Creamy Tomato-Cashew Lentils

Creamy Tomato-Cashew Lentils

I think I have the toughest taste tester in the world, a five year old daughter who would choose to eat pizza five times a week if I let her.  I'm always searching for ways to introduce new and nutritious foods while still appealing to her palate. 

When I tried cooking lentils this way a few weeks ago and she ate them, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.  Indian recipes and spices often don't go down well even when I omit the cayenne or chilis.  I’ve made this dish three times now and each time she has eaten and enjoyed it in small amounts.  This is an easy and satisfying way to cook lentils and they taste just as great if not better reheated the day after.  It's very mild, made without any chilis or large amounts of strong spices.  The cashew paste adds a really yummy creaminess that balances out the acidity of the tomato.  I've used brown lentils as well as french lentils - both have been great! 

Creamy Tomato-Cashew Lentils

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon grated ginger


½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp dried coriander

¼ tsp turmeric

1 cup lentils

3 cups vegetable stock or water

2 chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp agave nectar (or other sweetener)

½ cup raw cashews

1/3 cup water

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil on medium high.  Add the ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Stir for about 30 seconds.  Add the lentils, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and sweetener. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

While the lentils are cooking, blend the cashews and water together until fairly smooth. When the lentils are tender, stir the creamy cashew liquid into the pot and heat for a few more minutes.  Season to your taste. 

Serve with rice or grain of your choice.

Black Eyed Pea and Cilantro Croquettes

Sometimes when I'm really hungry and scrambling around the kitchen for I don't know what, I have my most creative moments.  Not that I think these are extremely innovative but cooking with beans is a new thing for me.  Tonight I decided to grab a can of black-eyed peas from the cupboard and see what I could do with them.  Patties or croquettes are always popular at our house so I dumped them into the food processor, added a big bunch of cilantro, half an orange pepper going soft in the fridge along with a few other ingredients.  They turned out pretty well.  I would have liked a bit more crispness, they were a bit soft but the flavours were nice, fairly mild with a bit of sweetness from the carrot and pepper.  I'm pleased that I was able to include more veggies on the off chance that my daughter would eat these. 

I made the most delicious cilantro-wasabi flavoured vegannaise sauce to go with them and I was so enamoured of the sauce I practically used the bean cakes to sop it up like they were bread.  Here is my cobbled together recipe for the croquettes:

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas (19 ounce can)
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 sweet bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 medium carrot grated
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup gluten flour (or any flour you like)
oil for frying. 

Yield: 10 small patties

In a food processor, pulse together the beans, onion, bell pepper and cilantro until well mixed, not completely pureed.  In a medium sized mixing bowl add the bean mixture to the grated carrot, ginger, soy sauce and mix well.  Add in the bread crumbs and flour using your hands to incorporate well.  Shape into small patties approximately 3 inches wide.  Fry on medium heat until browned on both sides. 

Black Eyed Pea and Cilantro Croquettes

Eggplant and Black Bean Chili



Eggplant and Black Bean Chili


I started reading chili recipes today in the hopes of finding one that would use up some TVP I had in the cupboard.  I've never cooked with it before and thought chili would be the perfect vehicle.   As often happens none were quite what I was looking for although I borrowed heavily from Robin Robertson's Very Veggie Chili.  I liked the idea of using eggplant and so used her recipe as a jumping off point but the great thing about this dish is that there are endless variations of ingredients to play with.  Next time I will probably double the amount of black beans.  I served this with macaroni today but I often eat chili with rice or quinoa.

Here is my version which I'm calling Eggplant and Black Bean Chili.

1 onion chopped
1 celery ribbed chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sized eggplant peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 can tomato paste (5.5 ounces)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp soy sauce
6 fresh tomatoes
4 cups water or veggie stock
1 20 ounce can black beans
1 cup TVP (dry) reconstituted with 1 cup boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until soft.  Add the eggplant, red pepper and garlic and cook with the lid on until the eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir frequently so the eggplant doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, soy sauce, molasses, tomatoes, water, TVP and black beans.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes until flavors are blended. 

