finger food Archives - Feast of Plants

Vegan Sesame ‘Prawn’ Toast

Feast of Plants — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 11:30:20 +0000

See the recipe Prawn toast was always one of my favourite starters when I ate meat. There a a few alternatives doing the rounds on the internet but they don’t use what I consider to be one of the better fishy substitutes – Palm hearts! Using this gets the closest to that unmistakeable texture while the seasonings make for a crispy and fragrant dish that’s just unforgettable! Typically most prawn toast recipes call for them to be fried as the finishing touch and you can do that here if you’d prefer. Personally, I much prefer using the airfryer. The toast turns crisp and yummy with a golden brown top, all without the oil soaked bread or greasiness of the original. Plus you get the added bonus that it’s just so much easier! Fry it and you run the risk of loosing your topping when you flip it. What bread should I use? Typically, if you order this from a Chinese takeout then the default choice is some cheap, not too thick, white bread. We use gluten free bread (obviously) – for those of you that don’t know, gluten free bread can take longer to brown so if you’re using standard bread then make sure to keep that in mind when cooking. If you want to get a little more fancy then baguette slices work really well! Leftovers? This recipe works well if you want to make extra for later or even if you find out you’ve made a little bit too much! Once cooked, allow them to cool completely before boxing them up and freezing them, making sure to put a layer of greaseproof paper in between each layer so they don’t stick. When you want to eat them just pop them back into the airfryer until heated through. They should happily last at least 3 months in the freezer. My vegan take on the classic Chinese takeout dish - crispy, fragrant and a perfect addition to your next fakeaway!

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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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Crunchy Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:00:25 +0000

Before I went vegan, tuna sandwiches were a big favourite of mine. Never home made, these shop bought sandwiches were my go to choice whenever I didn’t have to see anyone too soon afterwards – not wanting to subject anyone to my fishy/onion breath! This vegan version of one of my favourite snack, has a surprisingly similar texture from the chickpeas (just go with me on this – you won’t believe me till you try it!), and such a similar taste from the seasonings. It’ll only take 10 minutes to make and, while it works better if made the night before so the flavours can meld, you can eat it straight away. Use this as you did your favourite tuna salad, as a great sandwich filling, to go with a baked potato, or just spoon it directly from the bowl, no judgement. This recipe was inspired by Amrita at the Crazy Vegan Kitchen – check out her version here. Makes: Serves 4 (as a snack) Ingredients 250g Chickpea 1 Tbsp Capers, finely chopped 4 Tbsp Vegan Mayo ½ Tsp Dijon Mustard 1 Tbsp lemon Juice ½ Tsp Maple Syrup (optional) 25g Red onion, finely diced (about quarter of a small red onion) 2 Spring onions, chopped 1 rib of celery, finely diced ½ sheet of Nori (it can work with up to a full sheet but this can affect the look), crumbled up 70g Sweetcorn (tinned works well) Salt & Pepper, to taste Directions For best results, I recommend making this the day before you plan on using it though you can go ahead and chow down straight away if you prefer! Mash your chickpeas and capers together with a potato masher, fork or very loosely with a food processor, until the chickpeas have flaked apart but don’t let them get mushy. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir well until fully combined. Taste and season really well with plenty of black pepper and a touch of salt. That’s it – seriously one of the easiest recipes I’ve jotted down. If you can wait to eat it until the next morning then it’ll taste even better for it and it should keep for about a week in the fridge if there’s any left! Notes Allergy Notes; This one is gluten free, vegan and nut free. Check your nori for soy if you need to make this soy free as this is sometimes seasoned with soy sauce during the preparation.

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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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Spicy Asian Style Cauliflower Bites

