Mushroom and Green Pepper Quesadillas With Mango Salsa

This is going to be one of the shortest posts you'll ever see from me, because it's close to 11 pm and I want to get these recipes up before the midnight deadline for It's A Vegan World: Mexican.

I bought masa flour to make tortillas this month so I could make my quesadillas from scratch, but I finally only got around to making them today because I've just not had the time. I didn't have a tortilla press though, and while shaping the tortillas with a rolling pin wasn't too hard, they tended to break up on me when I transferred them to the griddle. They tasted great, but you might as well spare yourself the trouble and buy store-bought tortillas. In case you'd still like some adventure, though, or have a tortilla press, go ahead!

The roundup of IAVW Mexican will be up shortly. Meanwhile, don't forget to check out next month's It's A Vegan World event which will be hosted by the lovely Priya of the lovely blog, Akshayapaatram.

Adios everyone, and enjoy!
Mushroom and Green Pepper Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

For the mushroom and green pepper filling:
1 cup sliced button mushrooms (use crimini for more flavor)

1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper or any other green chili, minced

1 tbsp canola oil or other vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves

Heat the oil in a skillet.

Add the onions and stir. When they start to brown, add the garlic

Stir for a minute, then add the green peppers and mushrooms.

Saute until the vegetables are cooked. Add the pepper and salt to taste.

Turn off the heat and stir in the coriander. Reserve.

For the tortillas:

2 cups masa flour

Warm water

Place the masa flour in a bowl and add warm water, a little at a time, while mixing with a spatula until a fairly smooth dough forms. Divide into 1 1/2-inch balls. Set aside.

Heat a griddle.

If you have a tortilla press, just follow the instructions to shape the tortilla. If you don't, like me, I sprinkled enough all-purpose flour on my countertop to ensure the dough wouldn't stick, and carefully rolled out the tortillas to about 6 inches in diameter.

Carefully, very carefully, transfer the tortilla to the hot griddle. Flip over when it starts bubbling up and brown spots appear on the underside. Cook the other side.

To form the quesadillas, heat the griddle and spread 1 tsp canola or other vegetable oil on it.

Now place one tortilla on the griddle, then spread out the mushroom-green-pepper filling on it.

Place another tortilla on top. I also added some guacamole, made with nothing more than avocados, red onions, lemon, garlic powder and salt, to the filling.

When the underside is golden and crispy, flip the quesadilla carefully and cook until the other side is golden and crispy.

Remove to a plate and cut into wedges with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, flesh scooped out and cut into a small dice

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1 serrano pepper or other green chili pepper, minced

A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Mix together all the ingredients and serve with the quesadillas.

Mexican Rice and Chili-Garlic Potatoes

It's Spring, and today's a beautiful day out here in my corner of the world. The sun's shining, the birds are singing, the squirrels are frolicking...you get the picture?

Of course, not all's right with the world. Here we are, neck-deep and in some cases over our heads in a recession that's bordering on a depression. The news makes you want to scream-- unemployment, poverty, growing numbers of homeless people...how did this happen in the world's most prosperous country?

Of course, all of this is accompanied by well-coiffured, well-dressed and -- not to forget-- well-off television news show hosts advising you relentlessly on penny-pinching tactics. Give up that morning latte, clip coupons, shop the sales... Duh!

Well, I have one for you, and this one's actually good: go vegan!

Cutting out meat from your diet is a great way to cut down on grocery bills. All that animal cruelty and suffering comes at a price-- not just to the poor animals, but to you too. Staples of vegetarian diets like rice, beans and vegetables are far cheaper than meat. Plus, you can grow at least some of your own veggies if you have even a tiny piece of land or even a sunny window. On the other hand, try growing a cow at home!

And you just can't beat the tradeoff: you get to be much healthier while saving your money. Some of you might have read about this study in the papers this week that said red meat increases your chances of dying early. So why not just eat your veggies and let everyone-- animals included-- live longer?

Unless you are still in the dark ages, you have to know that vegan diets are not just about soy and tofu. In fact, vegans tend to naturally veer toward interesting and unusual foods because their world is not limited to hamburgers and steaks.

And now here's a perfect recipe to illustrate that. Mexican Rice with Stir-Fried Potatoes. Serve this up, and you'll really want to go vegan. This one is great on its own, with a salad, with a spicy curry, or even rolled up in a burrito with some refried beans.

Enjoy, all!

Mexican Rice (Arroz a la Mexicana)

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grain rice like Basmati

1 large tomato, sliced into quarters, drizzled with some salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted in a 400-degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. After the tomato cools, puree it in a blender or food processor, juices and all.

