Peach Curry (vegan, gluten-free)

Yes, you read the title right. PEACH Curry. Delicious curry. You will love it so much you won't want to share curry. A delightful blend of sweet and savory flavors in this satisfying yellow curry. Get ready for requests for seconds!

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PEACH CURRY

Gluten free, soy free and vegan.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

You'll want to serve this with a plain basmati rice, which isn't listed in the recipe.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil (optional)

1/2 medium onion, diced
1 inch ginger, peeled and diced very small
3 cloves garlic, diced
dash of sea salt

2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 (15 oz) can organic peach slices, chopped in half and liquid reserved
3-4 small red potatoes, cubed (no need to peel them)
2 kaffir lime leaves OR juice of 1 small lime

1 can full-fat coconut milk
1-2 Tbsp coconut sugar or to taste

Veggies of choice, I usually use:
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1/2 cup frozen peas
about 20 whole cherry tomatoes
(You could also use snow peas, broccoli, or any other veggie you love in curry.)

sea salt to taste (I use between 1/2-1 tsp, depending on how many veggies I add)
fresh cilantro, about 1/2 cup chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation note: This curry is best served with basmati rice. Get your rice of choice cooking before you begin, so everything is ready to go when the curry is finished and your peppers/peas don't grow soggy waiting for the rice.

Method

1. Heat oil over medium flame.
2. Add onion, ginger, garlic, and dash of sea salt; sauté until onions are translucent.
3. Add curry powder, turmeric, and red pepper; sauté for about 2 minutes (you can add a small splash of water if the pan seems dry). It's important to heat the spices properly prior to adding the remaining ingredients.
4. Add peaches, potatoes, and lime leaves; sauté another 2 minutes. (IF YOUR SUBBING LIME JUICE for the lime leaves, add this at the END, once the curry is complete.)
5. Add coconut milk, liquid from canned peaches and coconut sugar; bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
6. Add bell pepper and peas; simmer another 2-5 minutes or until peppers and peas are just heated and maintain their crunch.
7. Stir in fresh cilantro and add sea salt to taste.
8. Remove the lime leaves (if using) and serve over/alongside basmati rice; enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

Banana bread! Whether as a treat with a warm beverage, a quick breakfast or the ultimate bread for a PB & Jelly sandwich, many of us have our favorite recipe and fond memories of this comfort food. When I switch to a cruelty-free diet, I had to reinvent many of the favorite foods in my culinary closet. I also went gluten-free after realizing a sensitivity and baking proved my biggest challenge, but it has now transformed into a newfound adventure skill. Here is one of my favorite ways to make banana bread now.

Mix together by hand or with electric mixer:

1/4 cup raw sugar (omit if you prefer a low-sugar version)
1/4 cup vegan butter, softened (like Earth Balance Soy-free)
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup rice milk (or any vegan milk)
1/4 cup vegan sour cream (I use Wayfare) or vegan plain yogurt or apple sauce


Whip for 1 minute1 in food processor and add to banana mixture, stirring well:
2 Tbsp ground flax
6 Tbsp water


Combine in a separate bowl and then add to banana mixture, stir until just combined:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking soda (aluminum-free)
1/2 tsp sea salt


Fold in gently:
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Place batter in a lightly buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove  from pan to a wire wrack after cooling for 10 minutes and cool completely (or at least as much as you can before devouring the loaf with a slathering of vegan butter on each slice!).

Hot Cocoa (vegan, gluten-free)

This recipe is derived from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau...if you don't have it in your collection, order it today! It's the most used book in my kitchen, and I have yet to find a recipe that non-vegans didn't devour ("this is vegan???").

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup water

4 cups non-dairy milk like soy, almond or rice milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp mint extract (optional)
agave or raw sugar to taste

vegan marshmallows for topping (I used Dandies)

Combine cocoa powder and water in a small pot over medium heat; stir frequently until mixture reaches a boil. Continue to cook and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add choice of milk and heat to desired drinking temperature (do not boil). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, mint (optional), and agave. Serve immediately with a garnish of marshmallows as desired.

*gluten free, can be soy free if using a non-soy milk and skipping the marshmallows

Masala Chai (vegan, gluten-free)

Chai (the Hindi term for tea) is a spectacular beverage, perfect for any cold Winter's day. The spices and herbs warm the body and comfort the soul. I've experimented with a few variations, and have decided to post a more traditional variation of this classical Indian spice tea, closer to what it may have been before the English introduced and encouraged the heavy use of black tea to the country. For those who desire black tea in their chai, after removing chai mix from heat, add 2-3 tsp loose black tea (recommend decaf) or 2 tea bags, steep three minutes; strain and serve.

2 1/2 cups water

1 tsp cardamom powder or 2 pods black cardamom, crushed

4 whole black peppercorns

2-4 slices fresh ginger

1/4 tsp of cinnamon or 1 large stick cinnamon

2 whole cloves

2/3-3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I prefer soy)

raw sugar or agave nectar to taste

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Combine water and all spices in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Lower heat to simmer for 5-10  minutes. Add non-dairy milk and sweetener of choice and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve and serve hot.

*gluten free, can be soy free if choosing coconut or almond milk

Potato Leek Soup (vegan, gluten-free)

This delicately flavorful soup is simple and light.

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 large leek, sliced thin (use only white and light green parts)
6 cups vegetable broth
2 medium potatoes, cubed
3-4 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
sea salt to taste

In a medium stockpot, heat canola oil over medium flame; add leeks and saute about 5 minutes, or until beginning to turn translucent. Add broth, potatoes, and carrots and bring to a boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in parsley, thyme, red pepper, and salt to taste. Serve and enjoy!

*gluten free (use gluten free broth/bullion) and soy free

Healing Soup (vegan, gluten-free)

The perfect soup to replace traditional chicken noodle soup. This is a classic comfort food made vegan, with the twist of healing spices from India.

12 cups vegetable broth
4 medium potatoes, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
6 carrots, sliced
2 cups gluten-free pasta
1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 tsp cumin seed
2 tsp turmeric powder
dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
sea salt

In a large stock pot, combine vegetable broth, potatoes, celery and carrots; begin to heat over a medium high flame and watch for boil.

While broth and veggies are heating, place canola oil in a saute pan over medium flame. Once oil has heated, add cumin seeds and saute until they turn brown and pop, about 1 minute. Add onion and a couple dashes of sea salt and saute until onions are golden brown. Add turmeric and saute another minute. Add red pepper flakes, ground cumin, and garlic powder and saute another 2-3 minutes (watch the heat, you may need to lower the flame to prevent over drying) and then remove from heat. This method of cooking the onion and spices together before adding them to the main dish is from Indian culture, called a turka. It COMPLETELY transform the flavor of foods, I recommend you try it with other dishes--it has revolutionized my chili!

When you notice the broth has begun to boil, boil for about 2-3 minutes and then add your pasta. You want the total boiling time to be about 10 minutes, this will be just enough time to soften the potatoes, carrots, and celery while cooking the pasta to perfection. In the last minute of the boil, add your turka (onion and spice saute). Remove from heat, add salt to taste and serve immediately!

*soy free, can be gluten free if choosing a gluten free pasta and broth/bullion.

Golden Milk, A Powerful Anti-inflammatory Drink (vegan, gluten-free)

I've seen this recipe in many forms across the web, this is how we make Golden Milk at hOMe. I often share the healing power of Golden Milk with yoga students who arrive at class with some sort of inflammation (i.e., my shoulder, calf, hip hurts from running, lifting, etc.). Turmeric is one of the most healing spices we can consume. The most known benefit is that turmeric reduces inflammation in a way that pharmaceuticals cannot compare (and without side effects). This spice has been used for centuries in India as a part of daily diet and healing. Reducing chronic inflammation is key to healing and prevention and treatment of all sorts of dis-ease, from IBS to cancer. This delicious beverage taste more like a treat than medicine, serve it up and find ways to integrate more turmeric in your diet!

1 Tbsp almond oil or vegan soy-free butter, like Earth Balance Soy-free

1 tsp turmeric

1 - 1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla soy, almond, or coconut milk

2-3 tsp agave nectar (to taste)

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add turmeric and saute about 5 minutes, minding the pan heat so as not to overcook the turmeric. Add choice of non-dairy milk; heat to the start of boiling and remove from heat. Add agave nectar to desired level of sweetness; enjoy this beverage as warm as the tongue finds possible.

*gluten free, soy free when using a non-soy milk choice.

Bandh Gobi Subji / Punjabi Cabbage Dish (vegan, gluten-free)

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seed
6-8 curry leaves
1 small onion, diced small
1 to 2 small jalapeno (depending on heat desired), diced small
3 cloves garlic, diced small
1 small head green cabbage, diced small
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)
sea salt to taste

Heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add mustard seed and cover pan, allowing mustard seeds to pop (but not escape!). Remove cover as seeds finish popping, lower heat to medium and add onion and curry leaves; saute until onion begins to brown. Add jalapeno, garlic, cabbage and about 1/4 tsp salt, stir to mix well; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add tumeric, cumin, and coriander; stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add frozen peas; stir well and cook another 5 minutes or until any water from cabbage and peas has cooked off. Add garam masala and saute an additional 3 minutes. Test salt and add more as needed. Serve with roti (Indian flat bread) or rice.

*soy and gluten free if served with rice

Cheese Sandwich (vegan, can be gluten-free)

1/2 cup Pepper Jack Daiya Cheese

1 Tbsp finely chopped onion

4-5 slices nacho slice jalapenos

Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread

2 slices vegan bread of choice (gluten free is available in some stores)

Heat a dry skillet or flat grill/griddle to medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread and place butter side down in skillet. Add onion, jalapeno slices and Daiya cheese to the dry side of each bread slice as they grill. After about 3 minutes or when bread is beginning to turn a light golden-brown (watch closely!), place the cheesy sides of the bread together to form your sandwich, lower the flame to low heat and turn after every two minutes until cheese is meltified. Do you need instructions on what to do next...? EAT IT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES! Enjoy. :)

Note for Daiya: use this product within 7 days of opening. I find the pepper jack has more moisture content and last only about 5 days. The good news is this product freezes VERY well, so I usually freeze half the package upon opening.

*soy free as posted, gluten free if choosing a gluten free bread for sandwich