Rarely do I have the same meal twice in the same day, but I am digging Indian food right now thanks to Harshdeep Swami. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel!

There is no recipe this time. I’m away from home and wanted to use up the fresh veg I happened to have on hand…

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 1 large organic carrot, peeled and sliced (how DO they get organic carrots to grow so big, I wonder…?)
• 1/2 package white mushrooms, sliced thick
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• I red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 small (Campari) tomatoes, quartered
• 3/4 cup uncooked split red lentils, rinsed
• 1.5 cups water
• Garlic powder (because I don’t have fresh garlic on hand)
• Indian spices in random, unmeasured amounts: coriander, black mustard seed, cumin, fennel, chili powder, turmeric, ginger, Hing, mango powder

Here’s what I did:

1. With the 3-quart Instant Pot on sauté I water-sautéed the veg for several minutes until they cooked down a bit
2. Then I added the lentils and water, closed the lid and cooked on low pressure for 4 minutes, NPR
3. Then I began stirring in spices, tasted, added more spice, and repeated until I was pleased with the flavor and heat

Red lentil and Veg Dal with #harshdeepswami’s “Green Sauce 3” aka Cilantro-Mint Green Sauce

Very delish Dal Makhani!

Recipe compliments of #HarshdeepSwami @ https://youtu.be/ZeD4fux6d1c

(After a taste test I increased the amount of the spices)

The photo does not do it justice… I finally made a copycat version of my fave dish at my fave Indian restaurant here in Palm Coast. Oh HaPpY DaY!

Veg Vindaloo

Serves 2 hungry vegans

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks

• 8 oz mushrooms, halved or quartered if large

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

• 1 white potato, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 onions, diced

• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Marinade ingredients

• 1/3 cup balsamic condimenti

• 4-6 cloves garlic, mashed (I use a mortar and pestle)

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 2 tbsp garam masala

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp red chilli powder

• 1 tsp ground mustard

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Combine marinade ingredients, stir or whisk to combine

2. Add mushrooms, eggplant, potatoes and carrots to a large bowl, add marinade, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours

3. Add the onions to a hot 3-quart sauce pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. If necessary, add water a tbsp at a time to deglaze pan

4. Add the marinated veg and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes

5. Add the crushed tomatoes and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook until veg is tender, 60-90 minutes. (I’m guessing a cook time of 10 minutes in a pressure cooker would work, but I haven’t tried it yet)

6. When the veg is tender to your liking stir in the mustard seeds

7. Serve piping hot with basmati rice

Guys! I made a super delish MarieBelle vegan copycat rich and thick hot chocolate recipe! If you’ve experienced MarieBelle (before going vegan, of course) you know what I’m talking about!! https://mariebelle.com/chocolate-nyc/type-of-products/chocolate-drinks/

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw cacao powder

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1 cup enjoy life chocolate chips or mini chips

• 1/2 cup dry sugar of choice (raw sugar crystals, coconut palm sugar, turbinato sugar, etc.)

• 1/4 cup maca powder

Method

Add everything to food processor and process until powdery and there is no grittiness left, stopping to scrape sides as necessary. Processing could take up to 15 minutes depending on your machine. If there is even a hint of grittiness the resulting beverage will be less than satisfactory. As me how I know. 😊

Serving instructions

Add 2 healing tbsp mix to demitasse cup, add boiling water, stir until completely smooth. If beverage is gritty add remaining dry mix to food processor and process again until powdery.

Spicy variation: add a dash of chipotle ancho chili, cinnamon and nutmeg

Masa Harina Cornbread

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups Masa Harina

• .5 cup graham flour or oat flour or rolled oats

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk

• .5 cup unsweetened applesauce

• .25 cup pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line small baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the the dry ingredients

3. Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine

4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Place pan on middle rack in oven and bake 20 minutes

5. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Cool briefly before cutting into squares and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

A mere 1/4 cup of lentils nets an entire pasta bowl of sprout salad. It’s crazy!! Shown topped with Asian style dressing…

LENTIL SPROUTS

Place 1/4 cup rinsed lentils in quart mason jar, fill jar with water, soak at room temp overnight;

The next day drain the soaking water, rinse with fresh water, drain, cover jar with cheesecloth;

Leave jar at room temp out of direct sunlight, rinse and drain twice daily for 3-4 days; you want them wet but not submerged in water;

Enjoy immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days;

Lentil sprout salad is surprisingly satisfying.