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...

Another hit from Cyndy. She got this recipe in a vegan cooking class. The instructor said this was meant to be a kind of "fake chicken." It didn't really taste chickeny to us, but it was delish - not a bite left. Ingredients 1 container firm tofu 1 cup bread crumbs canola oil (for frying) Marinade: 1/3 cup soy or almond milk 2 T mustard 1 tsp worchestershire 1 T soy sauce 1 T nutritional yeast 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Instructions Slice tofu and press the water out of the tofu as much as possible. Chop into small squares. Put in marinade and let marinate for an hour or more. Drain off the marinade. Toss tofu in bowl of bread crumbs. Saute. Drain on paper towel and serve on a flat tray with toothpicks!

Cyndy visited this weekend, and we made this for a dinner with Munira and Vinod. She soaked some dried mushrooms overnight and cut them up in small pieces to add to the marinara. it was really good!  I need to look at Judi's eggplant recipe too; she fries it forever, but doesn't bread it (her dad never did). Then she bakes it with her homemade marinara, alternating layers so it's like a little lasagna. She says it melts in your mouth. Ingredients 1 large eggplant 1/2 cup aquafaba 3/4 cup wheat germ 3/4 cup bread crumbs salt & pepper canola oil (for frying) marinara sauce Instructions Slice eggplant, salt both sides, and let it weep (along sides of colander) for at least an hour; longer is fine. Rinse slices and pat dry. Mix wheat germ and bread crumbs together and put on a plate. Dip dry slices in aquafaba, then dip in bread crumbs mixture. Place on a rack for 10-15 minutes to help adhere and dry out. Pan fry or bake. Serve with mari...

Jeff texted us (siblings) a photo of his blueberry pancake dinner. It looked delicious, so I called him for the recipe! He made it up (of course),  and says that yeast pancakes -- and these in particular -- are the best he's ever had. And they are SUPER healthy. (Yay, more spermidine from wheat germ.) So I added them to my blog so that I'll make them! Makes 12 pancakes. Ingredients  1 cup whole wheat flour 4 T wheat germ, ground into flour 1.5 C soy milk 1 package yeast (quick rise, or regular active dry) 12 oz blueberries Instructions Mix the flour and wheat germ. Warm the soy milk in the microwave so it's lukewarm, and add 1 package yeast; mix. Add the soy milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix! If the blueberries are cold, warm them slightly in the microwave (want them to be room temperature. Fold the blueberries into the mix. Go putter around for 20 minutes (if quick rising) or 30 minutes (if regular active yeast). Come back and heat up your griddle (...

When we visited Chelsey and Josh last November, Chelsey made a delicious, super thick oatmeal. The secret? Almond milk and oats, almost equal amount! Then the other day, Jeff suggested adding wheat germ to oatmeal to get the maximal  autophagy benefits of spermadine , so that's a new addition. (See another nice summary of spermidine and other anti-aging agents .) Ingredients   (per very hungry person) 1.5 cups almond milk (vanilla, sweetened ok) 1 heaping cup oatmeal flakes (NOT instant) 2 heaping T wheat germ Topping: blackberries or other berries roasted flax seed Instructions Mix the almond milk, oatmeal, and wheat germ in a saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Stir for a minute or two. Turn off heat, cover, set aside to thicken. When it's ready, dish out and top with berries and flax seed. Yum!

Jeff made a batch of his black bean soup and told me his recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try! TJs didn't have collard greens so I tried kale. He cooks his beans in a big pot where he makes the soup, but I made the beans in the Instant Pot and added them at the end. It makes a very hearty soup! Ingredients 1 lb black beans, soaked overnight 3-4 purple carrots, chopped 2-3 stalks celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, diced Collard greens or kale, chopped vegetable broth (or just bean broth) Tomatoes, chopped (optional) Spices: 1 T cumin seeds 1 T coriander 1 bay leaf 2-3 cloves garlic 1 tsp salt Instructions Put the soaked beans in the Instant Pot to cook. (If soaked overnight, set pot to 20 minutes.) In a soup pot, saute the onion, pepper, cumin seeds, and a little salt in oil for a few minutes. Add the celery and carrots and saute another few minutes. Add the rest of the spices and stir.  Add tomatoes if using. When the instant pot beans...

Omg, these date cookies are so good. Munira and her friend Shobha made them for a party we went to last night, and we got to take some home. The date, pistachio, cardamom, and coconut flavors are fantastic together. Here's how to make them! Ingredients 1/4 cup pistachios, whole 1/4 cup almonds, whole 2 T vegan butter 2 C medjool dates, chopped 2 tsp cardamom 4T finely shredded coconut (optional) Instructions Chop dates (by hand or use food processor). Transfer to saucepan and cook over medium heat with vegan butter and cardamom. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and stir until the mixture forms a paste (about 5 more minutes). Add pistachios and almonds and combine well. Let the mixture cool to the touch. Roll the mixture into a log (may want to roll between two sheets of parchment paper). Roll the log in coconut flakes (I used a mortar & pestle to crush shredded coconut). Cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until firm (an hou...