Eggplant Chana Masala

Eggplant Chana Masala


Lunch today was Eggplant Chana Masala from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet.  A warming, hearty stew of eggplant, onions, chickpeas and tomatoes hit the spot accompanied by some jasmine rice and my favourite vinegary Korean spinach.  The recipe called for 2 cans of chickpeas and I only had one but the pot was overflowing so I didn't make any substitutions.  I always use fresh tomatoes in place of canned because I hate the weird flavour the canned ones have.  It's impossible to get rid of that tinniness unless you simmer them for a very long time and this is a fast cooking recipe, about 45 minutes in total.


Lunch!

    

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili



Prepping the Butternut Squash


A few months ago I purchased a cookbook by Robin Robertson called Vegan Planet: 400 Irrestistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World.  Whew, that's a long title!  Until today, I hadn't had time to really read through the book page by page but am I ever happy to have picked this up.  It's chock full of delicious sounding recipes.  I've already made note of at least 50 that I want to try and I'm only about half way through.  

For the cooking challenge this week I'm making Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili on page 316.  The recipe called for a cup of apple juice which I didn't have so I substituted some of my daughter's peach cocktail which contains apple juice and half of a leftover applesauce cup I found languishing in the back of the fridge.  It smelled really appetizing while it was cooking!    The peach juice added a little extra sweetness and an interesting flavour.  I want to make this again using the apple juice.  I also think the squash to bean ratio was a bit off, it may be that my squash was too large but next time I won't use the entire thing.   The whole family enjoyed this dish served over either quinoa or rice.      


Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili




Served with Quinoa


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This week Kathryn from The Hedgehog in the Kitchen was run off her feet.  But, she did have time to create a simple rice pudding dish to satisfy a late night sweet craving.

Creamy Broccoli Dal

Well the fall weather had definitely arrived in Canada.  From a sticky, hot and humid summer we have been plunged quite rapidly into autum.  I love the cool fall weather because it's the perfect time to start experimenting with warm pots of soup and cranking up the oven for baked treats.  Mind you, the hot weather doesn't stop me from baking but it's certainly more enjoyable now.  This week for the cooking challenge I decided to make a soup recipe I've had my eye on for quite a while.  It's called Creamy Broccoli Dal from one of my favourite cookbooks - Vegan YumYum by Lauren Ulm.  It's a delicious combination of finely chopped broccoli and onion with red lentils and Indian spices such as mustard and cumin seeds.  At the end soy milk, turmeric and a bit of lemon juice are added in.  This photo doesn't do it justice but the turmeric gives it a lovely colour.  I ate a bowl of this after eating a plate of spicy noodles and amazingly was still able to appreciate the flavours.  Highly recommended!

Creamy Broccoli Dal

My friends Kathryn and Jeannette have their hands full this week with other projects.  I look forward to seeing what they make for next week's challenge.

Triple Power Protein Breakfast

I always feel better when I eat a hot cooked breakfast so this morning I decided to make a stir fry with the left-over quinoa in the fridge.  Into the pan went onions, red and green peppers, and half a left-over Japanese eggplant which fried for a few minutes in soy sauce.  Then I added the triple protein element - cubed tofu, black beans and quinoa with a little vegetable stock.  I ended up throwing in a few spices to add a little more flavour but as usual I used too much turmeric which made the dish slightly bitter.  It was still very tasty and a very good start to the day accompanied by a fresh fruite smoothie! 

Spaghetti and Beanballs - Vegan Cooking Challenge

This was an insanely busy week and thankfully I had decided ahead of time to prepare something relatively simple.  My challenge recipe for week two was Spaghetti and Beanballs from Veganomicon.  The bean balls are made with mashed up kidney beans, seasonings, bread crumbs and some wheat gluten.  We liked them but weren't thrilled so to speak.  I guess I'm not a huge kidney bean fan because they tasted too bean-y to me.  The leftovers are going to work with my husband.    Next week I promise to make something more attractive and hopefully delicious! 

Spaghetti and Beanballs

And here is Jeannette's yummy looking submission:

We had a rather late breakfast today, so we didn’t want a big meal. I decided to prepare Curried Cashew Couscous from the book Vegan Express by Nava Atlas. This dish was very quick to prepare, as the recipe promised. I did leave out the ginger and the scallions (I don’t like either taste), and I added an extra ½ cup of green peas. I don’t own any “fragrant” oils, like walnut oil, so I used 2 tablespoons of good quality virgin olive oil.


