Vegan Moussaka

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My first vegan moussaka attempt ended in failure. The problem was making a good vegan bechamel sauce without it tasting so soy-y. I think this time I managed to make a decent vegan bechamel sauce with arrowroot powder, which gave it the thick, saucy consistency that I was looking for. Also I cut back on the use of soy products so that it wouldn't taste like... well, soy products.

For this (not so photogenic) vegan moussaka, you will need:

• 3 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion, medium diced
• 1 spring fresh oregano, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pint brown button mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
• salt to taste
• 1 portion vegan bechamel sauce, recipe below

For vegan bechamel sauce, you will need:

• 5 tablespoons butter substitute (I used Earth Balance)
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (if arrowroot powder is hard to find, use 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy, non-soy milk (I used almond milk, but there is a variety of options on the market, like coconut milk, rice milk, and hemp milk)
• 4 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese (I used Tofutti)
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub sliced eggplants on both sides with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Alternatively, you can also spray both sides of sliced eggplant with non-stick spray. Roast for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a medium pot, heat up 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Sautee diced onion until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and minced oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ground allspice, ground cloves and ground cinnamon. Stir a few times. Add vegetable stock, cannellini beans and dice tomatoes. Season with salt. Turn heat up high until mixture boils. Turn heat back down to medium and allow it to boil, uncovered, until mixture reduces and thickens, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter substitute over medium heat. Sprinkle in arrowroot powder or all purpose flour and whisk vigorously until all the dry ingredient is incorporated and the mixture thickens. While whisking, slowly pour in non-dairy, non-soy milk. Bring sauce to boil. Turn down the heat and allow mixture to simmer. Whisk in non-dairy cream cheese and freshly grated nutmeg. Allow mixture to simmer for 5 minutes while whisking.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the dish with eggplant slices. Pour about half of the bean mixture on top. Spread out evenly. Top with another layer of eggplant slices. Pour and spread the remainder of the bean mixture. Top with another layer of eggplant slices. Pour vegan bechamel sauce over the top and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes. Broil on high for an additional 3 to 5 minutes to brown the top. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mock Lamb Curry

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Sorry about the lack of posts recently. I'm back from a short trip and ready to get cooking again! Today, we have mock lamb curry from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. This sort of became my go-to cookbook for vegetarian dishes with some spice. I made minor changes to the recipe by substituting Tofutti Sour Cream with a squeeze of lemon for yogurt and turned this into a vegan dish. It turned out really flavorful with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. I paired it simply with couscous with chopped green onion and mint. As for the "lamb," it's actually cubed seitan.

Spicy Purple Cauliflower Soup

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I have to admit that this purple soup can be some sort of gag food, like something you'd serve to Prince (The Artist Formerly Known As). First of all, it's purple. Really purple. It doesn't look like something that exists in nature and it certainly doesn't look particularly delicious. Secondly, this purple soup looks creamy and sweet but is in fact spicy and tart. The little squeeze of lime juice in the end turned the soup a bright bubble gum pink (must be some sort of food voodoo... it would be a good party trick). Appearance-wise, this slips into Franken-food territory. But it is actually really flavorful and packs a good spicy punch.

For this spicy purple cauliflower soup, you will need:

• 1 head purple cauliflower, florets only
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 Thai chilies, lightly crushed
• 5 slices ginger, lightly crushed
• 4 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
• salt to taste
• sliced green onion for garnish
• lime wedge for garnish

In a heavy medium pot fitted with a lid, heat up canola oil or peanut oil. Stir in diced onion and sliced garlic. Saute gently until onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add Thai chilies, ginger slices, potatoes and vegetable stock. Season with salt. Bring liquid to simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Potatoes should break apart easily at this time. Remove ginger pieces and Thai chilies. Stir in purple cauliflower. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until cauliflower becomes soft. Add coconut milk and blend the mixture into smooth soup with an immersion blender or stand blender. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish with green onion and serve with a lime wedge for cool color change effect and some acidity.