Curried Macaroni With Lentils

Hello all. This was a week. A week. We had some very serious health concerns with a beloved family member whose been in the hospital since Monday. He left yesterday morning. My mom is monitoring him closely. Let’s just say it truly is the hardest sight to see in the world— a precious life in the balance and at so young an age. Dreams and thoughts of tubes, IV cords, syringes drawing blood, doctors alternating between “death,” “dying,” and “dead.” We have to take care of ourselves and those closest to us if they allow it.

On the positive side, in addition to his health improving, I published stories too— Arts of Global Africa at the Newark Museum, Excellent Contemporary Art by Artists of African Diaspora on the artblog and The Ultimate Vegan Guide to Dayton, Ohio on VegNews. Plus, Camille DeAngelis’ book, A Bright Clean Mind: Veganism For Creative Transformation, is coming out soon. She has interviewed creatives such as musician/writer Lacresha Berry of berryandco, poet/writer Donald Vincent of Mr. Hip, myself, and others.

Although I have unfortunately left my VeganMofo incomplete, I still have plentiful Caribbean style recipes to post and upcoming birthday plans to consider. It’s sad and inconvenient that the local Greyhound Station has closed as well. So visiting Cincinnati to get art supplies and delicious Asian cuisine or journeying to Columbus for the art museum and the best Midtown vegan donuts and croissants are out of the question. I don’t like asking people for rides to places, especially if they’re hours away.

I have shared a similar recipe for macaroni with lentils before, but this here has the addition of delicious curried appeal. I let the lentils cook for fifteen minutes then add the macaroni so that the macaroni soaks up the flavorful lentils. It is an incredibly fulfilling meal-- always a plus since one running unfunny joke is that a vegan can never be full.

Curried Macaroni With Lentils Ingredients and Preparation

1 cup lentils
1 cup macaroni
2 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoon dried onion pieces
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

In two cups of water, cook lentils for fifteen minutes. Add pasta and olive oil, stirring evenly. Cook for fifteen minutes.
Drain pasta and lentils.
Stir in curry powder, dried onion, garlic, turmeric, salt, black pepper, and paprika.
Serve immediately. 

Turkeyless Roast And Veggie Casserole

It's Shepard's pie, but not.

Tofurky sandwiches and salads are popular around this time- simple, convenient ways to utilize leftover central.

Leftover mac and walnut cheese overloaded with yummy broccoli.

I had much to work with. A little less than half a turkeyless roast coated in gravy, a slew of undercooked potatoes and carrots, and unused Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella screamed, "bake together!" After boiling the hardened potatoes and carrots, I slightly mashed and mixed with the "roast."
Whilst warming spirits inside with blended memories of the Friendsgiving meal, this delicious casserole is a hearty dish perfect for the cold.

Turkeyless Roast And Veggie Casserole Ingredients and Preparation

2 1/2 cup cooked potatoes
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup carrots, cooked until soft and tender
1 cup chopped turkeyless roast (or any holiday "meat" substitute)
1 cup vegan mozzarella
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and turkeyless roast, mashing it together.

Smooth mixture into a baking dish. 

Top with vegan mozzarella and nutritional yeast. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Rosemary leaf decoration. 

The first scoop-- imperfect yet very delicious. 

More leftovers? Of course! 

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 22: Chickpea Vindaye

Chickpeas are once again transformed into a meaty starring dish.

Tropical Mauritius, where flightless dodos once roamed freely, is an island located in the Indian Ocean formerly under Dutch and French rule. English and French are the national languages with Creole, Bhojpuri, and Hindustani also spoken. The island ranks high as a tourist attraction with a splendid rock formation (Seven Colored Earths) being the height alongside beautiful beaches and climbing the picturesque La Morne Brabant Mountain. Among the several holidays celebrated is the Abolition of Slavery every February 1st.
Mauritian cuisine is a combination of influences from Chinese, Indian, French, and Creole. Curries, pickles, chutney, rice, and noodles are highly favored staples.
I was inspired by Aislinn's Travelstart blog post (which features plentiful meals worth veganizing) to venture into another "fish" dish. These "feel good fish cakes," crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, are a slightly altered recipe from We Are So Vegan. I created a simple mustard marinade for that authentic vindaye which is all about mustard, onions, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander.

