Coconut Chickpea Curry

I've been on a curry kick lately!  I used to dislike the taste of curry, until I became a vegetarian.  I feel like the curry spice gives dishes a whole new dimension and you can take it from boring to delicious in a matter of seconds.  I decided to use chickpeas instead of my usual, black beans and it turned out great!  We make this dish quite often in my house and it is super easy to add in a meat protein if you desire.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice for serving
Optional chopped cilantro for topping

Heat coconut oil in a large pan, over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper to taste.  Turn heat up to medium/high and simmer, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes.  Serve over brown rice, topped with optional cilantro.

Kung Pao Cauliflower

I'm sure you can tell, I use cauliflower in a lot of my recipes.  It is a vegetable that is so universal and can pretty much take on any flavor it is cooked with.  My Orange Cauliflower recipe was such a hit in my house, I decided to try another Asian chicken dish with cauliflower.  Enjoy!

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 green onions, chopped and divided in half
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Cooked brown rice for serving






Kung Pao Sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp organic tomato ketchup
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

In a small bowl, mix all Kung Pau Sauce ingredients, set aside.

In a large wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove cauliflower from wok and set aside (cauliflower will not be cooked all the way, as it will be added back to the wok to cook more).  Add peppers to the wok, cook for 3 minutes.  Add cauliflower back to the wok and cook with peppers for an additional 5 minutes.  Vegetables will be cooked, but not mushy.  Add ginger, garlic, 1/2 green onions, cashews and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes to incorporate flavors.   Add sauce mix to wok and cook over high heat, until thickened, about 1 minute.  Serve over brown rice, topped with additional green onions.

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

I am the only one in my small family of 3 that does not eat meat.  My husband is a meat eater of every sort.  We buy our meat from a local farmer and I prepare meat for him and my daughter and try to match what I am having to theirs as close as possible.  They also eat what I'm cooking, but along with some sort of meat.  One thing that they love that couldn't get more "meaty" if it tried, is meatloaf.  I have strayed from cooking it because I didn't know what would pair well with it for me, other than a plain vegetable.  I need more substance for my dinners other than just vegetables (may sound weird considering I am a VEGetarian).

A couple months ago, I shared my Brown Rice Burger and thought, if I can make a burger patty, why can't I incorporate some of that recipe into a meatloaf form.  I did adjust the recipe to accommodate a larger version, and I added some steamed cauliflower to give it a bit more than just brown rice as a base.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 head of cauliflower, steamed and riced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
Organic tomato ketchup for topping

Preheat the oven to 400*.

In a large pan, over medium heat, add onion and mushrooms.  Sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  While onions and mushrooms are cooking, in a large bowl, combine cooked rice, steamed and riced cauliflower, eggs, bread crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste, set aside.  When onions and mushrooms are fully cooked, remove them from heat and add them to the bowl with the rice and cauliflower mixture.  Mix well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.  Add mixture to a coconut oil greased loaf pan and form into a loaf shape.  Cook for 45 minutes or until top becomes golden brown.  Serve topped with organic tomato ketchup.

Vegetarian "Fried" Brown Rice

Brown rice is a huge staple in my diet.  Carbs are not the enemy, they just have to be consumed correctly.  I had planned on eating leftovers from the previous night, but my hubby highjacked them out of the fridge.  I wasn't sure what I wanted for lunch, then I remembered we had these lovely carrots from the farmers market and some leftover rice.  What better than some fried rice.  Filling and delicious and full of great veggies.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian "Fried" Brown Rice

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

2 Tbsp coconut oil, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup carrots, cubed

1/3 cup peas

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Pepper to taste

In a large pan, on medium, heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil.  Add beaten egg and cook 3-4 minutes or until egg is fully cooked.  Set aside.  In same pan, heat remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil.  Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Add carrots and peas.  Cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables become tender.  Add cooked brown rice, cooked egg and soy sauce.  Cook for 2-3 minutes to incorporate flavors.  Add pepper to taste.  