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 bunch scallions/spring onions, both green and white parts chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups boiling water

1 medium carrot, cut in a small dice

2 large jalapeno chilies or any other fairly mild green chili pepper

Salt to taste

Fresh cilantro (coriander) for garnish

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until translucent.

Stir in the carrots, chilies and spring onions and stir together.

Add the rice and the tomato puree. Mix well, then add the boiling water.

Add salt to taste.

Bring the water to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Turn off and let it sit, without removing the lid, for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot.

Potatoes with Jalapeno Chilies and Garlic

Ingredients:

4 large yellow potatoes, boiled in their jackets until just tender, then cut into a 3/4-inch dice (don't overcook them or they will break up on you).

2 large jalapeno chilies, cut into rings (substitute with any other fairly mild chili pepper

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp vegan "butter" + 1 tsp olive oil (this is really important to get that lovely golden-brown crust)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt to taste

Heat the oil and "butter" in a skillet, preferably a cast-iron one.

Add the chilies and potatoes and saute about 5 minutes until the potatoes have a lovely golden-brown color.

Add the garlic and saute another 2 minutes.

Stir in the salt and balsamic vinegar.

Garnish with fresh cilantro (coriander) if desired, and serve hot.

This one's for -- you guessed it! -- It's A Vegan World: Mexican.

***

My brother-in-law Naru sent out this email the other day, and usually when I see the words "inspiring" and "motivational," I hit the delete button faster than I can read the subject line. But this was my brother-in-law, so I gave it a minute, and I rather liked one part of it, because it's sometimes good to remind ourselves how lucky we are. I don't vouch for the accuracy of those statistics, but they can't be far from true. So here it goes:

If you have never experienced the danger of war or the solitude of imprisonment, the agony of torture and hunger, you are much ahead of 500 million people who live through it every day.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes to wear, a roof on your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the people who live on this Earth.

If you can go to your place of worship without being threatened, arrested, tortured or killed, you are luckier than 3000,000,000 people in this world.

If you have money in your bank account and your wallet and some loose change in some little box, you are one of the world’s 8% well-to-do population.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Potato and Lima Bean Cakes (Tortitas de Alubias y Papa)

Morelia is a quiet city nestled high in the hills of the Michoacan state of Mexico, and lined wall-to-wall with historic cathedrals and colleges. A grand aqueduct that looks like a procession of arches sweeps around the city's outskirts. The streets buzz with students, stores crammed with charming artefacts, and tourists looking to just relax or worship.

When we usually travel, our days are a huge blur of running breathlessly from place to place, thanks to Desi who's a regular Clark Griswold. I, on the other hand, like to take things easy. Needless to say, there's always a lot of arguing about what to do and how much to do which, I think, makes our vacations more fun!

But in places like Morelia, I win because there is little to do other than go with the tranquil flow.



One of our favorite things to do when we visited Morelia was to go in the evenings to a restaurant, Cafe Europa, just opposite the huge and beautiful cathedral in the city's center, order a big cup of coffee, and just sit back and watch the world go by. For once, even Desi did not complain about the lack of activity because he was too busy relaxing.

I ate a lot of bean and rice dishes in Mexico, but there were plenty of times when I was pleasantly surprised by the exquisite ways in which your usual old staples were transformed into something special.

In Morelia, I found a vegetarian restaurant where I ate a delicious burger with a vegetarian patty stuffed inside of it. It tasted a lot like these potato and lima bean cakes that I'm serving up today. The crunch of the patty or cake was perfect with the soft bread.

I served these cakes with just some stir-fried beet greens (try them, Obama, and I promise you'll become a fan of the delicious beet!). You could also just try eating them like burgers, stuffed inside a crusty bread, or like felafel, in pita.

Traditionally, these would contain some cheese, but of course I left it out because this is a vegan food blog and hey, why spoil a good thing?

The potato and lima bean cakes also remind me a little of a popular Indian street snack, Ragda Patties, which are potato cakes served in a pea sauce. But unlike that dish, these cakes combine both the legume and spud right inside the patty which means less work for me. And that's just the way I like it.


Potato and Lima Bean Cakes (Tortitas de Alubias y Papa)

Ingredients:

4 large floury potatoes, diced and then boiled until fork-tender

1 cup lima beans, soaked for a few hours, then cooked until tender

1 bunch scallions/spring onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeno peppers (use any moderately hot green chilies if you can't find these)

1 medium red onion, finely diced

2 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Salt to taste

About 1/2 cup of flour, for dredging the patties.

1-3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil.

Place the potatoes and lima beans in a bowl and mash together until you have a lumpy but fairly smooth mixture.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. The potato-bean mixture should hold together when you form a patty.

Make 2-inch wide patties and dredge them in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a cast-iron or non-stick skillet.

