TVP Mushroom Coconut Curry

Earlier in the week, I had almost a quarter of a gallon of coconut milk left over from my Holiday dinner with the family and I wanted to use it in a savory dish. I was also craving some TVP chunks, Nutrela, which I grew up eating as a kid. Now my DH, who has been Plant Strong for almost 10 weeks now, will eat vegetables and certain kinds of mushrooms but refuses to go near any of the non-traditional vegan food items that I've grown accustomed to including in my meals .. no tofu, tempeh, seitan or soy protein for him. So earlier this week, he wanted to have a bowl of cereal with almond milk for dinner and I decided to cook up something with the things I'd been craving ... Shiitake Mushrooms, TVP chunks and Coconut milk. 

Mild Coconut Curry

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 oz dried Shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted
2. 1 cup TVP chunks, soaked in hot water, and rinsed well
3. 1 x 15oz can of Hunts Fire-Roasted Garlic Diced Tomatoes
4. ~1-2 cups Coconut milk
5. 2 tsp Mustard seeds 
6. 4-6 Curry leaves (optional)
7. Smoked Paprika, to taste, for a not-so-mild flavor (optional)
8. Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Line a pan with coconut milk and add mustard seeds. As the coconut milk begins to boil, add tomatoes and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, and additional coconut milk to obtain the desired consistency. I made it soupy as I wanted to eat it over rice. I didn't have any curry leaves so I left those out this time. I did use the paprika as it adds a nice smokey flavor to the dish. Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the the aroma of mustard and paprika starts wafting out of the pan :) Serve over a bed of white or brown rice. Enjoy!! 

FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen posted a recipe on her Facebook page earlier today. One look at the accompanying picture and I was taken. I've had some frozen Brussels Sprouts (New Veggie #9) in the freezer for a while and I was looking for an interesting way to use those. And I love mushrooms ... I've often said "I've never met a mushroom I didn't love" and this recipe also allowed me a chance to try one more item on my 'pending' list of veggies/plant products to try ... Great Northern Beans - my New Veggie #53. 

FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Soup

Prep Time: 30 min 

Ingredients: (FFVK Recipe) The list below includes my modifications based on what I had on hand. 

1. 1 medium onion, diced
2. 1 bag of frozen small Brussels sprouts, thawed and cut in half
3. 0.5 oz Shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
4. 0.5 oz Porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
5. 6-8 fresh Cremini mushrooms, sliced
6. 2 tsp Minced Garlic
7. 6-8 fresh leaves of Sage, minced
8. 1/2 cup Quick cooking Brown Rice
9. 1 can (15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed.
10. 2 cups of Vegetable broth
11. 4 cups of Water
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste
13. 2-4 tsp lemon juice.

Directions:

Some of the modifications I made resulted in reducing the cooking time. I had a frozen bag of Brussels sprouts, and I thawed them in the microwave which helped cook them some. I also used quick cooking brown rice which helped my case. I didn't have any rubbed sage so I used fresh Sage leaves instead. I cooked onions and garlic in water until translucent and then added Brussels sprouts. Cooked everything together for a couple of minutes and then added the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice which I added after the soup was done and removed from the stove. Getting the soup together took me about 10 minutes, including dicing the onion and mushrooms and reconstituting the dried mushrooms. Then I just let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes until we were ready to eat. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper. 

My Assessment: This was a hearty heartwarming soup. I loved it. My newly herbie husband also liked it and even agreed to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow (always a good sign). Thank you, FFVK, for another great recipe. 

Asparagus & Sage Soup

I often feel like a big bowl of soup for dinner. I've been thinking of an Asparagus soup for a while. Also, I've had Sage in my herb garden all summer and I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no use for it ;) !! Except for adding large bunches of it to my vegetable scraps for my Home-made Vegetable Broth, even that was a desperate attempt to use the growing jungle!!! I guess I also never tried hard enough to find a plant-based recipe that required Sage. Today, I was determined. A quick Google search revealed this recipe at The Cooking Club. It required however, 2 tablespoons of butter, a half a cup of Parmesan cheese and chicken broth. I wasn't planning on using any of those items; so here's my plant-based version. 

Asparagus & Sage Soup

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb Asparagus, chopped coarsely
2. 1 medium Red Onion, chopped coarsely
3. 2 cups Vegetable broth
4. 3 cloves Garlic
5. 2-4 tbsp of fresh Sage leaves
6. 1/3 cup Brown Rice
7. 0.5oz Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
8. 1/3 cup Baby Spinach
9. 1/3-1/2 cup Non-Dairy Milk
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add everything to a pressure cooker, and steam for 10 min. Let steam dissipate naturally, open, mix with a large spatula and puree using a stick blender, or in a regular jar blender. Add Non-Dairy Milk and mix well. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper & Enjoy!! 

