Guest Blogger: Luminous Vegans – Eggless-cellent Salad

As we loom closer to Virtual Vegan Potluck we’re picking up steam here at VBU! and introducing a new blogger to the family. Please meet Ketty! Here she is in her own words, “Hello! I am Ketty from Luminous Vegans. I live in Atlanta with the other luminous vegan, Neal, and our two rescued greyhounds Nikko and Miles. Luminous Vegans was created out of my desire to show non-vegan friends and family that vegan food is delicious! It has since evolved into a vegan mish-mash of DIY projects, adventures, reviews and of course plenty of food! While I work a full time job, I love to blog in my free time because I feel like it’s one small way I can contribute to the movement, by showing people how easy it is to be vegan. We are just two ordinary folks. It doesn’t take a superhuman to show compassion.” Follow her adventures on Facebook. Please welcome Ketty!

I am a diehard fan of all dishes creamy and salady, two things that can be a vegan challenge. Inspired by this recipe from Nava Atlas, I whipped up this tasty eggless “egg” salad and I’ve been nomming on it for the past day. The ingredients are approximations, so adjust the seasonings as your mouth sees fit.

Eggless salad sprinkled with paprika atop a bed of mixed greens and sunflower sprouts.

In a food processor, I blended one 14 oz can of rinsed and drained chickpeas, 1 scant tbs of vegenaise, 1 tbs of nooch (nutritional yeast), 1 1/2 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of sweet relish, 1 tsp of dijon mustard, a dash of turmeric, about 1/2-1 tsp of black salt (Kala Namak) and black pepper to taste.

I transferred the mixture to a mixing bowl and added 1 chopped stalk of green onions and

one package of extra firm silken tofu drained and diced. I slowly folded the onions and tofu into the “eggy” mixture because I didn’t want the tofu to break up too much.

This is what the final product looked like. The chickpeas are the “yolk” and the silken tofu bits are the “boiled egg whites”.

This is an eggless-cellent version of the omni egg salad. The texture and taste is spot on. The “eggy” taste comes from the black salt which is not actually black in color (it is pinkish) and adds a sulfury taste to dishes. I used about 1/2-1 tsp of black salt in this, adding small bits at a time and tasting it as I went b/c this stuff is strong. Thanks to abracapocus, I was able to find black salt for a whopping 99 cents at Taj Mahal Imports.

Eggless salad sandwich mixed with sunflower sprouts with a side of chips and homemade peach pico de gallo.

I loved egg salad pregan and this definitely satisfies that taste for me. I’ve had it atop greens and in a sammich and I still have some left over for another sandwich or salad. N hates creamy-salady stuff, so this one’s all for me!

Are there any dishes/foods that you love that your partner (friend, roommate, sister, brother, etc..) hates (and hence you get to hoard it all to yourself)?

Know of any other ingredients, like black salt, that magically transform a dish?

Guest Blogger: The Food Duo – The Pot(Luck) of the Vegan

New bloggers who blog as a couple! Meet – The Food Duo! Here they are in their own words, “We’re a couple of quirky vegan kids in NYC who play with their food! Just don’t tell our moms! Recipes, reviews, news you can use and fun stuff…all from a vegan point of view! The Food Duo is written by Macaroon (girl) and Artichoke (guy).” Keep in touch with the Food Duo on all their social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Welcome Macaroon and Artichoke!

Sunday Potluck! Can we do this every weekend…PLEASE?

