Creamy Chickpea and Tomato Curry

OK, I know this is not Christmas related (unless you eat Indian food at Christmas), but I made this the other day and it is so easy and tastes so amazing that I had to share it. The recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape Cookbook (hence the metric measurements), but uses chickpeas instead. Who knew tomatoes and coconut milk tasted so awesome together? I used some diced tomatoes from my garden that I had frozen at the end of the summer--they were awesome and far superior to canned.

INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 4 curry leaves
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 500g chopped fresh tomatoes, skinned
- 400 ml can light coconut milk

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Toss chickpeas with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Add spices and curry leaves to the pan and fry for a min, until nice and fragrant. Add onions and garlic and saute for 6-8 mins, until soft. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan, if needed.
3. Add chickpeas and tomatoes, mix well, and season to taste. Heat to bubbling, then add coconut milk. Simmer gently until ready to serve (over rice). The dish tastes best if it has sat for a while so the flavours can blend. Even better the next day!

Peanut Tempeh with Noodles

Here is a dish that looks terrible but tastes great. Perhaps something needs to be added to the recipe to create some colour contrast so it looks less tan. Anyway, this is a great way to eat the oft maligned tempeh. If you find tempeh has a peculiar taste, you can simmer in in water for 10 mins or so.

INGREDIENTS
- 225g medium rice noodles
- 1 block of tempeh, cut in half lengthwise, then cut in small cubes
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp red curry paste (or to taste)
- 1 tsp coriander
- salt to taste
- coriander for garnish

METHOD
1. Get noodles soaking in hot tap water for 30 mins.
2. Meanwhile, prep the tempeh. Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil in a frying pan or wok over med-hi heat. Add tempeh and fry for 5 mins, until golden all over. Add soy sauce and water and mix well, letting tempeh soak up most of the liquid.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add peanut butter, mixing well. Add a splash of water if needed. Remove tempeh from pan. Wipe pan or wok clean.
4. Drain noodles when ready. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan or wok. Add noodles and fry for 3-4 mins, until they get translucent and begin to stick together. Add curry paste and mix well. Then mix in coconut milk. Add coriander and season to taste.
5. Mix tempeh into the noodles and let simmer for a few mins to heat through. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Easy Yellow Curry Tofu and Noodles

I am heading back home to Ontario tomorrow so the cupboards here are getting a wee bit bare. I looked around at what I had and came up with this quick and easy dish. I love this picture because you can see the steam rising off of it--that's fresh food, baby!

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
- about 4 cups cooked somen noodles
- 1 pkg firm tofu, cubed
- 1 can coconut milk
- yellow curry powder to taste
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 cup frozen mixed veggies

METHOD
1. Do what you have to do to cook your noodles.
2. Meanwhile, prep tofu. You can toss it in flour or cornstarch and fry in oil (like I did), or just cube it. Or cube it and fry in a lightly oiled pan until golden. Your call.
3. Heat coconut milk over medium heat in a saucepan. When bubbling, whisk in curry powder, salt and sugar. Add veggies and return to bubbling. If you are using plain tofu cubes, add them in now. Let simmer while noodles finish.
4. Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well. Place 1 cup of noodles in four bowls and top with sauce. Top with tofu cubes and enjoy!

Homemade Green Curry Paste

Homemade curry paste is so much better that the pre-fab stuff like Thai Kitchen. Not to diss Thai Kitchen, but, like everything, making something yourself always means it tastes better.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp coriander
- 10 whole anise seeds
- 1 tbsp whole white peppercorns
- heaping spoonful of peanut butter (optional)
- peel and juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems
- 2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped ginger
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 8 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped

METHOD
1. Crush anise seeds and peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Mix with coriander and set aside.
2. Put peanut butter, lime peel and juice, cilantro, lemon grass, ginger, garlic, onion, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add spice mixture and romaine leaves and process again until smooth. Remove from processor and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

The dish pictured above is a variation of the green curry tofu I made before. You can use more soy than I have listed here if you want, I just find that it takes away from the lovely green colour of the dish.

INGREDIENTS
- Half of the curry paste above (about 1 cup)
- 1.5 to 2 cans coconut milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt to taste
- 1 pkg tofu, diced and prepared however you like
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cup frozen green beans

METHOD
1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry curry paste for 5 mins, until fragrant and most of the water has evaporated. Add 1 can of coconut milk and bring to bubbling. Cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
2. The curry sauce has a bit of texture from the lemon grass. If you want a smoother sauce, strain and add back to pan. Add sugar, soy, and season to taste. Add tofu and cook for 5 mins. Add more coconut milk if sauce is too thick.
3. Add corn and beans and bring to bubbling. Add enough coconut milk to get the consistency you like. Serve over rice.

I also made Thai Corn Fritters. I used hoisin sauce instead of mushroom soy sauce--it made for a lighter colour and a more photogenic fritter.

Yellow Curry Coconut Chickpeas

While perusing some blogs today I found myself asking a few questions: 1. How can I get some company to send me a free sample of their product? 2. How does one get on the list to test recipes for upcoming vegan cookbooks? I am also wondering how to make my blog a force for change. I love the vegan blog community, and I am feeling an e-bond with those who frequent Vegan Dad and leave comments, but I would also like to change some non-vegan minds. I mean, if entry to heaven was based on the number of vegan converts we made, I would totally be going to hell where I would eat naught but burning hot coals and drink naught but burning hot cola. Recently, a few of my pics were posted on Tastespotting.com, which caused my daily hits to jump to over 700. I can only hope a few people were intrigued to look more into veganism. Perhaps I will try the 10 things Isa recommends in this article.

