Red Lentil Dal

This recipe is from Simple Recipes.

Red Lentil Dal

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils (orange lentils will work as well)
3 cups water
3 plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons grapeseed, vegetable, canola or other high-heat oil
1/2 cup white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped and made into a paste*
2 teaspoons of Bengali five spice mix (panch phoron) or 1/2 tsp black (or white) sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and (if available) 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
1 lime, juiced (equal to about 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice)
8 sprigs cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped
Cooked basmati rice, optional

*To create a garlic paste, finely chop the garlic, then sprinkle with a little kosher salt (to act as an abrasive) and crush with the side of a large chopping knife over the mixture until garlic breaks down and becomes paste-like.


Method

Place 1 cup of red lentils in a metal sieve. Rinse well with cold water.
Pour cleaned lentils into a medium sauce pan and add 3 cups of water.
Bring lentils and water to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
While the lentils are cooking, bring a separate small pot of water to a boil.
Score the peel of the tomatoes with a sharp knife in the shape of an "X".
Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch for one minute.
Remove the tomatoes to a bowl to cool.
Once cool, peel the tomatoes and cut out and discard the tough stem end. Chop the tomatoes, or mash them, and set aside.
After the lentils in have cooked at least 5 minutes, start preparing the onions and spices.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the chopped onions.
Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic paste and cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously, making sure that the garlic does not burn. Add the Bengali five spice and cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
Add bay leaf and turmeric.
To the onions and spices, add the cooked lentils along with the lentil cooking water.
Add salt and cook for 10 minutes.
Add lime juice and tomatoes. Cook for 3-5 more minutes.
Adjust salt if necessary. Stir in chopped cilantro and remove from heat.
Garnish with more chopped cilantro.
Serve with Basmati rice.

Indian Cucumber & Mint Raita

This recipe is courtesy of Gluten Free Vegan Girl.You could substitute coconut cream for silken tofu if you preferred.

Indian Cucumber & Mint Raita

Ingredients

2 cups silken tofu, vegan sour cream, or coconut cream *
1/2 cucumber, grated
3 tbsp minced mint leaves
1 tbsp minced coriander leaves
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of maldon salt
juice from 1/2 lemon


Method

Place the coconut cream, spices and lemon juice into a bowl and stir properly (or use a hand blender for a smoother result).
Mix in the grated cucumber and herbs, stirring until well-combined.
Garnish with a few mint leaves and serve immediately next to any spicy Indian food.
Left-overs should be stored in the fridge and it will keep for up to 2 days.

*Coconut cream is essentially just full-fat coconut milk that has been stored in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably over-night). Take it out of the fridge and scoop out the hardened coconut cream that you find on the top of the can. The reason for doing this is to allow the added water and coconut mass to separate. All of the water will have gathered at the bottom of the can, which is not going to be used when a recipe calls for coconut cream.

No Yeast Naan Bread

This traditional Indian bread is perfect with any Indian dish. This recipe is from Bhavna's Kitchen on YouTube. Apologies for the terrible photo!!

No Yeast Naan Bread

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
2 Tbls melted vegan butter
2 Tbls whisked silken tofu/vegan sour cream
1 Tbls minced Garlic
1 tsp baking powder
salt to taste
water as needed
finely chopped coriander


Method

In a bowl, add dry ingredients and mix.
Add in butter, tofu, garlic and coriander.
Add wtaer slowly and mix into a soft dough.
Kneed till soft smooth dough. You might need to sprinkle more flour.
Cover bowl and leave on counter for around 30 minutes.
Remove and kneed for another few minutes.
Take a lemon size ball and flour before rolling.
Rolling on a metal surface is easiest.
Traditionally baked in a tan-door but if you don't have one you can bake in the oven or use a large heavy non stick pot on a high heat.
Pat the rolled out naan with water and place in pot, cover and wait for the big bubbles to appear.
Alternatively you can bake at 500F for 8 minutes on a hot stone.
Flip and bake on the other side.
Brush with melted butter or garlic and butter for Garlic Naan.

Bombay Potatoes

Bombay potatoes are a simple and popular Indian side dish that go with any Indian meal. This recipe is from BBC Foods.

Bombay potatoes

Ingredients

4 tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
2 pinches of chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
350g/12oz potatoes, boiled and quartered
salt to taste


Method

Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat setting.
To check that the oil is hot enough, sprinkle in a few mustard seeds, if they pop the oil is ready. Then add the remainder of the mustard seeds.
Add the chilli and turmeric powders to the sizzling seeds, and salt to taste.
Fry this pungent mixture of oil and spices for 1 minute then add the potatoes. Fry for about 4 minutes until the potatoes are smothered in seeds and appear to have crispy edges. They will look quite yellow in colour. Cover the pan and on a low heat, cook the potatoes for a further 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Asparagus, Pear & Quinoa Salad

This is a replica of a salad I had in a restaurant once. It's very light and summery!
You can use any vinaigrette as your dressing and it will work.
This should serve 4-6 people as a side.

