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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Mushroom, Pumpkin & Sage Risotto

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] While risotto seems like a lot of work with all the stirring required, it’s actually quite a fast meal that doesn’t require a lot of preparation, and best of all, there is only one pot to clean once you’re finished eating. I personally find risotto quite heavy and that is one of the reasons I like to add tomatoes during the last stages of cooking, I find that they lighten up the dish a little. If you wanted to make the meal without the tomatoes it would work equally well. Enjoy!

Mushroom, Pumpkin & Sage Risotto

Ingredients

1 tbs non dairy butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic minced
1 medium leek, chopped
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups pumpkin, chopped (approx 1.5cm cubes)
3/4 cup zucchini, chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Melt your butter in a heavy based medium saucepan over medium heat. Add your garlic and leek, cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, vegetable stock, rice and some freshly ground black pepper.

2. Stir the mixture constantly, until the rice has completely absorbed the stock, this will take approximately 20 minutes. Test the rice at this stage, it will largely depend on the water content of your vegetables whether the rice is completely done, if it is still a bit cruchy, add another 1/2 cup of water or stock to the mixture and continue stirring until the liquid has been absorbed.

3. Stir in your tomatoes and fresh sage and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add extra salt and pepper if required. Serve the risotto, garnished with the chopped walnuts.

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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!

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.

Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls (vegan)

We have had this recipe a few times. In my old meat eating life I used to really love Japanese food, so sushi is one of the things I really get a hankering for now and then. This recipe is the first in the Veganomicon cookbook and we originally made it as part of a vegan yum cha feast, these days we have it on its own, it is the perfect Sunday lunch!

Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls
(Veganomicon)

Ingredients:

For the sushi rice:
1 cup sushi rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (this is not the same as regular vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar

For the spicy tempeh filling:
1/2 package tempeh
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon hot chile sesame oil
4 sheets nori seaweed
1 teapsoon wasabi (optional)
1 scallion, sliced lengthways in narrow strips
1 avocado, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Wasabi and Soy sauce to serve

Method:
In a heavy bottomed pot, combine the rice and 1 1/4 cups cold water. Turn the heat to high, bring the water to the boil and stir the rice just once. Lowe the heat to low, cover the pot and steam the rice for 20 – 22 minutes. Empty the hot rice into a large glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with the rice vinegar an sugar, folding the rice gently with a spoon. The rice should be moist and have a very mild vinegar flavour. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes. When rice is slightly warmer than room temperature, it’s ready to work with.

While the rice is cooling, prepare the filling by steaming the tempeh. Allow the tempeh to cool for 10 minutes, chop into small cubes, and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the mayonnaise and chile sesame oil and mash until chunky.

Fill a shallow cup with about 1/3 cup of water and a tablespoon of rice vinegar, and keep near your sushi workstation. Follow these steps to the perfect nori roll:

1.   Place the nori sheet on the bamboo mat. With wet hands, take a snowball shaped handful of rice, about a cups worth. Gently pat onto the bottom two thirds of your nori sheet. The layer of rice should be less than 1/3 inch thick

2.   Place a small amount of filling across the centre of your rice. Lay them horizontally in a straight line. The less filling the easier the sushi will be to roll. Aim for about 1 1/2 teaspoons of tempeh and 3 strips of avocado.

3.   Using the mat, rently roll up that sushi starting from the rice topped end; try to keep your grip relatively tight for a firm roll. When you’ve reached the seaweed only end, pat gently with a little bit of vinegar water to seal the roll.

4.   Slice your roll into 1 inch pieces with a sharp serrated knife.

We serve with soy sauce and wasabi (and actually we also spread a thin layer of wasabi on the rice before we add the tempeh! We like it hot!