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.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies - Oh Yes!



Da Kine No Bake Chocolate Cookies

 Valentines Day was the official end of my no-sugar challenge.  I never thought in a million years I could go six weeks without indulging in a daily hit of sugar but I actually did it with the support of my good friend Merry.  I must say there was a noticable improvement in my energy levels.  That awful, mid-day, sluggish, slump disappeared and after about 3 weeks the cravings lessened.  Tonight I made my first real treat, a recipe for no bake chocolate cookies from Vegan Fusion World Cuisine.  These were very simple to prepare, just melt the chocolate or carob chips and mix in the remaining ingredients which included raisins, pecans, coconut flakes, almond or peanut butter, a bit of maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.  The mixture cooled and firmed up quickly making it easy to shape the cookies.  We popped them in the fridge and after about 15 minutes, the upper limit of my daughter's waiting tolerance, she tried one.  Total success!  She loved them except for the raisins which were spit out, no surprise there.  Then, it was my turn.  I made a cup of tea, sat down and bit into chocolatey goodness.   Mmmm, they almost taste like very firm fudge with chunks of pecans and raisins.  I was only going to eat one because they are so rich but could not resist attempting a second.

Lemony Roasted Potatoes

I've been cooking a lot of comforting and familiar foods lately because a friend and I are committed to not eating any refined sugar for about 6 weeks.  We hope to gain control over the sugar beast and once the 6 weeks are up, strictly limit intake to small amounts.  I gorged myself on far too many cookies, scones, and other treats.  My body and mood definitely took a beating from too much sugar and some repair work is in order.   

Lemony Roasted Potatoes


Now that the holidays are over, my other friend and fellow blogger Kathryn and I are back to cooking something new once a week.  I received my own copy of Veganomicon for Christmas and this week decided to make the scrumptious sounding Lemony Roasted Potatoes on page 109.  

Prep was easy, just peel and slice the potatoes into wedges.  Combine the sauce ingredients which were all things I had in my pantry - lemon, oregano, tomato paste, veggie stock, garlic, salt and pepper.  The potatoes are roasted in a covered casserole and require stirring throughout the cooking process.  The potatoes were tender with an extremely intense, lemony flavour.  You must be a lemon lover to enjoy these, my husband really loved them.  In order to balance the acidity of this dish I made a big green salad with a creamy, slighty sweet dressing and it was perfect. 

Kathryn over at The Hedgehog in the Kitchen also made a recipe from Veganomicon - Applesauce Cake.  I think that sounds like the perfect dessert to accompany my dinner.   It's too bad she lives thousands of miles way!

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

Chocolate Banana Flapjacks

I was in need of some serious comfort food tonight after an exhausting day and it definitely needed to be sweet.  I decided to make a batch of banana flapjacks from Vegan Brunch and then had the brilliant idea to replace the plain non-dairy milk with CHOCOLATE non-dairy milk.   Wow, wow, wow!   Were they ever delicious!  The chocolate and banana flavours balanced perfectly and I did include the optional 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.   These flapjacks were soft, and melted in my mouth.   It was the perfect choice and I don't feel as guilty as if I'd eaten a piece of cake for dinner.  

I got one test shot in before my camera batteries died so there's no maple syrup spilling over the side like when I ate them.  Sorry!



Chcolate-Banana Flapjacks sans Maple Syrup



Easy Chocolate Cake



Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

 This is my daughter's favourite and most requested dessert - Chocolate Cake from The Joy of Vegan Baking.  I love this recipe because it's so fast and easy to put together.  If you double the recipe it makes a bundt cake and is also great for cupcakes.  I always have the ingredients in my pantry, it doesn't require any egg replacer just flour, salt, sugar, cocao, baking soda, vinegar, vanilla, water and oil.  The cake itself is not too rich on it's own but if you make the chocolate buttercream icing to go with it, the decadance factor goes up a notch.  We enjoy it both ways.   I don't often get a photo of this cake because it gets eaten too quickly and that means as soon as it's out of the oven, I am being pestered for a piece.   As you can see from this photo, there is a slice missing.

Thai-Style Coconut Soup



Thai-Style Coconut Soup


I was feeling pretty crappy today but determined to cook something for my challenge and vegan mofo. How about something hot and nourishing?  The Hot and Sour Soup I made last week was so delicious I decided to try another recipe from Vegan Planet - Thai-Style Coconut Soup.  I never imagined it could top my enthusiasm but oh my god, this soup was freaking awesome!  The creamy, smoothness of the coconut milk contrasting with lime, ginger and a hint of chili and then add to that the savoury warmth of shallots, mushrooms and tofu.   I think I'm in LOVE!  Peole of Thailand, you are geniuses!  What a combination of flavours.  Robin Robertson you rock!  I think I'm on some kind of happy, soup high.  :-)  

I used to think working with fresh ginger was a major pain in the bum but recently I've given up trying to peel, chop or mince it.  I just take a fresh hunk of ginger straight from the freezer and grate it (peel and all) on my box grater.  It's so much faster!   Okay everyone, go make this soup but before you do that check out Kathryn's entry this week in the cooking challenge which is Rosemary Focaccia Bread!

