Peachy Keen Green

 Nick and I love Darbar's Shahi Paneer, so I wanted to try making a vegan version. After some experimentation, this worked well, somewhat like Vegan Richa's Butter Tofu recipe. Ingredients 1 T canola oil 1 inch ginger, diced 1 small hot chili, chopped 1 medium red onion, chopped 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (or green methi) 1 tsp salt 6 medium tomatoes, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 T vegan butter 1/2 C cashews, soaked in 1 C and blended, OR 1/2 C coconut milk 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp chili Tofu, pressed, drained and cut up Tofu marinade of your choice, or try:  2 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp garm masala 2 tsp lemon juice 2 T water 2 T cornstarch or potato starch 1 tsp nutritional yeast 1 T canola oil Instructions Press, drain, and cut up the tofu. Marinate as desired, and air-fry or bake. Saute ginger, chili, onion, fenugreek seeds, and salt in oil. Add tomatoes, garlic, and butter and cook a few minutes. Add blended cashews or coconut milk (or both!). Add spices a...

When Munira lived nearby, she'd make a yummy vegetable dal soup. I've wanted to give it a try for awhile now, and after buying pounds of red and mung dal at Costco, decided it was time. I looked at a recipe and then winged it a bit. I got the curry leaves from a plant Munira gave us, but didn't have peanuts -- next time! Ingredients 3 C cooked red or yellow lentil 1 red (or white) onion, chopped 2 C cabbage, chopped 1 C carrots, chopped 1 C potato, chopped 1/2 C raw peanuts (optional) 2 C tomato, chopped (or 1 can diced) 2 T canola oil hot pepper, diced 1 knob ginger, diced 4 cloves garlic, diced 1/2 C cilantro 1 tsp salt 1 T cumin seed 1 tsp mustard seed 1 tsp black cumin seed 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp coriander A few curry leaves (if available) 8 C veggie broth Juice of 1 lemon Instructions Cook lentils (2 minutes in instant pot, if using). Saute onions with salt, ginger, mustard seed, black cumin, and hot pepper for about 5 minutes. Add remaining veggies, peanuts, and garlic,...

A simple, delicious dish, created by Munira. Who'da thought corn and tofu would be so good together? You might be tempted to add other ingredients; feel free. Bell peppers, for example, are delish in the mix. But it really is delicious in its simplicity. Ingredients 1 block tofu, drained 2 cups frozen corn, thawed garlic, diced pepper, diced oil salt to taste optional: bell peppers (chopped) Instructions Press the tofu to drain some of the water. Cut into chunks. In a pan, saute diced garlic and pepper in oil. Add the tofu and saute until browned. Add the corn and saute a few more minutes. Salt to taste. Serve with rice or roti.

Munira is visiting from Texas, yay! We biked over with some fig banana bread , and she treated us to an impromptu, delicious dinner of her lentil dosa and  secret gobi . I thought dosa was super hard to make, but she showed me how -- and it wasn't so hard! I'm very excited because besides their delicate deliciousness, her lentil dosas are high protein, super healthy, and a wonderful pairing with indian veggies. She also cooked up some bhindi masala for her IT guy (Larry) and sent it home with us, along with leftover dosa batter and a (loaner) dosa pan so I could practice my dosa-making skills again tomorrow.  Sweet! She recommended serving with lettuce, tomato, and chopped onion, and filling the center and rolling up into a "stuffed" wrap. Lots of possibilities! Rough measurements for ingredients follow (of course no actual measuring was done :) Ingredients A mix of dry lentils, such as: 1/2 C red lentils 1/2 C green lentils 2/3 C urad dal 2/3 C channa dal 1 tsp salt ...

Another recipe from Munira! After making us a wonderful dinner, she described how to make fried rice from the leftover rice in her Instant Pot, and sent me home with spiced rice that I could fry up with an onion and veggies. So simple, tasty, and pretty. Here's the (rough) recipe (guessing at measurements). Ingredients 6 C cooked rice (in Instant Pot) 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp turmeric 1-2 tsp salt 3 T canola oil 1 red onion, diced 1 hot pepper, diced (optional) 2 T mustard seed 1 tsp hing 2 C mixed veggies (peas, corn) 1/2 C cashews (optional) Instructions Cook the rice in an Instant Pot and let it cool. Sprinkle chili powder, turmeric, and salt on the rice in the Instant Pot, and mix it up with your hands. You can store it at this point, and continue the rest later, if desired. In oil, saute mustard seed, hing, onion (and hot pepper, if using), cooking until onion is transparent. Add veggies and stir a few minutes. Add spiced rice. Optionally add cashews. Stir often and cook on lo...

I've been meaning to try to make a chana masala for awhile, and today I found a nice recipe in Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen that I adapted slightly, using wisdom from Munira, some canned tomatoes since I didn't have enough fresh, and adding cilantro and mushrooms, which I love in masala. It was super good! Ingredients 4 C chickpeas (2 cans, or 2 cups dried, cooked in instant pot) 2 fresh tomatoes 2" knob of ginger 6 garlic cloves 1 hot chili pepper 1 tsp lemon juice 2 T canola oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 tsp hing 1 red onion, chopped 1 tsp salt 8 oz mushrooms, chopped (optional) 1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 C cilantro, chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp chili 2 tsp masala powder or garam masala (or both! I used both, including some of Munira's homemade garam masala mix plus part of a masala packet from an Indian store) 2 1/2 C water Instructions In a blender or grinder (I use the smaller cup that comes with my Ninja blender), combine 1/2 C chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, ginger...

