Veggies On The Counter

Avocado is one of those fruits I always keep handy. I used to use it strictly for making guacamole, but then I started incorporating it into salads and, more recently, smoothies and desserts. Fruit desserts and salads are something I’m particular fond of, and today’s recipe was born out of the need to use a great part of the huge bag of kiwi fruit my aunt gave us (she grew and picked it herself). Don’t be skeptical about the use of avocado in here: its primary function is to give creaminess, and you’ll barely feel its taste. On the other hand, if you’re planning on doing this, it’s key to use ripe kiwi fruit, otherwise it’ll taste bitter and  give you this weird feeling in the mouth (at least that’s what happens to me when I eat it underripe). Also, and I know this comes with a bit of a delay, but I wish you all a great 2012, full of exciting projects and recipes (I made this list where I wrote down recipes I want to have on my repertoire, and Socca is the first in line, so I guess this is a hint of what might come up next in here).

Avocado and Kiwi Fruit Pudding with Lime

Fenna

The Recipe for Avocado and Kiwi Fruit Pudding with Lime, with few banana and kiwi fruit slices on top, as well as some mint leaves tastes yum

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Dessert, pudding

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the pudding:

• 2 avocados (I used one large and one medium sized), (320 g)
• 7 kiwis (310 g)
• ½ banana (50 g)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) agave nectar
• zest of two limes
• juice of one lime

Garnish:

• a few banana slices
• 2 to 3 kiwis, cut into cubes
• fresh mint leaves

Instructions

 

• Put all the ingredients for the pudding in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
• Divide the pudding among four small bowls and add a few banana and kiwi fruit slices on top, as well as some mint leaves. Serve and enjoy!

Keyword Avocado and Kiwi Fruit Pudding with Lime Recipe

I have this little food and recipe notebook in which I write down ideas I have for dishes. Most of those ideas are for savoury concoctions, and that makes me realize, once again, how this blog is way more savoury than sweet-oriented. I want you guys to know that I really, really wanted to come up with a dessert recipe this week, but then I made this beet risotto and thought it was too good not to share it with you.

Barley is an ingredient I cook with often. I love it in salads and simply on its own as an accompaniment for vegetable stews and curries. I thought it was a good grain to use on a risotto because it holds its shape after being cooked, cooks in less time than brown rice, and has a beautiful nutty flavour.

If you like beets, you’ll certainly love this dish. But if you don’t, then I’m not sure if this is the right thing for you. Thanks to them, the risotto has that distinctive earthy and sweet flavour that I personally love but know many don’t – I actually know very few people who share my enthusiasm for beets. Topped with extra roasted beets and walnuts this is a substantial dinner perfect for rainy winter nights (just don’t freak out if you wake up in the middle of the night to pee and it’s red).

Beetroot & Barley Risotto Recipe

Fenna

If you like beets, you’ll certainly love this Beetroot & Barley Risotto dish. Healthy Beetroot & Barley rich Recipe

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Course Appetizer

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 7 medium sized / 550 g beets, cut into quarters
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 large / 270 g onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 Tablespoons water
• 200 g / 1 cup shelled barley, soaked overnight
• 750 ml / 3 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 185 ml / ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
• salt and black pepper to taste
• toasted walnuts for serving

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180c.
• Line a large tray with parchment paper.
• Add the quartered beets as well as 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
• Stir well, so that the beets are all coated with the balsamic and oil mixture.
• Put another piece of parchment paper on top of the beets and crimp the edges to form a packet.
• Roast in the oven for about one hour – the beets are cooked when you can easily pierce them with the tip of a knife.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add one tablespoon of oil and cook the onion and garlic for 8 to 10 minutes, or until soft.
• The mixture will dry out, and to keep it from sticking to the pan add 4 table spoons of water halfway through the cooking time.
• Next, add the barley and the 3 cups of stock. Cook, uncovered, on a low-medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Add 125 grams of the cooked beets and the coconut milk to a blender and puree until smooth (I do not bother peeling the beets at this point, but do that if you prefer).
• Pour this mixture over the barley , stir well, and cook for additional 5 minutes.
• Have a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed – I added extra salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and a grind of black pepper.
• Serve immediately with the remaining roasted beets and plenty of toasted walnuts on top.

Keyword Beetroot & Barley Risotto Recipe

My first idea was to share with you a chocolate dessert today, but unfortunately the dish I envisioned – a beautiful chocolate and toasted oatmeal mousse – didn’t really work out. Instead of a mousse, I ended up making a ganache, and a ganache is just a dessert component, not a dessert in itself. For that reason, I threw it into the freezer and decided to go on a totally different direction. In the end, I made something I was actually craving for quite a while – thin and crisp oat cookies.

Ginger and orange are ingredients that I almost always have in my fridge, and I knew beforehand how well they go together (they’re the base of a Moroccan inspired marinade I make quite often to flavour tofu). The only thing I had to do in the process of making this recipe was to taste the cookie dough a few times and adjust the amounts of both ingredients to make sure the flavours were discernible.

I’m very pleased with how the cookies turned out, they’re wonderfully spicy thanks to the ginger but also fresh and citrus-y because of the orange. Just a little note: after you take them out of the oven they’ll be soft to the touch, but after 5 minutes or so they’ll crisp up and be ready to eat. 🙂

Ginger & Orange Oat Cookies

Fenna

I’m very pleased with how the cookies turned out, they’re wonderfully spicy thanks to the ginger but also fresh and citrus-y because of the orange.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 32 mins

Course cookies

Servings 35 cookies

Ingredients

  

Dry mixture

• 138 g / 1 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 110 g / 1 cup oat flour
• 50 g / ½ cup desiccated coconut
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Wet mixture

• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 ½ Tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 ½ medium sized oranges)
• 80 ml / 1/3 cup olive oil
• 185 ml / ¾ cup brown rice syrup
• 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal
• 60 ml / ¼ cup water

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed meal and water together. Whisk well, cover, and let it rest for about5 minutes or until it thickens.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients and the flaxseed mixture.
• Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour before using. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 180 C and line a large tray with baking paper.
• After the dough is chilled, scoop out 1 tablespoon of it at a time. Wet your hands and flatten each piece of dough between your hands, until you get a cookie that is about 2 mm thick. Arrange each cookie at least 4 cm (1.6 inches) apart from each other in the prepared baking tray. They’ll spread out quite a bit.
• Bake the cookies for 10-12minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let them cool on a rack before eating and store them in an airtight container.

Keyword Ginger & Orange Oat Cookies Recipe

As much as I love my morning bowl of oatmeal, it feels good to have something different for breakfast every now and then. Lately, I’ve been trying different breakfast foods – from salads, to socca, and steamed vegetables with panfried tofu – and while I enjoyed them all, the recipe I’m sharing with today is one of my favourite experiments.

