and very basic. But I participated :)

Vanilla Pound cake in love with Nutella

Recipe to follow soon! So stay tuned!

Lemon Pudding Cake Preview

One of my favourite desserts growing up was lemon pudding cake. But, I have never been able to replicate the taste and texture of a recipe that relies on egg whites. And its not for lack of trying. I went through many experiments with Ener-G egg replacer and tofu--all of which ended with inedible disasters. But tonight was a breakthrough! I made a tasty lemon pudding/custard, topped it with the Isa's lemon gem cupcake batter, then baked it. Success! It was not as spongy as the original, but the taste was superb. I want to make a few alterations and give the recipe one more try before I post it. I would also like to get permission to post the lemon gem recipe (still one of my favourites) from Vegan With a Vengeance.

So, Isa, if you still stop by this blog . . . might I be able to post the lemon gem cupcake recipe?

Chickpea Cutlet Parmigiana

I took Jenn's advice and used the leftover chickpea cutlets I made the other day to make a parmigiana. It was very, very tasty. Thanks Jenn! I took the leftover marinara sauce from the weekend (about 6-7 cups worth), blended it with an immersion blender, added 1 can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, and simmered the cutlets for about 15 mins. You could bread and fry the cutlets, like I did with the seitan parmigiania, but you don't have to. Serve with pasta.

Grumble, Snarl, Mumble

Just thought I would post some mid-day whining. I am on a committee here at the university that is having a lunch meeting on Monday. I emailed the coordinator to let her know I am a vegan. She emailed back saying the lunch would be "vegan friendly" and that there would be "a salad with dressing on the side, fruits, vegetables, assorted pastries, croissants." Oh, great . . . so while everyone else gets some entree, I get a salad and some veggies. Dude, I am 6' 5"! Man cannot live on salad alone! I don't even like salad! Plus, why would they think pastries and croissants (especially croissants!) are vegan? Where are they getting these magical eggs and butter that don't come from animals? And do they think salad and a croissant resembles some sort of healthy lunch? I am just extra bitter because I recently went to a lunchtime research talk where everyone else got lasagna and salad (liberally doused with Parmesan cheese), and I was left munching on a bun of questionable origin. Phweet.

Vegan Mom's Clean-out-the-fridge Chili

No real recipes tonight, I am sorry to say. Vegan Mom made this chili since I was stuck in a committee meeting. I have posted the photo here to prove that chili need not be just beans and TVP. This chili has roasted red pepper, green pepper, eggplant, carrots, mushrooms, kidney beans, onion, celery, and fresh tomatoes. So, next time you need to clean out the crisper, think chili!

I also tried a very simple custard tonight. And by simple I mean it basically came from a tin. Bird's custard powder was created by a man whose wife was allergic to eggs (according to Wikipedia). I made the custard as per the directions, then poured it over sliced bananas in custard cups. Tasty, and it hit the spot since pudding and custard really aren't on the menu much these days. The custard was a tad bland, and needed the bananas, so I am going to work on a better blend of flavours in the future.

Chickpea Cutlet Scaloppine

Before we get to the food, let me first say that I am tired of winter. Minus 28 degrees today and it is supposed to stay that way until the weekend. *sigh* But, enough of my whining. The idea for tonight was to make the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, but to modify the recipe slightly so that they could be pressed really flat and thin to mimic scaloppine. That part of the recipe was a grand success. I added this sauce, which was pretty good except that the nutritional yeast did not dissolve (as you can see in the pic).

For the Scaloppine

- make the following alterations to the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon

1. Reduce wheat gluten flour to 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

2. Replace bread crumbs with an equal amount of instant oatmeal, pulsed in a coffee grinder until coarsely ground (i.e. not fine like flour)

3. When dough is made, press golf ball-sized pieces flat with the heel of your hand as flat as possible. Fry for 2-3 mins per side.

For the Sauce

- 1/2 cup cooking sherry

- 1 cup vegetable stock

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tsp cornstarch

- 1 tsp poultry spice

- 1 tsp dried sage

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

- 1 tbsp soy creamer

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. When done frying the scaloppine, add sherry to the pan. Let bubble and reduce by about half. Add in 3/4 cup of the stock and margarine.

2. While margarine melts, add cornstarch to remaining stock and stir with a fork to dissolve. Add to pan and let thicken.

3. Add spices and yeast (if using), then creamer. Season to taste.

Biscuits n' Chickpeas n' Gravy

Bascially, this is chickpea pot pie meets whole wheat biscuits. It was easy to make, and the kids loved it. 'Nuff said.

