One of the best side benefits of eating vegetarian/vegan, in my opinion, has been the exposure that this has given me to foods from other cultures. Restaurants that serve foods from other regions of the world are frequently veg-friendly and I have discovered so many things that I love with what I would call my "epicuriosity". Among my favorites are Thai, Ethiopian, and Indian. I am on a huge Indian food kick right now and plan to be making a few things at home in the next week or so. I visited a local Indian market to get a couple of ingredients and, hopefully, will have some success stories for you soon! A few days ago I made some naan (a leavened Indian flatbread). Instead of a traditional naan made with ghee (clarified butter) and white flour, I "veganized" the recipe and substituted whole wheat flour for most of the white flour. The result was great! I love this bread!

Vegan Whole Wheat Naan
Makes about 8-10

1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour*
2/3 cup white flour*

1. Place all ingredients in a bread machine in order recommended by the manufacturer and turn to "dough" cycle.

OR

1. Dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup of the water; stir in the sugar and set aside for 10 minutes. The mixture should get foamy- if it doesn't, the yeast isn't active or the water was too hot.
2. Mix the rest of the water with the salt, olive oil, and yogurt and set aside.
3. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor or mixer. With the processor running, slowly pour in the water/oil mixture. Then add the yeast mixture and process until the dough forms a ball. Add more flour or water, if necessary, so that dough isn't crumbly or sticky.

When dough has finished, preheat a griddle on medium-high heat. Divide dough into 8-10 balls. Roll each ball flat on a floured surface (bread should be thin- about 1/4 inch thick). Place flat doughs on the hot griddle (oil shouldn't be necessary) flipping once the first side has browned well.

*A note about flour: I kept 2/3 cup white flour in the recipe so the bread would maintain a soft texture. You can use whatever ratio you like.