Oven-Baked Falafel

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] Before today I’ve always been the felafel-in-a-box kind of girl, but one of the things about living 50kms away from the nearest supermarket is that you either have to get very good at foretelling your cravings, or you have to improvise when they appear. Apparently my craving radar was off this week because I wasn’t prepared but I’m pretty happy with the results of this recipe. I’ve always preferred oven-baked felafel to deep fried ones and my mini muffin tray was the perfect way to cook them that way. The falafel were especially delicious wrapped up in mountain bread with avocado, sweet chili sauce and salad. The recipe makes 12.

Felafel Wraps

Ingredients

1 cup canned chick peas
1 cup canned lentils
1 medium leek finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh coriander
1/2 tbs cumin
1/2 tbs dried chili flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs water
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the wraps:
3 sheets of mountain bread (or other wrap)
1 avocado, mashed
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup lettuce leaves, shredded
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 tbs sweet chili sauce

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. In a blender combine the chick peas, lentils, leek, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, breadcrumbs and water. Blend until combined – the results will be a thick paste. Mixture needs to be solid enough to form a ball, you may need to add more water or breadcrumbs to get the perfect consistency.

2. Roll the mixture into 12 balls and place on an oven tray, bake for 40 minutes, turning the balls over after 20 minutes.

3. Assemble your wrap with mashed avocado, lettuce, cucumber & tomato, top with your cooked felafels and cover with sweet chili sauce. Wrap and Eat!

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Vegan Lentil & Vegetable Pie

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] With the temperature dropping so radically here in the last few days (farewell Summer! We will miss you!) I thought today would be a good day for a nice Wintery Vegetable Pie. I cheated a little by using puff pastry from the freezer instead of making it from scratch but I wanted to take photos of the pie before I lost the light. You could make your own pastry if you wanted though! As for the pie mixture, I personally like my veggies nice and firm but if you want them more mushy and pie-ish you might want to cook the pie for an hour or so, instead of my 45 minutes.

Vegan Lentil & Vegetable Pie

Ingredients:

2 1/2 sheets puff pastry
2 tbs non dairy butter
2 tbs plain flour
2.5 cups water
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 leek, finely chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1.5 cubes
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 head of brocolli, chopped into small florets
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can lentils
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tbs dried marjoram
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to the boil. Add the potatoes and boil them for 1o minutes, drain the water from the saucepan and put the potatoes aside. NOTE: They do not need to be totally cooked through at this point.

2. Melt the butter in a large frypan on medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 2 minutes, or until leek is softened and partly translucent, add the flour and stir well so that the flour and butter form a thick sauce. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the water and stock cubes. At this stage the mixture will start to look like a gravy.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brocolli, carrots, zucchini and frozen peas, cook for a further 2 minutes. Make sure the vegetables are coated and remove from the heat.

4. In a large mixing bowl mix the vegetable mixture and the potatoes together. Add the lentils, basil and marjoram and mix thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Line your pie tin with puff pastry (I needed 1 1/2 sheets to do this but you may only need one depending on the depth of your tin, fill with your mixture, top with the other puff pastry sheet. Poke some holes in the top, decorate with any left over pieces of pastry and put in the oven for 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

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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!

Mama Ogg’s Ethiopian Lentils and Vegetables

[tweetmeme source="VeganChickie"]I’m very pleased to welcome Mama Ogg as our first guest blogger on Vegan Chickie. You can check out Mama Ogg’s food blog HERE. Mama Ogg was also the inspiration behind the wonderful vegetable ‘stoo‘ recipe which appeared on my blog last year.

Without further ado, here it is:

Mama Ogg’s Ethiopian Lentils & Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced
1 tsp each ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 cup red lentils
water
1/2 large sweet potato, cut into small dice
3-4 medium potatoes, cut into small dice
1 tsp ginger powder,
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 green cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 zucchini, cut into small dice (optional)
4-5 shallots, snipped

Method:

1. In a large pot saute onion til transparent, add spices and fry for a minute or two. Add lentils and 3-4 cups of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, checking the water level occasionally.

2. In the meantime, in a separate frypan saute the root vegetables until they brown. Add spices and fry for a minute or two, then add a little bit of water until it’s about 1cm deep. You want to steam the vegetables but cook the sauce off by the end of the dish, so start with a little bit of water and add more if necessary. Cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are almost tender, checking on the water level occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. Then add the cabbage, zucchini and shallots and stir to coat thoroughly in divine-smelling yellow sauce. Add a bit more water if necessary (only enough to dampen the mix and make sure it doesn’t stick) then cover and simmer for five minutes until vegetables are cooked through but still vibrant.

3. Serve with rice.

Note: Mama Ogg just told me that today she used the leftovers as the filling in samosas with great success. The recipe tastes even better after a night in the fridge.

**If you have a great vegan recipe that you would like to showcase, and would like to be a guest blogger on Vegan Chickie let us know! We’d love to share it (and you!) with the world!

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 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 Lentil Cottage Pie

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]This is an old favourite of mine that I’ve been making for years. It’s not very pretty, but it sure is delicious!
Note: This recipe is fine to make and eat right away but is INCREDIBLE when made 24 hours before hand and left in the fridge overnight to let the flavors really mesh.

Lentil Cottage Pie

Ingredients:
800g potatoes
40g vegan butter
1 medium onion leek, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g button mushrooms, quartered
415g can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup dry red wine
2/3 cup red lentils
2 medium carrots, chopped finely
1 small red chili, chopped finely
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Boil, steam or microwave potatoes until tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl with half the butter.

Melt remaining butter in medium saucepan. Cook leek and garlic, stirring until leek is soft. Add mushrooms and chili, cook for 2 minutes. Add undrained tomatoes, vegetable stock, water, tomato paste, wine, lentils and carrot. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add peas, parsley, salt and pepper, cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Stand pie for 10 minutes before serving.
NOTE: If you’re not concerned about keeping this dish vegan, you can stir 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese into the potato mash.

Yum!

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]This recipe was such a pleasant surprise.. I always feel a mix of anxiousness and excitement when we try a new recipe, never quite sure how it will turn out and hoping so much that it turns into another favourite dish. Tonight we tried something new from the Vegan Planet cookbook and it was so good that it has shot to the top of my favourites list. We modified the recipe a little because we didn’t have all the ingredients but I will explain that as I go along.

Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie
(Vegan Planet)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped (we – as always – used leek instead)
1 carrot, chopped
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
1 cup basic vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
3 frozen veggie burgers, thawed chopped or crumbled (here, we used 1 can chick peas, 1 can kidney beans, 1/4 cup urid dahl lentils)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/3 cup ground walnuts
1/4 teaspoon sweet hungarian paprika
3 cups mashed potatoes (mashed with Nuttelex)

Method:

Prehead the oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan, add the onion leek and carrot, cover, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tamari, stock, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. If you are using beans instead of vegie burgers, add them now. Stir in the cornstartch mixture to thicken slightly.

Spoon the mixture into a lightly oiled baking dish. Stir in the peas and walnuts (and vegie burgers if you are using them instead of the beans).

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top.

Sprinkle with the paprika and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the potatoes are hot and bubbly and the top is golden brown – about 30 minutes. Serve Hot.

This is such a great comfort dish, it is so warming and hearty. Perfect for winter time and so delicious, I am really happy with this one!