Someone mentioned to me the other day that people expect vegan desserts to be healthy. I loved that vegan has the healthy reputation and that actually had me thinking of all the unhealthy vegan things I have had, like croissants, Victorian sponge, wedding cake with a sugary butter icing, lamingtons and the list goes on and on.
Vegan doesn’t have to be healthy and then it can also be super healthy. The vast majority of what I cook is wholefoods so it is healthy.
Not always healthy but healthier than the non plant-based version
This recipe is actually healthy, especially seeing I amped it up with some green veg, just can’t help myself. Some may say a thick cashew sauce could be less healthy but it will always be healthier than a butter sauce, that’s for sure.
Plus, I got creative and used sunflower and pepita seeds too.
I’m pretty sure you are going to love this recipe.
Substituting vegan options for chicken
A cool substitution trick for if something has chicken in it
You can use oyster and king oyster mushrooms, but they don’t have the protein content, so you can sub with both tofu and mushrooms.
Or if not wanting to use tofu you can add chickpeas.
I decided to go with chickpeas and tofu for a double whammy protein hit, and usually butter chicken doesn’t have veg in it, but I thought, what the heck, let’s just do it anyway.
Also, I made the sauce with cashews, sunflower seeds and pepitas, further adding protein to the meal.
Boil the tofu first
To make the tofu more porous I boiled it – I cut the block in half and added it to a saucepan of boiling water with ½ tsp of salt in it and boiled it for 10 minutes.
Come cook with me
For more fabulous vegan cooking and nutrition tips come and join the
Living Well with Veet
Cooking and nutrition collective.
It is a membership program at only $97 a month with a 6 month commitment.
We have some fabulous themes for the first 6 months.
Here are the first 6 themes;
Calcium rich recipes
Italian recipes
Protein packed quick meals
Eastern European winter warmers
Anti-inflammatory foods
Vietnamese recipes
How the collective is set up
Monthly cook along sessions (1 hour long)
Live, with Veet and other members
Monthly skills and nutrition session (45 minutes long)
Where we meet live and I cover kitchen skills and nutrition. This is also a space for asking nutrition questions.
All sessions will be live, so we can cook along together, in real time, and then the recording will be made accessible.
An extra recipe each month, that will also be in a library along with some other fabulous resources.
Access to a dedicated Facebook group, where you can ask cooking and nutrition questions daily.
For more information click here
Enjoy this fabulous recipe
No butter no chicken curry
INGREDIENTS
Tofu and veg
375 g boiled tofu (boil in salted water for 10 minutes – cut the block in half)
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 cups diced pumpkin
1 tsp lime juice
2 tsp ginger grated fine
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut or other yoghurt or some cashew cream
1 red capsicum cubed (3 cm)
½ to 1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
Sauce
1 onion finely diced
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 cloves
8 pepper corns
4 cardamon pods seeds removed
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cardamon powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
⅓ cup cashews
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pepita seeds
Veg
Handful of green beans cut small on the angle
1 small head broccoli cut into small florets
Garnish
With coriander leaves
METHOD
1. Mix the lime juice ginger, minced garlic (from the tofu list) with the yoghurt. Tear the tofu into pieces and mix with the cooked chickpeas and ½ of the youghurt sauce. Mix the cut pumpkin and red capsicum into the rest of the sauce mix. Spread out the veg on one tray and the tofu and chicpeas on another tray or put on the same tray but don’t mix them.
2. bake at 1 80 C for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is cooked and the tofu brown
3. Meanwhile make the sauce. Fry the cloves, pepper corns, fenugreek and cardamon in a frying pan for 1 minute. This means to fry them in a dry frying pan. Remove form the pan.
4. Melt the butter and then sautee the onion, garlic and ginger until onion is translucent. Add the spices back into the pan with the cashews, pepitas, sunflower seeds, garam masala and 1 cup water. Put a lid on and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to add more water.
5. Steam the beans and broccoli for 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Let the sauce cool down a bit and then blend in a blender until smooth.
7. Add the tofu, chickpeas and red capsicum from the oven and the steamed beans to the blended sauce. Mix in the tomato paste.
8. Serve with rice or chapatis and garnish with coriander leaves.
