VEGAN KORMA CURRY

Hey everyone! WOW, It's been a while. Life is great and things are wrapping up nicely for 2015. I've been working my butt off at 2 jobs now so I've been SERIOUSLY busy. Between that, christmas shopping, baking, cleaning, cooking etc.. life has been non stop!  I recently got a new oven so you'll be getting some brand new awesome recipes from me for the holiday season. My boyfriend and I also went to Vancouver to see L7!!!!! Which was probably one of the best moments of my life. Ive loved that band since I was 13 so there was some serious nostalgia at that show. We also went to CARTEMS DONUTERIE while in Vancouver. YOU NEED TO GO. If you haven't stop everything you're doing and go right now. They blew me away. Stole my heart. Their earl grey donut made my week. Also the vegan apple fritters AND the apple pie stuffed donuts!? It's like I had died and gone to heaven. I really love donuts. Always have, always will. We carried home a box just so we could enjoy them at home hehehe. I did hear a rumour that they are going to make ALL their donuts vegan. Not sure if it's true yet but wouldn't that be neat!!

 I attached a link to their website on their name above if you'd like to check them out!

I figured I should check up on everyone and give you another awesome recipe to make during this holiday season. I'll be back around christmas to make a post about our christmas feast but until then hopefully this satisfies your craving.

Although Korma Curry isn't the traditional dish you'd generally serve at a North American Christmas dinner it's still an awesome dish and definitely deserves being shared. Korma generally is a yogurt or cream based mild indian dish. Generally served with fish, meat or vegetables. I made mine with a coconut cream base. It was splendid! I think a couple scoops of natural coconut based vegan yogurt would have really made it that much better, if you don't have that you can use this recipe and it'll be just as good. I'm going to be exploring a lot more into specific indian dishes to make them vegan style. It's a pretty easy thing to do since a lot of indian dishes are generally vegetarian based. That being said if you're ever in a bind for food in an unknown place you know you can always go to an indian restaurant and find some vegan friendly food. I hope you enjoy my Vegan Korma as much as my partner and I did. We are going to be having the leftovers tonight!

Stayed tuned for some more dishes coming up soon! Happy Cruelty Free Cooking!!

VEGAN KORMA CURRY

Recipe

serves 4

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 white onion, diced

4 small potatoes, chopped, boiled then fried

1 can organic chickpeas, drained then rinsed

1 can organic coconut milk

2 big handfuls of spinach, chopped

2 teaspoons ajwain seeds

2 teaspoons coriander*

2 tablespoons curry powder*

1 teaspoon turmeric*

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

dash of chili flakes

*ingredients with a star beside them are the ones you can add a little more of if you want a bit more kick to your korma. This dish is generally mild so my spices were according to a mild flavour.

Serve your Korma over a bed of rice. I flavoured mine when I made it

Rice recipe

2 cups water

1 cup basmati rice

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon butter, stirred in after rice is finished and cooled a bit

First, put on your rice. I'm sure you all know how to cook rice without a rice cooker but just in case... Add 2 cups of water to a pot and turn to med-hi heat. Add one cup of rice and your spices. Stir in spices so they blend well with the rice. Place lid over pot. Once your pot of rice begins to boil reduce heat to min and open the lid slightly allowing steam to escape. Let cook for 15-20 minutes. Once your rice is done, fluff it with a fork. This helps make it not stick together in a big clump. Once your rice has cooled a bit stir in your butter. This makes your rice creamy and gives it a little extra flavour that pairs really nicely with curry. Place rice off to the side with a lid on top to keep it warm.

Now time to make Korma!

Wash and chop all your vegetables. Grab a medium sized pot. Fill it half full with water and turn to med-hi heat. Place a lid over top. This pot will be to flash boil your potatoes.

This helps give them a good consistency and ensures they are cooked fully. Once the pot of water has come to a boil, add your potatoes. Boil for five minutes. Get a large frying pan. Add some olive oil and turn to med heat. Sautee your garlic and onion with a dash of the ajwain seeds for 5 minutes.

