Shyamatara Das

In the Service of the Divine Mother

Vegan Pad Thai

By Leave a Comment

Vegan Pad ThaiI’ve been wanting to try cooking Pad Thai for a long time, and finally got around to it last week. I had already researched recipes, but when I told my wife I was planning to make it, she scared up one more that was helpful in pulling together the dish.

Since my version does not include the shrimp and the fish sauce that are typical in Thailand, it’s not “authentic” Pad Thai, so I’m going to call it “Pad Bri.” 🙂

If you want, you could leave out the tofu. You could also add whatever other veggies you would like for the sauté. For a gluten-free version, use Tamari in place of the soy sauce.

For the Sauce

Combine these ingredients slowly one at a time, and when fully combined boil together for three or four minutes.

  • 4 T tamarind paste
  • 4T soy sauce
  • 3 T garlic chili sauce
  • 2 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 c powdered peanuts
  • maybe some peanut butter
  • 1 c veggie stock

Prepare the Tofu

Saute tofu cubes in a little sesame oil, then add soy sauce, some spoons of peanut butter, and a little of the garlic chili sauce. Reserve this.

For the Veggie Sauté

Cook the onion first, then add the garlic and ginger until fragrant, then the other veggies of your choosing. Finally. add the bean sprouts and a squeeze of lime. I used sesame oil in the wok for this.

  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • some grated fresh ginger
  • chopped red and yellow bell peppers
  • 1 can of bean sprouts, drained
  • a squeeze or two of lime

Once these items are done, add a little peanut butter and soy sauce, the white part of some scallions, and then the sauce and prepared tofu. Finally, add a package of Thai rice noodles that you have already prepared by soaking in a bowl of hot (fresh from boiling) water for five minutes or so.

Toss all of this around in the wok to warm through, and serve with cilantro, scallions, crushed peanuts, lime wedges and Sriracha or other hot sauce.

This served our family of three, and there was enough left over for a nice lunch for one of us later in the week.

Spiced Chai

By Leave a Comment

Spices for Tea

This is a delicious and healthy tea, based on the spiced chai that Yogi Bhajan encouraged his students to drink. It has excellent detox and anti-inflammatory properties, and is refreshing and reinvigorating, served hot or cold.

Ingredients:
15 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
20 black peppercorns
20 green cardamom pods, cracked with the flat side of a knife
a 3 inch length of fresh ginger (or two) cubed
2 black tea bags
2 quarts filtered water

Bring the water to a boil and toss in the cloves while you gather and prepare the other ingredients. There’s no need to peel the ginger, just chop it up into little chunks about the size of dice or smaller. The more ginger you add, the spicier the concoction will be.

Add all of the ingredients except the tea bags, and simmer, covered, for thirty minutes. Remove from heat and add the tea bags (which are optional).

Let this steep, covered, for about six hours, then strain through a wire mesh. It will keep nicely in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. To serve, I like to cut it with water (about half and half) for serving cold, or with (about 1/3) oat milk if warming it up. You can add raw sugar, honey, or whatever other sweetener you would like.

When I quit drinking alcohol, this beverage became my daily choice for “cocktail hour” at the end of the work day. It’s a healthy alternative to frothy coffee drinks, or heavily caffeinated teas. It’s good for digestion, and helps to bring balance to the nervous system as well. At least that has been my experience.

Let me know what you think if you try it!

Chili Con Tres Frijoles

By Leave a Comment

Vegetariam Chili

I found this recipe somewhere online years ago, and it’s become one of our very favorites. We still eat some dairy in our household, so as pictured here it’s not a vegan dish, but you could certainly use plant based cheese crumbles and cashew nut sour cream (or just leave those toppings off altogether) if you wish to forego the dairy.

Ingredients:
2 coarsely chopped large onions
several cloves minced garlic
vegetable oil

2 15oz cans dark red kidney beans
1 15oz can black beans
1 15oz can pinto beans
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup picante sauce
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 package chili seasoning (we use the ones from Aldi)
1 can beer
a couple of dried Cayennes, or some red pepper flakes
kosher salt
ground black pepper
liquid smoke seasoning
1/2 cup old fashioned oats

Start by cooking the onions and garlic in oil, with a little salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with a little beer, and put it all in a slow cooker with all of the other ingredients except the oats. I drain the pinto beans and one of the cans of red beans, but usually add the liquid from the rest.

After it cooks for three or four hours, check for seasoning and doneness and adjust as needed. I will sometimes move the setting on the cooker to low if it’s roiling too vigorously. Sometimes I’ll add Crystal or Tabasco sauce to kick up the flavor a little if it needs it. You could also include Habanero peppers or whatever else you would like instead of the Cayennes if you prefer.

About half an hour or so before you’re ready to serve,  stir in the oats.

We usually serve this over cornbread, with some cheese shreds, cilantro, avocado chunks, sour cream and such for toppings. I like to make a double batch, so we have plenty of leftovers for chili mac, chili cheese fries (or our favorite chili cheeseburgers – we love to use Field Roast veggie burgers for that).

The longer this chili  cooks, the better it seems to taste. Rich, savory, hearty and healthy, we actually find it tastier and more satisfying than the greasy ground beef variety. Long before I became a more conscious eater, this was my favorite chili. I prepare it several times a year, and we always look forward to it whenever “chili weekend” rolls around.

Tofu Scramble

By

Although I have yet to become a committed vegan, I do my best to observe a largely plant-based diet, and am always looking for tasty and nutritious meals that don’t contain meat.

I generally stick to simple recipes of rice, grains, vegetables and fruits, and also sometimes just leave meat out of recipes that call for it but are fine without (chili, pasta sauces, etc.). “Meat substitutes” have not been a huge part of my cooking vocabulary. I do like to experiment, though, and lately have been cooking with Field Roast products (sausages and burgers which are made from vital wheat gluten and are surprisingly good), and have also used tofu a few times.

For supper one evening this week, I made a tofu scramble that turned out really well. The trick for getting an “eggy” flavor is to use a Himalayan black salt called “Kala Namak.” You can read about the process and recipe on my food blog.

This time I included mushrooms, spinach, grape tomatoes and green onions. I also fried up some Field Roast vegan breakfast links to go along.

The photo on the left is the tofu browning in the pan before any of the sauce was added. It’s amazing to me that such a thing eventually approximates a nice, rich, plate of scrambled eggs. 🙂