Tomato and Caramelized Onion Pizza (Cheese free!)

Once a week, I usually I cook up a fresh batch of vegetable tomato sauce.  It's very useful to have around the kitchen and can be used as a base for many dishes.   To make it, I roughly chop one large onion, one large carrot, one red pepper and about 4 good sized ripe tomatoes.  Saute the veggies for a few minutes, throw in the tomatoes, a bit of salt and some water or vegetable stock.   I let this simmer on the stove for about 1/2 an hour and when it's cooled down I whip out my favourite kitchen tool - an immersion blender and puree the sauce.  This is the only way my daughter will ever get these particular vegetables into her body.  She has the uncanny ability to be able to sense the tiniest piece of onion in any dish, separate it and spit it out.  I happen to adore onions so I thought I would make a cheeseless pizza covered in slightly caramelized onions, tomato, garlic and a few other seasonings.   It turned out to be amazing.  I'm in the process of eating the entire thing as I write and it was so simple to make! 

Tomato and Caramelized Onion Pizza

one red onion
one large tomato
1 large clove garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp thyme
1/3 cup of tomato (vegetable) sauce
olive oil (approximately 3-4 Tbsp)
salt
nutritional yeast (optional)
pizza dough

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Chop the tomato and combine in a bowl with the minced garlic, a bit of sea salt and about one tablespoon of olive oil.  Let the flavours combine while you prepare the onions.

3.  Sautee the onions in olive oil along with the thyme until soft and slightly browned and then turn off the heat.

4.  Stretch out your pizza dough and brush with olive oil.   Evenly distribute the onions and the tomato mixture.  I used a teaspoon to distribute the tomato vegetable sauce all over the pizza (basically around all the spaces left by the veggies).  

5.  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and a tiny bit of sea salt and then pop it into the oven for about 20 minutes or until it's done how you like it. 

6.  Eat!

Tomato and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Korean Greens

This is one of my favourite ways to eat greens.   I've made it with spinach, kale and today I'm trying swiss chard.  I discovered this simple dish while visiting the family home of my friend Patty.   As I wolfed down these vinegary-sesame greens, I quizzed her dad on how to make them.   He was very amused when I pulled out my little notebook to write down his instructions.   This dish is traditionally made with spinach but I use any greens I have on hand.   I find kale tends to hold up well, especially if you want leftovers for the next day and I was also quite pleased with the chard today. 

Roughly chop and steam a bunch of greens, do not overcook.  Drain or squeeze out excess water.  
Mix the following ingredients and then toss with the greens:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon (or more to taste) sesame seeds

You can adjust the amount of dressing to fit your greens.    Yummy served with steamed rice!

Stuffed Mutant Flatbread - Vegan Cooking Challenge - Week 6

Stuffed Mutant Flatbread - this week's surprise challenge recipe

Wow, it's been six weeks since we started the challenge and there's a lot going on around here.  This past week has been super stressful (we are in the middle of trying to buy a house) and I haven't done much cooking but I set this challenge for a reason and I was determined to create something wonderful today.  I'm so glad I stuck to my guns because the end result was so mouth wateringly delicious that I have created a separate post for my creation.  I had intended on making a mashed egpplant recipe from The Indian Vegan Kitchen and decided to look for a simple flatbread recipe to accompany it.  Along the way, my plans were diverted and the resulting flatbread became a stuffed flatbread that was devoured in record time.  Click here to see my entry for this week's challenge or you can just look at the post before this one.  Simple, filling and completely satisfying.   The mashed eggplant is sitting abandoned in a bowl on the countertop waiting for some attention!  I'll finish it later and let you know how that goes. 

This week Kathryn has submitted her unique take on a classic dish.   Check out her Jumbalaya here!  It's so satisfying when you create your own version of something yummy and it turns out wonderfully.    Cheers to you and your husband for getting creative and I hope your transition to vegan cooking is going well!    

Jeannette is sharing an adaptation to an old family recipe, here it is!   Happy Labour Day everyone.  

When I was growing up, I ate a lot of casseroles. When I was growing up, I ate a lot of casseroles. My mom liked something she could put together in one dish and then bake. These dishes were always made with hamburger. When I stopped eating meat, I missed these comfort foods, so I set out to duplicate them. For this dish I slice one large sweet potato and 3 large potatoes into 1/4 inch slices (halve the slices if they are too large, the pieces should be similar in size). I par-boiled them, just until they are no longer raw-crisp. Drain. This is the basis of the dish. To the potatoes I add one drained can of garbanzo beans and 1 cup or more of pasta sauce. I use a sweeter sauce to compliment the flavor of the sweet potatoes. Last night I added small pieces of cauliflower, also parboiled, and some leftover corn kernels. I usually add frozen green beans, but I subbed in the cauliflower. I always parboil any uncooked veggies to reduce the baking time, and to make sure everything has the same texture. I put this in a 9x12 glass dish and bake it, covered, at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. We eat it as a main dish, but it would make a nice side dish, too.