INGREDIENTS

- make the filling for chickpea pot pie

- make one recipe of biscuits, substituting one cup of the white flour with one cup of whole wheat pastry flour

METHOD:

1. Slice biscuits laterally. Spoon generous amounts of filling on top. Eat with gusto.

Cooking with Leftovers - Tandoori Chicken with Steamed Potatoes

Though I am immensely interested in cooking something nice and healthy for myself over weeknights, its almost always never possible. Simply because I am lazy or blame it on tiredness. In such situations, there is a place that we order take out from called Surabhi Restaurant. Once, I ordered tandoori chicken kabab as an appetizer for dinner. There was quite a lot leftover and I just stashed it in the fridge, thinking I will deal with it the next day.

Around 5-6 pieces of frozen tandoori kabab stood staring at me next day morning and I briefly looked at the vegetable tray only to find some good old (literally!) potatoes in there. Idea struck and here is what I came up with.

Tandoori Chicken with Steamed Potatoes

What I Used:

Tandoori Chicken - 5-6 pieces
Potatoes - 2 medium
Onion - 1
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Chicken masala - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - for garnishing

How I Made It:

1. Steam the potatoes, peel and cube them.

2. Saute the onions in very little oil and the masala and chilly. Mix the potatoes in and stir well for another minute.

3. Shred the chicken pieces and mix in well.

Serve hot with bread.

It was done in less than 20 minutes and I enjoyed a nice Saturday brunch :)

Potatoes always come to the rescue when you need to convert leftovers to a proper meal. That's why this dish too goes over to Sia's Ode to Potatoes and DK's Potato Fest!

Biscuits

I made these biscuits a few days ago to go with some soup at lunch time (supper tonight was hot dogs and french fries . . . I was too tired to make anything else). It makes me think that I will have to make some sort of biscuits and gravy sometime for Sunday brunch. I have to admit, though, that as a Canadian such a dish is not really in my repertoire. I imagine a tempeh sausage would be good, with a gravy made from soymilk. Well, more on that later

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups flour

- 1 tbsp baking powder

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp shortening

- 3/4 cup soy milk

- 1/2 tsp lemon juice

- melted margarine

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Put lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add soymilk to the 3/4 cup line. Mix and set aside to thicken.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Mix in shortening with your fingers until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add in soy milk mixture and mix into a dough.

3. Turn out into a floured surface and knead lightly for 30 seconds. Pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut into circles.

4. Place on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Marinara Sauce

I went to the grocery store today and could not pass up the discount produce. Again! Big bags of tomatoes for 99 cents! So, I made my own marinara sauce for lunch. It was totally worth the extra work, and I will have to make it again when we have fresh tomatoes from the garden--then it will be spectacular. I think you are supposed to seed the tomatoes, but I did not bother since it would make even more work. I have given the recipe for about 6 cups of tomatoes, but you can double and triple if you want depending on how many tomatoes you have.

INGREDIENTS

- 6 cups of ground tomatoes

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

- 1 tbsp dried basil

- salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD

1. Peel tomatoes by putting them in boiling water until the skins start to peel, then plunging them into ice cold water. Remove skins, quarter, then coarsely grind in a food mill. Drain off excess liquid using a fine mesh sieve.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry garlic until golden. Add tomatoes and season with basil and salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling and simmer until desired thickness is reached.

3. Remove garlic cloves and serve over hot pasta.

Easy and Simple Gujarati Meal

From the title you all know where this is going, right? Yep! Right over to Mythili's RCI - Gujarati Cuisine. As always I did some research on the state's cuisine and came across some amazing dishes like Khandvi, Dhokla (both of which I am dying to try, but couldn't this time cuz of some logistical issues) and mostly sweet and vegetarian dishes. I zeroed in on some easy dishes to make a simple Saturday brunch.

I made a simple meal of Channa Moong Dal, Gujarati Khattai Aloo and Rice.

Channa Moong Dal

Basic recipe from here.

What I Used:

Yellow moong dal - 1/2 cup
Oil - tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Juice of - 1/2 lemon
Grated giner - 1/2" piece
2 cups water

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook dal with one cup water and a pinch of turmeric for approx 4 whistles.

2. Mix all the spice powders in 1/2 cup water to make a thin paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add some cumin & coriander seeds. Once they splutter, add the ginger.

4. Add the paste of spice powders, fry for a minute, and then add the dal. Bring to a boil.

5. Add lemon juice and required amount of salt.

Gujarati Khattai Aloo

Basic recipe from here.

What I Used:

Potatoes - 3 big
Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Fresh green chilies - 2
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Peel and dice potatoes.

2. Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and then squeeze it firmly to extract all the juice and strain the liquid through a seive. Dissolve the sugar in the liquid.

3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil and fry some mustard seeds until they pop. Add the turmeric, chilly powder, coriander and cumin and fry for about 1 minute on low fire.

