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Mung Bean Coconut Curry (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 12:00:22 +0000

Skip straight to the recipe This dish definitely fits the definition of #uglydelicious. I know it looks … dubious but trust me here, it’s so tasty that I probably ate twice as much as I should have. Another recipe borne from COVID lockdown when I was attempting to use every little bit of pantry staples before going shopping again, this turned out so tasty we’ve had it several times since. Like most pulses, mung beans are little powerhouses of nutrition, stuffed full of protein, vitamins, and minerals making them the ideal cornerstone for a plant based pantry. What’s more, they’re cheap and a bag of dried beans is the perfect pantry staple as they last for ages. But if you don’t have any to hand, this recipe will probably work equally well with urid dhal (simmer for aprox 45mins), red lentils (split red lentils only take 10 minutes to cook), or cooked chickpeas (skip the stock entirely and just simmer until you reach your preferred thickness). Leftovers? Got some left? I don’t think anyone would complain about having it for dinner again the next day, but it should store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or equally happily inn the freezer for up to a month. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients Oil for cooking 1 cup Dried Mung Beans 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 5 Dried Curry Leaves 1/4 tsp Asafoetida 1/2 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder Pinch of Turmeric 1/2 Large Onion, diced 1/2 Tbsp minced Ginger 2 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Green Chilli, finely diced 1 Tomato, diced 200ml Coconut Milk 250ml Vegetable stock 1 tbsp Korma Spice Paste 1 tsp Garam Masala 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves Salt to taste Directions Place a medium pan on high heat with a few tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot and starts to shimmer, throw in the mustard seeds to toast. Listen for when the seeds start to pop, before lowering the heat and add in the curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds, or until fragrant, before adding the rest of the spices apart from the garam masala. Briefly sizzle in the oil. Add the chopped onions with the spice paste and sauté until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook until fragrant. Stir through the tomato and add the coconut milk, stock, and mung beans and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mung beans are tender and you’re happy with the consistency. If you’re looking for more sauce then you may want to add a touch more coconut milk but we like this fairly thick. Stir through the garam masala and coriander leaves before tasting. Season as needed, remember you’ve not added any salt yet, before serving with rice or some Indian flat breads. Notes Allergy Notes: This is naturally vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. If you have any allergies to the ingredients in this dish or have questions on substitutions, leave me a comment below.

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Easy Vegetable Chilli (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:00:50 +0000

See the recipe As a child I hated kidney beans with a passion. I would sit, hovering over my mother’s Chilli Con Carne, picking out every dark red, hated bean before even deigning to eat the dinner she had lovingly cooked. These days, I acknowledge that beans and lentils are part of a balanced vegan’s diet but it took hard work for me to get past my own legume phobia. That and cooking my beans from dried. I don’t know what it is about tinned beans but the texture just isn’t nearly as good as when you’ve cooked them yourself. It’s cheaper and, even better, with a pressure cooker you don’t need to have planned ahead and have beans soaking overnight (it’s better, but you don’t have too). Here in the UK we’ve had 3 storms in the last week alone. We’ve been lucky enough to have not suffered any damage but it’s been a cold winter with some horrible wind. So after coming in from a stupidly cold winters day, not able to feel my feet or hands, I decided I was just not going out again. Dinner had to be made from what we had in the house. With the cupboards getting a little bare, beans would have to be involved, add a glut of tinned tomatoes and some sweet potatoes that really need eating and we’re off with a delicious Veggie Chili that’s just perfect for a cold day! Toppings You can enjoy chilli by itself but for me, the toppings are what really makes it. Our favourite options that work well include; Tortilla Chips Lime and Coriander Rice Guacamole Cashew sour cream Pickled red onions Sliced chillies (for those who just can’t get enough heat) I tend to reach for the guacamole and pickled onions as I love that extra acidy tang to bring out all the flavours of the vegetables and spices. Kenny will reach for the extra sliced chillies as he loves it extra hot, and sour cream is great for those who don’t have much of a head for chilli. Leftovers? Chilli is one of those dishes that can be even better after a day or two in the fridge so box up your leftovers in an airtight container. It should be excellent to eat for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it will happily sit in your freezer till your next cold day. It you want something different the next day but want to use up your leftover Chilli then it makes a great base for a new take on vegan burritos. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Chilli: 1 tbsp Oil 2 Onions 2 Sticks of Celery 2 Carrots 2 Peppers, I like a mix of red and green here 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes 2 Garlic Cloves 2 TIns of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each) 250g cooked Kidney Beans* 250g cooked Black Beans* 1/3 cup mixed Quinoa 250ml Vegetable Stock 2 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp Chilli Powder 1 dried Ancho Chilli 1 tsp oregano Lime juice, to taste Salt & Pepper to taste Suggested Toppings: Tortilla chips Lime & Coriander Rice Guacamole Pickled Red Onions Cashew Sour Cream Sliced chillies Directions Start by roughly chopping your veg, Chilli is not a dainty dish so we’re looking for small enough to fit in your mouth but not certainly not small. Heat the oil in large pan on a medium heat. Throw in the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the onion softens. Add in the rest of the fresh vegetables and cook until the garlic is aromatic and the onion begins to brown, but don’t let the garlic burn. Now add your tinned tomatoes, beans, quinoa, stock and spices. Stir well and don’t forget to season. Bring up to a boil, cover, and leave to simmer for the next 45-60 mins, or until or the veg is soft and the quinoa is cooked and tender (cooking time may vary depending on how chunky you’ve made your vegetables). Check on it occasionally and give it a gentle stir. Before serving, add a squeeze of lime juice, taste and check seasoning levels – not just for salt and pepper this time but also to make sure you don’t want to add any additional heat or another squeeze of lime (that little hit of acid can really bring out the spices). This works really well served family style with all the toppings on the table so everyone can make it their own. Notes * I cook my beans from dried in the pressure cooker as this is both cheaper and, in my opinion, much taster. If you want to use tinned, 250g is aprox the same as one tin of drained and rinsed beans. Allergy Notes: This is naturally vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. If you have any allergies to the ingredients in this dish or have questions on substitutions, leave me a comment below.

