This zucchini curry recipe is a special treat for y’all! This is my 2nd mama’s (i.e. my mama-in-law) mama’s, aka Nani Ma’s, special recipe! It is such a gift and so incredibly delicious.
Unfortunately, Nani Ma is no longer with us and I never did get to meet her. đ I hear though that she was an incredibly special and an incredibly sweet lady. I am blessed with the best Mama-in-Law (shout out to Mama P!) and I think she’s the sweetest lady ever! Irfan, my partner, says that Nani Ma was 100x sweeter than my Mama P! If this is in fact true, it is unbelievable!
As Irfan says, “they just don’t make ’em like they used to.”
I’m sure Nani Ma had no idea that her recipe would end up on the “internet” on a “blog” called “HappyGut” by her granddaughter-in-law. Life is funny and wonderful (and sometimes hard). đ
This one is for you Mama P and Nani Ma!
Serves 2-4
Ingredients for Zucchini Curry Recipe
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings (do you see a theme here :P)
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1-2 green chillies, chopped (use depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Directions for Zucchini Curry Recipe
Place oil in a small sauce pan or large frying pan over medium – high heat.
Add fenugreek seeds and garlic and cook until the garlic starts to grown
Remove from heat and add the turmeric and the coconut milk (you can use just the solid coconut part of the can if you like, the more coconut liquid you use, the more watery it will be, that’s fine but you just may have to cook it longer to have the coconut milk evaporate)
Now you will have to decide whether you want to make the dish over the stove top or in the oven. If you want to use the oven, you will use a casserole dish type thing, or if you are using the stove, you will use any non-stick large pot/pan where you can layer the veggies. I will provide directions for both options below.
Layer all the sliced veggies (zucchini, potato, eggplant and onions) into your casserole dish or non-stick stove top pan. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, green chillies and coriander in between the layers, as you are layering.
Pour the coconut mixture over top of the veggie layers ensuring that the mixture goes in between the veggies. Coat the veggies as much as you can (you can kind of move the dish around to swish the coconut mixture).
If you are using the stove top, turn heat to high until the mixture just starts to boil then reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered for about 30 minutes.
If you are using the oven, place dish in oven and bake for about an hour on 350 degrees (or until the veggies are very soft).
You can garnish with chopped coriander.
Note: Mama P also told me that sometimes she garnishes with thinly sliced tomatoes before baking the mixture because it looks pretty, we didn’t do this for this recipe but feel free to go for it if you’d like!
A turkey stuffing without bread recipes….a challenging task.
I was looking for turkey (actually Tofurky đ ) Thanksgiving stuffing without bread recipes, and one that was preferably grain free, dairy free and, as a bonus, vegan. This criteria was not very easy to find. There are a number of grain free thanksgiving stuffing out there but most of them call for meat. I guess this makes sense if you are stuffing a turkey. I was not stuffing turkey though, and wanted both a grain free and vegan option. See the results for my turkey stuffing without bread recipes below. Let me know what you think and if you find any others! The first list is vegan, whereas the second list contains egg/dairy. I provide substitutions though to make all recipes vegan.
Iâve indicated whether the recipes are the following:
â Gluten free
â Grain free
â Vegan
â Soy free
â Nut free
â Sugar free
â Raw
â Nightshade free
If you donât see a certain condition noted, you can assume that it doesnât fulfill itâs criteria.
Turkey Stuffing Without Bread Recipes Vegan with…
Why this makes the cut:Â I’m a sucker for cauliflower rice, you get rice without the grain. đ Complete with veggies, “rice” and pecans, this makes for a delicious holiday recipe.Â
Note:Â calls for eggs, butter & chicken stock, to make veggie/vegan replace the following with:
1 egg –> 1 tablespoon ground chia + 3 tablespoons water
butter –> vegan butter
chicken stock –> veggie broth
Why this makes the cut: Similar to the recipe above, this grain free stuffing is sweetened with honey and cranberries. It’s perfect for those who like dessert with dinner. đÂ
Who would have thought that there would be so many variations for basic vegan mashed potatoes? Oh, but there is! I searched far and wide and came up with the following delicious recipes for basic vegan mashed potatoes. All the recipes have fewer than 10 ingredients (woohoo!) and are made with whole foods. I’ve separated the recipes from those of the traditional style of mashed potatoes (i.e. mostly potatoes) from those with a fun twist (see below for recipes with cauliflower and navy beans).
