African Sweet potato and peanut stew

3 tablespoons water (for sauteing)

 2 medium yellow onions, chopped

 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into bite-sized pieces

 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

 1 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger

 1 teaspoon ground cumin

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I halved this)

 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (crunchy is fine too)

 3 kumara peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

 1 can (15 oz.)red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

 1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced

 4 cups vegetable stock

 1 teaspoon salt

 1/2 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

Chopped coriander for garnish

 

Heat water in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add bell pepper, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.

 

Stir in peanut butter, distributing evenly.  HINT: Prepare peanut butter by adding 1/4 cup of HOT water and mixing in a separate bowl.  Then it will be thinner and easier to mix in when you add it.  We did this and it helped.

 

Add kumara, kidney beans and tomatoes.  Stir to coat.  Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft (30 – 40 minutes).  Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve over your choice of grain with chopped peanuts& coriander on top!

 

I did the first bit up to adding the peanut butter then transferred to a casserole dish added the kumara etc and baked in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes. Used about half the stock with the method.

I chose to cook it in the casserole as I was taking it to a family meal & as my Dad is elderly & frail and loves mashed potatoes we had mash to accompany it and a lovely salad. Everyone was wanting seconds!

This was from Colleen Patrick-Gudreau's book "The Vegan Table"

Translating American ingredients for Kiwis

In no particular order these are some ingredients found in American recipes in books and websites and their NZ equivalent names.

 

It is a list I have been meaning to post for some time and am happy to add more terms if anyone messages me.

 

Cilantro                                Coriander leaves

Swiss Chard                        Silver Beet

Garbanzo beans               Chickpeas

Beets                                    Beetroot

Bell pepper                         Capsicum

Scallion                                 Spring Onion

Rutabaga                             Swede

Fava Beans                         Broad Beans

Squash                                 marrow

Arugula                                 Rocket

Corn starch                         Cornflour

When you have to take a plate for dessert/cake - try Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces no-salt black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 whole, ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 Tbl cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup regular or non-dairy chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup instant oats or oat flour (made in a food processor from raw oats) I used oat bran - that worked well - 1st time I made it was a bit moist, next time added a little more oat bran & cooked longer - perfect!)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8×6″ pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Stir in the oat flour / oats until blended well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour batter into the pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Had 2 events in the space of a few days to bring something for - these went down a treat! As usual both events had way more food than needed so leftovers from the first were dropped off to appreciative family & for the 2nd were taken to work and polished off by work mates.

These are definitely the least unhealthy brownies I have ever eaten, but still should not be regareded as "health food" to eat unlimited amounts - best option for me is to give it away.

Easy Black Bean Miso Soup - This is super quick & delicious

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1 15-ounce black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cup cooked beans)
• 1 1/2 cup miso broth (see directions below – I used the miso paste)
• 1 cup homemade stewed tomatoes (or 1 can tomatoes, just be sure to add some great spices to liven it up. eg – 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp chili flakes)

Instructions

1. Bring all three ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes.

Alternative

If you prefer to use miso instead of packaged miso broth, simply use 1 1/2 cups water in the recipe. After the soup comes to a boil, spoon 3/4 cup broth into a measuring cup, add 1 teaspoon miso, mix well, and pour back into the saucepan.)

 

this is from http://jlgoesvegan.com/

I had this for a quick dinner, while the soup cooked I assembled a green salad - talk about quick, easy, delicious and yum! I can see this will go on my mental list of quick options when I get home hungry and tired.

 

I bought miso paste and only use it occaisionally - it's been sitting in my fridge for ages and keeps really well. Can be a great flavour booster for soups and dressings.

Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad

Edit Title/Description

Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad (Mollie Katzen)

This is undoubtedly the best rice salad in the world. I make it every Christmas - this recipe makes a lot! It's from Mollie Katzen's "The Moosewood Cookbook"

 

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Add Ingredient Add Divider

Ingredients

Add Cooking Step

Directions

 

1. Combine 2 cups of brown rice and 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender - 35 to 45 minutes. 

 

2. While the rice cooks, combine in a large bowl the following:

1/3 cup peanut oil

3 Tbsp Chinese sesame oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)

2 Tbsp rice or cider vinegar

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (or canned in juice)

 

3. Add the hot rice directly to the bowlful of dressing. Mix well. When it has cooled to room temp, cover tightly and refrigerate until cold. Shortly before serving, stir in:

 

3 scallions, finely minced (both whites and greens) (=spring onions)

1 stalk celery, finely minced

1 medium-sized red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced

1/2 lb fresh bean sprouts

1/2 cup (packed) raisins or currants

1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts and/or cashews, lightly toasted

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Optional: fresh snow peas for garnish

Tofu "feta" cheese, fatfree 3 ways including vege pizza

Ingredients

1 pound extra-firm tofu

2 tbsp water

4 tsp yellow miso paste

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

2 tsp basil, dried

1 tsp oregano or majarom, dried

¼ tsp rosemary, dried

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

Break tofu into a few large pieces in a mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk
all remaining ingredients, except nutritional yeast, together. Pour
over tofu and mix with your hands, crumbing the tofu into smaller pieces
as you go. Set aside and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of
nutritional yeast over top and mix. Taste, adding more nutritional yeast
if desired.

This is from the book Happy Herbivore Abroad & also found on Lindsay's blog
http://happyherbivore.com/2010/06/vegan-feta-cheese/

I made half the recipe - it was quite cheesy and yum. Perhaps not as salty or sharp as I remember feta - I added a little more salt and lemon and may tweek it a bit more next time I make it.

Had it several times over labour weekend

1st in a Greek Salad with chopped tomato, red onion & cucumber, Olives would have been good! added the nongreek element of using up some leftover cooked quinoa and drizzled over some pomegranate flavoured vinegar - delicious lunch.

then I had some baked potato that night and filled it with some "feta" that with salad was a lovely dinner.

Also used it on a vege pizza, used a commercial pizza base from my freezer, spread some baba ganoush on that (recipe in another post), topped with some blanched greens (silverbeet & spinach - cooled & water rung out), sliced courgette, red onion, red pepper & mushroom then crumbled the last of my "feta" over the top and cooked for 20 minutes ooh yeah! that's a keeper!

Braised Greens and Mushrooms

I adore this combination. Recently I had some mustard greens and portobellow mushrooms.
Saute some onion in water
add a clove or 2 of garlic
add mushrooms and saute until tender
then add sliced greens of your choice - silver beet, mustard greens, kale etc. If you use spinach you only need a very short cooking time - you will need a little longer for other greens
sometimes I add chopped tomates.

This is very yummy just like that and depends what I am serving it with as to whether I add something else for flavour - can add soya sauce and chili flakes etc.

If you want a one pot meal stir in some cubed tofu or chickpeas and serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Green dressing on Green & Fruity salad

Dressing

1 handful of coriander leaves

4-6 nuts (I used pecans)

2 tbs tofu jelly (or could use soft silken tofu)

1 lime peeled and chopped

2 tsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Blend the coriander and nuts to a paste, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and add more maple syrup or mustard if needed.

I came home from the market with some coriander and tofu jelly and got inspired. This was fresh and delicious. I served it over the following salad:

Cos(romaine) lettuce roughly chopped

Cucumber

Cherry tomatoes

½ red pepper

1 lge chopped radish

Pulp from a passionfruit

3-4 chopped strawberries

2-3 tbs cooked red quinoa

This was sooo good and sooo fresh, thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients: 

• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 8 ounces wild mushrooms, trimmed and chopped (used about a cup of button mushrooms)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup Merlot or other spicy red wine
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat or spelt flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method: 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook about 2 minutes or until mushrooms release their liquid and start to become tender. Add wine and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together tamari, yeast and flour to form a thick paste. Add mixture to skillet about 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly to make sure paste dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pepper. 

I used dried herbs (3 tsp Italian herb mix).

Blended it with stick blender and used 2 tsp of cornflour for the thickening.

This made a wonderful tasty gravy - definitely use it again!

