Malabar eggplant — crispy eggplant in a shredded coconut red chili curry sauce — is a delicious introduction to the deep flavors of South Indian Malabar cuisine. Serve it with naan or flatbread and some dal for a veggie-packed meal that’s also packed with flavor!

Some veggies can be difficult to like when made simply. Eggplant is one of those. This Malabar eggplant is packed with flavor and texture and is very versatile. You can bake the eggplant or pan fry it. And you can even use other veggies instead, like cauliflower.

South Indian Malabar cuisine is a mix of multiple regional cuisines in Southern India. It’s heavily influenced by coastal and Kerala cuisine along with the many other nearby areas, because of the region being a major trade route. Kerala was considered “the spice garden of the ancient world,” because it produced flavorful spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, and pepper.

Trade, migration, and invasion brought influences from Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Malaysian, and other cuisines to Malabar region(north kerala region).

If you want to explore Malabar cuisine further, also check out my Malabar veggie curry

But back to this eggplant.

The other day I had lots of eggplant on hand, so I decided to make a Malabar-style eggplant , the sauce of which is inspired from crisp and spiced Malabar Chikin recipes. Usually I use cauliflower in this recipe, but you can basically use whichever vegetable you have handy. All of the flavor is in the batter, and that batter is super delicious. After battering and baking or frying the veggies, you toss them in this easy sauce and serve with some tofu curry or dal. You can also replace half the eggplant with tofu to ale this into a meal!

The sauce for Malabar eggplant is on the dry side. If you want to make the dish saucier, you can add in some coconut milk. The sauce can also be rather hot, so adjust as needed based on your heat preference.

🍆 Why You’ll Love Malabar Eggplant

• melt-in-your-mouth eggplant coated in a flavorful, crispy-crunchy batter
• incredibly shredded coconut curry sauce with option to make it even saucier!
• versatile! Make it with eggplant or cauliflower or protein like tofu or seitan or soycurls and adjust flavors and textures to taste.
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Malabar Eggplant (Crispy Eggplant with Spiced Coconut sauce. gluten-free)

The post Malabar Eggplant (Crispy Eggplant with Spiced Coconut sauce. gluten-free) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

South Indian Crispy cauliflower pepper fry stars cauliflower covered in a flavor-packed peppery batter, that is baked and tossed in a delicious onion curry leaf chili sauce with even more black pepper! It’s an amazing appetizer or side dish, and I have tips for how to make it a meal, too! Gluten-free Soyfree nutfree

This is another pepper fry from South Indian cuisine. It’s a simple veggie pepper fry recipe with cauliflower. We are making the dry version of this, which you serve as an appetizer, like my potato pepper fry.

Usually, the cauliflower is deep fried and then tossed with this onion, black pepper sauce mixture. For this version, I am baking the cauliflower. I’m coating it in this simple, flavorful batter and then baking it so that it gets nice and crispy. Then, you toss it with the pepper fry sauce.

You can bake the pepper fry sauce in the same pan with the cauliflower or cook it in a pan on the stovetop while the cauliflower bakes in the oven.

Cauliflower pepper fry is a side dish or and appetizer, but if you want to make it into a whole meal you can add some cooked chickpeas in the end or some crisped up tofu along with the cauliflower and serve it with rice or flatbread of choice.

However you serve it, cauliflower pepper fry is insanely delicious! You do want to serve it immediately after mixing it with the sauce, as the sauce has a bit of moisture and it’ll take away from the crunch of the cauliflower. But even if it has gone a bit soft, it is still very very tasty! so don’t have to worry about that if you have leftovers. If any is left, Just store in the fridge, reheat on a skillet or oven or microwave, and serve it as a side.

Why You’ll Love Cauliflower Pepper Fry

• crispy cauliflower in peppery spicy pepper fry sauce
• delicious appetizer or side dish with options to make it a meal
• sauce uses so many kinds of fresh and dried peppers!
• baked not fried for a lighter dish than the original
• soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free

Continue reading: Cauliflower Pepper Fry (soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)

The post Cauliflower Pepper Fry (soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Indian Saag aloo — crispy chunks of spiced potato over a bed of absolutely flavorful spinach curry — is just a fabulous combination! This restaurant style version is deeply seasoned with incredible flavors and textures.

The other day, I was wondering why some vegetable-based Indian dishes use fewer spices than meat-based ones. There are several reasons for this. Veggie dishes, like saag aloo, are more homestyle recipes meant to celebrate the flavors of the veggies. Others like Chana masala also are often homestyle recipes. But why shouldn’t veggies be packed with flavor?

