Hello, again.
Like last night, I made another recipe from Bal Arneson's newest cookbook, Bal's Quick & Healthy Indian. Tonight, I cooked the recipe titled "Rice with Punjabi-Style Mushrooms". To get a bit more specific, the recipe is made with brown rice.
To me, brown rice tends to be rather bland, so I always like to add various ingredients to it before it boils. In this case, I had some leftover cilantro from the coconut soup I made last night, so I chopped some up and added it to the rice. I also added salt, pepper, some garam masala and the two tops of the green chilies (I used jalapenos) that are used in the mushroom portion of the recipe. It turned out rather delicious.
For the mushroom part, I followed the recipe except I used all white button mushrooms because they were on sale and usually the cheapest variety. Often times, baby Bella mushrooms are rather inexpensive, but the grocery store was out of those. Be that as it may, the whole dish turned out well, and it was quite tasty.
I love Punjabi-style food because the herbs and spices that are used smell so good. You should buy this book and make this dish as well. It is a quick weeknight meal that is easy to make after a day at work.
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Coconut Curry Soup with Rice and Lentils
One of the presents I received for Christmas was the cookbook Bal's Quick & Healthy Indian by Bal Arneson. She is one of my favorite cooks/chefs on The Cooking Channel. She is always so pleasant to watch, and her recipes are amazing.
I have been on an Indian food kick lately, and thankfully, a good deal of Indian food can usually be veganized, if it isn't already vegan. I haven't tried to veganize any recipes that are made with a meat, but I want to create a vegan version of "butter chicken", which was one of my all-time favorite dishes as an omnivore.
I decided to make a couple recipes from this book for dinners this week. The one I made tonight was "Coconut Curry Soup with Rice and Lentils". It has been my experience that with Indian recipes a trip to an Indian grocery store is in order. Not all of the spices or ingredients can be found at your local Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Target. Luckily, there is an excellent Indian grocery store in the area, and I was able to purchase all of the ingredients that were needed for this week's recipes. I actually recommend buying a lot of the herbs and spices at your Indian store because they are usually found in larger bags; therefore, the per ounce dollar amount is much smaller. Yes, you will be buying a lot and must use it in a timely manner. I don't find this to be an issue because if you make a lot of Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian, etc. dishes, then your stock of herbs & spices will be used rather quickly; thus waste is minimized, if not altogether eliminated.
Common ingredients with a lot of the recipes in this book are grapeseed oil, cumin (seeds and/or ground), garam masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger (fresh and/or ground), cilantro, coriander and chilies, among others. This recipe called for brown rice, red lentils, celery, coconut milk and various herbs & spices, including curry leaves & ginger masala. I was able to find the curry leaves at the Indian store. The ginger masala is a medley of spices, like garam masala, and recipes for each are in the book as well. I made my own ginger masala according to the book recipe, but I purchased the garam masala already prepared. There was no real reason why I would make one and buy the other. It was mainly for convenience.
The recipe was quite easy. I am not a fan of celery, but it worked rather well in the soup. It wasn't strong, and it didn't take over the flavor of the dish, as you sometimes find with other recipes that involve celery. The herbs and spices gave the soup amazing flavor. The brown rice & red lentils gave it body, and the coconut milk gave it creaminess and a hint of sweetness. The jalapeno lended heat to the soup, and it wasn't too much. I did, however, add red pepper flakes to my bowl to add some more heat.
I do recommend this recipe as a lovely weeknight meal that you can make and more or less forget about while you take care of something else while it simmers away.
I have been on an Indian food kick lately, and thankfully, a good deal of Indian food can usually be veganized, if it isn't already vegan. I haven't tried to veganize any recipes that are made with a meat, but I want to create a vegan version of "butter chicken", which was one of my all-time favorite dishes as an omnivore.
I decided to make a couple recipes from this book for dinners this week. The one I made tonight was "Coconut Curry Soup with Rice and Lentils". It has been my experience that with Indian recipes a trip to an Indian grocery store is in order. Not all of the spices or ingredients can be found at your local Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Target. Luckily, there is an excellent Indian grocery store in the area, and I was able to purchase all of the ingredients that were needed for this week's recipes. I actually recommend buying a lot of the herbs and spices at your Indian store because they are usually found in larger bags; therefore, the per ounce dollar amount is much smaller. Yes, you will be buying a lot and must use it in a timely manner. I don't find this to be an issue because if you make a lot of Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian, etc. dishes, then your stock of herbs & spices will be used rather quickly; thus waste is minimized, if not altogether eliminated.
Common ingredients with a lot of the recipes in this book are grapeseed oil, cumin (seeds and/or ground), garam masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger (fresh and/or ground), cilantro, coriander and chilies, among others. This recipe called for brown rice, red lentils, celery, coconut milk and various herbs & spices, including curry leaves & ginger masala. I was able to find the curry leaves at the Indian store. The ginger masala is a medley of spices, like garam masala, and recipes for each are in the book as well. I made my own ginger masala according to the book recipe, but I purchased the garam masala already prepared. There was no real reason why I would make one and buy the other. It was mainly for convenience.