Recipe from: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/vegan-mushroom-gravy

Lentil Cashew Loaf

Ingredients

1 cup lentils
2 cups water
1 large onion, finely chopped
a generous handful of mushrooms, finely chopped
3 tablespoons water or oil for frying (omitted this & used water for saute)
1 cup ground cashew nuts (or other nuts of your choice)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Italian herbs or similar

Method

1. Wash lentils and cook in the water til soft.
2. Sauté onions and mushrooms.
3. When soft add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Place mixture into oiled baking pan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes

This recipe was from http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/content/recipes/lentils/lentil-cashew-loaf/

It was delicious but didn't hold together as a loaf - I'm thinking I'll add a "flax egg" (1 tbs ground flaxseed + 3 tbs water) to help bind it next time, also would like to add some grated veges (eg courgettes & carrots).

Served this with Mushroom Gravy

Five Spice Stirfry Veges & tofu

1 onion - chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

2-3 cm root ginger finely chopped

½ Red pepper chopped

1-2 cups mushrooms chopped

Other veges as desired – broccoli, cauliflour, courgette

Greens – choose bok choy, Kale, silver beet (I used a head of bok choy)

Tofu firm – half block drained & cubed

Five spice powder 1 tsp

Chili flakes hot – ¼ to ½ tsp to taste

Soy sauce 1 tbs

Sauté onion in a small amount of water in non-stick pan/wok. When soft add the garlic and ginger stir briefly and add remainder of veges (except greens).

When tender add the tofu, chilli, five spice powder and soy sauce

Lastly add chopped greens and cook until tender 2-5 minutes (Kale takes longest)

Serve with brown rice.

One day I had left over cooked quinoa and stirred that in to make stir-fry quinoa (just like stirfry rice)

Have also tried a little mirrin with the soy sauce – yum.

Can use wine for some of the sauté also.

Sumptuous Tempeh Mushroom Stroganoff

Made this for my father for his 92nd birthday went down a treat, rich wine sauce and tarragon mmmm gorgeous!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pasta (or omit & use water for saute)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup dry sherry, divided
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms, any variety
• 8 ounces tempeh, cut into small cubes or strips
• 1 1/2 cans navy beans, rinsed, drained and puréed (had canellini beans they worked well)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups noodles (we used potato mash, brown rice = yum)

• INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat the olive oil (or water) and saute onion in a pot on high heat, stirring constantly. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic, parsley and a splash of sherry. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the mushrooms and the remainder of the sherry. Cover and cook over low heat for about five minutes.
  2. Add the tempeh and cook for another 5 minutes. Uncover, add navy beans, soy sauce, red wine and tarragon, and cook until the sauce reaches a thick, saucy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Cook the noodles in a separate pot and drain well. Drizzle with olive oil and toss lightly.
  4. Serve with the sauce and garnish with parsley

source was: "V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking," by Angeline Linardis. Someone kindly posted this on their blog, if all her other recipes are like this I would love the book - pity it is not available as ebook.

Confetti salad from leftovers

It was just the right thing to use up some stuff from the fridge before heading out on holiday.
1/4 red cabbage sliced
1/2 large carrot grated
1 radish chopped
1/3 cucumber chopped
1/4 red pepper (capsicum) chopped
1 handful raisins
1 handful sunflower seeds
A squirt of lemon juice
1 Orange peeled & roughly chopped
Generous splash of raspberry vinegar

Pulse in the food processor a few times

Sprinkle half can of chickpeas on top

Garnish with mustard microgreens (yum from Thames Saturday market stall)

What a fabulous lunch! It was pretty, wonderful mix of textures & awesome flavour.

Eating out in Auckland - soup shots!

Eating out in Auckland

spontaneous trip to auckland tonight & ate at “The Vue” on the top of the Mercure on Custom St East. 

Sometimes you have to be a bit creative when eating out vegan style. 

One of the entrees I thought was dips and bread and was informed it was soups and bread. It was so cute I took a picture - 3 little soups in shot glasses and some artisan bread. The soups were red Thai pumpkin, Mushroom & Thyme and Pea with pancetta. When I mentioned I was vegan they served the pea soup without the panchetta. They were all lovely but the pumpkin was the best yum.

Only one vegetarian and no vegan mains so I opted for 3 sides instead - Cumin roasted kumara, minted peas & a garden salad. 

I’m writing this back in my room feeling delightfully replete and virtuous. 

Eggless Salad

Technically the recipe is called Tofu "egg" salad but this is the Vegan month of food so I want to emphasise the lack of egg in the title. It comes from the happyherbivore.com

In our local organic shop I saw some Himalayan Black salt & grabbed it as I remembered I had recipes requiring this - it has a slightly sulphurous taste.

