Killer Korma Sauce

I absolutely love Indian food but my dairy allergy and my aversion to overly rich foods really get in the way of a good Indian take-away.  I have spent a few years trying to nail a recipe that tasted as good as our favourite take-away and was healthier than most.  Dairy-free and delicious, I have shared my Killer Korma Sauce recipe with many friends and it is now a favourite curry staple in our house.

The kids can make this recipe with no problem.  Just add lamb, chicken, tofu, chickpeas, veggies-only or your favourite fish to the sauce and serve veggies on the side - or chuck them into the curry for a one-dish wonder!

Printer Version

• 2 Tbsps. sunflower or 2 Tbsps. coconut oil
• 1/8 cup ground almonds or (optional)
• 1 medium onion, pureed
• ½ cup carrot, grated
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1Tbsp. ginger, freshly grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. heaped, ground cumin
• 1 tsp. heaped, ground coriander
• 200g. diced fresh tomatoes
• 400g. light canned coconut milk
• fresh coriander
• fresh/dried chilli to add a bit of heat (optional)
• approximately 400g of your favourite protein or just add vegetables

Puree onion and then lightly saute onions and carrot with oil in large saucepan or tagine; add tomatoes and cook gently until softened. Add spices and a splash of water to help tomatoes soften and form a paste with the spices, onions and carrot. To prevent burning keep adding a splash of water but keep your paste soft but fairly dry. Cook paste slowly for about 10 - 15 minutes.

If using raw chicken or lamb then add to the pan to lightly cook. When chicken is browned add coconut milk with the almond meal. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to finish cooking and bring the flavours together. If using fish, then add the coconut milk to the tomato/onion mixture, simmer 10 minutes and then add fish and gently cook for a few minutes until cooked through. Serve over steamed basmati or cauliflower rice and season with chopped, fresh coriander leaves or parsley.

Use leftover almond pulp from homemade almond milk or vegetable pulp from juicing to act as a sauce thickener and add nutrition to this sauce.

 ~Serves 4-6 persons depending on serving sizes ~

Chocolate Pudding Pots

For a while, I have been wanting to incorporate a small amount of tofu into our diet.  Most of my tofu efforts have not been welcomed by my family.  I have made a tiny bit of progress with them accepting tofu in veggie stir fries or as a cream substitute in soup but I changed tactics when I bought a copy of Tess Master's "The Blender Girl".  In it, she has the most amazing recipe for Chocolate Chilli Pudding using tofu.  I decided to make this for the kids without the chilli pepper and see if I could sell it to them as an alternative to store bought pudding.

I think it is safe to say that it turned out to be a huge hit.  Over time, I have done some tweaking with the recipe and this is my kid friendly, no-nut, inspired version of Tess's amazing mousse.  The pudding takes minutes to whiz up in the blender and pour into little individual portions for school or for home. Yum!

Printer Version

• 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
• 1- 500 g package of organic medium firm tofu (roughly cubed)
• 1/2 tsp of natural sea salt
• 1 tsp. of instant decaffeinated coffee
• 1 tsp. of natural vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder

In a high speed blender, add the maple syrup, cubed tofu, sea salt, coffee and vanilla extract; blend on high for about 30 seconds.  With the blender still running add the cocoa powder by the teaspoonful until the cocoa is completely combined.  Stop the blender and taste before pouring it into individual containers.  It firms up a bit more after refrigeration.

Refrigerate up to 5-7 days if you don't eat it all before!