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Serves: 2-3 servings 
Prep time: 1 hour

#### What you’ll need:

*For the curry base:*
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 inch ginger, grated
- 1/2 jalapeño, sliced
- 2 orange/red bell pepper
- 1 cup packed spinach for some extra greens (optional)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 2 tsp coconut aminos / low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 can full-fat/light coconut milk
- 1 tbsp chopped green onions
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Red chili flakes and pepper to taste
*For the tofu:*

- 14-oz extra-firm tofu
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos / low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp chili sauce (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar

*For the eggplant* (the eggplant is optional – I’ve made this without the extra side vegetable and it tastes great! You can also add in a different vegetable if you’d like):

1 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 small Italian eggplant, thinly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, sliced
2 tbsp coconut aminos/as needed
Salt to taste
*For the noodles:*

- 4-oz rice noodles of choice (about one-third of the pack linked here)
- Large pot of water

#### What you’ll want to do:

*For the tofu:*
- Start with the tofu as it involves a lot of ‘idle’ time.
- Drain the block of tofu – I usually place it on a chopping board, cover it with a layer or two of kitchen towels and place a heavy vessel over this to drain the water out.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
- Start preparing your curry while the tofu block drains (I’d give it ten minutes).
- Once drained, slice the tofu into squares, about 1/2 inch in thickness.
- Mix all the ingredients except the arrowroot starch in a large bowl.
- Add the sliced tofu by dipping each slice in the mixture.
- In the same bowl, roughly coat each slice with arrowroot starch.
- Let this marinate for a few minutes.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes (about 15-20 minutes each side and flip over in the middle).

*For the curry:*
- In a medium-sized pot, heat the coconut oil.
- Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the capsicum/any other vegetables of choice.
- Sauté for a few minutes until tender.
- Add the curry powder, salt, coconut aminos and rice vinegar.
- Stir in the coconut milk and let this boil on medium-flame for about 5 minutes (a great time to get back to your tofu if you’re preparing it simultaneously!)
- Stir in your spinach if you’re using some, and continue cooking until it wilts.
- Add more salt if needed and top with chopped green onion, cilantro red chili flakes and freshly ground pepper.

*For the eggplant*
- In a frying pan, heat the coconut oil on medium flame.
- Add the garlic and jalapeño and fry for just a few seconds before adding the sliced eggplant.
- Roughly drizzle the coconut aminos and sprinkle some salt.
- Cook until very tender and then flip using tongs.
- If doing this in batches measure the coconut aminos and salt out accordingly.

*For the noodles:*
- Cook according to the instructions on the pack.
Assemble however you’d like and enjoy!

**Recipe Musings:** I’ve been dreaming about creating an Asian inspired bowl for months now. There is something so comforting about a bowl of Thai curry or Vietnamese pho. This curry noodle bowl is the perfect balance of spicy warmth, sleep-inducing carbs and rich umami flavor – all of which are so necessary on cold winter days. This bowl has four parts to it but you can mix and match them however you’d like, depending on your tastebuds and time!

Dinner

Spicy Curry Bowl with Tofu

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Serves: 2 cups 
Prep time: 30 minutes

#### What you’ll need:

- 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash (I chop it into small rectangles and sometimes buy the precut pack if i’m pressed for time)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup red onion)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño, sliced
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2-3 tbsp [nutritional yeast](https://www.amazon.com/Bragg-Premium-Nutritional-Seasoning-Shaker/dp/B07RLV3S29/ref=pd_cp_200_1/132-1970417-9356348?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RLV3S29&pd_rd_r=9917f8e2-d6f6-4ef9-a50c-57462ae8493b&pd_rd_w=6jf9e&pd_rd_wg=DazI7&pf_rd_p=0e5324e1-c848-4872-bbd5-5be6baedf80e&pf_rd_r=P1ZCPEKGBERC7EGHSNN8&psc=1&refRID=P1ZCPEKGBERC7EGHSNN8) (plus more for a cheesier flavor)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp [chili sauce](https://www.yaisthai.com/products/chili-garlic-hot-sauce) (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 2 tsp salt plus more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- [Banza](https://www.eatbanza.com/) chickpeas pasta (or pasta of choice and as needed)

