spicy

Vegan Tinga Tacos with Avocado Crema

August 8, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Have you guys ever had tinga? It’s a traditional Mexican dish where shredded chicken (which is easily substituted to make it vegan) is cooked in a tomato, onion, and chipotle in adobo sauce. The simple sauce is made of only TEN ingredients and packs a ton of flavor. It’s tangy and smokey, tomatoey and oniony, and oh so mouth-watering delicious. It quickly became a favorite around here, to the point where we made 4 batches in one week–in part because the first day I made it Omar ran out to the store for more tortillas (not that we were out yet) and brought home a 5-pound bag of them. Did you know they sold tortillas in 5 lb bags? Me either. For those of you concerned about our current tortilla status, we had some friends over for a tinga taco party (I highly recommend you do the same) and that took care of most of them….

Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Greens

August 1, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I make a lot of food that I never photograph or share with you guys. It’s not because it’s not delicious, but because I’m too hungry (or occasionally too lazy) to plan or take photos or measure ingredients and generally be meticulous about the process. This chickpea and kale recipe was originally one of those meals. We were at home on our last night before a short trip, and had a big beautiful bunch of lacinato kale to use up. Omar was working, and I needed to get dinner made quickly so I could move on to other chores. It was literally me throwing things I had to use up into a pan, including 2 half-used onions from the fridge, one red and one yellow. I didn’t even decide to use Indian spices until halfway through cooking. So, you can imagine my surprise, when we finally sat down to eat that we were blown away by how delicious it was!…

Vegan Jalapeño Cheese Biscuits

July 27, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 3 Comments

It’s a good thing that biscuits are supposed to be consumed on the day that you bake them, and ideally while they’re still warm out of the oven. It gives you an excuse to shovel the entire batch into your mouth within hours. I think the photographing these biscuits while they were still hot has been the hardest thing I’ve had to wait for to date. And I make and photograph a lot of pizzas. Like seriously, a lot. It was all I could do to keep myself from stealing bites between shots. And if I’m being 100% honest with you, my dog Selkie felt the same way, helping herself to the remaining few biscuits from our most recent batch when Omar and I stepped out of the house for a couple hours. Oops, guess we should have put them out of her reach….

Vegan Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

July 25, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I would hazard a guess that every vegan and vegetarian and most non-veggie eaters have had a black bean burger before (at least in the US). They are certainly one of the most common veggie burgers offered at restaurants and in stores. And for good reason! They’re delicious, and a vegetarian classic. There might a million and one black bean burger recipes, but this one is 110% worth making. They are healthy and super delicious and indulgent tasting. These black bean burgers are made with roasted beets, southwestern spices, and have a roasted hot (sorta) pepper kick….

Broccoli and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce

July 20, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

What’s your favorite dish to order at a Chinese restaurant? I’m really bad at picking favorites, but any dish that includes a black bean sauce is definitely up at the top of my list. I love that it’s a bit spicy, and I love the depth of flavor you get from the fermented black bean paste. My biggest problem with restaurant versions is that they tend to be rather heavy for every-day sort of eating.

This recipe for making broccoli and tofu with black bean sauce at home has all the flavor of Chinese take out and none of the guilt. The tofu is baked for a chewy texture, instead of deep fried. There’s very little oil in the sauce and used to stir fry, so no pooling of oil will happen here! Broccoli and the tofu soak up the sauce and diced red bell pepper provides a complementing sweet, juicy, and crunchy flavor and texture….

Penne with Buffalo Cauliflower Cream Sauce

July 13, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I have an unofficial countdown running in my head, as I wait for mid-August to arrive. What happens in mid-August? Well, my best friend from college is moving to DC! She’s going to be right across the street from us! I’m so excited I can’t wait for us to eat all the vegan pizza-I mean all the food-together (did I mention she’s vegan too?)!

