Green Curry over Quinoa

Based on Jason Wyrick’s Green Curry with Mango and Sweet Potato recipe published in Vegan Health and Fitness magazine.

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa

2.5 c. water, separated

½ t. salt, separated

1 15-oz can coconut milk

2 T. vegan green curry paste

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 c. frozen mukimame (shelled edamame)

10-oz bag frozen cauliflower florets

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color is fine; red is colorific)

Juice of 2 limes

1 mango, chopped

¼ c. roasted, unsalted peanuts

Method:
Rinse the quinoa under cold water.  Combine the quinoa, 2 c. water, and ¼ t. salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 (or so) minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed but the quinoa is not mushy.  Fluff quinoa with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a deep, large skillet with a lid, heat 2 T. of the coconut milk over medium heat.  Stir in the curry paste until fully combined.  Add the rest of the coconut milk, the remaining 1/2 c. water, and the remaining ¼ t. salt.  Again, stir until fully combined.  Add the sweet potato, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in the mukimame and cauliflower, re-cover, return to a simmer, and steam for 5 minutes or until sweet potato can be pierced with a fork.  Add the bell pepper and re-cover.  Steam for 3 minutes or until everything is warmed through but not mushy.  Stir in the lime juice and mango. Add additional salt to season to taste, if desired.

Divide the quinoa between 4 wide, shallow bowls, and spoon the curry over the quinoa.  Serve topped with the peanuts.  Serves 4.

Thai Curry Noodles

This delicious recipe is modified from one published in the now defunct Vegetarian Today magazine.  It's a fun noodle dish for those who are avoiding gluten.

Ingredients
1 15-oz. can coconut milk
4 t. purchased red curry paste (check ingredients to ensure it meets your dietary restrictions)
2 T. canola oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T. minced fresh garlic
1 T. minced fresh ginger
3/4 t. salt
6 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, sliced (any color is fine, but red is colorific)
juice of 1 lime
8 - 10 oz. dry rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
chopped dry-roasted peanuts, for garnish

Method
(NOTE:  You may need to begin boiling water for the rice noodles at the beginning.  Check noodle package directions.)

Whisk coconut milk and curry paste together in a bowl, and set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a large deep-sided skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the coconut milk mixture and salt, and bring to a simmer.

Add the green beans and cauliflower, and simmer 7 minutes.  Add the bell pepper.  Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften (about 10 minutes).  Stir in the lime juice.

Add the cooked rice noodles to the pan and toss to coat the noodles in the sauce.  Garnish each serving with peanuts.

Serves 4.

Southwestern Stew with Coconut Quinoa

This special-tasting stew is slightly modified from Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry's (He's from Memphis!) recipe in their cookbook named deliciously Grub.

This is definitely a weekend dish, because it takes a while to make, but it's not difficult...and it's very tasty!

Ingredients:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 c. sliced red onion
1 (or try 2 for more smoke and spice) chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (Remove the seeds if you want to tame the heat.  Leave them if you want to keep it spicy.  They'll be puréed anyway.)
10 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped  (Yes:  10!)
one 28-oz can whole tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
2 bay leaves
up to 4 c. vegetable broth/stock
salt, to taste
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 15-oz can coconut milk
1.5 c. quinoa, rinsed
3 T. dried unsweetened coconut
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn kernels, drained

Method:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet that has a lid.  Add the onion and chipotle, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic, and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

In a blender, puree the drained tomatoes along with the onion and chipotle until smooth.  Pour the mixture back into the large skillet.  Add the bay leaves and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a thick consistency (about 10 mins).

Add enough vegetable broth/stock to the reserved tomato juice to make 4 cups, then add to the puréed tomato mixture with 1 t. salt (or to taste).  Add the potato chunks, bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer until potatoes are softened (about 40-45 minutes).

While the potatoes are cooking, combine the coconut milk with 1.5 cups water and 3/4 t. salt in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Add the quinoa and dried coconut, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Allow the quinoa to rest, covered, for another 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.

When the potatoes are soft, remove the bay leaves from the stew and stir in the black beans and corn.  Serve the stew over the quinoa.  Serves 4 - 5.

Mulligatawny Risotto

Outstanding recipe from Vegetarian Today (formerly Vegetarian Times) magazine!  We had it with their coconut-crusted tofu on the side, but it would be perfectly fine with beans.

