Aloo gobi

Again, no photo, but this was too good to not post.  I pretty much followed the aloo gobi recipe in Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan! cookbook, with just a few adjustments.  This is my favorite kind of comfort food - warm, soft, and fragrant - and it's nice and healthy.  The cauliflower is full of Vitamin C, and the spices have all kinds of restorative properties.  Have this for dinner, and you'll wake up the next morning feeling great. 

1.  Mix the following spices together in a small bowl, and set aside:

• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 

2.  Combine and set aside:

• 1 vegan bouillon cube (I like this bouillon by Rapunzel)
• 1 cup hot water

3.  Add the following items to a soup pan, and saute until the onions are translucent:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-inch chunk of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (I use a garlic press, similar to this one)

4.  Add the spice mixture to the pan, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

5.  Add the vegetable broth to the pan.  Then add the following:

• 2 lb. small red potatoes, skin on, diced into bite-sized pieces.

6.  Stir, cover with lid, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  Add to the pan:

• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets.

8.  Stir, cover with lid, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

9.  Stir in the following:

• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

10.  Cover with lid and let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve over fluffy jasmine rice mixed with Earth Balance margarine.

Kale-beet-carrot salad

This was one of the most delicious salads I've ever had, and really easy to put together.  Here's what I did:

1.  Wash and de-stem two bunches of kale.  Cut into bite-sized pieces and put in a big bowl.

2.  Wash a red beet, a golden beet, and a few carrots.  Chop each into a few pieces, then grind in the food processor into easy-to-eat pieces.  Add to the kale.

3.  Make salad dressing by combining roughly equal parts (start with a tablespoon of each) of: olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, miso paste, and honey.*  Add salt and pepper to taste, then whisk together until well-combined.  Sample it, then adjust until it tastes amazing.

4.  Add dressing to your portion of salad only when you're ready to eat it.  That way, if there are leftovers, you can store them in the fridge without the vegetables becoming wilted.     

* Some vegans don't eat honey.  You could use agave nectar instead.