The recipe was quite easy. I am not a fan of celery, but it worked rather well in the soup. It wasn't strong, and it didn't take over the flavor of the dish, as you sometimes find with other recipes that involve celery. The herbs and spices gave the soup amazing flavor. The brown rice & red lentils gave it body, and the coconut milk gave it creaminess and a hint of sweetness. The jalapeno lended heat to the soup, and it wasn't too much. I did, however, add red pepper flakes to my bowl to add some more heat.
I do recommend this recipe as a lovely weeknight meal that you can make and more or less forget about while you take care of something else while it simmers away.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Difficulties/Frustrations With Being Vegan
Good evening.
I decided it is time to do a post on difficulties and the like with being vegan. After becoming vegan five months ago, I knew I would run into some difficulties. This transition is, after all, a major life change, and what kind of life change would be without its frustrations?
One of the most common issues I have encountered is going out to dinner. Eating out is not commonplace with us anymore and hasn't been for a while, but there is usually an issue with choosing a restaurant where I am able to order something besides a salad. This also puts me in a place where my options are limited and fearing that enjoying a dinner with friends might happen less often due to my restricted choice of restaurants. With all that in my mind, I decided a while ago to allow myself to eat anywhere and to just order something and alter it to fit my diet. I really do enjoy eating out with friends, and I don't want my dietary restrictions to inhibit us from getting together for a fun meal.
Due to my openness to eat at any restaurant, I've become much less apprehensive about the task of choosing a place to eat at on Friday or Saturday evening. Yes, a salad has become more of a staple when we out. Not every restaurant has something that can be altered to be vegan. The oil used to cook the fries may also be used to cook up the chicken fingers - you just have to ask. If I am in a situation where nothing on the menu can be "veganized", I order a vegetarian option and eat half of it at most and take the rest home for my partner to eat. Acclimating is a part of this transition. I know that some vegans would be shocked at to read that, but I consider myself 99% vegan & 1% vegetarian. I have to do what is comfortable for me, and for me to keep my sanity, I allow myself this option.
One of the things that bugs me the most is that the salads on restaurant menus usually have a meat (usually chicken) on them and are priced as such. I believe I blogged about this when I wrote about a trip to Applebee's. What about the vegetarians and vegans? Do we have to pay that price even without the chicken? I find it to be simpler to just ask your server if there is a lower price without the meat because you are vegetarian/vegan and shouldn't be charged for the meat. It is still annoying though. :)
Another issue is the prices of fresh produce. When we create our dinner menu and the grocery list for the week, a good chunk of it is usually fresh produce. You can combat this with buying canned and frozen items. Frozen broccoli, spinach & corn (among others) are cheaper. Also, the spinach is already cooked down for you, alleviating a cooking step! The frozen broccoli is already chopped into smaller pieces, also eliminating a step in your recipe! I haven't noticed a difference in taste with the frozen items. Plus, the frozen fruits & veggies retain their vitamins & minerals when frozen. Another bonus! Not every fruit or vegetable can be found frozen, so you just have to pick and choose what fits what you need.
Canned items are great because you save money as well and aren't forced to use them nearly as quickly for fear of spoilage, like with fresh produce. Another way to cut down on fresh produce costs is to buy vegetables, like carrots, individually and not a whole bag. At Whole Foods, there is an option to buy exactly the # of carrots you need for what you are making. That way, you aren't wasting any and throwing any out (thus creating an expensive ingredient), especially if you wouldn't have finished that bag of carrots anyway.
Cutting down on costs is a difficulty for a vegan. Eating as a vegan can be a healthier way of eating, especially with the massive reduction, if not the total elimination, of dietary cholesterol. And people equate eating healthy with high grocery bills. This doesn't have to be the case. In addition to the produce advice from above, purchasing ingredients from the bulk section of your grocery store helps to save some $$. For example, buying rice and nuts can help you keep some of that hard-earned dough in your pocket. Plus, you can buy only what you need for the week or buy as much as you want for dinners down the road. Keeping bread & buns in the freezer helps to preserve them for much longer and will help save $ by not having to throw them away due to mold.
I know this has also turned into a "let's cut down our grocery bill" entry, but grocery costs are a major frustration with being vegan. Some of the ingredients for baking are rather expensive. I buy the regular all-purpose flour and granulated sugar, not the organic ones, same with powdered sugar, vanilla and other baking ingredients.
Aside from the potential problems eating out and grocery bills, being vegan has had many positive effects - my HDL cholesterol has gone up and my LDL has gone down. I have also enjoyed other benefits, such as weight loss (not that I needed to lose any), a clearer face (MUCH less acne) and more energy. A transition such as becoming vegan requires discipline and focus. Yes, you may slip up and eat some dairy-based cheese or a bit of roast beef, but you will experience your body acclimating to the new diet. And if you slip up after your body has adjusted, you will feel the effects soon enough. Trust me.