Before I committed to making my version of a vegan frittata, I’ve searched the web for inspiration. Most of the recipes I saw called for the use of cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken the tofu “custard” and make it firmer. I have nothing against those ingredients, but since I had neither of them at home by the time I was making the frittata, I made it without them and it turned out just fine. However, if you want to be able to cut a perfect slice out of it you have to be patient and wait at least half an hour after it comes out of the oven.

The frittata also becomes firmer the longer it stays in the fridge, and I might say I actually like it better the day after it’s baked – it’s incredible how the flavours improve and become more pronounced overnight. You don’t really need to use the vegetables I used here, and I’m sure that red peppers and/or leeks would be great additions or substitutions.

Springtime Vegan Frittata

Fenna

This Recipe for Springtime Vegan Frittata is a real simple delicious Recipe perfect treat for a crowd at any time

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Snack

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 250 g / 1 large onion, finely cubed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 690 g fresh firm tofu, cubed
•  1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 Tablespoons brewer’s yeast (optional)
• grated zest of one lemon
• 220 g / 1 small broccoli head, cut into medium sized florets
• 295 g / 1 large bunch spinach
• 240 g boiled peas (frozen is fine)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Grease a springform pan with oil and set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, olive oil and dried thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 5-8 minutes, or until the onion has softened and browned just a bit.
• Add the broccoli florets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times, or until the florets are just broken down (you don’t want to fully blitz the broccoli).
• Add the broccoli to the skillet with the onion and garlic mixture and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Next, add the spinach and 1teaspoon of salt and cook until the spinach is wilted – no longer than 2minutes.
• Add the tofu to the bowl of the food processor, along with 1teaspoon of salt, the turmeric, brewer’s yeast (if using) and lemon zest, and blitz until smooth.
• Add the spinach and broccoli mixture to a large bowl, followed by the puréed tofu and the cooked peas. Gently mix the ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Season with freshly ground black pepper and an extra pinch of salt, if necessary.
• Add the frittata mixture to the prepared springform pan. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool in the pan before unmolding and serving.

Keyword Springtime Vegan Frittata Recipe

It’s that time of the year when the weather is getting warmer and I start craving raw and cold salads again. This week, at the farmers’ market, I brought home lots of kohlrabi and turnips with the main intention to eat them raw (which is how I like them better anyway).

I know that a lot of people aren’t particularly excited about turnips, and even though I used to share the same opinion, I’ve been rediscovering this vegetable and absolutely loving its versatility. I’ve been enjoying thinly sliced turnips with just a dash of salt and black pepper as a light snack these days – there’s something about its light and yet slightly bitter flavour that I really love.

Anyway, this salad is pretty much like a coleslaw, with lots of crispiness and different textures. I felt I needed to balance that with a smooth dressing, and that’s how I ended up making an apricot-based one. I was really pleased with how it turned out – it’s sweet and tangy at the same time, with just a hint of cumin to make it more complex and intense.

Farmers’ Market Salad with Apricot-Cumin Dressing

Fenna

This Recipe for Farmers’ Market Salad with Apricot-Cumin Dressing is rich with healthy vegetables , using raw carrots.Its a nice summer Recipe

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Prep Time 20 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Salad

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

For the salad:

• 220 g /5 medium sized carrots, grated
• 140 g /1 large kohlrabi, thinly sliced
• 120 g /1 large turnip, thinly sliced
• 200 g /1 large orange, sliced into half-moons
• 15 g / half a bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 15 g / half a bunch of coriander, finely chopped
• 60 g /1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped, toasted and lightly salted

For the apricot-cumin dressing:

• 65 g /6 dried un sulphured apricots, roughly chopped
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 ¼ teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a mortar and pestle
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.
• Put the apricots in a small bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over them, cover the bowl, and let stand for at least 10 minutes, or until the apricots are very soft.
• In a blender, combine the drained apricots with all the other ingredients for the dressing. Blend until you get a very smooth mixture.
• Pour the dressing over the salad (you might not need all of it, use just enough to coat the vegetables), mix with a wooden spoon or with your hands and serve immediately.

Keyword Farmers’ Market Salad with Apricot-Cumin Dressing Recipe

Every time I have guests for dinner, I typically serve some sort of homemade hummus or vegetable spread as an entrée. Most of the time I end up making the good old chickpea hummus because it’s one of favourite spreads and everyone loves it. But if I’m pressed for time (because yes, I’m in that tiny group of crazy people who actually thinks that removing the chickpeas’ skins is the secret to making the perfect hummus), I use split peas instead.

This is an incredibly easy, yet really tasty bean spread that’s perfect served on top of toasted bread or used as a dip for raw vegetables. I love to dip carrots and turnips into this hummus, but peppers (cut into strips), raw broccoli florets and/or parsnips are also excellent options.

I always have this thing going on with the blog where I try to balance more complex recipes with everyday, casual ones. That balance is hard to strive because people who aren’t familiar with vegan cooking tend to prefer simple and straightforward recipes, whereas long time vegans and/or foodies appreciate bold and unusual combination of ingredients and techniques.

At the end of the day, I always try to stay true to myself and my cooking “style”. However, I hope that recipes like this one – that do not involve a long list of ingredients but deliver on flavour – inspire people to venture into cooking more vegan food and, most importantly, help break the misconception that eating vegan is all about pricy superfoods and green smoothies (nothing against both, it just totally annoys me when I hear people saying that – and I do, all the time).

Split Pea Hummus with Capers & Red Onion

Fenna

This is an incredibly easy, yet really tasty bean spread that’s perfect served on top of toasted bread or used as a dip for raw vegetables.

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Ingredients

  

• 195 g / 1 cup green split peas, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon za’atar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for serving
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoon warm water
• 65 g / half a medium sized red onion, finely chopped
• 27 g / 2 Tablespoons brined capers, rinsed, dried and chopped

Instructions

 

• Add the split peas to a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add enough water to cover the peas by 2 cm (0.8 inches).Bring to a boil and, once boiling, reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for20 minutes or until soft.
• Some foam might naturally form on top of the cooking liquid– in that case, just take it out with a slotted spoon.
• Drain the peas once they are cooked and cooled. Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the sea salt, black pepper, za’atar, garlic clove, olive oil, lemon juice and water.
•  Run the machine until you get a very smooth hummus.
• If the mixture seems too dry, add 1 or 2 additional tablespoons of water.
• Put the split pea hummus in a medium sized deep plate.
• Add the red onion and capers on top and finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Bread. Such a hot topic these days isn’t it? Since the gluten free craze has started, bread seems to be the number one food to be avoided. I take food intolerances very seriously, but with all due respect to those who have allergic reactions to to gluten, I think we’ve gone way too far with this issue.

I love bread, I really do. I don’t eat bread everyday but I eat it very often. And since this whole discussion around gluten has begun, I decided that instead of cutting it out from my diet (which, quite honestly, wouldn’t work), I would make more sensible choices towards the bread I eat. And that’s when I learnt about sourdough. I’ve had sourdough bread during my time in Holland and I’ve always loved its tangy and characteristic taste.