Cauliflower Orange "Chicken"....Without the Chicken

Every time I am at the mall and I pass Panda Express, I always die over the smell of their infamous Orange Chicken.  That used to be a regular choice for my cheat meals when I wasn't a vegetarian and I actually miss it sometimes!  What I don't miss is all the crud they put in the chicken that would always make my stomach so upset after eating it.  I know that cauliflower is used as a substitute for a lot of meat in vegetarian dishes and I thought, why couldn't in replace chicken in an orange chicken dish.  From all my years in the kitchen and my many experimentations, I can almost nail down all the non-artificial ingredients in an orange chicken recipe.  I think I hit the nail on the head with this one.  Even my 5 year old was asking for more :)  Enjoy!

Cauliflower Orange "Chicken"

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
brown rice for serving

In a large pot, add chopped cauliflower.  Fill the bottom of the pot with 1 inch of water.  Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.  Drain excess water.

While the cauliflower is cooking, in a large pan, combine orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, garlic and ginger.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix corn starch and water.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch mixture to the pan with the orange sauce mixture.  Mix and allow to simmer and thicken for 1 minute.

Gently toss drained cauliflower and green onions in the pan with the orange sauce.  Allow to cook for 1 minute to make sure cauliflower is evenly coated in orange sauce.  Serve over brown rice with additional green onions if desired.

Curry Pumpkin Penne Pasta

I have been on a pumpkin kick lately.  Always happens around Halloween.  I buy everything in sight that is related to pumpkin or pumpkin spice.  I know there are a lot of pumpkinholics out there like me.  My love of pumpkin runs so deep, I thought, why not make a dinner that has pumpkin in it.  One thing that sounded like it would mesh well with pumpkin was curry.  I didn't used to be a fan of curry but it has grown on me over the past year.  This dish was delicious, and most importantly super easy and quick.  Enjoy!

Curry Pumpkin Penne Pasta

Ingredients

1 package brown rice penne pasta
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro and lightly salted pumpkin seeds for optional toppings

In a large pot, cook brown rice penne according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, in a large pan, heat coconut oil.  Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Add pumpkin puree, almond milk, vegetable broth, curry powder, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook 10 minutes to heat and incorporate all ingredients.

When pasta is done, drain and rinse the pasta (rinsing is important for brown rice pasta so it doesn't become sticky and clump together).  Add pasta back to pot it was cooked in.  Add curry pumpkin sauce to pasta and toss until pasta is well coated.  Cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring often, to heat all ingredients.  Serve immediately, topped with cilantro and pumpkin seeds as desired.

Brown Rice Burgers

One thing I occasionally miss from the carnivore lifestyle is a nice burger from the grill.  I do enjoy the frozen Morningstar veggie burger, but I'm not a fan of soy based products, and most of their patties have soy in them, so I tend to look for something different.  I haven't found a vegetarian "burger" that really jumps out at me, until now.  As you can tell, I am a fan of carbs.  I have tried the no/low carb diet, successfully lost a bunch of weight, and as soon as I ate a french fry, I gained back all I had lost and then some.  It was not a "diet" that suited my lifestyle, because, lets face it, I love carbs.  Over the years, I have learned to make healthier choices when it comes to my carbs, i.e. brown rice instead of white rice, brown rice pasta instead of regular pasta, sweet potato instead of regular potato, etc.

This recipe is for a brown rice burger patty, and yes, it is as good as it sounds!  Whats awesome about this recipe is you can dress it up with a bun, cheese, and/or tons of extra veggie toppings or you can keep in plain with just the patty.  Enjoy!

Brown Rice Burger

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 Tbsp panko bread crumbs
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: cheese (I used provolone),  lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, avocado
Optional bun (I went bun-less for mine)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a nonstick pan.  Sauté onion and mushroom until tender.  When tender, remove from heat and add to a bowl.  Stir in rice, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper to taste.  Form into patties and cook using the same pan and additional coconut oil.  Cook until browned, roughly 3 minutes each side.  You can cook this on the grill, but make sure you cook in on top of foil to prevent fall through.  Top with optional toppings and enjoy!