Thai Orange Curry

Technically, this is a red curry, but the tumeric in the curry paste gives the final dish a wonderful orange colour. The key here is to make your own curry paste--it's not too hard and the taste is fabulous. No one sells dried chiles around here, so I bought about 10 bags of them the last time I was in Columbus (there is a Mexican grocery store on Cleveland Avenue I used to frequent when I lived there). The paste is not too hot (best for the kids), but you can make it hotter by adding a few more Japanese chiles in place of one Guajillo chile. You can also add as many serranos as you like to the final dish. The recipes are veganized and slightly adapted from True Thai.

INGREDIENTS
Curry Paste
- 4 large dried Guajillo chiles
- 2 dried Japanese chiles
- 2 stalk lemon grass, lower section, trimmed and sliced
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 1/2 tsbp chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 2 tbsp tumeric

METHOD
1. Stem and de-seed chiles and soak for 30 mins in hot water. While the chiles are soaking, pulse the lemon grass in a food processor until broken down into small pieces.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and process into a paste, as smooth as you can get it. Add the water you used to soak the chiles as needed (about 1/2 cup) to make a smooth paste.

Thai Orange Curry
INGREDIENTS
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1/2 cup, or so, curry paste from above
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 8 lime leaves (I used dried), or zest of 1 lime
- serrano chiles to taste, sliced in half, lengthwise
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup basil leaves (Thai or Italian)

METHOD
1. Heat coconut milk and curry paste in a saucepan over medium heat. When bubbling, add chickpeas, lime leaves (or zest), chiles, sugar, and sauces. Bring to bubbling again, then lower heat, cover and let gently simmer for at least 20 mins.
2. If using dried lime leaves, remove. Add salt as needed. Adjust curry paste and sauces as needed. Right before serving, add basil leaves and mix in until wilted. Serve with rice.

3rd Annual Mother's Day Brunch

Sunday was the 3rd Annual Mother's day brunch. This year's guest list was 30 people, a big step up from the first brunch I hosted, and 10 more than last year. More people meant a simplified menu. I had all sorts of plans to make danishes and croissants and donuts, but I just did not have the time to pull it off. But, rather than lament what I did not make, let's talk about what I did. First up: muffins. I decided that mini-muffins would be best since they would allow people to sample a variety of food without getting full from a mega-muffin. I made a batch each night in the days before the brunch (24 mini muffins per batch) and stuck them in the freezer. I went with the lemon poppy seed, pumpkin bran, bakery-style berry, and espresso chocolate chip from Vegan Brunch. Next: cinnamon rolls from Artisan Breads Everyday. The great thing about this recipe is that it does not call for an egg in the dough and is easily made vegan. I like the recipe better than the one I blogged about before (though the pic for that post is the background for the brunch invite I sent out). I also made lemon currant rolls. I always make them for the school bake sale and so they have become a thing. I always give the people what they want. This time I just used flax eggs and did not bother with the whole tofu thing. They turned out great. You can also see some vegan apple muffins my neighbour brought over. Next up is Vegan Mom's scrambled tofu. Simple and plain, and the kids don't freak out. Next to that is a bowl of sauteed onions, mushrooms, and pepper for those who wanted to dress the tofu up a bit. In the chafing dishes (new this year--borrowed from a friend) are roasted baby potatoes and a ton of pancakes (from Vegan Brunch).
We lined up three tables and sat 20 in the dining room/living room, with a kids' table in the summer room. Guests brought juice, tea, coffee, and fruit salads to round out the menu and we all went to town (I had to blur some faces because I did not ask anyone if I could post the pic). All in all, a great success!

Tofu O' the Sea

A bit of cheater post tonight (turns out I am tired and shagged out following a prolonged day of work and then coming home to four overactive kids. Who knew?) in that this recipe is a variation on another I recently posted. The kids were wary of the seaweed, but Vegan Mom and I totally loved it.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 pkg extra firm tofu
- 4 sheets nori

- 1 1/4 cup plain soy milk
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- large pinch ground pepper
- 2 tbsp kelp granules