Sorry, I’m a few days late with my “Kiss Me, I’m Irish (for 24 hours)” line! Then again, if my mom’s correct, we may have some Irish blood somewhere on her side of the family, but who knows? LOL

St. Patrick’s Day certainly has its religious roots, but I’ve always grown up with it being a celebratory day with friends (old, new and those lasting a single pint). The camaraderie that comes about truly makes the day fun and festive more so than just wearing green (which I did) or watching the parade (this year, the day before). This year was no different, except the parade on Saturday the 16th, rather than Sunday the 17th. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a lovely Sunday evening at a pot luck, meeting new folks, eating good food and sharing a common bond being VEGANISM!Organized through the NYC Vegan EatUp group on Meetup.com, our evening was entitled VEGANPOTLUCKAPALOOZA! So, you know anything ending in “PALOOZA” is certain not to disappoint. The pot luck was held at Harmony Kitchen Cafe in the East Village (NYC), which is a great vegan cafe and art space, which is part of the Yippie Museum, a venue of expression and activism. It was the perfect, cozy setting, and a big thanks to David Hall, the owner, for having us! BTW, Harmony Kitchen has some of the best iced tea I’ve ever had, and Artie is in love with their coffee.

The gathering included some home chefs and professional eaters (some being one in the same…like ME). We shared dishes of hearty comfort goodness. The menu was full of deliciousness: delightful rainbow salad, perfect stuffed mushrooms with daikon, two kinds of yummy mac ‘n cheese (one gluten-free), stuffed shells with a flavorful cashew ricotta and garlic mashed potatoes with green cauliflower. The meal was topped off beautiful raw mint pie for dessert. I think we all did a bang up job!

So, you may be wondering what Artie and I made for the evening. Well, our contributions were the stuffed shells and mashed potatoes. Since we made our dishes without following a set recipe, we’ll need to work them out in written form, and share them soon, but they were pretty simple to make.

A sampling of a shell and skin-on mashed potatoes “aerial” shot

 

There isn’t much more I can say except it was great spending time with our fellow vegans, learning a little something about them and about ourselves. It was a wonderful experience and I hope we get to do this again really soon!

Oh and I’m in total love with the mint pie!

AMAZING! So happy Sarah shared the recipe. Will be making this soon for Momma Mac!

Guest Blogger – Rachel in Veganland: Tahini chickpeas

After her wildly successful first post on VBU!, Rachel in Veganland – Not Skinny how could I not have her back? This time Rachel is back to share her take on tahini chickpeas. You can follow Rachel’s posts through email, and find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Welcome back Rachel!

Living in this house in Carrboro has been a throw back to my first few days at college when I was cooking vegan for the first time in the communal kitchen of my dorm. There were 2 things I always had in my food box in those days: garbanzo beans and tofu. As the garbanzo is my favorite legume, I would eat them quite often, and in a variety of ways.

I would often sauté them up with some fresh onions and garlic, add in a few seasonings to suit my mood, then a sauce to tie it all together. This past week I’ve revisited that dish, as again garbanzos and tofu were readily available. This time, instead of the goddess dressing I would often use to tie all of the ingredients together, I used some tahini.

The result was caramelized fried-like glory with no breading, mess, or actual frying. What a fantastic and flavorful shortcut! The flavor was similar to fried chicken-like tofu but the garbanzos added a rich nuttiness to the dish that was only amplified by the tahini. Served atop a bed of fresh spinach, and it was heaven on a plate.

Tahini Fried Chickpeas and Tofu

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

1/2 block extra firm tofu

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onions

dash dried basil

1/2 cup tahini

Over medium heat, sauté garlic and onions until the onions begin to brown and get all caramelized. Then pop in your tofu, cut into nice sized chunks and allow it to brown slightly too. Add those chick peas and let it all mesh together for a couple of minutes, then add in your tamari. At the very end, add the tahini and remove from heat, stirring to incorporate thoroughly. Serve immediately over a bed of fresh, raw greens and eat your heart out.

Now that we’re back in Carrboro, we’ve of course been frequenting our favorite taco truck again, huzzah! This means the world’s most decadent and fantastic sauces. I always get an extra 2 oz. container to keep and smother on EVERYTHING I can. These chick peas were no exception.

Guest Blogger: Fried Dandelions – Pineapple Curry Fried Quinoa

Looking for a quick easy recipe? Sarah from Fried Dandelions has you covered. Have you searched her previous contributions to VBU!? Her first post was a delicious recipe for Spiced Chocolate Pudding. For her second post she shared a recipe for Hot Tamales. Do visit Sarah’s blog, and Facebook page. Welcome back Sarah!