When the oil is hot, place just enough patties in it so the skillet is not overcrowded.

Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, over medium-high heat, or until golden-brown.

Serve hot with any hot sauce or these yummy stir-fried beet greens (recipe follows)

Stir-fried Beet Greens

Ingredients:

1 bunch beet greens, thinly shredded

3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.

1 tbsp canola or olive oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet.

Add the garlic, and when it turns golden, add the beet greens.

Toss together and cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until greens are absolutely tender.

Add salt to taste.

Serve hot.

These delicious cakes go, of course, to It's A Vegan World: Mexican. There's a week left to go, more or less, so hurry up folks and send in your entries!

Empanadas With Spicy Bean Filling

Empanadas, stuffed savory or sweet pastries, are among my favorite foods from Latin America. They are often stuffed with meat, and often fried, but my version is stuffed with a deliciously spicy bean filling and then baked, which makes the empanadas far healthier.

I had a good deal of the bean filling left over after making the empanadas, but I just used it as a dip for tortilla chips, and it was perfect.

Serve your empanadas with a hot sauce or just with some vegan sour cream which tastes exactly like the real thing, and is cruelty-free too! I mixed up this delicious hot pepper sauce I had leftover from this past week with a dollop of vegan sour cream, and it was heaven.

This is going to be a short, prattle-free post because it's Monday morning and things are already jumping around here. Here's looking forward to a speedy week and a leisurely weekend!

These empanadas go to It's A Vegan World: Mexican. There's still time until March 31 to send in your recipes, so get cooking, guys!


Empanadas

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp transfat-free shortening

1/2 tsp salt

Icy cold water to make the dough

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and, with the motor running, drizzle in enough water to make a smooth dough. Do not overmoisten. Make a ball of the dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the filling:

1 small red onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium potatoes, finely diced

1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced

1/2 cup pinto beans (use black beans if you prefer), soaked for a few hours, then cooked until tender enough to be mashed

1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp canola or olive oil

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions. When they start to brown, add the garlic and stir another minute.

Add the potatoes, carrots, cayenne and oregano. Stir and cook until the carrots and potatoes start to soften.

Add the beans with about 1 cup of the water. Stir well and cook until the vegetables are tender enough to be mashed. Let most of the liquid evaporate and, with a potato masher, mash the filling until it has broken down but is not absolutely smooth. You want some chunks of potatoe and beans in there for texture.

Stir in the raisins.

Add salt to taste, and let any remaining water evaporate before turning off the heat.

To assemble the empanadas:

Roll out the dough and cut out four six-inch circles from it. You might need to reroll the scraps and roll out again to get four circles.

Slightly off-center in each circle, place 2 tbsp of the filling. Then fold one end over so you have a half-moon shape. Press together the ends and press down with a fork to get a tight seal and decorative edge.

Place the empanadas on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with a mixure of 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp soy milk, and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until lightly golden-brown.

Cool until warm on a rack and then serve.

Lemon Shortbread With Candied Pecan Topping, And A Seeing-Eye Mom

My dog Freddie has a seeing-eye mom.

Yeah, you read that right. Freddie is 16 years old and almost completely blind. but he still has the energy of a puppy. When he hurtles around the house and on his walks, he sometimes bumps into things that get in the way. And he needs someone to guide him along.

When Freddie came to us as at the respectably senior age of 12, he was already beginning to lose his sight. Early on, he attached himself to me, unlike most of our other kids who for some reason I just cannot understand gravitate toward Desi as their First Human.
As Freddie's sight deteriorated, he quite naturally adopted me as his seeing-eye dog (calling me that was Desi's idea, of course).

He likes to follow me no matter where I'm going or what I'm doing, or no matter what time of day or night it is. When I work at the computer, he sits down next to me and sleeps for hours (he's there right now). When I get up, he sits up, yawns, then sleepily and staggeringly walks behind me.

If it's the bathroom, he waits until I'm done. If it's the kitchen, he's thrilled because there could be a treat in it for him. If I want to take a nap, guess who's there to nap right beside me?

Still, there are times, especially at night, when he can't quite tell where I am, and he dashes around in confusion.

At first, we tried to figure out a way to keep him close by putting him on a leash around my waist while I worked in the kitchen, say, but that just wasn't comfortable for either of us.

Eventually things worked themselves out.

By now he has learned to navigate his way around the house quite well, and smells his way out of any potential obstacles. The rest of the time he follows my voice.

When I want him to follow me, I wave my hands vigorously -- he does still seem to follow some movement -- and keep up a constant chant of "Freddie, come." It sometimes takes him a moment to figure out where I might be going, but he gets it soon enough. (He hates to be carried, in case you're wondering, and wriggles out of my arms in a second.)

