curry in a hurry

in an effort to prove to any non believers that i do, in fact, consume foods other than sweets, i'd like to offer you all my second consecutive day of savory entree ideas!  hurray!  dinner today was kind of a spur of the moment idea, which was born of some inspiration from a recipe that was born of some inspiration from another recipe.  it was only natural that i continued the trend and made a few of my own adjustments to make this dish a little more me-ified.  i adjusted the spices a bit, added some shredded coconut and coconut milk, and threw a sweet potato and a parsnip into the mix.  i was also able to omit the butter, since sweet potatoes have such a creamy, buttery flavor on their own.  the end result was pretty durnd awesome if i do say so myself.  and, of course, i do :D

i realize these pictures don't do it justice...light is scarce in my kitchen after the sun goes down, but trust me when i say this was amazing.  indian inspired spices with a mild, creamy tikka masala flavor.  the sweet potato and coconut in this really compliment it well, balancing out the spice with some pleasantly light, creamy sweetness.  masala is always a great sort of "starter" dish for anyone trying indian food for the first time.  it's such an unintimidating, mild spice combination with a really demure, creamy, gravy-like consistency, but it still contains a lot of traditional indian flavor.  in other words: everyone can love on some masala.  because really, what's not to love?

i made my version of this vegan, but this would be really awesome with chicken, lamb, or paneer as well.  also, rice would be a great side with this if you'd like to stretch the sauce out a bit more, although i found that it wasn't necessary.  with all the chunks of broccoli and seitan, this ended up being a really satisfying meal on its own.

tikka masala style coconut sweet potato curry with broccoli and seitan

serves around 3

• 1 small to medium sweet potato
• 1 large broccoli crown cut into chunks
• 1 medium parsnip cut into wheels
• 2-3 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion cut into chunks
• 8 oz seitan (i used westsoy's cubed variety)
• 1 ts sea salt
• 1/4 ts cumin
• 1 3/4 ts curry
• 1/4 ts cayenne (more if you'd like it spicier)
• 3/4 ts paprika
• 1 1/2 ts dried basil
• 1/2 ts fenugreek
• 1 cup strained tomatoes (i used pomi)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water (as needed)
• 1 T light shredded coconut

prepare the sweet potato by washing it, poking it in several places with a fork or knife, covering it loosely with a paper towel, and cooking it in the microwave.  for me, this generally takes about 10 minutes, flipping the sweet potato over at the half way mark, but every microwave is different.  once the potato is soft, remove it from the microwave, cut it in half and carefully empty the insides into your blender/food processor using a spoon or fork to peel it away from the skin.  discard the skin or eat it as a snack like i do :)  steam the broccoli and parsnips until al dente (usually about 4-5 minutes), rinse with cold water, and set aside.  in a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium low.  add the onion and cook until just starting to turn translucent.  add the steamed parsnips (not the broccoli yet, though) salt, cumin, curry, cayenne, paprika, fenugreek, and basil.  keep stirring to avoid burning any of the spices.  once onions are soft, stir in the strained tomatoes and coconut milk and bring sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally.  once all warmed and combined, add the sauce to the sweet potato in your blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding the 1/2 cup of water as needed to thin the sauce to a thick gravy-like consistency.  return the sauce to the pan, stir in the shredded coconut followed by the steamed broccoli and seitan.  heat until seitan is warm and serve to your oh-so-impressed friends.  easy, right??  15 minutes, a few ingredients, some choice spices and you've got yourself some tasty, healthy indian food.  fancy in a flash!

so there you have it.  2 solid days in a row without a single cake, pie, muffin, or sprinkle to be found.  no worries, though...i don't know how much longer this can go on.  these sweets...they have been lurking.  i've actually been working on a few different treats over the past couple of days.  keep an eye out for them soon.  at the moment they're still a little stage shy, but in the coming days they should be fully prepped and ready to make their debut.  stay tuned!

