Recipe-less Spicy Noodles, Chickpea Curry and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Yes, sometimes I use actual cookbooks, not just recipes from online. In fact, I own a horrendous number of them. So, in this post, all I will offer you is food porn! Who doesn't like that?

Burmese Noodles with Chili Sauce from The Asian Vegan Kitchen

A word of warning: So... Spicy... But also delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from The Candle Cafe Cookbook

Best muffins I have ever had, ever. Period. 

Chana Masala from The Asian Vegan Kitchen

Featured in my Indian Feast post. 

Sloppy Joes

No, this is not a pretty picture. What it is is a delicious recipe for the great American classic -- the sloppy joe. This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, so it's obviously delicious. Also, wonderfully messy!

Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Makes 4 or more servings

Ingredients:

2 cups dry textured vegetable protein

2 cup water

1 cup onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 (30 ounce) can red beans

hamburger buns

Directions:

Heat the water on the stove or in the microwave, until lightly boiling. Mix together the TVP and hot water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. (I prefer more beans, so I add less TVP. If beans are not your thing, add about 1/2 cup more of TVP.)

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or until fragrant. 

Turn the heat down to low. Add the TVP, beans, tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, sugar, chili powder and cumin. Bring the sloppy joe mixture to a simmer and cook until you're ready to eat, stirring occasionally. 

Serve on buns!

Indian Feast

I've been posting sweet baked good after sweet baked good, so here's my first savory recipe(s)!

Spicy! These are just a few of the spices used in the amazing chana masala recipe from The Asian Vegan Kitchen. I've read a few reviews of the cookbook that didn't think it was worth it, because most of the recipes in the book are naturally vegan anyway. Honestly, that's ridiculous; tons of foods are naturally vegan, and this cookbook brings together some of the most delicious and traditional recipes from across Asia. It's one of my favorite, actually. 

Chana masala, chickpea curry, is one of my favorite Indian foods. Hema Parekh's version has a great spicing and it really benefits from a couple of days in the fridge, to develop the flavor. I also made the brown rice from her cookbook, I would really suggest it as the rice accompaniment of choice. 

I obviously can't post those two recipes, so buy the book! If you're a pan-Asian food lover, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I can post the third thing I made, rajma, red bean curry. The flavor of the red beans really shines through, which I loved. Be forewarned, my family can't deal with spice, so this isn't a very spicy curry. Change it up!

Red Bean Curry (Rajma)

Adapted from vegweb.com

Ingredients:

3 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-inch square ginger, pealed and chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

fresh coriander

Directions:

Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add onions and saute until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. 

Add garlic and ginger, and saute with onions until fragrant. Add the turmeric and garam masala, and continue sauteing the vegetables until they are coated with the spices and the mixture is fragrant. 

Turn the heat to low and add the tomatoes, followed by the beans. Mix well and simmer the curry, uncovered, mixing periodically, until most of the liquid has been dried up, leaving a thick curry.

For dessert: rice pudding, Indian style! It's a really unique version, with raisins, almonds and cardamom. I think a hint of cardamom really classes things up, but I would actually suggest one less pod than the recipe tells you to add. 

Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer)

 Adapted from vegweb.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup jasmine or basmati rice

4 cups almond milk

3 cardamom pods, crushed

2 tablespoons almonds, slivered

3 tablespoons raisins

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon pistachio nuts or almonds, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Rinse the rice well. Put the rice, almond milk and cardamom into a sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil. 

Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed (but not all of it, kheer is supposed to be more liquid-y than other rice puddings), and the rice easily falls apart. 

Add the raisins and slivered almonds, and simmer for 4 more minutes. Stir in the sugar until completely dissolved and remove the pan from the heat. 

To serve, put equal portions of the pudding into individual bowls. If using, sprinkle the tops with almonds or pistachios and cinnamon.