Chickpea Vindaye Ingredients and Preparation

1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoon sweet relish
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
red onion, chopped
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxmeal with 2 tablespoon water)
2 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoon parsley

marinade
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
red onion, a few slices should do
1-2 teaspoon water
pinch of salt and black pepper

Set aside the flax egg.

In a medium bowl combine ingredients. Add flax egg last.

Shape into patties and heat a skillet with a light coating of olive or coconut oil.

Gently place patties in the skillet and brown each side for 5-7 minutes. In the meantime, whip up the marinade in a blender or food processor.

Serve "fish" vindaye with marinade and a side of a  vegetable-- perhaps broccoli.

Bon appetit.

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 19: Curry Potatoes

Colors and flavors to celebrate the day after fall equinox and the start of Libra season.

Uganda kicks off this last week of Vegan Mofo. This is a country in the central part of Africa bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Congo, and Rwanda with English and Swahili as official languages as well as some twenty more local vernaculars. It is home to tourist attractions such as Queen Elizabeth Park (their most popular), the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (where half of the world's mountain gorillas exist), and Margherita Peak (the highest mountain range in Africa).
In Ugandan cuisine, indigenous cooking and contemporary methods thruve together with cassava, rice, plantains, sesame seeds, spices, and peppers as main components. Specialty foods are luwondo (a stew that can be made of mushrooms steamed in banana leaves), malewa (a bamboo shoots dish), and kikomando (chapati bread served with fried beans). In addition to Fanta, tea, and chai, fermented banana wine is a thing.
Alongside my Ugandan curried potatoes, a recipe from Genius Kitchen, are Brussels sprouts coated in generous teaspoons of coconut nit'r kibbeh, salt, and black pepper, making for another colorful, fulfilling meal.

Curried Potatoes Ingredients and Preparation

8-9 red potatoes (or 2 small sweet potato/Yukon)
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup onion
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon curry paste
4 small bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Boil potatoes. Drain and set aside.
In a medium pot, combine coconut oil and onions, searing until brown. Add garlic and stir together for thirty seconds.
Bring in the rest of the ingredients.
Lower heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 9: Chtitha With Carrots

A fulfilling bowl of veggies and chickpeas.

Algeria, the tenth largest country in the world, is in Northern Africa off the Mediterranean coast and has an ancient history that dates back to 200,000 B.C. Arts, literature, and cinema have a supreme following as artists create honest depictions of this impressive city.
I have seen Eugene Delacroix's large, splendid colored Women of Algiers painting (located at the Louvre Museum) and it showcases a great interest in Orientalism (fantasized perceptions of Middle Eastern and Northern African peoples, fabrics, etc). Local Algerians, however, are taking ownership of what is theirs--culture, history, language, design, and everything in between, validating themselves without the eyes of The Other. After all, Delacroix wrote that North Africa was, "a prodigious mix of races and costumes...This whole world moves about with an activity that seems feverish."
Sigh.
Still, Algerian cuisine sounds feasible. They love dolmas (yummy rice stuffed grape leaves) and couscous is a typical meal accompaniment. A favorite meal is chtitha, a chickpeas and meat dish served in red sauce prepared with dersha-- a spice blend featuring caraway seeds and chilies. Well, I didn't have caraway seeds and that is quite alright. I always make do with what is available. There are various vegetarian/vegan versions of chtitha-- meat often replaced by potatoes.
In my version, soft tender carrots give a light sweetness to the mild spicy flavor profiles of chickpeas and tomatoes.