Enough blabbering. I love coconut milk and chickpeas, and I love this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 can coconut milk

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- yellow curry paste (or powder) to taste

- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce

- juice of 1/2 lime

- 1 tsp soy sauce

- salt to taste (if needed)

METHOD

1. Bring coconut milk to bubbling in a sauce pan. Add in curry paste, sauces, juice, and salt to taste. Add in chickpeas and simmer for 10 mins, until sauce thickens a little. Serve over rice.

Creamy-Spicy Seitan with Coconut Quinoa

If you like some spice, a touch of heat, and the smoothness of coconut milk, then this is the dish for you. The seitan has spicing reminiscent of jerk sauce, but it is tempered by the coconut milk and mild curry powder in the sauce. The raisins and citrus juices provide and sweet and sour back drop to it all, and the dish is completed by the nutty quinoa.

Creamy-Spicy Seitan

INGREDIENTS

- 4 large chunks of chicken seitan, cut into thick strips

- juice of 1 lime

- 3 tbsp orange juice

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp allspice

- pinch of cayenne (or more if you want)

- 1/4 tsp ground cloves

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp ginger, minced

- 1 tsp mild curry powder

- 1/2 cup golden raisins

- 1 can coconut milk, minus 1/2 cup

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 green onions, thinly sliced

- fresh coriander for garnish

METHOD

1. Mix together line and orange juice and spices in a large bowl. Add in seitan slices and toss well to coat. Leave to marinate while you make the quinoa (see below).

2. While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan on med-hi heat. Saute onions and ginger for 8-10 mins, until golden brown. Add in garlic and saute 2 mins more.

3. Add in seitan and any remaining marinade. Fry for 5 mins, letting slightly brown. Add in raisins and fry 2 mins more.

4. Add in coconut milk, water (more or less, as needed), and lemon juice. Stir well, bring to bubbling, and let simmer for 5-10 mins, letting sauce thicken a little. Season to taste.

5. Stir in green onions, garnish with cilantro, and serve over quinoa.

Coconut Quinoa

- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 1/2 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 mins, or until all water is absorbed.

Coconut Curry Chickpeas

I love the creaminess of coconut milk and thought I would pair it with tomato and warm spices like cinnamon. The result was rather tasty. If my Mom had made Indian food when I was a kid, this might qualify as comfort food.

On a separate note: the boys all had a pediatric checkup and they are doing great! We have a new doctor since moving back to Canada, so I was afraid we were going to get some anti-vegan "where will they get their protein you crazy hippies?" speech. But, the boys are healthy and hearty and full of energy.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tsbp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp cloves

- 1/4 tsp allspice

- 1/2 tsp garam masala

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste

- 1 can coconut milk

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and ginger for 12-15 mins, until onion is a deep golden brown. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

2. Add chickpeas and spices and fry for 2 mins. Add tomato paste and coconut milk and bring to simmering. Adjust spices to your liking. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice.

Carrot Cashew Curry Coconut Soup

We finally had that fall party we tried to throw last month but was stymied by our kids getting sick. I revived the same menu, despite the fact that about 15 centimetres of snow fell today. Even though it looked like winter, the fall-inspired dishes still worked. The hot cider smelled wonderful, as did the roasted apple chutney. I added this Carrot Cashew Curry Coconut Soup (from the Chez Piggy Cookbook)--a wonderful balance between creamy coconut milk and spicy curry (not that this picture does it any justice).

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 2 onions, diced

- 2 celery stalks, sliced

- 3 cloves of garlic, diced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger

- 1 tbsp curry powder

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 cups raw cashews

- 1 1/2 lbs carrots, grated

- 6 cups vegetable stock

- 1 can coconut milk

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a stockpot and saute onion, celery, garlic and ginger for 15 mins, until onions are golden brown. Add in spices and cashews and cook for another minute.

2. Add carrots and mix thoroughly. Add stock and bring to bubbling. Lower heat, cover, and cook until carrots are soft. Really, the longer you can cook this the better--it lets the flavours develop.

3. Blend with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in coconut milk and heat (but don't boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Caribbean Night

Tonight's meal plan started with the Jerk Seitan from Vegan With a Vengeance. This is a fantastic recipe that gets its heat from cayenne pepper instead of scotch bonnet peppers, so you can easily adjust the heat level (we kept it pretty low for the kids). Since cold weather never keeps me from the BBQ, I grilled the seitan for a wonderfuly smoky flavour. But what to serve with the seitan? I searched a few Caribbean food recipes online, made several modifications, and served up these dishes.

Sweetcorn Soup

This is delicious and creamy and filled with with pumpkiny goodness.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1/2 red onion, diced

- 1 rib celery, diced

- 4 green onions, sliced

- 1/2 pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded, diced

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 2 tomatoes, diced

- 2 red potatoes, diced

- 2 yellow potatoes, diced

- 1 can coconut milk

- 2 cups water or vegetable stock

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- pinch of cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper to taste

- juice of 2 limes

METHOD:

1. Saute red onion and celery in a large stockpot until translucent. Add in green onions, pumpkin, corn, tomatoes, and potatoes and cook for 5 mins.

2. Add in coconut milk and water. Add thyme, cayenne, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes (until veggies are tender).

3. Before serving, stir in lime juice.

Rice and Beans

This is supposed to be made with kidney beans, but I did not have any on hand. The Black beans worked just fine.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 can kidney (or black) beans, rinsed

- 1 can coconut milk

- 2+ cups water

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 2 cups long grain rice

METHOD

1. Put coconut milk in a saucepan and enough water to make 4 cups. Add thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Add in rice and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 mins, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. I recommend stirring every now and then--the coconut milk had a bad habit of sticking to the bottom of the pot.