4. Add the potatoes and toss for about a minute. Sprinkle with salt and little water, (about 1/4 cup) cover tightly and cook on a very low flame for about 15 minutes.

5. Add the tamarind juice, sliced chillies and coconut and stir well. Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

This simple and tangy potato dish is my entry to Sia's Ode to Potatoes and DK's Potato Fest.

Tempeh Tacos

I know, I know. I have posted tacos before. And, after so many months with no tempeh I am now going a little tempeh crazy. But my parents are here for a visit and I thought this would be an easy meal that everyone would like. And, it was.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pkg of tempeh, grated

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce

- 1/4 cup water

- 2 tsp ground fennel

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp cumin

- 2 tsp chili powder

- pinch of cayenne

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 tbsp ketchup

METHOD

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Fry tempeh for 5 mins, until it starts to get golden. Add soy sauce and water and stir well to combine. Add spices and ketchup. Lower heat and cook for 10 mins, until tempeh begins to dry out a bit.

Serve in a wheat tortilla with refried beans, chopped onions, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Rotini with Fresh Tomatoes and Vegan Cottage Cheese

I just can't resist discount produce. This time is was a very large bag of tomatoes for $1.99. I mean, even if you can't use them all, it's cheaper than buying just a few regular-priced tomotoes. Of course, you have to eat them pretty quickly since they are getting a wee bit past their prime. This is a dish that Vegan Mom and I used to make before we were vegan. It's actually a pretty good replica, but probably not something you would want to serve someone who has actually eaten dairy cottage cheese in the past year. The dish is even better with toasted pine nuts, which I did not have on hand, so they are not in the picture.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 pkg of rotini, cooked

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 cup soy creamer

- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 tsp basil

- 4-5 tomatoes, cut in wedges

- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. While rotini is cooking, crumble tofu into a bowl. Don't mush it, like when making tofu ricotta, but avoid large chunks. Stir in oil, salt, sugar, spices, and soy creamer with a fork. Set aside.

2. Rinse and drain rotini, add nutritional yeast, and mix well. Mix in cottage cheese, basil, and pine nuts, then mix in tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Risotto Spinach Soup

This is a very tasty and simple soup that really hits the spot on a cold day. It's also a great way to get some spinach in your diet. I have been missing leafy greens lately and thought some baby spinach would be good.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 lb baby spinach

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 generous cup arborio rice

- 7-8 cups veggie stock

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Rinse spinach and cook in a large pot over medium heat until wilted. Remove from pot.

2. Add oil and saute onion and garlic for 5 mins. Add rice and fry for 1 min, stirring constantly. Add in stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, lower heat and simmer until rice is tender (15 to 20 mins).

3. Add in spinach and more stock if too thick. Serve.

Easy Tomato Spaghetti with Shredded Chicken

Any kind of pasta is always a welcome dinner for me, simple because it is hassle-free and doesn't demand a side dish or gravy. Isn't that a perfect meal for one? (Oh!! How I hate cooking just for myself!) I prefer the tomato based paste to the cheese base, though I crave for the latter occasionally. This is an as-simple-as-it-gets kind of recipe to make some yummy spaghetti. Vegetarians, just avoid the chicken and add mushrooms instead, if you like them, or just go plain!

What I Used:

Spaghetti - one packet
Shredded cooked chicken - 1/2 cup
Pureed tomatoes - 4
Capsicum/bell pepper - half
Spinach (optional) - 3 to 4 stalks
Crushed garlic - 6 pods
Oregano - 2 tsp
Pepper - 3 tsp
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water till done. Add some salt and a little oil the water to enhance flavour and prevent it from sticking together once done.

2. Heat the oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the diced spinach and capsicum, pureed tomatoes and the chicken and fry for another minute.

3. Add the spaghetti and mix well. Season with the oregano and pepper while still on the stove and mix well. Adjust salt and remove from fire.

Serve hot.

This One-Dish Dinner goes to Meeta's Monthly Mingle.

Tempeh Gyro with Vegan Tzatziki

A few days ago kitsune_stars commented that she had used my tempeh burger recipe to make gyros. I thought that sounded like a fantastic idea. Of course, I have never had a gyro in my life so I have nothing to compare these to, but in my humble opinion they turned out really well. I did some online research and came up with this recipe. But, what to do about the tzatziki sauce? I did not have any soy yogurt, and I'm not sure that would have made this any better. I was very pleased with the result and managed to wolf down two gyro before dinner was over.

