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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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Black Bean and Butternut Squash Empanadas (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:30:00 +0000

The weather in good old blighty is a little confusing at the moment. While we sign about white Christmas’s and bleak midwinters, the weather seems convinced it’s mid September. Damp, a little chilly, but certainly not cold with no chance of snow or ice. Never mind, our Christmas preparations continue on apace. In the weeks leading up to Christmas I always to like to make food that completely contrasts with Christmas dinner just so you’re completely invested in the feast on the day. Even better, is food that I make make easily or even reheat from the freezer, leaving plenty of time for Christmas prep. These empanadas are perfect – once cooked they freeze and reheat easily or, even taste just as tasty cold. classic empanadas made with corn pastry are naturally gluten free but I’ve made a small tweak to ensure you still get perfect results when making a vegan pastry. In my testing I’ve found there are 3 secrets to the perfect empanada dough – a stand mixer, a little bit of fat, and working very quickly. The stand mixer makes a light dough while the fat makes it that little bit more smooth and mailable. Both are items that you can miss if you really really have to but the speed isn’t optional. If you don’t work quickly then your pastry will dry out, making it difficult to shape and forming cracks that you won’t be able to fix. Learn from my mistakes and do every thing you can to ensure that once you start the pastry it’s shaped and cooked as soon as possible. I’ve gone for a spiced, black bean and butternut squash filling. If you’d rather not use butternut squash then I’d suggest sweet potatoes which make an excellent substitute. Make the filling before your dough and it’ll help make sure you’re ready to go as soon as possible. These will make an excellent snack while wrapping presents or playing board games. Enjoy! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Filling: 850g Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Thyme 1 tsp Oregano 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander 1/4 tsp Cayenne 2 Tbsp Oil 250g Cooked Black Beans 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Chilli Flakes 1 Tbsp Tomato Puree 1/4 cup Fresh Coriander, chopped Salt & Pepper to taste For the Dough: 232g Masa Harina (aprox. 2 cups) 375ml Hot Water 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil* 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Oil for cooking Directions Preheat your oven to 225 degrees (200 Fan/ 425 F). Toss the butternut squash with the spices and oil. Place onto an oven tray and roast for 45 minutes, or until starting to caramelise around the edges. Once cooked, mash down with a fork or potato masher before stiring through the black beans, tomato puree, lemon juice, and chilli flakes. Taste and season as needed. Place to one side to cool while you whip up the dough. I strongly suggest you mix the dough with a stand mixer if you can, it makes a big difference in texture. If this isn’t an option for you then go ahead and mix by hand. Dissolve the oil in the hot water first then place all the dough ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until well combined and a smooth dough forms. If you have a tortilla press then go ahead and line this so you can start forming the dough – personally I’ve always had great success using a large frying pan so I’ll talk you through my method. Bring out a nice large pan with a smooth base, it helps if its a heavy pan. Cut a piece of grease proof paper large enough to fold over and cover a side plate on both sides. Working quickly, place about a quarter cup of ball of dough on one side and fold the paper over leaving plenty of room on all sides. Press the pan on top and press heavily, putting equal weight all the way round. When you lift the pan up you should have a perfectly circular, flat, thin piece of dough. Holding in your hand, carefully peel away the top lining of greaseproof paper. Place a small amount of filling in the centre of the dough, leaving a significant border round the edge (just less than a quarter cup usually works well for me). Using the greaseproof paper to support the dough carefully fold the empanada shell in half and press the edges together to ensure a tight seal. Transfer onto a plate and repeat till you use all the dough. Frying Method: Place about an inch of oil in a large pan. Heat until a thermometer reads 180 degrees (350 F) or a small piece of dough dropped into the oil bubbles. Working in small batches (try not to overload your pan), carefully place the empanadas in the pan. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes, then turn and repeat. Transfer to a paper lined plate and continue until all the empanadas are cooked. Oven Baked Method: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (350F/ 165 Fan). Put the formed empanadas on a lined baking tray and lightly brush with a 1:1 mix of oil and plant based milk. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with your favourite choice of guacamole, salsa, or a delightful vegan coriander crema. If making ahead, allow to cool completely before wrapping tightly and placing the fridge for up to 5 days. Notes * You need an oil with a high saturated fat content here – trex also works very well but I know some people don’t like to use palm oil if possible. Don’t substitute for a low saturated fat oil like olive or rapeseed as it just won’t work. Allergy Notes; This is naturally vegan, gluten free, soy free, and nut free!