Feast of Plants — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Cauliflower is one of those veggies that have been through a massive ‘glow-up’ over the past few years. Once thought of as a bland, uninspiring veg that tends to be boiled to death, it’s now become a stable for many once you realise how flexible it truly is. My sister makes pizza bases with it, others I know make cauliflower ‘wings’, often for a tasty side I’ll roast it. Seriously it seems we’ve all been missing a trick by boiling it all these years. These cauliflower bite are a little salty, a little sweet, with a flash of chilli and crunch. What’s more they’re baked rather than fried so they’re much healthier than your typical cauliflower wings you might encounter. A pile of these would make a perfect snack for movie night, or throw them together for a perfect addition to your next meal, pictured here for our meal with the Chilli, peanut green beans from the last post. Vegan and gluten free with nut free options below. Makes: Serves 2-3 Ingredients 250 ml plant based milk* 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar 70g Chickpea Flour 65g Cornstarch 1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes 2 slices of Gluten Free bread 30g Oats 1 Head of Cauliflower 80 ml Maple Syrup 80ml Soy Sauce Alternative (see my allergy note below) 3 cloves of Garlic 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp Sriracha 60ml Water 2 tsp corn starch 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (I like to do a mix of black & white) Directions Start by mixing your milk and vinegar, leave them to stand for a few minutes. The milk will curdle and you’ve just made vegan buttermilk! Add the chickpea flour, cornstarch, and chilli flakes and mix well to make a batter with a consistency similar to double cream. Put your oats and bread in either a blender or food processor and blend until you get breadcrumbs – your oats will be slightly larger and this is as close to gluten free panko breadcrumbs that I’ve been able to find. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180ºC fan/400ºF) Chop your cauliflower in to bite sized pieces, including the stem (which is perfectly edible) – no waste here! Now you can batter and crumb your cauliflower. Fully coat your cauliflower in batter, then toss in the breadcrumbs before placing on a wired rack. I like to always keep one hand clean when doing this so I use chopsticks to lift the cauliflower from the batter and dump into the breadcrumbs, use your other hand to toss in the breadcrumbs and place onto the rack. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and golden (some gluten free breads take longer than others to brown so keep a close eye on it towards the end). While the cauliflower is baking, whisk together the 2 tsp of cornflour and water in a small bowl, until the cornstarch dissolves. Combine soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, lemon juice and Sriracha in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the mix comes to a boil, reduce heat and add the cornflour mixture. Bring to simmer again and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce has noticeably thickened. place your browned cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with your sauce and the sesame seeds. Once fully coated return to the baking rack and cook for another 5-10 minutes, the breadcrumbs will have softened, you’re looking for them to crisp up again and brown along the edges. Serve immediately. Notes * I like to use almond milk for this as it’s high protein contents makes it ideal for buttermilk but it should work with most other plant based milks too! Allergy Notes; Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses it. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brand vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you. If nuts are an allergen for you then skip the sesame seeds entirely it’ll still be tasty!

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Banh Xeo – Vietnamese Pancakes