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Pressure cook the cauliflower florets, butternut squash and vegetable broth (I use my [Instant Pot](https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=instant+pot&qid=1573352106&sr=8-3) and pressure cooked on high for 4 minutes).
- While the vegetables are cooking, chop and prepare your other ingredients.
- Once cooked, blend the vegetables in your blender (I use my trusty old [Nutribullet](https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=instant+pot&qid=1573352106&sr=8-3)). I used about 1 cup of the remaining broth with the cooked vegetables.
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet or pot and add onion, garlic and jalapeño. Add a pinch of salt here and let this cook for a few minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- On medium flame, add the blended cauliflower and squash and let this boil for a few minutes. Add the water to thin it out.
- Stir in the coconut milk and continue boiling.
- Add the paprika, nutritional yeast, cayanne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Finally add the chili sauce and top with cooked pasta to make it a hearty and filling meal.

**Recipe Musings:** I very accidentally made this soup while actually attempting to make something completely different, but it was a happy accident! Topped with my favorite chickpeas pasta, it turned out to be the perfect winter soup – comforting, spicy and packed with seasonal ingredients.

Spicy Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Soup

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Serves: 2-3 people 
Prep time: 10 mins (active), 30 mins (inactive)

#### What you’ll need:

- 30 pieces of okra
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp red chili powder (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Pre-heat the oven to 400F
- Slice each piece of okra into half length-wise
- Mix with olive oil and all the spice powders in a large bowl
- On a large baking sheet arrange each piece of sliced okra leaving half an inch between pieces, before placing in the oven
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping in-between
- Serve with dhal and rice for a wholesome and hearty meal!

Indian Food

Indian Spiced Okra Fries

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Serves: 3-4 people 
Prep time: 40 minutes

#### Ingredients:

- 20 whole white/cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (or 1/2 tsp grated ginger and 1/2 tsp chopped garlic)
- 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped (skinned and deseeded for a better flavor, but optional)
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp red chili powder (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil

#### Directions:

- Fry the onion and ginger-garlic paste in the oil until you get a slight aroma
- Add the tomato and sauté for a few minutes
- Add the turmeric powder and salt and continue stirring until the tomatoes become soft
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until soft
- Finally add the remaining spices and coconut milk
- Let this simmer for 5 minutes
- Remove from the heat and garnish with coriander leaves
- Enjoy with steamed rice or roti!

Mushroom Kurma with Coconut Milk

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Serves: 2-3 people 
Prep time: 2 hours (inactive), 30 mins (active)

#### What you’ll need:

##### For the cashew sauce:

- One cup cashews, soaked in hot water for 2 hours
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 deseeded jalapeño (optional but highly recommended)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- Water

##### For the spiced mushrooms:

- 1 cup sliced cremini/white mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tsp crushed basil
- 1/2 tsp crushed thyme
- 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1 tsp crushed oregano
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil

##### For the chickpeas pasta:

- 1 8oz box of Banza Linguine
- 1 pot of water to boil
- Generous amount of salt

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Boil water in a large pot with some salt. Once the water starts boiling empty the box of Banza into it. Let it cook for around 7-8 minutes before starting to monitor it closely.
- It’s important to take the pasta out of the hot water before it starts getting too soft.
- Simultaneously, sautée the mushrooms, bell pepper and spinach in the olive oil. Add all the crushed spices, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
- In a Nutribullet or high-speed blender, combine the cashews, garlic, jalapeño, salt and a little water. Add water slowly as you blend to get a creamy sauce. Add more water if you prefer a more liquid consistency.
- Plate the pasta, vegetables and cashew sauce without completely mixing together. Top the sauce with red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!

Sauces and Dips

Italian Food

Creamy Vegan Sauce with Italian Spiced Mushrooms

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Serves: 2-3 people 
Prep time: 30 minutes to the pan (inactive) + 15 minutes to the plate (active)

#### What you’ll need:

- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch circles
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 6 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt + more for soaking
- 1/4 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed oregano
- Olive oil as needed