The resulting dish was very pretty to look at, slightly orange from the curry and turmeric. The peas and dried cranberries added a nice pop of color. The curry was very subtle, but tasty. You could add more curry and/or the ginger for a spicier taste, but it isn’t necessary.

I am surprised by the high calorie count per serving in the nutritional information given with the recipe. There are 400 cal for the cashews and 260 for the oil, which comes to 165 cal/serving at 4 servings. That leaves another 250 calories per serving for everything else, so I think 414 cal/serving is high, especially as it makes a lot. I think it is a pretty healthy and tasty side dish. We ate it warm, but it could be good cold. I think I might add more fruit to it, too, like apples, or maybe shredded carrots.

Curried Cashew Couscous

Chickpea Cutlets - Oh so ugly tasty....

There's a reason the Chickpea Cutlets recipe from Veganomicon is famous.   They are satisfyingly tasty in a down home kind of way.  I resisted making these for quite a while because the picture in the book was so unappealing.  I just couldn't believe that something so ugly could taste so yummy and the name wasn't exactly calling out to me either.  I had to take it on blind trust from various sources and I'm so glad I did.  This recipe is now on weekly rotation at our house.  It's not super quick to prepare because the chickpeas are mashed by hand but once that bit is accomplished the rest comes together fairly quickly.  I've been wondering what would happen if I whipped them into the food processor instead and gave a few quick pulses.  Would something crazy happen?   Is the hand mashing with a fork necessary to get the right texture?   I'll have to give a try one day.

So if you're craving something to bite into with a chewy, toothy texture I recommend these.  I love it when I get a hint of lemon zest and garlic in one bite.   This is ugly comfort food at it's best.   I usually make a double batch, throw half in the fridge and mysteriously the leftovers are gone by the end of the following day.    

Warning: the following photos are not pretty, I was too hungry to try and pretty up the final product. 

This is the mixture after kneading all the ingredients together for a few minutes.  It comes together very quickly and the gluten becomes stringy.  I find that you definitely need to add more oil to the pan when you flip them because they seem to soak up oil very quickly.  

My dinner tonight featuring the undeniably ugly Chickpea Cutlet. 

My first home-made veggie burgers!

Yesterday I was craving a veggie burger but couldn't find a recipe among my small collection of cookbooks that spoke to me.  The garbanzo and wheat gluten combo is inspired by the awesome Chickpea Cutlets recipe in Veganomicon.  My very picky four year old daughter actually liked them so I will be making these again with various additions and tweaking of seasonings but for the first attempt they were pretty tasty.  This recipe makes six medium sized patties or four large patties.

Lee’s Veggie Garbanzo Burgers

½ large onion chopped (about 1 cup)
½ red bell pepper chopped
8 white or cremini mushrooms chopped
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tahini
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
1 tbsp ketchup
¼ cup vegetable stock or water
¾ bread crumbs
¾ cup vital wheat gluten

Sauté onions, bell peppers and mushrooms in one tablespoon of olive oil until onions are translucent (about 3 or 4 minutes).

In food processor pulse together sauteed vegetable mixture, garbanzo beans, 2 tablespoons olive oil, soy sauce, tahini, coriander, cumin, and ketchup.
Empty mixture from food processor into a medium sized mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, vital wheat gluten and stock or water. Mix together and then knead with your hands for a few minutes until the gluten begins to form strings.

Divide into six equal parts and form patties. Fry on medium heat in a thin layer of olive oil until brown and then flip and cook another 4 or 5 minutes until done.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup

Just about every cookbook I own contains a recipe for black bean soup but again, none were quite what I wanted so I created my own.   This is a quick chop and throw in the pot recipe, fast and easy.   If you don't have an immersion blender (I couldn't live without mine!) you could smash the soup up a bit with a potato masher or put a part of it in the blender and then back in the pot depending on how chunky or smooth you like it. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup Recipe

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
3 large fresh tomatoes chopped
1 15 ounce can of black beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp turmeric
Sea salt
Black Pepper

Sauté the onion, carrot, pepper with the cumin and coriander for a few minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, black beans (rinsed) and veggie stock. Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree to the desired consistency. Some people like it chunky but my daughter won’t eat anything with suspicious vegetable lumps I often err on the less chunky side. Add salt and pepper to taste.