Tempeh Gyro

INGREDIENTS

- 1 8.5 oz block of tempeh

- 1 onion

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tbsp marjoram

- 1 tsp ground rosemary

- 1/2 tsp basil

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- 1/2 tsp sage

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp mushroom soy sauce

- freshly ground pepper

- 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

- oil

METHOD

1. Grate tempeh and onion into a large bowl. Add in spices (including parsley) and soy sauce and mix well with a fork. Add flour and mix with fork, then knead with your hands for a minute or so until it all comes together. Add in a little water, if needed.

2. Heat a small layer of oil in a sauce pan over medium-lo heat. Break off golf ball-sized pieces of the dough mixture. Flatten with the palm of your hand on the countertop to mimic a slice of meat. Fry 2 mins per side.

3. Serve with chopped tomato, sliced red onion, and tzatziki rolled up in a warmed pita

Vegan Tzatziki Sauce

- 1 pkg silken tofu

- juice from 1 lemon

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 2-3 tsp dried dill

- 1/4 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne

- 1 cup finely chopped cucumber

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Blend tofu, lemon juice, garlic, oil and spices together in a blender, or with an immersion blender in a container.

2. Place diced cucumber in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Add to sauce along with the parsley. Refrigerate until needed.

Roasted Peppers with Herbs

Here is the side dish we had with the baked rigatoni. It is a simple dish that can bake along side the rigatoni and delivers a garlicky-herby burst of flavour. You could always just put some pesto in these, but I did not have any on hand.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 yellow pepper

- 1 orange pepper

- 1 large garlic cloves, cut in wafer thin slivers

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp dried basil

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

- 1/2 tsp salt

- fresh ground pepper

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds. Distribute garlic slivers evenly between the four halfs.

2. Mix together oil with basil, oregano, yeast, salt and pepper. Put 1/4 of mixture into each pepper half.

3. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 mins, until peppers are browned but still have some firmness.

Example of a Good Recipe Entry

Recipe Name 

Vegetable Pulao

Category

Vegetarian

Key Ingredients

Rice, Potato, Onion, Carrot, Beans, Tomato

Type of Dish

Main Dish

Procedure

Ingredients Set One

Basmati rice - 3 cups

Onion - 1 big

Tomato - 1 big

Carrots - 2 medium

Beans - 15

Ingredients Set Two

Bay leaves - 1

Cloves - 3

Cardamom - 2

Green chillies - 4

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsbp

Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker pan, add ingredients set two and fry for two minutes.

2. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another minute before adding the finely chopped vegetables in ingredients set one. Stir this mixture for 3 more minutes. Add required amount of salt.

3. After that, add the rice and fry for another minute.

4. Add 5 cups water and pressure cook till the first whistle.

5. Open as soon as steam has espaced and transfer to a wide bowl.

Serve warm.

Preparation Time

Less than an hour

Level of Difficulty

3

Your Name

Nags

Your Email

naagu.v@gmail.com

Your Website

www.cookingandme.com (leave blank if you don't have one)

Picture Filename

Veg Pulao

Submit!

The Recipe Diary Contest - Submit Recipes

Sorry! The contest is closed now. Thank you for your interest. 

Baked Rigatoni

I am totally on an Italian food kick right now. Tomatoes. Basil. Garlic. Pasta. It's all just hitting the spot these days. This dish was a spectacular success, not just because it tasted great, but because the home made meatballs were amazing. I used the perfect tempeh burger recipe and they help up perfectly in the sauce without breaking apart. After so much experimentation with mushy and disappointing meatballs, these were fantastical.

Tomato Sauce

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 4 cloves garlic, chopped

- 2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes (or crushed)

- 1/4 cup tomato paste

- 1 cup water

- 1 tsp basil

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic for 2 mins. Add in tomatoes (the whole can, juice and all), paste, water, spices, yeast, and salt and pepper. If using whole tomatoes, use an immersion blender to process the tomatoes to the desired consistency. Bring to bubbling, reduce heat, and let simmer. Go make the meatballs.

Meatballs

1. Make one recipe of perfect (tempeh) burger. Form into small balls, about the size of a large grape. Fry in olive oil over med-lo heat for about 5 mins, turning to make sure all sides are browned.

2. Put meatballs into the tomato sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 30 mins, stirring occasionaly. Go cook the pasta.

Baked Rigatoni

- tomato sauce with meatballs

- 12 oz rigatoni, cooked

- tofu ricotta

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Place 1/2 of the cooked rigatoni in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce/meatball mixture.

2. Spread tofu ricotta over top of pasta. Top with remaining pasta, then cover with remaining sauce. Cover with a lid, or foil.

3. Bake for 45 mins, uncover, and bake 30 mins more. Let sit for 15 mins before serving.

Zeppole

Just a quick post tonight. I just made these and Vegan Mom and I are going to curl up together, eat them, and watch North by Northwest. Ah, Friday . . . .

