This Food Is Good!

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.

First, a thank you to my lil' sis for the shout out on her blog - Today I Made Risotto . She makes super good food, especially desserts. When she's not cooking, she is working toward becoming the first female member of the Blue Man Group. Or the second...

Now... the food...

Today I give you: The Black Bean Seitan Burger


Remember the Italian Seitan Sandwiches? There was extra seitan, so I froze it until it was needed.

1 1/4c. Seitan
1 15oz can of Black Beans (rinse them, the can juice isn't needed)
1 T. Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Bread Crumbs
2 T. Flour
1/2 c. Corn
1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 t. Cumin
1/2 t. Chili Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1-2 T. Veg. Oil

It really is this easy: Throw the seitan and black beans into your food processor and pulse them until they are completely mixed. Put the mixture into a bowl, add the other ingredients and mix them with your hands.

Heat up a skillet - while heating, prepare your patties... between 1/4 and 1/3 cup is a good amount for a patty. Add some oil to your skillet, then add the burgers. They cook quickly, and I recommend letting them get pretty dark on each side. Put them in a bun with all of the fixings and it is fantastic! I added portobellos, onions, lettuce and tomatoes. They have some heat to them from the spices, but not so much that I'd call them spicy.

You will thank me for this one.


There are a lot of great options out there for when you are craving a certain taste but don't want the meat, however... Italian beef sandwiches were one thing that I had figured just weren't going to happen. I didn't crave the meat part - just the juicy, spicy, well-seasoned bread that came with it. I haven't cooked with seitan much, but I've always enjoyed it at restaurants and prefer it to tofu. Then I discovered this recipe, and adjusted it to my liking.

This is what you need to gather:
1 and 1/2 lbs. of thinly sliced seitan
3-4 c. water
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 t. dried oregano
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 t. fennel seeds
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
2 chopped up red bell peppers

Put everything in a pot, stir it, cover it, and simmer over medium heat for about an hour. After an hour, turn the heat to low and keep it covered until you are ready to serve it.

Serve with rolls. I got 5 for $1 at the Vietnamese bakery across the street and they were amazing. They were served in a bowl, sliced, filled with the seitan and then I poured the juice over them. Perfect!