12 ounces extra-firm tofu - I had some leftover silken tofu
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 whole celery stalks, minced
1¼ tbsp nutritional yeast
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp relish (dill pickle) - I used some locally sourced Kiwifruit & ginger chutney
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp mild curry powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black salt
2 tbsp vegan mayo (fat-free) see recipe below

Crumble tofu into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Let set for a few minutes (this allows the flavor to merge but also enhances the yellow coloring). Stir again. Taste, adjusting spices as necessary. Add black pepper to taste and serve.

I am glad I halved this - it was so divine I had the lot! - Made a sandwich with wholegrain bread, cos lettuce & tomato, then used the rest in a toasted pita bread. followed this with an orange and a drink of apple tea. 

I used the mayo recipe from my copy of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook - here it is
1/2 package silken tofu
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
lemon juice & agave nectar to taste.
combine in blender/food processor until smooth.

ok now I have some more silken tofu in the fridge to use up since I made the Mayo! 

Down under here in NZ spring has begun so the rest of the mayo will be used in some yummy salads mmm!

Kumara-Pear Tzimmes with Pecans & Raisins

1 kg Kumara peeled & cut into 3/4 inch chunks ( I added in some pumpkin too)
3 firm pears seeded & cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs Mirin (or other sweet cooking wine)
1 tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup pecan halves
3/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 180 C
Place kumara & pears in a large roasting dish. sprinkle with oil & miring and mix to make sure all is coated.
Add maple syrum, cinnamon, slat & pecans and toss to coat.

Cover with aluminium foil & bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil & add raisins & gently toss.

Return to oven uncovered & bake for 30 more minutes tossing occasionally.

It took more than an hour to cook - probably needed to be in a single layer in a larger dish.

Said to serve 6 - would probably serve 8.

Awesome mix of flavours & colour & textures!

Spinach noodle Kugel (Casserole)

3 cups pasta (I used some vegeroni spirals - recipe suggests any short cut ribbon noodles or broken up lasagne noodles

3 packages of frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (Matzo meal if you want a genuinely Jewish dish)
1 small onion finely chopped
340 g (just over 1 package) of firm silken tofu
1 cup vege broth
2 tbs olive oil (to make it oil free I just added extra tofu)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill ( had to resort to a couple of tsp of dried dill)
2 tbs lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Cook noodles according to package direction & preheat oven to 180 C
Place thawed spinach in colander and leave in the sink to drain.
Blend tofu, broth & oil (if using) until smooth and put in large mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs.
Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach and add to the bowl.
Drain pasta & run under cold water, add to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.
Mix well, use your hands if needed.
Coat a casserole dish with oil spray
Press the kugel into the casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

This was a large recipe supposed to serve 8. I halved it  - the four of us had plenty and there were leftovers the next day.

Would like to try it with wholemeal pasta but that is proving difficult to find - can only source in penne or macaroni shapes at the moment

Birthday Dinner

My Mum turned 83 last week and I turned to "Veganomicon"by Isa Moskowitz & Terry Romero for inspiration.

Spinach Noodle Kugel & Sweet Potato Tzimmes were what I opted for - the pale spinach noodle casserole along side the brilliant orange of the Tzimmes alongside some simple green peas looked wonderful on the plate.

The delicate and subtle flavours of the Spinach dish alongside the bursts of flavour & crunch of the Tzimmes just awesome!

My elderly parents and brother (all non-vegan) absolutely loved it!

The recipes follow in the next posts.

Vegetable Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 kg potatoes

1 large brown onion peeled & diced

2 medium carrots peeled & diced

2 stalks celery diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 smallish leek white part only cut into rings and washed

1 can kidney beans
6 portobello mushrooms cleaned & sliced

Salt & pepper

125ml white wine

375 ml vege stock

Instructions

Heat oven to 200 C

Peel potatoes and cut into fine but not transparent slices

Put in a large mixing bowl with diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic & leek rings & beans  and toss together. Sprinkle with pepper & salt.

Heat pot & sauté mushrooms in a small amount of stock until softened, remove from heat

Put half the potato/vege mixture into an ovenproof dish,

Cover the layer with half the mushrooms

Then the remaining potato/veg mixture and final layer of mushrooms.

