Tempeh/ Indian Recipes
Today for the first time I bought some tempeh. I had some in a salad in a vegan restaurant and it wasn't bad. I also have been craving Indian food this past fall/winter. I found some recipes that I think would be great addition to the small Solstice/Christmas dinner that I'll be having with my mom. I want to classify Indian recipes as "region of the year". In 2009, it was Southeast Asian cuisine. Next year it might be Thai food.
Tikka Masala This is a chicken recipe, but soon I'll be providing the vegan version of this recipe and I will take the link off. This is a vegan website not a pollo-pescatarian site. I will be replacing the chicken with tempeh, tofu or seitan in various occassions. For the marinade, soy or rice yogurt will be used instead. Coconut milk/almond milk will replace the heavy cream. In the last post, I provided some Indian recipes. This is one that I have to modify to suit my tastes.
Channa Masala This recipe is very simple to make with all its ingredients. It's already vegan and no substitutions need to be made unless other ingredients will be added.
Bhurtha (Eggplant Curry) This recipe is vegan and substitutions for ingredients and cooking methods can be made. Eggplant seems intimidating to cook, but hopefully it turns out well.
These are three of some recipes I plan on making for Winter Dinner. Pictures will be taken soon.
Holiday Menu Suggestions
Continental Dinner- Depending on if you want it regional or international, these recipes can be mixed and match. I'm just providing a list of all the foods I can think of in the world.
Appitizers: Vegan "Meatballs" made of beans covered in sauce on toothpicks; Felafels
Salad with spinach and winter vegetables or kale and cilantro/mint tabouleh; Fresh Thai Spring Rolls
Drinks: Winter Sangria (Recipe coming soon), Cranberry Drops (Recipe Coming soon), Mai tai, Pina Colada, Non-Alcoholic or Alcoholic
Main Menu: Tempeh Tikka Masala, Tofurkey, Vegan "meat loaf", Vegetable Lasagna (vegan), Vegan "steak", Stroganoff (vegan)
Side Dishes: Aloo, Channa Masala, Rattoullie, Brocolli au Gratin (vegan), Mash potatoes, wild rice, dhal, samosas, pasta. The options for side dishes are endless.
Desserts: vegan coconut cake, vegan versions of favorite cake or holiday cake, apple, pumpkin or sweet potato pie. There is room for creativity for desserts.
Cooking for a holiday or any gathering can be intimidating. If you are within a budget, the key is to have all the ingredients and everything on the menu listed when grocery shopping. It also helps to scale down the menu when there are less than five people. Like, if the dinner will be small with three or less people, then it's a good idea to not cook more than two main dishes and about three or four side dishes, not counting appetizers, drinks and desserts. The key is to not go over budget and to have enough for left overs, but not so much that it's wasting food. It also helps to be consistent and have a "theme". I plan on having an continental holiday dinner leaning toward South Asian and Mediterranean with some American dishes. I also recommend being creative. All foreign dishes do not have to be authentic. It makes it more original to have an American spin on them. Vegan dishes alone are not traditional, so be creative.
Sample Holiday Menu
Appetizer- Felafel, Kale Tabouli salad
Main Dish: Tempeh Tikka Masala
Side Dishes: Channa Masala, Bhurtha, Aloo, Dhal, Wild Rice
Dessert: Coconut Cake
Drinks: Winter Sangria, Lemon drops, Cranberry tonic
* This menu is recommended for three or less people. If more people are going to be at the gathering, then I recommend having more dishes, appetizers and drinks.
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