 

Ingredients:

2 c. vegetable broth
1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
1/2 c. diced bell pepper
1/4 c. diced onion
2 t. minced fresh garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 t. minced fresh jalapeno
3 T. olive oil
1.5 c. dry Arborio rice (Be sure to get this specific type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)
1 T. curry powder
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1 T. vegan margarine
1/2 t. salt

Method:
Simmer broth and coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.

Sauté bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in oil over medium heat until soft, 3 - 4 minutes.  Stir in the rice, curry powder, and red pepper flakes.  Cook 1 - 2 minutes.

Add wine, and simmer, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed (about 2 minutes).  Stir in 1/2 cup of broth mixture, and simmer until completely absorbed.  Continue adding broth mixture in 1/2-cup increments, stirring frequently and adding more broth only after previous addition is absorbed.  This takes about 15 minutes.  The rice should be firm, but not chalky or chewy in the center of the grain.

Remove from heat.  Stir in spinach, tomatoes, apple, butter, and salt.

Serves 3 - 4.

8 Vegan Breakfast Smoothies

I have been having these incredible vegan smoothies for breakfast 5 or 6 days per week for the last 2 years.  The recipes are really flexible, so feel free to play around with them.  Don't have lime?  Use lemon.  Don't have chia seeds?  Use flax seeds or omit altogether.

I like my smoothies to be the texture of milkshakes, so I have a high frozen-to-fresh ratio, and I only use the amount of liquid necessary to get things moving in the blender.  This can require several blender stops to stir things so they will move again, depending on the power of your blender.

Each smoothie includes a frozen banana, which I feel is essential to the texture of the drink.  Every Sunday I peel bananas for the week, cut them into 4 pieces, and freeze them in a single layer.  Then they all go into a freezer storage bag for the week.  A lot of the smoothies have fresh pineapple in them, so I cut up one fresh pineapple at the beginning of the week, too.

I also make sure I have a variety of smoothie colors to cover the nutrient spectrum.  Every week I have red, green, orange, and purple, then I pick another smoothie or two to round out the week.  Have fun!

RED SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen raspberries

slight handful of frozen cherries

2 or 3 large frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. hemp hearts

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/4 - 1/2 fresh avocado (peel and pit removed)

1/4 of a fresh cucumber, cut into a few large chunks

2 handfuls fresh spinach

1 date, pitted

1 handful frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lime

2 T. brown flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add a peeled kiwi to the list of ingredients, if desired.

ORANGE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. golden flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add fresh peaches to the list of ingredients during the summer when they are in season.  SO good!

PURPLE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

handful of fresh spinach OR 1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen blueberries

slight handful of frozen blackberries

slight handful of frozen raspberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. of black chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  I buy a frozen mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, which makes this super convenient.  If you can find such a thing near you, just throw in a couple of handfuls of the mixed berries.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

generous handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lime (lemon will also work)

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can also add frozen (or fresh, when in season) peaches to this smoothie.

PEACH-COCONUT SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. white chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEACH-BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted (or use fresh pineapple chunks if peaches aren't in season)

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

handful of frozen blueberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

juice of 1/2 lemon

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA-COCOA SMOOTHIE

1 fresh banana, cut into chunks

3 large spoonfuls of freshly-ground peanut butter, or to taste

1 - 2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder, or to taste

1 - 2 frozen bananas (see intro)

plant-based milk

Put the first 4 ingredients in the blender with just enough PLANT-BASED MILK to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.



Vegan Breakfast Smoothie

Here's my new breakfast smoothie "formula", and it's perfect light fare for hot summer mornings:

1/3 can whole coconut milk (or use the plant-based milk of your choice)

1 piece of fresh fruit (usually either a banana or a mango, peeled and de-pitted of course!)

1 T. aloe vera juice (optional)

frozen fruit, to taste (usually for me this will be either some type of berries or peaches)

Put the coconut milk (or plant-based milk), fresh fruit, and aloe vera juice (if using) in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the frozen fruit, about 1/4 cup at a time, blending until smooth after each addition.

Pour the blended smoothie into a glass and drink up! (This also goes perfectly with a piece of toast if you want something solid with it.)