- about 1 1/2 cups cornflake crumbs

- oil for frying

METHOD
1. Cut tofu into 12 slices. Line a baking sheet with a towel, then place the tofu on top. Put a towel on top of the tofu, then put another baking sheet on top of that. Put a weight on top and press the tofu for 15 mins.
2. Cut the nori sheets into 3 equal strips each. Brush one strip with water, then tightly wrap around a piece of tofu (don't worry if you don't cover all the surface area). Repeat with remaining nori and tofu and set aside.
3. Get a frying pan heating on the stove over medium to medium high heat.
4. Whisk together soy milk, mustard, hot sauce, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together flour, salt, and kelp in a another. Place 1/2 cup of the cornflake crumbs in yet another bowl.
5. Dip a piece of the tofu into the soy milk mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture. Set on a baking sheet. Repeat with all the tofu.
6. Add about 1/4 inch of oil to the frying pan. Re-dip 4 pieces in the soy milk mixture, then toss in the cornflake crumbs (one at a time, of course, adding more panko to the bowl if needed). Fry for a few mins per side, until golden and crispy (adjusting heat as needed. Cornflakes burn mch easier than panko crumbs, so watch the heat). Drain on paper towels or a paper bag.
7. Add fresh cornflake the bowl (another 1/2 cup or so) and repeat step 5 with another four pieces, adding more oil as needed. Repeat again with the remaining four pieces.
8. Serve with tartar sauce: vegan mayo, minced onion, and chopped sweet pickle in whatever ratio suits you.

Hot Cross Buns

A reader emailed me asking if I had a hot cross buns recipe. I didn't, but I thought that sounded like a great idea for the upcoming Easter holiday. My go-to guy is Peter Reinhart, but his recipe was basically a spiced panettone, which sounded delish but also like way too much work (what with it being leavened by wild yeast instead of commercial). This recipe uses some cooked sweet potato to enrich the dough, much like my sweet potato challah. I used citrus zest instead of candied peel (because I hate it), and it provided the perfect balance to the spiciness of the dough. The buns are chewy and moist, substantial but not dense.

INGREDIENTS
Make 12
Buns
- 1 cup warm soy milk (about 90 degrees)
- 1/4 cup cooked sweet potato
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp instant yeast (not rapid rise)
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup currants or raisins
- soy milk for brushing

Glaze
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar

Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp light corn syrup (optional)
- 2 tsp orange juice (more as needed)

METHOD

1. Place soy milk, sweet potato, sugar, yeast, orange juice, and oil in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl mix flour, spices, and salt. Add mixture from blender, and zests and bring into a dough, adding more liquid or flour as needed. The dough should be firm but still tacky. Knead on a lightly floured surface (or in a stand mixer) for 5-8 mins, until smooth, kneading in the currants or raisins right at the end.

3. Place in an oiled bowl, turning dough to coat, cover, and let rise until doubled (1 to 1.5 hours).

4. Line a backing sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 100g each), and shape into a ball. Place on prepared sheet and press down to flatten. Mist with oil, cover, and let rise until about doubled (30-45 mins). Preheat oven to 400.

5. Before baking, uncover and cut a shallow cross into the top of each bun with a razor blade or sharp knife. Brush with soy milk and bake for 15-17 mins, until a deep golden brown.

6. While buns are baking, bring glaze ingredients to bubbling over medium heat in a small saucepan. When buns come out of the oven, brush with glaze. Let sit for 1 min, then brush with glaze again. Let cool on a wire rack. The glaze is optional. It adds some sweetness, but also helps keep the buns fresh by sealing them off from the air.

7. When buns are cooling, mix together icing ingredients (it should be stiff but not too stiff) and fill in the cross shapes with a piping bag. The corn syrup is optional, but does help the icing retain its shape. Pipe on crosses while the buns are still a little warm to the touch.

NOTE: If you want to bake these buns up fresh on Easter day, the dough will keep in the fridge (I had my dough in the fridge for 24 hours). So, make the dough, place in a greased bowl, cover, and place in the fridge overnight to rise. On baking day, remove the dough from the fridge, cut into 12 pieces, and shape into buns while still cold (it's a bit harder to do cold). Mist with oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (this will take about 1.5 hours). Score and bake per the recipe above. The end result is more tender and a little more complex in flavour.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

This is so easy I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Thanks to Isa for the cookie dough recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 recipe vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 recipe chocolate chip cookie dough (I omitted the tapioca, and went a little more generous on the flour. I also used mini chocolate chips).

METHOD
1. Make the cookie dough. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. With floured hands, divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a rope/snake, about 1/2" in diameter. Cut off pieces (about 1/2") and place on the prepared sheet. Cover, and place in the freezer for an hour to harden.
2. Make the ice cream as per the recipe. When the ice cream is almost done in the ice cream maker, start dropping in frozen chunks of cookie dough. You can add all of them (not at the same time, though) or as many as you see fit. Save the leftovers in the freezer for next time.
3. Thoroughly freeze before serving.