Surprise Dumplings

I didn't intend on making dumplings when I came up with this filling.  I had decided to make a salad wrap with roasted cauliflower, tofu, and red onions, but the liquid from the tofu (which I hadn't pressed) made the vegetables much softer than planned.  They were still firm enough for my salad wrap, which was actually rather good, but as I ate it I thought, "These would make great dumplings."

I had to beg Boyfriend to try these dumplings because I made the mistake of telling him they contained cauliflower.  Add that to the growing list of vegetables that Boyfriend thinks he doesn't like.  After he finally did try one, he said, "Yeah, you're right.  These are good.  I stand corrected."  When he asked, "Do you have more?" I knew these were winners.  And when I asked him how many he wanted, he said, "Eight."

These are NOT Asian dumplings.  Instead, they're flavored with rosemary and thyme.  The maple dipping sauce, which was improvised using a few kitchen staples, is sweet and compliments them well.  Boyfriend liked the dipping sauce so much he bragged about it to his friends: "And she made this dipping sauce for them.  And guess what the secret ingredient was!  Maple Syrup!"

Surprise Dumplings

Note: I don't actually know how many this recipe makes, since I used some of the veggies for my salad wrap, but I would guess it makes over 40 dumplings.

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 red onion, diced
• One 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• package of gyoza wrappers (I used vegetable gyoza wrappers)

Special tool: Dumpling press (You can make the dumplings by hand, but using a dumpling press is so much easier, and the dumplings end up looking beautiful!)

Put the cauliflower florets, red onions, and tofu cubes in a baking dish, and toss them with the olive oil, rosemary, and thyme.  Bake them at 425° for 1 hour, then remove from the oven.  (Watch out for the steam!)

Let the veggies and tofu cool, then pulse them in a food processor to make a coarse mixture.  Fill a small bowl with a bit of water to moisten your fingers.  Place a gyoza wrapper on a dumpling press, dip your finger in the water, and trace the perimeter of the gyoza wrapper with your finger.  (Getting the edge of the wrapper wet helps the wrapper stick together.)  Place about one tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, and then close the dumpling with the dumpling press.  Continue until you have used up all of the filling.

You can freeze the dumplings for later use, or go ahead and cook them according to the directions on the gyoza wrapper package.  Serve them with the Maple Dipping Sauce.

Maple Dipping Sauce

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

• 1 tbsp medium maple syrup

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl, and use as a dipping sauce.

My dumpling-making set-up

Spicy Noodles with Cabbage and Edamame

(Note: This is actually a post from March that I saved as a draft and never posted.  Since I came across it today, I thought I'd go ahead and publish it.)

Life has been incredibly hectic lately.  Life is normally hectic, but the last few weeks have been abnormal.  With vacation, visiting Boyfriend in Houston, and an unexpected trip home, I've been flying about twice a week.  I haven't had much time to cook, and many of the dishes I've made lately have been sadly uninspired.  BUT tonight I finally made a stir fry worth posting!  This is one perfectly spicy stir fry- just spicy enough to make my nose run a bit and my lips swell slightly.  It would probably make my mom cry, though, so be careful if you're not a fan of the heat and cut back on the sriracha.

Spicy Noodles with Cabbage and Edamame

Makes 2 servings

• 2 cups sliced red cabbage

• 1 cup frozen edamame

• 2 servings cooked soba noodles

• 2 tsp Asian chili oil

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 2 tsp sriracha

• 2 tsp minced ginger

In a nonstick pan, stir-fry the cabbage and edamame in the chili oil over medium-high heat, letting the edamame and cabbage brown just slightly.  Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, and ginger in a small bowl.  Add the sauce and the cooked soba noodles to the cabbage and edamame, and heat the noodles until they absorb the sauce.

Orange Stir-Fry Sauce

 
I hadn't intended on posting this recipe.  I was just trying to use up a random orange I had in the fridge, but the stir-fry sauce was too good not to share.  It was also very, very easy, just the way I like it.  I used this sauce with tofu, kale, yellow pepper, and onions, served over coconut rice (recipe to come, once I actually measure everything).