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Soak the sliced eggplant in a bowl of salted water for 30 minutes. This is to soften the eggplant and remove any bitterness
- Use homemade or store-bought bread crumbs (any bread type works) and mix them with the salt, pepper and oregano
- Drain the eggplant and dry completely with a towel if needed
- Mix the flour and cornflour with the water and stir to make into a thin batter
- Dip each slice of eggplant in the batter
- Coat both sides of the eggplant with the breadcrumbs and spice mixture. The breadcrumbs should stick onto the batter
- Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and leave it on medium flame
- Once the oil is hot, pan fry the breadcrumb coated eggplant slices
- Cook and flip until golden brown on both sides
- Serve with delicious and fresh [homemade marinara sauce](https://shruskitchen.com/fresh-marinara-sauce/)

Crispy Eggplant Panko

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Serves: 4 people 
Prep time: 30 minutes to the plate (active)

#### What you’ll need:

- 8-10 roma tomatoes, skinned and seeds removed
- 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp crushed oregano
- 1 tsp crushed/fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp red chili flakes (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Place the tomatoes in hot water to soften them
- Peel the skin off and remove the seeds (blog post with the step-by-step process coming soon!)
- Roughly chopped the skinned and deseeded tomatoes
- In a pan put all the other ingredients along with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer while mixing
- Crush the tomatoes a little with your mixing spoon depending on the consistency that you would like
- You can also remove some onion if you’d like a more tangy and smooth sauce
- Add more salt and pepper to taste
- Pairs well with grilled vegetables, vegan eggplant panko (recipe coming soon) and on PIZZA. Also great to make in bulk and store for the week

Fresh Marinara Sauce

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Serves: 2 people 
Prep time: 40 minutes to the plate (active)

#### What you’ll need:

- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- 1/2 cup frozen/fresh green peas
- 1 potato, peeled and boiled
- 1/4 tsp carom seeds (optional)
- 1/2 inch ginger, grated
- 1 green chili, chopped (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
- olive oil/oil of choice

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Start by dry roasting the carom seeds and chickpea flour in a pan for 2-3 minutes until you get a nice aroma
- Put this aside and in the same pan add some oil and the ginger and green chili
- Add the peas and spinach and sauté for a few minutes
- Add all the dry masalas and salt and stir until mixed
- Blend this mix with the coriander
- Once this is blended, mash it together with the boiled potato and roasted chickpea flour
- Shape into small patties before dusting with all-purpose flour
- Shallow fry in oil on a pan until crispy and golden-brown
- Serve with coriander chutney or ketchup

Hara Bhara Kebab (Spinach Patties)

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Serves: 2 people 
Prep time: 30 minutes to the plate (active)

#### What you’ll need:

- 2 medium sized red bell-peppers, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp paprika (scale back if sensitive to spice)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4th tsp garlic powder
- 1/4th tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp salt

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Heat the oil in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium flame.
- Add the sliced bell pepper.
- Add all the spice powders except the red pepper flakes and pepper.
- The red pepper might take 15-20 minutes to start charring – be patient because this brings out the most delicious flavors!
- Finally season with the red pepper flakes and pepper.
- Enjoy with my Vegan Spinach and Walnut Pesto and my favorite Eat Banza chickpeas pasta.

Roasted Red Pepper

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Serves: 2-3 people 
Prep time: 5 minutes (active)

#### What you’ll need:

- 5 cups packed spinach
- 5 tbsp walnuts
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 6-7 cloves garlic
- 1/4th cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes to taste

#### What you’ll want to do:

- Add all the ingredients except the oil to a food processor.
- Slowly add the oil as your blend the ingredients
- You can add more/less oil depending on your preference of taste and consistency, and can also use water instead.
- Add more nutritional yeast if you want a cheesier flavor. I’m a big fan!
- Also add more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes as needed.
- Serve with my FAVORITE[ Eat Banza](https://www.eatbanza.com/collections/pasta/products/shells) chickpeas pasta and [Roasted Red Peppers](https://shruskitchen.com/roasted-red-pepper/).

**Recipe Musings:** I love pasta. And pesto. And parmesan. But I also can’t eat dairy and think that basil and pine nuts are way too overpriced. This is my attempt at recreating pesto with ingredients that are healthier and easier on the pocket. Nutritional yeast, a vegan gem, adds a hint of cheesiness to this pesto and makes up for the lack of parmesan. This is undoubtedly one of my most favorite sauces that I use on almost everything – pasta, toast, vegetables and pizza.

Vegan Spinach and Walnut Pesto

Recipes