savory sundays

happy sunday night!  hard to believe it's the start of another new week already.  on my weekends, i always love making big batches of food to use throughout the week for quick lunches or last minute dinners when i'm on the run.  soups, stews, and chilis are always favorites that usually end up holding up really well as leftovers, sometimes tasting even better the following day after they're left to stew in all their own ingredients.  tonight i was really craving something almost gravy-like in consistency...a little bit viscous, but mostly just hearty and satisfying with lots of comfort food flair.  the result was this new soup, which will definitely be a new regular.  so simple and sooo full of flavor.

lentil chard soup and microwave quinoa corn bread: the new kids on the block!

hearty mushroom lentil chard soup

makes about 4-5 servings depending on your portion size

• 2 small to medium onions chopped into chunks
• 3 smallish cloves of garlic finely sliced
• about 1/2 ts fresh ginger finely diced
• about 2 cups of fresh mushrooms cut into large chunks (i just cut mine in half)
• 1 large bunch of rainbow chard, ripped/cut into pieces with stalks removed (i like to save the stalks and roast them in other dishes, but that's just me getting all waste not-want not with it.  they are tasty roasted, though.  just sayin.)
• 1 can of lentils, drained
• 1 can of broth (chicken, veggie, or other)
• about 6 oz of soft tofu (2 servings of nasoya tofu or most other tofu types)
• 1/2 cup strained tomatoes (i used pomi)
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 1/2 to 2 ts sea salt
• 1 ts oregano
• flour or corn starch to thicken as needed (i ended up needing about 2 T garbanzo bean flour)

heat a pot on medium low with a bit of olive oil.  cook onions until just starting to turn translucent.  add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms and cook until tender.  throw in chard and cook until darkened and wilting.  add lentils.  while they warm, throw the broth, tofu, strained tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, and oregano in your blender or food processor and blend until consistent and no chunks of tofu remain.  add the blended broth mixture to the pot and turn the heat up to medium.  cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or so to help it to reduce, adding the flour/corn starch as needed to thicken.

this would be awesome with quinoa, rice, or even some pasta.  OR!  you could do what i did and try this out with some of this yummy quinoa flour corn bread i came up with for an extra satisfying treat.  the corn meal and quinoa flour mixed together so well in this...both a little bit sweet with a really nice, dense texture.  sooo yummy dipped in the soup

microwave quinoa flour corn bread

this made about 2 nice sized servings for us, but if you wanted to have it as a meal on its own, it could probably be good as a generous single serving as well

*if you haven't read my notes on using quinoa flour, you should check out this link to get some info.  i heat treat my quinoa flour in the oven prior to using it to eliminate any bitter taste (spread it on a baking sheet and heat it in an oven preheated to 215-250 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours...it's all explained in the link)...it ends up taking on a really delicious, mildly sweet, nutty, toasty flavor that just works incredibly well for cakes and muffins and the like.  it's nutrition is through the roof, too.  soooo worth it*

wet ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 T soy (or any) milk
• 1 T greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites

dry ingredients:

• 1/4 cup heat treated quinoa flour
• 2 T corn meal
• 1/4 ts baking powder
• 1/4 ts sea salt

whisk together all wet ingredients in a small bowl.  mix in all dry ingredients until smooth and well combined.   pour batter into a microwave safe bowl, container, tupperware that has been lightly greased or sprayed with cooking spray and microwave for about 5 minutes or until cooked all the way through.  allow the bread to cool for a minute and then flip out onto a plate.  eat it plain if you're all about it or spread it with butter, honey, jam, or dip it in soup!  so many more possibilities with this one.  this is just the beginning, guys...you can definitely expect to see some more varieties of this bad boy in the not so distant future.  i mean...sweet, cinnamon corn bread?  or maybe...apple butter cornbread??  what??   :)

vegan, gluten free, spring time lovely: key lime avocado pie

been toying with this idea for some time now.  finally had some time and the ingredients to try it out the other day...and i dare say it was a hit.  definitely a looker:

this is super easy, healthy, vegan, gluten free, flour free, light, creamy, refreshing, and really yummy.  sound like a good deal?  i kind of thought so :)
in the past, i'd made lots of varieties of tasty avocado puddings for breakfast, post workout meals, and light healthy snacks.  one of them happened to be of the key lime variety...so it was really just a matter of time before the real deal made it's debut featuring the old favorite with a few tweaks.  give it a shot and see what you think!  the good news is with a pie this healthy, you're not just restricted to one teeny tiny micro slice, either.  you can actually have a big ol' wedge of it and not feel like a glutton.  we ate it for breakfast for 2 days in a row...and yeah...i'm totally cool with that.  it's so good for you!

key lime avocado pie

makes one 8-9 inch pie or a few tiny pies.  i used a 9 inch pan and it came out around the thickness of a tart, which was neat, but a smaller pie tin would probably get you a thicker, more traditionally stacked pie.

crust ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dates
• 2 T pumpkin seeds
• 2 T flaxmeal
• 3 T unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 T unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup nuts (i used peanuts since nick is allergic to tree nuts, but pistachios would be pretty righteous with this...or walnuts or cashews)
• 1/8 ts baking soda
• 1/4 to 1/2 ts cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water as needed to help with blending

preheat your oven to 250.  soften the dates in the microwave by covering them with water and microwaving for a minute at a time until tender.  drain the water and throw them in your blender or food processor with the other ingredients and blend on low or pulse until all combined into a thick, mushy paste, adding water as needed.  i like to leave a little bit of texture in my crust to give it a little bit of crunch and a little more backbone, so i don't blend it until totally smooth, just until there aren't any whole piece of dates, nuts, or seeds left and it looks pretty consistent throughout.  helpful hint: if you'd like to make it a little easier on yourself, you can grind the nuts and seeds into a coarse meal beforehand to help with getting the consistency more even.  a coffee grinder would work for this, or you could probably just blend them first and then add the rest of the ingredients.  just don't over grind them....you don't want to turn them into nut butter, just a coarse meal or little bitty chunks.  once everything is blended, scrape the paste into a 8-9 inch pie tin that has been lightly greased or sprayed with cooking spray.  using a spatula/spoon/your fingers start to press it to fit the bottom of the tin and up the sides a bit, being careful not to tear it or leave any holes.  you don't want it to be thinner than 1/4 inch anywhere, so baby it while you shape it.  no wimpy crusts!  mighty crusts make mighty pies.  once it's all beefed up and ready to go, put the tin in the preheated oven and bake it for about 15-20 minutes or until firm and a little dry.  while it bakes, you can get the filling ready

filling ingredients:

• 2 large avocados
• 1 medium banana
• about 3 oz soft tofu (generally 1 serving or 1/5 block of nasoya or most other kinds of tofu)
• 1/4 cup soy (or any) milk
• 1/2 ts stevia
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon agar flakes (you can generally find this stuff at health food stores.  it's a really nutritious, flavorless algae used as a vegan thickening agent that works similarly to gelatin, though not quite as....jello-y?)

rinse out your blender/food processor from the last round and blend the avocados, banana, tofu, soy milk, vanilla, and stevia until smooth.  in a small sauce pan, bring the lime juice to a light boil.  remove from heat and whisk in the agar flakes until completely dissolved.  let the juice sit for a bit to thicken.  once it's cooled and thickened up a bit, pour it in with the avocado mixture and blend until well combined with all the other ingredients.  once your pie crust has finished baking, allow it to cool a bit, and then fill with the lime, avocado pudding mixture, smoothing the top with a spoon or spatula.  at this point, i also added some zest from a few of the limes that i juiced on the top of my pie for a little extra color and limey-ness, but you don't have to.  put the pie in the fridge and let it set for at least a few hours until firm.  i let mine sit over night and it turned out just right...creamy, cool, a little thicker than pudding...almost like a softer flan in consistency.

the finished product, before adding any fanciness on top

 the taste of this is awesome.  not too sweet, creamy, a hint of banana, and lightly limey.  we loved it with fresh strawberry slices and a little dusting of coconut. 

the crust is a bit soft, so be careful when serving, but overall i'd say this was a winner.  in the future, i may up the amount of lime juice to make it a bit more limey in flavor.  if you decide to go this route, just make sure that you up the amount of agar as well.  agar can be a bit fussy when used with highly citric juices, so be patient with it.  next time i may try using 3/4 cup lime juice with 2 scant tablespoons of agar.  this is a new ingredient for me as well, so i'm still learning myself.  so far though, definitely a fan!  it's really low in calories (nearly calorie free), extremely high in fiber, acts as a mild detox supplement by helping to carry toxins from the body, and is also high in Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc and Copper.  plus, it works similarly to gelatin, but without the animally weirdness.  pretty cool, right?  i will definitely be playing around with this more in the future.  stay tuned!

microwave quinoa flour coffee cake

alright, so i know i promised this recipe for april 1st, but uh, april fools?  things have actually been pretty hectic for us here lately.  we recently confirmed some suspicions via a home testing kit that our tap water is contaminated and have been pretty busy trying to coerce the health department/our landlord/for-the-love-of-god-anyone to come out and do something about it.  it's been a really freakishly frustrating feat and we're both really steamed about the whole thing.  here we are, trying to live really healthy lives by keeping active and eating really well and just generally taking really good care of ourselves and we both kept mysteriously getting sick for the past several weeks...only to find out we've been drinking/bathing/cooking with water contaminated with bacteria.

*insert silent scream of horror*

it's such an awful feeling knowing that such a basic provision isn't something you can always rely on.  this has really been an eye opener!  in any event, we finally got our landlord to agree to come out and run some tests for us tomorrow, so hopefully this is the beginning of the end.  living on all this bottled water is expensive!  not to mention wasteful...
but moving on!  we've got cakes to discuss!

happy thoughts!!

warm, cakey happy thoughts!  with banana on top!

you're gonna like this one... :)

microwave quinoa flour coffee cake

makes one single serving cake

*if you haven't read my notes on using quinoa flour, you should check out this entry to get some info.  i heat treat my quinoa flour in the oven prior to using it to eliminate any bitter taste (spread it on a baking sheet and heat it in an oven preheated to 215-250 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours...it's all explained in the link)...it ends up taking on a really delicious, mildly sweet, nutty, toasty flavor that just works incredibly well for cakes and muffins and the like.  it's nutrition is through the roof, too.  soooo worth it*

wet ingredients:

• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 T yogurt (i use fat free greek yogurt)
• 2 T coffee
• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• 1 T agave

dry ingredients:

• 1/4 cup heat treated quinoa flour
• 2 ts rolled oats or quick oats
• 2 ts flaxmeal
• unleveled 1/4 ts baking powder
• 1/4 ts stevia
• 1/4 ts cinnamon
• 1 ts ground coffee

whisk together all the wet ingredients.  add dry ingredients, mixing as you add each one to ensure it's all combined.  scrape all the batter into a microwave safe container/bowl/two ramekins that have been lightly greased of sprayed with cooking spray and microwave for about 2 minutes.  let sit for a minute or so and flip out of container onto a plate.  that's it!  a perfect little slightly spiced coffee cake for one.  light, moist, and awesome for breakfast or lunch.  you can eat it plain, with fruit, or top it with this tasty stuff:

honey nut streusel

• 2 tablespoons roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 1 ts pumpkin seeds
• about 1 ts honey
• dash of cinnamon

grind the peanuts and pumpkin seeds into a coarse meal.  i just use a coffee grinder for things like this and it works great.  don't over grind, though!  you want it to be crumbly, not peanut buttery.  empty the meal into a bowl and mix and mash it with the honey and cinnamon until it starts to take on a crumbley, streusel texture.  be-streusel your tiny cake and love on it something fierce.  i love this stuff...especially with bananas.  it's really more just the texture of a coffee cake streusel and not the sugary flavor of it.  this is more like a yummy peanut butter cookie crumble topping.  plus, it's good for you!  relish!  devour!  repeat!

and just like that, you've gone and had yourself a cake.  and it was good for you.  and there was much rejoicing.  hallelujah!