Orange Stir-Fry Sauce

Makes 1 serving

• 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed juice from a naval orange
• 1 tbsp minced ginger (I always have a jar of minced ginger on hand)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

After sautéing your vegetables in a bit of oil, add the stir-fry sauce and allow to reduce for about 3 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Mango-Pineapple Tofu

This dish was inspired by Mango Sticky Rice, Boyfriend's favorite dessert.  He asked me to make it for dessert one night, but I suggested that I turn it into an entree.  I served it with coconut rice, which was also very good, but I plan to tweak the recipe a bit.  For now, here's the recipe for our new favorite tofu dish, which Boyfriend described as "the best Thai dish you've ever made."  I described it as "heavenly" (not to float my own boat or anything), and loved the way the warm mangoes melted into the dish.

Mango-Pineapple Tofu

Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (can be from the can of pineapple tidbits )

• juice of 1/2 lime (1 tbsp)

• 1 tbsp minced ginger

• 1/2 tbsp chili oil

• 1/2 package extra-firm tofu (7 ounces), cut into bite-sized pieces (pressed if desired)

• 1/2 cup canned pineapple tidbits

• 1 mango, pitted, skin removed, and chopped

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped (roasted would probably work too, but not salted)

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Mix together the pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger, and marinate the tofu in the marinade for an hour.  Heat the chili oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, then remove the tofu from the marinade and add it to the pan.  Stir occasionally.  When the tofu is browned, add the pineapple, mango, and cashews.  Add the brown sugar to the marinade and pour into the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed or evaporated.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

 
I did something dangerous a few days ago: I went to the grocery store without a list of what to buy! *gasp*  If I can learn to limit my impulse purchases, I really should do this more often.  Going to the grocery store without a rigid plan let's me build my meals around what's fresh and on sale.  On this trip, the fennel was on sale and also looking particularly fantastic, so I grabbed a bulb and planned out this pasta dish.  I'm very pleased with how this dish turned out.  The mushrooms are very meaty after being roasted, and the fennel and tomatoes caramelize and taste slightly sweet.

When I head down to Houston in a few weeks, I'm planning on making this dish for Boyfriend, but I'll add artichokes and fresh rosemary.  I'll then have to ruin it by adding marinara sauce to Boyfriend's portion, because he doesn't believe in pasta without marinara... To each his own...

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Makes 2 large servings

• 3 servings of cooked whole wheat pasta (I used penne and fusilli because that's what i had)

• 1 large fennel bulb, cut into bite-size slices

• 1 pint plum tomatoes, quartered and seeds squeezed out (it doesn't take as long as it sounds!)

• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, cut in half, or quarters if large

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 4 ounces of fresh mozarella, optional (without it, this would be vegan)

Preheat the oven to 425° while you prep.  Spread the fennel on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes and mushrooms.  Drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss.  Put the baking sheet back in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and mix the vegetables.  Put back in the oven for the final 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss the vegetables with the pasta, adding a bit more olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste.  Top with mozarella, if desired.

Vegan Spinach-Shiitake Sushi Risotto

Tonight I had planned to make a barley and spinach side dish from a Whole Foods recipe, but found dead worms in the barley that had been sitting in my pantry for who-knows-how-long. I should have figured. Gross.

I had already started sautéing an onion in a big pot, so I threw in some minced garlic and checked out my fridge and pantry to see what I could do with what I'd started. My first thought was risotto, but I didn't have any Arborio rice. I did have sushi rice though- so why not?  I also had the spinach I was planning to use for the barley dish, some vegetable broth, and a bag of frozen, sliced shiitakes. (I found a 10-ounce bag at Whole Foods for $3.39!)  I used these items to make my "risotto", then added in some Daiya "cheese" that I recently discovered at Whole Foods. (By the way, have I mentioned I love Whole Foods?)

The result was fantastic.  The texture was creamy, and there really was not much of a difference between this sushi risotto and more traditional risotto.  In fact, I think I'll probably use sushi rice for risotto from now on.  Using it instead of Arborio rice would keep me from overstocking my pantry (a problem I'm currently battling), and sushi rice is usually easier for me to find at a bargain.

Another awesome thing about this risotto: It's BRIGHT green!  Dad and I should have made this for St. Patrick's Day!

