baingan bharta with potatoes

Overview

Time: 40 minutes
Dishes: rice cooker, oven or air-fryer, large skillet

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I am a huge fan of Indian food, but I am always careful when preparing it because I never seem to hit the mark that my local Indian restaurant does. It doesn't keep me from trying, though, and every once in a while, I pull it off. This is one of those times.

This is a simple preparation of Baingan Bharta (as the original recipe is, too) but I added potatoes to make it more of a meal with some toothsomeness - that and I was fondly remembering the potato dishes from the same Indian joint, and I couldn't help myself.

I also used my homemade Zsu's Curry Powder because (1) I have it and need to use it, and (2) because it tastes amazing, so why not? If you don't have it, use store bought garam masala. 

You can increase the oil to 4 tablespoons if you like, but 2 tablespoons was perfect, although I will try cutting it to 1. Adding water when the potato starts to stick to the pan helps offset using too much oil and it helps cook the potatoes. Add the water in 1/4 cup increments. It will create a bit of sauce, too, while it cooks the ingredients.

If you start cooking the eggplant first, prepare the rice second and get started on the sauté last, you will get this on the table in 40 minutes. Yes, the eggplant sounds a bit daunting, but really, all you do is toss it in the air-fryer or oven (or on the burner if you're ambitious) and cook until tender. Then peel and mash. 

Overall, a very delicious and filling meal. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start with the eggplant; it will take 20 to 30 minutes.
• Cook the rice second.
• Chop the onion and start cooking it while you peel and chop the potatoes.
• Use a lid throughout and adjust the heat from medium to medium-low as needed.
• Chop the tomatoes while the onion and potatoes cook.
• Cool the eggplant only enough to peel. Peeling should be easy as the skin separates from the eggplant. 

 

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Baingan Bharta with Potatoes

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekday

Serve with rice or naan.

2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons oil

1 medium onion, finely minced 

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 teaspoons curry powder, Zsu's Curry Powder homemade, or garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 cup water for Onion, divided

2 medium tomatoes, chopped 

1 small jalapeno or serrano chile, thinly slice 

1/2 cup water for Tomato

1. Eggplant: Pierce the eggplants all over. Roast the eggplants in an oven (475-F) or over a burner or in an air-fryer (400-F) until the eggplant is tender and collapses, about 20 to 30 minutes. When cool to handle, peel. Mash the eggplant and mix with lime juice.        

2. Onion: Add the oil to a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add the onion, potato, garlic, curry powder, coriander, salt, and turmeric. Cook until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes, covered. Stir as needed and add some water when the potato sticks. 

3. Tomato: Add the tomato, chile and 1/2 cup water to the Onion. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, about 5 minutes.   

4. Combine: Add the Eggplant to the Tomato and stir well. Cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.  Serve with rice or flat bread.  

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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texas-style red chili

   

Overview

Time: 45 minutes or 3 to 6 hours slow cooker
Dishes: large pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Excellent chili, folks! This Texas-style Red Chili is as meaty as a chili can get and still be meatless. And, yes, it has beans. I was going to skip the beans, but my husband, who worked for a chili cook-off  in Texas for many moons, begged me not to. He said, it's all at the cook's discretion, regardless of the bean-naysayers. 

Therefore, you heard it from a chili expert - beans or no beans is up to the cook; add it or not. If you skip the beans, increase the meatless meat by 3 cups or so. 

I used 1 block of Impossible Meat and 1/2 bag of Taco Crumbles by Butler Soy Curls in this recipe, but any ground meatless meat will be just fine. I rehydrated 1/2 package of the crumbles with about 1 cup of water. I browned them together and then added the rest of the ingredients. It cooked in the slow cooker on high for 3 hours. Nothing could be simpler, really.

And it was fantastic! We topped ours with Fritos, cheddar shreds, Follow Your Heart sour cream and jalapenos. This chili is only as spicy as your chili powder, so you can up the heat any way you like: cayenne, spicier chili powder or hot sauce. However you make it, just make a batch. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Rehydrate or thaw any grounds you'll be using.
• While browning the grounds, gather the rest of your ingredients.
• Dump and cook. Simple. Slow cooker is great here. 

