Peas to Please: Saag Matar

Continuing with my Indian food obsession is the super tasty and healthy Saag Matar, which is a curry of greens, peas, and lots of amazing spices (saag=greens, matar=peas. fyi.). I adapted this recipe from a wonderful Indian cookbook called Cuisines of India by Smila Chandra. I love this cookbook! Creative yet traditional recipes, beautiful illustrations, clear and educational explanations of ingredients and interesting history of cuisines throughout different regions of India. Lots to love, except there are no pictures. So, if you're really into pictures in a cookbook, I'm warning you ahead of time...but try it anyway! It's wonderful!I served this chunky, spicy curry with brown basmati rice, whole wheat roti bread (I bought it pre-made at the Indian grocery store. I'm a cheater.), and a mango-gunda pickle. Gunda is an Indian berry that, when pickled, is reminiscent of a green olive, but sweeter. It has a pit, so be careful! Anyway, this curry is so great, it should please just about everyone....except for those crazy pea-haters, of course!

Saag Matar (Indian Greens and Peas) serves 6-8
adapted from Cuisines of India

1 bunch fresh greens, such as mustard greens or kale, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh if it's summer
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
1 tsp garam masala, homemade or store-bought
2 cups frozen or fresh green peas--not canned!
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth

In a large wok or deep pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook 30-60 seconds, until they start to pop. Add the onion and garlic, and saute 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the tomatoes and spices and cook for 3-5 minutes, to allow the tomatoes to cook down slightly. Stir in the greens, peas, and water and reduce to a simmer. Cover pan and let cook for 10-15 minutes, until the greens have cooked down and the sauce has thickened. Salt and pepper to taste, add more spice if you're so inclined...I know I am! Serve immediately with rice, roti and plenty of chutneys!

Vegan Springy Brunch Awesomeness, Including Scones!!

Brunch is simply the perfect meal. Usually, it involves more veggies than a typical breakfast, but you still get all the tasty, comforting food you crave in the mornings.

For my supper club this weekend, I made a big brunch that was all about the wonderful bounty of spring!!

For the main course, I made Asparagus, Roasted Garlic and Pine Nut Quiche. This was my very first vegan quiche to eat or make!! It's a tester recipe for Vegan Bakesale (check out www.veganyear.blogspot.com for more info!) and it was absolutely perfect!! The filling is made of tofu (local!) and cashews, so it is incredibly creamy and dense and amazing. Plus, ASPARAGUS is here! Celebrate! Oh, and the pie crust is also a Vegan Bakesale test recipe, for Basic Pastry Crust. So good, so flaky. mmm.
On the side I served Thyme-Roasted Potatoes with Wilted Greens. It is perfect for brunch, and I used local potatoes and local greens, too! Delicious.

Thyme Roasted Potatoes with Wilted Greens (serves 2)
4 small yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cups greens, such as chard or kale, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a sheet pan.
In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, olive oil, garlic and spices. Spread in a single layer on sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until golden brown and cooked throughout.

Remove from pan and immediately toss in a large bowl with chopped greens, until they become wilted. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

And then, there were the scones. Not just any scones, but Strawberry Basil Scones!!! Doesn't that just scream springytime brunch to you?! I've been working on this recipe for a while, and funny enough, there is a recipe of the same name in the Vegan Bakesale testing roster. I still need to try those and compare them to my own! I really can't get enough scones in my life!!! So, I like my scones really dry and dense. If you don't like yours that way, you may not like this recipe. But you should give it a shot anyway!Strawberry Basil Scones (makes 12 BIG scones)

5 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 Tbs sea salt

2 Tbs baking powder

1 1/2 Tbs baking soda

2 tsp dried basil

1 1/4 cups natural sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)

1 cup cold vegan margarine

1 cup cold non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3/4 Tbs vanilla extract

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup natural strawberry jam/fruit spread

1/2 lb fresh strawberries, diced

1 cup fresh basil, packed, minced

2 cups soymilk

1 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening and margarine using a pastry cutter or strong fork. Fold in the strawberries and fresh basil and toss to coat.

Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold out dough onto floured surface and fold over itself a few times, to bring dough together and create layers.

Form into 2 round flat circles. Using a sharp knife, slice each circle into 6 wedges.

Sprinkle the dough with sugar and place each wedge onto the greased sheet pans.

Bake for approx. 15 minutes, until firmed and golden.

If desired, add glaze on top after baking.

Vanilla Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 Tbs vanilla extract

1-2 Tbs vanilla soy creamer

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl, until smooth. Drizzle or pour over baked scones. Allow glaze to set and then serve.

Now go to your farmers' market and then get baking!!

Tis' World Vegan Day! Let's Eat!