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup warm water

- 1 tsp active dry yeast

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 2 cups flour

- 1 tsp salt

- oil for frying

- icing sugar

METHOD

1. Mix water and sugar together in a small bowl. Add yeast and stir to dissolve.

2. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and mix with a fork until well blended. Cover and let rise for 1.5 to 2 hours.

3. Heat oil in a pan (about 2" deep) over med-hi heat. Drop in heaping tbsps of dough in batches and cook about 1 min per side until golden brown. The dough is sticky, so I use two spoons to aid in the scooping and dropping of the dough in the oil. Remove from oil and drain.

4. Coat well with icing sugar when cool. Enjoy! Have an espresso!

Special Kadala Curry/Chickpeas with Coriander and Star Anise

The kadala curry at home always tastes different when my mom makes it. Its a mix of a lot of cuisines, I am sure, but the end result is always yummy. This one is from my archives, a recipe that I always wanted to document. I pulled it out cuz of Ziah's request for a Kadala Curry so this post is dedicated to her :)

What I Used:

Serves 2

Chickpeas/Kabuli Channa/Velutha Kadala - 1 cup
Coriander - 4 tbsp
Coconut - 4 tbsp
Red chillies - 4
Garlic - 6 pods
Star anise - 2

For tempering:

Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves.

How I Made It:

1. The chickpeas should be soaked in water overnight. Pressure cook this for 2 whistles, with some turmeric and salt.

2. Roast the coriander, garlic, red chillies, star anise and coconut in a non-stick pan till it emits a nice smell and turns golden (about 5-7 minutes). Let it cool.

3. Grind the roasted masala to a coarse paste with very little water.

4. Heat oil, let the mustard seeds crackle. Add curry leaves and some more red chillies if you like the curry spicy. Add the masala paste to this and stir for a minute. Add the cooked chick peas and adjust water and salt at this stage.

Serve hot with puttu/appam/dosa/roti.

This is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice..Think Star Anise Event. The recipe is from my archives, otherwise I would have included the star anise in the pic somewhere :)

Pasta Fagioli

Italian food is Vegan Mom's favourite, so tonight's romantic Valentine's meal was a rustic and simple, but tasty, bean and pasta dish. And when I say "romantic meal," I mean with the three boys making all sorts of ruckus and complaining about the eggplant side dish. *sigh* As Vegan Mom says, Valentine's Day is only fun for people who are dating or have no kids.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 red onion, diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced

- 2 generous tbsp tomato paste

- 2 1/2 cups water

- 1 pinch cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 8 oz spaghetti, broken in 3-4 inch pieces

METHOD

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and celery for 5 mins, until soft. Add in tomatoes, paste, cayenne, and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling and simmer for 10 mins.

2. Add beans and broken pasta and simmer until pasta is done. Stir frequently, and add more water if necessary. The final dish should be thick, but not too thick.

Dijon Tofu and Potatoes

This is a somewhat fancy spin on comfort food. The dijon mustard works well with the spicing to give the dish a more complex yet familiar flavour. The boys gave it the thumbs up, which is good enough for me! As you can see in the picture (well, kind of), I put the tofu on the mashed potatoes, then spooned the sauce over top. You can keep the tofu and potatoes separate if you want. I made crispy tofu, but you can prepare it however you like.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 block tofu, cut into 16 triangles, and prepared however you like

- mashed potatoes, mixed with 1 tbsp dijon mustard

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large onion, cut in half, and sliced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 large carrots, chopped

- 2 ribs celery, chopped

- 1 tsp thyme

- 2 tsp poultry spice

- 1/4 tsp tumeric

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup flour

- 2 cups water (or more, as needed)

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 5 mins. Add in carrots and celery and saute 5 more mins. Add in spices and mix well.

2. Add in flour and fry for 1 min. Slowly add in water and bring to bubbling. Adjust seasoning to taste. Simmer for 10 mins, until carrots are soft.

3. Stir in nutritional yeast and Dijon mustard and mix well.

4. To serve, put some mashed potatoes on a plate and make a well in the center. Put 4 pieces of tofu in the well and top with the sauce.

Gooey Grilled Cheez Sandwiches

Home late. Vegan Mom had a 6:00 meeting. Kids running around yelling. Tired. I went to the pantry and picked out some tomato soup and baked beans, and then made these sandwiches from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook with some home made whole wheat bread. I added some frozen mixed veggies and dinner was ready in 20 mins. It was fast, nutritious, and the kids ate it. Mission accomplished.

Chow Chow Sambhar with Curd Rice

I saw this vegetable - chow chow aka chayote squash - in Reliance Fresh and immediately wanted to try it out. I had heard about chow chow bhath but I had a certain someone visiting me over the weekend and he is not much of a variety rice person. So we decided on a simple chow chow sambhar to be served with curd rice.