Vegan Spinach-Shiitake Sushi Risotto

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 cup sushi rice

• 2 cups frozen, sliced shiitake mushrooms

• 1 cup packed spinach

• 1 cup water

• 2-3 cups (?) vegetable broth (I didn't measure and usually don't, I just go by when the risotto is the consistency I want)

• 1/2 cup Daiya dairy-free cheese

In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tbs olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion is translucent.  Add the sushi rice and toss it in the olive oil.  Add enough vegetable broth to cover the rice and stir occasionally, letting the rice absorb the broth.  Measure the shiitakes, chop up any large slices, and add them to the rice.  Blend the spinach and water, then add it to the rice.  Stir slowly while letting the rice absorb the the spinach-water.  Once that has been absorbed, add more vegetable broth until the rice is cooked and creamy.  Stir in 1/2 cup Daiya "cheese" and chow down!

Spring Greens Risotto (a recommended recipe)

I visited my parents in Kansas City while I was on spring break from law school last week.  My first day at home, I noticed a recipe that my dad had printed off foodnetwork.com sitting on the dining room table.  It turned out to be Ina Garten's recipe for Spring Greens Risotto, a recipe that I had made last summer and LOVED.  My dad had picked it out for us to make for St. Patrick's Day dinner because of all the green veggies.  It was even better than I remembered, and we loved the bright citrus-flavor and creamy texture.  You can get the recipe here, but for your convenience I've also posted it below (with vegetable broth instead of chicken stock).

•  1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
•  1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
•  1 cup chopped fennel
•  1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
•  2/3 cup dry white wine (I believe we used a Torrontes)
•   4 to 5 cups simmering vegetable broth (if you don't want to keep an extra pot simmering, that's okay, it just might take a little longer)
•  1 pound thin asparagus (make sure to trim off any thick, woody bottoms)
•  10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
•  1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
•  1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving if desired (I didn't think it necessary)
•  3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the vegetable broth, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. (If you're wary of having several pots going on at once, you can cook the asparagus before you start the arborio rice).  Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese (optional).

Pistachio-Crusted Tofu with Shredded Brussels Sprouts

This recipe arose from a big bag of pistachios and a craving for Brussels sprouts. Don't be put off by the monochromatic picture; it looks better in person and could easily be accompanied by other colorful sides (mashed sweet potatoes, maybe?) if you're concerned about presentation. I served mine with some brown rice I had on hand. The tofu is crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and the shredded Brussels Sprouts are a tangy accompaniment. If you don't want to use nutritional yeast, I'm sure that bread crumbs would work. In place of the champagne vinegar, you could also try white wine or a bit of lemon juice.

Pistachio-Crusted Tofu
Makes 1 serving

• 1/4 cup pistachios, ground or chopped
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 package (2 ounces) extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 2 slabs
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400°. Mix the pistachios and nutritional yeast on a plate. Coat each piece of tofu with the honey mustard (you probably won't need all of it- just enough for the coating to stick). Coat the tofu in the pistachio and nutritional yeast mixture. Place the tofu on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning once.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Makes 1 serving

• 1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts (about 5 medium)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp champagne vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the shredded Brussels sprouts in the olive oil. Test a piece of the base of a cabbage, and once the sprouts are cooked through, turn off the heat and toss the sprouts in the champagne vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Fig, Blue Cheese, and Pistachio Salad Wrap

I don't think I had ever made a salad wrap before this week, but I've been making them every day for lunch recently. They can be put together so quickly, and are easy for me to take to campus when I don't have time to go home for lunch. Since my last post, I've come up with a better way to make the wrap, and that is to wrap it up in aluminum foil as I roll it. It allows me to transport the wrap without the salad falling out of one end since I like to keep one end open (which lets me put more salad in it). As I eat the wrap I peel the foil off in layers, and the wrap stays together beautifully.

This morning, right before I made the day's salad wrap, I told my roommate that I was developing an obsession with them, and her response was: "Eww!" But I explained that these are fancy salad wraps, not the Caesar-soaked lettuce wrapped in a tortilla that you'd find at one of our law school lunches. (That is, before the economy tanked and we stopped getting free food) She had to agree that lavash bread wrapped around spring greens, dried figs, blue cheese, and pistachios is an entirely different species of wrap.

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, that would be a great place to get the main ingredients for your dish. They sell everything except the vinaigrette, and at great prices. If you don't want blue cheese, I think goat cheese and fresh mint would be a great substitution.

Fig, Blue Cheese, and Pistachio Salad Wrap
Makes 1 wrap

• 1 lavash bread
• a couple handfuls of spring greens
• 5 dried black mission figs, sliced
• 3 tbsp dry roasted pistachios
• 3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tbsp Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

Mix it. Wrap it. Eat it.

Exotic Salad Wrap with Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

This salad wrap and dressing was inspired by the Mixto Exotica Salad at Julia's Bistro in Houston, Texas. The Mixto Exotica is a bed of greens with mango, papaya, pineapple, diced red pepper, plantain chips, and a Tahitian vanilla-shallot vinaigrette. Even though I'm not a big fan of fruit, this was the best salad I've ever had. I made my own version of the vinaigrette which I first used on a salad of mixed greens, roasted beets, goat cheese, and mint. This time I went with a salad wrap that is a lot closer to the spirit of the Mixto Exotica.

Since I'm usually only cooking for myself and this dressing does take more effort than just mixing up some vinegar and oil, I make a batch and then freeze it. It is completely worth the little bit of effort required to make this light, sweet, unique dressing. I hope you'll give it a try!

Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette
Makes about 1 cup

• 6 medium shallots, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Dice the shallots and sauté them in 1 tbsp olive oil. Blend the shallots and the rest of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Exotic Salad Wrap
Makes 1 wrap

• 1 piece lavash bread
• a couple handfuls of spring greens mix
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1 ounce plantain chips
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

Mix the salad ingredients (everything except the lavash bread) with the dressing. Lay the lavash bread with the longest side running from left to right on a flat surface and top it with the salad mixture, leaving about two inches uncovered around the bottom and the right side. Roll up the lavash bread from left to right.

Veganomicon-Inspired Tomato Couscous

I love "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. One of my favorite recipes I've made from it is Tomato Couscous with Capers. Boyfriend wasn't a big fan, but I like it enough that I'll make it for us whether he eats it or not. A few nights ago I had planned on making the original version, but I was feeling too lazy to chop an onion or add spices. Instead, I tweaked the recipe a bit, mainly by using fire-roasted tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes. 3 ingredients and barely any work later, here you go:

Veganomicon-Inspired Tomato Couscous
Makes 4 side-dish servings

• 3/4 cup whole wheat dry couscous
• One 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 tbsp capers, drained

Drain the liquid from the fire-roasted tomatoes into a measuring cup and reserve the tomatoes. Pour 3/4 cup of the liquid into a pot and bring to a boil over medium-heat. If you don't get 3/4 cup of liquid from the tomatoes, add however much water or vegetable broth you need to make it 3/4 cup. (My can of tomatoes yielded almost exactly 3/4 cup liquid.) Add the capers, tomatoes, and couscous to the liquid. Remove the pot from the heat, stir, and cover with a lid. The couscous is ready once the liquid is absorbed, which will take less than 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts: 135 calories, 0.6 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 384 mg sodium, 29.9 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Seitan with Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Kalamata Olives

I love when I can make a quick, flavorful meal with only a few ingredients. A lot of these ingredients are left over from the pastry-topped portabellos that I made a few nights ago. The kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes really stand out in this dish.

Seitan with Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Kalamata Olives
Makes 1 serving

• 1 tbsp Earth Balance margarine
• 4 ounces (1/2 package) seitan, broken into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup packed baby spinach, rinsed and drained but not dried
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water until softened, then finely chopped
• 2 tbsp kalamata olive tapenade

Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add all of the ingredients and cover. Stir occasionally, until the spinach is wilted.

Nutrition Facts: 339 calories, 20.5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 974.3 mg sodium, 15.6 g carbohydrates, 24.5 g protein

Pastry-Topped Portabellos

I made Pastry-Wrapped Portabellos from 1,000 Vegan Recipes for Thanksgiving, and Boyfriend LOVED them. I didn't have a rolling pin in Houston, so the pastry wrapping was pretty thick. Too thick for me, but just fine for Boyfriend. When I decided to make my own version of the portobellos last night, I had the same problem. No rolling pin, and no time to go buy one. That's why this dish is called "Pastry-Topped Portabellos". I thought one layer of pastry dough would be a better pastry-to-portabello ratio. Plus, this method is much faster and easier.

These ingredients are a pretty classic combo, so you could do a lot with any leftover ingredients. I think I'm going to make a pasta with them.

Pastry-Topped Portabellos
Makes 2 servings

• 2 large portabello mushroom caps
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup packed baby spinach leaves
• 7 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil)
• 2 tbsp kalamata olive tapenade
• 2 tbsp goat cheese
• Frozen pastry sheets (you won't need a full package or even a full sheet)

Thaw the frozen pastry sheets for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl of very hot water to soften.

Remove the stems from the portabellos and set aside. Scrape out the gills with a spoon and discard. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of olive oil, and add the portabellos, stem-side up. Cook the portabellos, adding more oil if necessary, turning once. When they have softened and cooked through, lay them stem-side down on a paper towel to cool and dry.

Finely chop the portabello stems. Rinse the baby spinach but do not dry. Add the portabello stems and spinach to the same pan, and sauté until the spinach is wilted and the stems are cooked. Remove from heat.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and chop finely. Mix together with the portabello stems, spinach, tapenade, and goat cheese.

Place the portabello caps stem-side up on a nonstick baking sheet. Fill each one with half of the filling. Cut squares from the pastry-sheet that are just big enough to cover the tops of the portabellos. Press them on top of the stuff portabellos and cut two slits in the top. Put the topped portabellos in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Eat them soon after they come out of the oven, but do give them a little time to cool.

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Curry

I gained about eight pounds during my summer of clerking at two law firms and having extravagant lunches, big dinners, and too many cocktails for 12 weeks. When the summer ended, I lost 3 pounds of my summer weight by just getting back to my normal eating and drinking habits, but in mid-November I decided I needed to work harder at getting rid of my summer baggage and the 6 pounds I had already gained in law school.

During the past two months, I've lost 7 pounds. That's not a huge number, but it's a healthy number. And I think it's pretty damn good considering that during that time period, I celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve without really holding back on those days. A HUGE factor in my weight loss has been exercise, but diet has also been an important part of it. I've been trying to use less oil in my cooking and have paid much more attention to my portion sizes. I'm also always looking for new, healthy, dishes that will fill me up without all the calories. This curry is one of those dishes.

A 1-cup serving of this curry has about 174 calories, 6.9 g fat, 3.6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 458 mg sodium, 26.3 g carbohydrates, and 5.9 g protein (but this may vary somewhat depending on what coconut milk you use and how much salt you add). And, it's loaded with vitamins and minerals. Some people may be put off by the coconut milk because of the saturated fat- but come on people, everything in moderation!

This is a mildly spiced curry, but you could definitely make it spicier by adding peppers. It has a creamy texture from the coconut milk and sweet potatoes, but a little crunch to it from the cauliflower. I ate a serving of this curry for lunch today with a serving of brown basmati rice. A 314-calories meal and I'm stuffed and happy!

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Curry
Makes 6 1-cup servings

• One 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into about 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
• One 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• salt to taste (I added 1/2 tsp- it didn't need much)

In a large pot (I didn't have a pan big enough), add the coconut milk, cardamom, cinnamon, curry powder, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes and heat over medium-high heat. When the coconut milk is simmering, add the sweet potato and toss to cover with the sauce. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 10 minutes. When the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, but before they've turned to mush, add the cauliflower and chickpeas. Toss the mixture with the sauce, and cover, continuing to simmer. Stir occasionally. The curry is ready when the cauliflower is cooked. The sweet potatoes should have broken up into the sauce, with some small pieces here and there. Salt to taste, and serve.

My first soy yogurt smoothie

Even though I haven't been eating vegan lately, I've been trying to buy fewer dairy products. When I decided to make Indian food, I bought plain soy yogurt instead of the plain yogurt I used to buy. To use some of it up, I made this smoothie with 1 cup soy yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, and 1 cup strawberries. I'm not a big fan of blueberries (I was just trying to use up some that Boyfriend had bought), but the soy yogurt is a winner! The smoothie ended up sweeter than if I had used silken tofu, and it didn't have that something's-not-quite-right-here taste that my silken tofu smoothies sometimes have. Silken tofu, you have officially been replaced.

Mint Cucumber Raita

This is not a very original recipe (nor is it a very good pic- sorry). I was dreaming up a swiss chard wrap and was trying to think of a sauce I wanted to go with it. "Chard tastes like beets... what's good with beets? Mint and goat cheese... but maybe yogurt instead of the goat cheese. Mint and yogurt... and cucumber. Cucumber would be good with that. It would be like a mint cucumber raita! Oh wait, that exists already." Even though this is not a creative sauce, I want to give you the recipe anyway because it is a sauce worth making. 3 ingredients and very little prep time yield a cool, refreshing sauce that can compliment a spicy dish or enhance a milder one.