There are accidents, of course, usually outdoors, and despite the leash. Like the time one evening he ran into a neighbor's makeshift fence around a tree made with short iron rods. It was dark and as he bounced around, Freddie bumped his head right right on top of one of them. He seemed to be okay, but the next morning, I found a huge clump of his hair had ripped off. He wasn't bleeding anywhere, and he seemed his usual self, but I learned my lesson about keeping him closer.

So that's what we do. Desi now knows that when he needs to find Freddie, there's only one place he has to look. In fact, Freddie won't even go for a walk with him unless I go too.

As for me, so used I am now to having him around me that if, for any reason, he's wandered away somewhere, I feel as though I'm missing a tail.

And a really gorgeous one at that.

***

Now on to today's recipe, an old favorite in vegan form, and trust me, the animal-free version tastes better.

Shortbread is perhaps the most decadent of all cookies, being as rich as it is in fats (read butter), but it is also one of the most delicious. Just a handful of ingredients go into making it, but the result is ultra luxe and luscious. And, I figured, what better way to celebrate the first day of Spring than with a shortbread scented with the fresh flavor of lemon.

My lemon shortbread is made with Earth Balance vegan butter and some transfat-free shortening, both of which are much lower in saturated fats than butter is. So in the end, they are not just good, they are better for you than their buttery peers.

I sprinkled the top with candied pecans, because I love their crunch on top of the melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, but you can leave out the topping if you'd rather have your shortbread plain. It's super-delicious that way too.


Lemon Shortbread With Candied Pecan Topping

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup rice flour (this is lower in gluten and gives an incredibly great texture to the shortbread. You can substitute with cornstarch or all-purpose flour if you don't have rice flour on hand)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

5 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance) at room temperature + 5 tbsp butter-flavored transfat-free vegetable shortening (can replace shortening with all vegan butter or margarine. Shortening gives an ultra-crumbly texture which is great in shortbread)

Zest of one large lemon, about 1 tbsp

1/2 tsp pure lemon extract (optional)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Now add the extracts and the zest and mix for another minute.

Add the salt and slowly sift in the two flours, beating as you add it, until you have a crumbly dough. Do not overbeat. You don't want to develop the gluten in the flour.

If the mixture doesn't hold together, sprinkle some water and mix, but be careful not to make a sticky batter.

Put the dough into a 9-inch baking dish (I used a glass one) and press down the dough into a smooth and even layer.

With a fork, make holes in the dough in a decorative pattern.

Place in a 300-degree oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the shortbread is just slightly darker at the edges.

Place on a rack to cool. When still slightly warm, take a sharp knife and cut into squares, going almost all the way through the dough.

Allow the shortbread to continue cooling. When completely cooled, cut all the way through the shortbread to separate the pieces.

If adding the candied pecan topping (recipe below), take out of the oven about 10 minutes before it is done, sprinkle the topping over the shortbread, and continue baking for the remaining time.

The remaining steps are the same.

Candied Pecan Topping

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

2 tbsp vegan butter or margarine

1 tbsp sugar

Put the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar starts to bubble, cook, stirring, another 2 minutes.

Immediately pour over the shortbread and follow instructions for the cookie (above).

Enjoy!

This goes to Sugar High Fridays: Fruit and Nut, hosted by Mansi. Thanks, Mansi!

Kale Subzi

I hate waste, but I will admit, I am not above it.

I get really excited at the sight of fresh vegetables, buy an armload of them, put them in the fridge, and -- when life gets in the way -- I forget all about them until they have turned into a sloppy, barely-recognizable mess and it's time to throw them out.

Greens are usually at the top of the casualty list, as anyone that cooks can understand, because of their short shelf life.

So as much as I love greens and leafies of all kinds, I don't dare to buy them fresh unless I know I will use them rightaway.

On my last trip to the store, I found some wonderfully fresh kale. In my book, kale is a little high maintenance because of the tough stems that need to be trimmed out, so I usually buy it frozen. But this time I simply couldn't resist their call.

What's better, I found this deliciously simple recipe for them in World Vegetarian. It's actually a recipe that can be adapted to any leafy vegetable, and although Sri Lankan in origin, it was not that different from some Indian recipes for greens.

So kale it was for dinner last night, and I must say I loved both the ease of preparation of this recipe as well as the subtle flavor of the simple spices that held up beautifully against the robust taste of the kale.

Kale Subzi

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, tough stems trimmed, and leaves cut into very thin strips.

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 onion, cut into very thin slices

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 green chillies, slit down the middle

1 sprig curry leaves (about 10-15 individual leaves)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan.

Add the onions, chillies and curry leaves and saute, stirring frequently, until the onion turns golden-brown.