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Texas-style Red Chili

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 6 servings 

weekday

May be cooked in a slow cooker.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 - 2 pounds vegan grounds (like rehydrated TVP, Soy Curls, Beyond Meat or Gardein) (5 - 7 cups, not packed)

1 tablespoon onion granules

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

2 cups water

2 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon vegan broth mix (like Better Than Bouillon)

Toppings:

Frito or tortilla chips

Vegan shredded cheddar cheese

Minced onion

Minced cilantro

Nondairy sour cream

Thinly sliced jalapeno

1. Grounds: Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the grounds, onion and adobo seasoning. Stir well and cook to brown lightly, about 5 minutes.   

2. Liquid: Add the water, tomatoes, worcestershire, chili, paprika, cumin, sugar and broth mix. Stir well. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 40 minutes, covered. Stir as needed. Or cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. 

3. Serve: Serve the chili with your choice of toppings: fritos, cheese, onion, cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno, etc. 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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twice-baked mexican potatoes

   

Overview

Time: 90 minutes
Dishes: medium skillet, baking sheet, large bowl, oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Try as I might to make this dish weekday friendly, baking the potatoes just takes too long - there is no way getting around the 1 hour mark. You could shave off ten minutes or so by using smaller potatoes or microwave them first, but otherwise, the time is firm to get them cooked.

That was the bad news; the good news is that these Twice-Baked Mexican Potatoes are delicious! They are  laced with Mexican sausage (or chili powder added to regular vegan sausage), cumin, vegan cheese and topped with crunchy tortilla strips, nondairy sour cream and chives.

During my research into Twice Baked Potatoes, all I could find were heart attacks in a shell! Most of the top recipes called for cups of butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, whole milk. Yikes! No need for that kind of damage to animals or humans!

These unique twice-baked potatoes are crazy good and much kinder to all species. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the potatoes first. 
• Cook the sausage 5 minutes before the potatoes are done.
• Shred the cheese (or gather the ingredients) while the sausage cooks.
• Allow the potatoes to cool only enough to handle; you can't mash cold potatoes.
• Use a large spoon to scoop the inside of the potatoes.
• Use an ice cream scoop to fill the potatoes.
• Use your impeccably clean hands to shape the filling. 

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Twice Baked Mexican Potatoes

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekend

Preheat the oven to 425-F. Serve with steamed broccoli or green salad.

4 (14-ounce) Russet potatoes

Olive oil

2 links vegan sausage (Mexican, if possible), diced

1-3 teaspoons chili powder (use sausage is not Mexican)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup yellow or orange shredded vegan cheese

1/3 cup plain unsweetened nondairy milk

3 corn tortillas, cut into thin slices about 1.5-inches long

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

4 scallions, minced

1. Potatoes: Wash the potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Pierce the potatoes all over with a paring knife. Rub olive oil on the surface of the potatoes and bake them directly on the middle oven rack until tender, about 1 hour. 

2. Mash: When the Potatoes are baked cut them in half and set them aside until cool enough to handle. When cooled slightly, scoop out the inside of the potato halves and transfer it to a large bowl. Take care to leave enough potato in the skins so that the halves hold their shape. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher. 

3. Sausage: Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and sausage. Cook until lightly browned but not overcooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.       

4.  Add the chili powder and cumin to the Sausage. When the Potatoes are Mashed, add the Sausage mixture, cheese and milk. Stir well. 

4. Bake Again: Spray the potato halves with oil spray and fill them with the potato Mash. Make the filling heap above the shells. Transfer the potato halves to a baking dish. Add more shredded cheese on top, if desired, and bake in the preheated 425-degree F oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped tortillas to a baking dish, spray with oil and bake with the halves during the final 8 minutes of baking time. Serve with the baked tortillas, sour cream and scallions.

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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trinidad chickpea and potato curry

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: large pot, rice cooker

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This Trinidad recipe comes courtesy of my son's mother-in-law. I'd say it comes courtesy of my son-in-law, but he doesn't cook and never learned. My son learned this recipe directly from his husband's mother. This is very near and dear to both my son and son-in-law and they make it every few weeks or so.

