Curried Potatoes & Peas

Every once in a while my husband will be flipping channels on the TV and will suddenly stop at some random TV show, often in Black & White that ran while he was a kid. Of course, to me it as foreign as space aliens ....!! But I do understand the sentiment as there are things which still remind me of my childhood and seemingly random things bring the memories rushing back in. One of the oddest things, to me, is this particular commercial on TV. It probably ran for 5 years or more on the single channel we had back then. I don't even remember the product it was for .. or the face of the little girl who was in it. I just remember her voice saying "Aloo Mutter ... aur bahut saare mutter" which translates to "Curried Potatoes and Peas ... with lots of peas". 

Prep Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 lb Red Potatoes, cleaned, quartered. 
2. 1 x 12 oz Frozen Peas (thawed)
3. 1 Medium Red Onion, diced
4. 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
5. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
6. 1 tbsp Cumin
7. 1/2 tbsp Coriander Powder
8. 1 tsp Deggi Chilli Powder
9. 1/8 tsp Turmeric
10. 2 cups water
11. Salt and Pepper, to taste
12. Fresh Cilantro leaves, for garnishing
13. Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Line a pot with water and add diced onion and saute on medium-high heat until translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and all spices, mix well and saute for another couple of minutes. Add one cup water and potatoes, toss well. Cover and simmer on medium-low until potatoes are almost done (fork tender but not done enough to eat yet!). Add peas at this time, mix well, add remaining water. Bring everything to a boil again, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until fragrant, potatoes should smoosh under a fork and any liquid in the dish should be thick and starchy (from the potatoes releasing some of their starch!). Serve hot over a bed of brown rice. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 177 (Fat Calories 9)
Total Fat 1.0 g; Carbohydrates 36.2 g; Fiber 8.1 g; Sugars 7.2 g; Protein 7.7 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

In the past several weeks, I've come across several posts across several different plant-based groups and Pinterest boards raving about this One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta. The pictures were amazing as was the overall recipe. On this lazy Sunday morning it seemed like the perfect day to try out this recipe. I searched online for the original post so that I could appropriately credit the original author .. and here's how my version turned out!! 

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

Adapted from: Apron Strings - One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 8 oz Linguine (I used a rice-based gluten-free pasta)
2. 1 can Diced Tomatoes, with liquid
3. 1 large Sweet White Onion, julienned
4. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
5. 2 tsp Dried Oregano
6. 2 large Springs of fresh Basil, whole leaves
7. 4.5 cups of Home-made Vegetable Broth
8. 1 tsp salt, to taste
9. 1 lb fresh Baby Spinach

Directions:

Throw all the ingredients into a large pasta pot, including the uncooked pasta. I kept the spinach out because I didn't want the leaves to turn to mush. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 10-13 minutes until the pasta is cooked. There is no need to drain the pasta. The starch from the pasta is what gives this dish is characteristic warm soupiness. Don't leave the Basil out if you've worried about it losing its essential oils and flavors. Cooking it all in one pot mixes up all the flavors and gives it a awesome flavor which will be a wonderful thing to look forward to in the cold winter months. I added the Spinach once everything else was cooked and then covered everything and let it sit for another 5 minutes (to allow the spinach to wilt). Then I tossed everything together before serving in deep pasta dishes, with a generous sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper. 

Modifications from the original recipe: 

1. I did not use red pepper flakes as my 4y old was going to eat it
2. I added a pound of baby spinach
3. 1 did not use any oil (the original recipe called for 2 tbsp).

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 229 (Fat Calories 18)
Total Fat 2.0 g; Carbohydrates 43.8 g; Fiber 4.9 g; Sugars 4.7 g; Protein 11.3 g

Spinach and Tofu Panini

HH Tofu Scramble

Tofu Panini

I made HH Tofu Scramble for breakfast this week and had a bunch of leftovers. I usually modify the basic recipe by adding tomatoes, black beans and a ton of cilantro. I didn't have any black beans yesterday and I used some extra Nutritional Yeast to make the preparation extra-cheesy. Since I'm the only one in my house that'll eat tofu (imagine that!), I had to either re-purpose the leftovers or eat the same thing all over again. I opted for re-purposing .... as ooey gooey cheesy Paninis. 

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 1/2 recipe tofu scramble
2. 2 slices of bread
3. ~1/2 cup of Spinach

Directions:

Spread a thin layer of leftover tofu scramble on one slice of bread and top off with the spinach leaves. Spread remaining tofu scramble on the other slice of bread and combine both sides. Toast 2-3 minutes in a panini maker, or as I did, in a George Foreman Grill, until both sides are crispy and golden brown. I did not use any butter or oil on the bread or in the tofu scramble. The moisture of the tofu scramble and the spinach makes this sandwich moist enough for it to brown really well on the grill. Enjoy!!

Nutritional Facts for this recipe are the same as those listed on the HH website noted above. A half cup of baby spinach has about 5 calories and calories for bread are variable so please check packaging.