 Drain your potatoes and add them to the frying pan along with your coconut milk, chickpeas and spinach. Stir everything together then add your spices. Mix all your spices in really well. By this point your coconut milk should be bubbling a little bit and that means you're ready to reduce your heat to min, place a lid over top and let it cook for around 25 minutes. You can cook it for a little bit less if you want a more creamy base. If you want a less creamy base cook it for a little longer but keep an eye on it so you don't over cook it. Stir the frying pan every couple of minutes to make sure nothing is sticking. This also helps the spinach blend in with the coconut  milk which helps make your base for the dish. Once you have your desired consistency remove the frying pan from heat and stir it once more. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve it over a bed of rice or some naan bread and there we have it.

Veggie Korma!

VEGAN "EGG MCMUFFINS"

I know most vegans aren't exactly craving mcmuffins. This is an awesome quick breakfast to make and why not make a better recipe for all those who are craving mcmuffins! Its a way healthier alternative.You could fry up some tempeh bacon or tofurkey links too. They taste amazing in the sandwich. This is my favourite breakfast to make on my days off. Its easy to change the spices up according to your taste. I personally think this is the best way to make them look like real scrambled eggs. Something I still miss and I'm sure some of you miss them too. This is my fix and I hope it'll be yours too! 

VEGAN EGG MCMUFFINS

RECIPE

1 package of soyganic tofu

1/4 white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic

2 mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1 teaspoon curry 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

daiya onion and chives vegan cream cheese

2 english muffins

STEPS
Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a medium size frying pan. Turn up to medium heat and add a dash of salt. Allow to heat up for a couple minutes. Put a small slit in the top of your tofu container and drain the water out. Remove the seal and mash up your tofu with a fork. Once the entire thing is broken up evenly add it to your heated pan with a spatula. Distribute the tofu evenly in the pan. Begin cutting up your veggies, garlic first. Add all your vegetables to the pan. Stir all the ingredients together. Allow to fry for 5 minutes. Add all your spices, nutritional yeast to pepper. Stir all ingredients together. Allow to fry for another 15-20 minutes. All the water from the tofu should be absorbed. It should look like this!

Toast your english muffins and spread some daiya cream cheese on each side. You can slice up a tomato as well. Scoop out a large spoonful of your "scrambled eggs" and spread it on your english muffin. Use half for each sandwich and that way you can eat some on the side!

Breakfast is served!

VEGAN GF PAKORAS

VEGAN GF PAKORAS

This recipe is awesome. I love pakoras but sometimes buying authentic vegan ones can get pricey.  Luckily most indian food is actually vegan. Its always my go to restaurant when i'm in a town I don't know. There's always tons of vegan option on the menu and if you ask a waiter about vegan options they always know what youre talking about. Dont you just hate when you ask a waiter about vegan options and they give you a confused look and you have to explain yourself? I know I do. I always have an uneasy feeling afterwards like they didn't understand and I'm eating something vegetarian. Thats why I love homemade everything! You know exactly what's in your food, where its from and how its cooked. Plus its so rewarding when you make something as delicious as pakoras. Serve these with mango chutney and you will think you died and gone to heaven. Its an awesome recipe to make if you're having people over because it makes tons! I made mine pretty big and it made 20 so im sure you could make them a little smaller and make 40! These store great in the fridge too. Just put the leftovers in a tupperware and fry it in a frying pan with a little oil to reheat. They will last up to 7 days in there. I hope you love spicy!  Enjoy my vegan pakora recipe.

Recipe                                         

Batter
GLUTEN FREE
2 cups garbanzo bean flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons pepper
3 teaspoons turmeric
6 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mango powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1 cup water


Vegetables
1 head of cauliflower, finely chopped

1 can of sweet peas
half a white onion, finely chopped
4 potatoes, peeled, grated
1 big handful of spinach, finely chopped

Steps
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Oil your baking pan. Make sure there's lots of oil in your pan. Cut your cauliflower,onion and spinach. Peel and wash your potatoes. Grate your potatoes fine. Makes sure everything is cut pretty small. This helps it all stay together better. Once your vegetables are all washed and ready, combine all of them  together in a large bowl. Time to start your batter. Combine all your dry ingredients together in a medium sized. Stir together with a fork to make sure there's no clumps. Add the water slowly. Keep stirring with the fork while adding the water. It should be like the consistency of pancake batter. If its too thick, add some more water one tablespoon at a time. If its too watery add more garbanzo bean flour one tablespoon at a time. Once your batter is the right consistency pour it into the bowl of vegetables. Stir everything together really well. Make sure all your vegetables are covered in some batter. Using a big spoon, take out large scoops of the mix. Make sure to let any excess drip off. Then place it on your place. It might seem a little runny but it bakes together great! Repeat this until your bowl is empty. You can choose the size of the pakoras as you please but try to keep it uniform so they all bake evenly. Place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes then flip them and bake for another 10 minutes.