Here’s a quick dinner that your kids will love, and will be on the table in less time than it takes to pick up take out! This dish is packed with good-for-you foods like pineapple, veggies, and protein rich quinoa in place of rice. You can serve this with Pan Seared Tofu or even do something quick like Gardein Mandarin Orange Nuggets (our choice tonight!)! David (almost 2) ate 2 bowls of this tonight—yum!

Pineapple Curry Fried Quinoa, inspired by Chef Chloe
2 c dry quinoa
3 ½ c water
1 tsp salt
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 T canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garlic chili sauce (like sriracha)
¾ c raisins
2 c fresh pineapple (about half of a pineapple, or you can use canned)
2 c frozen vegetables (I used a pea/carrot/corn/green bean mix)
¼ c cashews or peanuts to garnish, optional
cilantro to garnish

Rinse quinoa well. Place in pot with 3 ½ c water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and cover, reducing heat to low. Let cook for about 20 minutes, or until al dente soft. Fluff with fork and set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking slice the pineapple (if using fresh) and onion. When the quinoa is nearly done, heat oil in a wok over high heat. Place onion in wok and stir until starting to brown. Sprinkle with salt and add garlic, coriander, curry powder and garlic chili sauce, stirring quickly.

Add pineapple, raisins, frozen veggies and stir well again. Remove from heat and garnish with nuts and cilantro. Enjoy!

One more thing before you go—I’m participating in another blog contest—this time for the Top 25 Vegan and Vegetarian Mom Blogs. Please consider voting for me once a day, every day, until February 7th. Voting is simple—there’s no sign up or log in, just find my name and click (I’ll be under the pending approval tab for a day or so)! Every vote counts—this fall I won by a matter of votes! Spread the word to your friends—thanks for your support.

Guest Blogger: Spice Box of Earth – Quesadillas with Mexican Lentil Salad

Always nice to see vegan bloggers from around the world – one such blogger is Jenny, the author of Spice Box of Earth. You can friend Jenny on FB, catch her on Twitter, and Flickr.  Here she is in her own words, “I am Jenny, a vegan baker and blogger from Manchester, UK. I share recipes, reviews, lifestyle & shopping tips and all sorts of vegan goodness. Lots and lots of pie!” Please welcome Jenny!

My vegan friends, it’s a time for resolutions, and I was so torn about whether to eat healthy or not last night, that I ended up creating a half healthy/half naughty dinner. I haven’t had quesadillas in a while and had some luck last time using potatoes in the filling. I suppose it’s healthier than wodges of grated vegan cheese, so it ain’t all bad! This lovely lot should feed about 4 people.

To Make the Salad: Cook the red lentils in water along with the fajita spice. The lentils should be dolloped on top of the salad when cooked. Layer the lettuce, chopped red cabbage and spring onion. Drizzle the lime juice over the top and sprinkle a little salt to taste. Add the drained lentils when serving.

To Make the Quesadillas: Boil the potatoes until soft, then drain completely. In a small food processor, thoroughly blend the soya milk, garlic cloves, nutritional yeast and margarine. Mix this with the potatoes and mash until completely smooth. Mix in the grated cheese.

Place a tortilla in a dry, non stick frying pan. Spoon the potato mixture onto the tortilla, top with the 2nd tortilla and cook for a few minutes over a high heat. Flip the quesadilla over after a few minutes. You want the tortillas to be slightly crispy at the edges!

Serve with salsa and/or guacamole!

Guest Blogger: Carrie on Vegan – Photo Food Journal & Vegan Delish Giveaway

Our newest VBU! contributor is Carrie Forrest, author of Carrie on Vegan. Here she is in her own words,”I am a graduate student in public health nutrition and I write about my recipes and adventures in healthy, plant-based living. I recently released an app for iPhones and iPads called Vegan Delish that features 60 simple, vegan recipes with all kinds of cool features like a digital shopping list and social media sharing options.” Carrie is the first contributor to have an app – how cool is that? Love how everyone is so creative and inventive. Keep in touch with Carrie on Vegan through: Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feed. Also check out Carrie’s app Vegan Delish: iTunes Preview page, website, and Facebook page. Please welcome Carrie!

