TIBETAN MILK TEA

A delicious vegan take on a traditional Tibetan chai-style milk tea with cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, Darjeeling tea, and oat (or other non-dairy) milk. Great for immunity, blood pressure balancing, and heck, just a tasty treat for the cloudier days of spring or any old Tuesday afternoon of contemplating life in a big sweater.

Cinnamon is protective both physically and energetically, oat milk is calming, and cardamom is an all around magical spice and my #1 favorite. (See South African Malay Curry for more cardamom goodness and a video of the pods being opened.)

Adapted from The Kopan Cookbook, a wonderful book of vegetarian recipes from a Tibetan monastery — highly recommend! Here is a source to get it from independent booksellers.

This was made and enjoyed with intern and Nutrition student extraordinaire Tanzie Gooch!

INGREDIENTS

3 c water
1 c oat, coconut, or other non-dairy milk
5 coin-sized slices of fresh ginger root
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole cloves or ground
6 pale green cardamon pods, peeled OR 1 TBSP of ground cardamom
1 TBSP or 1 bag of Darjeeling tea (substitute Earl Grey or other black tea)
Optional: Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or raw sugar) to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon into a dry skillet on medium heat shaking the skillet occasionally. This would be about 2 minutes or until it becomes fragrant.

2. Add water and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil. 

3. Add loose tea leafs or tea bag, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. 

4. Stir in oat milk. (Make certain that the water is not boiling). Simmer for 2 minutes. 

5. Strain with a fine strainer and serve.

SOUTH AFRICAN MALAY CURRY

A sweet, flavorful curry that’s warming without being too hot, brought to you by my incredible new intern Tanzie who has lived all over this planet, including South Africa where she picked up this recipe. We had a lot of fun making this together on Valentine’s Day. ♥ This dish is naturally vegan, or can be served with meat.

South African cuisine is known for bridging diverse influences, and this is a classic example with a mix of South African, Malaysian, Dutch, and Indian traditions.

Curry is a powerful dish, not only in flavor but also in physiological effects. As a spice blend, curry varies by the maker, including spices like black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, chili peppers, fenugreek, ginger, mustard, nutmeg, and of course turmeric which gives it its signature yellow hue. This dish creates a unique curry by combining turmeric with the spice blend garam masala which features many of the above, along with a blend of other aromatics.

Breaking up the cardamom pods

Turmeric is also one of the most medicinal of the curry spices, its most well known active healing phytonutrient being curcumin. Curcumin holds an affinity for the brain, helping to promote cognitive health, slow and prevent neurodegenerative decline, and reduce plaque buildup in the brain. This cognitive support is evident in Indian culture where rates of cognitive decline conditions such as Alzheimer’s are markedly lower, thought to be related to the prevalence of turmeric in the diet.¹ 

Turmeric is also known to relieve pain and inflammation as a powerful anti-inflammatory that protects against the deterioration of joints.² It has also been associated with improved liver function.³ To effectively absorb these wonderful healing benefits, you can combine turmeric with black pepper as the piperine in black pepper has been shown to enhance curcumin absorption by up to 2000%.⁴

We included fresh cardamom in the dish, breaking open fresh pods to extract the seeds. In addition to being delicious, cardamom is a vasodilator that promotes healthy blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues.⁵

Feeds: 4-6

Time: about 45 minutes

Options:
Meat such as lamb, goat, or chicken is also optional.
Choose from two variations of starch: rice or potatoes. Potatoes are a common alternative to rice in South Africa.

RICE

1 cup basmati rice
1 cup water
12 oz can of coconut milk
1 large garlic clove
1 small onion or ½ large onion
1 bell pepper (color of choice)
2 medium tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil
12 oz can of pineapple chunks OR ⅓ cup of fresh pineapple
¼ cup green onions chopped (approximately 2 green onions)
1 large carrot or 4 baby carrots
½ cup snap peas

SPICES:
2 tsp ground cardamom OR 15 cardamom pods broken open*
½ - 1 TBSP ground fennel (less if very aromatic) OR fennel seeds slightly chopped
1 TBSP diced fresh ginger
2 TBSP garam masala
1 tsp turmeric½ tsp black pepper
¾ cup pecans OR macadamia nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Start rice (unless instant) using 1 cup water and ½ cup coconut water strained from coconut milk can.