Unfortunately, here in Portugal we don’t have a tradition of sourdough bread, which left me with the only decision of trying to make my own. I’ve made a starter following this guide, and for the last 6 months I’ve been baking my own bread. Sourdough bread is more easily digested than loaves made with commercial yeast, tastes incredibly good, and also keeps longer.

Back to when I was in Holland, I used to go to a whole foods store close to where I lived almost every day to buy their delicious raisin and sesame sourdough buns. Now, I’ve finally found a way to make my own version and, modesty aside, I think they taste pretty close to the original. If you’re intimidated by the idea of making your own sourdough bread, fear not and give it a try. If I knew it was that easy, I would have made it a long time ago. You can make your own starter like I did, or ask a friend who has one to give you some of it. Dear readers from Porto who want to venture into sourdough bread baking: I’ll happily give away some of my starter if you want to. (:

Sourdough Rye Buns with Raisins and Sesame Seeds

Fenna

This Recipe for Sourdough Rye Buns with Raisins and Sesame Seeds simple instant recipe to make

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 50 mins

Course Snack

Ingredients

  

• 210 g rye flour
• 90 g whole wheat flour
• 5 g salt
• 150 g sourdough starter
• 240 g warm water
• 80 g toasted sesame seeds, plusmore to coat the buns
• 150 g raisins

Instructions

 

• Put the raisins in a medium sized bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover them. Let it sit for ten minutes. After that time, drain the raisins, squeeze them to release the extra moisture and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the rye and whole wheat flours, the salt and toasted sesame seeds.
• In another large bowl, dissolve the sourdough starter in the water. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the(dissolved) starter and mix until a dough comes together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into 12 portions. Put a reasonable amount of sesame seeds in a large plate. Shape each portion into a bun, brush the buns with a little water, and roll them into the sesame seeds.
• Put the buns in a large tray lined with parchment paper, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours. In the meantime, pre heat the oven to 240c and place a baking tray in its lowest third. As soon as the oven reaches the right temperature, place the tray with the buns in the middle third of it. Add a few ice cubes to the baking tray in the lowest part of the oven and close the door. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool the buns on a wire rack for at least one hour before eating.

Keyword Sourdough Rye Buns with Raisins and Sesame Seeds Recipe

It’s that time of the year when asparagus are finally in season. They’re insanely expensive in Portugal (I’ve noticed many are imported from Chile or Peru – never understood why) but, this time around, I was lucky to find them half their price at the local supermarket. I brought home three bunches. Two of them went into this soup, and the other one was thrown into a salad, grilled. So, as you might guess, there’s been a bit of an asparagus overdose over here, but a well worth one – the soup I’m sharing with you today totally surpassed my expectations.

I’ve first saw asparagus soup here, and then here, and that’s when I got convinced to try my own version. Before that, I’ve only ever had grilled and steamed asparagus with a little salt (simplicity is key, specially when dealing with pricy seasonal produce). I also thought about adding a nice topping, because blended soups can be a little monotonous without one – the ideia for the crispy white beans comes from here (coincidentally, Tara also used them on top of an asparagus soup). A couple of things you should consider when making this soup: first, do use the leeks’ green parts (they’re edible, nutritious and delicious) and second, by all means make the topping. The bean croutons, as I like to call them, bind everything together because of their salty and crispy qualities, making a nice contrast to the soup’s smoothness and delicate flavour.

Asparagus, Leek & Lime Soup + Crispy Chilli White Beans

Fenna

In this Recipe Asparagus, Leek & Lime Soup + Crispy Chilli White Beans, everything bind together making a nice contrast to the soup

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Course Appetizer

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the soup:

• 500 g / 3 large leeks, tougher ends removed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 640 g / 2 medium sized asparagus bunches
• 625 ml / 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 250 ml / 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon lime zest, plus more serving
• juice of ½ lime
• For the crispy chilli white beans:
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 dried small chillies
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 330 g large white beans (canned is fine), rinsed and drained

Instructions

 

• To make the soup: Cut the ends of the leeks. Cut them lengthwise in half and then into thin half moons. Place the cut leeks in acolander and wash under running water to remove as much dirt as possible.
• Pour the oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, but not smoking, add the leeks and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they’re soft.
• In the meantime, trim the ends of the asparagus. Chop the asparagus stalks into 2-3 cm pieces and add them to the pot with the leeks. Add the salt, stock and coconut milk, bring to a boil and, once boiling, decrease the heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
• Add the lime zest and juice and, using a blender, puree the soup until smooth (you might have to do this in batches). Have a taste and adjust the seasoning, adding freshly ground black pepper and more salt if needed.
• To make the crispy beans: Dry the beans with a clean towel to remove as much moisture as possible. In a mortar an pestle, combine the dried chillis with the salt and crush until you get a fine powder. Add the oil, beans and chilli seasoning to a large skillet over medium heat. Mix with a wooden spoon to coat the beans evenly, and cook for 15 minutes or until they’re crisp and golden brown.
• Serve the soup in bowls with a few tablespoons of the crispy beans on top. Add a little extra lime juice and zest to the soup right before digging in, if desired.

Keyword Asparagus, Leek & Lime Soup + Crispy Chilli White Beans Recipe

Since I last posted a lot of things have happened in my life. The first and most important one was my recent move from Porto to Glasgow. Between preparing and planning all the stuff that involves moving into a different country, I barely had time to cook, let alone blog. However, and now that I’ve been here for a month and got (almost) everything sorted out (housing, burocracy and the likes), I´m happy to resume blogging and do the very best I can to bring you my favourite vegan recipes.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how things will naturally change around here (in terms of photography and recipe content as well) since I’m not in my own kitchen and do not have all the kitchen tools I’m used to. This will naturally affect the kind of recipes I’ll be posting from now on – they will be simpler, and since I do not own a food scale, lack the accuracy I’d like them to have. However, I do prefer to face this as a challenge (and one that I’m happy to take) rather than a limitation. I came to Glasgow with a 20 kg suitcase. I brought mostly clothes, one book, my laptop and my camera. I left in Porto all my cookbooks and the boards, plates and cutlery that have helped me build this blog’s photography identity over time. I’m already missing my bedroom’s blue wall, the wall that was the background of most of the food pictures I posted here for the last 5 years. But I’m also a firm believer that things happen for a reason. I was probably getting too comfortable with my own style of doing things, and this an opportunity to question that and try new and fresh approaches.

