Indian Curry

Since the turn of the millennium, there has been an epic battle.
Which do I like better, Indian or Mexican?
In the motherland, I could make my own Mexican food if I had a craving.
But Indian food is a bit trickier with its wonderful blended spices. The more often I ate Indian, the more my cravings drove me mad until I could get my next fix. I suspect much like nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

I had a nice vegetable curry the other day and decided to do something where the base was pureed veggies to give it the nice “thick and creamy” texture.

Boil:
potatoes
onion
broccoli stems
carrots

When potatoes are nearly ready, ladle half of the veg and broth into a blender with part of a tomato. Blend! (I also added a can of drained white beans for a thickener. Good, but I think I’ll leave it out next time and just up the potato ratio).
In the meantime add broccoli and cauliflower florets to cook. Throw in any other veg you want. (I also threw in some tofu burgers for kicks, to be like paneer?)
Stir in a couple spoonfulls of Curry paste, along with the blended goodness. Mix until everything is heated through.

I served it with saffron rice and some cashews on top just to be kinky.

Mac and Sheese

Ahhh, comfort food!
Mama Ronin’s macaroni and cheese could not be beat. I think I’ve got it down after years of toil!
For the best Mac and Cheez, start with a roux.

Finely chop some onion.
Lightly sautee in butter or oil (a little more than you need for the onions)
Add some flour and stir until all mixed.

Still on med-low to med heat:
Add non-dairy milk and stir.
Add block vegan cheez (I used mild cheddar Sheese)
Stir until as melted as possible.

Season with a squirt of yellow mustard (secret ingredient), a shake of salt, and a shake of paprika (as you like it).

Mix in pasta and add fresh pepper!!

I was never into baked Mac and Cheese, but I guess you could do that if you want.

With the leftover sauce, it will mostly solidify. Heat backup with some more ‘milk’. You may need some more seasonings because of this.

BBQ PIZZA

Before:

CRUST
Ok, first the no yeast herb crust from HOW IT ALL VEGAN is like, the best thing ever. I use it all the time (but I use nutritional yeast instead of vegan parmesan, add extra herbs and extra garlic powder!). I would recommend baking it 5 minutes before piling on stuff.

SAUCE
I made an alfredo sauce. Get some tofu (soft or silken if possible, but if not, no biggie), cube it and boil it for 5 minutes to get rid of the beany flavor. I add some boullion and add like 3/4 cup of water slowly while blending it all. If I need some more herbs or salt, I throw it in. (This can be used as an alfredo pasta sauce too!)

THE GOODS
Fresh spinach
chunked portabella
chopped fire roasted peppers
chopped onion
Cubed Riblets (set out to thaw for about 10 min)
Cheddar Sheese (I used a fancy hard-cheese hand held grater thingy that you turn and it spits it out- like shaved ice!)

After:

Holy crap I think my mom is more in love with this than I am!!
Like I said, the Sheese doesn’t melt so much as get soft, but that’s fine!

**I usually pan fry Chikn Strips with BBQ sauce for this, but the riblets were handy and still totally good!**

Portabella burger

This monster is stacked high!! You need:
Portabella cap
Fire roasted peppers and their marinade (or fresh bell pepper slices and a good dressing/marinade).
Eggplant slices
Spinach
Sheese
Toasted bread

Marinade the portabella, peppers, and eggplant in a big baking dish. I used the marinade that the peppers were packed in, but any good marinade will do. Let soak for a MINIMUM of 10 minutes each side.
Cover dish (with lid or foil) and bake 375 for 10ish minutes. Take cover off and cook another 5 (or under mushroom is nice and soft. It will have shrunk a little.)

Assemble to your likings and grab a napkin!
This is one of those sandwiches that you have to hold on to and eat the entire thing because if you put it down you can never pick it all up again!

Super delicious.

*TIP: If you buy portabellas by the pound at stores, pull off their stem before you buy them! Ditchin` that weight saves you some cash!!

Enchiladas!

MMMMMMM!
I sauteed onion and orange peppers with the Chikn Strip Starters.
While that was sizzling, I rinsed a can of black beans and seasoned it with lime juice and parsley (if I had cilantro I would have used that).
I added chunks of the amazing Medium Cheddar Sheese, wrapped it in tortillas, placed in a baking dish and added enchilada sauce around them, with a drizzle on top with a little Sheese. Bake 350 for 15 min (or when sauce is bubbling).

*Note that Sheese doesn’t really melt, it just gets really soft. It’s still the best cheese substitute out there though!

Chik patty sandwich

Chik Patties how I’ve missed thee!!

On toasted grain bread with fresh spinach and Veganaise.
On the side is artichoke hearts and edamame and homemade apple sauce.

I never ate edamame (soy beans) and frankly it looked scary. Now, I love it.
Get yourself some edamame still in it’s pod.
They will probably be frozen so boil it on low heat it for about 15 minutes. Drain and toss with salt. I usually eat them cold, but slightly warm is nice too! Just squeeze them out of the pod into your mouth! The slight salty tatse on the pod to your lips is divine!

THE Tofu Omelet

It takes about 20 minutes, but it’s worth it.

The Omelet.
What you need:
1 tub of silken tofu (firm is ok too)
1/4 C flour
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pre-sautéed veggies of your choice
Lightly oiled large skillet/frying pan
Blender/food processor

1. Press the tofu.

2. BLEND tofu flour, baking powder, oil, soy sauce, turmeric, and garlic until creamy.

4.Mix! You may need to add more flour, just enough so it’s thicker and kind of sticks to itself.

*POINT* Turmeric and soy sauce are the key points in making delicious egg replicas.

Pour in a lightly oiled frying pan on low heat. Smooth out as much as possible.

Soon, the edges will start to look suspiciously like egg. It will turn more yellow, and the top will dry out. When it is firm to the touch, and doesn’t jiggle when you give the pan a shake, its done!

**While this is cooking, start the hash browns below, and sauté the veggies you want to use as well.**

Slide it out of the pan and add the veggies. Fold over.


(Blended)


(Hand mixed)

DEVOUR!

As seen above:
Campfire Hash browns.
I’ve been using the “campfire” foil pouch technique a lot lately. Simply chop yr taters, drizzle with the slightest of oil, and a pinch of salt. Wrap those babies up in foil and throw in the toaster oven. Put it on the highest heat (hey, it’s replicating a campfire!) for about 15 minutes.

Pesto

It’s been a magical food find week. A jar of garlic puree, a jar of basil puree, tri-color swirl-shaped pasta and fresh spinach! I’m sure you know what that equals!
Pesto!!
Pesto is usually wrought with cheese, and chopping up your own basil can get expensive (depending where you live I guess). So the jar of pureed basil from Peru was a little investment, but well worth the money.

EASY PESTO
Sautee minced garlic (or a small spoonful of garlic paste/puree)
Add a spoonful of basil
(I also added a spoonful of left over cheez sauce)-opt
Add cooked pasta (drained and rinsed in cold water- to stop cooking)
Mix until coated and warm, add fresh spinach and toss.
You got yourself a quick delicious meal buddy!

Ok I swear this was more green than brown like the picture. At any rate, superb!
(I saved the tricolor pasta from my lunch the next day ^_^)