Vegan with a Vengeance

your show and you help them with theirs; eventually a star is born. It’s such a great outlet for us little people to get our views and visions out there; take advantage of it. Start a radical gardening show, make a documentary about your pet snail, make a six-episode special about your grandma—the airwaves are ours!

Sweet Potato Crepes with Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce
    SERVES 6
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    Terry and I made these for The Post Punk Kitchen’s Valentine’s Day episode (or rather, the anti-Valentine’s Day episode) because they are sexy. The slightly sweet and aromatic filling wrapped in a warm chickpea crepe and smothered in a rich yet delicate sauce is sure to impress. We toasted our own spices to bring extra-fresh flavor to the curried sweet potatoes, but if you don’t want to go the extra mile, even though you really should, then you can use ground spices.
    1 recipe crepes (recipe follows)
    2 teaspoons cumin seeds
    1 teaspoon coriander seeds
    1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
    1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    2 cardamom pods
    6 whole cloves
    Pinch of ground cinnamon
    Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    FOR THE FILLING:
    2 tablespoons peanut oil
    1½ cups yellow onion, finely chopped
    1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons grated ginger
    2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½-inch chunks
    Half a (15-ounce) can coconut milk
    1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
    1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
    FOR THE SAUCE:
    Â½ cup raw cashews
    2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro
    2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
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    Half a (15-ounce) can coconut milk
    1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
    1 tablespoon peanut oil
    Pinch salt
    To prepare the spice blend:
    Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Pour in all of the seeds, pods, and cloves except for the cinnamon and cayenne, and toast for about 3 minutes, shaking the skillet back and forth for even heating. The spices should smell warm and toasty. Remove the mixture from the pan immediately and transfer to a bowl to cool. When fully cooled, place in a spice grinder (a coffee grinder works) or mortar and pestle. Grind to a fine powder and add the cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.
    To prepare the filling:
    Preheat a large skillet over moderate heat. Pour in the oil and heat, then add the onions and bell pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; sauté about 2 minutes more. Add the spice blend and make sure the onions are coated with it. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for a minute or two. Cover the pan and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender. (You should prepare the sauce while they are cooking). Add the coconut milk, maple syrup, and lime juice, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. The coconut milk should be fully incorporated into the sweet potatoes.
    To prepare the sauce:
    Grind the cashews in a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. That’s it!
    To Assemble:
    There should be two crepes per plate. Place one crepe on a plate, fill with about ½ cup of filling and fold each side over, like a jacket. Repeat with a second crepe and drizzle with tamarind sauce.

Savory Crepes
    MAKES 12 CREPES
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    This is Terry’s recipe from when she worked in a vegan restaurant. Don’t worry if your first crepe isn’t perfect; even pros tear a crepe or two from time to time. Just move on to the next one.
    1½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
    Â½ cup chickpea flour
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    2 cups water
    Combine the flours and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the water and olive oil. Use an electric hand mixer to blend until completely smooth (if you don’t have a mixer, mix with a fork for a good solid 3 minutes). Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for ½ hour or so.
    Preheat your crepe pan or a nonstick skillet that is 8 inches or so across. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray or a very thin layer of olive oil. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan; tilt and rotate the pan so that the crepe batter has covered the bottom and crept up the sides of the pan just a tiny bit. When it looks like the top of the crepe has pretty much set and the corners of the crepes are just beginning to brown, flip over with a spatula and cook the other side for just under a