Our Veggie Kitchen

If you like cabbage, you'll love this. Heck, judging by the feedback I got this weekend, if you don't like cabbage, you may love this anyway. Sabzi is just a vegetable side dish. And the flavor is nicely Indian. Mostly, it's sweet tasting cabbage with just an undercurrent of warming spice.


Cabbage Sabzi

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp mustard seed
1 onion, sliced into half-rings
2 tbs ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic
3 serrano peppers, slit down the sides
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook until they pop, just a few seconds. Reduce the heat to medium and saute the onion until it begins to brown. Add the ginger, garlic and peppers. Cook until aromatic, then add the cabbage, turmeric, salt and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the cabbage is cooked and the water has mostly boiled off. Remove the peppers if desired.

6 servings: 97 cal (5g fat, 13g carbs, 3g protein)

I made this korma this weekend as a part of an Indian feast and it turned out to be my favorite. I was shooting for a mild sauce, something that would suit a wide mix of people, and this korma was certainly that.

I've made this korma a couple of ways. Instead of the yogurt, you can add another can of coconut milk. This is delicious for sure, but adds a little more fat than I'm usually willing to make. Also, If you like a little heat, cut 2-3 dried red chili peppers in half, pour out the seeds, and simmer them with the sauce.



Potato Korma
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp brown mustard seed (or yellow)
1 tsp cumin seed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fenugreek seed (optional)
1 tbs coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
pinch asafoetida (optional)
1 tomato, grated
1 cinnamon stick
8 cardamom pods
6 oz coconut milk (small can)
1 cup plain soy yogurt
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup almonds, ground
2 lbs red potatoes, in large dices
1/2 cup lentils

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the cumin and mustard seed and cook until they begin to pop, a few seconds. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to caramelize and turn brown. Add the ginger and garlic, along with the coriander, garam masala, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and salt. Stir until the garlic and ginger are fragrant and add the tomato. Allow the tomato to simmer, then add the remaining ingredients.

Simmer, covered until the lentils and potatoes are tender, about half an hour. Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick before serving. After biting down on one too many missed cardamom pods, I've started wrapping them in cheesecloth or putting them in a tea ball. Whatever you do, be diligent.

5 Servings: 477 cal (23g fat, 59g carbs, 15g protein)

My wife turned 40 this weekend. We had a party and guests from all over converged on our home. Two of her friends were in charge of guests and decorations, I was in charge of food. It turned out to be an afternoon of good munchies, a long awaited meal, an amazing birthday cake and, of coarse, plenty of friends to share the day.

She asked for an Indian feast, so I was on the hook for a 20 person meal. I had spend the previous weekend making food for the freezer, then took Friday off from work to finish everything I could concievably prepare a head of time. In then end, I spent two hours out of the day getting everything hot and ready. I made:

• Zucchini Masala
• Potato Mustard Korma
• Temeph Kofta
• Cabbage Sabzi
• Saag
• Pakoras
• Tomato Chutney
• Mango Chutney
• Fresh Parathas
• Grammy Louise's Spaghetti (for the kids)

And here's the snack table, that included some ranch dressing, salsa, cheese sauce and loads of chips and veggies. The dunce cap in the back featured an autographed photo of my wife's favorite Bollywood Star, Shah Rukh Kahn.



This is the cake. Produced from Sweet Life, in Eugene. It was gigantic, vegan and amazingly delicious.



A balloon monster barfed in the living room:



And, the Pakoras. It's impossible to make enough pakoras for 20 people. I don't do much deep frying, so they are always a treat and, no matter how many I make, they're gone within minutes. I was in heaven, with tomato chutney spooned over the top.

This is the second installment of my chili recipes that I can take camping. That means, simple cooking, non-perishable ingredients and light weight. I made this one for the kids, it's a sweet, with a bit of chocolate, not spicy with a thick tomato base. It was super easy and good.

The high point of this meal was the cornbread. It's practically a mix and dump recipe made with creamed corn. It cooked just a bit crispy on top and moist inside. If you're ever thinking of trying out a new cornbread recipe, make sure you surf to Tofu Mom's Green Chili Cornbread.



Mole Chili
1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
1/2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
2 tbs carob powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz tomato paste (1 can)

Combine all ingredient with enough water to cover the beans. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are done, about an hour. Add water as necessary.

