Mar 2015

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

Finally last Sunday I got to sit outside in the garden with a glass of cold German Riesling. I started to think about summer dishes. The warm spell unfortunately didn’t last long (just one afternoon). Cold Monday meant that instead of courgette spaghetti with coriander pesto I ended up making these hearty sweet potato and black bean enchiladas.

Of course enchiladas are Mexican but out of laziness and convenience I used my new Creole seasoning mix. I did want to try it out and let’s be honest there are many similarities in the spices used in Creole and Mexican cooking. No need to be a purist on a Monday evening right? If you want to use single spices than a mixture of cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli, thyme, oregano will do the trick. This is what I love about cooking, you can always improvise and make each dish your own.

Otherwise this is a pretty straightforward dish to make, it takes a bit longer than my usual Monday evening meal but it’s worth the effort. It also tastes great the next day (yes I scoffed the leftovers) and freezes well too so its perfect for batch cooking. Don’t forget the usual guacamole, salsa, sour cream (cashew lime cream) and a crunchy salad.

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SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS
Oil free if no vegan cheese used

1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chipped
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp Mexican, Creole or Cajun spice mix
1 Tbs tomato puree
440g (1 lb) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
1 tin of black beans
1 cup enchilada sauce
1/3 cup water
salt and pepper
10-12 corn tortillas
80g (3oz, about 1half cup) vegan cheese (optional), shredded

enchilada sauce
2 tins of tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 tsp Mexican, Creole or Cajun spice mix

To serve:

salsa
avocado
cashew lime cream (1 cup cashews, 1/2cup water plus more if needed, juice of a lime, salt to taste)

  • Preheat 80ml (1/3 cup) of water in a medium sauté pan with a lid. Add the onion, celery, garlic and pepper, sauté till softened adding more water if needed.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender. Set aside.
  • Add the tomato puree and spices to the vegetables and cook for one minute.
  • Next add 250ml (1 cup) of the enchilada sauce, sweet potatoes, black beans and water. Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked and the sauce is very thick (see picture of the mixture).
  • In a large baking dish, spread about 1/4cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish. Put about 2-3 heaped tablespoons of the filling in the centre a corn tortilla, roll and place into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Poor the remaining sauce over and top with the vegan cheese if using.
  • Bake for 30 min in a 180C oven.
  • Serve with the cashew lime cream, avocado and salsa.


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SPICY CARROT SOUP

SPICY CARROT SOUP

Most of my lunches start by opening the fridge and the pantry in hope I will get inspired. Rarely I have a plan. My only aim is tasty quick nutritious food. This method is not dissimilar to cooking lunches with my great grandma during summer holidays when I was a child. We would go into the garden, pick fresh veggies and herbs, sometimes we picked mushrooms from the nearby woods and make a lunch. Every day we had a vegetable soup to start with. These days I am not picking my vegetables fresh from my garden ( I wish I could) but the process is still the same.

Today I had far too many sad looking carrots hanging around. Therefore making carrot soup seemed like a good idea. In my opinion a good carrot soup needs some spice or it will taste too much like cooked carrots. I know this may sound a bit strange but cooked carrots bring back rather unpleasant memory or primary school when I was forced to eat overcooked carrots for school lunch with disastrous results….Adding ginger, garlic and chilli allows me to enjoy the benefits of cooked carrots without the bad memories.

When it comes to carrots I prefer eating them raw. We are not however very good at chewing them efficiently enough to break down the cell walls to receive the maximum benefit from beta carotene. Cooking carrots makes beta carotene more available to the body. The conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A (preformed only available from animal products) is more efficient with a bit of fat added. Therefore adding the teaspoon of coconut oil as suggested in the recipe may aid this process. Alternatively you could sprinkle the soup with some hemp seeds before serving.
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SPICY CARROT SOUP
Oil free if coconut oil not used.

