Potato and Cauliflower Samosa Patties


If you’ve ever eaten a samosa at an Indian restaurant (or Whole Foods salad bar for that matter), you know those delectable little things are deep fried.  These patties have that mouth-watering samosa flavor, without all the fat and flour.

This recipe is adapted from Rouxbe, the on-line plant-based culinary school I’m attending. The first time I made these I followed the recipe to the letter but felt they could be improved and made to be lower in fat.  The family actually preferred my version.  Score!

Keep in mind the heat of these will depend on how much of and the type of curry powder you use.  I’m a total wimp when it comes to spice so I only used 1 TBS curry powder (half Penzey Sweet Curry Powder and half Madras Curry Powder).  Use more, or some cayenne, if you like the heat.  They have tons of flavor regardless.  Enjoy!!

Chickpea Curry Lettuce Wraps with Tamari-Lime Sliced Almonds

If you’ve ever made my Mock Chicken Salad you’ll already have an idea of how this dish is made – it’s the same process.  I set out to make the Mock Chicken Salad but I was feeling creative and wanted to change it up significantly.  I absolutely LOVE what I ended up with. SO delicious.  And, it’s really easy to make!! No cooking required for the filling.  Though, if you would like it warm and/or find raw celery and onion too crunchy or strong, feel free to sauté those first.  I made these for lunch on a fairly warm day but I think the warm/cooked filling would be nice on a chilly day or at dinner.  It’s up to you! Experiment….I did!

Feel free to use this filling for a sandwich instead of lettuce wraps.

They are only a garnish, so a small amount is used, but the Tamari-Lime Sliced Almonds are AMAZING here.

Red Lentil Curry || vegan + oil-free + low-fat + gluten-free

I needed something to eat for lunch and the red lentils in the pantry got my attention.  I literally threw these ingredients together without a plan, and was SO happy with the result. It’s hard to believe something this easy could be so flavorful.  It was so good in fact that I included the dish in an Indian themed feast I cooked this past weekend.   It was a big hit along with the Indian Spiced Cabbage, Roasted Aloo (potatoes), brown basmati rice and whole wheat flat bread. 

Red lentils are great because in addition to being extremely healthy and low-fat, they are quick-cooking.  They can be used in sauces to add fiber and protein, or as the main ingredient along with a few others such as the recipe here.  Unlike brown/green lentils they break down easily, blending in with whatever else is in the dish.  They also end up being more yellow in color, even though they are called red and start out more of an orange color.  At 140 calories per cup (dry), 0 grams of fat, 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein, red lentils are a great addition to the diet.

In this dish I used two different types of curry powder, but you don’t have to.  Regular curry is the yellow/orange version you see in most stores.  Different brands can taste different from each other, with some more mild than others.  Madras curry is another type that is similar to regular but with more spice.  Berbere curry is an Ethiopian version, that has a smokier scent/flavor and is much spicier than the others.  Feel free to use whatever variety you have on hand, or a combination like I’ve done here.  The measurements I used result in a mild dish.  As I’ve said before, I’m a spice wimp.