Good morning and happy “What I Ate Wednesday“! Today I’ll be showing a picture of everything that I ate yesterday. It is always an interesting exercise to document everything I eat in a day, plus I hope you find it helpful in some way.

Breakfast was some leftover green smoothie with some buckwheat groats and almonds on top:

I went for a hike in Palm Springs around 9 a.m. Despite cloudy skies, I thought the mountains were so pretty:

Alan and I hiked further than we have ever gone before:

We then went to Costco to try and beat the holiday rush, but it was still craziness. I stocked up on all kinds of fresh fruit, frozen fruit, frozen edamame, etc. It was a huge load:

After all of that, lunch was much appreciated. I make a big romaine and vegetable salad with my Wild Blueberry Zinger Dressing, edamame and mandarin oranges for dessert:

Here’s a closer view of the salad:

Yesterday afternoon was spent catching up on work and doing a few errands. I decided to try using the pressure cooker again after my successful experience last Saturday night. This time, I just used brussels sprouts, collard greens, mushrooms, onions and water:

I checked with Jill Nussinow’s fantastic book, The New Fast Food, for the cooking times on the sprouts and the greens (don’t forget to enter to win a free copy of the ebook here!). I settled on a cooking time of two minutes for everything and I estimated about a cup of water. I added it all to the pot:

The chopped collards went on top:

I locked on the lid, set the timer to two minutes on high pressure, and sat back and hoped it would turn out okay. I figured the worst that could happen would that the sprouts would be undercooked:

While I waited, I also made a really easy cream sauce for the veggies. After all, who wants to eat plain steamed greens? To make my typical cashew cream sauce less fattening, I substituted garbanzo beans for half the nuts in this recipe. I was so pleased with the results, the sauce was still very, very creamy and flavorful:

Here’s the recipe:

[print_this]

Cashew & Bean Sauce

6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon dried mustard

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

[/print_this]

I used the quick-release setting on the PC when it was done and here’s what it looked like:

I was so happy that everything was cooked to perfection! It’s not exactly a beautiful dish, but here’s what the final product looked like:

I’m telling you, this was a hit and I’ll be making the same exact thing tonight for dinner.

For dessert last night, I made a version of my Chocolate Cherry Bomb that I’ll be posting in ice cream form on Friday. It was so decadent and yummy:

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed this photo food journal.

To wrap up today’s post, I’m doing another giveaway of my recipe app Vegan Delish! I received 50 promo codes from Apple when we did our last update and I want to share them with you. If you already own Vegan Delish, you can still enter and you can give the code to one of your friends or family members. So, I’m giving the code to 50 readers selected at random who leave a comment on this post and who do any of the following things:

1. Tweet this message to your followers on Twitter “Check out Vegan Delish, the healthy #vegan recipe app for iPhones and iPads: http://bit.ly/TNOWnc.”

2. If you already own the app, leave a review on iTunes. Note: if you downloaded the app using a promo code, then Apple won’t let you leave a review.

3. Do something else to help me promote Vegan Delish, like tell your co-workers about it. Tell me what you did. I trust you.

You can do any or all of these things, just leave a separate comment telling me what you did. You have until Sunday, December 23rd, to enter.

Thank you for all of your support!!! I hope you have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you back here on Friday.

Guest Blogger: Vegan ESP – Bean and Bean Gumbo (Moosewood Lowfat Favorites) and Herbed Biscuits (Vegan Brunch)

Vegan ESP is a joint blog written by a couple, Elena and Seth from Atlanta, Georgia. Here they are in their own words, “We’re Elena & Seth. We’ve been vegan since late 2009 and we love it – so much so that we decided to share our wonderful voyage through this amazing vegan life on-line. We’ll talk (a lot) about what we eat, vegan events and other aspects of a vegan lifestyle. We’ll include features about vegan businesses, post articles and videos, and offer (hopefully) helpful information and tips.” Follow Vegan ESP’s blog, Facebook, Twitter. Welcome Elena & Seth!

