Kari Cooks's Blog

Spicy Mushroom Tofu

2010-02-27T00:28:40Z

Kari's Spicy Mushroom Tofu

(inspired by *Ma Po Tofu)

Sauce Mix:

2 Tbsp Tamari

1 Tbsp Blackbean sauce with garlic (Kikkoman brand)

1 Tbsp Shao Xing cooking wine

1 Tbsp Turbinado sugar

1/2 Tbsp Chili garlic sauce

12 ounce X-firm Tofu, cubed

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin

4 or 5 large fresh Shitaki mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thin

1 1/4 cup mushroom broth (or vegetable broth)

2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 T oil

1 Tbsp minced gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 small dried red chiles

Bring a pan of water to boil. Add tofu and simmer 4 or 5 minutes. Drain well.

While tofu is cooking mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix cornstarch and water in another small bowl. Gather remaining ingredients.

Heat wok. Add oil and swirl to coat wok. Add ginger, garlic and dry chiles. Stir fry 20 or 30 seconds. One at a time, add carrot, mushrooms and green onions. Stir fry til tender crisp about 2 minutes. Add sauce mix and stir fry 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch-water mixture. Cook until broth thickens. Add tofu cubes and stir gently to coat. Simmer a few minutes then add peas. Stir to warm through. Serve immediately with rice.

This dish is mildly spicy. For a hotter dish increase chiles and/or chili sauce. You could also use chile oil instead of regular oil or add ground chile pepper. *Ma Po Tofu also includes Szechuan pepper.

Vegetarian Goulash

2010-01-07T18:51:34Z

Almost everyone has a recipe for something they call goulash. I've been making variations on this version for 30 years. This version of goulash does not contain meat, but uses a small amount of veggie burger crumbles (MorningStar Farms or Boca brand). If you shun faux meat, you can just omit it. Additionally, you can substitute vegetable bouillon for the beef flavor. For a spicier version, add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes with the other spices. Many people use macaroni in their goulash. I prefer medium shells because they hold the goodies better.

Kari's Goulash

(serves 4 to 6)

8 ounces medium shell pasta

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup veggie burger crumbles

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried sweet basil

2 tsp parsley flakes

15-ounce can stewed tomatoes

8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 tsp Better Than Bouillon No Beef flavor

15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

fresh ground black pepper

3/4 cup frozen corn kernals

Cook pasta al dente as directed on package. Drain in colander.

While pasta is cooking, saute onion and green pepper in a nonstick skillet with a little water. When veggies soften, add burger crumbles and spices. Cook and stir together to mix flavors. Remove from heat.

Transfer onion mixture to the empty pasta pan and add stewed tomatoes, breaking up any very large pieces. Add tomato sauce, water, and bouillon. Season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Return drained pasta to the pot along with the kidney beans. Stir together and simmer a couple minutes. Stir in corn and cook a couple more minutes to heat through. Serve.

Yellow Split Pea Sambar

2009-12-09T17:04:33Z

I think in India Sambar is traditionally made with toor dal (hulled, split pigeon peas). If you can't find toor dal in your area, it's available in online stores like ishopindian.com You can also use red lentils or split mung beans or chana dal. There are many recipe variations for Sambar, thick or thin or somewhere in between. Some are just dal (split pea/lentil) puree with spices. Others have added vegetables. This recipe uses curry leaves. If you can't find curry leaves, you can substitute bay leaves or just omit. The flavor will be different, but still good.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed

1 Tbsp oil, divided

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 Tbsp sambar masala*

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp salt

4 red arbol chiles (small dried red chiles)

1 sprig curry leaves

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Tbsp minced ginger root

1 Roma tomato, diced small

1/2 small cauliflower, chopped bite-size pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)

2 small Indian eggplants, peeled, diced (about 1 cup)

1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate

1 cup warm water

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Precook sweet potato in microwave 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cook yellow split peas with 3 cups water, 1/2 Tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp turmeric in pressure cooker 8 minutes; quick release pressure and set aside. (If your pressure cooker doesn't have a jiggle top, you can probably omit the oil. My pressure cooker has a jiggle top, so it's included to prevent foaming and clogging the vents. You can also cook without oil in a regular pan on stovetop until very tender. Peas should be mostly puree.)

In nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil. Add black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they pop, add chiles and curry leaves. Stir until leaves begin to crisp. Don't burn. Add onion; cook and stir a minute or two, then add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute, then add tomato. Cook 2 or 3 minutes until tomato begins to break down. Add cauliflower and eggplant. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes, then stir contents of skillet into cooked peas along with tamarind concentrate dissolved in warm water, reserved sweet potatoes, sambar masala powder, and salt. Simmer over medium-low, stirring often and adding water if necessary to prevent scorching, for 25 to 30 minutes til vegetables are very soft. For thinner sambar, add additional water. Add cilantro and serve. You can serve this with basmati rice or Indian bread and chutney.

Serves 4. Per 1/4 recipe 447g serving: 281 calories, 4.5 g fat, 17 g fiber, 15 g protein, 56 mg sodium

*You can buy sambar masala spice blend prepackaged. I used MDH brand. There are also numerous sambar masala recipes online.

Note: You can vary vegetables to taste or by what's available. Carrots, green beans, squash, green peas, potatoes, and okra, as well as various Indian vegetables, are often used. Many sambar recipes also include coconut.

Greetings, Earthlings!

2009-12-02T21:17:58Z

Hello, everyone. This is my first post at vegsource. I'm still feeling my way around.

This month marks my 2-year no meat anniversary. Amazing. I suppose I would be considered an ovo-lacto vegetarian, but I cook mainly lowfat vegan. Labels, they're such a pain. Anyway, I hope to be sharing my thoughts and recipes with you here in the future. That is if I don't break something while trying to figure out how to post here. Computers hate me.