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Instant Pot Cauliflower and Black Bean Masala

Feast of Plants — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

My mother has always had this vast, Aladdin’s cave of herbs and spices that she viewed as essential in food and equally essential in our cooking education. An old coffee grinder, that is likely older than me, serves as a spice grinder for an array of whole spices that live on the top shelf before being toasted, ground and decanted into the jars for the ground spices on the bottom shelf. In my childhood memories I can still remember being taken to the Bangladeshi food shops in Yorkshire, so that she could get spices you couldn’t find in supermarkets in those days, bulk bags of rice, beans, pulses and the occasional trip the butcher – As welcoming as my parents have been my diets, my parents have never been vegan. Thanks to this, my education in spices and flavour started in those spice shops in Yorkshire. On one memorable occasion I wandered off while my mother was paying and started to play in the chilies section so a glowing woman in a sari taught me why that was a bad idea and why each shiny fruit was different. On special occasions we would make biriyani, which could take all day, as the center piece of the table. Other days, we would be challenged to see just how creative we could be in the kitchen and I have one memory of one of my siblings making a parsnip pie with garam masala and chilli (possibly other things as well). I, being the horrible child that I was, refused to eat it as it both had parsnips in it, which I hated, and was too spicy. Everyone else loved it. In traditional Indian households pressure cookers often play a central role in the cooking as they can enhance the spices and push in flavours, so it is in this dish. There’s no need for cream or yoghurt substitutes as the cashews add the same smoothness of those additives and they also act to thicken the sauce. I would suggest to pay attention to the instructions to turn off the pot after sauteing as the pot may need to cool down before coming up to pressure. As you’re working on minimum liquid these suggestions are in place to avoid the burn error message (or overheat on older models). Even now I tend to be somewhat of a whimp when it comes to heat in my food so I would encourage you to spice yours to suit you. If you want a touch more heat maybe add another Kashmiri chillie, if you want a lot more heat then I’d add a green chillie at the garlic and ginger stage. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 60ml Oil* 300g Onions, Sliced 4-5 Whole Cloves 4 Green Cardamon 1 Black Cardamon 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 Star Anise 2 Kashmiri Dried Red Chilies 5 Garlic Cloves, sliced 6g of Ginger (aprox), peeled & chopped 2 Tins of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each) 1/2 Cup cashews 1/2 Tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Oil 1 Large Cauliflower 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander 1 Tsp Paprika 1/2 Tsp Tumeric 2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves 1/4 Tsp Cayenne 1 Large Onion, chopped into large chunks 1 Tsp Garam Masala 250g Cooked Black Beans** Handful of fresh chopped Coriander Directions Press saute on the instant pot and add the oil, reserving a tablespoon or so for later on. You can prep the onions while you wait for it to heat, adding them when the oil is hot. Cook the onions till they start to brown, stirring very occasionally this should take a little over 10 minutes. Add the whole spices and saute for a few moments until fragrant. Now throw in the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or so. Turn off the instant pot at this stage and add one of the tins of tomatoes, the cashews, salt and aprox 1/2 a cup of water. Use the liquid to deglaze the pot and stir well, make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Seal the pot and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. This sauce should now be blended till completely smooth and then set to one side. When prepping your cauliflower I would suggest cutting the florets into small to medium pieces, putting the leaves to one side for another day, while trimming the stem and cutting it into at least bite size chunks. Clean out your instant pot liner, put it back into your instant pot and turn on the saute setting while adding the tablespoon of oil you reserved earlier. When heated, add the onion and cauliflower and briefly saute until the cauliflower starts to take on a little colour. Now, apart from the garam masala, add all your ground spices, including the fenugreek leaves and stir well. Turn off the instant pot before adding the last tin of tomatoes along with 1/2 a cup of water and stir well. Seal the lid and set to cook at on high for 1 minute. Its important that the pressure is quick released as soon as it is ready otherwise you’ll end up loosing some of the texture of the cauliflower. At this point stir in the sauce we prepared earlier, the garam masala, black beans, and coriander leaves. Simmer gently for a minute or so until fully heated though and all the flavours have gotten to know each other. Taste to check for seasoning, add more salt if needed and serve with rice. Notes * I like groundnut oil for its high smoke point but it can be fairly pricey so feel free to go with what you have on hand. ** I batch cook my beans in the instant cooker from dried as I prefer the texture and find it cheaper but if you want to use tinned, this is about the same as one tin of black beans, drained and rinsed. Allergy Notes; this recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan but nuts are an issue here. I’m afraid this is another one of those recipes where a substitute for the cashews just won’t work as they’re quite key to the dish. Sorry about that!