Chow chow/Chayote Squash

Chow chow is rich in Vitamin C and potassium, and 1 cup counts for around 40 calories. The vegetable in itself is quite tasteless but chow chow bhath and chow chow koottu seem to be quite popular, especially in the Andhra cuisine.

Chow chow cut into half

Here is the recipe for Chow Chow Sambhar (Chayote Squash Cooked with Lentils)

What I Used:

Chow chow - one, cubed
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
Turmeric - one pinch
Green chillies - 2, slit on the sides
Onion - 1
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Sambhar powder - 1 tbsp

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds, curry leaves, chilly powder, chopped coriander leaves.

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook the dal with chillies, turmeric, cubed onions, and chow chow.

2. Add tamarind paste to the cooked dal. Also add the sambhar powder. Adjust water to get the consistency you like.

3. Heat oil in a separate kadai, add mustard seeds, chilly powder and curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds. Add to the dal mixture. Mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Chow chow sambhar with curd rice

I served it with some curd rice.

Mexican-Style Tempeh Sandwich

I must be using up all my mental energy at work these days because I can only come up with lame names like this one for my dishes.

INGREDIENTS

- 4 tbsp oil

- 1 block of tempeh

- 1/2 cup enchilalda sauce

- 1/4 cup water

METHOD:

1. Cut tempeh into 8 pieces by first cutting it into quarters, then slicing those four pieces horizontally.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Fry tempeh about 5 mins, until golden brown. Add more oil, flip, and fry 5 mins.

3. Mix sauce into water and add to pan. Lower heat and cook for 8-10 mins, until sauce has absorbed into tempeh.

4. Serve on a bun and garnish with sliced tomatoes, avocado, red onions, and salsa.

Curd Rice with Pomegranates - The Ultimate Comfort Food

This post is not to to share a unique recipe. Its not even to talk about the memories this dish brings. One main reason is I had a ripe pomegranate in the house with a broken mixie that prevented me from making the smoothie I had originally intended with it. The only other option I could think of was to add it to curd rice. The other reason is, I have started using photoshop (finally!!) after having installed it almost a year back.

Also some information about the fruit that I wanted to share. Pomegranate has quickly become one of the most talked about super foods in the past two years. Pomegranate fruits contain polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins, which are all beneficial antioxidants. On the other hand, pomegranate juice contains high levels of antioxidants - higher than most other fruit juices, red wine or tea. Preliminary evidence suggested that drinking concentrated pomegranate juice may reduce cholesterol.

To make curd rice, mix some salt to the curd and mix well. Mix the rice well in this. I don't like mashing up the rice so I leave it whole. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies. Let it cool and then add to the rice mixture. Chop some coriander leaves finely and mix it well with this. (I prefer coriander leaves to curry leaves in my curd rice). Finally, top it off with some pomegranate seeds and mix well before serving. I served it with some chow-chow sambhar (recipe coming soon!)

Took me a while to get this effect!

This bowl of curd rice goes over to Sra for her AFAM - Pomegranate Event. I am looking forward to the round up, cuz I have no idea what people are going to make beyond juice or smoothie.

This one is straight out of camera.
I held the bowl in one hand and clicked with the other!

Potato Cauliflower Mash

OK, I admit that the picture for this is pretty weird (and so is the name), but it is really tasty. Let's face it: potatoes and cauliflower are friends. Combine these two with onions and garlic and you have a delicious combination that comforts you from head to toe. Not only that, the boys love it.

INGREDIENTS

- 3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

- 2 cloves garlic

- dollop of margarine

- salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Place potatoes, onion, cauliflower, and garlic in a large pot and fill with enough water to almost cover the veggies. Bring to boiling and simmer for 20 mins, until all veggies are soft. Drain well.

2. Mash veggies well with margarine and salt. I use a electric beater to really blend it all well. Serve.

Mushroom and Sundried Pepper Pasta

Last week we bought a big bag of mushrooms for 99 cents off the discount produce rack. Even after some very mushroomy pasta sauces for lunches throughout the week, we still had a bunch of them hogging space in the crisper. So, I created this dish to clean up the fridge before shopping day tomorrow. The result was fantastic. The chopped mushrooms make for a hearty sauce that does not rely on TVP or fake meat. Actually, it got me thinking that mushrooms would make an excellent base for a bolognese sauce, which I plan to try next time there are mushrooms on the discount rack.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 large onion, finely diced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 25 white mushrooms, chopped

- 1 tsp dried basil

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 cup sliced sundried red peppers (or sundried tomatoes)

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)

- cooked pasta, like rotini

METHOD

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 8-10 mins, until lightly golden brown. Add garlic and saute 1 min.

