Curried-Tempeh Salad

Wow. This is way better than chicken salad! Thank you for sharing you recipe with us, Ef!

The main entree of our tailgate lunch, in the parking lot at the Portland International Raceway between our kid's cyclocross races, was our daughter's gluten-free, faux chicken curry salad, made with tempeh, served with her gluten-free sandwich bread made with buckwheat. If I am successful with her bread recipe, I will share it on this blog too.

Ingredients:

2 packages (8-ounce each) of Tempeh, diced into 1/4" cubes

1 Apple, cored and diced (peeling optional)

3 Celery stalks, chopped

1/4 cup chopped Nuts (walnuts or pecans)

2 tablespoons Raisins

2 teaspoons Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper

1 cup Mayonnaise (eggless, if vegan)

Directions:

1. Steam the tempeh for 10 minutes. If you don't have a steamer, add 2 to 3 inches of water to a saucepan and place tempeh in a steamer basket. Let cool.
2. Once cooled, in a large bowl, combine the tempeh with the apple, celery, nuts, raisins, seasonings and mayonnaise. Add more or less pepper and mayonnaise to your taste and level of moistness you prefer.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Here's a recap by my daughter of her conversation her four year old daughter, my granddaughter, on their drive home from their cyclocross race: 

"Leify (22-month old brother), please stop making all that noise! It's not polite to make all that noise when I'm trying to have a conversation with Mama." She told me in intricate detail of her plans for opening a restaurant called "A Big Kitchen For All of Us" - it will host two large kitchens, a party room, offer world foods, the parking lot will be on the left - and I will be supplying lights for the lot, restaurant decorations, roses for the tables and a calendar for the kitchen so that she knows what day it is. And her menu sounds amazing! She's so creative she won't even have to go to cooking school! Thankfully we've been invited to dine at her restaurant every night! I can't wait for her to wow me every night, cause she certainly does evety day!!!

Some of the delectables Seph plans to serve are Crispy Crunchy Carrots and Purple Marshmallow Stew.

Curry Tempeh - A Laptop Meal

A laptop meal is especially great for those recovering from an illness, injury or surgery. My definition of a "Laptop Meal" - - nutrient-rich, no cutting required, easy to chew and digest, and not too brothy (avoids spillage).


My husband prepared this nutritious Curry Tempeh laptop meal for me the other night, so we could enjoy dinner with a movie, while keeping my leg elevated and iced at the same time.

Ingredients:

2 bunches green onions
1- 14 ounce can light coconut milk
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce, divided
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste
1 pound tempeh or tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (browned to crisp in a little oil)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 cups bok choy, chopped
salt to taste

brown rice, steamed

Directions:

1. Chop green onions: white part, finely chop; green part, chop into 2-inches pieces.
2. In a large heavy skillet or wok over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger and chile paste. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped whites of the green onions.
4. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
5. Mix in the browned tempeh or tofu, basil and bok choy.
6. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce.
7. Continue to cook covered or uncovered depending on how much broth you prefer, until vegetables are tender but crisp - - about 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with remaining green onion.
9. Serve over rice.

Serves 3-4

The extra serving was great reheated for lunch the next day.

New Year's Day-After South African Dried Fruit Curry

Looking forward to the new year? I am mostly filled with high expectations seasoned with bit of fear and trepidation... probably a healthy mix.

I don't know about you, but I had a lot of thoughts rumbling about in my head, right from the get go. So, I began the first day of 2010 writing New Year's resolutions, before I got out of bed. Done. Next, I hit the scales for the harsh reality check - gained 5 pounds during the holiday-months. Ouch! I already had the solution to that problem worked into my list. I will have to take another stickK contract out on my self.

We enjoyed having family with us most the day, but didn't fit in the walk we planned. However, my backup plan is to get in some yoga and stretches before returning to the comfort of my bed to review my outline of resolutions for the year and add a few more that came to mind as the day progressed. I'm determined to hold myself accountable by scheduling time slots on my Google calendar, but that's tomorrow's task.

