sweet potatoes Archives - Feast of Plants

Sweet Potato Gnocchi (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 12:38:57 +0000

The end of summer has arrived, the kids are heading back to school and holidays are coming to an end. I admit we don’t have kids but life always seems to speed up this time of year. There’s this subconscious feeling that time is running out, just as the days start getting shorter. I even had someone quip to me last week that ‘Christmas is only four months away’! With the hectic days it’s still important to take some time to chill. Surprise, surprise, I’ve always enjoyed using mindful recipes as a chance to pause. Gnocchi is so easy to make, a few leftovers, a spare 30 minutes, and you have some comforting little pillows. I don’t see myself ever attempting homemade pasta (gluten free and vegan). It’s so much work without much reward. But gnocchi, is both easy to make and actually tastier than shop bought version. Fresh gnocchi is fluffy, comforting, full of flavour, and so quick to cook. Boil yours for just a few minutes or pan fry till crispy. Toss with a little pesto or toss with your favourite pasta sauce. You can eat it as soon as it’s ready or it keeps well in the fridge. So whip up your gnocchi when you’ve got time on the weekend and you’ll have dinner ready in just three minutes on your busy day during the week. Let me know what you do with yours! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 600g Cooked Sweet Potatoes* 70g Potato Starch** 100g Chickpea Flour 100 – 200g Gluten Free Flour 1 tsp Salt Directions Peel and mash your cooked sweet potatoes. In a large bowl mix the potatoes with the starch and chickpea flour. Gradually mix in the gluten free flour, a quarter cup at a time, until you form a soft, slightly tacky dough. The amount of flour you might need for this will depend on how much liquid your sweet potatoes contain. I find it easier to switch from a bowl to a lightly floured counter top once you get closer to a dough like texture and kneed in the flour. Feel free to use whichever method works best for you but if you’re using the counter then I find a bench scraper to be essential. Cut the dough into four equal sized pieces before rolling each one into thin tubes, ever so slightly thicker than your thumb. Now cut the dough into 1 inch pieces and lightly flour. If you wish, you can roll of the back of a fork for those classic gnocchi ridges but that’s entirely optional. Cooking the gnocchi just in boiling water is the classic cooking method. It will result in light, pillowy dumpling and can be just so quick. Boil a large pan of salted water before adding your gnocchi. The gnocchi is cooked and ready to eat when it floats to the top – remember to stir in case any of them stick to the bottom. Drain completely. For Crispy Gnocchi (optional): Going the extra step and crisping your gnocchi before eating takes a little longer but it worth it for a tasty crisp outside to pair with their delicious fluffy inside. Cook the gnocchi as per above before heating a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, on a medium to high heat. Cook until crispy on both sides, touching only to flip once one side is cooked. Once cooked using your preferred method, toss in your favourite accompaniment – pesto, some crispy sage leaves maybe – and eat straight away. Notes * If you don’t have any cooked sweet potatoes to hand then toss about 700g of scrubbed sweet potatoes in the oven, pricked a few times. Cook until soft at 200 degrees – the time this takes will vary depending on the size of your potatoes but will likely take between 45-60 minutes. ** Corn starch and tapioca starch work as good substitutes here if you don’t have any potato starch to hand. Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free but keep an eye on anything you put with your gnocchi as plenty of classic pairings – like pesto – aren’t always allergy friendly.

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Moroccan Lentil Soup (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 12:00:54 +0000

When I’ve had a difficult week I start to crave something nutritious and comforting and this lentil soup is both those things. It may not be sexy but it’s easy to make and just so heart warming. With a complex mix of spices and warming harissa, the deep flavours of this soup will make you think it must have been a deep labour of love. In reality, you will have spent very little time chopping some vegetables and standing over the pot, the soup will look after it’s self and bless your kitchen with amazing smells. The perfect soup for a bad day or even just a mediocre one! Enjoy and let me know what you think of this soup. Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the Soup: 1 Large Onion, diced 2 Celery Stalks, diced 2 Carrots, diced 2 Carrots 3 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin 1/2 Tbso Ground Coriander 1 Tbsp Paprika 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 Tbsp Harissa 1 tsp Rosemary 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 400g tin of Chopped Tomatoes 150g Red Lentil 150g Black Lentils 1.5Ltr Vegetable Stock 1/4 cup fresh Mint, chopped Salt & Pepper, to taste For the Topping: Plant Based Yogurt 1 Small Sweet Potato 1Tbsp Oil 1Tbsp Smoked Paprika Fresh Mint, finely diced Directions Put a large pan on the hob on a low to medium heat. Add a dash of oil and gently saute the onions, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Now add the garlic and saute for just under a minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. At this point throw in the harissa, rosemary, and spices and continue to saute until fragrant before adding the tomatoes. Cook down, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have thickened. Finally add the lentils and stock and mix well. Bring to a boil before partially covering, turning the heat to low and simmering for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentil are tender. While the soup simmers, peel the sweet potato and cut lengthways into very thin slices. I’ve found either my mandolin or a very sharp peeler works well here, even most box graters have a side for cutting thin strips. Toss the sweet potato in the oil and smoked paprika before roasting in the oven at 190 degrees (375 F) for about 10 minutes or until beginning crisp. Try not to overlap the slices on the baking tray if at all possible. Once the soup is cooked, blend with an immersion blender until almost smooth. Stir through the mint and season to taste. When serving, ladle into generous bowls and finish with a healthy spoon of yoghurt, a few slices of crisped sweet potato, and a sprinkle of fresh mint. Enjoy! Notes This pairs really well with some warmed flatbread. Allergy Notes; This recipe is easily vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. Just make sure the yoghurt you use is safe for your allergy needs.

