Dust Off the Shelf - The Classics

It's time to dust off my cookbook shelf again! This time with a triple shot of Sarah Kramer and a double dose of Tanya Barnard: La Dolce Vegan, How it all Vegan, and The Garden of Vegan. Like many of you out there, these cookbooks were the first thing I turned to when I went vegan (hence the post title, "the classics"). And it was a good thing too, because they are filled with familiar recipes that are generally simple to prepare and taste delicious.
From La Dolce Vegan, I cooked up the Aloo Gobi Potatoes and Cauliflower, making sure I added plenty of peas (a favorite of mine in Indian dishes). This was the perfect quick meal: a short ingredient list and minimal cook time, plus the result was full of flavor and rivaled the aloo gobi at my favorite Indian restaurant in town! Served with my favorite lemon basmati rice on the side. In The Garden of Vegan, I dove right into the extensive dessert section. I was looking for something to build a cute housewarming gift around, and these lemon poppyseed shortbreads were just the thing. Lemon is such a fresh and inviting scent; perfect for a new homeowner! I wrapped the cookies with a cute yellow bow and added it to a box with a lemon tea towel, zester, squeezer, and a tiny bottle of lemon oil.
And finally, from How It All Vegan I made one of my childhood favorites -veganized-... chocolate chip cookie bars. Part cookie, part cakey brownie, but all parts good. These turned out so moist and fluffy, it was difficult not to eat the whole pan!
So now my cookbook shelf is looking rather spiffy and well used... but it will surely collect dust once again, and that's when I'll be back with another round of Dust Off the Shelf!

Cooking for Your Constitution

Cooking classes are a wonderful opportunity to learn new techniques, new recipes, and meet others who enjoy cooking (and eating!). Last week I attended an Indian cooking class that was based on the principles of Aryuveda. Before the actual cooking demonstration began the instructor, Karuna, explained that in Aryuveda (which translated means the knowledge and wisdom of life), each person is unique, and therefore different. Karuna used a saying that I liked, "nothing is right for everyone, and everything is right for someone". She explained the three doshas; Vata, Pitta, and Kapha; and that we are all a unique blend of these qualities. This balance of energies is your constitution. Eating foods that are aligned with your constitution will restore balance in your life (and in your bowels!).
The demonstration took place in a cozy kitchen with a group of about 10 people. Karuna explained and passed around the spices she used in her recipes, stressing the importance of using fresh, organic ingredients. She gave us tips on where to obtain some of the lesser known ingredients, such as asafoetida powder. Most importantly, she kept her cool in a hot kitchen and made juggling five different dishes look easy!
One of the five dishes included in the demonstration was not vegan (included dairy), and Karuna was very aware and respectful of the vegans in the class (that's right, plural). In fact, she had planned on making one of the later dishes in a pot that she had just made dairy curd in, but when discovered it wasn't quite clean, switched to a different pot. She mentioned to me after the class that she is considering making future classes completely vegan!
So how was the food? Amazing!!! On my plate below, there is green split pea dahl with spinach and coconut milk, chapati, lemon rice, and curried cauliflower and potatoes. I went back for seconds along with everyone else. My favorite had to be the rice, with subtle hints of lemon, crunchy toasted cashews, and fresh shredded coconut. This meal definitely agreed with my constitution and I will be making each one of these dishes again at home.

Too Much Brown?

Usually I like to see something green on my dinner plate, but this one turned out mostly brown (except the plate itself). I meant to make some asparagus, but it just didn't happen .... too many things going on in the kitchen! But hiding in the lack of color is a healthy dinner I believe. On top is Seitan Tikka Masala from Vivacious Vegan along with Three Bean Dahl from Vegan Planet.


I only slightly modified the Tikka Masala recipe by using all coconut milk instead of half soy milk (lower fat version though), replaced the paprika with curry powder, and used regular (homemade from VWAV recipe) seitan instead of the Seitan O'Greatness. This is definitely one of those dishes that improves with time as the seitan soaks up the flavor. Tikka Masala reminds me of being in the UK. Several years ago (pre-vegan days) I spent quite a bit of time there while my parents were living in Chester. I despise pub food, but it seems that on every pub menu, there was always Chicken Tikka Masala right alongside Shepard's Pie, Bangers and Mash, and the Fish and Chips. Of course, the tikka masala also came with chips, sort of odd, but at least it gave me something I would eat!

The Three Bean Dahl (yellow split peas, black beans, and kidney beans) is a favorite of mine, I've made it several times including Christmas eve dinner this past year! It is certainly not your traditional dahl recipe, but I think that's why I like it. Someday I'll have to experiment with different bean combinations.

Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today....