Chtitha With Carrots Ingredients and Preparation

Dersha

1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of ginger
2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cup water
3 carrots, chopped
1 14 oz can chickpeas
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Grind together garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and ginger. Add olive oil.
Bring water, chickpeas, carrots, and diced tomatoes to a boil, making sure carrots are fork tender.
Drain (or save for vegetable stock).
Combine the dersha with the vegetables. Drizzle with lemon juice and parsley flakes.

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 5: Ful Medames

Lemon and garlic bring delight to mashed fava beans. 

Egypt has one of the longest tracings of historical documentation (including the hieroglyphics writings and pharaoh tombs and pyramids). The diet happens to be rich in vegetarian offerings like legumes and vegetables. Plus, their whole philosophy is eating from the ground The most popular item to eat for breakfast is ful medames (mashed fava beans with olive oil and spices). In fact, it is primarily vegan and many vegan bloggers have specified falling hard for the simple dish. Historians believe that ful medames dates back to as far as Ancient Egypt.
Forks Over Knives recipe by Del Sroufe served as a model.
In my quick and easy version, (Sroufe would sternly disapprove) I used canned beans as opposed to the traditional dried beans that must be cooked for two hours. I would certainly be honored to go that route if dried fava beans could be found around my area. Perhaps that's for online in the future. Still, the canned fava beans are alright. I also added chopped mushrooms and bell peppers, entirely optional. Egyptians are fond of adding pretty tomatoes and generous amounts of parsley garnish.
Served alongside brown rice, the meal is hearty and fulfilling. The flavors are just amazing. I have only have fava beans in falafel so it was nice having them on their own.

*Side note, my second article for The Artblog was published today. I wrote about The Common Room: a gallery, workspace, and shop in the Fishtown area of Philadelphia, promoting womxn and non-binary artists. Read it here.

Ful Medames Ingredients and Preparation

1 can fava beans, drained and rinsed
olive oil
1/4 cup red or yellow onion
1/4 cup mushrooms
4 small bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon lemon
1 teaspoon salt

Bring fava beans to boil.
In a skillet, combine olive oil, onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, and salt.
Drain the beans and mash until the beans look like chunky puree.
Mix with the vegetable mixture.
Turn off heat and serve.

Ful medames all browned and ready.

Great with rice.

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 1: Groundnut Stew With Chickpea Cutlets

Chickpeas are transformed into crispy cutlets served in a whimsical tomato peanut sauce.

Hello Vegan Mofo'ers. Welcome to my blog. For the next few weeks, I will be sharing significant dishes from various African countries, veganizing dishes that are not originally plant based to staple dishes that never contained meat or dairy. I am thrilled to bring cuisine, desserts, breads, and beverages to the table and hope to inspire those encouraged to try new things. I am making all of these for the very first time, utilizing websites such as Foods From Africa and Immaculate Bites to help with planning.

In Mali, the eighth largest country in Africa, the famed groundnut stew/soup (a dish consisting of crushed peanuts), or in other words maafe, is traditionally served with white rice and meat. Mail, however, uses fonio (a porridge) to lap up their creation. Groundnut stew/soup has traveled across various countries with various spices such as cumin, turmeric, ginger, and others to bring a richer, spicier flavor profile. Some regions also add cabbage and root vegetables.

I veganized Immaculate Bites Groundnut Soup and found recipe for chickpea cutlets on Genius Kitchen. The stew (which operates as a gravy to my rice and cutlets) churned out this compelling medley of interesting flavors and the pan seared cutlets were something special partly thanks to using Watusee Foods Chickpea Breadcrumbs.

Groundnut Stew With Chickpea Cutlets Ingredients and Preparation

chickpea cults
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (used Watusee Foods Original Chickpea Breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon liquid aminos
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mash chickpeas completely.
Mix in ingredients and knead together.
Turn on the heat and warm olive oil in the skillet.
Section into four equal parts and shape them into cutlets.

groundnut stew

1 tablespoon paprika
2 tomatoes (diced or canned tomatoes is also fine)
1 small red onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup peanut butter
1.2 cup full fat coconut milk*
pinch of salt and black pepper

Blend paprika, tomatoes, red onions, and garlic in a blender or food processor.
Pour mixture in a medium saucepan. Stir in peanut butter, coconut milk, salt, and pepper.
Serve with rice.

