The first time I had to cook some vegan recipes at home was when my husband’s boss, a vegan, was coming home for dinner many years ago. Then, vegan cuisine was in its dawn and not many recipes or recipe books were floating around with vegan recipes, or ways to substitute classic recipes with vegan alternatives.  But now I have a book at home with some scrumptious recipes by Mary Mattern- NOM YOURSELF.

Nom Yourself is filled with some delicious looking, easy to follow recipes made with vegan ingredients. Besides that the author also lists dairy substitutes for your pantry and kitchen, and has recipes to make your home made staples of almond milk, cashew cream cheese, coconut milk, and more and recipes for making easy sauces, dressings and gravy without diary!

With many of my friends and family I know developing issues with dairy products and turning vegan, trying out vegan recipes and learning new delicacies was enough motivation. The Book NOM YOURSELF   has so many interesting recipes, I bookmarked a bunch of them with post-its and immediately tried out couple of recipes. The recipes were simple without complications and complexities hence very easy to make. The needed ingredients were also in my pantry and refrigerator.

The book has recipes for appetizers, breakfast, dinner entrées and desserts which will help anyone wanting to try out vegan or vegetarian recipes. It also takes care of those who are newly vegan and missing comfort food recipes like pancakes or mac and cheese with recipes with dairy substitutes.

I made the Guacamole Wontons one evening for snack which the family devoured. Guacamole is already popular at our home, I just tweaked the recipe a little by adding a deseeded jalapeno to the existing recipe since we love everything spicy at home.

The other recipe I tried was Kashmiri Cauliflower and Leeks Curry. Being of Indian origin, I do cook a lot of Indian Cuisine at home besides global cuisine. Hence this recipe immediately appealed to me and I was excited to try out the recipe. The ingredients such as spices in the recipe are a staple in kitchens of any one who enjoy Indian food. But if you don’t have these ingredients, they are available in most Indian stores and other grocery stores in the international aisle. Thanks to this recipe, I tried out leeks in Indian cuisine with new perspective.

Normally Kashmiri Cauliflower is made using yogurt in the gravy base but by substituting coconut milk and cream, it made it more delicious. This recipe is something which will surely repeat often at our home. It was NomNOM delicious.

Other recipes book marked in this book I plan to try are the Fried Eggplant sticks; Crispy orange Sesame Cauliflower; Cilantro Chile lime butter corn; Date nut bread and more

The book NOM YOURSELF was graciously sent to me by Avery/Penguin Random House publishers to review and share the recipes I tried out. Below are the recipes I tried.

GUACOMLE WONTONS

Recipe:

Makes to about 30 wontons

2 cups peanut oil for frying

2 ripe avocados, pitted peeled and cubed

2 table spoons chopped cilantro

½ red onion, diced

3 roma tomatoes

(1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped-my addition)

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Lime Juice

1 clove garlic. Minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

30 vegan wonton wrappers

 

1. Heat peanut oil in a mdium skillet over medium high heat to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl gently fold together the avacados, cilantro ,onion, tomatoes, lime juice, garlic and sea salt
3. Fill a small bowl with icy water. Gently dip your finger in then trace the outline of the wonton
4. Fill the center of the wonton wrapper with 1 ½ teaspoon of the guacamole and fold over to make a triangle. Press along the edges to make sure they don’t come undone
5. Fry the wontons in the hot oil for 1 to 1 /12 minutes until golden brown. Do not crowd the wontons in the skillet. Make sure you fry only 3 to 4 at a time depending on the pan size
6. Remove the wontons from the pan and place on paper towels to cool and let any excess oil drip off.

Kashmiri Cauliflower and Leeks Curry

1 medium head of cauliflower, leaves and stem removed

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

½ cup coconut water

1 tablespoon rice flour

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric( ½ tsp was enough)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon red curry powder ( I used red chilli powder)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon( I used ¼ tsp)

1 cup canned coconut cream

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 bay leaves

3 whole cloves

1 bunch of scallions, green parts, sliced

1. In a large pot bring salted water to a boil over high heat and add the cauliflower. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Set aside. ( I steamed it and set aside after tender)
2. In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat
3. Add the leeks, garlic, and onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent
4. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut water and rice flour
5. Add the flour mixture to the skillet
6. Add the ginger, tomatoes, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and nutmeg
7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken
8. Add the red curry powder, cinnamon, coconut cream and salt
9. Add the bay leaves and whole cloves to the top of the dish and cover. Cook for 10 minutes more
10. Remove the bay leaves and add cauliflower and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Top with scallions