Mexican Archives - Feast of Plants

Chilli Non Carne (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:30:38 +0000

See the recipe Obliviously, this dish is inspired by Chilli con Carne. If you’ve not heard of it before, this is a Tex-Mex dish normally made with minced beef, chili peppers, and a mixture of spices. The meatiest of all the chillies, it’s been a challenge to make a vegan version that will make most meat eaters just as happy. But I brough this to a pot luck with friends last week and it was incredibly popular, I think I might have cracked it. Let’s talk about flavour Let’s be honest, this chilli recipe is not quick, it’s all about building up the flavour layer by layer. However, I guarantee it’s not hard, and it is so incredibly worth it. Combine the intense depth of flavour with the texture of the browned tofu mixed with red lentils and it makes for a deep, tasty, and meaty chilli that doesn’t contain any meat! It can be a little difficult to find the range of dried chillies we need in a UK supermarket. As such, my recommended source is Amazon. I’d start here and see what else you need! What to serve with it? You can enjoy this chilli by itself but for me it’s so much better served on a baked potato or with some rice and topped off with some guacamole. 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. The recipe below makes for a lot of food, making the ideal dish for a crowd or for a batch cooking session. If you want to reduce the recipe it will happily work, but I’d encourage you to make the full batch of chilli paste and freeze any you don’t need. This chilli is hearty, warming, and meaty - despite having no meat at all!

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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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Crispy Cauliflower Tacos with Tahini Sauce (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:00:25 +0000

We’re a big fan of tacos in our house. Flexible and easy to customise for each person’s taste, it makes for a great dinner when you’ve got picky people. These tacos are centred around crispy, baked cauliflower. Paired with my favourite tahini sauce it makes for such a tasty dinner that I had the leftovers for breakfast. But before we get to the recipe, lets talk about how to make your cauliflower crispy while still keeping everything gluten free. One of the favourite ways to ensure baked goods remain crispy normally is to use panko breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a gluten free version of panko breadcrumbs but what I have found that works just as well? Cornflakes. Sounds crazy I know but if you pulse them in a processor a few times then you get really crispy crumbs, slightly bigger than normal breadcrumbs. Not only do they offer that enticing golden crumb but they crisp with delightfully well without having to use a fryer. Enjoy and let me know if you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Crispy Cauliflower: 1 Large Cauliflower 90g Gluten Free Flour 250ml Plant based milk 4 – 5 Cups Gluten Free Cornflakes 1 Tbsp Adobe Sauce 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup 1 tsp Lime Zest 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Thyme 1 tsp Salt For the Tahini Sauce: 125ml Tahini 1 Tbsp Lime Juice 2 tsp Sriracha 1 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander 2 Garlic Cloves 25g Fresh Coriander Salt & Pepper, to taste For the Tacos: Corn Tortillas Lime & Coriander Rice Simple Coleslaw Black Beans Directions For the Crispy Cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (200 Fan/ 425 F) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. To prepare the cauliflower start by cutting into bite sized florets. Place the cornflakes into a food processor and pulse until the flakes are broken up and slightly larges than breadcrumbs. Pour into a bowl and put to one side. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth and slightly thick batter. Working in batches, coat the florets in the batter before tossing through the corn flakes. Place onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and browning round the edges. To make the tahini sauce: I like making this in a min9i blender, if you have one add in all the ingredients with 1/2 a cup of ice cold water. Blend until well mixed, adding in a tablespoon of water at a time until your preferred consistency is reached. I like to aim for the texture of single cream but you do you. To build the tacos: Toast the tortillas over an open flame or in a griddle pan, until dark spots appear. Serve family style so everyone can make their tacos just their own way. I like to serve mine with a little rice and some slaw before adding the cauliflower and a healthy drizzle of the tahini sauce. Enjoy! Notes Allergy Notes; Provided you make sure to use gluten free cornflakes, this recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free. If Sesame seeds are an allergen for you then skip the tahini and instead use a mix of mashed avocado and vegan mayo to make some damn tasty spice avocado aioli.

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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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