Feast of Plants — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

A lot of my food isn’t really know for its cultural authenticity. I’ll take inspiration from the original sure, but very rarely does it stay true to that original recipe, and so it is here. A quick look around at your typical Banh Xeo filling will tell you that prawns and pork typically make the cut, make it vegetables only and the general consensus seems to be that this is fit for a very light lunch or a starter only but I think we can fix that. The filling for my pancakes is a salad of rice noodles, thinly sliced vegetables, some pickled vegetables, add in some aubergines that are tossed in spices and shallow fried till crunchy on the outside and even your most ardent carnivore friend won’t notice the meat is missing. Finished with a dipping sauce that is laced with chillies and garlic, tangy with vinegar, coriander, and sesame oil. This makes a meal that is both light yet filling and perfect for the emerging summer weather. If you want to make this a light lunch then i’d suggest leaving out the noodles. Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you on this one – its easy and tasty! The only part of this that’s going to take some time is the pancakes themselves so plan accordingly, I’ve been known to whip up the batter the night before or in a spare 5 minutes so it has time to rest, and cook them over a conference call as they don’t need a lot of attention. Plan yours accordingly so it fits in with your day. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients Pancake Batter 200g Rice Flour 1 1/2 tbsp Cornflour 250ml Vegetable Stock (with extra if needed) 250ml Coconut Milk (tinned) 2tsp Tumeric Salt, to taste (Optional – this depends how much salt is in your stock) Oil, for frying Rice Noodle Salad Rice Vermicelli Noodles, 3 sheets handful of beansprouts 3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced 2 Peppers, julienned (I like to mix my colours and go for one red and one yellow) 1 Carrot, julienned 1/4 of a Red Cabbage, thinly sliced Stir fry veg of your choice (I like a mixed of sugar snap peas, baby corn, and asparagus depending on what’s available) 30g Peanuts, roughly chopped 1/4 cup Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped 1/4 cup Fresh Mint, roughly chopped Aubergines 2 Aubergines, Sliced 1/2 cup Cornfllour 2 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Coriander 1 tsp Paprika, (plus more for garnish) 1/2 tsp Tumeric Salt & Pepper Dipping Sauce 3 large Garlic Cloves, finely diced 4 tbsp Rice Vinegar 2 tbsp Soy Sauce (I substitute this – see the allergy note below) 1 1/12 tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Large red Chilli, deseeded & finely chopped 1/4 Cup Coriander, finely chopped 2 tsp Sesame Oil Zest of 1 lime Directions The batter for the pancakes is best having rested for at least half an hour, if not several hours, so lets start there. Whisk together the dry ingredients so that they’re well combined then add the stock and coconut milk. Mix well so that you have a smooth batter, similar to single cream in texture. Put your batter in the fridge to rest. Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients and leave the flavours the get to know each other in the fridge while you grow the rest of your dish. Slice your aubergine slices about half a centimetre thick. Lay them down on a kitchen towel or paper towel and lightly salt them to draw out the moisture. After a good 10 minutes or so, dab off the moisture that the salt has brought to the surface, flip the slices and repeat. Mix together the cornflour, spices and a touch of salt and pepper to make up a coating for your aubergines and toss all your slices evenly. Shallow fry your aubergine slices till evenly brown on both sides, seasoning well with paprika and the salt and pepper as they come out of the oil. Bring your batter out of the fridge about 15 mins before you’re due to use it. It’s best if you let it come back u to room temperature before cooking as cold coconut can overly thicken the batter. Just before cooking check the batter and add extra stock if needed, remember you want it to be similar in consistency to single cream. I like to use a small, 8 inch frying pan to cook the pancakes – it makes perfect, almost taco sized pockets. Warm up your frying pan with a teaspoon of oil on a medium to high heat. When the pan is hot enough to almost shimmer, quickly lift the pan from the hob, add about a quarter cup of batter and swirl it evenly around the pan. Place back on the heat and cook on both sides for 2 minutes. When cooked, gently fold in half and place on your serving plate. I like to place them in a warm oven to keep warm and crispy while I finish cooking the entire batch. While cooking your pancakes, now is the ideal time to tie together your rice salad. The rice noodles I tend to get only need soaking for 3 minutes but check your noodle’s instructions, water will do for this but stock will add a little bit more depth if possible. Stir fry your vegetables of choice and toss all your salad ingredients together. This dinner works best served family style, letting everyone serve themselves, stuffing the pancakes with the salad, topping with the fried aubergine slices and drizzling or dipping with the sauce as wanted. Free to also have some sriracha or sweet chilli sauce to one side, enjoy! Notes I like to add quick pickled cucumbers to the toppings and I know others love using other pickled veg too – if you’d like my pickled cucumber recipe then let me know! Allergy Notes: This recipe is mostly allergy friendly but its important to note that Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the free brands which uses it. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you. If nuts are an allergin for you then skip the peanuts and swap out the sesame oil for either avocado oil or rapeseed oil. They’re both quite neutral tasting oils so it won’t have the same depth but it’ll still be tasty!

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Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Treats

Feast of Plants — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 11:00:25 +0000

We’ve started social distancing with both of us in the house working from home. Unfortunately I realised mid last week that we didn’t have anything sweet in the house that I could eat. I’ve raided our cupboard basics to make something that’s both easy to make and satisfying for your sweet cravings – if not totally moreish! If you’re looking for a kitchen activity that you can do with the kids to keep them entertained while at home then this is ideal. Its is really very simple, uses minimal equipment, and very forgiving if you don’t quite get the amounts right. There is some stove action and hot syrup involved so please do supervise kids closely at all times! Makes: 16 Squares Ingredients 125ml (1/2 cup) Golden Syrup 125 ml (1/2 cup) Brown Rice Syrup* 45g Vegan Butter 130g (1/2 cup) Natural Crunchy Peanut butter **(see notes for my nut free suggestions) 1/2 tsp Salt 150g Rice crispies Topping 30g Vegan Butter 60ml (1/4 cup) Golden Syrup 1Tbsp Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter Directions Line an 8×8 container (a baking try or glass casserole dish works well here) with parchment or wax paper – if you want yours to be slightly thinner than mine then feel free to use a slightly bigger tin. Place both the golden syrup and brown rice syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring regularly, bring the mix to a gentle boil, taking care not to burn. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until reduced by almost half. Mix in the peanut butter, butter and salt and cook until fully combined and smooth. To make the mixing easier, at this point I like to pour the mix into a large bowl but if you want to make them in one pan then you might want to use a slightly large one! Add the rice crispies to your bowl gradually, stirring through each addition before adding the next. Once done there should be no liquid left at the bottom of the bowl , your cereal should all be fully coated and clumping together. Pour the cereal into your prepared container and gently press down in an even layer. In a separate small sauce pan (you could even use the same pan from earlier), mix together the butter, golden syrup and peanut butter over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until thick and reduced by almost half. Pour on the rice crispie treats and spread to an even layer. Put them in the fridge and let them sit for at least 3 hours, or even overnight, until hard. Once hardened, cut into even squares and serve! They store well in an airtight container for several days but they’ve never lasted that long in this house! Notes * If you don’t have this to hand, more Golden Syrup will work well too – it just won’t have the same depth of flavour. It likely also wont need as long on the heat so keep an eye on it. **If you’re not using natural peanut butter, it’s likely your brand will have a lot of added sugar which may make these even sweeter – you might want to reduce the amount of Peanut butter in that case Allergy Notes; If you or someone in your family is allergic to nuts then I’d suggest using either SunButter or Biscoff spread (but note this isn’t gluten free).