So, let’s talk curry today. I didn’t bring any of my cookbooks with me, but if I could only bring one, I’d definitely go with The Millenium Cookbook. Most of the recipes I cooked from this book were outstanding, and a great number of them have become part of my cooking repertoire. That’s the case with this curry. The original recipe is more labour intensive, and in order to make it simpler and faster I omitted some steps, trying not to compromise too much on the flavour. The recipe might still seem a bit of a project though, but I can guarantee you it’s worth making your own curry “base” from scratch, blending the sauce, and so on. In the end, you’ll have a fantastic curry that feeds a crowd and is definitely a crowd pleaser too. If you can’t come across butternut squash this time of the year, use carrots instead (4 or 5 large ones will do) – I’ve done it before and it works just as well. Also feel free to play around with the vegetables – in the past I’ve tried green beans, broccoli and asparagus and all of them have worked nicely. Hope you enjoy the curry and I’ll be back soon! In the meantime, check my instagram feed for food-related pictures and some suburb memorabilia from Glasgow.

Thai-inspired Vegetable Curry

Fenna

A recipe for Thai-inspired Vegetable Curry: simple and easy yummy vegetable curry recipe best with Rice

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 6 as a main

Ingredients

  

For the curry sauce:

• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 5 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 piece of ginger the size of your thumb, peeled and grated
• 1 small bunch of coriander
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder 
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• zest of 2 limes
• juice of 2 ½ limes
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped*(see note above)
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped*(see note above)
• 1 can / 400 ml full fat coconutmilk

For the curry:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1 large carrot, peepled and chopped into cubes
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into medium-sized florets
•  1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layer removed, bruised in a mortar and pestle (optional) 
• 1 cup / 250 ml water
• 250 g / 1 package smoked tofu,cubed

For serving:

• 3-4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 handful of peanuts, toasted
• extra coriander, finely chopped
• 1-2 limes, cut into quarters

Instructions

 

For the curry sauce:

• In a double boiler, steam about ¾of the butternut squash for 5 to 8 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.
• In a high speed blender combine the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, fresh coriander, spices (coriander, cumin and turmeric powders), salt, lime zest and juice, chilies and the coconut milk and blitz until you have a smooth sauce.
• Working in batches, add the cooked butternut squash to the mixture and blitz until creamy.

For the curry:

• In a large pot over medium heat, add the coconut oil, the carrot, sweet potato and the remaining ¼ of butternut squash.
• Saute for a few minutes or until the vegetables are golden brown.
• Add the curry sauce followed by the bruised lemongrass stalk (if using) and 1 cup / 250 ml of water and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, decrease the heat to low-medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
• After that time, add the cauliflower, cabbage and smoked tofu and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
• If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit more water to thin it out to the consistency you like (I like mine to resemble a smooth blended soup).
• Season with extra salt and serve with the chopped peanuts, scallions, coriander and a good squeeze of lime juice.

Keyword Thai-inspired Vegetable Curry Recipe

One of my grandmother’s signature dishes is carrot fritters. They’re all small and irregular in shape, and are pan-fried until golden brown, sometimes on the verge of burnt around the edges. She usually serves them with broccoli rice on the side, which is actually just rice cooked with broccoli florets on top, but tastes delicious nonetheless. The simple meals I have at her place are some of the best I’ve ever had (her lentil rissoles are insane, as it’s her sautéed cabbage with peas and mint), proving that vegan food doesn’t have to be complicated to be tasty or rely heavily on expensive, hard to find ingredients.

The other day I had a sudden urge to eat the carrot fritters and made my own version of her classic, only slightly changing the shape and making one big fritter instead of various small ones. I also added chickpea flour instead of wheat flour to bump up the protein content of my fritter. This one isn’t a particularly inventive recipe, but I’m amazed at how good it tastes, especially when served with the sunflower and pumpkin sauce. I don’t generally like to brag about recipes, but this is one really is a hell of a sauce. It’s very easy to put together and doubles as a pasta and salad sauce too. Plus, it’s full of healthy fatty acids, which is good for you and your skin.

Now, into more specifics: the fritter’s “dough” might seem like it doesn’t hold together very well, but I can assure you it won’t fall apart while cooking. Using a non-stick frying pan (look for non-teflon options, like these), or seasoning your regular pan with a generous glug of olive oil is key here, since you don’t want all that crispy bits to get stuck.

Hope you like the fritter as much as I do. I’m already thinking about how I’ll style and shoot the next recipe (which happens to be today’s dinner), so see you soon!

Carrot Fritter with Sunflower, Pumpkin Seed and Harissa Sauce

Fenna

Carrot Fritter with Sunflower, Pumpkin Seed & Harissa Sauce Recipe simply amazing Delicious Recipe with highly nutritrious vegetables

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

For the Carrot Fritter

• 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil, divided
• 3 large carrots, grated
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 heaped Tablespoons chickpea flour

For the Sunflower, Pumpkin Seed& Harissa Sauce

• 2 ½ Tablespoons Sunflower seeds
• 2 ½ Tablespoons Pumpkin seeds

•  juice of one lime
• 7 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 /2 teaspoons harissa
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Combine the sunflower and pumpkinseeds in a medium sized bowl.
• Pour one cup of boiling water over them, cover with a lid and let the seeds soak for at least 1 hour.
• Drain and add them, along with the other ingredients for the sauce, to a blender.
• Blitz until you get a creamy, smooth mixture. If it seems too thick, add a little more water (1 or 2Tablespoons should do).
• Adjust the seasoning before serving.
• Combine all the ingredients for the fritter in a large bowl.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of coconut or olive oil to a small, 18 cm in diameter non stick frying pan over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the carrot mixture.
• Using a spatula, spread the carrot mixture over the pan, smoothing the surface by gently pressing it down. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
• After that time, place a plate over the top of the frying pan and gently flip the fritter over.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut or olive oil to the pan, return it to the heat and, once hot, add the fritter back in, golden side up. Fry for additional 5 minutes.
• Serve with the sauce.

  Enjoy!

Keyword Carrot Fritter with Sunflower, Pumpkin Seed and Harissa Sauce Recipe

aI’ve been making an effort to live with less clutter. Like most people, I’m sure I own more things – clothes, documents, random objects – than I need. Coming to Glasgow with probably less than half the stuff I have back home, made me realize that there are only a few objects I can’t live without. I’ve also been trying to keep things simple in the kitchen, even though this is a big challenge for me because I’m not the kind of cook who intuitively works with only a few ingredients per recipe. I love layering flavours and textures on top of each other, and that’s how I naturally cook most of the time. That probably also explains why I’ve always been more drawn to middle-eastern and southeast asian cuisines (lots of things going on, flavour and texture-wise) than mediterranean (simple – but killer – ingredient combinations).