If they stick a little just flip them gently. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes then serve with chutney!

CREAMY SWEET POTATO COCONUT CURRY SOUP

CREAMY SWEET POTATO COCONUT CURRY SOUP

Soup season is here and I've  been enjoying it the right way! Blending soups is my new favorite thing. It helps make the perfect consistency for a soup and its wayyy quicker then waiting for all those big vegetables to cook. I just kind of made this soup up to with all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge. Its that easy! Be creative with what you add and experiment! This recipe is pretty much fail proof. Have fun:)

My hot sauce heart did not work out that time. hahah.

Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large orange yam cubed

4 potatoes, cubed

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 purple onion, diced

1 piece of ginger, minced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 broccoli head

1 cup multi colored carrots, diced

4 mushrooms, diced

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons curry spice

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons nutritrional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Couple of drops of liquid smoke

Steps
In a large pot add your olive oil and set at low-med heat. Saute garlic and onions for 2 minutes. Add the rest of your vegetables and saute for 5 more minutes. Peel, wash and cut your yams and potatoes. Add them to your pot then add your vegetable broth and coconut milk. Stir together well and bring to a low boil. Add your spices and allow to cook on low-med heat for 15 minutes or until your potatoes and yams are soft. Once its cooked, divide into half and blend the first half. Add back to your pot and blend the second half. The blending consistency is totally up to you! Add your other half and stir together well. Heat for another 5 minutes on a simmer and serve. :)
                                         

CURRY POCKETS

These curry pockets are just a fun, healthy spin on a simple pizza dough recipe. 

Its a little bit time consuming but sooo worth it because they are amazing! I'm fijian so I grew up eating the spiciest curry from a really young age so if my recipes are too spicy for you just change it up a bit! Either way they will be delicious and good for you. They are great to bake a bunch and store in the fridge for lunches or even to freeze for another dinner! The recipe would work with a gluten free pizza dough recipe as well! I just add different spices and flours to the dough to make it less like pizza and more like samosa dough. So here we are......

CURRY POCKETS

Makes 9

Dough recipe:

1 cup warm water

1 packet of instant yeast

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups organic white or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat this time)

1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour

1 1/2 teaspoon curry 

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon of marjoram

handful of fresh thyme

Filling recipe: 

4 small yellow potatoes, boiled, mashed

half of a yellow pepper, diced

3 mushrooms, diced

4 gloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup purple onion, diced

1 can of chickpeas

4 tablespoons coconut cream/milk

1/2-1 tablespoon earth balance butter

2 teaspoons curry

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons cumin

pinch of salt and pepper

STEPS

Preheat your oven to 350C. Prepare 1 cup warm water ( not too warm or you will kill the yeast ). Add a pinch of salt. Sprinkle yeast packet over top and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add less spices if you want. Prepare a pot with water for the potatoes on your stove. Place a lid over it, set to med-high heat and wait for it to boil. Cut all your veggies for your filling. Add your potatoes to the pot once it has boiled. Boil for 10 mintues or until potatoes are soft. Drain the water then mash your potatoes. *You don't have to add the same veggies I'm sure it would be good with other things! By this time your yeast is probably ready and you can add it to your dry ingredients. Create a well in the middle and pour the yeast and water in. Mix them together well until a dough begins to form. Knead for 5-10 minutes. *The longer you knead it the less chance of air bubbles in your dough. Lightly flour your area to roll your dough out. Roll your dough out into a square, roughly 12" - 14" inches wide and 1/4" inch thick. Cut into 3 even rectangles. Then cut those into 3 even squares. Take one square and roll it out a little bit thinner. Mix all your cut up veggies in with your mashed potatoes and add spices according to your taste. *saute the garlic and onion for extra flavour Make sure they are stirred together good. Take about an ice cream scoop full of your filling and put it in the middle of your dough.

 

    

Roll the dough from in half and press the sides with forks. Make sure the dough it is stuck together really well so its doesn't open while you bake them. Repeat this until all of them are ready. Oil a baking pan and place curry pockets on top. Brush the tops with oil and bake for 15-20 mins!