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Sabich Platter (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 14:00:17 +0000

Holidays are a thing of the past at the moment but I can’t express just how much I miss them. Looking back at our holiday snaps makes me yearn for a little bit of adventure and that joy of discovering new places. If there’s one place I’d love to visit just for the food, it’s Israel. Food from all over the world, coming together in one place makes the food scene unbeatable. What’s more, influences from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa mean there’s a strong lean toward vegetables and Israel has the world’s highest ratio of vegans so finding tasty plant based food really isn’t hard. While everyone knows falafel, there’s one thing I love more and that’s Sabich. Traditionally, this is a sandwich with layers of hummus, fried aubergine slices, potato, and a boiled egg, all topped with with a selection of sauces like amba, zhoug and tahini. Stuffed into a fluffy pita this makes a sandwich like no other. Seriously, I just can’t express how tasty it is. To make this perfect for dinner I’ve turned it into a platter so everyone can have as much as as little as they want. Add in my own little touches and this makes for the perfect dinner for meal prep leading to a really effort but tasty dinner. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Cajun Hummus: 600g Butter Beans, cooked 5 Garlic Cloves 60ml Lemon Juice 60ml Tahini 60ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tsp Ground Cumin 2 tsp Cajun Spice 1 tsp Salt For the Marinaded Tofu: 400g Tofu, drained & pressed 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 2 tbsp Oil 2 tsp Paprika 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1/2 tsp All Spice 1/4 tsp Sugar For the Tahini Sauce: 6 Garlic Cloves 80ml Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin 125ml Tahini (aprox 150g) 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup Cold water Salt & Pepper, to taste For the Platter: 1 large Aubergine 2 Tbsp Cornflour 1 tsp Ground Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander 2 tsp Paprike, plus more for dusting 4 Medium Potatoes Pitta Breads For the Zhoug: 1/4 tsp Coriander Seeds 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds 1/t tsp White Pepper 3 Small Cardamon Pods 4 Garlic Cloves 3 Red Chillies 1 tsp Salt 30g Fresh Parsley 30g Fresh Coriander 120ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil For the Israeli Salad: 3 Tomatoes 1 Cucumber 1 Red Pepper 1/2 Red Onion 30g Parley 30ml Lemon Juice 45ml Olive Oil Salt & Pepper, to taste Directions To make the hummus: This is incredibly easy. Put all the ingredients into your food processor and mix until light and fluffy. If making this ahead of time then hummus stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes happily – just remember to put it into an airtight container first. To make the tahini sauce: Put the lemon juice and garlic cloves into the blender. Mix until the garlic cloves have been broken down to stop the garlic from being too harsh. Add the rest of the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Gradually add in the water, a few tablespoons at a time, until you have a light, lightly thick sauce. Like the hummus, tahini sauce is quite happy to sit in the fridge for several days so this can be made ahead as well. To make the Zhoug: Traditionally, this is made using a mortar and pestle but personally I prefer using a mini food processor – use whatever you have to hand. Start by toasting the seeds. Place a dry pan on a medium heat and toast the seeds until they darken slightly. Put the spices into your processor and pulse until they start to break up. Add in the garlic cloves and chillies (removing the seeds if you want to control the heat) and pulse until a rough paste forms. Add in the herbs, olive oil, and salt and continue to pulse until the herbs are thoroughly chopped and the oil has formed an emulsion. Taste and check for seasoning before putting to one side. Zhoug is best fresh but it can happily be made ahead of time if needed and stored in an airtight container for a few weeks.. To make the Tofu: This one’s not complicated. Start by chopping the tofu into large, bitesize chunks. Firmly whisk together the rest of the ingredients to form a thick paste. Coat the tofu well and leave to marinade for 30 minutes before placing on a lined baking tray. To make the Israeli Salad: Firstly, finely dice the tomatoes, toss in a little salt, and leave to strain for about 10 minutes. Prepare the rest of the salad while you wait. All the vegetables for this salad should be chopped finely and about the same size – aim for 0.5cm square if you can. Finely dice the parsley as well. Once the tomatoes are drained, place everything into a bowl and toss well, adding seasoning to taste. Place in the fridge until needed. Putting together the platter: Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices before putting into a large pan. Cover with salted water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until a fork easily pieces the slices. Drain well and very gently toss with a little oil before place onto a lined baking tray in a single layer. Pre heat the oven to 240 degrees (220 Fan/475 F). Put the tofu and potatoes into the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway through. While the tofu and potatoes roast in the oven, thickly slice the aubergine. Toss together the cornflour and spices before coating each slice. Place a large frying on a medium to high heat with at least a centimetre of oil. When the oil is hot, fry off the dusted aubergine slices until a deep golden brown on both sides. Drain well once cooked. To serve, I lay it all out on a large serving platter with a swirl of hummus on once side. I like to spoon some of the zhoug onto the hummus before spooning everything else onto the plate. With the sauces and some warmed pita breads on the side, this is an unconventional dinner than will make everyone happy Notes This is the perfect meal for batch cooking. Everything can be made in advance and served cold so boxed into individual serves makes a truly brilliant lunch. Alternatively, if you’re prepping ahead of time most items can be done ahead leaving just the cooking for the day. Just 30 minutes of easy cooking and you’ll have dinner ready and waiting for you. Allergy Notes; This meal is vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free. If sesame seeds are an allergen for you then go ahead and whip up the hummus without the tahini or using nut or seed butters instead.