2. Open cardamom pods if using pods.

3. Slightly chop fennel to open aroma and flavor and to cook more thoroughly.

4. Mince the ginger and garlic.

5. Dice the onion.

6. Chop pecans OR macadamia nuts in half lengthwise.

7. Heat up pan with olive oil on low-medium (your typical stir fry temperature).

8. Chop bell pepper into roughly 2 inch pieces.

9. Dice the tomatoes into generously sized 2 inch pieces (too small will turn to mush).

10. Place garlic and onion in preheated pan. 

11. If adding meat, add now and cook until golden browned.

12. Once slightly golden, add: liquid from pineapple can, rest of coconut milk from can.

13. Add cardamom, fennel, ginger — IF FRESH.

14. Turn up heat slightly if needed to get to a low boil. When gently bubbling, add tomatoes, bell peppers, all remaining spices (garam masala, turmeric, pepper AND cardamom, fennel, ginger if not fresh).

15. Simmer for 5 minutes. Don’t stir.

16. Chop green onions and add to pan.

17. Shave carrots directly into pan.

18. Add snap peas.

19. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

20. Serve over rice.

POTATOES

4 red potatoes, diced
4 cups water
12 oz can of coconut milk
1 large garlic clove
1 small onion or ½ large onion
1 bell pepper (color of choice)
2 medium tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil
2 ounce can of pineapple chunks OR ⅓ of fresh pineapple
¼ cup green onions chopped (approximately 2 green onions)
1 large carrot or 4 baby carrots
½ cup snap peas

SPICES:
2 tsp ground cardamom OR 15 cardamom pods broken open*
½ - 1 TBSP ground fennel (less if very aromatic) OR fennel seeds slightly chopped
1 TBSP diced fresh ginger
2 TBSP garam masala
1 tsp turmeric½ tsp black pepper
¾ cup pecans OR macadamia nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Start boiling water. Chop the potatoes. Once the water is boiling, add in the potatoes.

2. Open cardamom pods if using pods.

3. Slightly chop fennel to open aroma and flavor and to cook more thoroughly.

4. Mince the ginger and garlic.

5. Dice the onion.

6. Chop pecans OR macadamia nuts in half lengthwise.

7. Heat up pan with olive oil on low-medium (your typical stir fry temperature).

8. Chop bell pepper into roughly 2 inch pieces.

9. Dice the tomatoes into generously sized 2 inch pieces (too small will turn to mush).

10. Place garlic and onion in preheated pan. 

11. If adding meat, add now and cook until golden browned.

12. Once slightly golden, add: liquid from pineapple can, and the coconut milk from can.

13. Add cardamom, fennel, ginger — IF FRESH.

14. Turn up heat slightly if needed to get to a low boil. When gently bubbling, add tomatoes, bell peppers, all remaining spices (garam masala, turmeric, pepper AND cardamom, fennel, ginger if not fresh).

15. Strain the potatoes and add into the mixture.

16. Simmer for 5 minutes. Don’t stir.

17. Chop green onions and add to pan.

18. Shave carrots directly into pan.

19. Add snap peas.

20. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

21. Serve over potatoes.

SOURCES

1. Ono K, et al. “Curcumin Has Potent Anti-Amyloidogenic Effects For Alzheimer’s Beta-Amyloid Fibrils In Vitro. – Pubmed – NCBI.” Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 July 2017.

2. N, Chainani-Wu. “Safety And Anti-Inflammatory Activity Of Curcumin: A Component Of Tumeric (Curcuma Longa). – Pubmed – NCBI.” Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 July 2017.

3. P, Rivera-Espinoza. “Pharmacological Actions Of Curcumin In Liver Diseases Or Damage. – Pubmed – NCBI.” Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 July 2017.

4. S.J., Hewlings, D.S., Kalman. “Curcumin: A Review of It’s Effects on Human Health”. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/ . Web. 22 October 2017. 