Anyway, this evening we dined on Himalayan red rice, lightly-steamed brocollini and pan-seared halibut with fresh-squeezed lemon, dill and capers... a simple but delicious meal prepared by my husband, who happens to be an excellent cook! Notice the missing wine glass. One of my New Year's resolutions: No Wining = fewer calories = svelte figure. Right?

What about the South African Dried Fruit Curry? Thank you for your patience. Keep reading.

But, first let me digress. Our Christmas present to each other was the Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator. It arrived a few days ago, and this weekend we are putting it to use. I will be posting the outcomes of some of our forays into the world of dried foods this year.


This past fall we began incorporating more raw foods into our meals. I quickly discovered while perusing raw foods cookbooks that many of the best and most interesting dishes involved dehydrating certain raw foods and dishes anywhere from 4 t0 12 between 95 and 155 degrees.

Our first, test batch of kiwi, pear, apple and banana was dehydrated for 12 hours at 130-degrees with out any pretreatment, dipping or blanching. Loaded with flavor and chewy.

I will be using home-dehydrated foods in cooked dishes, as well.

A few weeks ago, while attending a house concert, I reconnected with a friend I haven't spoken to or seen since 1976. Neither of us could believe it! While catching up, I reminded Pamela of the amazing recipes she shared with me. I came across one of her recipes just today while looking through a recipe album of mine from the early '80's with my youngest daughter. South African Dried Fruit Curry. I'm going to make this dish tomorrow with store-bought dried fruits, but the next time I make it, I will be using my own dehydrated fruits. I'm excited about the possibilities and the added nutritional benefits of adding a dehydrator as a kitchen appliance.


South African Dried Fruit Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 pounds cubed lamb or beef (I am making this dish with tofu (prefer tempeh)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup onions, minced
2 tablespoons Madras curry
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine dried fruits and soak in water for 1 hour or so.
2. Pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt. Brown evenly in hot oil, then set aside.
3. Brown onions in 2 tablespoons of meat fat or oil.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the curry. Stir 2 minutes.
5. Add the meat with accumulated juices (or add tempeh later).
6. Stir in the fruit and its water, vinegar and lemon juice.
7. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low.
8. Partially cover and let simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is tender when pierced OR when cooked through, add the tofu or tempeh.
9. Add water, if necessary. When done, most of the liquid should be cooked away.
10. Mound the curry on a platter on a bed of steamed rice.
    
11. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and arrange the bananas around the curry.

Enjoy! Serves 4-6.

Red Curry-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

A couple days ago, our neighbor invited me over to share some of the last pumpkin from their garden with us. When I arrived, Kyle met me outside with an axe. She wanted to know how much of the 100 pound pumpkin I wanted. She hacked off a couple large chunks, which I brought home, cut into 8 thick slabs and roasted on two racks in my oven at 375-degrees for nearly two hours.

Some of them I vacuum sealed and froze; the rest I put in the refrigerator for making pumpkin soup this evening for our Christmas Eve lunch tomorrow with family.

I pureed two quarts of cubed roasted pumpkin in my food processor in two batches.

Ingredients:

2 quarts of pureed pumpkin
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1-6 teaspoons red curry powder (or paste; add more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons sea salt, finely ground

Directions:

1. Pour the pureed pumpkin into your soup pot and begin cooking on medium-high heat.
   
2. Add the coconut milk, butter and curry powder, and bring to a simmer.
3. If you desire a thinner consistency, add water or vegetable stock.
   
4. Add salt and adjust the curry according to your taste.

Serves 8-10

What's Your Curry?

Green curry is sublime with chicken, seafood and/or vegetables. If you're not in a hurry, make your own homemade curry. It will have more flavor and aroma than what you can find at the market.

Take your time to enjoy the process of cooking and enjoying the taste of Thai.

Ingredients:

Green Curry Paste

• 15 to 20 Thai Green Chili Peppers
• 2 stalks Lemon Grass, chopped
• 3 Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove Garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped Kha*
• 1 tablespoon chopped Kaffir Lime
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Caraway Seed
• 1/2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sugar or a mild Honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Shrimp Paste (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Oil

Check with your local Asian market for Thai Peppers, Kha, Kaffir Lime, Fish Sauce and Shrimp Paste.

