homemade thai-style curry

veggie monday 1.10.11

welcome back!

this week for veggie monday, we made thai-style curry sauce from scratch. it's easy - and really delicious - so grab your food processor, the ingredients (below), and get curry-ing!

quick thai-style curry
(from robin robertson's vegan fire & spice - sense a theme? her books are tasty, tasty)

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons curry power
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1 pkg sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 package firm tofu (use 1/2 to 1 package, depending how much you think you'll eat or how many people you're preparing for ... OR ... two boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces. you'll either want to fry your tofu or cook your chicken in butter until slightly browned.
1 or 2 packages of indian naan

* robin robertson's recipe did not call for mushrooms, chicken, or tofu. we improvised with those things. robin, we're sorry for bastardizing your recipe!

look at us! we're mushrooms!

1. put the pepper flakes into a bowl and cover with boiling water. soak for 15 minutes!


2. while the flakes are soaking, saute your mushrooms in butter, then set aside. begin cooking your chicken (if you are a carnivore) or your tofu (if you are an herbivore).

tofu army!

3. drain the pepper flakes, then toss them along with the garlic, cumin, curry powder, ginger, sugar, coriander, and paprika into a food processor and blend into a paste.


4. add the oil, soy sauce, and water and blend.

5. throw the paste into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently so it won't burn.



6. remove from heat, add the lime juice and coconut milk. don't feel you have to add all the coconut milk - just enough to make it into a smooth, creamy sauce.

PAUSE to grab a beer from the bucket ....


or a glass of wine ...


or both. while you're at it, pull some chicken aside for the dochee, because he's hungry too.

dochee dish, and ...

... dochee!

7. toss the mushrooms into the mixture, and heat on a low to medium heat until ... well, hot.



8. put your naan in the oven. if you are so inclined (as we were), slather the naan with melted butter and freshly minced garlic.





8. finish! put your chicken and/or tofu on your rice and/or noodles, and douse with copious amounts of savory, delicious curry sauce.

chicken! noodles! curry sauce!

tofu! noodles! enough curry sauce to drown a small child!

hot tamale vegetable pie & brussels sprouts

hello again!

we know you've been waiting breathlessly all week for another vegetarian monday post, and who are we to deny you the pleasure of reading one? see below and feast your eyes out! (then go make this. it's very tasty)

veggie monday 1.3.11

hot tamale vegetable pie
(taken from robin robertson's 'vegan planet')

2 cups frozen corn kernals, thawed (at least partially)
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 4oz can diced green hot chilies
(it'll be okay if you accidentally forget to drain these ... )
3 tablespoons chopped canned pimentos
(i threw them in as is without the chopping. whoops)
8 oz soft tofu, drained and crumbled
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
freshly ground black pepper
fresh salsa
(the most amazing salsa recipe EVER can be found here - i will never, ever make another salsa as long as i live. ree drummond, you are a wonder)

1. preheat the oven to 375 degrees (while pre-heating, chop!)


2. in a large bowl, combine the corn, onions, chilies, and pimentos. set aside.

3. in a blender or food processor, combine the tofu, cornmeal, flour, chili powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, and black pepper (to taste) and process until smooth.

a look down the gullet of a blender.

4. fold into the vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. transfer to a lightly oiled 10 inch pie plate and smooth the top.

do not be put off by its vomity-look. it transforms itself in the oven!

5. bake until firm and golden brown on top, 30-35 minutes. let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges - serve topped with salsa.

6. this step should have probably gone up a bit higher. while baking, make the salsa! it's so festive and fresh and lovely.

now, i was feeling a bit ambitious, so i'd brought a bag of brussel sprouts along in my purse. dani was game, and i'd found a recipe for brussels sprouts on epicurious.com which i was hoping would turn out well.

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves of finely minced garlic cloves
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. trim the brussels sprouts, clearing off any old-looking or discolored leaves. if they're large, cut them into quarters, if they're smaller, cut them in half.


2. bring some salted water to a boil, then dump the sprouts in. cook them for about 5 minutes, or until they're mostly tender but still a bit crunchy. don't overcook! then drain them.

3. heat the olive oil, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. saute for about one minute.

the smell of this gorgeousness wafting through the kitchen was scrumptious!

4. add the sprouts and nutmeg and cook for another minute.

5. sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and toss the sprouts until the cheese is mixed in.

* we did not have any freshly grated parmesan. instead, we had this:


i would recommend the freshly grated.



overall:

tamale pie - very tasty. if you make it quickly when no one is looking, you can hide the fact there's tofu in it, and trick people who would otherwise be wary of tofu into eating it. i know this because we have now done it twice, with great results.

brussels sprouts - still an acquired taste, but worth trying. nice and spicy! dani's review of the sprouts: "they taste healthy." you can't ask for more than that!

vegetarian mondays!

in july of 2010, i decided to go vegetarian. it was a combination of always feeling lethargic (i thought a diet change was in order) and reading skinny bitch.

i loved the idea, but the reality of cutting out all meat, including using scrumptious bacon to flavor things, was so much harder than i expected.

all the vegetarian/vegan cookbooks i've read make claims as to how you don't have to cut out your favorite things, just alter them a bit. this is crap. yes, you can make chicken parmigiana with fake chicken cutlets, and tasty as it might be, it is not the same. you will have to cut out your favorite things, especially if your favorite things include slim jims and crispy bacon.

(hint: vegetarian bacon is not a good substitute. picture fluorescent pink strips with a white line down the center to give the appearance of a 'marbled' bacon strip)

however, even though i've had to give up flavorful, heavenly things like savory homemade beef stew, juicy sizzling steaks, and bacon dipped in maple syrup (notice a theme with the bacon?), i've found vegetarian food can be amazingly delicious. i've noticed a difference in how i feel, as well - i have more energy, i feel more clear-head, and i actually lost about ten pounds over the course of five months, which is always a bonus.

dani and i have decided to christen mondays 'vegetarian mondays' and make a different vegetarian (and in some cases, vegan) dish every monday, and share our experiences with you. this includes you, too, all you carnivores out there!


vegetarian monday 12.20.10

udon-shittake stir-fry with sake and ginger
(adapted from robin robertson's 'vegan planet' cookbook)

12 ounces udon noodles
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons tamari (or other soy sauce)
2 tablespoons organic blue agave sweetener (or another natural liquid sweetener)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 3.5 oz packages fresh shittake mushrooms, stems removed & caps thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peeled & minced fresh ginger
1.5 small bok choy stalks, chopped
1 small package of fresh snow peas
1 large jalopeno, finely chopped
1 bunch of broccoli cut into small pieces & pre-steamed
salt, pepper, & crushed red pepper to taste


1. chop your veggies.

jalopeno, shallots, & ginger!

gorgeous veggies.

2. cook the udon noodles according to package directions. drain and place in a medium sized bowl. add the sesame oil, toss to combine, and set aside.

3. combine the sake, tamari, and agave syrup in a small bowl until well-blended, then set aside.

4. heat the oil in a large skillet/wok over medium-high heat. saute the shallots for approximately 5 minutes, until translucent. add the mushrooms, bok choy, snow peas, broccoli, jalopeno, and ginger and stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

5. stir in the sake mixture and udon noodles and cook, stirring, until heated - approximately 5 minutes or so. serve hot!

* feel free to add a spicy sauce, like sriracha, if you're a fiery sort!



overall: we weren't wow-ed, but it was tasty and filling.