Add the kale, turmeric and salt. Add about 1/2 cup of water. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the kale is tender. Add more water if needed.

Toss in the coconut and serve hot with rice and dal, or rotis/chapatis.

Enjoy!

Vegan Soul Kitchen: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

These two amazing recipes come from Bryant Terry's cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen.

As vibrant and wonderful as African-American food is, I don't cook it all that often in my kitchen. Terry has some really amazing recipes that take off on traditional soul cuisine. And the fact that he makes them vegan in the first place means a meat-free person like me can just go ahead and cook all I want.

I wanted to cook nearly everything I saw in Vegan Soul Kitchen, but the black-eyed pea fritters won me over in an instant.

Then Desi, who just cannot resist picking up any book lying around, happened to leaf through this one, and where should he first stop to drool than at the black-eyed-pea fritters. So the next day, black-eyed-pea fritters it was.

Terry suggests frying the fritters in coconut oil. In fact, he uses coconut oil quite a bit. It's a trend I've seen among other vegan cooks as well, including the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch authors.

I love the unique flavor of coconut oil and use it sometimes when I make dishes from Kerala, a south Indian state where it's a staple. But I have never used it to deep-fry and don't keep enough on hand for the five cups Terry recommended. So I just went with regular canola oil. I can imagine the coconut oil would give the fritters great flavor, and thought of drizzling some on top, but pouring oil on deep-fried food seemed not just decadent but almost evil, so I refrained.

I also made the hot sauce that Terry uses to accompany his fritters, and it was dazzlingly fiery with the vibrant flavor of habanero. Being a bit of a wimp in the heat department, despite my Indian tastebuds, I left out the cayenne and the white pepper that Terry also adds, but the sauce was delicious without them.

Except for the oil, I followed the instructions carefully. I did have some trouble initially with the fritters falling apart in the oil, so I added a tablespoon or two of chickpea flour which helped them better hold together.

The fritters were delicious and the ones we couldn't eat rightaway I wrapped in a chapati smeared with the red-hot sauce for a brown-bag lunch. Very nice.

I was so impressed with the fritters that the very next day I tried out Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk.

I adjusted the amount of ingredients because I was measuring the potatoes by number and not by weight as Terry suggests, but the final dish was delicious, so I guess I did it right.

The sweet potatoes were perfect, and tasted just as Terry describes them: creamy orange bliss.

Next on my list from this book: Uncle Don's Double Mustard Greens and Roasted Yam Soup, Not-Too-Dirty Rice, and Jamaican Veggie Patties.

Enjoy, everyone!
Black-eyed Pea Fritters With Hot Pepper Sauce

Ingredients for fritters:

1 cup black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, the rinsed and drained

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup raw peanuts

1 tsp thyme, minced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water

Salt to taste (Terry suggests 1 tbsp)

1 bell pepper, finely chopped(I used red because that's what I had. Terry suggests green)

1 tbsp cornmeal

Oil for frying (Terry uses coconut, I used canola)

In a food processor, combine the beans, onion, peanuts, thyme, cayenne, vinegar, water and salt and puree until you have a smooth mixture.

Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Remove the batter and add the chopped bell pepper and cornmeal and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. (I also added 2 tbsp chickpea flour because the fritters fell apart while frying).

In a saucepan, heat the oil to about 350 degrees. Spoon the batter into the oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry, stirring around, until the fritters are golden-brown, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the fritters to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. If you're not eating them immediately, keep them warm in an oven warmed to 200 degrees.

Hot Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne (I omitted this)

Salt to taste

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 habanero chili, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper (I omitted this)

In a saucepan, over low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt and saute until the onions start to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and chili and saute another two minutes (Make sure you have your exhaust on because this can cause some serious coughing). Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, vinegar and water. Mix well and simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes.

Transfer ingredients to a blender, add pepper if using, and puree to a smooth paste. Add more salt if desired.


Sweet Potato Puree With Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes

2 tbsp brown rice syrup (Terry suggests agave nectar, but I didn't have any)

2 tbsp coconut oil

Salt to taste

1/2 cup coconut milk, warmed, plus more if needed.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into a 1-inch dice.

In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes with the brown rice syrup or agave nectar, coconut oil and salt. Toss well.

Spread the potatoes on a baking dish. Terry suggests lining it with parchment paper to avoid sticking, I guess, but I didn't use any and it was okay.

In a preheated 400-degree oven, roast the sweet potatoes for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a food processor. Add coconut milk and process until you have a smooth puree. Add more coconut milk if you'd like a thinner consistency.

I sprinkled some fresh-ground cinnamon on top for an extra punch. Delicious.