Gimme More ... Sautéed Mushrooms

I never met a mushroom I didn't love. I often sautéed mushrooms as a topping for my mashed potato, baked potato etc. This is definitely a Gimme More recipe.

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1. 4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
2. 3-4 Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
3. 1/4 cup Almond Milk
4. 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
5. 1-2 tsp Soy Sauce
6. 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Directions:

Line a skillet with milk and add ginger-garlic paste. Once fragrant, add mushrooms, and condiments and sauté until mushrooms are done. Serve over rice. 

Tonight, I served these over a bed of Cauliflower Rice. The sauce, and all the lovely flavors in it, was soaked up immediately by the cauliflower. I also had a side of Wilted Kale which worked beautifully with these mushrooms. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Mushrooms! 

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Almost any kind of rice dish is comfort food for an Indian. My son, born and raised American, definitely has India in his blood ;-) because he is most definitely a rice eater. A quick 20 minute meal tonight called for Vegetable Biryani. Loads of vegetables and spices and white rice make for the perfect comfort food. 

Vegetable Biryani

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (6 Servings):

1. 1 cup long-grain Basmati rice
2. 1 small red onion
3. 2 cups vegetables (I used shredded carrots, green beans, shelled edamame and shiitake mushrooms)
4. 2 tsp ground Cumin
5. 2 tsp ground Coriander
6. 1 tbsp Garam Masala, or to taste
7. Salt and Pepper, to taste 
8. Hot Sauce, or any Spicy Indian Pickle

Directions:

Dum Biryani

In a deep stock pot, add 1/2 cup water and red onion. Once the onion becomes translucent, add the other vegetables and all dry spices (save 1 tsp Garam masala). Once the vegetables are tender, rinse rice in tap water to get rid of any dust and add to the pot. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Then, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until rice is tender (~10 min). Turn off heat. Sprinkle remaining garam masala over the rice and replace the lid. Add a weight (a few cans of beans) to the lid and let sit for 5-7 min. This is the 'dum' phase - literally it means adding strength. What it does is allow all the flavors to blend, allows the rice to absorb any remaining water and the whole dish becomes fluffy. 

He's 100% a Sawhney kid. Loves his rice, just like Nanu!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 155 (Fat Calories 5)
Total Fat 0.6 g; Carbohydrates 33.7 g; Fiber 2.6 g; Sugars 2.9 g; Protein 4.6 g

*Nutrition Facts Added March 25, 2013 (Using 1 cup peas, 1/2 cup carrots and 1/2 cup Corn).

15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup

This past weekend I attended a lecture and cooking demo in Dublin, OH by Julieanna Hever and Chef AJ. Julieanna gave an excellent talk aimed at debunking the myths around plant-based cuisine and Chef AJ followed that up with No S-O-S (salt-oil-sugar) cooking demo where she made a couple of excellent soups, a quinoa salad, and also some yummy truffles. For her split pea soup, made from scratch, she used an electric pressure cooker and she set the timer, to just 6 minutes. The soup was superb. That inspired me to use my stove top pressure cooker tonight to make this Barley & Vegetable Protein soup ... and from start to finish - from the moment I turned the stove on .. to when I served it into a bowl, this recipe literally took just 15 minutes. 

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 1/3 cup Quick Barley (I used Quaker Oats brand)
2. 1/3 cup TVP crumbles, rinsed
3. 1/3 cup Split & Skinned Mung dal (green lentils)
4. 1 large onion, coarsely diced
5. 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely diced
6. 1/2 cup frozen corn
7. 1 pk (0.5oz) dried Shiitake mushrooms 
8. 5-6 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
9. 1/2 tbsp Roasted Cumin powder
10. 1/2 tbsp Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder (or use Garam Masala, instead)
11. 1 tsp Roasted Garlic salt
12. 1 14-oz can No-Sodium Vegetable broth
13. 2 cups water
14. 6-8 fresh basil leaves, for garnishing.

Directions:

Before doing anything else, place 2 cups of water and all the vegetable broth in the pressure cooker and turn  the stove on high to get the water going. Meanwhile rinse barley, TVP, lentils and mushrooms and mix in the broth. Add frozen corn. Dice onions and tomatoes and add to the cooker. Then add all the dry spices (except the salt).  By the time I had everything diced and added in the 2.5 cups of water in the cooker was at a rolling boil. Close the lid, keep the stove on high, and allow the cooker to come to a full steam pressure (about 4-5 minutes). Allow to sit at that pressure for 2 minutes and then turn off the steam. Using a spoon, lift the pressure regulator weight and release all the steam. Make sure to stay away from the gushing steam because it will scald you pretty bad. Once all the steam has been released, open lid immediately and mix. Do a quick taste check for salt, and if needed, sprinkle a small amount. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve steaming hot. 