She came to visit last month to scope out the area, and while she was here we went out to eat at DC’s newer vegan diner Fare Well. It’s run by the same people of Sticky Fingers and opened last fall. To be honest, I’ve had mixed experiences at the restaurant, while I think the food has been steadily improving, the service has been super hit or miss for us. Nevertheless, while my friend was in town we went there for dinner and ordered an INSANE amount of food for three people. We ordered my favorite appetizer, a house-made vegan burrata that comes with a delicious caper and pesto salad and grilled buttery bread. But we couldn’t help ourselves and ordered a second appetizer that I had been eyeing for months (I just couldn’t bring myself to ever order it over the burrata, ya know?): a whipped cauliflower and cashew buffalo dip. And guys. OMG. The dip was SO GOOD. It was served in this mini-cast iron dish and insanely smokey and deliciously buffalo-y. Like, I’m definitely going to have to take turns with my appetizer ordering in the future….

Vegan Roasted Jalapeño Poppers

July 6, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea 1 Comment

I think of jalapeño poppers and I think of greasy, deep fried bar food. It’s the sort of thing they regularly serve with ranch dressing, as if they needed more flavor or the extra calories! Well, as much as I love fried foods (and I do), I actually like these 1000x better! Plus they are certainly healthier when filled with a nut-based cheese and baked.

I love combination of mild and creamy almond cheese paired with the spicy, ultra-flavorful, roasted jalapeños. The two-step breading helps hold on the crispy panko bread crumbs to the otherwise slippery pepper skin. And the breading is lightly spiced, adding a little depth without overpowering that jalapeño flavor. These are so good! And a lot of fun to make! So go get a handful or two or three or ten of jalapeños and get on it! :)…

Tamarind Glazed Tempeh with Stir Fried Vegetables and Rice Noodles

June 22, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I love the fresh and vibrant flavors in this tamarind flavored dish. Tangy, sweet and sour tamarind is the perfect accompaniment to the nutty flavor of tempeh, which is enhanced with a spoonful of delicious almond butter. The tangy glaze is balanced with some sweet agave nectar, and a healthy dose of spicy heat. The best thing is you only need SIX ingredients to make this crazy flavorful glaze!

The vegetables are stir fried with a similar sauce to the glaze, requiring only eight ingredients! Tamarind ties the two components together, with extra tang brought to you by a bit of rice vinegar and freshly squeezed lime juice. Agave once again balances the any tartness and toasted sesame oil brings some toasty nutty goodness. Soy sauce has that perfect umami rich saltiness, garlic adds a sharp bite, and a small scoop of fiery hot fried chili paste (a version of this is certainly available at your local East Asian grocery store) for that spicy kick. The sauce is tossed over some red onion, red cabbage, and red bell pepper for the most beautifully colorful dish, which I believe makes it even more fun to eat! And the spicy, tangy, ultra-flavorful sauce is balanced by the sweetness of the onion and veggies. …

Cauliflower and French Lentils with Smokey Red Pepper Sauce

June 15, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

Pan roasted cauliflower rubbed with smoked paprika, french lentils simmered with thyme, chewy sweet and salty shiitakes, and the smokiest zippiest sauce to finish it off. This recipe is oh so delicious. It’s of the cuisine I’ve named Pan-European, with cauliflower being from the Mediterranean, smoked paprika being Eastern European, the lentils being French (duh), and the sauce inspired from the Catalan salbitxata (which really seems to be a version of romesco that also includes tomatoes). And the shiitakes, well, they don’t quite fit into my analogy, given that I’ve used a mushroom from East Asia for it’s preferable texture.

I really love this recipe. I love the smokey flavors and the contrast of textures from the different components. I love how it can be dressed up and plated beautifully for a fancy dinner, or tossed together in a bowl and brought to your weekend potluck. I love that it includes my favorite things: cauliflower, lentils, a flavor-packed creamy sauce. You’ll note I don’t mention mushrooms, because, to be honest I don’t love them and they are there for my husbands benefit (and yours)….

Tandoori Cauliflower and Seitan Bake

June 6, 2017 By thecuriouschickpea Leave a Comment

I love tandoori curry, though it’s not something I grew up eating, as it’s typically served as a meat dish at restaurants and I was raised vegetarian. And I can’t order it out now, because it’s never vegan due to fact that it’s a yogurt-based sauce. Luckily, it’s a super easy and pantry friendly curry to make at home! With the simple swap to non-dairy yogurt, and this recipe for tandoori cauliflower and seitan is in your grasp….

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