---
I will leave you with a picture of my beautiful Opie, whose most favorite thing in the world to do is to play with stuffed toys. Every few weeks Desi and I make a trip to the thrift store to pick up an armload of toys for him. Every night after dinner, Opie will come up to Desi and start scratching him with his paw to beg for a new toy. If Desi doesn't respond, he'll sit next to the cupboard where the toys are and scratch that while looking at one of us with big, appealing eyes.

As you can imagine, we give in pretty fast!

Biryani with Mixed Vegetables and Lentils and Tofu-Coriander Raita

I usually only have to say the word "biryani" to put the twinkle into Desi's eyes, because it is one of his most favorite foods. And I can't deny that it puts a song in my heart too. Especially when it's as easy to make as this one is.

My mixed-vegetable biryani with lentils is very versatile, and you can try using all sorts of veggies in here. And so long as you have your spices right, it's hard to mess this one up.

I served this biryani with a vegan coriander raita made with tofu that's luscious and creamy and almost ridiculously good for you.

I want to put my feet up for the rest of my Sunday, so I'm going to make this a quick post. These have been unusually busy days for me which has meant less time for my blog, but rest assured I'll be back to a more frequent schedule pretty soon.

Enjoy!

Biryani With Lentils and Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetables, cut in a fairly small and uniform dice (I used carrots, red peppers, potatoes and green peas. You can also use zucchini, sweet potatoes or green beans)

1 cup rice

1/2 cup red lentils

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp red chili powder

3/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 cup soy yogurt

Salt to taste.

Soak the rice and lentils together and set aside for half an hour.

Heat the oil in a skillet.

Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown.

Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a minute.

Add the vegetables except the green peas. Add garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the green peas and the soy yogurt. Mix well and cook another 5 minutes.

Drain the soaked rice and lentils and add to the skillet. Mix with the vegetables.

Add salt to taste.

Add 2 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Cover with a lid, turn the heat to low, and cook 15 minutes.

Allow the biryani to stand for 10 minutes at least before removing the lid.

Garnish with coriander and fried onions, if desired.

Serve hot with Tofu-Coriander Raita (recipe follows).


Tofu-Coriander Raita

Ingredients:

1 package firm tofu

1/4 cup soy milk

1 tbsp grated ginger

Juice of 1/2 large lemon

1 cup coriander leaves

Salt to taste.

Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until blended and smooth.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Enough With The Indifference

This morning, I woke up to the New York Times and this horrifying, heartrending picture on the front page: a malnourished Indian girl, so incredibly thin it is hard to believe, being fed what looks like watered-down milk by her mother. The story talks about how 60 million children in India are malnourished.

Also in the New York Times and just about everywhere else: more news about Bernie Madoff, such a vivid example of the greed that, unfortunately, permeates our world today.

I am not religious, and I really am too cynical to believe that this will ever be a world where the bad guys get their just desserts and everyone cares for the welfare of everyone else. But more and more in these troubled times, I think, we are beginning to tire of extreme and ruthless greed and indifference. The Earth's resources are limited, and when a few of us grab at too many of them, many, many others get nothing at all.

India and China have been all over the news these past few years because of their rapidly growing economies. Yet, these two countries are also home to the kind of poverty that most people in the developed world cannot even begin to imagine. What makes the poverty worse, if you can imagine that, is the indifference of those who have grown a thick skin to it.

A man begging outside Calcutta's Dakshineshwar temple.

When Desi and I moved out of Thane, a city just outside Bombay, to study in the United States, a huge slum had begun to sprout up on a barren piece of land next to our apartment building. It was filled, like most slums in Bombay are, with migrants who pour into the city because there's no livelihood in the villages. Soon enough, they find out that they have no value in the teeming city of 20 million either.

When I visited India a few years later, some former neighbors and friends proudly told me that a newly elected municipal commissioner had eradicated that slum and put up a beautiful pond there instead. No one, of course, knew what had happened to all those people who had made those slums their home. All they cared about was that they didn't have to put up with all those "filthy" slumdwellers sullying their view of the polluted highway.

There's something terribly wrong with that picture.

So why write about hunger and poverty on a food blog? After all, we are the people who celebrate food. And yes, food's one of the most basic pleasures of life.

But when we cook and eat and revel in our fortune, let's take pause to think about those millions of children around the world-- including in the United States-- who go to bed hungry each night. Those little girls we shoo away like flies when they cling to our feet in the local trains of Bombay, begging for a few rupees. And let's think also of that skeletal girl in the New York Times whose face must have surely shocked millions of readers here, in the United States, and who will probably never ever have a full meal in her life.

Gandhi, who I often quote on this blog, considered indifference to suffering an act of violence. It doesn't take much effort to make sense of that. Let's all start by becoming more conscious of the world around us and reducing the waste in our lives so we can give more to those that never had a chance.

There's never been a better time to do it.