The recipe I’m sharing with you today, although only requiring a few ingredients, has an amazing complex flavour that results from the long cooking time. Just like in this recipe, the onion and marrow flavours and textures are pushed to the limit, and the outcome couldn’t be better. I know that some of you will probably be put off by the idea of peeling and chopping several onions, grating and squeezing the marrow, and waiting more than one hour for the dish to be ready. And since we’re at it, I must advise you there really are no shortcuts here – the vegetables have to brown and caramelize slowly, or there won’t be the same kind of flavour development. But if you think about it thoroughly, most of the cooking time is inactive and, in the end, you’ll end up with an amazing vegetable “jam” that is versatile and tasty enough to be used as a pasta sauce, served on top of cooked lentils, spread on toast and, my personal favourite, used as a filling for chickpea crêpes.

Caramelized Onion & Marrow Spread

Fenna

The recipe for Caramelized Onion & Marrow Spread, although only requiring a few ingredients, has an amazing complex flavour

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Starter

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 4 large onions, peeled, cut into half-moons and thinly sliced
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 large marrow
• 1 ½ teaspoons lo salt (see note above)
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the sliced onions. Give the mixture a good stir, so that the onion slices are evenly coated with the oil.
• Leave undisturbed for 10-15 minutes, so that the onion slices in the bottom of the pan crisp up and brown slightly.
• After that time, stir the mixture again and reduce the heatto low. Cook for additional 45 minutes.
• Stir every 20 minutes and add 1 tablespoon of water each time (2 in total), to release some caramelized bits that might have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• In the meantime, grate the marrow into a large bowl.
• Transfer the grated marrow to a colander and squeeze it with the back of a spoon (or using your hands) to release as much water as possible. Set aside until the onions are cooked.
• As soon as the onions have caramelized, add the marrow, low salt, pepper and additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.
• Cook, stirring often, for additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until the marrow has reduced significantly and the mixture has a jam-y kind of texture.
• The spread can be kept, stored in a airtight container in the fridge, for up to 1 week.

Keyword Caramelized Onion & Marrow Spread Recipe

I live in an apartment and therefore do not have any available outdoor space to grow vegetables and fruit (the balcony doesn’t count). However, though, I’m lucky enough to have friends who, knowing my obsession with food and natural produce, occasionally bring me goodies from their gardens. This time around, my dear friend Filipa has brought me tons of thyme, an extra large zucchini (they’re everywhere around this time of the year, aren’t they?) and a bag full of passion fruit.

I knew straight way what to do with the first two ingredients (a huge batch of za’atar with the thyme, and a simple zucchini and apple soup), but I struggled with the latter. I’ve never been a huge fan of passion fruit, but knowing how outstanding it looks on desserts, specially cheesecakes and the like, I decided to make a tart with it. I approached it the way I usually do with vegan cheesecake-y desserts – I’m not a fan of using tofu, so the filling was coconut and banana based, firmed up with the help of Mr. Agar. I was very happy with how it turned out, specially because the filling had just the right texture – not too firm, but not too jiggly either. Eaten cold, I dare say it was probably the best dessert I’ve made this year.

Coconut, Roasted Banana and Passion Fruit Tart

Fenna

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Course Snack, Starter

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

For the crust:

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2cups oat flour (gluten free or not)
• 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal + 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 tsp. fine grain sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

For the filling:

• 400 ml /2cans full fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp. agar agar flakes
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, and seeds scraped
• 2 Tbs .tapioca starch
• 5 Tbs. water

For the passion fruit sauce:

• 6 medium sized passion fruit
• 3 Tbs. brown rice syrup

Keyword Coconut, Roasted Banana and Passion Fruit Tart

I know a lot of people who find lentils boring and bland in flavour, and most of the time is because they’ve eaten them overcooked and without exciting accompaniments. I can eat a lot of lentils – typically 2 or 3 times a week – and the reason I’m a huge fan of them (both flavour and nutrition-wise) is because there are so many possibilities when it comes to incorporate them in a dish.

The other day I made a big batch of carrot purée because I needed some to bake a cake. I ended up eating the leftovers – properly seasoned with garlic and olive oil – for dinner along with (also leftovers) lentils and some quickly sautéed onions. I thought the three components got along pretty well, and decided to further explore the idea in order to come up with a recipe worth sharing here on the blog.

This dish might seem like it has a lot of elements but they actually come together pretty quickly and require ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry. What I like about it is that not only it tastes really good but also makes a nutritionally balance main course, which sometimes, for people new to vegan or vegetarian ventures, is hard to achieve with plant-based ingredients.

Hope you like the lentils, enjoy the last days of summer and warmth and fully embrace the next season. Fall is my favourite of all four seasons, and I love the flavours and produce that comes with it. No wonder it’s the time I’m the most inspired to cook and bake, and hopefully I’ll come up with some new creations that will delight your eyes and palate. See you all soon! (: J

Lentils with Carrot Purée, Caramelized Onions and Hazelnut Mustard Dressing

Fenna

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Course Appetizer, Breakfast

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cupsfrench lentils, such as Puy
• ½teaspoon salt
• 1 bighandful parsley (22 g), finely chopped

For the carrot purée:

• 510 g (8to 10) medium sized carrots, cubed
• ¼teaspoon salt
•  1/8teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• squeeze of lemon juice

For the caramelized onions:

• 600 g (4large) onions, finely sliced into rings
• ½teaspoon salt
• 2tablespoons olive oil

For the hazelnut-dijon dressing:

• 47 g /1/3 cup hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons water
• arugula leaves, micro herbs etc., to serve

Instructions

 

Carrot purée:

• Using a steamer, steam the carrots for 8-10minutes or until they’re cooked through. When they’re cool enough to handle, add them to a food processor with the remaining ingredients for the purée and blend until it reaches a smooth consistency. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. If the mixture seems too thick and you’re having trouble mixing it all together, add up to 6 table spoons of the water you used for steaming the carrots.
• In the mean time, bring a medium sized pan filled with 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the lentils, reduce the heat to medium and cook for approximately 12-14minutes, or until they’re cooked through but still have some bite. Add the salt, drain the lentils and rinse under cold water. Transfer the lentils to a bowl and mix in the chopped parsley.
• Caramelized onions: Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions and salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are really soft. In the last minutes of cooking, turn the heat up to high and cook for additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until they crisp up a little.
• Hazelnut mustard dressing: In a skillet over medium-high heat, toast the hazelnuts until they’re golden brown (4 to 5 minutes). When they’re still hot, transfer to a clean kitchen towel and rub them against it to remove as much of its skin as possible. Transfer the hazelnuts to a food processor and process until smooth with the remaining dressing ingredients.
• To serve, put a few tablespoons of carrot purée on 4 different plates, topping with the lentils, followed by the caramelized onions and a gentle drizzle of the hazelnut dressing. Add a few arugula leaves, if desired, and serve.

Keyword Lentils with Carrot Purée, Caramelized Onions and Hazelnut Mustard Dressing Recipe

My oven is mostly used to roast vegetables (during the last couple of weeks, it roasted an obscene amount of beets and onions) and to make bean casseroles and kale chips. The occasional loaf of bread also comes out of it but cakes and cookies really are a from-time-to-time affair. I have way more ideas for savory dishes than I have for desserts so, whenever I have an idea for a sweet treat, I put my hands to work.

