Recipes

Here you will find some of the recipes we used.

Chana Masala

This is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s classic.
My modifications are in italics.

SERVES 6 -8 ( 4 servings)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium onions peeled and minced (changed to half an onion)

1 clove garlic (2 peeled and minced)

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

6 tablespoons chopped tomatoes

1 cup water

4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (change to 2 cups of chickpeas – 1 cup uncooked)

2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds ( 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon amchoor powder (substitute lemon juice from yard)

2 teaspoons paprika ( 1 tsp.)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 lemon juiced (2-3 tablespoons)

1 fresh, hot green chili pepper , minced (substitute chili flakes)

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger ( skipped)

Directions – Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic and sauté over a medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes). Turn heat to medium-low. Add the coriander, cumin (not the roasted cumin), cayenne and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until browned lightly. Add chickpeas and a cup of water and stir. Add the roasted cumin, amchoor, paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Remove the cover add the minced chili and ginger.

Cost – Whole recipe: $0.98 / Per serving: $0.25

Polenta Recipe

Makes servings

9 Cups water

1 Tsp Salt

3 cups cornmeal

1 tbsp oil to fry

Bring water to a boil.

Reduce to simmer

Add salt

Slowly stir in corn meal 1 cup at a time. Stir while you add to avoid clumps.

Stir continuously for 12-15 min. Polenta will thicken.

When it starts to pull away from the pot, turn off the heat and pour it into a greased dish or platter.

Let cool 10-15 minutes.

Slice and fry until golden brown.

Variations:

Garlic: You can mince the garlic and add it to the boiling water at the start, or you can roast the garlic (slice off the top, pour on 1 tbsp of olive oil, put on a pan in the oven at 450 for 30-45 min or until soft), mash it and mix in while the polenta is thickening.

Butter: mix in a few tablespoons of butter when the polenta is thick

Cooling: instead of a platter or dish, you can use cupcake tins to make little polenta cakes (my favorite), if you have any fun shaped cake pans that would work as well.

Toppings: top with marinara sauce, basil or eat plain.

Cost

Whole batch – $0.65 (with 3 clove garlic), makes 24 cupcakes

Per serving – $0.09 ($0.03 per cake: serving size 3 cakes)

Refried Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans
1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. chili flakes
salt to taste.

Rinse the pinto beans and soak them overnight. Rinse well. In a crockpot add pinto beans, 8 cups water, garlic, chili, and salt. Cook on high heat for approximately 8 hours. When beans are very soft, pour off water to drain beans, but save some of the water aside. Use a potato masher to mash beans to desired consistency. Add the reserved water as needed. Let cool and store in the refridgerator. They will thicken as they cool.
When you reheat the beans, add water a little at a time until the are the desired thickness.

Cost:
Whole batch: $0.51
Serving: $0.07

Wheat Gluten Cutlets
****Recipe is modified from “Parade” magazine 9-14-80. It was given to us by a friend several years ago.

Gluten:
7 cups whole wheat flour ( I used 5 cups)
Water
1TBSP white vinegar

Directions: mix the flour with enough water to make a stiff dough, about 2-3 cups.
Roll the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Fill bowl with enough water to cover the dough. Add the vinegar. Cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes to 4 hours. I have found that it seems to work best if it is closer to 4 hours.

Rinse the dough and cover with water. Continue kneading and rinsing (every time the water gets milky) for about minutes or until the dough is sinewy and stringy. It will be soft and mushy at first, but as you knead and rinse it will get firm.

I have found that if I divide the dough into four parts and rinse under water while I knead a little at a time it seems to be easier. When the water runs clear, rinse and drain. Cut into pieces.

If you have divided your recipe into quarters (each one will feed two people), store three and continue on to the next steps with one. Store by freezing in zipper bags or in water in the refrigerator. It will be good in the fridge for about a week.

Broth for Boiling:
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice (0ptional)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp all spice (I substituted with 1tsp of equal parts nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper)
1/2 onion

Add all of the broth ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. While boiling take your 1/4 of gluten and cut it into 6-8 pieces. Press into medallions about 11/2 to 2 inches in diameter. You will need to shape them and press them hard to flatten them (they puff up to about double thickness as they boil).

Place them one at a time into the broth mixture. Boil for about 5-6 minutes. They will float when they are finished. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and set them aside to drain. While the are boiling, make the flour mixture.

*** Broth does not need to be thrown out after use. It can be refrigerated or frozen and reused 4-5 times.

Flour mixture:
½ cup flour
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp oil for frying

Dredge the cutlets in the flour until completely covered. Warm the oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets on both sides until golden brown. I usually scoop some of the onions from the broth to fry and serve with the cutlets.

Variations:
If you are not eating on a dollar a day, I highly recommend serving this with Brown’s vegetarian gravy and a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Or, you can put some marinara and vegan cheese on each cutlet and bake in the oven at 350 for about 3-5 minutes or until the cheese melts. These cutlets are good in sandwiches, on stir fry, in soups or served as is.

Cost
Whole batch: 2.19
Per serving: $0.20

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