Refried Beans With Chipotle Chilis

In the India of my day, a rectangular two-burner stove would stand in almost every middle-class kitchen. Fom one end a green pipe would run through a hole in the soapstone countertop to a bright-red metal cylinder.

In the '90s when I got married and first set up house, those cylinders were precious. You often had to wait months if not years to get one from the government-run oil and gas companies, and once you did it was like winning the lottery. Because the only option to a gas stove in those days was a kerosene one that took ages to start up, or one of those square electric hotplates that burned the food before they cooked it.

The cylinders -- about three to four times the size of the little white ones you can buy for outdoor grills here in the United States - would last about a month after which you would call the supplier and they would send over a replacement in a few days.

The cylinder-wallah would arrive in a loud, clanging contraption that looked like a bike dragging a metal cart piled precariously with the cylinders. At the foot of the apartment building, he would hoist one of the heavy cylinders over a sweat-drenched shoulder, walk up a few flights of stairs if the building didn't have an elevator (and many in Bombay didn't), snap the new one into place and take away the old one.

Figuring out when to call for your replacement was a science. If you called too early, it was possible the new one would come in before you actually ran out. If you called too late, it was back to the kerosene stove until you got your replacement.

Last year, when we traveled to Leh in north India, one of the most delightful sights we saw was when a truck crammed with cylinders would make the rounds of the homes and monasteries perched steeply on craggy hills in the lap of the Himalayas. The monks would negotiate narrow stairs to get their replacements, cylinders on shoulders. In the villages down below, men, women and children would line the streets, waiting patiently for the truck.




Here in the United States we are used to the luxury of piped gas. You don't have to worry about the gas ever running out or about red cylinders and cylinder-wallahs, but I'd be lying if I said I don't sometimes think fondly of those old days when I knew the value of this precious natural resource and used it more reverentially than I probably do now.

When we bought our house four years ago, it came fitted with an electric stove. Although the electric stoves here are quite sophisticated, I am not a big fan (although many cooks might disagree). So I was really thrilled when, finally last week, we replaced it with a gas range.

I find gas stoves cook more gently and evenly than their electric counterparts. For instance, the banana nut bread I made in my new oven, with my own often-tried-and-tested recipe, took many more minutes to cook at the same temperature in the gas oven, but it also browned more evenly.

As I re-cook some favorites that I've blogged about, I shall be going back to those posts, especially the ones with recipes that needed baking, and add in in any differences in cooking times and temperatures for the gas oven.

Now finally, here's a little bit about today's recipe: basic but heartily delicious Mexican refried beans fired up with some smoky chipotle chilis in adobo sauce.

Refried beans aren't really fried, just simmered in water until they are done. So despite the unhealthy-sounding name that makes one picture two vats of boiling oil (one to fry and the other to re-fry!) these are actually tremendously healthy.

I used black beans, but pinto beans are also often used to make refried beans, and if you can't find those where you live, just go with any old bean you can lay your hands on.

This one goes out to It's A Vegan World: Mexican, the second in our vegan world cuisine series. Do send in your entries before the 31st. Remember, you don't have to know a whole lot about Mexican food to enter, and you certainly don't have to have only Mexican ingredients. The staples-- beans, rice, corn and vegetables -- can be found anywhere in the world. Just improvise, innovate and create. In fact, isn't that how the best dishes get made?
Enjoy, everyone!

Mexican Refried Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup dried black beans, soaked for a few hours and then cooked until tender enough to mash (can substitute with about 2 cups of washed and drained canned beans)

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (use less or more if you like yours milder or spicier)

2 cups of water or the bean-cooking liquid

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Add the onions and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until they are richly golden brown. It will take about 8-10 minutes. Don't burn the onions.

Add the minced garlic and stir for another minutes.

Add the chipotle chilis, finely chopped, and stir in. Then quickly add the beans.

Use the back of your ladle or better still, a potato masher, to mash the beans. I don't mash mine completely because I like the texture.

Add the water or liquid, bring to a boil, and allow the beans to simmer away for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid has reduced.

The beans should still have some liquid when you take them off the heat because they will thicken up on standing.

Top with a dollop of vegan sour cream or soy yogurt and serve hot or cold with some tortilla chips. You can also roll 'em up inside of a burrito, heap them on a taco, or eat them as a terrific side dish with some guacamole and rice. These are very versatile.

Vegan Italian: The Roundup

Whew! You know how they say that when it rains, it pours. Well, like all cliches, this one's absolutely true.

This past week I was blindsided by a crush of time-consuming surprises, as a result of which I was forced to put off posting all those wonderful recipes all of you sent in for It's A Vegan World: Italian. My apologies, but here it finally is!