Iâve indicated whether the recipes are the following:
â Gluten free
â Grain free
â Vegan
â Soy free
â Nut free
â Sugar free
If you donât see a certain condition noted, you can assume that it doesnât fulfill itâs criteria. None of the recipes are raw and, as the name suggests, none of them are nightshade free as they all require potatoes. (I usually indicate on my posts whether recipes are raw and nightshade free).
Why this makes the cut: Disclaimer: this my creation. đ I wanted mashed potatoes and I had almond milk. I couldn’t find a vegan mashed potato recipe that called for almond milk so I created one myself. It was really yummy! See how to veganize this recipe with the instructions above.Â
Why this makes the cut:Â I love that the main ingredients in these mashed potatoes are eggplant, cauliflower and cashews! It sounds absolutely delectable!Â
I’m surprised I did a post on the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. To be honest, I never cared much for normal meatloaf growing up. I probably have had meatloaf only once in my life, and didn’t like it very much. The only thing I did like about meatloaf was the sauce or the gravy that accompanied it.
Fast forward about 20 years and I was craving that gravy. What can I eat with gravy, I thought. Well, being on a (mostly) anti-inflammatory diet I can’t have meatloaf or potatoes but what I can have is a lentil loaf. Aha! Brilliant! Well done Kiran. đ
And so, I was on the search for the best lentil loaf recipe. My friend Fatima was coming over for dinner and I need a recipe that would not disappoint.
I searched for a really long time for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. In searching for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe I also came across of many vegan loafs that were made without lentils. I did a separate post on these non-lentil loafs recipes that you can find on my blog post for the best vegan meatloaf recipe.
I hunted for lentil loaf recipes that were clean, made with whole food ingredients, along with being easy to make and delicious. I tried to search for unique recipes that would cater to everyone’s unique dietary needs and preferences (God knows, I have my share of them!).
Let me know what you think of my curation for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. Have I missed any lentil loafs that you think I should include? Let me know in the comments below. đ
Why this makes the cut: Full disclosure, this is my recipe creation. đ  This is the only nightshade free lentil loaf (this is the reason I created it) topped with a vegan mushroom gravy.Â
This post for the best vegan meatloaf recipe is similar to my post on the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. The difference is that the recipes found in this post are without lentils while the lentil loaf is made with lentils, as the name suggests. đ
For me, sometimes my gut is okay with lentils and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes my gut’s okay with beans and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes my gut’s okay with tempeh and sometimes it’s not. You get the drift. đ
I originally was going to combine the lentil loaf recipes with this post on the best vegan meatloaf recipe but ended up with 14 recipes in total! I tried to cut some recipes out but they were but it was really hard. They all seemed unique, delicious and worthy of making the cut. In the end, I decided to do two separate posts, one for the best vegan meatloaf recipe and one for the best lentil loaf recipes.
Sorry for the long explanation, I was probably trying to justify separating the lists more to me than you to you. đ
Anyway, see my curated list below best vegan meatloaf recipe. đ
Between this post and the post on the best lentil loaf recipe you should find a vegan loaf to fit all of your needs. Do let me know if there you are further limited in your diet and I will see if I can come up with one that fits your needs as well.
Baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian, one of my personal favourites!