Another of Munira's yummy recipes. Black chickpeas have such a nice flavor. Of course all the measures are approximate guesses; no actual measurement tools were used in the making :) Ingredients 2 C dry black chickpeas 2 T canola oil 1 hot pepper, diced 1" ginger, diced 2 tsp mustard seed 2 tsp cumin seed 1/2 tsp hing 1 small onion, diced 1/2 tsp salt 5 large garlic cloves, sliced 1/2 C cilantro, chopped 2 tsp coriander 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp turmeric 2 T dry (not sweet) coconut (optional) 1 tsp garam masala Instructions Cook chickpeas in instant pot: 15 minutes with 3 C water if soaked; 30 min w/5 C water if not. Saute pepper, ginger, mustard seed, cumin seed, hing, onion, and salt a few minutes in oil. Add garlic and cilantro, and stir. Add remaining spices and cooked chana, including water (may need to add more water, depending). Simmer 30 minutes and serve!

Shhhhhh.... Munira shared her marvelous gobi recipe with me! I'm not sure what got into her, but she made us a delicious dinner (as usual!) and this time, showed me a lot of her secrets. If you know Munira, you know that's a big deal :) She also bought me some frozen methi (fenugreek) to use in recipes, and gave me some fresh-ground ginger & peppers and a container of nigella seed. What a sweetie. (Note: Of course no actual measuring was involved; amounts below are approximate.) Ingredients 2 T canola oil 1" ginger, ground or diced 1 hot pepper, ground or diced 1 T cumin seed 2 tsp mustard seed 1/2 tsp hing 1 T nigella seed  1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces 1/2 C methi (fenugreek leaves) 1 C peas (not sweet) 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili pepper 1 tsp salt Instructions Optional: Steam the cauliflower in the microwave if you want the dish to be done faster. Saute ginger, pepper, cumin seed, mustard seed, hing, and nigella in oil, ...

Larry asked his colleague Supraja what she had for lunch the other day, and she shared this  cauliflower curry recipe. I had a small head of cauliflower and some potatoes and cabbage to use, so I added a few more vegetables and changed up the spicing a little (making up the "curry" part with the various spices I have), and it was very good! Thank you, Supraja!  Ingredients 1 small cauliflower, chopped  2 medium potatoes, chopped 2 C cabbage, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 T canola oil 1 hot pepper, minced 2 tsp cumin seed 1 tsp mustard seed 1/2 tsp fenugreek seed 4 cloves garlic, minced 1" ginger, minced Spices: 1 bay leaf 1 tsp thyme 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp coriander 2 tsp chili pwd 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 T dried or fresh cilantro 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can coconut milk zest of 1 lime Instructions Chop the vegetables. Steam the potatoes and cauliflower in the microwave for 4 minutes to precook them a little, and set aside to cool. Mix the spices and s...

Munira brought back a masala dabba for me from India. So exciting! The next morning I filled it with some of the spices I use the most, and drew a key to help me remember what is what. It was SO fun to use it to make my  Pav Bhaji this weekend. I need to make Aloo Patta Gobhi next. Thank you SO much, Munira!

Our friend Judy shared this roti for two recipe with us, which just uses flour and water, and is very good! Munira adds some spice to her roti, and luckily, she shared her secrets with me in Whatsapp. I also searched to see what other spices people use in rot. So I've adapted the recipe (below) to include some optional spicing :) Ingredients 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour 3/4 C water 1/2 tsp salt optional spices (mix and match) 1 tsp cumin seeds or 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp roasted flax seeds of flax meal 1/2 tsp garam masala (or other curry powder) 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp fenugreek (if not using leaves, below) 2 T fenugreek leaves or cilantro leaves 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped Instructions In a large bowl, mix the flour and optional spices/leaves of your choices. Add 2/3 cup water and see how wet your dough is; add water until you get pizza dough consistency (don't want it too gummy). Knead a bit. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes....

Loving my Vegan Richa 's Indian Kitchen cookbook. With the uneasiness in the world, our pantry is full of dried beans and lentils - and I'll definitely be making this again. Here's a slightly adapted (and tripled) recipe from the cookbook. (Thank you, Munira, for bringing us all the great lentils and other items from your Indian grocery store - and especially for your homemade garam masala!) Ingredients 3 C mix of dry lentils with similar cooking time: - split pigeon pea (>= 1 C) - chana dal (< 1 C) - moong dal (< 1 C) - red lentils (less cooking time) 5+ cups water for cooking) 2 T canola oil 1 T cumin seeds 2 tsp mustard seed 2 cups chopped red onion 1-2 green or red chiles, chopped 10 cloves garlic, chopped 1.5 inch knob ginger, chopped 1.5 tsp turmeric 1.5 tsp coriander 1.5 tsp garam masala 4 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced) 1 tsp salt Garnish: fresh chopped cilantro fresh chopped mint lemon juice Instructions Cook the lentils. Red lent...

Munira often makes a potato cabbage fry for us that is yummy. I love cabbage and have a head of it that needs used, and found a recipe in my Vegan Richa cookbook to try! Ingredients 1 T canola oil 1 T cumin seeds 1 T mustard seeds 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional) 1 hot green pepper 3 gloves garlic, minced 1 (1/2) inch knob of ginger, minced 1 tsp turmeric 2 medium potatoes, chopped (might pre-microwave 3 min) 5+ cups chopped green cabbage 1 tsp salt 2 T cilantro, chopped, for garnish Instructions Saute cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (if using), and pepper in oil. Add garlic, ginger, and cook 2 minutes. Add turmeric and salt and mix. Add potatoes and mix well. Add cabbage and mix. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spice. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

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...

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 ...