Umami!

In vegan and even vegetarian cookery, it can often be hard to add umami, or a savory quality, to many dishes. Often times umami comes from meat or other animal products in cooking. Fortunately, there are a few animal-free foods that can impart that particular brand of tastiness to your food, including kombu seaweed, tomatoes, cabbage, greens, miso, soy sauce and many other fermented foods. A major vegan source of savoriness is from mushrooms. These tasty little fungi provide not only umami, but also a wide range of nutrients! Bonus!

Here's a few of my recent cooking endeavors that featured the savory mushroom:

Pumpkin-Mushroom Curry (serves 4)
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs mustard seeds
1 Tbs cumin seeds
2 Tbs urad dal
12 curry leaves, chopped
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp asafoetida (also known as hing powder)
2-4 Thai chiles
6 cloves garlic, minced
1" ginger, minced
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
Pinch salt
4 cups fresh or frozen pumpkin, cubed (can also use butternut squash if pumpkin unavailable)
1/2 c water or vegetable broth
1 Tbs jaggery or brown sugar
1 Tbs tamarind
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 Tbs garbanzo flour
12 curry leaves, chopped

Heat oil over medium heat in a large wok or deep skillet. Add mustard and cumin seeds, cook 30 seconds until they begin to sizzle and pop. Add urad dal and curry leaves and cook 30 more seconds to lightly brown. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chiles and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften. Add the turmeric, cayenne, and asafoetida and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add mushrooms and pinch of salt, and cook 5 minutes until mushrooms have cooked down and released some of their liquid. Add the pumpkin cubes, water or broth, jaggery, tamarind, salt, pepper, coriander and cumin. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to low. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender and has cooked down somewhat. Add garbanzo flour and curry leaves, and then cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh red onion and cilantro, and serve alongside roti and plenty of Indian pickle.

And, another way to use mushrooms in Indian cooking:

Mushrooms and Peas in a Fenugreek Cream Sauce--veganized using pureed silken tofu instead of heavy cream, from the amazing cookbook 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. I'm obsessed with this tasty stew and this book. It's a must have! This hearty dish was made even tastier served atop brown basmati rice

as well as with a side of a Radish Raita, also from 660 Curries, made with coconut yogurt. A perfectly filling a veggie-licous meal!

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!

Off The Kids Menu...

A few weeks ago...yeah, I forget to post sometimes....I served what I called a "kindergarten throwback" meal at my vegan supper club. It was glorious! All the fixings for a kiddie meal ala school cafeterias, but with a healthy, vegan twist!!

I made Tofu Nuggets, out of local Central Soyfoods tofu, with Homemade Vegan Ranch and Homemade Ketchup for dipping (I'll post those recipes soon)! For the sides, I served Organic Roasted Peas and Carrots, and Vegan Mac'n'Cheeze!! I think I might have made the best vegan mac ever, so I'll give the recipe out...let me know what you think!!
Super Tasty Vegan Mac and Cheeze (serves 8-10)
1 lb whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, or more to taste!
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 cup vegan cheese, shredded (I used Follow Your Heart's Vegan Cheddar)
2 Tbs vegan margarine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain--do not rinse--and return to pan.
In a large sauce pan, whisk together the soymilk, nutritional yeast, and spices. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded cheeze. Lower heat and stir continuously until the cheeze is completely melted and sauce is smooth.
Add margarine to noodles and toss to coat. Pour the cheesy sauce over the buttered noodles, and then gently fold in the sauce to coat the noodles. Add extra salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.


For dessert, I made the Big Fat Rice Krispie Treats from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar!! These are seriously, seriously awesome!! They were so reminiscent of the childhood favorite, I couldn't believe it! And, since I used puffed brown rice cereal, they were quite a bit healthier! Bonus!! If you don't have that book yet, get it! If you have it and haven't made these treats, make them!