Vegetaristan
Share or check out our social links =>
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Thoughts
  • India Blog
  • Health Topics

Vegan Cauliflower Bake - Almaty Favorite 

1/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture

Here our are cauliflower bake's secrets revealed!  

Start by brushing a pan with olive oil. Add a layer of thinly cut potatoes to bottom of pan. Cover with cashew cheese (recipe under sauces). Next, add a layer of cauliflower. Finally, cover with our special sauce: a boiled carrot and boiled potato blended with half a can of coconut milk, salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Cook at 180 C (350 F) for 30-35 minutes. Try it and let us know what you think!

0 Comments

Tofu With Tamarind Sauce And Tomatoes

11/29/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

Vegetaristan has recently discovered tamarind! Actually, I've tasted tamarind sauces before in Thai and Indian cooking, but never really knew how to use tamarind myself. So on a trip to the US in October I made a point of buying a block of tamarind to take back to Kazakhstan. I found an easy tamarind sauce recipe (link is below) and from there started experimenting. Here's the first recipe - try it and we hope you like it! 


Ingredients:


1 small block tofu
1 green or red pepper
1 carrot
6 tablespoons tamarind sauce 
(http://www.recipe.iskcondesiretree.info/13_-_Chutneys/Tamarind_Chutney.pdf)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Pinch of salt to taste 

Method:

Cut the tofu into small blocks, chop the carrot and green pepper. In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the tofu for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until tofu starts to turn brown. Add the pepper and carrot, saute another 5-7 minutes. Optionally, add a pinch of salt here. Add the tamarind sauce gradually, letting it boil down and absorb into the tofu and vegetables. Optionally, add cilantro leaves for garnish. Serve with rice and tomato slices.

Picture
0 Comments

Vegan Vegetable and Chickpea Sabji 

8/30/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
While this looks like quite a few ingredients, it's actually a very easy dish to make. The key is to follow the steps involved. Feel free to experiment and add other vegetables as well. That said, this combination is a good hit!  

Ingredients:


1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 cup pumpkin
1.5 cups chickpeas (soak overnight then boil for 90 minutes before using in the recipe)
3-4 medium sized tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 cup of nuts - peanuts, almonds, cashews all work well (or any mix of them) 
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

Chop the zucchini, red pepper and pumpkin into small chunks. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the asafetida, cumin and coriander. Sauté for 30 seconds.  then add ginger and sauté another 30 seconds.  Add the zucchini, red pepper, and pumpkin, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the tomato paste and sauté another 3 minutes. 

Finally, blend the tomatoes, sugar and nuts in a blender. If the consistency is very thick, add a bit of water. Pour into the pan.  Add chickpeas and salt.  Stir occasionally. Once the tomato sauce is boiling, reduce to a low heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.   Before serving, squeeze a bit of lemon juice.  Optionally add fresh herbs to garnish. Enjoy! 

1 Comment

I'm not vegetarian…why should I eat tofu?

6/15/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
A number of friends who aren't vegetarian have never used tofu, and don't know where (or why) to buy it. In Almaty, you can find tofu at the Green Bazaar on the 2nd floor in the covered section that sells Korean salads. You can also buy it from Korean stores around town, or get it delivered to your home by veggie.kz. But why eat tofu? Here are our top three reasons:

1.  Tofu is healthy.  It's a great source of protein and amino acids, and can be easily incorporated into a low-fat diet plan.  

2.  Tofu is cheap.  Much cheaper than meat, in fact! So if you're on a budget and are looking for a way to get your protein, look no further than tofu.

3.  Tofu is super versatile and takes on the flavors of the dish you're cooking.  it can be incorporated into main dishes, soups, salads, and even smoothies.  It's fun to experiment with and you can disguise dishes for an extra protein boost with tofu - your dinner guests may never even guess!

So…for starters, we'd like to suggest the following recipe for you:

Ginger Tofu in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 pack " Ясо" tofu cut into small squares (if this brand unavailable, use a block of any firm tofu) 
1 carrot
1 green pepper
1 teaspoon ginger, cut finely
1/2 cup Vegetaristan's tomato sauce, or 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

Chop the vegetables into small pieces. In a kazan or frying pan, heat the oil.  Add the chopped ginger and stir fry for 15 seconds.  Add the green pepper and carrot slices, fry for 2 minutes, add soy sauce, fry another 2-3 minutes. Then add the tofu and tomatoes or tomato sauce.   Let cook on a low heat for another 10 minutes.  Serve with rice or black bread and enjoy!

Do you have your own favorite tofu recipe? Share it with us at vegetaristan@gmail.com! 

 


0 Comments

    Main Dishes 

    Archives

    April 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Almaty
    Avocado
    Bishkek
    Blueberries
    Breakfast
    Butternut Squash
    Cauliflower
    Chana
    Chickpeas
    Coconut Milk
    Cranberries
    Cutlets
    Dinner
    Dinner Idea
    Dish That Pairs With Rice
    Eggplant
    Gluten Free
    Hummus
    Indian Cuisine
    Kale
    Kasha
    Kazakh Cuisine
    Lithuanian
    Lunch Ideas
    Nauryz
    Oats
    Pancakes
    Pasta
    Plov
    Potatoes
    Potato Pancakes
    Pumpkin
    Spinach
    Take On The Go
    Tofu
    Vegan
    Vegan Dinner
    Vegan Lunch
    Vegan Plov
    Vegetarian
    Vegetarian Almaty
    Vegetarian Plov
    Zucchini

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.