2. Add chopped mushrooms, spices, and salt and cook for about 10 mins, until mushrooms are soft, and have released their water.

3. Add peppers and parsley and cook about 5 mins, until peppers are heated through and flavours have developed.

4. Serve over hot cooked paste and garnish with parsley.

Behold the Label Cloud!

You may have noticed the "Label Cloud" in the right hand column of this blog. This is my attempt to index all the recipes I have posted. I am slowly working my way through the old posts (and wishing I had added labels from the get go) and applying labels according to main ingredient, and type of dish (Indian, Mexican, baked goods, etc.) Hopefully, then, when you have a block of tofu and are not sure what to make for dinner, you can click "tofu" in the label cloud and be presented with a variety of ideas. The bigger the word/ingredient appears in the label cloud, the more posts there are with that word/ingredient. I hope this helps everyone better access the recipes.

Jelly Donut Cupcakes

Isa is a freakin' genius. A donut cupcake? You better believe it! These tasty treats from Veganomicon were the perfect end to an intensely busy work week. Not only are they delicious, they are fun to bake. The filling is placed on top of the batter and it magically sinks into the cupcake as it bakes. I actually ran out of jam (time to go shopping), so I pressed a few chocolate chips into the center of the remaining cupcakes. The boys loved them.

Tofu Fish Sticks and Tartar Sauce

A few days ago Krys asked if I had a good recipe for fish and chips. I didn't. So, I thought I would try to work out a palatable fish stick recipe tonight. The results were pretty good--the boys loved them and asked for seconds! I wanted them (the fish sticks, not the boys) to have a fishier taste, but I am not sure how to do that. I would also have liked the tofu to be a little firmer, but that is hard to do when the tofu is marinated. I am not really selling these, am I?

INGREDIENTS

Marinade

- 1 pkg tofu, cut into strips/sticks

- juice of half a lemon

- 1/4 cup of water

- 1 sheet nori

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

METHOD

1. Process nori into a powder in a coffee grinder or food processor. Mix with other ingredients in a shallow dish and marinate tofu for a few hours.

Breading

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/4 cup cornmeal

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp kelp granules (optional)

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 1/2 cup soy milk

- 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil.

1. Mix together breading ingredients in a shallow dish. Roll tofu in breading to coat.

2. Mix lemon juice into soy milk and stir until thickened. Dip breaded tofu into soy milk mixture, then coat again with dry breading.

3. Place on cookie sheet. Lightly spray with cooking oil.

4. Bake 15 mins. Flip. Bake 15 more mins. Seve with tartar sauce.

Tartar Sauce

Mix together the following:

- 1 cup vegenaise

- 1 dill pickle, minced

- 1/2 small onion, minced

- small drop of mustard

Baked HEARTS for your VALENTINE

I have never been much of a Valentines Day person. I am one of those people who feel that expression of love should not be restricted to a day. But somehow the season is contagious. With shops selling cards and gifts and little knick-knacks for your loved one, and events in the food blogosphere gently nudging us into cooking something for our valentine. Now, that's something I don't mind.

I always feel inadequate when I need to bake anything. Mainly because I have an OTG without temperature control and just 2 baking dishes in which nothing except a cake can be made. I don't have muffin trays or pie dishes or even cookie cutters. I normall make round-shaped cookies by patting them into shape with my hands. But if I need anything heart-shaped, that's a different story, right?

But I used my hands again! Its crude, its far from perfect, but its still a heart!

Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies for your Valentine

Recipe adapted from here

Makes a dozen cookies

What I Used:

Flour - 1 cup
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup and a little more
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup (measure after powdering)
Salt - one pinch
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

How I Made Them:

1. Mix the flour and salt well and keep aside.

2. Cream the butter well and mix in the sugar. Cream further until it has dissolved in the butter.

3. Add the vanilla and mix well.

4. Gently fold in the flour and make into a soft dough. Refrigerate cling-wrapped, for an hour.

5. Gently roll the dough and cut into desired shape. I make small balls and made the heart shape with my hands :)

6. Bake in a 180C pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Share with your valentine while still warm and get ready for the compliments :)

These cookies go to Zorra's 'A heart for your Valentine' event. Entries so far can be seen here. I am also sending this to Pooja who is hosting an event with a Valentine Theme.

Lemon Pound Cake

It sounds odd, but I have been craving pound cake since my trip to Washington D.C. You may remember that I wanted to visit Java Green, but went on Sunday when it was closed. In fact, pretty much all of downtown D.C. is closed on Sunday. So, I had to grab a plain baguette from Au Bon Pain to stave of hunger. At the checkout they had that weird flourescent yellow pound cake that looks like it has never seen a real lemon in its life. In any event, I have been thinking about pound cake ever since.