I love Fall, it is my third favourite season, after summer and spring. đ Seriously though, Fall is amazing. I’ve lived in a few different parts of the world, and a couple of different provinces in Canada. What I’ve learned is that there are only a few places that that have a complete and beautiful fall. Fall is great because the weather is cold enough that you can wear a scarf (and who doesn’t love wearing scarfs?) but just warm enough that you can have a coffee (or in my case, a green tea) on a patio. The colours are absolutely breath-taking with bright reds, golden yellows, radiating oranges and sometimes even crimson purples. đ
Ever wondered why leaves change colour in Fall? Me too! This is why while writing this blog post I decided to call my genius 11 year old nephew, Faisal.
Here was our conversation:
Me: Hi Faisal, how’s it going?
Faisal: Good.
Me: I have a question for you, why do leaves change colour in Fall?
Faisal: Its because not enough chlorophyll gets through to the leaves and the other colour pigments take over.
Me: Why doesn’t enough chlorophyll get through?
Faisal: Because the days are shorter and there’s less sun.
Me: Oh, okay, that makes sense. Thanks Faisal!
Faisal: Okay bye!
Me: Bye!
My nephew Faisal is actually the smartest person I know!
So now you know why leaves change colour in the Fall. đ
Well, thank you chlorophyll for taking a backseat for a few months so that we can enjoy all the beauty that Fall has to offer. The beautiful changing leaf colours are my favourite thing about Fall. You want to know what my second favourite thing is? Acorn squash (see how I brought it back to the original theme of the blog post without you even noticing? Bam!). đ
Acorn squash is so cool! It actually looks like an acorn! Do you know of any other fruits that look like something that falls from a tree? I don’t!
Aside: I also learnt while writing this blog post that squash is a fruit and not a vegetable. Other sneaky vegetable lookalikes that are also fruit include avocado, pea pods, corn kernels, cucumbers, olives, peppers, pumpkin, and tomatoes.
Along with being a vegetable look-alike, acorn squash is also a good source of fiber and potassium, and has small amounts of vitamin B, C and magnesium.
Who would’ve thought this blog post would be so educational? I certainly didn’t when I started writing this post. đ
Though my love for acorn squash is all year round, it definitely intensifies in the winter.
My friend Zehra was coming over dinner and I knew I wanted to make something with acorn squash. After doing some quick googling, I decided to make a stuffed acorn squash as I’m a sucker for foods that can be used as bowls. đ Zehra is also a vegetarian (and has actually turned vegan, you go girl!) and so I was on a hunt for a baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian recipe. Though in the end I decided to come up with my own recipe (a warm quinoa salad with roasted butternut squash), I discovered many other delicious recipes that are on my to-make-soon-list.
Here is my curated list for the best recipes for baked acorn squash vegetarian. All of them are made with healthy whole foods with items you are (likely) to find in your kitchen already. They are all vegetarian, as the name implies, with many vegan options that will cater to all diets (I hope!).
You will find many gluten free, grain free, nut free, soy free and sugar free options. Let me know what you think of my baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian list, and if you find any other recipes that I have missed!
Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash Vegetarian with Quinoa and…
Why this recipe rocks: I’m all over any recipe that uses brussels sprouts and makes it sound amazing.  Though this is not an acorn squash, I couldn’t resist sharing the recipe!Â
Why this recipe rocks:Â With green chillies, cumin and coriander, I suspect this recipe will have a lovely indian-style flavour. I can’t wait to test it out!
Why this recipe rocks:Â A simple grain free meal that makes for a great side meal. Or, throw in some protein (beans, lentils, tofu, etc.) to make a complete meal.Â
Why this recipe rocks: A simple grain free meal with roasted veggies and molasses! A delightful side or add  in some protein (beans, lentils, tofu, etc.) to make a complete meal.Â
This is just not a vegan tempeh sandwich, friends. This is the “dancing vegan sandwich” as my friend Paul describes. Why dancing you ask? Well, let me paint you a picture. Our friends Paul and Kajal came over yesterday for dinner. You see, Paul is a meat eater. The tempeh is vegan.
I’m always curious about how meat eaters respond to vegan meals. Well, Paul fit that description perfectly, and so I wanted to investigate his reaction. Usually when people take a bite out of something I make, especially when they come over for dinner, they say, “Mmmm, this is so good!” This is the polite thing to do đ
IÂ watched closely as Paul took the first bit of his sandwich.