* Kha, also know as galangal or laos, looks similar to ginger, but has lighter, flesh and a different flavor than ginger. It is available fresh in selected Asian grocery stores. Fresh kha can be frozen to make it last longer. It is also available in dried slices and in powder. Dried kha should be soaked in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

What's Your Curry? Prawns and Vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil, for stir-frying the vegetables
• 1 large Onion
• 2 stalks of Celery
• 1-2 Carrots
• 2 cups chopped Green Leafy Vegetable
• 4 large Mushrooms
• 1 13.5 ounce can of Coconut Milk
• 3/4-1 lb. Prawns, pre-cooked and peeled
• 1-2 cups Bamboo Shoots and/or Water Chestnuts, thin-sliced (optional) (comes in 4-ounce cans)
  

Method:

• Blend all the Curry Paste ingredients together using a mortar and pestle. Use in the recipe according to taste.
• Thinly slice the Vegetables; julienne the Celery and Carrots.
• Remove the tails from the Prawns, rinse and let drain.
• This dish can also be served over a bed of white Rice or Noodles. Cook and have ready to serve by the time you are done cooking the curry dish.

Directions:

1. In a large wok, on high heat, add the oil, then the assorted vegetables. Toss gently and continually.
2. When the vegetables are almost tender, stir in the Green Curry Paste.
3. Add all of the Coconut Milk and more Curry Paste, to taste.
4. 1-2 minutes before serving, add the Prawns and lightly toss to warm through.
5. Serve in wide bowls and garnish with a spring of fresh Basil.

Serves 2-4

Cooking Gluten-Free Vegetarian with Donna Klein

 Tonight, I began the “Challenge”, cooking out of The Gluten-Free Vegetarian by Donna Klein. While my husband tackled paper work he brought home from the office, I cranked up the propane stove-top, first slow-cooking the Curried Pumpkin Risotto on page 117. In-between stirring in more of the simmering broth ¼ cup at a time, I made the dressing for the Spinach Salad with Orange-Raisin Dressing and Sunflower Seeds on page 58. As I was putting the finishing touches on our dinner, Cliff took a break and helped me out, creating the Orange-Marinated Strawberries on page 197, which we later poured over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

I’d never cooked with Arborio rice before. It's a short, round grain rice with a creamy, chewy texture. I’m delighted to discover it, because I can use Arborio in all my recipes that call for orzo pasta, which is made from semolina or wheat.

For those that go light on spices, you’ll want to cook with a mild curry and perhaps cut down on the amount of cumin and pepper. I can’t eat black pepper, so I used a pinch of finely ground cayenne instead. We ate the Pumpkin Risotto as the main entrée, but it would be fantastic as a side dish, especially during the fall and winter months. Count on needing an hour to make your risotto; you are reducing over a quart of liquid and pumpkin puree as your rice cooks uncovered on the stove-top.

While I was adding and stirring ingredients to the pot, my mother called to share some good news about my Uncle Kenny, who is in the hospital recovering from a stroke. Trying to listen and talk  on speaker phone while ladling broth, I managed to burn my hand picking up the handle of the scorching hot saucepan, which in turn caused me to bang my head into the corner of the cabinetry encasing the overhead fan. My mother said it first, “I better go so you can get back to your cooking!”

The salad recipe I selected from the book worked quite well as a lightly-sweetened complement to the spicy curry dish. The sunflower seeds added the nutty flavor and crunch that I missed by forgetting about the toasted pine nuts set aside to sprinkle on top of the risotto.

Cliff said our dessert tasted like a Creamsicle, which is not a bad thing, because the Creamsicle remains one of our favorites from childhood. However, this is a far healthier version loaded with fresh strawberries and ample marinade to make a slurry of goodness to drink like a smoothie. You know, this recipe might work really well for a gluten-free waffle topping. You could cook and thicken the marinade with cornstarch, use whipping cream or gluten-free vanilla ice cream and top with fresh berries.