Asparagus, Pear & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

2 ripe pears, cored and sliced finely
2 bunches fennel, sliced finely
1 bunch asparagus, sliced finely on the diagonal
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup cooked quinoa


Dressing

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbls chopped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp  ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil


Method

Toss all salad ingredients together.
Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients except oil.
Whisk until sugar has melted.
Place in a jar with the oil and tighten lid.
Shake until mixed and pour over salad.

Simple Vinaigrette Dressings

These is a simple vinaigrette recipe and variations care of Martha Stewart.

Simple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil


Method

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over salad.
You can store in an airtight jar in the fridge, shake before serving.


Variations 

Garlic: Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/2 clove crushed.
Balsamic: Substitute balsamic vinegar for the wine vinegar.
Lemon Parmesan: Use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar; add 1/4 cup finely grated vegan Parmesan.
Scallion: Add 3 chopped whole scallions (about 1/4 cup).
Herb: Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, or tarragon.

Agave Mustard Salad Dressing

This salad dressing is amazing on any salad, especially leafy greens! The original recipe from Nigella Lawson calls for 1 cup of rapeseed/canola oil but I find that too oily.

Agave Mustard Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup rapeseed/canola oil
4 Tbls Djion mustard
2 Tbls Agave
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt


Method

Whisk all ingredients together and store in a jar in the fridge, shaking before use.

Hungarian Christmas Honey Cookies (Mézeskalács)

These are a traditional Christmas cookie that my grandmother used to make, similar to gingerbread. Obviously I've substituted the honey :) For an Aussies, they kind of taste to me like Milk Arrowroot bikkies! My icing turned out kind of caramel coloured instead of white because I used dark corn syrup instead of light.
Recipe adapted from The Hungarian Girl.
Icing recipe from Your Daily Vegan.

Hungarian Christmas Honey Cookies (Mézeskalács)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (115 grams) granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups (435 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
5 tbsp agave
2 egg replacers

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda, and spices into a large bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer beat butter, sugar and eggs.
In a small pot over high heat, melt honey. Add to mixture and beat well, continue by adding the flour mixture gradually. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Gather into ball. Divide in half and flatten into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C) and line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough until it’s 1/8-inch’s thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on baking sheet.
Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
For icing, follow recipe below.
Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip. Pipe designs on cookies.
Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.

Vegan Royal Icing for Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk substitute (rice milk) or water
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Food coloring as desired


Directions

Mix the confectioners' sugar and milk substitute together until smooth.
Add in the corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth. Add in more corn syrup if the icing is too thick.
Divide the icing into separate containers, and add food colorings as desired. Decorate. You can also add the icing to a ziplock baggie, cut off a corner and pipe out the icing.

Other recipes fro Royal Icing here.

My First Halloween Pumpkin

This is my first real American Halloween so it's not wrong to say I was super excited about carving out my own pumpkin! Kind of went with a "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme but had a bit of a nose fail. Still looks ok I think though!
Roasted Pumpkin seeds made a delicious snack too!

We went to a place in Utah called Black Forest Farms where they drive you out to the pumpkin patch and you can pick your own pumpkin. Of course I thought I was going to get a huge pumpkin until I realised how heavy and dirty they were...so I ended up with one about the same size as the kids LOL

They had a crazy corn maze there too...

Mini Tempeh Meatloaf

Original recipe from Vegan Dad blog.

Mini Tempeh Meatloaf
Makes 10 mini meatloaves.
Calories per serve: 214

Ingredients

2x 8.5 oz pkgs tempeh, simmered in boiling water for 10 mins, cooled, then coarsely grated
1 large onion, coarsely grated
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 cup gluten free oats, gournd
2/3 cup gluten free gluten substitute
2 tsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp marjoram
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp HP sauce
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp browning sauce (optional)
1/4 cup (or more) water

Glaze
Generous 2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp mustard


Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Mix grated tempeh, onion, garlic, oatmeal, flour, and spices in a large bowl.
Add in sauces and oil, and enough water so you are able to mash everything up with your fingers. Knead/mush/mash for a few mins to mix everything well.
Divide dough into 10 pieces and shape into small loaves. Actually, they end up looking like lumps/rocks, not really loaves. Place into oiled pan.
Mix together ingredients for the glaze and spoon evenly on top of each loaf. Make sure the whole loaf is covered.
Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 mins, until glaze darkens.