1tsp coconut oil or 60 mil (1/4 cup) water
1 onion
1 tbs minced ginger
2 large cloves of garlic
1 chilli pepper
5 medium to large carrots, sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
2 medium tomatoes,
1 litre, (4 cups) light vegetable stock
Coriander (cilantro) leaves for garnish

  • In a medium size saucepan heat the coconut oil or water, add onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook gently for 5 minutes.
  • Next add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 30minutes.
  • Blend with a stick blender or in a stand up blender.
  • Garnish with some fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves. Enjoy.



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WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PEPPER AND KALE SALAD

WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PEPPER AND KALE SALAD

With some of my favourite veggies in the house I could not resist making them into this tasty butternut squash, pepper, onion and kale salad. How could you not be tempted by the gorgeous colours? You know this must be good for you. In my book every vegetables is a “superfood” it doesn’t have to come back from the depth of the Amazon forest to do your body good.

The sign of a tasty dish is when you find yourself having an argument with your husband over who will get to eat the leftovers. I won’t call it an argument it was more a case of “false” generosity:
“No, you have it’”
“No, that’s fine you can have it.”
This went on for a while and I know we were both thinking, “I really want it myself”….
In the end we did split the salad and treated it as a side dish rather than a main.

Make this salad ahead, it sure is perfect for a picnic or a take to work lunch. I can’t wait to serve this to my friends in summer whether its at a picnic or a garden party. I am sure it will be a hit. I may add some courgettes and aubergines to this mix too. Yum.


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WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PEPPER AND KALE SALAD with miso dressing

1Tbs coconut oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 red bel peppers, cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
200g kale, torn into bite size pieces
juice of 1 lime
3 tbs miso paste
1tbs coconut nectar syrup (or other sweetener)
water (about 1/4 cup - 60ml)
2 tbs black sesame seeds

  • Place a roasting dish with the coconut oil into the oven for a minute or until it has melted.
  • Add your butternut squash and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Next add the peppers and onion. Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is soft and starting to caramelise.
  • Steam the kale for 2-3minutes.
  • In a large bowl mix together the miso, lime juice, coconut nectar syrup and water (add more water if the dressing seems to thick). Add all the vegetables to the dressing, mix well to coat.
  • Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve. It is great warm or cold next day.


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SUNFLOWER AND SESAME BURGERS

SUNFLOWER AND SESAME BURGERS

Everybody loves a burger right? The beauty of eating a plant based diet is that you get very creative with what can be squashed into a burger shape. Beans, lentils, quinoa, various vegetables, seeds, nuts…. Some combinations have resulted in lukewarm response but my latest creation was a very successful one.

The successful formula seems to be: beans and tahini to bind the ingredients, veggies to bulk up the burgers and nuts and/or seed for crunch. Sometimes breadcrumbs or chickpea flour if they don’t seem to keep their shape. Finally some flavourings like spices, seeds, herbs, soya sauce, ketchup, salsa, chutney…It’s very easy :)

You can prepare your burgers ahead, leave them in the fridge to firm up and cook later. This amount makes 4 very large burgers or 8 medium ones. I size mine according to the burger buns I happen to have. Bake these till golden brown, the seeds are going to crisp up making the burgers delicious. Add some toppings and a crunchy salad (slaw is perfect) for a great midweek meal.

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SUNFLOWER AND SESAME BURGERS
makes 8 medium burgers or 4 large ones
serves 4

ingredients:
1 large carrot (about 200g, 1/2lb), grated
2 leeks, thoroughly washed, finely shredded
1 tin of beans (I used red kidney)
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbs tahini sauce
1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder (I used vegan Marigold powder)
1 Tbs soya sauces (tamari or shoyu)

method:
  • In a large bowl combine the carrot and leeks. Add the beans, using a potato masher mash into the leeks and carrots.
  • Add rest of the ingredients and mix well together using hands.
  • Shape into 8 burgers.
  • Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake at 180C for 30 min, turning the burgers halfway through. Bake till golden brown.
  • Serve in a burger bun with your favourite toppings.

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