So my mother’s Dr. Seuss garden (the plants are all of a ridiculous size and she gardens organically) produced copious amounts of okra this summer, despite the best efforts of the doe who stripped most of the plants of their leaves early in the season. My parents live in the country and one of my favorite things about visiting them is watching the deer emerge from the woods and nibble their way around the yard. Mom & dad are not as enamored with them as I am, since said deer tend to wipe out their crops – although they have a complex system of bird netting, thin wire fences and a variety of other defenses around the veggie beds. Besides, if it’s not the deer, it’s the rabbits or the groundhogs so it’s sort of a losing battle. Good thing my mom is such a badass as a gardener. Anyway, I was sent home with a boatload of frozen okra when I visited for Thanksgiving, so the only logical choice was gumbo. It’s been quite a while since I’ve made gumbo and it took some hunting to even figure out which cookbook it was in. I was relieved when I finally found it in the Moosewood book. I like this recipe for the very Southern black-eyed peas that are in it, as well as the healthy dose of veggies. It actually also uses white beans (hence the bean and bean name), which I really love for the smoothness they add. There’s a fair amount of chopping involved with the gumbo, but that’s true of pretty much any veggie soup recipe. I could’ve added a bit more salt, but otherwise, we thought the gumbo was pretty darn good. I decided that since we were having gumbo, we needed to have a proper Southern bread to dip in it. We’d pretty much finished off the corn muffins left from Thanksgiving, so I went with biscuits. I really like the recipe in Vegan Diner, but I poked around in Vegan Brunch for a minute and found the Herbed Wheat Biscuits recipe. Oh holy yum. I have no idea what the frak kept me from making these before now. (yes I said frak – we watch a lot of sci-fi) They are amazeballs. I actually used all-purpose flour since I was really low on whole-wheat pastry flour and I also wanted fluffier rather than crumblier biscuits. I also had to cheat a little since I technically didn’t have any shortening on hand. I used Earth Balance (I know, the palm oil) buttery sticks in place of the shortening and some of the homemade butter I had on hand for the margarine. (See? No palm oil in the homemade stuff.) I also used garlic salt in place of the plain salt. And I may have used heaping measures of the herbs. I got 16 biscuits instead of 12, so that’s a bonus. One can never have too many biscuits. A warm, comfy Southern dinner on a cloudy, chilly day in Georgia…

Guest Blogger: Vegan Richa – Samosa and Onion Bhajji Pizza with Wheat Chickpea Crust

Our newest guest blogger is Richa, author of Vegan Richa. Richa loves to bake, experiment, develop recipes and veganize everything that comes her way. She loves spicy but wholesome Indian food, multi-grain home baked breads and living as kindly as possible. You can find her breads, bakes, Indian, Vegan and quite a few gluten free recipes at her blog. She can be found talking recipes on the blog’s Facebook Page, pinning away interesting food and photography things on Pinterest, and capturing everyday food and a cute sleepy dog on Instagram. Please welcome Richa!

This is one fun Samosa Onion Bhajji Pizza. It is almost the Indian snack platter on a pizza crust You have the Samosa(potato) filling, and the Onion Fritters, I also threw in some Jalapeno Fritters since we all know my love for things spicy. 

The Crust has wheat, chickpea flour, semolina, carom seeds,(what you would find in a regular Samosa crust), is slightly overbaked to get a crunchy texture to resemble a crunchy fried samosa pastry. The Pizza once baked is topped with fresh Cilantro chutney(what you get on the side with the Samosas and Pakoras). Can this get any better!

And yes, I did sneak in some greens. totally optional. Chopped Spinach from our dying urban garden, under the potato mixture. All in all, this Pizza was very very well received by hubbs. It is easier than a Samosa or a Pakora too. No deep frying involved, and no rolling out small portions of the dough and making individual samosas!
The potato filling can be added to sandwiches, or served as a side. The Onion fritters get cooked up nicely at the high bake temperature, so no pre-baking or frying needed. Fresh Cilantro chutney drizzle completes this deliciousness.