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Red Lentil and Harissa Koftas

Feast of Plants — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 16:58:25 +0000

Traditional koftas are the wonderfully flavorful, heavily spiced and lesser known middle eastern cousins of the meatball. If I’m going to give you any piece of advice for these, please make sure your harissa is fresh, this wonderful spice paste is your main source of flavour in these little balls of joy but the older it gets the more the flavour fades away. This is my vegan version and just like any ‘meatball’, they’re incredibly flexible but I’ve always enjoyed eating with my hands so my favorite way to serve them is family style, with a pile of gluten free pita breads, rocket and fresh herbs like mint and parsley, wild rice, cucumber, tomato, tahini sauce, and pickled red onions. This is one of those recipes that can take a while to pull together but you don’t have to spend the entire time keeping an eye on it. Because of this, that makes them the ideal partner for now as its the perfect partner for working from home, so do one step then go back to work, add the spices and answer your emails while it rests, maybe roll the koftas while on a conference call or with the kids. Your multitasking will be rewarded with these little balls of tasty joy that work really well as dinner party food, pair well with pitas, or stuff into a sub for mid-east inspired take on a vegan, meatball sub maybe (with tahini instead of the red sauce – trust me, it really works!). Makes: Serves 4 – 6 (Depending on how hungry you are!) Ingredients 400g Red Split Lentils 170g Mixed Quinoa (White, Red & Black) 2 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Ground Coriander 1 tbsp Paprika 2 tsp sumac 1 tsp All Spice 1 tbsp Tomato Puree 3 tbsp Harissa (If you like your spice then be generous here) 2 tsp Chili Flakes 100ml Olive Oil 100g Walnuts 1 Lemon, juice and zest 1 Large Red Onion 2 Spring Onions 1 Red Pepper, finely diced 1 Large Bunch of Mint, roughly chopped 1 Large Bunch of Parsley, roughly chopped Directions Put the lentils and quinoa into a large pan with 1 litre of water and bring to the boil then simmer for 25 minutes. Strain if needed, then gently stir in the spices, olive oil, tomato puree, and harissa before removing from the heat and set aside to cool. While cooling, put your walnuts, red onion, and spring onions into your food processor. Pulse until your walnuts are blended – almost reminiscent of mince. Roughly chop your bunches of herbs and now is the time to drag out your biggest mixing bowl. Throw in your cooled lentil mix along with all your other ingredients and mix well. I like to roll my mix out in to the traditional kofta shape (I’ve left a picture of my complete koftas for a guide above but as a size guide they were each about the size of a tablespoon) but feel free to be creative here – want to try the meatball sub idea I floated above so plan to go with little balls? Go for it! Think these might work as burgers? Try it! What ever you do, let these babies rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, before cooking – if you can give them longer then great. Put some oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the koftas. Don’t touch them until they have formed a good tasty crust on the side facing the pan, turn very gently and repeat until they are browned all over. Serve, preferably eating with your hands, to many friends. Notes If you’re making these for the first time then they go really well served on some flatbread with sides like wild rice, leafy greens mixed with fresh herbs, tahini sauce and pickled red onions. Allergy Notes; These Koftas are Gluten Free and Vegan but they do contain nuts – if walnuts are an allergen for you then try using oats that have been lightly toasted in a dry pan instead. You won’t get the quite the same effect but it’ll be close!

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