Vegetable Vindaloo (Slow-Cooker)

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] Vindaloo is traditionally very hot and I’ve made my version suitably spicy, if you don’t like a lot of chili you might want to leave out the red chillies altogether and just rely on the cayenne pepper and Tabasco for heat. And of course if you like things super spicy it might worth adding an extra chili into the mix. It’s helpful to remember that some of heat will be lost in the cooking process as the slow cooker does often render some of the heat a bit flat after so many hours of cooking, so if you sneak a taste test two hours in and it’s hotter than you expected, don’t panic, some of the flavours will settle down by the time it’s ready to be eaten.

Vegetable Vindaloo

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 knob of ginger, minced (about 1.5 tbs)
2 red chillies, minced (or 2 tbs dried chillies)
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground mustard seeds
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp hot curry powder
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Tabasco sauce
1 medium leek, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium green capsicum, chopped
1/2 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can red kidney beans
140g tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen green peas
Salt and pepper to taste
jasmine rice to serve

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tbs of the oil, garlic, ginger, chillies, sugar, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, cayenne, turmeric, curry powder, vinegar and tabasco sauce (to taste), mix with a fork until everything is combined and a paste is formed. Set aside.

2. Set your slow-cooker on HIGH and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, add the leek and carrots, cover and cook for about ten minutes, until the vegetables are warmed, add the spice paste and stir to coat, cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the capsicum, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, celery and mushrooms and stir until vegetables are coated in the paste mixture. Turn the slow cooker setting back to LOW.

3. In a small bowl – you can use the one used to make the paste if you like this will pick up any remaining paste – combine the vegetable stock and tomato paste, pour the mixture over the vegetables, mix well, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

4. 1/2 an hour before serving add the frozen peas, stir through. Add salt and pepper if required and start making your Jasmine rice as per packet instructions. Serve over rice and garnish with some fresh coriander.

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Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous

[tweetmeme source="VeganChickie"]

While I didn’t use a tagine for this recipe, it could actually be cooked in one easily enough (I don’t have one, or it would have been), I used my slow cooker for this, (you all know how much I love my slow cooker!) but if you don’t have one, it could just as easily be done in a big pot on your stove top at a low temperature.

Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, chopped roughly
1 medium butternut pumpkin peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
2 potatoes peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 medium leek, chopped
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chili flakes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup couscous, prepared as directed on packaging
Chopped walnuts and raisins for garnish

Method:

1. Turn your slow cooker to LOW heat, add olive oil, leek, carrots, potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, prunes, walnuts, chickpeas, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli flakes and vegetable stock. Stir well, cover and cook for 6 – 8 hours.

2. Prepare the couscous according the directions on the packaging.

3. Before serving, stir parsley into stew and season to taste with salt and pepper, remove the cinnamon stick and serve over hot cooked couscous. Garnish with parsley and a few chopped walnuts and maybe a handful of raisins for some extra sweetness.

NOTE: Almonds are more traditionally used in Moroccan cooking so you could substitute the walnuts for almonds if you like. If you don’t have prunes, raisins would work equally well.

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Vegan Lentil and Barley Soup

[tweetmeme source="VeganChickie"]My love affair with my slow cooker continues! Today’s recipe: Lentil and Barley Soup! Jam packed with veggies and lovely and spicy, this one is definitely going to become one of my stand by recipes, especially once winter comes. Serve with some crusty bread rolls.

Lentil and Barley Soup in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs minced ginger
1 small red chili finely chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 cup brown lentils
2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
5 cups water
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Turn the slow cooker to high, add the oil, garlic, chili and leek, cook for 10 minutes with the lid on.

2. Turn the slow cooker on low and add the rest of your ingredients, stir well and cover. Cook on medium for 8 hours.

3. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Serve!

Garnish with fresh coriander or parsley! YUM!

Note: The longer you leave this recipe, the more stew-like it becomes. The first night we ate it as a clear soup as pictured and reheated it the following night as a stew – delicious!

Quinoa and Red Lentil Daal (slow-cooker)

[tweetmeme source="VeganChickie"]I can never remember the right way to spell daal! Oh well! Today’s recipe is a quinoa and red lentil daal in the slow cooker, you could probably do it in a big pot on the stove if you wanted to easily enough though. My version is quite spicy, so you might want to reduce the chillies if you like things mild. I recommend serving it with some sweet chutney or jam and some crunchy poppadums or warmed taco shells.

Quinoa and Red Lentil Daal

Ingredients:
1/2 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 small red chillies, chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (optional)
1 medium leek, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
10 button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp hot curry powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
7 cups of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh coriander to garnish

Method:
1. Turn the slow cooker onto HIGH and add oil, garlic and leek. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, celery, mushrooms, cauliflower, lentils, quinoa, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, thyme, tumeric, cumin, ground coriander, mixed spice, curry powder, cayenne pepper and water. Mix and cover.
3. Heat on high for 4 hours, or on low for 7 – 8 hours

(If you are cooking this in a pan, cover and keep on low heat, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender and vegetables are cooked)

PS: I discovered today that it is entirely impossible to photograph daal and make it look appetising! Impossible I tell you!

Vegan Vegetable Curry (slow cooker)

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of this mild curry, I prefer my curries to be really rich and spicy and so I wasn’t going to post it, but it occurred to me last night that there are some people who actually love their curries lovely and mild, so I figured I would post it and you can just decide for yourself! Serve with Basmati rice and chutney!

No Hurry Vegetable Curry
(Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
1 tbs peanut Oil
2 large carrots, sliced on teh diagonal
1 onion leek, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
Salt

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 mins. Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander, and cayenne, stirring to coat.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to your slow cooker. Add the potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and stock; cover, and cook on low for 7 – 8 hours.