What is Saag Aloo?

Saag Aloo is spiced Greens with Potato. It can be a wet curry style dish or a simple stir fry kind of dish. Greens can be spinach, mustard, amaranth or other local greens. The homestyle aloo saag is usually dryish. This is a restaurant style saag aloo that uses all of the incredible spices from chicken saag style recipes, but without the meat. To make this into a meal, you can add cooked chickpeas into the saag or serve it along with my Punjabi chole chickpea curry, dal, or tofu curry on the side. You can also substitute half of the potatoes with some crispy tofu to make it into a tofu and potato spinach curry. 

To make a restaurant-style version, we add a lot more spices and some more fat added to the saag for a more flavorful, creamier experience. For a better texture of the spinach, I like to pulse the frozen spinach in a food processor for a fine chop like texture instead of too leafy or all pureed. I prefer that texture in saag aloo. If using fresh spinach, then finely chop and use. You can also use a combination of greens for this saag like mustard greens, chard, amaranth greens and other seasonal greens.

I also bake the potatoes ti so they are crispy and golden and serve them just lightly mixed in. Homestyle palak aloo has the potatoes cooked with the spinach for a softer potato dish. For a homestyle less spiced version try this palak aloo.

Why You’ll Love this Saag Aloo

• crispy, spiced potatoes over a creamy, super flavorful spinach curry
• easy to make into a meal by adding chickpeas or tofu!
• so versatile! Make with leafy greens of choice, like mustard greens, baby kale, amaranth greens, etc.
• restaurant-style meal at home in only 40 minutes
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Restaurant-Style Saag Aloo (Indian Potato Spinach curry)

The post Restaurant-Style Saag Aloo (Indian Potato Spinach curry) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

These Zucchini rolls are like lasagna roll ups, filled with delicious herbed sun-dried tomato tofu ricotta , all nestled in a pan with bubbly tomato ragu. They looks so pretty! And No watery mess!

You Must Make These Zucchini Lasagna Rolls! No need to sweat or squeeze the zucchini needed, just spread the cheese mixture, roll and nestle in the sauce and bake! Great texture, just perfect comfort food! Unlike zucchini lasagna bake that needs a lot of steps, and can still give you limpy or watery result, these rolls bake up perfectly, are versatile and also easy to serve!

This is a really beautiful dish which you can serve at parties or for a fancy dinner. It’s also relatively easy to make. The only time consuming part is rolling up the zucchini slices. But unlike pasta, there’s no pre-cooking to do. Just use a peeler to slice your zucchini into long, skinny pieces.

You can use pre-cooked lasagna sheets in this as well, if you don’t want to use zucchini.

The vegan ricotta-style filling is also easy to make. It has amazing flavor with the herbs and sun dried tomato. Just add everything to a bowl, and mix and mash to make the filling. It comes together super quickly! 

Spread that creamy filling into the zucchini, and roll it up. It doesn’t even have to be perfectly spread out. Roll the zucchini up, and place into a baking dish with some pasta sauce, then top it with vegan cheese and bake. I add some veggie grounds(vegan ground meat substitute) to the pasta sauce and it all bakes at the same time to make this meaty ragu. Use lentils or just omit for variation.

These zucchini lasagna rolls come out so pretty, and they’re fun to serve and eat.

Why You’ll Love Zucchini Rolls

• beautiful appetizer or entree for a party or fancy dinner
• tender zucchini around a cheesy vegan ricotta-style filling with beefy tomato sauce and creamy vegan cheese on top
• fun to make and to eat!
• naturally gluten-free with nut-free and soy-free options

Continue reading: Zucchini Rolls with Herbed Sun dried tomato ricotta (gluten-free with soy-free and nut-free options)

The post Zucchini Rolls with Herbed Sun dried tomato ricotta (gluten-free with soy-free and nut-free options) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Roasted Shaved Brussels sprouts salad combines crispy Brussels sprouts with earthy greens, fresh tomato, and this umami filled sun-dried tomato walnut crumble for a satisfying salad that’s full of amazing flavor!

Brussels sprouts are one of those veggies that often put people in 2 camps, one that love them and the other that dislike it in some form. For me I either use them in an Indian stir fry like this, or bake and crisp them up. Shredding the Brussels sprouts reduces the cook time and gives you more crisp. They also are easier to eat and easier to like!

In this salad I use roasted shaved Brussels and pair them with some fresh greens and sweet cherry tomatoes. And then make this delicious umami garlic sun dried tomato walnut crumble! Assemble and add a hint of vegan parmesan.