To satisfy that craving I turned to the recipe from Veganomicon, and I highly recommend it. It is tender and spongy--just like pound cake should be. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup soy yogurt, which I did not have (the only sell So Nice here which, quite frankly, is So Nasty), and 1/2 cup silken tofu, which I also did not have. So, I used 1 cup regular tofu and blended it really well with 1 tbsp lemon juice. I also added grated rind from 1 lemon to ramp up the flavour and topped it with lemon icing. Perfect!

Perfect (Tempeh) Burgers

The boys informed me today that while the cabbage roll filling from last night was "thumbs up," cabbage itself was "thumbs down." That means, overall, the cabbage rolls were "thumbs sideways." So, rather than make them suffer through mediocre leftovers, I let them choose the meal tonight. They went with burgers. A few days ago, Vegan Linda posted a comment on my Perfect Burger recipe asking if there was any alternative to the TVP I used. I really didn't have a good response until tonight. Tempeh! In fact, I think these burgers are better than the TVP version. To make them absolutely perfect, I topped them with sauteed onions and mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 8.5 oz pkg tempeh, coarsely grated

(If you find tempeh has a "taste," simmer it in boiling water with 2 tsp soy sauce for 10 mins to cut down on the bitterness. Cool before grating. This will increase the water content of the tempeh, so you might want to increase the wheat gluten to 1/2 cup, or not add any extra water.)

- 1/2 cup bread crumbs

- 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

- 2 tsp ground fennel seed
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp parsley

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp HP sauce

- 1/4 tsp browning sauce (optional)

- 2-4 tbsp water

- oil for frying

METHOD

1. Mix grated tempeh, bread crumbs, flour, and spices in a bowl. Add in soy sauce, HP sauce, and enough water to make a firm yet pliable dough. Knead for a few mins to mix everything well.

2. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape into patties by pressing into a metal ring.

3. Cook in a thin layer of oil on med-lo heat for about 5 mins per side. The trick is to make thin patties and to fry them low enough to cook them through before burning the outside.

UPDATE

I have played around with the recipe a bit--see this post.

Idiyappam with Potato Stew

Idiyappam is a typical Kerala breakfast cooked in the traditional method of steaming. Its one of the healthiest ways of cooking and still forms a staple in many households. I can't imagine going through the trouble myself, what with my quick and fast recipes but amma always makes this when we go home on vacation. I had always wanted to document this so here we go.

To make idiyappam, you need 2 cups rice flour, 2 tsp ghee/oil, 3 cups boiled water and a pinch of salt. You will need a vessel you can use to steam cook it and also an idiyappam press.

Kerala Idiyappam with Potato Stew

How to Make Them

1. Mix the rice flour and salt well. Add the boiled water when still warm little at a time till the dough is soft to touch. Mix in the ghee.

2. Take small portions and put into press.

3. Press directly onto idly moulds and steam cook till done. You can sprinkle some grated coconut before steaming, for the added 'Kerala' taste. Coconut always does that, doesn't it?

Serve warm with hot potato stew.

What You Need for the Stew

Potatoes - 6, peeled and cubed
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Onions - 2
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Green chillies - 3
Pepper powder - 1 tsp

How to Make It:

1. Boil the potatoes and keep aside.

2. Grind the chillies, ginger, garlic and pepper coarsely. Lightly fry this in some oil.

3. Add the onions and saute till it turns transparent.

4. Add the potatoes and mix well.

5. Pour the coconut milk and remove from fire just before it boils. If you boil coconut milk, it loses it flavour. Adjust salt at this stage.

This healthy breakfast plate goes to Suganya who is hosting WBB this month. The theme is Healthy Eats.

Broccoli Mushroom Bean Sprouts Stir Fry Take 4

There! This is the winning click. The differences are subtle from the previous click but here, the broccoli in the corner is clear and the background is more blurred, naturally. So off it goes into the post :)

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Broccoli Mushroom Bean Sprouts Stir Fry Take 3

I love this shot! I even made it the final shot for a while (note the watermark) but then thought I wanted to play around a bit more with Picasa and see if I have a better one.

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Broccoli Mushroom Bean Sprouts Stir Fry Take 2

Maybe a head shot, for a change? Hmm.. Naah..

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Broccoli Mushroom Bean Sprouts Stir Fry Take 1

I need to get much much closer to the dish so that the texture can be seen. This is to far off for people to feel like they want to take a bite and see how it tastes!

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Bean Sprouts Take 5

Perfect! I moved in a little closer so that I get the sprouts in the bowl more clearly and more of the top of the bowl too! This one gets to go on the post :)

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