Well the Vegan Month of Food is over, but there's another reason to celebrate: today is World Vegan Day! I celebrated with the same way I celebrate every Sunday: with a big vegan dinner at my house! The underground restaurant was hoppin' today, which makes me super happy. There was lots of love going around, and even more delicious, comforting food.

The spread: Vegan Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Braised Brussels Sprouts or Greens. It was awesome!! The loaf was a perfect autumnal twist on the classic hippie lentil loaf: Carrot-Lentil Loaf with Pumpkin-Tomato Sauce. This was my entry for this week's Iron Chef Challenge, for which the secret ingredients are carrots and pumpkin. This was really filling and satisfying, and was a great nod to the fall weather upon us!!For dessert, I served Local Apple Crisp a la mode!! I didn't use a recipe, just something I threw together...I need to try and remember what I did, because it was really freakin' good. I'll share it when I do ! :) This is the ultimate fall dessert, in my opinion!! The a la mode was with Nada Moo Maple Pecan Ice Cream! I hadn't tried Nada Moo brand before, and I was soooo impressed. The maple flavor was amazing and it was creamy and not too sweet and very delicious! I want to try more of their flavors now! Nada Moooooooooo!! I love you!

Happy World Vegan Day!! Spread the word and the love!

Keeping it on the DL...KC Vegan Crawl!!

This past Sunday commemorated something very special and pretty DL...I started an underground restaurant out of my apartment!! I still need a name, but it is every Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm, and I will be serving one big meal and an awesome dessert, all for under $8! I have been working on the concept and details for about 3 months or more, and it was wonderful to see my hard work come to fruition last weekend. It was crazy to open VegNews this month and there was an article about the exact thing I had been planning for months! Vegans be workin' so harrrrrd! Turnout was pretty small, but I am hoping it will get bigger every week. This all relies on word of mouth, people! If you are in Kansas City or the Missouri/Kansas area, come by! Send me a message and I can give you the details.

For the first week, I made one of my absolute FAVORITE meals: BBQ seitan with all the fixin's. BBQ Seitan (with homemade seitan and homemade bbq sauce), Organic Baked Beans, Whole Grain Cornbread, and Sauteed Local Greens with Garlic (and Hot Sauce!). Soooo comforting and delicious!! Everyone loved it, of course!


And for dessert, I made Oatmeal Butterscotch Pecan Cookies! I made a modified version of my recipe I posted a few months ago....and they were even better than I remembered! Perfection.And just to show you how awesome and veg-friendly Kansas City is...my friend, Dane, is also doing a vegan dinner out of his house every Sunday night, currently called "Sustainability Sundays"! His starts after mine, so it is all friendly between us :) His angle is sustainability in growing, purchasing, and preparing foods, all with vegan ethics in mind. So great! I just had to use this blog to give him vegan props!

This week, he made Local Fruit Pasta with Tomato-Peach Marinara, with local Ciabatta Bread. Not pictured was a Spinach and Berry Salad and Strawberry-Apricot Oatmeal Cookies. He uses basically 99% local ingredients, except stuff like some spices and oil, which is just fantastic! Dane even distributes some literature on sustainable living each week! yay!

So last weekend was the first KC Vegan Crawl, with my place open 11-8 and Dane's 8-11. How could you beat that?! So cheap, so local, so vegan, so good! GO KC!!

Super Southern Sides!

This testing thing just gets better every week!! For Vegan Crunk Bianca's cookbook tester recipes this week, I was lucky enough to try out two different Southern-style side dishes: Mashed Sweet Taters and Mess 'o Greens with Turnips!

Sweet potatoes are in my top 5 favorite foods of all time, so I OF COURSE loved this sweet, spiced version! I served the Mashed Sweet Taters with another tester recipe, Country Fried Tempeh with Gravy, and some Sauteed Cabbage and Onions. My belly was very happy after this meal!
And greens are just so good any way you cook 'em, so this smoky, salty, and sweet version that is spiked with tender turnips made the meal a joy to eat! The Mess o' Greens with Turnips went perfectly with BBQ Baked Tofu (made with Annie's Smoky Maple BBQ Sauce, cuz I was lazy), and some of my own Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Ahhhhhh....greeeennnssss....I can already tell both of these recipes will be in heavy rotation on my plate!

The First Day of School...My Last One!

So everyone be really excited and happy for me because today was my last first day of school ever! I will be graduating in May, with a degree in dietetics, so no more class for me after that! At least not for a long time...