BBQ Tempeh w Collard Greens

In an attempt at eating healthier and more whole foods this past month, as part of the #HH28 Whole Foods Challenge, I decided that I one good way was to swap out Tofu with Tempeh. Less processed, more whole bean. I've come across a few different recipes for BBQ Tempeh and Buffalo Tempeh and decided to combine what I remembered of those recipes with collard greens. My husband bought me a 2 lb bag and I'm the only one who eats Collard greens .. so here's what I concocted and I must admit, it came out quite delish :) !! Collard greens and tempeh both taste best after cooking for a long time on low heat which helps the tough cellulose walls in the greens to soften and for the soybeans in tempeh to mellow as well. So both ingredients are a match made in ... a pot :)

BBQ Tempeh & Collard Greens

Prep Time: 60-90 min, including 60-75 min of simmer time. 

Ingredients (Serves 6):

1. 2 lb Collard Greens, pre-washed and cut into bite sized pieces.
2. 2 pks Lightlife Soy Tempeh
3. 1 large Red Onion, diced
4. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
5. 2 tbsp Tomato Paste, unsalted.
6. 2 tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts, as a garnish
7. 2-4 tbsp BBQ Sauce (use your favorite kind)
8. 2 tsp Hot Sauce (use your favorite kind)
9. 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
10. 2 cups water
11. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large, deep pot, big enough to hold 2 lbs of greens, add 1 cup water and add diced onions and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent and garlic begins to release its essential oils (about 2-4 min on high). Add remaining ingredients (except tempeh and greens), mix and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add diced tempeh and reduce heat to a gentle simmer (medium-low). Slowly add collard greens to the pan, allowing each handful to wilt into the mix, until all the greens have been mixed in. Allow to simmer on the stove for about an hour adding more water to prevent the dish from drying out. Before serving, taste test and add more BBQ sauce, salt and pepper, as needed. The final dish should have some excess liquids which will serve as the flavor for your rice. Serve over a bed of steamed rice, and garnish with a few peanuts (optional).

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 228 (Fat Calories 59)
Total Fat 6.5 g; Carbohydrates 26.6 g; Fiber 13.8 g; Sugars 4.4 g; Protein 18.7 g

Basil, Avocado & Tofu Sandwich

Happy Memorial Day Folks!! Take a minute to remember all those brave men and women who've died for our country and say thank you to all those that have served. We didn't have a BBQ today unlike the rest of the millions of people in the country! We had a quiet lunch at home on this somewhat dreary, cold and rainy day in Ohio.

Before I go further with this post, I've got to 'fess up. I've been a herbivore for 17 months and Mexican food is my first choice in food .. and before this weekend, I've never ever bought an avocado in my life. I've had Guacamole aplenty in restaurants but never actually brought an avocado home. Multiple reasons .. I didn't know how to cut it .. I didn't know how to buy it (is it ripe, or over-ripe, or still too green) ... I didn't know how to use it in my dishes and since I was trying to lose weight, and avocados a high fat food ... I simply avoided buying them!! But this weekend, I threw all caution to the wind .. found this post on Pinterest on how to buy the right kind of avocado and then this post on Simply Recipes on how to cut it ... and just like that I had New Veggie #70. 

Basil, Avocado & Tofu Steak Sandwich

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1. 2/3 Block of extra firm tofu (about 9 ounces)
2. 1 Avocado
3. 8-10 fresh Basil leaves
4. 4 tbsp fresh Medium/Mild Salsa
5. 2 tbsp Hunt's Tomato Paste
6. Taco Seasoning, to taste
7. Ground Chipotle Peppers, to taste
8. Cholula Hot Sauce (optional)
9. 4 Slices of 12-Grain Bread

Directions:

Press tofu to remove excess moisture and slice into 6 pieces. Preheat a seasoned cast-iron pan to medium-high and then gently place each individual slice of tofu onto the pan. As it sizzles, each slice will form a skin which will then prevent it from sticking to the skillet. Once the first side is seared, flip each piece gently and sear the other side. As the tofu begin to take on color, brush the tomato paste (unsalted) onto each slice to give it some extra flavor. As the tomato sauce dries up, sprinkle taco seasoning and flip it over. Brush more tomato paste and add taco seasoning to the other side as well. Make sure to flip frequently to prevent burning. Just before removing each piece from the skillet, add chipotle pepper powder, if using. 

Separately, toast the bread and spread salsa on two pieces. Line two slices with fresh basil leaves and layer 3 pieces of tofu on top. On the other two slices of bread, spread a thin layer of Cholula hot sauce (or use more medium salsa if you prefer a milder taste) and then layer avocado slices. Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper and flip one side over the other!!! Enjoy!! 

My Assessment: Spicy and Creamy!! Loved it! But this sandwich is rich and heavy (thanks to the avocado!). We just ate it by itself, no sides. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 515 (Fat Calories 217)
Total Fat 24.1 g; Carbohydrates 53.3 g; Fiber 13.4 g; Sugars 9.6 g; Protein 23.5 g