Vegan Rice-Oats Sausage Patties

These vegan patties are quite sausage-like in texture and taste. The recipe can be found here at My Vegan Cookbook. The only changes I made to the recipe were to add 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke and substitute 1 Tbsp water for the oil in the mixture. I cooked these in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray.

Banana and Spice Puda/Dosa/Pancake

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I wasn't sure what to call this. Probably more puda-like than dosa-like. I ate these with apple chutney.

Kari's Banana and Spice Puda/Dosa (Pancake) Makes 4

The banana in this dosa/puda/pancake adds a slight sweetness. The texture is much like a thick corn tortilla. You could add sweet or savory toppings/fillings.

1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 cup besan (garbanzo bean flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Kapha-balancing churan*, or other spice blend, optional
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxmeal mixed with 3 Tbsp water)
1 small ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp plain soy yogurt
3/4 cup water

Mix flax egg and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine wheat germ, rice flour, semolina, besan, baking soda, and spices. Combine mashed banana and soy yogurt with flax egg. Add banana mixture and water to flour mixture. Mix well.

Heat nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Spoon batter onto hot griddle, swirling out with spoon to about 6 or 8 inches. You want the puda/dosa/pancake thin, but you don't want holes. Let cook until top dries. Flip and cook until bottom browns, pressing with spatula. Flip again and cook another minute or so. Remove to plate and do next puda/dosa/pancake. You should get 4. More if you make them small. Serve with chutney or roll around favorite fillings.

*Kapha-Balancing Churan:
2 tsp each: ground ginger, black pepper, and turmeric
1 tsp each: ground coriander, ground cumin, sweek paprika, salt, turbinado sugar, and dried mango powder
Other dosha spice mixes can be found here at Fran's House of Ayruveda

Harvest Muffins

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Kari's Harvest Muffins (18 muffins)

Egg Substitute for 2 eggs:
2 Tbsp flax meal
6 Tbsp water

Dry ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Wet ingredients:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup barbados molasses
1 tsp vanilla

Add-ins:
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

In small bowl, combine flax meal and 6 Tbsp water; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flours, wheat germ, oats, turbinado sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, and cloves.

In small bowl, combine wet ingredients: flax mixture, pumpkin, water, yogurt, molasses, and vanilla.

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture, then stir in chopped apple, raisins, and walnuts.

Divide batter between 18 muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.

Soup of the Day: Minestrone

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Kari's Minestrone

1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 small or 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1/4 small cabbage, cut in thin shreds (about 2 cups)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz)can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried oregano
black pepper
7 cups veg broth (or water and bouillon cubes)
2 small zucchini, diced
1 can white beans, or other bean, rinsed and drained
1 cup mini Farfalle, or other small pasta
1/2 cup peas

In large soup pot, saute onion, celery, carrot, cabbage, bell pepper, and garlic in water. When vegetables soften, add tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and several grinds of black pepper. Add vegetable broth (or water and bouillon) and simmer for 20 minutes. Add zucchini, beans, and pasta. Simmer 7-10 minutes. Test pasta. When tender, stir in peas. Heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add more broth or water if soup seems too thick and you want more broth. Serve with crusty bread.

You can add other vegetables, depending on what you have available. Toss in some green beans or corn or spinach or parsley or whatever you like.

Rice Noodles and Vegetables with Sweet Soy Sauce

Hearty Spice Muffins

Not the best photo. These taste much better than they look. Brown foods aren't very photogenic.

Remember those spice cakes made with tomato soup from back in the day? Here's a muffin that also calls for a can of tomato soup. No, it doesn't taste like tomato. It's rich and spicy, and it will make you think harvest time. Add chopped nuts, if desired.


Kari's Hearty Spice Muffins (makes 12 muffins)


Egg substitute for 2 eggs:
2 tbsp flax meal
6 tbsp water

Dry ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup oats
1 cup turbinado sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Wet ingredients:
1 can condensed tomato soup
4 ounce unsweetened applesauce (1 individual size container)
1/4 cup orange juice (or apple juice)
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add-ins:
1/2 cup raisins, soaked to plump in hot water if desired (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

In small bowl, combine flax meal and water; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, oats, turbinado sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In small bowl, combine wet ingredients: flax mixture, tomato soup, applesauce, orange juice, molasses, and vanilla.

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture, then stir in raisins.

Divide batter between 12 muffins cups. Bake for 30 minutes.


Note: These are fairly sweet. If you prefer less sweetness, you might try reducing the sugar by a few tablespoons. Maybe add a little more flax meal to replace it, so the batter isn't too runny. The raisins add sweetness, too, as does the fruit juice. The juice could be replaced with water or soy milk or nut milk or coffee or whatever liquid you like.

If you experiment with alternate ingredients or pans or whatever, feel free to post your results in the comments so others (is that an echo?) may benefit from your courage. ::grin::

Indian-Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower

Last night's dinner: Indian-Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower, gai lan sauteed with garlic, apple chutney, and paratha. The chutney recipe can be found here. It is delicious!


Kari's Indian-Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower

1/2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Indian seed mixture*
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in bite-size pieces
2 cups cauliflower florets, cut bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Indian red chilli powder (or you could use cayenne)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup canned diced tomato (or you could use fresh)
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp garam masala
cilantro garnish, optional

Place potatoes and cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl; add about 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 5 minutes.

In large heavy pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add Indian seed mixture. When seeds pop, add onion. Saute over medium heat 3-4 minutes, til onion begins to brown. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt. Cook and stir to toast spice, then stir in tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes, then stir in water. Bring to boil. Add potatoes and cauliflower. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are very tender and sauce thickens. Add peas and cook a couple minutes until peas are hot. Before serving, stir in garam masala. Adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired. Serve with your favorite flatbread, sauteed greens, and chutney.

*Indian seed mixture appears in Indian Vegetarian Cooking at Your House by Sunetra Humbad and Amy Schafer Boger, M.D.. It consists of one part each sesame and cumin seeds, and two parts black mustard seed.

Note: This is kid-friendly, not overly-spicy. For a hotter spice, add more chilli or cayenne, or use Sriracha chili sauce at the table.