These gluten free turmeric-almond cookies are dead simple to make. The dough comes together in a breeze and you don’t even have to roll it. They aren’t overly sweet and I like to eat them plain, but you can definitely slather them with a fruit compote or marmalade if you wish. As I’m writing this, it comes to my mind that you could add some caraway seeds to the dough or use orange zest instead of lemon. Turmeric is a spice with a mild earthy taste, so a few additional flavours are always welcomed.

Turmeric & Almond Cookies

Fenna

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Course cookies

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 90 g / ¾cup peeled almonds
• 105 g /3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 60 g / ½cup corn flour
• 60 g / ½cup quinoa flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• zest of one lemon
• 125ml / ½brown rice syrup
• 80 ml /1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

 

• In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Let them cool and, once cooled, grind them in a food processor until you a fine meal.
• Add the almond meal, brown rice, corn and quinoa flours, salt, turmeric and lemon zest to a large bowl. Mix everything together. In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice syrup with the olive oil.
• Add the wet mixture to the dry one and mix, forming a dough. Cut the dough into two equal pieces. In a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a log with roughly 4 cm in diameter. Wrap the logs tightly with cling film and seal the ends with kitchen twine. Put the logs in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour, to firm up. In the meantime, Pre-heat the oven to 180C /350F.
• Once the logs have chilled, cut them into 0.7-1 cm disks. Place the disks in a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Since the cookies won’t rise much while baking, you can put them close together. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Keyword Turmeric & Almond Cookies Recipe

I had some friends coming over for dinner last weekend to taste some of my fermentation experiments. Amongst kimchi, sauerkraut (which will be covered soon), a sour coconut chutney and other little things, these mung bean pancakes were served. They’re not fermented per se, but do call for the use of kimchi, one of my favourite live foods.

I looked up online for several bindaetteok recipes and they all used the same basic ingredients – dried mung beans, sesame oil, rice and water. The amount of rice called for in those recipes was so little that I actually decided to omit it altogether. I also realised that the mung beans they use in Korea to make these pancakes are peeled and split, whereas the ones I find in the stores are sold whole. Needless to say, I used them whole and had not issues at all. I assume the batter is probably coarser than if I had used split beans, but I do like the extra texture.

Kimchi is hard to find in Portugal and even though I prefer these pancakes with it – because of the tangy and sharp flavours it gives to the batter – it’s possible to use finely chopped spring onions instead. Just bear in mind kimchi is the ingredient that gives them character, so a kimchi-free version of the pancakes won’t certainly taste as authentic.  Having said this, I highly encourage you to make your own (recipe here!) – it’s quite easy and, if you haven’t tasted if before, you’ll be in for a wonderful taste experience that’s unusual for the western palate.

Bindaetteok (Korean Mung Bean Pancakes) with Sesame-Ginger Sauce

Fenna

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Course Cakes, Snack

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

For the pancakes:

• 190 g / 1 cup mung beans, soaked overnight
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon tamari sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 60 ml / ¼ cup kimchi juice
• 60 ml / ¼ cup water
• 90 g / ½ cup kimchi
• vegetable oil for shallow frying

For the sesame-ginger dipping sauce:

• 20 g fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce
• 1 small garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Instructions

 

• Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the other pancake ingredients, except the kimchi. Process  until a thick batter comes together – don’t worry if it doesn’t get perfectly smooth; it’s okay if it’s only coarsely pureed.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, tilting the pan to ensure the oil is evenly distributed. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, drop 2 tablespoons of the batter at a time. Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
• For the sesame ginger sauce, peel and grate the ginger. Squeeze the ginger over a bowl to extract its juices and discard the pulp. Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and whisk everything together.

Keyword Bindaetteok (Korean Mung Bean Pancakes) with Sesame-Ginger Sauce

I know I haven’t been around for a while but, hey!, I’m still here, and today we’ll talk curry. I realize this is the first curry recipe I write about on the blog, and to be honest I don’t know how that happened because it’s the kind of dish I cook often. I know there are a lot of vegetable curry recipes on the internet and that you probably don’t need another one, but I’ve made this curry countless times and think it’s a good one to have on your repertoire.

The variations in here could be endless. I’ve made it before with spinach in place of the cabbage and it turned out good, but I prefer to use the latter mainly because of the texture it brings to the whole thing. A word on tempeh: it’s well known that steaming tempeh for 15 minutes before actually cooking with it, removes its bitterness. To be honest, I don’t mind the bitterness and I think it goes practically unnoticed in here, camouflaged by the bold flavours of all the spices and the lemon. Having said this, if you want to steam it first (or even sub it for tofu), go ahead.

Enjoy the curry, have a great summer (guess what: here in Portugal has been raining) and I promise to come back soon! (:

Tempeh Lemon Curry

Fenna

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Course Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds, roughly pounded in a mortar and pestle
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds, roughly pounded
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds, roughly pounded
• 2 medium carrots, cut into cubes
• 1 Tbs. fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 large zucchini, cut into half moons
• 1 cup / 250 ml coconut milk
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 250 gr tempeh, cut into cubes
• ½ teaspoon
• 1 tsp. rice syrup
• 2 Tbs. mirin
• zest of one lemon
• 1 handful toasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 1 handful fresh mint, coarsely chopped
• juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

 

• In a large pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onion, garlic cloves and coriander, mustard and caraway seeds. Fry for 3-4minutes or until the onion has softened and the spices have toasted a bit and smell fragrant.
• Add the carrots, fresh ginger, turmeric, chilli and zucchini to the pan. Give everything a good stir and add the coconut milk. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the tempeh cubes and fry until golden brown. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the tempeh with a pinch of salt and add it to the pan with the vegetables.
• Now, add the cabbage to the pan as well, pressing it gently with the back of an wooden spoon so that it’s covered by the coconut milk. If, at this point, the curry looks as if it hasn’t enough liquid, add up to 1/3 cup of it, but keep in mind the cabbage will release a lot of water too. Cover the pan and cook for additional 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted. Add the salt, rice syrup, mirin and lemon zest. Stir everything together and finish off with the lemon juice, toasted cashews and mint.
• Recipe adapted from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, by Peter Berley, published by William Morrow Cookbooks, 2008

Keyword Tempeh Lemon Curry Recipe

As much as I like to cook, I don’t think I could manage the demands of running a restaurant or a café. I love to cook to small groups of people, but more than ten and I start to stress out. I’m also kind of slow in the kitchen, and adding up to that, I hate to delegate tasks. Even though the idea of having a place of mine – with my food, my kind of atmosphere, and so on – sounds appealing, I’m sure it will never see the daylight because of the reasons mentioned above. However, though, that doesn’t stop me from thinking about the dishes I’d like to serve in my little imaginary café, and this one would certainly be a regular on the menu.