3. Just before serving, stir in the peas and coconut milk and season with salt. Taste to adjust the seasonings.

Vegan Minestrone (slow-cooker)

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]Well after the success of slow-cooker week I think I’m going to declare next week slow-cooker week too. All of these recipes were so easy and SO cheap as well, which is good because the foodie car needs new tires!

All-Day Minestone:
(Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion leek, minced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 medium sized zucchini or yellow summer squash – diced
6 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup raw ditalini or other small soup pasta
1/4 cup pesto

Method:
1. Pour the oil in the bottom of the slow-cooker. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cover and cook on high while you assemble the remaining ingredients.

2. After they’ve been prepped, add the green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, zucchini and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for for 7 to 8 hours.

3. About an hour before you’re ready to serve, add the raw pasta to the slow cooker and cover.

4. Just before serving, stir in the pesto.

NOTE: you can use cooked pasta if you prefer instead of raw, just add it to the soup when you add the pesto.
The omnivore of the household sprinkles grated parmesan cheese on top for extra delish.

Vegan Irish Stew

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]Another slow cooker recipe tonight, a nice accompaniment for the snow storm that unexpectedly swept over us this afternoon! Unfortunately due to technical difficulties with the camera (ie: a dead battery) I don’t have any progress pictures to go with this recipe, just the end result.

Almost Irish Stew
(Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion leek, chopped
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, halved lengthwise
6 very small white potatoes, halved or quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 large kale leaves – or other dark leafy greens, chopped, cooked until tender and drained

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the onions to your slow cooker. Add the carrots, potatoes, garlic, beans, stock, bay leaf, wine, tamari, thyme and salt and pepper, Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

3. About 10 minutes before serving stir in the cooked kale (we also added some browned vegan sausages at this point). Serve hot.

Serve up with some fresh bread rolls.. yum!

Vegan White Bean Cassoulet

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]I got a bit distracted while making this one and ended up making it over two nights instead of one, so rather than toasting the crumbs in a frypan and putting them on top of the cassoulet mixture like it says to do in the recipe below, I put the mixture in the fridge overnight and then reheated it in the oven with the breadcrumbs on top. Either way will work fine, and the oven idea might work best for any cassoulet mixture you are reheating from leftovers.

Slow and Easy White Bean Cassoulet
(Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion leek, chopped
10 baby carrots, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can white beans drained and rinsed (we used cannellini)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Method:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add the onion leek, carrots and garlic, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the onion mixture to your slow cooker. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, wine, bay leaves, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

3. While the cassoulet is cooking, lightly toast the bread crumbs in a small frypan, with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat.

4. When the cassoulet is ready to serve, remove and discard the bay leaves, top with the crumbs, serve hot, garnish with the parsley.

5. You may also like to serve with some browned vegetarian/vegan sausages.. delish!

Vegan Lentil Bolognese

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]I’ve decided that this week is going to be slow cooker week in the foodie household, starting with Vegan Lentil Bolognese.. and oh wow, this recipe was good! And I don’t just mean that in the being polite to the cook kind of way, I mean that in the oh my goodness I need another bowl even though I’m so full I can barely move kind of way. Bolognese was always one of my favourites when I was a kid and it’s one of those dishes that I have really missed as a vegetarian (that and the Hainanese Chicken Rice I used to love to eat when I was in Singapore – Anyone got a good vegan substitute for that recipe?). Well, I will no longer be pining for the bolognese of my past because I’ve definitely found a replacement for this particular comfort food.

The inspiration for this recipe came from “Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker” but I’ve modified it quite a bit.

Note: Although I used fettuccine in this recipe I actually prefer to use a shell pasta, that way the lentils are cupped in the pasta and more evenly distributed throughout the meal.. with fettuccine or other long pasta then you are likely to end up with a pile of lentils on your plate at the end.

Vegan Lentil Bolognese

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 medium leek, minced
2 carrots, minced
2 celery rib, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red chili, minced
1 800g can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup of hot water
Pinch of mixed spice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Fettuccine or other pasta of your choice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or soy Parmesan to serve

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leek, carrot, celery, chili and garlic. Cover, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the slowcooker. Add the tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste mixture, mixed spice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours (couldn’t be easier!!!)

3. When ready to serve, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. Drain well.

4. Just prior to serving, stir the parsley into the sauce. Place the cooked pasta in a serving bowl, top with the bolognese and serve immediately with the cheese (or not, it’s just as good without it!).

Tomorrow I’m pulling out the slow cooker again but I’m not sure yet whether I’ll make White Bean Cassoulet, Minestrone, or Irish Stew, they are all on the menu for the coming week.. any requests?

Vegan Bean & Vegetable Ragout

[tweetmeme source="VeganChickie"]I have had a bit of a slow cooker fetish lately, I think it has to do with the cold New Zealand weather, there’s nothing like the smell of comfort food wafting through the house all day long while you sit by the fire.

This one is one of my favourites from the slow cooker so far, it’s super easy and very delicious!

Bean & Vegetable Ragout
(Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 medium sized onion, leek, finely chopped
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons
1 large turnip, peeled and sliced
1 large parsnip, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups of cannellini or other white beans (or one can)
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked chopped collards or other dark leafy greens (we used silver beet)
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, cover, and cook until softened – about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the slow cooker. Add the turnip, parsnip, sweet potato, beans, stock, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before ready to serve, stir in the collards or leafy greens.

4. Serve hot! (for the non vegans, top with some grated parmesan for extra yum!!)

Nice and easy!