Add the wine and stock (Liquid should come halfway up the dish.

Season to taste.

Cover the dish with 3 layers of cooking foil and a lid if there is one. No steam should escape.

Bake for 1 hour, peel back the foil and test the poatato, cook for a further 10-15 minutes if needed.

This was based on a recipe by Kate Fraser from the newspaper column “Cooking with Kate”. Oil was removed and beans added to the original recipe.

The smell when it was cooking was wonderful and drove me crazy. Great flavours – a real keeper.

Said to serve 4 - it's a big recipe - if you have a side of greens too you will probably have leftovers.

Tofu Mayonnaise

Here in small town New Zealand sourcing vege mayonnaise is not easy - especially if you want something low fat and without all sorts of weird additives. I had read some recipes and had part of a block of tofu in the fridge that needed using so ...

tofu
vinegar (I have some white balsalmic but I'm sure white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be fine)
dijon mustard
some lemon juice
agave nectar or other sweetener

(no quantities as I did a splash of this and a teaspoon of that)

blitzed it in the benchtop blender and it was lovely - I would dare anyone to recognise it as tofu based from the taste.

This week for lunch I have been having salad wraps, spread with hummus and drizzling a little of this "mayo" over it mmmmm tasty!

Stock and Broth - economical tip here

Lots of recipes call for low sodium broth or stock - not easy to source at supermarket but really easy to make your own.

Good base for broth is:

Onions
Carrots
Celery
herbs and seasonings - a bay leaf or two is great, mixed herbs or your favourite dried herbs can be added.

optional extra veges - Celeriac, parsnip, mushrooms etc. (Cabbage most people agree has too strong a flavour for a nice broth). Beans and potatoes are also useful.

put them in a pot and boil for 30-60 minutes and strain. - Keep in fridge for a few days or freeze in iceblock trays and keep cubes of stock in your freezer.

You can reserve the solids and mix with some of the broth to make a soup.

Useful economical tip from Chef AJ writer of "Unprocessed" - keep your (clean) vegetable peels and trimmings (anything not decayed) and add to a ziplock bag in the freezer, when you have enough use those to make a stock, strain and discard the solids. You can use the tops of carrots and leaves of celery etc.

Pasta e fagioli

I love Italian food and this is Italian peasant food. Robin Robertson in her book "Vegan on the Cheap" estimates the cost at less than $1 per serving this was in American dollars in 2010.
Sounds posh - just means pasta and beans!


Made the Vege stock myself in the weekend

INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic

2 cans crushed tomatoes

1 can beans (1 ½ cups of cooked if cooked from scratch)               

                Cannellini, pinto, borlotti – or whatever you fancy

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt & pepper to taste

250g wholegrain macaroni or other small pasta

1 Tbs chopped parsley

METHOD

Heat a large pot and add a small amount of stock and sauté the garlic for approx 1 minute until softened. Stir in tomatoes, beans, herbs, stock and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes

In a large pot of boiling water cook macaroni over medium-high heat until al dente – about 7 minutes. Drain and add to bean mixture with the parsley

Simmer gently to blend flavours – about 10 minutes. Remove Bay leaf and serve.

I used 2 cans of beans so it was more of a stew than a soup. Used Spike seasoning instead of salt. Served with some steamed spinach and followed with some fresh fruit.

Next time I may add an onion also.

Party food – Hummus Pizza

When confronted with what to take to a party – the usual fare frequently involves meat and or cheese and/or fried food. What to do when you are following a whole foods, plant-based, low fat lifestyle?

This past weekend I took the following food along (hey I was on the committee and always take a bit more than one plate to these things as a surprising number turn up with no food):

Hummus pizza (recipe below)

Fresh fruit platter

Guacamole & raw veg

Savoury Bread cases (used whole grain bread and filled with leftovers of my kumara lentil chilli with some red pepper strips on the top).