My Assessment: Super quick dinner and a hearty one at that. This soup is so thick and rich and chewy, it didn't need any accompaniments at all. The barley was nice and nutty. The dal and the TVP made its texture creamy and I loved the flavor of shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to add more veggies, as you see fit to adapt this recipe to your taste. I used what I had in the freezer on this Thursday evening!! Lovely dinner ... and leftovers for later! Perfect week night dinner!

HH Veggie Lo-Mein

Growing up, we ate a lot of Chinese food from this little shack which was just a couple of miles from our house. I don't even remember what it was called anymore. Indo-Chinese cooking, as we called it, has a few items on it that you can't find at traditional Chinese restaurants, or even Americanized Chinese food. Veggie Lo-Mein however, is a staple item on Chinese Restaurant menus ... that I could eat multiple times a week and still go back for more. In the past few months, I've tried a couple different recipes and today I tried to follow one from the Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook (Page 195).  

EHH Veggie Lo-Mein

Now for those of you who follow my blog (... & a big THANK YOU to all 10 of you!) this shouldn't come as a surprise. Being a person of Indian origin, its not in my genetic makeup to follow a recipe to a tee. I always make changes to it. Sometimes this blows up in my face .. like it did just last night (Swiss Chard Pie). So today, I decided that I would make minimal changes ... !! Ahem @ minimal ;-)

The full recipe is of course copyrighted so I can simply tell you some of my modifications. The result was 100% totally absolutely fantastic. Even li'l Nik wolfed down 2 servings. He started out his evening at home with a sliced-up orange as he watched me get dinner ready with a constant stream of questions ... 

"Mom, what is that?" (at the sight of a block of Extra-firm tofu). "Mom, why are you cutting it?" (as I sliced the tofu) "Mom, why did you do that?" (as I moved tofu to the skillet). Nik, this is Tofu. I'm putting it in the pan so that we can eat it. "Oh!" ... And then, after a few minutes of silence ... (thanks to the pieces of orange that he stuffed his face with!). "Mom, put that in the pan" (as I finished cutting some more tofu). "Mom, you missed one piece" and then ".. now cut that one, Mom!" ... more silence thanks to a full mouth. "Mom, are those noodles?" (at the sight of Udon noodles boiling on the stove). "Mom, are we eating noodles?" (Yes, honey, we are). "Oh!"

And so my evening progressed with questions and instructions from an almost 3-year old. As you've guessed by now, I used Japanese Udon noodles today. The recipe simply calls for 'any' kind of Asian noodles. I simply boiled those according to the instructions. Once tender, I rinsed them quickly with cold tap water and then set them aside until later. The EHH recipe didn't call for tofu but I was craving tofu for some reason (protein ...!). I used Nasoya Extra firm tofu, drained it, sopped off the excess liquid with a paper towel and diced it into big chunks. 

I used a non-stick pan, and pan-roasted the tofu until it was getting golden brown. I did not use any butter or oil for this step. In the initial few minutes, I had to move around the chunks just a little bit as they release water and that can make them stick a little bit. Once each chunk formed a skin on it, they didn't stick at all. At some point during this process I added a splash of soy sauce and tossed the tofu around it to get a nice caramel color to it. This was honestly my ONE change from the EHH recipe .. a little extra soy sauce.  

I fried the tofu until I felt I had the right amount of color to it.  Once done, I removed the tofu from the skillet and set it aside. In the same skillet, I added a thin layer or vegetable broth and followed the directions  to stir fry the veggies. Today, I used Shiitake mushrooms (Veggie #13), carrots, Italian green beans, peas and a single stalk of celery.  

Overall, my veggie to noodle ratio was easily 2 to 1, maybe even heavier on the veggie side. Once the veggies were almost done, I added the noodles, tossed everything together, and added the sauce, as the recipe called for, and gave it another quick toss. In the end, I tossed the pan-roasted tofu and gave another quick toss. Finally, I covered the skillet and let it all sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

And then, li'l Nik and I sat down to dinner (all the other boys were out) and his commentary started all over again. He first instructed me "Mom, roll your noodles" and proceeded to show me how to roll my noodles onto my fork (never mind the fact that he's 3 and I'm the one who taught him how to eat his spaghetti). He would then shovel this loaded fork into his mouth and use his left hand to control where the noodles went as then came off the fork. It was quite the sight!

.. now eat it, Mom!