Mint Cucumber Raita
Makes about 5.5 ounces

• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, grated, and squeezed of excess liquid
• 1/2 cup soy (or regular) yogurt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped mint

Once you mix the ingredients, this sauce is ready to go. This will yield a fairly thick sauce, but keep in mind that if you put it in the fridge and use it the next day, the cucumber will have released more water into the yogurt and will be runnier. I used some two days after I made it and the sauce was thinner, but still went very well with my lunch of rice, pigeon peas, and red pepper seitan.

Red Pepper Seitan

The picture above is what I took for lunch today for my internship: red pepper seitan, brown basmati rice, and sweet-and-sour toovar dal. The toovar dal is from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian". I think I did something wrong (maybe I wasn't supposed to drain the pigeon peas, but there was just way too much liquid!) but they were still pretty good.

This Indian-inspired red pepper seitan dish was really easy to prepare and only uses 5 ingredients. It's high in protein and doesn't contain any oil other than that already in the seitan. On top of that, it's so yummy!

Red Pepper Seitan
Makes 4 small servings

• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
• 1 serrano chili, stem end cut off and roughly chopped (don't remove the seeds)
• 1 pound seitan (I used West Soy traditional seitan because I didn't feel like making any)
• 1/4 cup plain soy yogurt (or regular plain yogurt if you don't care whether it's vegan)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Put the red pepper and serrano chili into a blender and blend into a smooth sauce. (If you taste it at this point, it will be REALLY spicy, but it will cool down!) Pour the sauce into a pan, add the seitan, and heat over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro, and remove from heat. If you plan to serve this with rice, you might want to make extra sauce, especially if reheating it as a leftover.

Peanutty Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

I often make lettuce wraps with tofu, water chestnuts, cremini mushrooms, carrots, and a TON of soy sauce. They're absolutely delicious, but incredibly high in sodium. Today, I decided to mix things up a bit and make my lettuce wraps with tempeh (since I had 5 packages of it in the fridge), different veggies, and a lower sodium sauce. I have an insatiable salt tooth, so I think these would have been better with more soy sauce, but I was pretty pleased with the result nonetheless.

Peanutty Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
Makes 2 servings

• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 package tempeh, cut into bite sized pieces*
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 6 tbsp light coconut milk
• 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 head iceberg lettuce

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet and sauté the mushrooms, peppers, and tempeh for 4 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix together the peanut butter, coconut milk, and soy sauce, making a creamy sauce. Add the sauce to the pan and turn off the heat once the sauce is absorbed.

Chop the bottom of the stem off the head of lettuce- doing so makes it easier to remove big leaves for wrapping. For me, this makes about 4 lettuce wraps- 2 per person.

* Depending on your tempeh, you might want to boil or steam it first, but I don't think it's necessary for my Trader Joe's brand tempeh.

Tofu Kale Bowl

I make this ALL THE TIME. Simple and quick to put together. Sometimes I use more soy sauce and no mirin. Of course, there are plenty of ways to change this dish, but I just keep coming back to making it this way for its simplicity.

Tofu Kale Bowl
Makes 1 serving

• 2 tsp peanut oil, divided
• Half an 8-ounce package extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 bunch kale
• 1 serving cooked brown rice
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

Pan-fry the tofu with one teaspoon of the peanut oil in a non-stick pan. Once the tofu has a golden crust, add the rest of the peanut oil and the remaining ingredients. When the kale has wilted, the dish is ready to serve.

Mustard Cannellini Spread

I like mustard but find it overpowering when I put it on sandwiches. I created this spread to go on sandwiches or a piece of toast in the morning instead of the cream cheese I used to use before I began eating vegan at home. The cannellini beans make the dip creamy, and the mustard flavor is light but gives it just the right amount of kick for me. I apologize for the ugly picture- I made this dip at 1 AM and didn't want to put the extra effort into it!

Approximate nutrition facts for this dip are below. They are based on calculations from the LoseIt! iPhone application.

Mustard Cannellini Spread
Makes about 1 cup, eight 1-ounce servings

• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• white pepper, to taste

Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add white pepper to taste.

Per 1-ounce serving: 71 calories, 3.9 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 25.6 mg sodium, 6.8 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g fiber, 2.3 g protein