We are going to roast the shaved Brussels sprouts with thyme and black pepper, or you can also use gochugaru flakes, which will add another dimension of flavor to them.

Either way, assemble with some greens and cherry tomatoes and this walnut crumble, featuring walnuts, sun dried tomato, and garlic. The walnut topping is just fantastic! It’s crunchy and it has this deep umami flavor from the garlic and tomatoes. It really takes the salad to a whole new level.

The dressing is a simple lemon, olive oil, and herb dressing which balances out all of that decadent and roasted flavor and adds something fresh to the bowl. This Brussels sprouts salad is truly addictive!

Why You’ll Love Brussels Sprouts Salad

• crispy, shaved Brussels sprouts with flavors from black pepper and thyme
• amazing, garlicky, sun dried tomato walnut crumble toppings
• herbal vinaigrette dressing
• naturally soy-free and gluten-free
• easy nut-free option

Continue reading: Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Walnut Crumble (gluten-free, soy-free)

The post Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Walnut Crumble (gluten-free, soy-free) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Creamy, smoky vegan mac and cheese topped with cheesy-crunchy breadcrumbs is an easy, delicious side dish. Just cook the pasta, mix the sauce ingredients in the baking dish, mix in pasta, top with breadcrumb topping, bake and done! I give you lots of options for toppings and mix-ins to make it your own!

This is a super easy smoky vegan mac and cheese. You cook your pasta, then mix this sauce right in the baking dish and add your cooked pasta to it. Even it out, then top it with this amazing, cheesy breadcrumb mixture and bake until golden and bubbly.

It is a super flexible recipe; you can change up the flavors as you like. Reduce the smoked paprika for a less smoky flavor or add in some mustard for more tang. Use extra black pepper for black pepper mac and cheese. You can add in chopped jalapeños, too, for a spicy jalapeño mac!  Or stir in some buffalo sauce or cajun spice for different flavors. Keep this pasta bake handy for weeknight meals!

The sauce has a mix of herbs, spices, some flour, non dairy milk, and non dairy yogurt or cream cheese or sour cream. It comes together in the pan itself and is perfect with any cooked pasta. Serve with my Crispy tofu or tofu schnitzels or my lentil loaf or chickpea loaf.

Why You’ll Love Smoky Mac and Cheese

• easy, comfort food side dish
• smoky, creamy sauce bakes in the oven – no pre-cooking needed!
• crunchy, cheesy breadcrumb topping
• delicious, smoky flavor
• easy to make soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free

Continue reading: Smoky Vegan Mac and Cheese Bake

The post Smoky Vegan Mac and Cheese Bake appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Lentils popped in a skillet and tossed in spices then paired with an easy cauliflower-potato mash, have amazing texture and flavor! You can make the mash smoother or chunkier based on your preference. Serve it with the lentils on top and a good drizzle of olive oil. soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free with oil-free option

These crispy popped lentils with smooth mashed potatoes are full of amazing texture and flavor!

If you’ve never made popped lentils before, they are so much fun! Add cooked lentils and a little bit of oil to a skillet, cook them over high heat until they fluff up and pop like a popped grain, and then they crisp up a little bit. Then, we add some savory and smoky spices to flavor them.

Then we try not to eat these delicious lentils all by themselves! And serve them over some creamy mashed potatoes. I served these as topping over a simple cauliflower potato mash flavored with herbs and paprika. You can use all potato or all cauliflower. These bowls make for an amazing holiday or even weeknight side dish!

These popped roasted lentils are very versatile. Add whatever herbs or spices you like and add them to your salads, bowls, tacos, pasta and everything! Think spicy Cajun lentils, Jamaican curry lentils and more.

Serve these with a side salad or rustic bread, or some gravy and biscuits, or as a side in a spread

Why You’ll Love Lentil Mashed Potatoes

• creamy, cauliflower mashed potatoes with crisp, popped lentil topping
• lentils add fiber and protein!
• Everyday ingredient and quick recipe, perfect for the holidays or any day!
• soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
• can be made oil-free

More Vegan Lentil Recipes

• Smoky Skillet Lasagna with Crispy, Bacon-y Lentils
• Kung Pao Lentils
• Handi Lentils
• Easy Lentil Soup

Continue reading: Popped Lentils with Mashed Potatoes

The post Popped Lentils with Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Making your own rich, savory vegan mushroom gravy doesn’t have to be difficult! This flavorful vegan gravy comes together in just one pan. soy-free, with gluten-free and onion-free options.

This is a super easy gravy that I make with mushrooms and onions. Sometimes I make it just with mushrooms, and depending on what I’m planning to serve it with, I will usually add either shallots or sliced pearl onions to the gravy. 