Pat yourselves on your backs-- you were incredible. Vegan cooking can be a challenge even to those of us who do it every day, and Italian food without cheese can be particularly daunting. But not only did all of you rise spectacularly to the occasion, you positively dazzled me as you will everyone else once they see what you cooked up!

I am really looking forward to another successful month, this time of Vegan Mexican food. Come on, you guys, it's easy! In fact, I already have a few entries, but I am hoping for many, many more.

But first, enjoy this roundup, everyone-- you did it!

Aparna makes a gorgeous Minnestrone with black-eyed beans, vegetables and pesto.



Aquadaze's Fusilli in Sun-dried Tomato Pesto is perfect Italian comfort food.



Asha makes a simple but utterly flavorful Grilled Grapefruit and Zucchini Salad


The always sunny Cham contributes an aromatic and gorgeous Farfalle With Cilantro Pesto.


A clever use of turmeric makes Deesha's Lemon-Flavored Fettucine with Broccoli Florets a feast for the eyes and stomach.


DJ Karma sends in some incredibly hunger-inducing Crispy Baked Eggplant and Cauliflower Bread. Now here's a dinner to love.

Food Fanatic's Pasta Penne with Garlic and Mustard Sauce: even the title makes my mouth water.


Gayathri steals my desi heart with her Pasta Cooked with Indian-style Sauce.


The sunny and energetic Harini sends in two gorgeous creations: Pasta with Pesto, and Kidney Bean and Brown Rice Risotto.

Jo's hearty and beautiful White Bean Tomato Stew makes me so hungry!


Madhuram, who never ceases to amaze me with her creativity, comes up with three gems: the jewel-hued Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce, Pizza Pepporanata and Spaghetti with Kidney Bean Sauce.





Meera, always fresh and prolific, sets a record with SIX lovely dishes: Pasta Con Melanzane E Pomodori, Fusille with Spinach and Beans, a White Bean and Spinach Soup, Pasta Puttanesca, Tomato-Dill Soup, and Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Walnuts. Hats off, Meera!


Mia flavors her spectacular Pizza Rustique with an unusual ingredient: ajwain!


Mints' simple but delicious Spaghetti will have you rushing for second helpings!


Miri's Aubergine and Eggplant Tofu Bake is vibrant with the flavors of basil, cumin and tabasco. Delicious.


Pavani's Potato Pizza doesn't just make for great alliteration: it sounds so divine, I feel I've died and gone to heaven!


Pavithra cooks up a herby and fragrant Foccaccia, as well as Spaghetti with Spinach Walnut Pesto. Yum.


Priya of Akshayapaatram, and next month's host of It's A Vegan World, sends in an exquisite and colorful Panzanella: a rustic bread salad.


Priya Narasimhan sends a delectably creamy Soymilk Pasta


The incredibly prolific Priyasuresh sends not one but three delicious recipes: an Onion Foccacia, a spicy Fusilli with Broccoli and Sprouted Moong Dal, and a Cauliflower, Broccoli and Pasta Soup.


Rekha sends a beautiful and healthy Orzo Pasta Soup with Mushrooms.



I live to eat potatoes, and these healthy, roasted beauties from Sangeetha sound like a perfect excuse to indulge!



Soma uses an iron skillet to mix up some magic into her already delicious Spaghetti.



This beautiful Easy Eggplant Bake from Suganya makes me want to rush into the kitchen and start cooking!

Susan 's beautifully appetizing Eggplant Caponata: now how great does that look?


Sushma makes an Indian-style pasta and stirs in garam masala and chaat masala for an explosion of flavors.



Swapna Pravin's Pasta Salad is also a feast for the eyes.


Sweatha serves up an incredibly flavorful and healthy Peasant-style Cabbage Soup.


The Budding Cook, always delightful with her creative and beautiful dishes, scores again with Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

Uma Ramesh sends two delicious takes on polenta: Polenta with Sauteed Vegetables and With a Creamy Sauce.

Lemon and pasta are an incredible flavor combination, and Usha's Lemon Pasta Salad is bound to win over any palate.


Varsha's Multicolored Crostini looks eminently snackable.


Smoky bell peppers and tomatoes make perfect mates in this beautiful creamy soup from Vidhas.


Artichokes and olives! Healthnut Yasmeen served up these delicious veggies with a gorgeous rotini pasta.

And here are some recipes I made for the event:


Gnocchi With Sundried Tomato Pesto


Pappardelle Pasta with Asparagus and Green Pepper Frittata


Amaretti Cookies

Rustic Tuscan Bread



Angel Hair Pasta With Green Beans and Mushrooms

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna


Pizza Topped With Tandoori Tofu

If I missed adding any of your recipes, please, please drop me a note. It is not intentional, and I'll correct any oversights immediately.