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Vegan Meatball Subs

Feast of Plants — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

I had planned for today’s post to be something completely different but last night’s dinner was so well received I thought I’d bump it up the queue. Most of my burger recipes use a binder of some description to help keep them together but due to cupboard shortages last night was an attempt to build a vegan meatball without a binder. Thankfully, I think I can say this black bean based attempt was a complete success! They’re only a little delicate and not crumbly, with bags of flavour. Seved with a really simple spicy tomates sauce, it makes for an easy and slightly different dinner option. I do have to admit that I’m not sure what to call them, they’re obviously inspired by meatballs but contain no meat, are made of beans but bean balls don’t have a great ring to them, so a couple of times here I’ve just resorted to ‘balls’. let me know if you have a better idea! I’ve deliberately gone for a slightly dryer sauce here so the bread doesn’t get drenched but if you want to turn this into spaghetti and meatballs, just add 250ml of vegetable stock with the tomatoes to the sauce. This one took me no more than 45 minutes to pull together so it was really worth it! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the Vegan Meatballs: 250g Black Beans 250g Mushrooms 30g Walnuts 2 tbsp Tomato Puree 2 Tbsp Oil 3 Garlic Cloves 1 tsp Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 100g Cooked Rice Salt & Pepper to taste For the Simple Spiced Tomato Sauce: 1 Large Onion, diced 4 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Tbsp basil 1 tsp Rosemary 1 tsp Thyme 1 1/2 Tbsp Harissa 2 tins Chopped Tomatoes Directions Preheat your oven to 220 C/200 C Fan/ 425 F. You’ll be baking the bean balls and they really won’t take long to throw together. Put all the ingredients for the balls into a food processor, except the rice, and blend until really smooth. Add in your rice and blend until the rice is well broken up and fully combined. You’re now going to shape your balls so have a baking tray prepared with a sheet of grease-proof paper to one side. I found it much easier to shaped them with oiled up hands and with the help of a small ice cream scoop. Roll them into quite small balls and place on the tray. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a lovely toasted brown. While the balls are cooking, we’re now going to pull together your sauce. Put a large pan over a medium heat and add your onions with the dried herbs. Cook until the onions are softened and just starting to brown. Add your garlic and cook for a few minutes and the garlic is softened. Add in the tomatoes and harissa, stir well to combine, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until you have a good thick flavourful sauce. Season to taste and add your beanballs – stirring them in gently so you dont break them up. Serve in your favourite gluten free rolls – you can even top them with vegan cheese if the mood takes you! Notes As per my comment above, if you want to serve this with pasta instead of in a sandwich then add 250ml stock along with the tomatoes. Once simmered down it’ll still be a thick and tasty sauce but it’ll be thin enough that it’ll mix better with the pasta. Allergy Notes; This is naturally gluten free and vegan but I’d double check your liquid smoke as some contain gluten. If nuts are a issue for you then I’d sub in sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts.

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