Hummus Vege Pizza

    Ingredients: 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cup Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, divided

2 portobello mushroom caps, gills removed, caps cut into 1-inch-wide strips

1 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/3-inch planks

1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick planks

4 Engine 2 Plant-Strong™ Tortillas

8 ounces baby spinach, lightly steamed and gently squeezed to remove excess liquid (about 1 packed cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts Freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together broth, balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup hummus. Add mushrooms and toss very gently to coat; remove from bowl with a slotted spoon. Add yellow squash and zucchini to the bowl and toss to coat. Return mushrooms to the bowl and allow vegetables to marinate for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium heat cooking. Grill vegetables until browned and tender, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place tortillas on 2 nonstick sheet pans or regular sheet pans covered with parchment paper. Spread each with 1/4 cup of the remaining hummus. Top with spinach, basil and grilled vegetables. You can place the vegetable slices on the pizzas whole for a rustic look, or chop them first for neater cutting. Sprinkle pizzas with pine nuts and black pepper to taste. Bake until edges of tortillas are browned and crisp and pine nuts are golden, about 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

People at the party were coming back for more!

You can find this recipe on http://engine2diet.com/recipe/hummus-veggie-pizzas/
I made mine with a bought pizza base - next time want to try a homemade base with wholemeal flour.

Kumara (Sweet potato) Lentil Chili

This is from "Eat drink and be Vegan" by Dreena Burton
you can also find it at her website http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/sweet-potato-lentil-chili.html#!/2011/03/sweet-potato-lentil-chili.html


splash of water (for oil-free version) or 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) onions, diced
1 cup (250 mL) celery, diced
2 - 2 1/2 cups (500 to 625 mL) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) dry red lentils
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water
1 - 28 oz (796 mL) can crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz (398 mL) can black or kidney beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp (45 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime wedges (for serving)

In large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices, and stir through. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally; reduce heat if onions are sticking to bottom of pot. Rinse lentils. Add to pot with water, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf, and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in lime juice and serve portions with lime wedges.
Serves 6.

Had this with black rice and steamed cavolo nero - yum. This is a huge recipe - some will be going in the freezer for sure.

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Mustard Greens

From Nava Atlas book "Wild about greens"

1 bunch of mustard greens (150-200g size)

½ large red onion thinly sliced

¼ to 1/3 cup vegetable broth

2-3 cloves garlic

1 pinch dried hot red pepper flakes (1 used ½ tsp minced chilli)

1/4c balsamic vinegar

½ tsp soy sauce

¼ tsp agave nectar or sugar

1 can chickpeas drained & rinsed

Remove large stems from the greens & discard the stems. Tear or chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

In a deep wok cook onion in about 1 tbs of the broth until it has faded to pink, about 4 minutes

Add garlic and red pepper flakes & another Tbs of broth & cook stirring for another minute.

Add the mustard greens and remaining broth.

Cook stirring until greens are wilted but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove greens & onions from pan with a slotted spoon & place in a serving dish, leaving liquid in pan.

Add balsamic vinegar, soy sauce & agave to the liquid in the pan (add 1 tbs more broth if needed)

Add chickpeas & cook over medium heat until liquid reduced by about half

Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle any sauce remaining in the pan over the top.

Serve warm with additional vinegar if desired.

Had this over black rice - looked stunning and tasted lovely. I guess it could be tried with other greens - silver beet or bok choy maybe. I think spinach would finish up overcooked unless you were very careful

Hummus salad wrap

The title says it all.
I make hummus in a blender at home almost every week and always have some in the fridge.
Love wholegrain tortillas.

needed a quick lunch today

Wholegrain Tortilla (or whatever wholegrain wrap you prefer)
spread with hummus
fill with baby spinach, chopped tomato and chopped cucumber
fresh ground pepper

wrap it up.

It's fresh and crunchy and the hummus gives an amazing flavour.

This can be toasted like a toasted sandwich if required.

Oh my gosh what I can eat for dinner?

After a long busy day yesterday got home after 6pm tired and hungry. Just wanted something quick and easy and opened the cupboard

Chili beans
leftover cooked brown rice in the fridge
Baby spinach

Heat some beans in the microwave and stir in the spinach - a little more cooking til it wilts. Reheat the brown rice. Lo and behold an extremely quick meal in minutes. If you have a fridge full of fruit, veges & leftovers and plenty of healthy options in the pantry it doesn't take long.

Chased this with a crunchy pear - one of my favourite fruits at the moment.

I have fruit with almost every meal - fruity porridge most days and usually a piece of fruit or some fresh grapes with lunch and dinner.