* add more coconut milk or water for a thinner consistency.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

You know how you've had an idea stuck in your head for weeks, but you're too busy to make time? That was me. I wanted to make stuffed bell peppers for a while now.
Unfortunately, I got around it a little too late, having to discard a yellow bell pepper thanks to my cooking procrastinating.
I salvaged the two left (red and green) with a yummy blend of black rice, tempeh, and walnut cream sauce. And not only did I accomplish my original thought, I filmed parts of my process (rather comically). Please watch the YouTube video here and laugh at my mistakes.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup black rice
olive oil
tempeh, chopped
red onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Walnut Cream Sauce

1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of lemon juice or white vinegar (optional)

large bell peppers, remove tops and seeds

*Make walnut cream sauce ahead of time. Soaked walnuts are drained and blended with nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice or vinegar.

Prepare black rice to package directions.
In a skillet, combine tempeh with olive oil, red onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander, and black pepper. Pan seared on all sides.
Mix tempeh with black rice. Add walnut cream sauce.
Pour filling inside opened bell peppers.
Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Gnocchi

Little gnocchi served with cheese sauce and a side of tempeh.

Last night, I made gnocchi for the first time.
If you didn't know, gnocchi is an Italian origin dumpling traditionally composed of potatoes and flour. They can be flavored with herbs, vegan cheeses, and other ingredients before being dropped into hot water for a quick cooking.
I found this easy peasy gnocchi recipe on Lauren Caris Cooks. The scrumptious cheese sauce, smothered thickly of my preparation was just a little Parmela Creamery nut cheese mixed with almond milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, and crushed red pepper-- which suited perfectly fine.

Gnocchi Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2- 2 cup potatoes ( used Yukon Gold Potatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cup water

Bring potatoes to a boil. Mash completely.
Add salt and flour. Knead with olive oil.
Cut off a piece of dough at a time and ball it into small rounded shapes.

Using a fork to make indentations is optional (some people opt to have smooth gnocchi). After making them (should be about twenty five to thirty), bring a pot of water to boil and add a few gnocchi at a time. They're ready once floating.  

Yummy gnocchi.

Dig in.

Macaroni With Eggplant

The ardor for eggplant continues onward. It is such a good, versatile ingredient that can make a meal become more than originally conceived.
For example a simple "butter" pasta dish has been livened up thanks to crumbly texture eggplant.
I chopped up a small one founded at the corner market, stir fried the bits in olive oil and spices, and rested them in seemingly plain macaroni. It was an interesting, meaty tasting dish that was worth the greedy second helping. In addition to garlic, black pepper, cumin, and other dried cabinet things, the touch of Chinese Sauce went a long way. Read the labels on Chinese Sauce, some of them contain non-vegan ingredients.


Macaroni With Eggplant Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup macaroni, cooked
2 tablespoon almond milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small eggplant, diced
1 tablespoon Chinese Sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Stir in almond milk, salt, and black pepper.
With temperature set to medium high, heat olive oil in a skillet.
In a small bowl, mix diced eggplant with Chinese sauce, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, and black pepper. Pour this mixture into hot skillet and turn every few minutes until nicely browned. Should be 8-9 minutes.
Stir finished eggplant with cooked macaroni. Serve.

Zucchini Noodles With Mushrooms and gardein's Classic "Meatballs"

Comfort food central.

I cannot get over zucchini noodles. They are simply delicious and versatile. I must have shared so many experiments that adding a "zucchini" label might be a future option. Maybe exploring zucchini noodle desserts will be my newest venture-- in a bread or pancake? Perhaps not.
Still, I love zucchini and spiraling is my favorite way of eating it.
In this latest dish, I pan seared zucchini with mushrooms (my other sacred vegetable affair) with garlic and onions whilst preparing gardein's Classic Meatless Meatballs separately in a chunky tomato sauce. Once dinner looked spectacularly put together, I added a dollop of extra cashew-tofu ricotta (leftover from these amazing Eggplant Roll Ups) and a smidgeon of Italian Seasoning.