It is super versatile and uses only one pan and a few everyday ingredients. You can adjust the flavor however you like to go with what you’re making. For a mushroom free gravy try this.

Why You’ll Love Vegan Mushroom Gravy

• rich, flavorful gravy with no animals harmed!
• versatile recipe – adjust spices as needed to go with what you’re making
• 30-minute, one-pan recipe
• nut-free and soy-free with easy gluten-free and onion-free options

Served below with crispy Tofu schnitzel

What to Serve with Mushroom Gravy

• Cauliflower Steaks
• crispy Tofu schnitzel
• Mashed Potatoes
• Lentil quinoa loaf
• Gluten-Free Wellington
• Scalloped Potato Roll

Continue reading: Vegan Mushroom Gravy (1 pan, 30 minutes, soy-free, with gluten-free and onion-free options)

The post Vegan Mushroom Gravy (1 pan, 30 minutes, soy-free, with gluten-free and onion-free options) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

This is cranberry sauce chutney! And it’s baked in 1 pan so completely handsfree! Just add all ingredients including some green chili, cinnamon and Garam masala to a baking dish and bake! Stovetop option in notes

This cranberry chutney is also part of my Indianized Thanksgiving spread. This gets baked in the oven. In fact, the whole spread is pretty hands-free.

We bake many of the dishes for this spread in the oven, so that there’s much less standing around and sautéing things on the stove. Instead of cooking this cranberry chutney in a pan, I just add all of it to a baking dish, and bake it. It’s simple as that! 

After baking, you simply mash it a little bit to get an wonderful, jammy texture, and the cranberry chutney is ready. 

If you prefer to cook your chutney on the stovetop, see the notes in the recipe card for those cooking directions.

For the spread the chickpea loaf has Indian spices, and the gravy is a quick mix and boil butter chikin sauce that you’ll also use as the glaze for the meatloaf. The veggie side is spiced, glazed carrots, and the cranberry sauce is made into this quick dump and bake cranberry chutney with garam masala and green chili added to it. For the Spinach pastry, we are using spinach and vegan cream cheese, but the spinach is spiced like saag or palak tofu, so it has all those flavors going and is delicious and creamy.

Why You’ll Love Indian Cranberry Chutney

• easy oven recipe — no standing over the stove!
• sweet cranberry with spicy chilis and savory garam masala
• no chopping or slicing!
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oil-free

More Indian Chutnies

• Mint Chutney
• Spicy Mango Chutney
• Tomato Chutney
• Coconut Chutney
• Date Tamarind Chutney

Continue reading: Spicy Cranberry Chutney (easy oven recipe!)

The post Spicy Cranberry Chutney (easy oven recipe!) appeared first on Vegan Richa.

Another part of my Thanksgiving spread! These addictive and perfect glazed carrots! Maple syrup, salt, black pepper and Garam masala makes for amazingly flavorful and gorgeous roasted glazed carrots!. And they are baked in just 1 pan!

These spiced, maple glazed carrots are part of my Indianized vegan Thanksgiving spread, but they make an amazing side with almost any meal. They have an incredible texture and a sweet-spiced flavor that will have you asking for seconds.

You can change up the spices and herbs to pair them with a different menu, if you like. Add a bit of oregano or thyme for a more traditional Thanksgiving flavor, or change the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Like the rest of this Indian-inspired Thanksgiving spread, you make these carrots in the oven. We are leaning heavily on the oven for these recipes, so you have a lot less active cooking time. While things are baking, you can actually spend time with family and friends!

For the spread the chickpea loaf has Indian spices, and the gravy is a quick mix and boil butter chikin sauce that you’ll also use as the glaze for the meatloaf. The veggie side are these glazed carrots, and the cranberry sauce is made into a quick dump and bake Baked cranberry chutney with garam masala and green chili added to it. For the Spinach pastry, we are using spinach and vegan cream cheese, but the spinach is spiced like saag or palak tofu.

Why You’ll Love Spiced Glazed Carrots

• one dish, oven recipe
• 7 ingredients and full of FLAVOR!
• tender carrots in a sweet-spiced glaze
• naturally soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free

More Easy Baked Side Dishes

• Aloo Gobi
• Mushroom Rice
• Garlic Fries with Tahini Sauce
• Chimichurri Smashed Potatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes and Cauliflower with Jamaican Curry Spices

Continue reading: Spiced Glazed Carrots (Festive Roasted carrots)

The post Spiced Glazed Carrots (Festive Roasted carrots) appeared first on Vegan Richa.