MY BROTHER JUST WENT VEGAN. FOR A FAMILY OF CARNIVORES, THAT WAS A SHOCKER. NO EGGS. NO MEAT. WHAT WOULD I COOK FOR HIM? HOW WOULD HE GET HIS PROTEIN?
It’s been great for him. He’s healthier. He looks and feels good. In the process, I’m the one who’s learned a lot. For instance, I didn’t realize most animal-based foods are acidic (even fish and eggs). Most of our bodies are too acidic, which causes internal inflammation. So a plant-based alkaline diet can restore that balance.
I wouldn’t go vegan, but I now recognize the importance of resetting that internal balance. Instead of eating meat/chicken/fish every day, I can reduce it to a few times a week. I also learned that it’s not THAT hard to get your protein from plant-based foods. Beans, peas, all legumes, tofu. It’s easy to throw them into any dish. Just make more of each dish to fill yourself (especially, if you don’t eat that many complex carbohydrates like rice, bread and pasta).
My brother has been experimenting with recipes to suit his new vegan lifestyle. So this week, he’s sharing one of his new faves (and now mine too).
HERE’S MY TAKE:
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4-6 comfortably.
- 2 cans organic diced tomatoes (with no added salt)
- 2 cans organic coconut milk/cream
- 2 cans organic garbanzo/chick peas (fresh is best, but time-consuming; soak peas overnight if using fresh)
- 1 cup green peas (I use frozen, but of course fresh is best)
- 1 whole cauliflower (remove stalk and leaves, and roughly cut into florets)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp tumeric
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- a quarter lemon (to squeeze over the final dish)
- cilantro/coriander to garnish
- olive olive for sauteeing
*Don’t forget to scroll down for your Savory Sounds cooking soundtrack.
METHOD:
- Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a pan over a high heat.
- Saute the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the onions are translucent (be careful not to burn the garlic).
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cumin and tumeric and stir.
- Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and stir.
- Add the cauliflower, chick peas and green peas. Stir.
- Add the cayenne powder and salt. Stir.
***You don’t have to worry too much about the exact order. Basically, saute your onions and garlic. And then add all your other ingredients and allow to cook.
- Cover the pan and cook for 20-30 minutes over medium heat, stirring periodically. (Cook until you get the consistency you like.)
- When it’s done, adjust seasoning to taste. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the dish. Stir well.
- Garnish with the cilantro/coriander.
- Serve with rice, bread or on its own.
This is SO easy. And SO yum. I guarantee you’ll be making this curry a few times a week (like I have)!
SAVORY SOUNDS
MY LITTLE BROTHER IS A TALENT OF MANY KINDS. HE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A MUSICIAN AND SONG-WRITER.
He’s been concentrating his efforts on other projects of late, but he has a repertoire of some great songs. Here’s one of my faves, a song he wrote for friends he’d lost.
This song is about me! My brother gave it to me for one of my birthdays. It describes my life when I first went out on my own after college. It made me weep when I first heard it (that wasn’t my brother’s intention), but the lyrics are just so real (and lovely).
It’s not all doom and gloom. Here are a couple of more upbeat ones (the beats are, at least). First, there’s Hey Girl.
This is Edgar. The straight acoustic version is SO great. This version has a few more elements, but with a really cool vibe.
And finally more of a rock feel with Night.
