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!

Guest Blogger: *Vegan Sparkles* – Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower & Naan Wrap

Please welcome back a VBU! veteran. You can search her posts under her blog name Vegan Sparkles. The lovely Rebecca from down under. Feel free to check out her: blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Welcome back Bex!

Happy Vegan MoFo, everyone!

I’m so excited, I’m kicking off with not one but two recipes for you!  * Cue sparkles! *

Recently I spotted some incredibly creative ideas via My New Roots’ Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower and Veg Hot Pot’s Tandoori Cauliflower Naan Wrap.  Tandoori Cauliflower??  I was so intrigued, I knew I had to try it immediately.

Someday I’ll make the amazing spice blend that My New Roots wrote about but in keeping with the ‘fast, fresh and simple’ VeganMoFo theme I promised, I went the quicky route and used a store-bought Tandoori paste and adapted as so:

Tandoori Marinade

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 3-4 tbsp Tandoori paste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 270ml can coconut cream

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower

• Mix all marinade ingredients together and cover a clean cauliflower completely.  Allow cauliflower to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 180C and roast cauliflower until tender.  My cauliflower had an extraordinarily large head so it took about an hour.

TA-DA!  The finished product!

I tandoori roasted a cauliflower!  I got excited.  *happy dance*

SO tasty and fun to make and it made an incredible meal paired with steamed Basmati Rice, Cucumber Raita and Coriander ‘Butter’ Beans.

Now it may be a year since I’ve tasted yoghurt but if I’m not mistaken, this concoction tastes incredibly like the real thing:

Cucumber Raita

• 1 1/4 cup cashews, raw
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber, diced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

While the cauliflower is roasting (for an hour or so), add cashews, water and lemon juice to blender and allow to soak.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Remove from blender and stir in diced cucumber and salt.

Coriander ‘Butter’ Beans

In a large frypan, sauté green beans in a little vegan margarine until gently cooked.  Add coriander and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Tandoori Cauliflower & Cucumber Raita Wraps

Then for the best part – for your delicious lunch the next day, simply heat leftover cauliflower in a frypan (with a little EVOO and some more Tandoori paste if you dare!) and serve in Silverbeet leaf wraps topped with Cucumber Raita, salad, rice and fresh coriander.

Fast, fresh and simple!  And did I mention deeeelish?