My Veg Dinner Party

Last weekend we had another couple, two of my best friends come over for a little ‘veg’ dinner party! They, like us are health conscious, eat a predominantly plant based diet and really enjoy good food (yes, it’s true, you CAN eat delicious, flavourful and sinful food that is also wholesome and nutritious!). We like to meet up once a month or so for yummy eats and good conversation, we alternate whose house we go to and this month, it was our turn to play host and hostess!

On the menu Saturday night was homemade, gluten-free naan bread, collard greens and green pea & cauliflower curry with brown basmati rice and the pièce de résistance, a raw vegan “cheese”cake for dessert – oh so tasty!! The dinner was a success and everything turned out so well that I thought I’d share these must try recipes with you!

When deciding what to make for dinner, I remembered the green pea and cauliflower curry dish, it had been quite a while since we made it last and it seemed like the perfect dish for this time of year, winter transitioning into spring. 🙂 The mild earthiness and grounding taste of cauliflower in the colder autumn and winter months combined with the sweet “springy” green peas simmered in an aromatic curry sauce, mmmmm, SO good! Here is the recipe:

Green Pea & Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower cut into florets

1 1/2 cup green peas

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp grated ginger

3/4 tsp tumeric

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp vindaloo paste

2 tsp organic cane sugar

3/4 cup plain, organic yogurt

2 tomatoes, diced

Directions:

In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic and ginger until browned. Add in tumeric, coriander, vindaloo, sugar, yogurt and tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes. Lightly steam cauliflower and green peas until slightly tender and then add to sauce in pan, simmer for 30 more minutes. Serve hot over brown rice.

A great side dish to this meal was the sauteed collard greens in olive oil, garlic and fresh lemon juice. Collard greens are super healthy and make an excellent addition into your regular green veg rotation as they are packed full of fiber, vitamin A, C, K and folate, as well as the all important minerals magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus and manganese.

I wanted to add some naan bread into the mix but currently I am eating completely wheat-free and mostly gluten free so I went on a mission to find a recipe! I came across the Fire and Salt gluten free blog and decided to make Brian’s gluten free naan bread recipe. It was yummy but I a little dry, I used a different flour than his suggestion (I used Bob’s gluten free all purpose flour) and add a bit more because it seemed too sticky – oops, I think I added a little too much!! Still good but I’ll have to try it again with a little more accuracy to his recipe. Here it is:

Gluten Free Naan Bread:
.25 ounces of quick rising yeast(about 2 tsp)
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup warm water (103-106 degrees F)
2-1/4 cups GF flour mix
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp (rice) milk
organic butter or EVOO for frying

In a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, salt, xanthan gum, minced garlic, and garlic powder. Add 1 lightly beaten egg and the milk. In a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Proof the yeast for about 3-4 minutes. The mixture should foam up slightly. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a dough hook until thoroughly combined. Lay parchment paper over a baking sheet or cutting board and lightly dust with gf flour. Use your hands to divide the dough evenly into four pieces. Lightly flour your hands and press the dough into four flat rounds a bit larger than your hands. Cover the pressed dough with a clean towel and place in a warm area to rise for about 20-30 minutes. The dough will not rise dramatically. Next, preheat a heavy skillet, I used cast iron, add 1/2-1 Tbs of butter to the skillet. Fry your naan bread on each side for 3-4 minutes per side. Add a little more butter to the skillet and repeat with the next piece of bread. Finally, take all the cooked naan and wrap it in foil. Place the bread in a warm oven (250-275 degrees F) for about 4-5 minutes. The steam inside the foil will add a nice chewiness to the naan. I don’t like using foil for cooking so I just put it on a pan and sprinkled it with a little water and heated it in the oven for about 3-4 minutes. Brian has some pictures posted showing each step so check it out – http://fireandsalt.blogspot.com/2010/09/gluten-free-naan-bread.html

And last, but most definitely not least, dessert!! I have been totally craving cheesecake lately, not sure why! I knew I needed to somehow squash the craving in a favourable way which for me meant indulging but preferably not in the standard fatty, refined sugar filled and dairy laden way! I came across this recipe on another Holistic Nutritionist’s (Sarah Britton) blog and wow, what a find! Check it out My New Roots! This cake is made with all raw, healthy, natural ingredients so it not only tastes super yummy but it is also filled with nourishing fats, vitamins, minerals, protein and enzymes. I wouldn’t recommend eating this everyday but it is certainly a great choice for a random treat!! The secret to the creamy, delicious, “cheese” part of this dreamcake? Raw, soaked cashews!! I know, you’re skeptical, how could cashews possibly taste like traditional, rich cheesecake?! It’s true, somehow they really do! Even my friend, a true dessert lover (and might I add, he went to school for french cooking) approved of this decadent, delectable substitution! Try it out:

Raw Cashew Dreamcake
Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup raw almonds (pecan or walnuts will also work)
1/2 cup soft Medjool dates
¼ tsp. sea salt

Filling:
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
juice of 2 lemons
the seeds of 1 whole vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract)
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup raw honey or agave nectar
1 cup raspberries (thaw completely if using frozen) – I used mixed berries.

Directions:
1. Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 7” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.
2. Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.
3. In the most powerful food processor / blender you own (you decide which one has the most torque) place all filling ingredients (except raspberries) and blend on high until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient). If you have a Vita-Mix, absolutely use it.
4. Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it, you can’t make a mistake!) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. Place in freezer until solid.
5. To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices. Serve on its own, or with fresh fruit. Store leftovers in the freezer.

Here are some pics of mine, sorry for the poor lighting, I used my iphone but there are some beautiful pics on Sarah’s blog.

This will definitely become a ‘go-to’ dessert recipe for me! What are some of your favourite ‘go-to’ recipes? How could you make healthy tweaks to some maybe not so nourishing ingredients to make your faves wholesome for the mind, body and soul while still feeling indulgent?!

I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we did!

ENJOY! XO