It’s simply beans flavored with a spicy curry paste and served with warm charred naan, to whip up the sauces – the kind of food I could eat everyday. The naan is made with both wheat and spelt flours, and you can flavor it in way you like – by adding cumin seeds, garlic, chili powder, and so on. I wanted to make a 100% spelt naan but couldn’t find white spelt flour, so had to compromise and make a wheat and whole spelt version instead. However, though, next time I find it I’ll make the bread again and update this post with how it turned out. A few words on the measurements: I always like to have all the ingredients for each recipe weighted into grams (it’s way more accurate than cups), but my scale has been having some sort of identity crisis and only gives me the weights in pounds. I was a bit lazy and didn’t want to go into the trouble of weighting things down and then make the conversions, but if the scale doesn’t change its mind soon, I’ll buy another one and reintroduce the proper metric measurements.

Curried Beans with Naan Bread

Fenna

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Course Appetizer, Breakfast

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the naan bread:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
•  optional: cumin seeds, thyme, chili flakes, coriander…

For the curried beans:

• 4 cups red beans (canned is fine)
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped canned tomatoes
• 1 large fresh green chili, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 large lemon (cut into 4 wedges) and chopped avocado forserving

Instructions

 

To make the naan bread:

• Add, to a medium bowl, the water, yeast, salt, brown rice syrup and olive oil, and whisk everything together. In another bowl, combine the flours. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl with the flour and knead until you have a firm, yet soft to the touch, dough. If the dough is too wet, add more flour until you reach the right consistency. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
• Heat a large grilling pan over medium-high heat. Dust a working surface with flour and add the proofed dough. Knead for a couple of minutes and divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll each ball of dough into a not too thin elongated shape and add the topping you want (if using) pressing it down gently into the dough. Brush the naan with water and add it to the grilling pan, water side down, and cover with a lid. Cook for 30-50 seconds, or until you start seeing some bubbles on it. Cook the other side for approximately the same time, or until lightly charred. Repeat this process with the remaining balls of dough.

To make the curried beans:

• Add all the ingredients for the curry, except the beans, to a food processor and pulse until it turns into a paste. Add the curry to a pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans, 3/4cup of water (if you cooked your own beans use the cooking water), and cook for additional 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Add a good squeeze of lemon juice to each serving, along with some chopped avocado and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with the naans.

Keyword Curried Beans with Naan Bread Recipe

When I was younger, my mom would cook for me a few times, particularly if I was busy studying. She didn’t like to cook, but there were a couple of dishes she made that I absolutely loved. One of them consisted, basically, of beets and onions. She’d use those pre-cooked beets they sell on the supermarkets and sautée them in olive oil along with roughly chopped onions. At the very last minute of cooking, soy sauce and a good splash of red wine vinegar were stirred in. The final dish looked terribly unappetising but tasted incredibly good. The sweet and caramelised onions were a nice contrast to the chunks of beetroot, and the light sourness the red wine vinegar coated the vegetables with really sold the deal for me.

I haven’t eaten the onion and beetroot stir-fry for a couple of years now. Not that I couldn’t make it myself, but simply because I know that, if I made it, it wouldn’t taste like hers. It’s funny how we attach feelings to food and food to memories, and how those connections can indeed have an impact on our palates. As much as we might want to rationalise the experience of eating, there’s no way we can judge and evaluate food without our personal beliefs and stories sneaking in unconsciously.

The other day, I was reminded of the beetroot-onion dish while watching Nigel Slater cooking. He was making a really good-looking lentil stew with caramelised onions on top. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to make my version of it.  And, as it turns out, my version is a mix of mom’s signature dish and Nigel’s recipe. Personally, I think it tastes divine. The key is to choose the right lentils – use a variety that doesn’t collapse while cooking, such as Puy, for some texture. Equally important is not to skip the cinnamon, as it gives the stew that comforting and warming character all winter meals should have.

Beet and Lentil Stew with Sweet Onions

Fenna

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Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the stew:

• 635 gr / 6 medium sized beets, peeled and quartered
• 315 g green or puy lentils / 1 ½cups
• 1 large onion / 180 g cut into thin half moons
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 625 ml / 2 ½ cups reduced sodium vegetable stock
• 625 ml / 2 ½ cups water
• 1 bunch / 12 g parsley, finely chopped

For the sweet onion topping:

• 470 g / 7 small onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• salt to taste
•  freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Instructions

 

• In a large pot over  over low-medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg and fry for one additional minute.
• Add the beets, the stock and the water to the pan and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat to low-medium and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• After half an hour, add the lentils and the parsley. Simmer for additional 30 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, stir in the salt and serve with the onion topping (recipe follows) and cooked brown rice.
• For the sweet onion topping: add ,to a non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat, the olive oil, onions and a pinch of salt. Put a lid over the pan and let the onions cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re caramelised. At the very last minute of cooking, add the nutmeg and the red wine vinegar. Give everything a good stir and serve over the stew.

Keyword Beet and Lentil Stew with Sweet Onions Recipe

For some reason I can’t yet figure out, my cats love tempeh.  They could be sleeping on the farthest room from the kitchen but, as soon as I open the tempeh package, they come running and meowing like crazy. I always give them little bits of it, and they always give me back “the face”, meaning they want seconds. Maybe it’s tempeh’s yeast-y and nutty flavour that drives them mad. Anyway, I have hardly ever seen them being so enthusiastic about a particular food as they are about it (don’t get me started on the organic and expensive as hell wet food I once bought them, which they sniffed and walked away from).

Unlike the kitties, and through my years as a vegetarian/vegan, I never cared much for tempeh. Today, however, I’ve been cooking with it much more often. Through practice, I guess I’ve come up with some pretty good dishes that feature this fermented soy-based and, most of the time, underrated ingredient. The recipe for this patties is, out of the things I’ve made recently using tempeh, the one I like the most. They’re complex in flavour as well as in texture, with different spices thrown in for a bit of a spicy kick. A couple specifics: you really have to refrigerate them for at least two hours before cooking. It pays off, really: their consistency will improve and it’ll be easier to shape them. The chutney, on its side, won’t take you more than 5 minutes to make and it’s sweet and tangy character goes really well with the patties’ earthy flavours.