If any of you have any difficulties that you would like to share, please do so. I mainly talked about my top two - restaurants & grocery bills. I hope this helps some of you that may be entertaining the idea of becoming vegan, be it for health reasons and/or animal rights.
'Til next time.
I decided it is time to do a post on difficulties and the like with being vegan. After becoming vegan five months ago, I knew I would run into some difficulties. This transition is, after all, a major life change, and what kind of life change would be without its frustrations?
One of the most common issues I have encountered is going out to dinner. Eating out is not commonplace with us anymore and hasn't been for a while, but there is usually an issue with choosing a restaurant where I am able to order something besides a salad. This also puts me in a place where my options are limited and fearing that enjoying a dinner with friends might happen less often due to my restricted choice of restaurants. With all that in my mind, I decided a while ago to allow myself to eat anywhere and to just order something and alter it to fit my diet. I really do enjoy eating out with friends, and I don't want my dietary restrictions to inhibit us from getting together for a fun meal.
Due to my openness to eat at any restaurant, I've become much less apprehensive about the task of choosing a place to eat at on Friday or Saturday evening. Yes, a salad has become more of a staple when we out. Not every restaurant has something that can be altered to be vegan. The oil used to cook the fries may also be used to cook up the chicken fingers - you just have to ask. If I am in a situation where nothing on the menu can be "veganized", I order a vegetarian option and eat half of it at most and take the rest home for my partner to eat. Acclimating is a part of this transition. I know that some vegans would be shocked at to read that, but I consider myself 99% vegan & 1% vegetarian. I have to do what is comfortable for me, and for me to keep my sanity, I allow myself this option.
One of the things that bugs me the most is that the salads on restaurant menus usually have a meat (usually chicken) on them and are priced as such. I believe I blogged about this when I wrote about a trip to Applebee's. What about the vegetarians and vegans? Do we have to pay that price even without the chicken? I find it to be simpler to just ask your server if there is a lower price without the meat because you are vegetarian/vegan and shouldn't be charged for the meat. It is still annoying though. :)
Another issue is the prices of fresh produce. When we create our dinner menu and the grocery list for the week, a good chunk of it is usually fresh produce. You can combat this with buying canned and frozen items. Frozen broccoli, spinach & corn (among others) are cheaper. Also, the spinach is already cooked down for you, alleviating a cooking step! The frozen broccoli is already chopped into smaller pieces, also eliminating a step in your recipe! I haven't noticed a difference in taste with the frozen items. Plus, the frozen fruits & veggies retain their vitamins & minerals when frozen. Another bonus! Not every fruit or vegetable can be found frozen, so you just have to pick and choose what fits what you need.
Canned items are great because you save money as well and aren't forced to use them nearly as quickly for fear of spoilage, like with fresh produce. Another way to cut down on fresh produce costs is to buy vegetables, like carrots, individually and not a whole bag. At Whole Foods, there is an option to buy exactly the # of carrots you need for what you are making. That way, you aren't wasting any and throwing any out (thus creating an expensive ingredient), especially if you wouldn't have finished that bag of carrots anyway.
Cutting down on costs is a difficulty for a vegan. Eating as a vegan can be a healthier way of eating, especially with the massive reduction, if not the total elimination, of dietary cholesterol. And people equate eating healthy with high grocery bills. This doesn't have to be the case. In addition to the produce advice from above, purchasing ingredients from the bulk section of your grocery store helps to save some $$. For example, buying rice and nuts can help you keep some of that hard-earned dough in your pocket. Plus, you can buy only what you need for the week or buy as much as you want for dinners down the road. Keeping bread & buns in the freezer helps to preserve them for much longer and will help save $ by not having to throw them away due to mold.
I know this has also turned into a "let's cut down our grocery bill" entry, but grocery costs are a major frustration with being vegan. Some of the ingredients for baking are rather expensive. I buy the regular all-purpose flour and granulated sugar, not the organic ones, same with powdered sugar, vanilla and other baking ingredients.
Aside from the potential problems eating out and grocery bills, being vegan has had many positive effects - my HDL cholesterol has gone up and my LDL has gone down. I have also enjoyed other benefits, such as weight loss (not that I needed to lose any), a clearer face (MUCH less acne) and more energy. A transition such as becoming vegan requires discipline and focus. Yes, you may slip up and eat some dairy-based cheese or a bit of roast beef, but you will experience your body acclimating to the new diet. And if you slip up after your body has adjusted, you will feel the effects soon enough. Trust me.
If any of you have any difficulties that you would like to share, please do so. I mainly talked about my top two - restaurants & grocery bills. I hope this helps some of you that may be entertaining the idea of becoming vegan, be it for health reasons and/or animal rights.
'Til next time.
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