To celebrate this momentous occasion (kind of.) I thought I needed to start the day with a good breakfast! What better place than Columbia's best local bakery, Uprise Bakery! They make a fantastic granola there, and they offer soy milk, so this was perfect. Their Almond Crunch Granola has a really nutty and sweet flavor, but is not too sugary to overpower the wonderful flavors of the almonds and sesame seeds. The perfect combination of salty and sweet, with a lovely hint of vanilla! One of my new favorites!A lovely bowl of Uprise's Almond Crunch Granola with Soymilk

And for a great way to end the day, another tester recipe from Bianca at Vegan Crunk for her upcoming cookbook! Yes! Tonight's Southern treat was Country-Fried Tempeh Steak with "Milk" Gravy. That just sounds too good...AND it tastes that way! This recipe is really true to its country-fried cousin with its triple-breading and salty, savory flavor. Oh, yeah, did I mention gravy? Maybe I forgot to mention this awesome gravy! I love a nice, peppery gravy for a little creamy texture on top of my crunchy. This did the trick! You all are going to love this freakin cookbook if you like down-home cooking at all!! Tester Country-Fried Tempeh Steak with "Milk" Gravy,

served with Homemade Sweet Yeast Rolls and Collard Greens!

Happy New Year!!

Hey, this is my first post of 2009! Party! First off, I'll tell you about my New Year's Eve. My mom and I just stayed in, watched movies, and vegged until midnight! It was great!
We sipped on Silk Nog...my nog of choice! It totally beats the Rice Dream version, both in creaminess and taste, and is even more perfect topped with a little sprinkle of nutmeg! Mom got a new popcorn air-popper for Christmas, so she brought it down when she came to visit me! She even brought some organic popping corn...score! We snacked on some nooch-y organic popcorn and drank Kombucha to celebrate. Kombucha is my version of champagne, I guess!

Then, to start the New Year's Day off right, we went out for an amazing breakfast at Cafe Berlin! It is by far the best breakfast in Columbia. We got their Apples and "Sausage" (tempeh), which is served with roasted potatoes and toast! So good! We even got some homemade sweet potato butter for the local wheat toast. Could it be any better?Now onto the essential New Year's meal: Black Eyed Peas! For our awesome Southern meal, I made my Hoppin' John and served it with the Southern-Style Cornbread from the Angelica Kitchen Cookbook (but I made it with blue cornmeal!) and sauteed dandelion greens. We will be lucky in 2009 for sure! Hoppin' John (serves 4-6)

1 lb dried black-eyed peas

2 qts water

2 bay leaves

1 tsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 medium tomato, diced

2 Tbs tomato paste or ketchup

1 Tbs soy sauce or Bragg's

1 Tbs paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

First, prepare the black-eyed peas: In the morning, combine the black-eyed peas, water, and bay leaves in a crock pot and turn on high. Let cook all day, about 6 to 8 hours. Drain the cooked peas, then return to the crock pot. Turn to low and prepare the vegetable mix.

Then, prepare the veggie mix: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add in the onion, peppers, and celery. Saute for 5-6 minutes, until the onion becomes mostly translucent. Add the jalapeno and garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Pour in the soy sauce and tomato paste and let simmer for 2 minutes. Turn to low and add in the spices. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture and lemon juice to the cooked black-eyed peas in the crock pot. Allow to cook for 10 minutes together, remove the bay leaves and serve!

I recommend dousing this in plenty of hot sauce and serving with cornbread and greeeeeens!

And now for something completely different! I had to share this new delicious gift I got: Maui Banana Butter!!! My dad and step-mom went to Hawaii last month and brought me back some banana butter from Maui. It is so great! Think apple butter, but with a tropical and super-sweet twist. It is perfect on a sandwich with the Cashew and Macadamia Nut Butter I got at Trader Joe's! Now I think I need to make my own sometime!

Have an awesome 2009 everybody!

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh and Some Product Reviews!

I have been super busy and unable to consistently blog....but I have lots to talk about and a little time, so yay!

First up is the Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon! Good Lord this is so tasty! I love how savory and salty and spicy this is...I could not believe I hadn't made this before, especially with my affinity for hot sauce! I went home-style and served it with mashed potatoes (thanksgiving leftovers!) and garlic-sauteed greens...this was an awesome and comforting meal!!

I have also been trying lots of new products lately, from Clover's and Whole Foods...I love to go on food adventures :)

First is SOYRIZO! I freakin love this stufff! I have had a few other kinds of vegan chorizo before, and I loved it, so I had to give this a shot! It was a lot more flavorful and spicy than the other kinds I have had, but a little saltier, too. I served this up kind of mexican-style with veggies and such:Soyrizo!

Soyrizo with Local Peppers and Corn, Quinoa, and Avocado

Soyrizo with Tomatoes and Greens, Chili-Baked Polenta, and Pepitas

The next new item is Kozy Shack Soy Pudding! It was really nice to see a clearly vegan item it a common grocery store, in with all the other products!! And this is sooooooo tasty! It really reminds me of childhood...especially the yummy chocolate flavor!