Chickpea and Tempeh Patties with Lemon Chutney

Fenna

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Servings 8

Ingredients

  

For The Patties:

• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup warm water for at least 15 minutes
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree/paste
• 1 ½ teaspoons harissa
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 145 g /1 cup frozen corn
• 250 gr tempeh, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

For the lemon chutney:

• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 210g /2 medium sized lemons
• 125 ml / ½ cup brown rice syrup

Instructions

 

For the patties:

• In a pan over medium heat, addthe olive oil, onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion issoft. Add the mushrooms, crushed cumin seeds, paprika, turmeric and thyme,followed by ½ cup of the mushrooms soaking water. Give everything a good stirand add the tomato puree, harissa, salt, frozen corn and tempeh. Cook for, overa low-medium flame, for 8-10 minutes. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl andmash them with a potato masher. They will work as the “glue” that holds thepatties together, so they should be well mashed. Add the tempeh mixture to thechickpeas and stir everything together until you have a firm mixture. Taste tocheck the seasoning and add a bit more salt if needed. Refrigerate the burgersmixture for at least 2 hours. When you’re ready to cook them, add a generousdrizzle of olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, addthe burgers and let them cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until they’regolden brown. Serve with the lemon chutney on top.
• For the lemon chutney: In a small pan over medium heat, toast the mustard seeds for 1-2 minutes or until brownbut not burnt. Set aside. Using a y-shaped peeler or a small sharp knife,remove the lemons’ skin. Cut the skinless lemons into quarters and remove asmuch as the white part as you can (you only want the pulp). Remove any seeds aswell. Cut the lemons’ pulps into smaller pieces and their skins into very thinstrips. Add the lemons’ skin and pulp and the rice syrup to the pan with thetoasted mustard seeds. Cook for 5 minutes, uncovered and over medium heat, oruntil the liquid is reduced a bit (it will reduce even more after it’s cooled,so don’t overcook it). Serve with the burgers.

Keyword Chickpea and Tempeh Patties with Lemon Chutney Recipe

I’m sorry for posting again another soup recipe, but my soup fever has yet to stop. I know that, instead of thinking about ingredient combinations to try for soups and their toppings, I should seriously be thinking about making a dessert of some kind and posting it up here (this blog hasn’t seen one in sight for a couple of months now). I’m planning on working on that this upcoming weekend though, but until then, let’s (continue to) talk soup, shall we?

I’ve been eating this soup as a meal in itself for supper the last couple of days. Thanks to the lentils, it’s quite filling and heartwarming. It’s also quite affordable and literally feeds a crowd. There are a couple specifics about it that I’d like to highlight though. The soup tastes delicious the moment it’s made but I think it improves after a day in the fridge – like most stews, the flavours have time to mingle and develop. It also thickens quite a bit after being refrigerated so, if reheating, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of water to thin it out a bit.

The parsley pistou was a last minute addition that contributes with sharpness and freshness to the whole thing. You could make it by blending the ingredients together in a food processor, but my picky self thinks that chopping them by hand makes it more textured and encourages some flavours to be more prominent than others with each bite, instead of getting lost in an homogenized mixture. Enjoy the soup and see you soon! 😉

Red Lentil and Cabbage Soup with Parsley Pistou

Fenna

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Course Appetizer

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

For the soup:

• 220g / 2 medium sized yellow onions, cut into half-moons
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 300 g / 1 ½ cups red lentils, picked through
• 6 cups water or low sodium vegetable stock
• 400 g / 1 small head of cabbage, cut into thin strips (I used savoy)
• ¾ teaspoon salt (you might need less if using stock instead of water)
• 1 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

For the parsley pistou:

• 35 g / 1 large bunch parsley
• 10 pitted green olives
•  1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 7 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

 

 For the soup:

• In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions and garlic cloves. Sautée for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.
• Add the lentils and the water or stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and, once boiling, decrease the heat to low medium. Simmer for 20minutes.
• Working in batches (or transferring the soup to a large bowl and using a hand blender instead) purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, add the salt and black pepper and bring it to a boil. Add the shredded cabbage, reduce the heat to low and simmer for additional 15minutes, or until the cabbage is very tender. Serve the soup with lots of pistou (recipe follows) on top and an extra pinch of black pepper.

 For the pistou:

• Using a sharp knife, chop the parsley very finely. Chop the olives and garlic as well, mixing it, little by little, with the parsley. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the lemon juice and olive oil and whisk everything together. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve over the soup.

Keyword Red Lentil and Cabbage Soup with Parsley Pistou Recipe

I’m in a soup kick at the moment. Last week it was the butternut squash soup, the week before that the turnip-kale one and, finally, this week, the roasted carrot and garlic soup. Warm and smooth soup is hard to beat around this time of the year, particularly when you live in a part of the world that has been unlucky (and, apparently, will continue to be) with the weather for a couple of weeks now.

This soup in particular requires minimal effort to make and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. All you have to do is to chop a few carrots (if using organic, like I did, you don’t even need to peel them), roast them until sweet and dark around the edges and blend them with a few cups of stock and water to make a perfect, velvety cream.

The dukkah is equally easy and straight-forward to make, adding texture and an extra layer of flavour to the soup. The recipe bellow makes way more than what you’ll actually need for this particular dish, so feel free to use it in other preparations as well.  A few tried and tested ideas: as a crust to pan-fried tofu or tempeh, on top of a kale and avocado salad and blended into a roasted tomato sauce. I’m sure you can come up with more ideas on how to use it though; the possibilities are endless. Enjoy the soup and I’ll be coming back next week with another recipe for cold weather weeknight meals.

Roasted Carrot Soup with Garlic and Dukkah

Fenna

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Course Appetizer

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 900 g / 11 medium sized carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 45 g / 1 garlic head
• 625 ml / 2 1/2 cups water
• 625 ml / 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable stock

For the dukkah:

• 48 g /1/3 cup hazelnuts
• 80 g / ½ cup sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt
• wedges of lemon juice, to serve

Instructions

 

• Pre heat the oven to 180 C. Linea large baking tray with parchment paper. Add the carrots, oil, salt and cinnamon to it.
• Grab a piece of aluminium foil(15 by 15 centimetres is more than enough) and add a drizzle of olive oil over it. Place the garlic head, cut side down, over the foil and add a pinch or two of salt. Wrap the foil around the garlic head and put it in the oven, along with the carrots. Roast the vegetables for 45-60 minutes, or until the carrot sare tender and golden brown.
• In a pot over medium-high heat, heat the stock and the water until boiling point. Once boiling, decrease the heat to low and let it simmer until needed.
• Add the carrots to the bowl of a high speed blender. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and add them to the bowl as well. Add the water and stock and process until smooth(you might have to do this in batches, as a regular blender doesn’t hold such amount of food and liquid all at once). Have a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• In the meantime, put a large skillet over medium heat and, once hot, add the hazelnuts and toast them for 2to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Place the hazelnuts into a clean kitchen towel and rub the towel to peel off their skins. Add the sesame, coriander and cumin seeds to the same skillet and toast until the spices smell fragrant and the sesame seeds have darkened just a bit.
• Add the toasted nuts, seeds and salt to the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a sand-like mixture. Serve the dukkah over the soup along with a squeeze of lemon juice.The dukkah will keep, stored in a jar, for a couple of weeks.

Keyword Roasted Carrot Soup with Garlic and Dukkah Recipe