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Fragrant Coconut Soup with Black Pepper Sweet Potato

Feast of Plants — Wed, 06 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000

I want to be completely up front here – the Black Pepper Sweet Potato in this dish is completely inspired by the Black Pepper Tofu in Yotam Ottolenghi’s brilliant book Plenty (you can find the recipe on his site here)- go buy it, read it and cook many tasty things. We weren’t able to make the original dish as written for a number of reasons but mainly because Kenny hates tofu with a passion, and I was trying to completely avoid soy at the time. Instead I’ve gradually built it out to work with sweet potatoes. The coconut soup then grew from this as I wanted something that would counterbalance the spice and maybe had it’s own different level of complexity. So here you have a soup that’s infused with aromatics like lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and lime leaves but helps to cool the deep heat of the sweet potatoes. This is a dish that will take a while to make as the soup needs to slowly infuse but up until you start the potatoes you won’t have much to do except enjoy the fragrances coming from your kitchen. Try it – let me know what you think! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Soup: 1 Tbsp Oil 1/2 Onion, finely chopped 20g Ginger, very finely shredded 2 Cloves Garlic, minced 1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste 5 Lime Leaves (dried) 3 dried Shitake Mushrooms (Optional but adds depth) 1 lime 1 Tbsp Vegan Fish Sauce 3 tins Coconut Milk (400g each) 1 ltr Vegetable Stock For the Black Pepper Sweet Potatoes: 900g Sweet Potatoes, peeled & cut into bite-size chunks 60ml Coconut Oil 2 large Onions, quartered the sliced 4 Red Chillies, thinly sliced 10 Garlic Cloves, minced 15g Ginger, minced 3 Tbsp Corn flour Oil (for frying) 3 Tbsp kecap manis* 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce (see the allergy note below) 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup 35g Black Peppercorns, coarsely crushed Toppings: 2 heads of Pak Choi, thickly chopped 100g beansprouts 50g Spring Onions, cut into batons 225g Vermicelli Rice Noodles** fresh Coriander fresh Mint fresh Thai Basil Directions We’re going to start by prepping your soup so it can slowly infuse over a number of hours. Place a large heavy pan (a cast iron crock pot is ideal here) on a low heat and add your oil. Add your onion, ginger, and garlic and let them very slowly soften and sweat. Don’t let them brown and the heat shouldn’t be high enough for them to burn. This is probably going to take at least 20 minutes with your stirring occasionally. Once the onions are translucent and everything is soft, add your lemongrass paste and, turning the heat up a little, stir through. At this stage you can add the lime leave, dried mushrooms, the zest from half your lime, fish sauce, coconut milk, and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and turn the heat right down low, cover with a lid tightly, and leave for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Alternative method; If you’d like to use your slow cooker for this then feel free. Once you’ve softened your aromatics, place them and all the ingredients mentioned above into your slow cooker on low for about 7 hours. Lightly poach your sweet potatoes for about 5 to 10 minutes (depending on how large you’ve cut them), or until they are almost cooked through and a fork will almost pierce them with ease. Strain and dust with the cornflour. Heat a wok until ripping hot (seriously, it should be shimmering with heat at least) and stir fry your sweet potato chunks in small batches with a touch of oil to brown them well. They should be browned and ever so slightly crunchy. Put these tasty nuggets to one side. Wipe out your wok and heat up your coconut oil on a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and chillies and saute until completely soft – this should take at least 15 minutes. Now add your soy sauce, kecap manis, maple syrup, and crushed peppercorns. Stir through until mixed completely and now add back your sweet potato. Gently mix and stir until the sweet potato is completely heated through and cooked. Place to one side and wipe out your wok again. Prepare your noodles according to the instructions on the pack – I normally cook mine in the soup itself but if yours need to be reheated in boiling water your may wish to cook them separately. Place your wok on a high heat and very quickly stir fry the pack choi and spring onions until softened and just starting to brown but still bright green. Taste your soup, finish with the juice of your lime (as much as you feel it needs), and season if you really think it needs it. Now we’re plating so grab your biggest bowls! I like to start with a layer of noodles, follow with a layer of beansprouts, pak choi, and spring onions, add a healthy serving of soup, top with a heavy coating of ripped fresh herbs, and finally finish with a large spoonful of the black pepper sweet potatoes. Enjoy! Notes * Kecap Manis is a sweetened, almost syrup like version of soy sauce that is popular in Indonesian cooking. I’ve yet to find a shop bought version that’s gluten free so I tend to make my own. Some varieties of this seasoning are heavily spiced with star anise, garlic or other aromatics but I tend to use quite a simple recipe. Bring to a boil equal quantities of your Soy Sauce substitute and brown sugar, then simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes until everything has dissolved and thickened. Place into a jar and chill until needed. ** These thin rice noodles work perfectly with this soup but each brand has different cooking instructions, check yours and prepare accordingly through if yours want to be soaked in warm water like mine then just throw them into the soup till ready – they’ll have so much more flavour that way! Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – 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 gluten. 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.

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