5. ”Gut Modulatory, Blood Pressure Lowering, Diuretic And Sedative Activities Of Cardamom – Sciencedirect.” Sciencedirect.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 7 July 2017.

GONE-BEFORE-YOU-CAN-SAY APPLE GINGER PIE

Classic disappearing pie.

INGREDIENTS

FILLING:
4-5 large apples OR pears
TBSP fresh grated ginger
2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 TBSP your preferred flour
1 TBSP warm water
Juice of 1 lemon
Large bowl
Pie pan
Aluminum foil

CRUST:
Follow this recipe

DIRECTIONS
Start the dough and prepare the filling while it’s refrigerating.

Cut the apples/pears into slices and place in large bowl.

Mix all ingredients (except egg white) together in large bowl and let sit and marinate until the dough is finished refrigerating.

Press the bottom crust into the pan and toss in the filling.

Place the top crust on in whatever way you prefer — lattice, crimped, vented, or just simply across the top. Just make sure to make one middle vent.

Optional: Use extra dough to make decorative pieces for the top.

Beat egg white and brush across the top.

Cover the edges with foil and bake at 375° for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake another 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

SURPRISE SALAD

Choose-your-own adventure protein salad, my favorite fast dinner of all time with whatever you have in the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
choose any of the following:

greens:
spinach
arugula
kale

nuts & seeds:
pepita seeds
sunflower seeds
pine nuts
pistachio nuts (shells)

veggies:
cucumber
carrot

protein:
spicy tuna
smoked salmon
bbq tempeh

dressing:
any salad dressing
olive oil & vinegar (ACV or red wine)

DIRECTIONS
Toss everything but protein together, then scoop protein on top. Enjoy!

MEMPHIS BBQ TEMPEH + TABBOULEH

MEMPHIS BBQ TEMPEH + TABBOULEH

Combining the best foods ending in “eh,” best served on 80s Memphis style dinnerware.

TEMPEH INGREDIENTS
4 oz (1/2 a Lightlife package) of tempeh
1/4 c BBQ sauce
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 TSBP olive oil
medium bowl
medium pan

TABBOULEH INGREDIENTS
3/4 c bulgur
3/4 c mint and/or parsley
1 1/2 c water (or amount called for on bulgur package)
1 lemon
1 large tomato
2 TSBP olive oil
pinch of sea salt
optional: pine nuts
small saucepan
medium bowl

DIRECTIONS
Cut tempeh into small bite-size rectangles and place in medium bowl.

Mix BBQ sauce and tamari/soy in a medium bowl and toss in tempeh, mixing gently, then allow to marinate.

Make bulgur in small saucepan, as described on package — generally the same as rice, 1 part bulgur : 2 parts water, brought together to a boil and simmered, covered for 12 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t burn the bottom!

Add 2 TSBP olive oil to medium pan and set it to low/medium — hot enough to lightly brown the tempeh.

Chop mint and/or parsley and dice tomato.

When pan is hot, place tempeh on and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until edges are lightly browned.

Place bulgur in medium bowl and mix in mint/parsley, diced tomatoes, olive oil, the juice of the lemon (to taste), and salt (to taste).

Arrange tempeh on plates and serve scoops of tabbouleh

Optional: Toss pine nuts on still-hot pan and quickly brown them, then sprinkle over the tabbouleh.

Optional: Serve with iced mint tea and any fresh greens or crunchy veggies you have around.

OL BROOKLYN CURRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Still making curried Brussels sprouts the way Beth taught me many moons ago in ol Brooklyn.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 c + 1 TSBP olive oil or butter (or a combination)
2 c Brussels sprouts
2 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste (smoked if you got it)
3 cloves garlic
optional: cajun or other hot spices to taste
oven safe pan (9 x 12 ish)

DIRECTIONS
Just chop Brussels sprouts in half, arrange them face (inside) up in pan, mix oil with spices and drizzle over sprouts, and roast at 425° for about 25 min. About halfway through, give it a stir to mix them up. Flash fry the garlic and spread evenly on top when the sprouts come out of the oven. So fast n tasty.