4 servings: 367 cal (1g fat, 70g carbs, 23g protein)

I've been musing about going hiking again. I haven't spent a night in the woods since childhood, not since I ended up hiking through a stand of freshly clear-cut Ponderosa Pines ...the kind that took 100+ years to develop and will never, ever grow back because its too dry to support any sort of rapid growth ... and the eco-friendly lumber company who absolutely knows this because they need to know if the ecology will support a future clear-cutting event ... and it wont ... so the eco-friendly lumber company plants a few non-indigenous fir trees that will eventually spurn another wildfire because a fir tree won't withstand forest fire like a mature pine forest, where the trees don't even have branches until you hit the canopy ... so the eco-friendly lumber company plants a few token fir trees and maybe takes a picture for their website ... so they can dupe the public into thinking that they have interests beyond the bottom line.

Oops, I ranted.

Anyway, that event ruined hiking for me for 25+years. And I'm thinking about giving it another shot. So, in addition to gathering gear again, I started thinking of light weight, high energy food that's non-perishable and easy to cook. My first thought was chili, and my first recipe (I'll post another tomorrow) started off by throwing in whatever sounded good and making adjustments from there (Masala!) ... and it turned out to be my favorite.



Chili Masala
1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
1/2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 cup chickpea flour
Spice Mix:
1/2 oz dried mushrooms (shiitake, porcini, etc), ground
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt

Soak the beans overnight, and drain. Grind the dried mushrooms in a spice grinder. Don't worry about getting it totally fine, any chunks will add to the texture and mix with the other spices and the lentils. Add the beans and spice mix to a pot, cover the beans with water. Simmer until the beans are soft, about an hour. Toward the end, stir in the chickpea flour and lime juice.

The lentils will soak up a lot of water, so make sure you check the beans occasionally, so make sure you add more water, if necessary.

5 Servings: 379 cal (2g fat, 60g carbs, 25g protein)

My wife's 40th birthday is this weekend. She wants an Indian menu and I've been playing some new curries and whatnot, in preparation for the event. Here's one that turned out really good. It's a little warm, but the Mushrooms do a good job at calming the heat and they give it a great texture.

The only problem is, it's not very filling. The entire batch was less than 700 calories, so for a family meal, you may want to double it or serve something in addition. I was going to add some tofu but, in the end, didn't. It would have been a welcome addition.



Mushroom Curry
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1 cinnamon stick
2 serrano peppers, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ginger, grated
3 oz tomato paste
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb small button mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Heat the oil over medium-high. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently until the onion begins to carmelize, turning brown around the edges. Add the Serrano, garlic and ginger and cook until aromatic. Add the cinnamon stick, tomato paste, tomatoes, water, garam masala, salt and mushrooms.

Cover and simmer until the mushrooms are fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Add the peas and cilantro leaves and cook until peas are cooked through.

3 Servings: 224 cal (11g fat, 27g carbs, 10g protein)

I wanted to make an Indian-flavored, pan fried tofu. The problem is, you can pan fry tofu with some ground spices, but if you use too much, it will just fall off and burn. The obvious answer was to infuse the spices in oil.

I'd never done this before, so I did some interwebs research and a little testing to come up with the following guidelines:

• Cook the spices low and slow
• The longer you cook, the more flavorful the oil
• the longer the cooled oil sets in the spices, the stronger the flavor
• bruise or crush wholes spices first, if possible.
• If you only use dry spices, the oil will keep longer
• Theoretically, if your spices have zero water content the oil should be pretty close to nonperishable.
• Infused oil should be kept refrigerated and will keep for about a month.
• This oil makes an amazing batch of Parathas.
• Also awsome on popcorn.
  

I simmered the spices for about 45 minutes and let it cool for less than an hour. The oil had a nice flavor, but was not strong enough. Next time, i'll leave the spices to steep overnight. There will definitely be a next time.



Curry Infused Oil
1 cup canola oil
2 Tbs coriander seeds
1 Tbs cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp brown mustard seed
1 tsp fenugreek seed
5 whole cloves
3 dried hot chili peppers, crumbled (some or all seeds removed)
1 Tbs ginger, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
10 curry leaves (optional)

Put the whole spices in a coffee grinder and give it a couple of pulses or crush/bruise them in a pestle & mortar. Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan and add the spices. When they begin to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium low and add the ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Simmer mix so that the oil barely bubbles around the ginger and garlic. Stir occasionally.

Continue to simmer the mixture over low heat for 45-60 minutes. Remove from heat and leave the oil to cool completely. The longer you leave it, the more flavor the oil will have. I would leave for at least a couple of hours and, preferably overnight (in refrigerator).