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Marinaded Chimichurri Beans with Easy Gluten Free Flatbreads (Vegan, GF, NF)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 15:09:17 +0000

Any visit to Argentina isn’t complete without getting familiar with that favourite sauce, chimicurri. Unfortunately, with lockdown happening in the UK again this week, travel isn’t really an option so I’ve chosen to travel using my taste buds, always my favourite method. For a lot of plant based eaters, beans often feature heavily in the diet as an economical protein source. If you’ve ever found yourself looking for something new, this little trip to Argentina for your beans may be it. I paired my beans with an incredibly easy gluten free flatbread. I’d strongly suggest using a mixer with a dough attachment, especially with the first knead. The bread will need to prove for between 1-2 hours but your hands on time will be tiny. This makes for a great snack or turn it into a dinner with some crunchy veg. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Marinated Beans: 250g Cooked Borlotti Beans* 1 Cup Parsley, finely diced** 2 tsp dried Oregano 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Paprika 1 Large Garlic Clove, minced 200 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil 125ml White Wine Vinegar 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 Red Onion, sliced Salt & Pepper to taste For the Gluten Free Flatbread: 450g Gluten Free Flour 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum (only if your flour blend doesn’t already include this) 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Quick Yeast 1 tsp Sugar 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 350ml Warm Water 1 tsp Nigella Seeds 1/2 tsp Garlic Granules 1/2 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves Directions I normally start with the bread, mix the yeast, sugar, and olive oil with the luke warm water and leave for a minute or so, or until the yeast starts to foam – no longer. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mix and stir well. Fit a dough hook to the mixer and set on to a low speed. Gradually add the liquid and mix on a low speed until fully combined. Turn the speed up to medium and leave the mixer to knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes. The dough will be incredibly sticky at this stage. Transfer to a greased bowl using a greased spatula, cover with a damp towel and leave to rest in a warm room until almost doubled in size – this should take between 1.5- 2 hours. Place a small frying pan over a low heat and add the sliced onion with a little oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and started to brown around the edges. Remove from the heat and mix together with all the rest of the ingredients, apart from the beans. Taste and season well before stirring through the beans. Allow to marinade for at least 15 mins before serving. One the dough has rested it should be smoother and only slightly tacky. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to knock back. Cut into four separate pieces and roll into flatbreads. Heat a dry frying pan on a medium to high. Add one of the flatbreads to the pan and cook on each side until a little charred and fluffy throughout. Serve as soon as you’re ready to eat, the beans will happy wait in the fridge absorbing flavour but the bread won’t last much beyond that day. Notes * My favourite way to make this is with freshly cooked beans. Pull them straight out of the cooking water and into the marinade. The still warm beans will absorb the marinade quicker and they’re tasty warm. Allergy Notes; This is vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free! If you have any issues with this recipe let me know and I can suggest substitutions.

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