I completely understand why - it is delicious and ridiculously easy to make! This is another dish where it is best to start making the rice first because the curry is done so quickly! 

The original version of this recipe uses about 6 tablespoons of oil (neutral oil is best if using this amount) and a half cup of brown sugar, so if you want the very authentic version, bump up my quantities accordingly. 

For an everyday recipe, I recommend using the proportions I gave, which does have my son-in-law's stamp of approval. In fact, they both say that it is too close in flavor to the original to not go the healthier route. 

Also, my recipe uses my homemade curry powder (get it HERE), which I HIGHLY recommend. Buying curry powder at the store will leave your curry a bit flat, unless you know the spices were ground recently. That is something near impossible to tell with a store-bought curry powder. Making your own takes about 10 minutes and lasts about 3 months (for optimal flavor). 

I know the recipe and the ingredients look too easy and simple to possibly produce anything amazing, but the sum of the parts is absolutely delicious! 

Deep appreciation is sent to my son-in-law's mother. I hope she has a few more recipes she's willing to share!

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the rice first.
• Peel the potatoes and drain the chickpeas (reserve aquafaba; freeze if not using within a few days).
• Prepare the water to add to the curry.
• Measure the sugar, salt, garlic and salt-free seasoning while the water comes to a boil, after adding the chickpeas and potatoes.
• Wash the spinach while the curry cooks.

 

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Trinidad Chickpea and Potato Curry

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekday

 

2 cups rice, any kind

2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder (store-bought or Zsu’s Curry Powder)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder

1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning (like Mrs. Dash)

5 ounces baby spinach (optional)

 

1. Rice: Cook the rice as desired, in a rice cooker or Instant Pot.

2. Base: Have the 2 cups of water ready next to the pot to avoid burning the curry powder. Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cumin seeds, mix well. Cook very briefly to awaken the flavors and then immediately add the water.   

3. Potatoes:  Add the potatoes, chickpeas, sugar, salt, garlic and salt-free seasoning to the Base. Mix well, bring to boil over high heat, and reduce to medium heat to simmer. Partly cover and cook until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is well reduced, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir once or twice toward the end of the cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning.  

4. Spinach (optional): Stir in the spinach. Cook to wilt, about 1 minute and serve.

 

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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making curry powder

Welcome to Making Mondays, dear Readers! 

Today's Making Monday recipe is Curry Powder. I know - you can buy curry powder at any store. But I ask you, how do you know how long it's been on the store shelf before you picked it up? I say to you that making your own curry powder returns your investment of time in spades.

The most obscure ingredient is fenugreek seeds, so you can skip it if you must, but if you can get ahold of some (at Indian grocers or Amazon) , it adds a wonderful aromatic and flavorful component to the curry powder - and your kitchen. 

I think making your own curry powder elevates whatever dish you add it to, be it an Asian, African or American dish. I find myself reaching for curry powder quite often and am always elated when I open my jar; the aroma is so fragrant and smells delicious.

Making it is simple: you toast the whole seeds, allow them to cool a bit and add those and paprika and turmeric to a personal blender. Use a piece of paper rolled into a tube that is wider at the top to act as  a funnel for the transfer of the seeds. Blend into a powder and store. 

This recipe makes one spice jar's worth and will keep for about 3 months. Store it in the freezer if you use it infrequently, but mine hasn't lasted 3 months at any point.

It is VERY important that you add the paprika to the blender and not the skillet to avoid burning it. If you burn the paprika, even slightly, it will impart an unpleasant bitter flavor to the powder. 

Below is the step by step.

Enjoy!

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.

Making Zsu's Curry Powder

Makes 1/3 cup

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

1/4 cup coriander seeds

2 teaspoons black peppercorn 

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoons turmeric

1. Toast: Add the coriander, peppercorn, cumin and fenugreek seeds to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast the seeds until they smell nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.

2. Blend: Add the seeds to a personal blender. Add the paprika and turmeric. Use the flat blade, if possible:

3. Blend well into a powder. Transfer to an air-tight container and store away from light.

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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