Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Vegan)

Craving Indian today like nobody's business, after a friend had mentioned her delicious Indian take out in Royal Oak. I found a few recipes which gave me a starting point for this cauliflower biryani dish. I added tofu to the traditional rice pilaf for additional substance & protein, but go ahead and leave it out if you don't eat soy. Chicken would make a nice substitution as well!

This hit the spot! Nice mixture of sweet, spicy, hearty, and tart. It's got a nice, delicate spice profile, and has a gorgeous yellow color from the turmeric. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. Anything that you don't have around, just omit.

Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, cored and split into small florets
2 medium carrots, halved and chunked

1 large tomato (diced)
1 inch ginger (finely diced)
1 jalapeno (finely diced)
1/2 red onion (finely diced)

Coconut oil for coating florets, plus 1-1/2 tablespoons

Salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp each - chili powder, coriander, cardamom powder, garam masala, cinnamon
1 bay leaf

1 cup brown or basmati rice

1/2 cup coarsely chopped unroasted, unsalted cashews

1/3 cup seedless dark raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, diced (I used dates and apricots)

1/3-1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Put oven rack on upper level and preheat over to 450 degrees.

In large bowl, toss cauliflower and carrots with coconut oil. Season with salt. Dust florets with cumin and turmeric, chili powder, cardamom powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cinnamon. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, turning florets once or twice to prevent burning. Let cool.

In a medium sauce pan, sautee the tomato, red onion, ginger and jalapeno with salt until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice, another cup of water and bay leaf. Simmer rice until done (15-20 min). Pull bayleaf out.

Cut tofu into cubes, dust with cumin and turmeric and fry in a large sautee pan until golden brown. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine everything: the tofu, cauliflower/carrots, rice, cashews, raisins, apricots and cilantro. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of coconut or olive oil (optional). Salt & pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Cheesy Gallo Pinto Stuffed Peppers {Vegetarian}

Gallo Pinto is a Costa Rican staple translating directly as "Spotted Rooster". It's basically a spiced up version of black beans & rice. I make a big batch of this every week or two and it can be easily reheated as a side dish or mixed with greens as a salad option for the rest of the week!

For a hearty vegetarian entree, I've stuffed it into organic red bell peppers along with some grated cheddar cheese.

Gallo Pinto

Ingredients:

2c cooked white or brown rice (1 cup dry)
1.5 c cooked black beans (or use a 15oz can)
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
1/2 red, orange or yellow bell pepper (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 handful cilantro optional
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
Sea Salt
Olive Oil

Directions:
In a large sautee pan, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and sautee onion, bell pepper and garlic. Add cooked beans and rice. Add spices and sea salt to taste and lastly, chopped cilantro. Sautee for a minute or two, until combined and hot.

Sometimes I add carrots (here) and/or jalapenos for added flavor & nutrition

Cheesy Pinto Gallo Stuffed Peppers (makes 2)

Ingredients:

2 large bell peppers of your choice
2 cups gallo pinto
1 large handful (about 1 oz) grated cheddar cheese and a little more for topping
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare peppers by cutting the tops off and gutting them. In a mixing bowl, mix cheese with gallo pinto. Stuff each pepper and add a bit more cheese on top. Replace tops of peppers. Pour a tiny bit of olive oil onto your hands and rub on the outsides of the peppers (and the stems...this helps prevent burning). Bake for 30-35 minutes, until peppers are soft. When I'm only making 2 or 3, they fit really nicely into a loaf pan and aren't able to tip over and spill!

Super yummy and about 250 calories per stuffed pepper!

30 min Thai: Pineapple Curry Shrimp over Coconut Rice

I love Thai - and this sweet coconut curry dish is a guilty pleasure, but without the unknowns (msg) of your local Thai dive.  This turned out restaurant quality, and in less than 30 minutes.  I looked at a few recipes for inspiration,  and wrote down what I actually used, below.  "Traditional" version call for added sugar in both the sauce and rice. (2 tbsp in curry sauce, 1 tbsp in rice). Feel free, but I skip this, as the pineapple makes it sweet enough for me....

Ingredients for Pineapple Shrimp (serves 4):

3/4 can coconut milk (unsweetened) **
1 lb raw, deveined shrimp
1/3 fresh pineapple,diced
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely diced **
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 green onions, sliced (approx 1/4 c)
1 tbsp fresh lemongrass (the middle of the white tender part only) **
1 handful chopped cilantro
1 large pinch, tumeric**
2 tbsp red curry paste**
2 tbsp fish sauce**

**All of these ingredients can be purchased for CHEAP at your local Asian market.  I found tumeric for $0.99 and the coconut milk was $1.49.  Whenever I go, I end up with a grocery bag or two for less than $10 bucks.  You can probably find this stuff in the ethic section of a Whole Foods or other high-end grocery store, but you'll pay an arm and a leg.


Ingredients for Coconut Rice (serves 4):

1/2 cup rice (I used jasmine, but white or brown would work fine)
1/4 can coconut milk
1/4 c coconut flakes
1/2 vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Salt & Pepper

Prep all ingredients as stated above - it makes your cook time so much faster and it's easier to modify your dish to your tastes as you go along. Make rice according to package directions, subbing out the 1/4 c coconut water for 1/4 c water and adding vanilla extract and some sea salt and the vanilla bean pod to the pot.  After cooked (15-30 min depending on which kind of rice you use.  Stir in coconut flakes as you fluff.  Let sit for a few min, covered.

In a large saute pan, heat the coconut milk, fish sauce, red curry, garlic, ginger, tumeric  and lemongrass to medium, until bubbling, but not boiling.  Now, add shrimp, green onions, pineapple and cilantro.  Cook about 8 min, or until shrimp is pink.  Serve over rice with a few pineapple chunks  and some cilantro on top for garnish.

Nutritional Info for both pineapple shrimp & rice:


459 Calories
26 g fat
32 g carb
28 g protein