Tofu with Curry Infused Oil
1 lb tofu, drained
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1 tbs curry infused oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika

Cut the tofu into crouton sized cubes, or to your liking. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cubes, toss to combine and let sit for about five minutes. Toss again before adding to the oil

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add the tofu and fry, stirring occasionally until the tofu is evenly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the turmeric and paprika and stir to combine. Fry for a couple minutes more, until the spices are cooked into the tofu.

4 Servings: 93 cal (6g fat, 1g carbs, 7g protein)

There is really nothing much to this, but it is really good. I'm convinced that there is no better spring lunch than salad greens, tomatoes, and a pile of BBQ tofu. Smother it all in Ranch Dressing, and I'm in heaven.



BBQ Tofu
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Cut the tofu into crouton sized cubes, or to your liking. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add the tofu and fry, stirring occasionally until the tofu is evenly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately or cool for later use.

4 Servings: 130 cal (6g fat, 9g carbs, 7g protein)

For Mother's Day, I took my wife to the nursery for some plants and supplies. Then she and the girls went to the mall while I pulled weeds, edged the garden and prepared dinner. They came home to the smell of french bread and pizza sauce and we all overindulged in Stromboli. It was one of those rare meals when even the picky kids told me that I should make it again ... and soon!



This was my latest attempt to keep pizza toppings from falling off in the absence of cheese. On the positive side, it was easier and less time consuming than calzones. The crust was crispy and the inside was not soggy (like I had feared). And the loafs, which I sliced, made for easy distribution. I made four kinds and you could easilly take a slice from each, just like with pizza. On the down side, if you pile on the toppings, you're in for a mess when you try to roll them.



Stromboli
1 recipe french bread dough (without egg wash)
2-3 cups filling per loaf(4 loaves total)
1 quart(ish) pizza sauce (recipe follows)
olive oil for drizzling

After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 4 equal parts. Leave it to rise for about 10 minutes. Form each piece into a little loaf and roll out on a lightly floured surface. The length should be about the width of a cookie sheet and the thickness should be about 1/8 inch (like a pizza crust).

Spread the pizza sauce and the toppings on the dough. You should leave about 2" around the edges and about 1" on the edge where you will begin rolling. Roll the dough up into a loaf. If you have too much toppings, you may have to scrape some off toward the end. Fold the top and bottom over and press into the bottom (seam side) of the loaf. Place on a cookie sheet, seam side down.

Repeat with the three remaining loaves. Four loaves should fit on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, brush across the top of the loaves and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Serve in slices with the remaining pizza sauce.

Easy Pizza Sauce
28 oz tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp minced oregano
2 tbs minced basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix!

A few weeks ago, I began chatting with Sam from Oh! Nuts. Oh! Nuts is a family owned store with five locations in Brooklyn and an internet store. They sell nuts, gift baskets baskets and an impressive assortment of dried fruit. They're not necessarily vegan, but I at least use bucket loads of nuts and I'm always one to promote small business, when I can, so I thought I'd give them a plug. Their website is at www.ohnuts.com

All this talk about nuts got me stewing about almonds, and I came up with this gravy that I spooned over fried tofu and mashed taters. It had a deep, rich flavor that wasn't overwhelmed by either the mushrooms or almonds. It was good. I made a second batch the next day and changed my technique a bit and it yielded a deeper brown gravy that looked more pleasing. Alas, the taters were gone, so I don't have an updated pic, but the color was more pleasing.



Almond Mushroom Gravy
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 onion, chopped
4 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup almonds, ground

Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until the onion browns and begins to carmelize. Add the thyme, garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have given up their moisture. Stir in the sherry and let it cook down a bit. Then add the salt, pepper, almonds and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, then blend the contents, in batches if necessary. Makes about 1 quart.

For a richer color, dry fry the ground almonds in a frying pan. You may also add a touch of browning sauce.

8 Servings: 139 cal (12g fat, 5g carbs, 3g protein)

I made this marinade for Sweet Lime Tofu and I thought it would be great with potatoes. And it was. And, surprisingly, the potatoes cooked with only a tablespoon of oil, so it's a nice low fat treat as well.



Sweet & Tangy Golden Potatoes
2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 lime, zested
1 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Mix all ingredients together and toss with the potatoes in the saute pan. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the potatoes have softened, about 20 minutes. Move potatoes to a BBQ grate or broiling pan and cook just until the edges brown on the barbecue or under a broiler.

4 Servings: 212 cal (4g fat, 40g carbs, 4g protein)