Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Vegan MoFo ~ Seasonal Produce

Guess how much I paid for this produce?  I bought 3 peppers are they are HUGE...2 mini eggplants, 2 smaller zucchinis, 2 large sweet banana peppers, and a pint of potatoes.  I only paid $6.75 total!  I bought them locally at one of my favorite produce stands...Lindell's Hatch Patch!

Today for Vegan MoFo we were challenged with using all seasonal produce in a dish.  Take a look at some of the dishes that I was able to create using seasonal produce.  I will note if there are any other ingredients that come from different produce stands that aren't pictured in the Hatch Patch haul!


First up...is Vegetable Curry!  Curries never seem to photograph very well but I will tell you that this was tasty.  I tried a sample of if when it was complete but I actually pre-made this for my dinner tonight.

In this dish is...1 C Green Beans (frozen from fresh obtained thru a friend), 1 Carrot (from previous Hatch Patch haul), 1/2 Zucchini (above), 1 Mini Eggplant (above), 1/2 T Wildtree Garlic Galore, 1 Frozen Ginger Cube (can use 1 T Fresh Ginger), 1 T Grapeseed Oil, 1 t Turmeric, 1 t Cumin, 1 t Curry, 3/4 C Coconut Milk, 1/2 t Black Himalayan Sea Salt (or to taste).

Last night for dinner I wanted to throw something together SUPER FAST and I literally did just that.

I pan fried the following...2 Potatoes (above), 1/2 Zucchini, 1 C Corn (Frozen from fresh given to me by my sister who got it at a local produce auction), Earth Balance & Grapeseed Oil combo for flavor and pan frying, and I topped it with the Pine Nut Parmesan I blogged about HERE.

This was TASTY!

Now for this last dish you are probably thinking 'there is no produce in that dish' and you would be mistaken...there IS!  Sure...this is a recipe for Vegan Mac & Cheese but it DOES have local produce in it to create it!  Here's what I did...

4 Small Potatoes (above)
1 Carrot (Mentioned above)
1 Small Onion (From Papa's Produce - another local stand)

*at this point I boiled the above until soft.  I then put 1 and 1/2 C of the boiling water into my Vitamix along with the softened produce above.  I also added 1/2 C Cashews, 1/2 T Wildtree Garlic Galore, 1 t Onion Powder, pinch or to taste of Black Himalayan Sea Salt, 2 T Nutritional Yeast.

I originally was sent this recipe by my husband on Facebook.  I tried it the way it was suggested but HAD to add some things because it was lacking flavorful.  Most notably the Nutritional Yeast and Garlic.  It certainly has potential.  I will be doing this again and probably a different way each time.  Yes...I should have used macaroni noodles but didn't have any...I used what I had on hand and that was spaghetti noodles.  I will say that I think by using the potato in this recipe that it certainly helps with the texture and starchiness of the dish.  I'm sure you will be seeing variations of this dish in the future from me.

30 comments:

  1. From top to bottom everything looks amazing! I love curries, I love pan fried potatoes, or potatoes any dang way, and the mac and cheese looks AMAZING! I will be trying that, maybe trying with a sweet potato and regular potato for extra color! I feel very inspired after reading this!

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    1. Awww thanks! I think the addition of sweet potato would be wonderful! It's a great way to get more veggies in peoples diet if they aren't veg :)

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  2. Yay for buying local! We get a CSA produce box every week and I love it.

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    1. I've thought about doing that but it's so expensive and I would still have to buy things I need based on what they offer in the box...mostly...because of where I live...but I do try and buy local when ever I can. I guess I just like to choose my own, too!

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  3. The mac & cheese dish sounds promising; good luck as you continue to experiment with the recipe! :)

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    1. I think it makes a good base. I think it needs more nutritional yeast and maybe more garlic and/or sea salt (and I am usually never one to suggest salt). I think it would be neat to do a taco version. I also think tomato might be a good addition here :)

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  4. Interesting that you put cumin in your vegetable curry. Really exotic mix of vegetables and spices.

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    1. I figured why not...lol...I usually think Mexican Food with Cumin but I do see that more Curries are using it, too!

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  5. Yum! I love veg-based mac & cheese sauces!!

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    1. I usually do a lot with nut based but this is a good meet in the middle type...sure there are some cashews but not quite as many as in some of the others I have done.

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  6. My partner makes a potato carrot cheese and it's so good. We like it over cauliflower and on nachos too. Some delicious looking dishes in this post.

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    1. I bet that would be great over nachos and/or cauliflower!

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  7. I think I want to try a 100% vegan dish one day and blog about it.

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  8. Goodness Jennifer, lots of belly warming dishes here. Your right curries do not picture well, but they taste awesome.

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    1. Thanks! Yes! Belly warming! Just in time for fall here!

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  9. I tried the sauce and I love it!
    September is awesome!
    Enjoy!

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  10. What I really love about this challenge is that the "seasonal produce" varies from country to country. The pinenut parmesan looks delicious - I love having staples like that at home because they take so many meals to the next level. The vegan mac & cheese looks really good and comforting. :)

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    1. I know what you mean! I love seeing the different seasons in the different parts of the world!

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  11. Everything looks great, especially the curry and mac n' cheese!

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    1. Oh! Thanks!!!! I can't wait to hear more about the cruise! Sooooo lucky!

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  12. Gosh I love curries, will have to try yours soon!

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    1. I love them, too! I need more in my life...but then again...can we really have too many curries? LOL

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  13. Great produce hall for under $7! Your recipes look delicious! I make a similar mac and cheese and I have tried to make a curry or two but I think I'm going to get more into them once the weather gets cooler.

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    1. I think fall and winter are MADE for curries! So warming! Thanks for the feedback on this post :)

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  14. Hi, visiting you via Healthy Vegan Fridays, those look delicious!

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting! I will be swinging by your place soon, too!

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  15. Oooh, great! Love the mac n' cheeze! And the curry dish. Yum!

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