dahl-icious

i didn't intend for this to be a dahl soup. it was a vegan yellow split pea when john said "this tastes like dahl. let's put mint and indian spices in it." the soup was already flavored with sage and thyme, which we thought went surprisingly well with the curry, turmeric and spearmint we added.

 

dried yellow split peas

cool spearmint balances spicy red curry quite nicely. it's fun to play around with different flavors. i'd love to take a class on herbs and also add more to my garden.

 coriander

what are your favorite herbs, to eat or grow (or smoke? kidding...=)

summer indian meal

while searching online for a raw cabbage recipe, i stumbled upon this curried cabbage salad. indian food is fairly new to me, but i decided to go ahead and attempt a raw indian dinner anyway.

Raw Vegan Curried Cabbage Salad

(serves 4-6) 

Ingredients:

• 1 head green cabbage, chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded flaked coconut (be sure it's raw, if needed)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (if raw, use Nama Shoyu)
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp curry
• 1/2 tsp cumin

 

Preparation: 

In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients, making sure cabbage is evenly coated. If possible, chill for at least an hour and toss thoroughly again before serving. This will allow all the flavors to mingle and blend.

Note:

For the soy sauce portion I used two tablespoons of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and two tablespoons of water. The sesame seeds I used were roasted and therefore not raw.

 savoy, my favorite cabbage

the cabbage salad was nicely balanced and incredibly flavorsome. the longer it sat, the more intense the flavors became. however, it lacked color.

delicious but blah-looking

so i added a carrot from the garden, spiralized.

cosmic purple carrot - orange on the inside - cool, but not as cool as the solid purple carrot i had anticipated

muuuch better=)

further online searching led me to a yellow squash curry recipe. with intentions not to turn the stove on,  i made a dressing to coat raw patty pan and eight ball-squash (using angela's eggplant caponata for inspiration).

raw curried yellow squash
serves 2-4

ingredients

about 2 C yellow squash, chopped

dressing:
1/4 C packed diced tomato
1 sun-dried tomato
1 medjool date
3 T olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp red curry powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp turmeric
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon

fresh cilantro, to garnish
salt and black pepper, to taste

preparation

blend dressing ingredients until smooth. toss with chopped squash and garnish with cilantro. for best flavor, allow squash to marinate a few hours or overnight.

 sweet yet sophisticated. and super yummy.=)

this raw corn chowder? not so yummy. tired of recipes, i made the decision to just wing it. it had such a bitter taste, we couldn't even eat it.

ah well, you know what meatloaf says...

two out of three ain't bad.=)

(had i known in advance, i may have tried to make raw samosas with coconut wrappers and mango chutney. can i get a YUM?!)