I mean seriously, if you like Samosas, you have to make this Pizza! You can use any of the other Wheat crusts or  Swap out the crust with a glutenfree ones like this Oat one or the Teff crust or Millet chickpea one to make the Pizza gf. 



If you dont now what I am blabbing about since then, check out the real Samosa here. Samosas are deep fried pastry with savory filling, usually potato, served with chutneys(cilantro/mint, date tamarind etc)
Bhajji or Pakoras are veggies dipped in spicy batter(usually chickpea), fried and served with chutneys.

Steps:

Roll out the crust dough after first rise, using some bread flour. 
Place on parchment lined sheet. Spray water on top.

Layer some chopped spinach, then spread the potato mixture on top.

Take Onion slices, dip them in the chickpea batter and place on top on the potato mixture.

Add more veggie fritters or jalapeno fritters as well in one layer.

Bake the Pizza in preheated 410 degrees F for 15-16 minutes.
Broil on Hi for half a minute.
Let the pizza sit for another half a minute in the oven, then remove.
Drizzle cilantro chutney on top.
Slice and Serve.



mmmmmm

Samosa, Onion Bhajji/Pakora Pizza with Wheat Semolina Chickpea crust
Dairy, egg, corn, soy, nut free
Makes 1 12-13 inch Pizza

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup warm water
1.5 teaspoons active yeast
2 teaspoons raw sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup semolina (cream of wheat)
1/4 cup bread flour
2 Tablespoons chickpea flour (or wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon carom seeds (or cumin seeds)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Toppings:
1 Recipe Samosa filling (Samosa potato mixture is Glutenfree) -2 large potatoes or 3 medium potatoes will make enough for a 12 inch pizza. or make a larger batch for a fatter topping.
White or Red Onion sliced into rings
Jalapeno slices
Chickpea batter for fritters(recipe below)
Cilantro chutney(recipe below)

Chickpea Batter for Pakora fritters:
Blend into a thick paste the following-
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 Tablespoon semolina (Omit to make glutenfree)
3 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons organic canola oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch of garlic powder
generous pinch of cumin powder
generous pinch of chili powder or to taste

Easy cilantro Chutney:
Gluten, sugar free
Blend the following and keep ready
1/2 cup packed cilantro
1/4 cup chopped apple
1-2 Tablespoons water
salt, chili powder, cumin powder to taste( a pinch each)

Method:
Crust:
In a bowl, add warm water, sugar and yeast and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the flours, semolina, salt and oil and knead for 2 minutes into a well mixed dough.
Spray top with water, cover bowl with a towel and let sit for 1.5 -2 hours.
Oil hands, use 1-2 Tablespoons of bread flour and gather the dough.
Knead for 2 minutes and form a ball.
Roll the ball out using some flour into a thin-ish 12-14 inch crust. 
Place on parchment lined sheet. Spray water on top.
Layer some chopped spinach, then spread the potato mixture on top.
Take Onion slices, dip them in the chickpea batter to just about coat, and place on top on the potato mixture.
Dip jalapeno slices in the batter and place on the Pizza. 
Add more veggie fritters if you like, in one layer.
Bake the Pizza in preheated 410 degrees F for 15-16 minutes.
Broil on Hi for half a minute.
Let the pizza sit for another half a minute in the oven, then remove.
Drizzle cilantro chutney on top.
Top with vegan cheese shreds before baking or immediately after(optional).
Slice and Serve.

Guest Blogger: In Vegetables We Trust – Portabello Stew

Please welcome back Alex of In Vegetables We Trust. This young man has a lovely blog and a very creative mind, I would highly suggest you keep an eye on his blog as I predict we are witnessing a rising star in the making. You can read his first submission HERE: Slow cooker chili, roasted butternut squash and fennel flatbreads. Follow In Vegetables We Trust‘s blog and Facebook account. Welcome back Alex!

