Our Veggie Kitchen

 A series of coincidences seemed align in my kitchen last week.  First, I've been working on this yogurt sauce and felt last time that had it perfected.  It's got a wonderful curry flavor and, after trying spinach, and curry leaves, I decided that mustard greens were the perfect fit.  Second, I just bought a bag of ajwain seed.  Ajwain adds an exotic flavor, a little similar to thyme, and I just love it with cabbage.  And, finally, I noticed that Manjula's monthly contest could be done with yogurt and cabbage, and there was only a week left.  So on Sunday afternoon, this dish was the outcome.  I don't normally deep fry, but this was special and fried koftas are always a treat.  And dinner was really good.



Cabbage Koftas in Yogurt Sauce
Cabbage Koftas:
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp ajwain seed (or thyme, cumin or a mix)
1 Serrano pepper, seeded & chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups shredded & chopped cabbage (1/2 small head)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, grated
1/2 cup cilantro, loosely packed, chopped
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
Oil for frying
Yogurt Sauce:
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp fenugreek seed
2 tsp mustard seed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbs ginger
2 Serrano peppers, seeded & chopped
4 cups shredded & chopped mustard greens (3-4 ribs)
2 1/2 cups plain soy yogurt
1/3 cup almonds, ground
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp amchoor (or a squeeze of lemon juice)

For the Koftas: 
In a saute pan, over medium heat, add the oil.  Once heated, add the cumin and ajwain seeds.  Cook until they begin to pop, then add the Serrano and garlic.  Stir a couple times, then add the cabbage.  Saute, stirring often, until the cabbage has wilted and all liquid, if any, has cooked off.  Add to a large bowl, along with the chickpea flour, red onion, tomato and cilantro.  Knead the mixture to combine.  It should be moist, but should hold together.  If necessary, add a little more chickpea flour or a little water to adjust the texture.

Pour oil into a  pan for deep frying.  You should have a couple inches, enough to cover the koftas.  Bring the temperature to 350 degrees.  Wet your hands.  Take about a tablespoon of the mixture at a time and form into a ball.  You should have about 30 small balls.  In 2-3 batches, add the kofta to the oil and fry until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Remove and drain.

For the Sauce:  
Heat the oil in a large saute pan, over medium-high heat.  Add the fenugreek and mustard seed and cook until they begin to pop.  Add the onion and saute, stirring often until the onion caramelizes and turns brown.  Add the garlic, Serrano peppers and ginger.  Cook until aromatic, about half a minute.  Add the mustard greens, a handful at a time, and continue to cook until they are wilted.  Stir in the ground almonds, turmeric, chili powder and amchoor, then stir in the soy yogurt.  Bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate the yogurt and add the koftas.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, adding water to the sauce, if necessary.

Serve over rice.

Substitution Notes:  Ajwain seed, to me, tastes like a cross between thyme and cumin.  You can use thyme, or a little more cumin as a substitute.  Amchoor is powdered green mango and imparts a tart flavor.  You can substitute lemon juice, if you wish.  Fenugreek adds a distinctive flavor to the sauce.  If at all possible, use fenugreek.  If you can't, you can substitute curry powder.

5 Servings:  528 cal (28g fat, 57g carbs, 18g protein)

Gravy, no matter what the source, has three basic elements:  a liquid, a fat and a thickener.  When you remove the messy step of collecting drippings, it becomes incredibly simple.  And it can be done quickly in a microwave.



Five Minute Gravy
2 cold cups broth, divided (I use Better than Bouillon)
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine, or Vegetable Oil
3 tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp Browning Sauce (for darker gravy), optional
salt and pepper to taste (I don't use any)

In a microwavable bowl, Combine 1 1/2 cups broth the margarine or oil and browning sauce, if using.  Microwave until the liquid boils, about 2-3 minutes.  In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining broth with the cornstarch.  Pour into the boiling broth.  Microwave for another minute or two, until the broth darkens.  Stir vigorously until everything combines.

Note:  The cornstarch acts as a thickener as it cooks.  Once it heats up, it will turn clear, the broth's color will become less milky and the mixture will have become gravy.  Depending on the broth (or other liquid) you use, and its saltiness, you can season with salt and pepper, soy sauce or whatever else.

4 servings:  79 cal (6g fat, 7g carbs, 1g protein)

The vegan blog community is an amazing community and a tremendous resource.  When I first went vegetarian, and started considering veganism, I relied heavily on some incredible cooks who knew their kitchen and were willing to dedicate their time and energy to write about it and, in many cases, enjoying a few thoroughly photographed, but cold meals.

I've recently been given a Sunshine Blog Award from kmouse .  The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world. I'm happy to pass it on to a few of my favorite bloggers.

The Vegan Mouse - In a word, Kmouse is inspiring. She updates her blog several times a week, which is a stunning commitment.  She shares my love for Indian, Thai and Mediterranean cooking and her pictures are beautiful.  Whenever I'm at a loss for ideas, I head over and stroll through her archives.  Her blog always wets my apatite.

Vegan Food; More Than Tofu and Sprouts! - Tofu Mom blogs about her life, her kids and her food.  She's down-to-earth, very 'real,' and one of truly good people in this world.  Hers is the first vegan blog I found and I've followed it ever since.  She's got good experience, good recipes and her blog is always fun.

Manjula's Kitchen - Manjula's site is perfect for anyone interested in Indian Cuisine.  She has instructional videos for each of her recipes that help unravel the techniques of parathas, dosas, etc.  I've made many of her recipes and they're always tasty and her videos make Indian cooking less intimidating.  It's not all vegan, but easy to veganize.

Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes - My other favorite Indian blog.  Vaishali's blog is another blog that I browse for inspiration.  I enjoy her writing and her wealth of eclectic recipes.  When I was working on to make dosas, for instance, I started with her half a dozen posts and half a day's worth of diversions.

Stumptown Vegans - If you're ever visiting Portland, Oregon, this site is a must.  They review much of the great food that Portland has to offer and keep up a Google map of locations.  I live 100 miles south of Portland and, thanks to this site, can look forward to great food whenever I visit.

One Frugal Foodie -  Alisa runs the site Go Dairy Free, along with her blog.  She's dedicated to healthy, dairy free eating.  Although her blog isn't vegetarian, but usually very vegan friendly, especially her baking.  She's posted a few gems that have made it into my 'regulars' circuit.

Soundly Vegan - I just started following Soundly Vegan.  I was initially attracted to her photography.  She's made an art of capturing stunning close ups.  Their food creative and inviting.  I'm especially intrigued by the prospect of homemade tofu, and the idea of introducing flavor into the process to make things like this and this.

Vegan Appetite -My favorite food porn in the world.  Tami's food always looks perfect; perfectly plated, perfectly prepared; perfectly delicious.  And she's got a cookbook out now.  I wonder how long I'll be able to live without that!


Vegan Dietitian - Not really a cooking blog, but definitely a food blog.  Virginia posts on topics ranging from new studies, dietary issues & information, to a quest for vegan lemon meringue pie, to debunking issues on both sides of the aisle.  She's a great resource for anyone interested in a vegan (or healthy) lifestyle.

Mitten Machen - Mary's blog is another that I've been following for a long while.  It's got plenty of good food and good photos and its always an enjoyable read.  And when I review my 'things to try' bookmarks folder, I notice that its littered with her work.

Lazy Smurf's Guide to Life - Lazysmurf's blog is a constant reminder that, some day, I need to visit Austin.  So much good food.  She blogs about the food of Austin and in her kitchen.  She's got great pictures and her recipes litter my bookmark folders.

Vegan Awakening / Full of Beans: Until recently, Kiersten was Full of Beans.  But she's changed blogs and now does Vegan Awakening.  It looks like she' off to a good start.  The new layout looks great and she's linked some of her old posts on her recipe page too.

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For those of you that I named, the rules for accepting this award are:
1. Copy and paste these rules on your blog so your award winners could follow.
2. Put the logo flower on your blog or within your post.
3. Pass the award onto twelve bloggers of your choice.
4. Link the nominees within your post.
5. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting about it on their blog.
6. On your blog post share the love and blog link of the person from whom you received this award.

I love to used cubes of baked tofu instead of croutons in my salads.  Baking is a great way to cook tofu because its easy, its healthy (you don't need any oil), and you control the texture by adjusting the baking time.  I just chose my marinade, soak the tofu overnight (or longer), and the flavor is baked right in.  For croutons, like I've made here, I bake for about 40-45 minutes, so the cubes get nice and chewy, for other purposes, 20-30 minutes will usually suffice.

I based my marinade on this Mojo Recipe. It really worked out well. The citrus flavors blended nicely with the cilantro and peppers.

I made this batch for taco salads. But really, you can use any marinade. For salads, I especially like using the marinade from my Tofu Feta. This Sweet & Spicy marinade might work too, but I'd be a little concerned that the brown sugar would caramelize and cake to the baking dish.



Mojo Baked Tofu
1 lb tofu, drained
4 cloves garlic
2 Serrano peppers, seeded
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced

Add the lime juice, orange juice, garlic and Serrano peppers to a bender and blend until fairly smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse. You also may want to add a little salt (maybe 1/4 tsp.) but, unless you will be eating the tofu straight, it doesn't need salt. Pulse a few times to mince up the cilantro.

Cut the tofu into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes and arrange in a single(ish) layer in a casserole or Tupperware container. Pour the marinade over the top. Marinade at least over night, tossing or turning the tofu several times.

To cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the tofu from the marinade and arrange in a single layer in a 9 x 13 casserole. Bake, tossing/turning every 5-10 minutes until the tofu forms a shell. Do not over bake, as the tofu will dry out after it's done cooking. Refrigerate or use right away. The first time you turn the cubes, they may want to stick. Just use a metal spatula to prevent them from tearing as you turn.

4 Servings: 80 cal (3g fat, 6g carbs, 7g protein)

I've been playing a bunch with bulgur lately.  Bulgur is a parboiled whole grain that, when cooked, imparts a texture similar to ground beef.  I've used it in chili and as a taco filling and it works perfectly in Sloppy Joes.  This Sloppy Joe recipe combines bulgur with temeph and smokey barbecue sauce for a delicious, easy meal that's healthy and freezes beautifully.   I made a double batch, froze half and still had enough for dinner and several lunches.

I have fallen in love with this BBQ sauce and it works great with these sandwiches and its easy to veganize.



Sloppy Joes
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cored & chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz tempeh, crumbled
1/2 cup bulgur
15 oz tomato sauce
1 cup hickory/smokey barbecue sauce

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the onions, celery and green peppers until the onion begins to carmelize. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic, about a minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients bring to a boil and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes. Periodically test the bulgur for doneness, adding a little water, if necessary. This makes over a quart, easilly enough for 8 heaping sandwiches.

8 servings:  214 cal (7g fat, 32g carbs, 9g protein)