Zucchini Noodles With Mushrooms and gardein's Classic "Meatballs" Ingredients and Preparation

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 chopped red onion

1/2 cup mushrooms (used sliced Portobello)

1/2 large zucchini, spiraled to desired consistency (I spiraled mine into thin ribbons, cutting between lengths)

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

5 gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs
1 cup tomato sauce (homemade or favorite jarred)

First off, over stove top, cover gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs in tomato sauce according to package directions. They take fifteen minutes.

Heat a skillet. Add olive oil, garlic, red onion, mushrooms, and zucchini noodles. Stir in salt and black pepper. Let this sizzle, mixing ingredients together to prevent sticking and scorching. Cook 7-10 minutes.

A little extra cashew-tofu ricotta never hurt.

A simple albeit flavorful meal.

Eggplant Roll Ups With Cashew and Tofu Ricotta (From Coco Verde Vegan)

Although I've eaten eggplant at various restaurants in roasted vegetable salads, in Baba Ganoush (my absolute favorite), and as fries, I've never worked with eggplant before last night. The moment Coco Verde Vegan posted an enticing picture and recipe for Eggplant Roll Ups on Twitter (posted here), I was blown away, desiring at last to experiment, bring the vegetable into the home kitchen at last..

With a fulfilling side of Lotus Foods Forbidden Black Rice (which had been out of stock for quite a while), the roll ups are completely simple to make and incredibly delicious. One great trick from Coco Verde Vegan is if not having time to soak cashews overnight, you can boil them for twenty minutes instead. This makes cashews susceptible for traditional blending method in a quicker fashion. Thick, luscious cashew tofu ricotta cheese and chunky tomato sauce topping deliver a pleasing reminder of stacked lasagna flare. I had leftovers for lunch-- still impressive and beautifully composed.

Eggplant Roll Ups With Cashew and Tofu Ricotta Ingredients and Preparation

1 large eggplant

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper


Cashew and Tofu Ricotta

1 cup cashews

extra firm tofu

2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/4 cup aquafaba (canned chickpea water)

2 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon salt

tomato sauce (I used a jarred vegan Portobello Mushroom sauce)

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice eggplant vertically as thinly as possible-- about 1/4 inch a piece.

Coat slices in olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Bake for 35 minutes, turning them around about 18 minutes in.

Whilst eggplant is roasting, cook cashews in water for twenty minutes. Drain. Pulse them in blender or food processor with tofu, aquafaba, garlic, and salt until rich and creamy.

Take eggplant from oven, which should be soft and "rollable," spoon a generous bit of cashew tofu ricotta and roll. Repeat for each.

Heat up tomato sauce and pour over top of eggplant roll ups. Sprinkle Italian Seasoning.

Raw Zucchini Noodles For Meal Prep

Last night's scrumptious dinner filled me straight up.

This will be a simple, cost effective week, trying to focus on saving money (leaving for Toronto in exactly one month), and implementing more veggies and pure ingredients into my eating habits. It is good to know what you're putting in. Although tomorrow, the forecast calls for Taco Tuesdays with gardein fish filets with cilantro and mayo.....
I prepped a menu for the week and the first to share is zucchini pasta. Alongside these lovely spiraled strands of green zoodles, I added herbed new potatoes as a side dish-- a cheat sheet purchase from Whole Foods Market, surprisingly delicious served at room temperature, and a whole avocado with nutritional yeast.

Raw Zucchini Noodles With Diced Tomatoes and Avocado

3 zucchini, spiraled
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (used 365 Brands Organic Italian Styled Diced Tomatoes)
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, ripened
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Toss zoodles with diced tomatoes, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
Top with ripened avocado and nooch.

Scene of a delicious night time dinner.

This is the third avocado in a row that has come out epically perfect. I pray that this will continue.

My Monday lunch.