As predicted, he said, “Mmmm, this is so good!” But, that remark didn’t really tell me anything. How I knew that he genuinely liked the sandwich was because he got seconds. And not only did he get seconds, but he danced his way to seconds. And then my friends, the dancing vegan tempeh sandwich was born đ
all of the toppings you desire! Some options include:
greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc.)
avocado, sliced
tomato, slicked
(vegan) mayo
mustard
hummus
(vegan) cheese
Directions for Dancing Vegan Tempeh Sandwich
It was probably unnecessary to have a title on directions, as I assume if you are on a recipe blog you know how to make a sandwich. But always best not to assume. As my teacher in grade 10 used to say, assuming makes an “arse” of you and me đ
And so the directions:
Place all of the ingredients between 2 pieces of bread and enjoy đ
The mung bean salad indian style is so delicious and super quick. The perfect weekday meal with such few ingredients. I’m always looking for fast protein packed meals that are yummy. I basically used the same ingredients for my Quinoa Salad with Cilantro, Tomato, & Cucumber but with an indian twist.
I made this one with mung beans but feel free to use the beans of your choice. I try to use dry beans over canned beans when possible (for the advantages of using dried beans over canned beans see Dry Beans Vs. Canned Beans). The problem with using dry beans though is the soak time. Dry beans usually require 8-12 hours of soak time. I can sometimes bypass at least some of the soak time by using my pressure cooker. I often opt for mung beans as they require less soak time and they better for the tummy (see here for more info). Make sure to not overcook the beans, as even a few minutes too long will cause them to go mushy.
Mung Bean Salad Indian Style | happygut.caMung Bean Salad Indian Style | happygut.ca
Ingredients for Mung Bean Salad Indian Style
2 cups dry mung beans (or another type of beans, can also use 3 cans of beans)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
half a small red onion or 3 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 avocado, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
juice from one lemon
1-2 fresh chillies chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Directions for Mung Bean Salad Indian Style
For cooking dry beans: wash beans and soak overnight/8-12 hours (can soak for less time but just know that it will require more cooking time). Place beans in a pot or pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. If using a pressure cooker, cook beans for about 10-15 minutes, checking frequently. If using a regular pot, cook for 40-50 minutes, checking frequently.
Combine cooked or canned beans with the rest of the ingredients.
This tempeh bacon marinade was da bomb! (Is that still a cool thing to say? I don’t know, I feel old all of a sudden :S). I’ve never been a huge fan fake bacon (probably because I’ve never been a fan or real bacon) so I never did care much. BUT, Irfan (my partner in crime and life) loves it and so I made it. Sigh, the things we do for our partners in crime….. đ
I used the tempeh bacon marinade to make a tempeh bacon salad, but you could use it for whatever your heart desires. Go nuts, and let me know how it goes đ
Serves 2-4
Ingredients for Tempeh Bacon Marinade
1 block tempeh
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil (I used sunflower)
1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions for Tempeh Bacon Marinade
Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix well
Slice tempeh thinly
Add tempeh into the marinade and let sit for at least 2 hours, or up to a few days in the fridge (I usually marinade it over night).
To Serve Directions
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add tempeh slices to the pan and cook, flipping to brown both sides, until  crispy.
or to bake, preheat oven to 350, place tempeh on baking sheet and bake until browned and starting to crisp, about 15 minutes.I’ve also included my ingredients for the salad and dressing I used with the tempeh bacon marinade recipe.
Salad Ingredients
4 cups mixed greens
2 tbsp chopped nuts
1 tbsp raisons (and any other toppings you wish)
2 tbsp dressing (see below)
3-6 slices cooked Tempeh Bacon (see below)
4 tbsp soft goat cheese
Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp  mustard
1 clove garlic
1 cup olive oil
Directions
1. In a blender, puree all ingredients except oils
2. With blender running, slowly add oil