The last part of our meal was the most fun. Nik decided that I was obviously uninitiated and needed to be shown how to suck up noodles with my mouth. He'd suck on each noodle and then break out into a series of giggles. And then, the process would start up all over again :)

Overall, this meal was an A+.

Shiitake Mushroom & Leek Soup

Ever since I tried Shiitake Mushrooms (New Veggie #13), I've been wanting to try them again. This somewhat high-end grocery store that I occasionally go to often has mushrooms available in bulk, instead of shrink-wrapped in styrofoam - i.e. I can pick and choose the best looking mushrooms! I picked up some Shiitake yesterday and wanted to use them last night while they were at their freshest. Unfortunately, the kids had other plans. So .. the mushrooms had to stay overnight in a brown paper bag. I've found that is the best way to store mushrooms.  I found this really simple recipe during lunch today (VegWeb.com) and decided immediately that this was the fate of the wonderful mushrooms sitting in my fridge. I followed it almost to a tee. I made the No-Added-Fat version, did not use any oil and also cut coconut milk in half and I did not use any Cremini mushrooms. 

Prep Time: 15 min, or so

Ingredients:

1. 2 Leeks (diced) (New Veggie #8)
2. 6-8 large Shiitake mushrooms (diced)
3. 1-3 tsp minced garlic
4. 3 cups Vegetable broth
5. 8 oz Coconut milk
6. Salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of vegetable broth to a rolling boil, add leeks and 2 tsp salt (if using low-sodium broth). Cover and simmer for a few minutes until leeks begin to cook down. Then, add mushrooms and garlic and cook until fragrant. Using a stick blender, puree the soup into a creamy consistency. Add half the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add more vegetable broth, as needed to reach the right texture. Serve with more coconut milk, thin strips of leeks and cracked pepper as a garnish. 

My Assessment: Simple and Yum!!

Shiitake Pad Thai

So I know ... its almost the first day of March and most everyone has given up on their New Year Resolutions and my harping about mine is getting kinda tiring ;-) .... oh well!! So here on forward, I'm just going to call it my New Veggie Resolution instead of New Year Resolution #2!! So New Vegetable #13 - Shiitake Mushrooms!

Shiitake Pad Thai

Prep Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

1. 10-12 fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced.
2. 1/3 cup carrots
3. 1/3 cup broccoli florets
4. 1/4 cup vegetable broth
5. 1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
6. 3 tbsp Annie Chun's Pad Thai Sauce*
7. 1/2 pack Annie Chun's Pad Thai White (or Brown) Rice Noodles, boiled.
8. 2-3 tbsp crushed peanuts 
9. salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

In a skillet on medium heat, add vegetable broth and ginger-garlic paste. Allow to cook for a few minutes and add carrots and broccoli. Allow to cook for a few minutes to allow the veggies to cook just slightly and then add mushrooms, Pad Thai sauce and salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Uncover, add boiled noodles, toss well. Allow flavors to blend for a couple of minutes, the top off with crushed peanuts and freshly ground black pepper. 

My Assessment: LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE PAD THAI!!!! I've been craving this dish for a few days and it was totally worth it!!! I loved the meaty texture of the mushrooms and they blended really well with the Pad Thai sauce. I didn't realize before today how healthy Shiitake mushrooms really were. I sure will be using a lot more of them as compared to some of the less nutritious (white button) varieties. 

* Annie's Pad Thai Sauce has fish sauce (made with anchovies), so this recipe is not vegan! I found this out after the fact as well .. 

Veggie Fact of the Day

The Super-Healthy Shiitake

Shiitake mushrooms are considered a symbol of longevity in Asian cultures because of their health promoting properties. The Chinese have been using them in traditional medicines for over 6000 years. 

Shiitake have been shown to help protect against atherosclerosis by reducing production of immune cell adhesion molecules (which make cells sticky and cause plaques on the arteries). Shiitake are known for high Iron bioavailability (compared to other plant based sources) and hence are protective against Iron-deficiency anemia. Shiitake have also been shown to have anti-tumor and anti-viral properties (help boost levels of Interferon). The polysaccharide Lentinan in Shiitake has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer properties, that when combined with chemotherapy, has the potential of extending survival with certain types of cancer. In fact, some of the health benefits of Shiitake are so widely studied that even hospitals such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center discuss the benefits on their website. 

 In addition to all the health benefits, Shiitake also have environmental benefits. They are highly amenable to sustainable agriculture and are often grown on sawdust blocks in forest farms, and are hence more readily available in grocery stores as compared to other more exotic, wilder varieties. The mushroom has a more meaty texture than some of the others I've tried and a very robust smoky flavor. I also noticed that they were more leathery under the knife. They have known to contain up to 18% protein, various B vitamins, and minerals (Iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous).