Our Veggie Kitchen

I've been making lots of salad dressing. And since I need an excuse to eat all my dressing, I've been eating lots of salad too. I love adding cold, baked tofu to salads and this is the one I've been making. The marinade is amazing and, when baked into tofu, adds a subtle sweet & citrus flavor.



Sweet Lime Tofu
1 lb tofu, drained
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 lime, zested
1 lime, juiced
1 large clove garlic
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper, more to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour them in a 9 x 13 casserole with the tofu cubes. Toss to combine and bake uncovered at 350 degrees. Gently toss every ten minutes until the tofu is browned on all sides and the moisture is baked off.

4 Servings: 109 cal (6f fat, 5g carbs, 7g protein)

We had friends over this weekend and the adults unanimously agreed that we wanted Indian food. There were a couple of things that I immediately thought of. I knew absolutely that I wanted koftas (Indian meat/veggie balls). And I just had to make parathas, and chapatis for the kids. After ignoring the health factor and considering the pain-in-the-butt factor, I added pakoras to the menu. Each of these was beautiful and delicious.

The problem, was that Indian food is not typically kid friendly. We were to have six kids in the house and three of those are insanely picky. I didn't want them to subsist on deep fried pakoras and flat bread, so I needed to add something else . . . and something the adults would like as well . . . and something Indian.



So I started with a curry sauce, adding a bit of this and a bit of that. I abandoned the idea of low fat, so I used coconut milk, and some yogurt to keep things mellow and came up with this curry. It has a creamy, subtle flavor, an undercurrent of cumin and no heat whatsoever. Two of the picky kids wouldn't try anything Indian. They ate rice, carrots bananas. The third said later "yeah I ate your crap!" He's so cooperative. The other three ate it without hesitation . . . and it was a hit with the adults too.

I'll post more from the meal later this week.



Kid Friendly Curry
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp whole cumin seed
1 tsp whole mustard seed
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
10 curry leaves (optional)
14 oz coconut milk
1 cup plain soy yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced
2 medium carrots, cut into batons
1/2 head cauliflower florets

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until they begin to pop, then add the onion. Saute until the onion softens and add the ginger, garlic and chili pepper. Saute for another minute and add the remaining spices. Stir to combine and add the coconut milk and curry leaves. Bring to a boil and stir in the soy yogurt and lemon juice.

Blend the entire contents and return to the pan. Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil. Pour contents into a 9x13 casserole and cover. Bake until the veggies are cooked, about 30 minutes. Serve with rice, roti or naan.

4 Servings: 500 cal (25g fat, 42g carbs, 8g protein)

A while back, I doctored a corn sauce, I think from the Veganomicon. It tasted really good in a Mexi-Calzone. Ever since, my wife has been bugging me to make it into a soup. With fall upon us, and with more rain now than sun, I decided it was time to honor her request. This soup is loaded with corn and has just a touch of jalapeno and cumin. It's not at all hot, but adds just a bit of warmth.

It also turned out to be a great source of nearly everything (18% or more RDA): Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin, B6, Folate, B12, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper and Magnesium.

. . . Next time someone asks what a vegan eats, tell them "corn soup"



Cumin Corn Chowder
3 tbs Earth Balance margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs frozen corn, divided
12 oz silken tofu
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp cumin (more to taste)
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 cups soy milk

Melt margarine in a large pot. Add onions, jalapenos, carrot, garlic and 4 cups of corn. Saute, stirring frequently until all the vegetables are cooked through. Transfer to a blender along with silken tofu, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast and cumin. Blend thoroughly in batches.

Push the blended contents through a mesh strainer back into the pan. This isn't necessary, but will strain out the corn fibers that don't blend. If you chose not to, you may have to add a little extra broth. Add remaining corn and potatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potato is tender. Add soy milk, bring back to a simmer and remove from heat.

5 Servings: 375 cal (12g fat, 59g carbs, 16g protein)