Peachy Keen Green

I made these cookies to bring to Munira & Vinod's for dinner because I know they love ginger. The recipe is a cross between my grad roommate Elizabeth's Molasses Crinkles and Vegan with a Vengeance's Sparkled Ginger Cookies. I put in more ginger than called for in either. They were really good! But Munira said add more ginger - and use fresh ginger! Don't be shy. (Elizabeth's had 1 tsp dry ginger; Vengeance had 3 tsp; I tried 2 tsp dry + 2 T ginger paste, and then later, just changed to using all fresh grated ginger!). Makes about 3 dozen cookies. Sometimes I double it and freeze some (as formed raw cookie dough dipped in sugar) to bake later. Ingredients 2 C flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves Wet: 3+ T fresh grated ginger (or 3 tsp ground) 1/2 C canola oil or vegan butter 1/4 C molasses 1/4 C soy or almond milk 1 C brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Topping: granulated sugar (coarse if you have it) Instruction...

Munira gave us some delicious homemade hot green chutney. I tried to replicate it - with success: even Munira and Vinod liked it! This is adapted from a video Munira shared for this r ecipe for Green Chutney (Mind & Coriander)  and also Neelam Batra's The Indian Vegetarian cookbook. Most of the ingredients came from our garden, which was extra fun. Serve with samosas, on veggie burgers or sandwiches like  Pav Bhaji  (but that might make it too hot to eat!). Ingredients 1 red onion or 2 long scallions, sliced 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (carefully!) 2 inches of ginger, sliced 2 C cilantro (fresh coriander) 1 C fresh mint (or 2 parts cilantro to 1 part mint) 1 tsp cumin juice from one lime (or lemon) optional: 1/4 cup seeds from pomegranate 2 cloves garlic 1 green or yellow pepper salt and pepper to taste Instructions In the food processor, grind the onion, peppers, and ginger coarsely (and any optional ingredients like pomegra...

Munira is cooking us another delicious dinner, and wants rum cake! So I gave it a try. I googled and found a few recipes, and two stood out to me: A vegan coconut rum cake that was somewhat similar to my favorite vegan chocolate cake , and a brown sugar and molasses based rum glaze.  Since then, I've made both vanilla-coconut and chocolate-walnut versions of this (after Munira said try walnuts!). We thought the chocolate walnut was the best, but both are good depending on what you're looking for, so both variations are described below. Ingredients Dry: For vanilla: 2 2/3 C whole wheat flour For chocolate: 2 C wheat flour + 2/3 C cocoa 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt optional: For vanilla: 1/2 C shredded coconut or For chocolate: 2/3 cup chopped walnuts Wet: 2 C unsweetened almond milk (or coconut) 2 tsp vinegar 1 1/2 C sugar 2/3 C canola oil 3 tsp vanilla Glaze: for chocolate: 2 T vegan butter 1/4 C water 1/3 C sugar 1/3 C rum (add...

My friend Munira is a wonderful cook! For years she would never share her recipes, saying why would we come over for dinner if we knew how to cook the food? :) But last weekend we arrived as she was starting to make Pav Bhaji (from Cook w/ Manali) , a popular Indian street food where rolls/buns are served with spicy mashed veggies and butter (for us, no butter) -- and she allowed me to take photos! So lots of photos below. Munira says that many things she makes have this similar base -- just add beans or whatever you feel like at the end, or use different spice mixes (Indian stores have many masala mixes; experiment!) Ingredients 2 T canola oil 1 jalapeno pepper and/or    1 dried red hot pepper (2 for super spicy) 1 T cumin seed 1 tsp mustard seed 1 large onion (red best), chopped 1 cup cilantro 2 cups chopped tomato Spices: turmeric coriander chili powder Pav Bhaji masala (or other spice blend) various vegetables, like (roughly)... 2 green peppers head ...

Shelley Million sent me this super minimalist baker recipe for saag paneer with tofu in place of the cheese! I've tried a saag recipe or two and wasn't thrilled, but this one is different - we loved it. Here's a slightly simplified version that also incorporates tips from Munira -- in particular, using a mix of greens like Power Greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc.) from Costco. Ingredients 2 T canola oil 2 tsp cumin seed 2 T ginger, minced 1 onion, chopped 1 serrano, habanero, or jalapeno pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, diced 1 cup cilantro, chopped 6+ cups Power Greens (from Costco) or spinach 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water and pureed 2 tsp curry powder 1 tsp garam masala Tofu: 15 oz block firm tofu, pressed 1 1/2 tsp curry powder 1 T soy sauce 2 tsp nutritional yeast Garnish (optional) garam masala, cilantro Instructions Cover the cashews in water to soak. Prepare the tofu: Press the tofu to get some of the liquid out, then cu...