Vegan Ragu

Quick, fresh, healthy, and most of the ingredients can be plucked from your garden. I'm a big advocate on buying locally, but a bigger advocate on growing your own foods. Coming home from work doesn't entice me to immediately start getting to work in the kitchen, but since we do have to eat, I decided to do the prep for this prior to going out. When we returned home, all the flavors were melded together and ready to be reheated and tossed with gluten free pasta. 

onion (chopped)

garlic (minced)

oregano (torn)

basil (torn)

tomatoes (diced)

mushrooms (sliced)

pepper (diced)

protein crumbles (store bought)

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Sautee garlic and onions in oil until cooked through. Add peppers and cook until soft, then add mushrooms, oregano, tomatoes, and (vegan) protein crumbles. Simmer for about ten minutes and add basil. I then covered and took off the heat. 

We do not eat white pasta that contains gluten. There are some great options at stores like Earth Origins and Whole Foods. Also, be careful of the protein crumbles you use. Most of them contain eggs or milk! The package should say Vegan, but always check the ingredients. 

Vegan Aloo Gobi Curry

Not sure how to change the author in blogger, but Natalya made this curry. We had a guest and everyone really enjoyed this. I for one am very impressed with her curry skills! We used rice that I had had in the freezer. Just add water, in a pan and cook until hot and not too wet.

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 4 diced Roma tomatoes
* 2 cups coconut or almond milk
* 2 tablespoons ground coriander
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
* 1 tablespoon chili pepper
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 6 new potatoes cubed
* 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces
* 2 cups garbanzo beans, drained
* 2 tablespoons garam masala

Rice and bread for serving

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes, then stir in garlic and cumin. Continue to cook until onion begins to brown.
2. Stir in tomatoes and coconut/almond milk and the coriander, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Stir until mixture begins to boil, then put in the potatoes, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans. Blend well. Reduce heat to low.
3. Boil potatoes for approximately 10 minutes until tender. Add to curry. Sprinkle in the garam masala, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve over rice and with bread or vegan naan. Voila!

Our Raised Bed, Vegetable & Herb Garden

We've been busy growing our own fresh vegetables and herbs. Lettuce, squash, potatoes, asparagus, mint, basil, strawberries, and tomatoes are a few things growing in our raised bed and various pots. This is a 4'x4' bed with organic soil. I am planning on creating another 4'x4' raised bed to go along side it. 

First I have to finish the plans for my compost tumbler!