Kozy Shack Chocolate Soy Pudding
....Topped with some Soyatoo Vegan Whipped Cream!

Then there's a holiday must: "Egg" Nog! I always buy the soy variety by Silk, but Clover's started carrying a Rice Dream soy nog, so I had to try it! I must say that the flavor is great and definitely tastes like the holidays. Yuuuummy spices and all that jazz! But, being rice milk, it is just not quite as thick as I would want a nog to be. And I like it thick! Steven says this is good on granola, though! mmmmm!! I would for sure recommend this if you aren't down with soy, though, cuz it is really tasty!
Rice Nog by Rice Dream! Glorious!

Cooking for One...

Well I will be cooking for just myself for the next few days, because Steven is away on a camping/climbing trip to Alabama. I feel like I almost forgot how to cook for only one person, since I am always cooking for two! I have still managed to eat well, though :) Here's a few things that I have enjoyed over the past few days...yay alone time! Homemade Seitan Brats with Leeks and Apples,

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Tofu (Veganomicon), Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale
My Perfect Meal: Quinoa, Tofu, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and

Tahini-Miso Sauce (Veganomicon)

Earlier this week, a bunch of my friends, all of whom happen to be roommates with Steven, had birthdays...Since they all live in the same house, I made them all one batch of cupcakes to share. With the recent COLD weather I wanted something "warm"feeling, so I made the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I whipped up a Cocoa-Cinnamon Buttercream to top them off...and they also got a little kiss of powdered sugar!

These cupcakes are soooooo good! I absolutely love the combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne....it makes you feel all warm and happy inside. The coconut milk and cornmeal make them have an awesome texture, too! Make these! I might go so far as to say they trump an actual mug of hot chocolate...but maybe I would just like to enjoy them together :)

Even though I am appreciating this alone time, I think I am ready to cook for two again!

Good Luck Dinner...

Even though I am a city girl now, I grew up in rural anti-city parts of Missouri. Because of that upbringing, I really love comforting and hearty soul food. Part of that tradition in my family is to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve to bring you good luck for the rest of the year....Tonight, I felt compelled to make black-eyed peas to bring us all good luck for the election tomorrow!! I know, this is an old wive's tale and probably won't have any effect, but I'm just doing whatever I can to make sure Barack is elected tomorrow and food is what I do....so it just makes sense! I made Black-Eyed Peas with Onions and Garlic and a dash of Liquid Smoke, Sauteed Greens, and Cornbread from the Angelica Kitchen Cookbook (I added jalapenos!)...This meal was nice and homey, and hit the spot after a long day! It seemed pretty lucky to me!!

VOTE! Go early so you can get away with waiting in long lines...and bring a snack so you don't get too famished :)

What's In My Freezer? What's for Dinner? Why So Many Questions?!

Welcome to Day #23 of Vegan MoFo! First of all, I have to bare a little bit of my self: my freezer! Sassy over at Vegan Coach has tagged me to reveal the inside of my icebox! The Door: Smart Deli Vegan "Pepperoni," Health is Wealth Chicken-less Patties, Vegetable Potstickers, Rising Moon Artichoke-Olive Ravioli, Dairy Free Pesto, A Loaf of Uprise Bread, Earth Balance Shortening, Rolls from Uprise, A Bag of Local Chestnuts, and Baking Soda. Exciting, I know.

The Innards: Leftovers, Sprouted Grain Bagels, A Frozen Banana, Frozen Pumpkin Puree (I made it myself!), Organic Beans, Sunshine Burgers, A Loaf of Uprise Rye Bread, Flaxseeds, Red Raspberries, More Uprise Rolls, A Giant Bag of Seitan, Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins, Artichoke Hearts, Rice Dream Neapolitan Ice Cream...not pictured: frozen corn, hominy, and a carton of my homemade ginger-apple spice-cream. It is packed!

For dinner, I had to make something really delicious for Steven and I because I am leaving tomorrow to go to Chicago for a whole week....I am going to the American Dietetics Association annual national conference, since I am a dietetics student and will be graduating in May...anyway, I figured I had to leave him with a tasty memory of me for the week!
I made BBQ seitan with a homemade barbecue sauce, garlic-mashed organic potatoes, and sauteed greens:

We also had Uprise Bakery rolls with....drumroll....APPLE BUTTER that I made yesterday (yeah crock pot!) from the apples I picked with Steve! I made it with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves...and it was wonderful! I wish fall could last FOREVER.

November 4th: Election. Be there.