Fruity porridge for one

This is my usual workday breakfast.

1/2 cup whole grain or steel-cut oats soaked overnight in 1c water

in the morning add
1 Tbs oatbran
handful of cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2c boiling water

microwave for 3 min on high
stir
then microwave for 2 min on medium(50%)

then stir in
1/2 c blueberries
1 apple grated (granny smith for preference)
1 Tbs ground linseed or LSA
1 tsp chia seeds

slice a banana on top

While the porridge is cooking, I get the other things and my coffee ready and feed the cats, whole thing takes about 10 minutes.

This make a huge bowl of porridge.

If cooking for a group you may prefer to use a pot on the stove. Whole grain oats take longer to cook than normal rolled oats or quick oats but have lots more fibre, goodness and flavour.
Steelcut are my current favourite - wonderful chewy nutty texture - yumm

Portobello Burgers

1-2 Portobello mushrooms per burger
dried herbs eg Thyme, Oregano, Mixed Herbs
Soya sauce or Tamari Sauce or Braggs
Barbecue Sauce or Chutney or Salsa
Lettuce or Baby Spinach
Tomatoes sliced
Cucumbers and or other salad ingredients of choice sliced
Hummus
Wholegrain roll or Bagel or Pita Bread or Wrap

Remove the stalk and sprinkle herbs over the gills of the mushroom.
Spray or drizzle with small amount of Soya or other sauce
Grill until tender - maybe 5 minutes

Spread roll on one side with hummus and lay salad ingredients on that side.
Spread the other side with BBQ sauce or chutney and place mushroom over this.
Sandwich together and enjoy.

I had this for dinner recently with a mug of soup and chased it down with some fresh grapes - mouthwatering and wonderful - so quick and easy.

Curried Mushrooms and Chickpeas

2 large onions chopped
1 1/2 Tbs cumin seeds
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms sliced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ginger

Heat 1/2 cup water in a large pot and add the onions.
Cook until soft (about 5 minutes)
Add cumin seeds and mushrooms
Cook over medium head until mushrooms are light brown (approx 10 minutes).
Add tomatoes, chick peas and spices
Cook 30 minutes or longer until mushrooms are tender and flavours are well blended

I added some spinach to this as well - at the end so it remained bright green and colourful.

1/2 tsp of cayenne made it quite hot - you may wish to reduce this.

If too hot try adding lemon or lime juice and serve with a side of
banana sambal (sliced bananas, shredded coconut & lemon juice)

This recipe from "Fat Free and Easy" by Jennifer Raymond

Confetti Salads

The idea is simple: pulse vegetables, fruits, and nuts/seeds together for a few seconds in a food processor. The softer fruits, like oranges, lemons, or pears, dissolve into the mix making a built-in dressing!

a few big handfuls of bagged coleslaw mix (shredded green and red cabbage and carrots),
a handful of raisins,
one apple peeled and chopped,
one orange peeled and segmented,
a handful of raw slivered almonds,
a handful of raw sunflower seeds,
1/4 lemon peeled,
a big splash of Flavoured vinegar - I used some raspberry vinegar I had in the fridge (you can leave this out if you don't have it). Pulse for just a few seconds to get to a coleslaw consistency.

Serve the  Confetti on a bed of romaine (Cos lettuce) and cucumber slices with a sprinkle of chickpeas.
Mmmm this was good - This one came from http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.co.nz/

Just google confetti salads for lots of other ideas.

Tofu-Spinach Lasagne

10-oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
450 g soft tofu
450 g firm tofu
1 Tbsp. sugar
75 ml soya milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. fresh basil, minced
2 tsp. salt
600 ml passata (tomato sauce)
225 g lasagne sheets

 Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside.
• Place the tofu, sugar, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
• Cover the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of the noodles). Follow with half of the tofu filling. Continue in the same order, using half of the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and all of the remaining tofu filling. End with the remaining noodles, covered by the remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.


Excuse the old units here. This recipe is from Peta.org.
I used a jar of tomato and basil pasta sauce.
It is huge - you may want to halve it.
I have seen versions of this done in a slow cooker without precooking the lasagne noodles also.

By the way - it was divine!!

This recipe was from www.peta.org - they have quite a few vege recipes.