Let's Play Hide the Eggplant

I have come a long way since my childhood days when it comes to the variety of vegetables that I eat. Really, there is nothing I won't try at least once, but there are certainly vegetables that are at the bottom of my list, this includes olives (which I'm not even sure are considered a vegetable, probably not), raw onions, and eggplant. Of the three, I actually eat quite a bit of eggplant and really enjoy it .... the secret is hiding the taste of the eggplant. I guess we do this with a lot of cooking, adding spices to add to the flavor, but in the case of eggplant, this step is a must. Many vegetables I am happy just to eat raw, steam, or saute in a little olive oil. Who does that with eggplant though? Maybe I am just a weirdo.

Last night I made a recipe that John has been begging to have for some time now, Eggplant Curry from the Best Ever Vegetarian Cookbook. I haven't made any dishes from this cookbook since going vegan, many of them include dairy or eggs. For the curry I used about half the amount of eggplant called for, used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, added more mushrooms and also threw in some red pepper that I needed to get rid of. I served it over quinoa with steamed kale on the side, which went together quite nicely. This didn't really taste like a curry to me, it lacked any real heat, but we enjoyed it just the same. If I fix it again I will likely add more chili peppers or powder as well as some curry powder to kick it up a notch. And most important of all, I was successful in hiding the eggplant!

Too Much Time in the Kitchen

This week I tried several new recipes, and also rediscovered some that were tried and true.

First up, last night we dined at a friend's house on homemade pizza and a yummy salad with fresh tomatoes and pecans. I brought along some Chocolate Mint Melties, a cookie recipe from Dreena Burton on the Everyday Dish Cooking DVD (which I'll review shortly I promise!). I am a huge fan of the mint and chocolate combination, if you are too, these cookies are for you! They are firm but moist at the same time and the melted mint chocolate on top is a special treat. These are perfect with a big glass of cold vanilla soy milk (I like Soy Dream). The best part is that we brought some cookies to dinner and I saved a few, so I have them for an afternoon snack at work today when I get my chocolate craving.



Tuesday night was Indian food (or my milder version, my boyfriend always seems to want it hotter no matter how much spice I add!). I love the tofu mattar recipe from vegweb. I usually serve it over brown rice, but not this time. I had forgotten to buy green chiles so instead I spiced it up curry powder and red pepper flakes. Also, be sure to add plenty of fresh ginger, it is so yum! The tofu was frozen and then browned in a little oil (not deep fried as the recipe suggests). Luckily this is a quick meal, because I totally underestimated how much time it would take to make the potato and edamame samosas from VWAV. It took several hours, which on a weeknight is never ideal. But on the brightside it made a ton of samosas which I popped in the freezer so it will be a quick addition to any meal. Couldn't have finished these without the help of my boyfriend, who came home from work and rolled out dough in a button-down shirt and tie! The samosas are really tasty though, a wonderfully aromatic blend of spices. My favorite bites are the ones when I got plenty of edamame, I will add more to the recipe next time. Also, the dough would be great for other fillings as well, since it is light and crispy. Fresh mango topped with toasted coconut complemented the meal nicely.


Monday night we had red peppers stuffed with grated zucchini and yellow squash, mushroom, spinach, pine nuts, and basil pesto. I just stuffed the filling in (no pre-cooking of veggies needed), poked a few holes in the bottom to release some of the moisture, and baked at 400 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. On the side, we split the last of our Gardenburger riblets and had some sweet strawberries. I wish all dinners were this easy to throw together!


And finally, Sunday night we met my mom for Ethiopian food at the Blue Nile Restaurant in west Houston. After calling them and talking to several people about the vegan-ness of their injera bread, I felt comfortable enough to give it a shot (refer to my post on "A Vegan Nightmare"). Both my mom and I got the vegetable plate, which included a fresh salad, three different kinds of lentils, kale (pretty bitter, I've had much better sauteed kale), split peas, and a cabbage and potato salad. I enjoyed all the lentils, and it was kind of fun to scoop them up with the injera bread instead of a fork. The salad was a bit tougher without utensils. Overall it was a reasonable meal. Not sure we will be frequenting this restaurant often since it is a bit of a drive from our place and we have a zillion other restaurants on our list to try. But still, something fun and new is always welcomed!

We leave for Portland, Oregon for a quick weekend getaway tomorrow. I am so excited to try out some of the vegan eateries, visit the Food Fight grocery store, and see all the gardens and markets this "green" city has to offer! We also plan on hiking up along the Columbia River Gorge somewhere, hopefully the weather will cooperate. I'll return on Monday with a full report and pictures! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and remember those that gave their lives serving our country as well as those that are fighting for it today.