1 large sweet potato
3 large potatoes
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
1 cup (or more) of pasta sauce, enough to coat the veggies

extra ingredients:

1/2 head of cauliflower, 1 cup corn kernels, 1 cup green beans

The measurements are not exact. Add more or less of any of the ingredients to suit your taste.

Stuffed Mutant Flatbread - A Starch Lovers Dream

Stuffed Mutant Flatbread - Yummy!

I'm so proud and impressed with myself that I can barely contain my excitement!   I was looking through some Indian cookbooks this afternoon looking for a flatbread recipe to accompany the mashed eggplant I had planned on making tonight when I came across an appealing sounding stuffed flatbread.  I've never attempted anything like this but after my success with cinnamon rolls last week, making a bread based recipe didn't seem so daunting.  I knew we had a couple of boiled potatoes in the fridge leftover from breakfast and the idea took root then and there.  I didn't have any whole wheat roti flour so I ended up improvising a recipe based on the ones I had skimmed.  The filling started out faithfully following an actual Indian recipe but quickly veered off into a completely different direction when I decided to dump some sauteed shallots, garlic and tomato into the potato mixture which had been destined for another project.  Oooh, I had a very good feeling about this.   The smell coming out of the pan was awesome and I wasn't wrong.  This is the best thing I've made in a very long time. 

The great thing about this type of recipe is you can basically season the potatoes with anything that hits your fancy.  Or even add other veggies, really the sky's the limit.   The only thing you need to be careful about is adding lumpy ingredients because when you roll the dough out with the filling encased you don't want anything bursting through.   I experienced a few tomato bits squeezing out the edges.  

Stuffed Mutant Flatbread

Filling:
2 medium cooked potatoes (I used leftovers)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
2 or 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
pepper to taste

Saute:
1 shallot chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tomato finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mash up the potatoes with a fork or your hands and mix in the remaining ingredients including the sauteed veggies.  

Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 to 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 tsp salt
1 cup water

The dough was very simple, just mix the flour, ground flax seed and salt and mix in the water. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth. Cover and leave it until you're ready and then divide it into 8 little balls.

Have some flour handy.  Take each ball, coat it in a little flour, flatten it with your hand and then roll it out into a circle about 3 inches wide.   Add approximately 1/4 cup of the potato mixture, pinch up the dough around the filling and seal it inside the ball.   Gently roll out the ball into a 5 or 6 inch circle.   
 
Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat.   Add enough vegetable oil until it is lightly coated.   Pan fry the bread for about 1 to 2 minutes until there are gorgeous brown spots on the bottom and then flip it over for about the same amount of time.  I brushed on a tiny bit more oil on top before I flipped it because I didn't want the bread to be too dry.  You can pat the bread a little with a spatula as it's cooking so browns evenly.  It will puff up a little as it cooks.  Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!  I don't know how well they store because we wolfed them down immediately.  My daughter liked the bread more than the filling because of the bits of shallot.   She has a supernatural tongue that can sense any bit of onion-like material and spit it out no matter how small.  

This is supposed to be a circle - Hah.

In the cast iron pan!

Hurry Up Alfredo Sauce - We can eat it anytime!

Pasta and kale with Hurry Up Alfredo Sauce

This pasta sauce has become a family favourite, so much so that we sometimes make it for breakfast like this plate from yesterday morning.  I often cook up a batch of pasta, throw in some kale and broccoli a few minutes before it's done and then pour the sauce over.  This creamy, cashew based sauce is made in the blender and requires no cooking so its perfect for busy families.  My daughter wouldn't go near it the first five or six times we prepared it but she gradually became curious about the rapturous faces and sounds we were making while eating.   She has since been won over but to my chagrin has renamed it "pasta with hot-dog sauce".  I'm secretly horrified at the name but it seems to have stuck.  I think the dijon mustard or the combination of seasonings makes it smell like hotdogs to her.  You can find the recipe here, on Lauren Ulm's blog.  She is the author of Vegan YumYum, a beautifully photographed cookbook.  This is my favourite pasta sauce and it's also scrumptious poured over vegetables. 

Roasted Kale = Yum!

Kale is one of my favourite vegetables and one of the few my daughter will eat so I don't know what took me so long to try roasting it.   The bunch I had in the fridge was looking a little sad so I decided today was the day.   If I don't eat some greens every day I notice myself getting cranky so it's always nice to discover a new way to prepare them. 

I tossed the kale in a bowl with a little sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt, threw it in the oven for 10 minutes and voila!   Easy, healthy finger food.  We gobbled up the entire pan in a few minutes. 

She ate almost the entire plate!

Crispy Roasted Kale

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.