This Food Is Good!

Banana Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
2 large handfuls of fresh, washed Spinach
2 Bananas
1/2 c. Frozen Pineapple
2/3 c. Coconut Milk
4-5 Ice Cubes
1 c. Water

Put them into a blender, run it til it's smooth and you're done. You will only taste the fruit but you will also get the health benefits of the spinach. I usually throw in a teaspoon of ground flax seed as well, but chose not to do that today. Also, you can substitute frozen strawberries instead of pineapple, though the color won't be quite as nice :)

Finding vegetarian Indian recipes is not hard to do; less than 30% of India's population regularly consumes meat. As the food relies heavily on spices, cooking Indian dishes can seem intimidating. Fortunately, you need not be scared. Madhu Gadia's book, The Indian Vegan Kitchen is great for everyone, but the overview of Indian cooking and spices that it has (about 50 pages worth) are especially helpful for newbies.

My favorite dish (aside from the ever popular and tasty Samosas) is Matar Paneer. Paneer is a cheese... and I was pleased to find that tofu makes a very good substitute for the Paneer in this recipe, now appropriately called Matar Tofu, or, Pea and Tofu Curry. It has heat to it, but is not *so* spicy. I've changed a few things from the book to suit my cooking preferences, if you want Gadia's version, you'll have to get the book.

Matar Tofu

1 Lb. Extra Firm Tofu (cut in half inch squared and drained on a towel to remove extra water)
2 c. Frozen Peas
1 c. Yellow Onion
1 T. Ginger
1 t. Garlic
1/2 t. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 c. Tomato Paste
1 t. Cumin Seeds
1 T. Poppy Seeds (I use white, black will work the same)
1/2 t. Turmeric
2 t. Ground Coriander
3-4 T. Vegetable Oil, divided
1 t. Salt
2 1/2 c. Water
1 t. Garam Masala

Heat 1-2 T. of oil in a skillet on med-high heat and add the tofu cubes. You want them lightly browned on each side, so flip them every so often and set them aside in a bowl once they are finished.

While the tofu is frying, toss the onion, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, turmeric and coriander in a blender. If it seems too stiff and not smooth you can add 1-2 T. of water).

Add your blended mixture to the skillet that the tofu just occupied, and add 2 T. of oil. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the mixture, and add the 2 1/2 c. of water.

Now add the tofu, peas, salt and garam masala. Bring it all to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until you are ready to eat. Serve over Basmati rice and with warm Naan bread.

Go to Amazon, and buy their $65 Nesco dehydrator... you will fall in love with it. I've been having fun making sweet potato and carrot chips, as well as dried bananas, kiwis, pineapples, plantains and apples.

Let's discuss the apples. As you can see in the photo, I used a mix of red and green apples for variety. I removed their cores, and sliced them in the mandolin slicer at 1/16th of an inch. Next, I tossed them with lemon juice and cinnamon. Then I dehydrated them at 104 degrees for about 8 hours.

They end up being crisp but not crunchy... and they are a bit tart, but the cinnamon balances that out nicely. Note that I just used ground cinnamon, not cinnamon sugar. The apples are sweet enough on their own, there is no need to add to that.

Every so often, I need a certain blend of spices for a recipe and have to decide which is more practical - to buy it, or to make it myself. I take pride in my large collection of spices, so I'd rather create the mix myself... but if I am missing a few, it's usually more economical to spent $5 on the blend then to drop $10 on spices that I am not likely to need again for a while. When I needed some Old Bay Seasoning for a corn fritter recipe, and could only find it for $7, and had the ingredients... it was a no-brainer to just make it.

Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons celery salt
1-1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

I didn't have the white pepper or the mace... so I left them out. No big deal, because everything turned out great. I mixed everything in a small container, and since the recipe was a hit, I've made it a few times since.

Spices also lose some of their kick after a while, so it is good to use them up in a reasonable amount of time. Buying them at small international groceries is usually a lot cheaper than buying them in a small glass jar at a large store.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with a Fresh Orange Glaze

This is without a doubt my favorite chocolate cake recipe. It is easy, makes great cakes and even better cupcakes. It has a very rich yet fluffy texture... the end result will look like you were in the kitchen forever making it. But in reality, you threw it together in about 5-10 minutes. Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

Put these in a bowl and mix:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Now push everything to the sides of the bowl so you have an empty spot in the center. Add these:
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 T. white distilled vinegar
1 cup cold water (cold coffee will also work very well)

Mix everything together (don't over mix, though) and bake for 15 minutes.

For my glaze, I mixed 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, 2 T. of fresh orange juice and the zest/peel from that orange. I left the pieces of zest a bit long, but you could mince them as well and it would still look nice :)