Portabello stew:

Ingredients:
1 packet of dried Portobello mushrooms
4 carrots, sliced
2 big waxy potatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups of mushroom stock (from the rehydrated portobellos)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup or red lentils, rinsed
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons mushroom ketchup (optional)
1 tablespoon barley miso
1 teaspoon yeast extract
a dash of tamari/soy

Method:
re hydrate your mushrooms according to packet instructions using plenty of boiling water, whilst they’re rehydrating you can chop all your vegetables. once the mushrooms are rehydrated, pick them out of the liquid with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate ready to be added into the stew later and strain off two cups of the liquid to remove any small bits, use this as your stock.fry of the onion till translucent, then add the garlic and fry a little more. Add the carrots and potatoes next, followed by the lentils stock and tomato sauce. Bring to the boil and then pop the lid on and let simmer for about 20 minutes till the lentil are all cooked and the vegetables are nice and soft. Add the thyme and mix the rest of the ingredients in a measuring cup with a little water and add to the pot, cook till thickened up a bit. Serve in a deep bowl with fresh thyme.

And stuffed flat breads:

Flatbread dough recipe:

1 1/2 cups of strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting your surface when rolling, extra points for unbleached organic
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 teaspoon of dried yeast
3/4 cup of tepid water
1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus extra for greasing your baking tray and brushing over you flat bread parcels

Filling ingredients:

1 tin of mock duck, liquid drained
1 teaspoon of freshly crushed cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
olive oil for frying
Method:

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together with a fork. in a cup dissolve your yeast in the tepid water and then pour your oil in the water. Add the liquids into the flour/salt mix gradually whilst mixing with your hands, squeeze out any lumps as they form, if the dough’s a bit wet add a touch more flour- too dry? No problem a tad more tepid water. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface and knead till it is slightly tacky, but still nice and soft. Then leave on the side in a bowl covered by a tea towel for about 45 mins. Now prepare your filling, nice and simple, rub the mock duck in the cloves and cumin, a little salt and cracked black pepper and fry up till nice and browned. When your dough is ready pop the oven onto 230c/450f and split the dough into four little balls and roll into circles on a floured surface till 3-5mm thick, place 1/4 of the filling slightly off centre and fold the dough over sealing the edges with water, place on an oiled baking tray and brush with oil. Bake for about 10-15 mins till crisp. And enjoy! Serve with pistachio sauce and lemon and red onion kale sauté to make a meal, or pop them in your lunch box cold.

Guest Blogger: The Trim Body – Lentil Pakora

Love hosting bloggers from around the world Matilda is the author of The Trim Body. Matilda is a British lady, living in Singapore, thus her Asian location influences her food. Here she is in her own words, “I firmly believe that omitting all animal protein from your diet is the healthiest way to live. If you also omit refined carbs and sugars too (think ‘white’ foods, white rice, white flour, white sugar, etc) then your body will be in its optimum condition. But, if you love food then that all sounds fairly dull? NO! Have a look at the recipes. You can feast on fantastic things and create dinner parties that carnivores will approve of.” Have to love her gumption! Follow The Trim Body blog on Facebook and Twitter. Welcome Matilda!

How sizzlingly super are these?! Completely fabulous dunked in some chutney!

1/2 a cup of chick pea flour

1 can of green lentils, drained

1 heaped teaspoon of garam masala

Seasoning

1 chili, finely chopped

Sieve the chick pea flour and garam masala into a bowl (I don’t normally sieve, but it is vital with chick pea flour). Add half a cup of water and mix well. Next, add the seasoning, lentils and chili.

In a frying pan, add about 2 millimeters or rapeseed oil. Wait for the oil to be hot enough before cooking the pakora, you can test by dropping in a tiny bit to see if it sizzles. Spoon in about a heaped teaspoonful at a time, turning them after about a minute.

Let them sit on a piece of kitchen towel for a moment before serving.

Enjoy – you will!