Showing posts tagged: : Vegan
Monday, 27 February 2012

Some like it hot………..

Kumara (sweet potato) and lentil curry
Hmmmm, so it doesn’tlook  too pretty does it. Brown, yellow and green does not a great photo make, butpromise me you will try this recipe! The combination of flavours in this curryare gorgeous, and of course you can vary the heat in it by adjusting the spices depending on preference.I am a medium curry kind of girl myself. I can’t see the point in something so hot and spicyyou can’t actually taste the flavours!
Kumara and Lentil curry.
To make this dishyou will need
4 cups of kumarachopped into small cubes
1.5 cups of brown lentils.(mine are from a can, I am all about speed)
1 brown onion finelychopped
3 tsp minced garlic
4 cups vegetable stock
Olive Oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper totaste
1 bay leaf
2 handfuls of choppedfresh spinach
 Instructions
  • In a large saucepan heat oil, and sauté your onion
  • Add garlic, ginger, garam masala and curry powder and stir for approx one minute
  • Pour in vegetable stock, and add kumara, lentils and bay leaf.
  • Bring mixture to the boil and simmer for approximately 25 mins
  • Add in chopped spinach and salt and pepper.
  • Continue to simmer mixture again until the Kumara and lentils are cooked.
  • Serve with chopped coriander on top.
Et Voila! One super simple, fragrant and remarkably delicious curry.
Just in case you wanted a tiny bit more persuasion to get cooking – this is really healthy.
The Kumara is full of vitamin C, iron, potassium and calcium and the coloured skin and fleshof kumara is full of phytonutrients. The lentils of course are full offibre, protein, folate and vitamin B1, and the green leafy spinach is chockfull of calcium, folic acid, vitamin K and ironscombined with and fibre. Convinced yet?
Go on …..do it. Then let me know how you go.
Question – A completely random one today! If you had to give up twitter or facebook which one would it be?
Monday, 6 February 2012

Power Packed Bean Salad

                                                            Lou’s Four Bean Salad

We have been (get it, been/bean)really lucky over here in New Zealand and had a public holiday today, meaning a lovely long weekend. We packed up the kids on Friday night and raced off for a quick break with family, about a four hour drive away to Napier. The weekend and time out was fantastic, but it meant we got home late tonight, still with homework, unpacking and ironing to do ready for the week. In the midst of the general chaos of lost homework sheets, and discovering our dog had wet my daughter’s bed!!!!!, a quick dinner was needed. Now be warned – this involves canned veges, but this blog is after all about making vegan simple.

This protein packed power salad includes Red Kidney Beans, Green Lima beans, Butter beans and Chickpeas so is super colourful. Add mint and avocado, and you have a picture worthy salad.

To whip up this culinary delight you will need:
3 Cans of mixed beans
1 Can of chickpeas
1 Red Onion
1 Avocado
Salt and Pepper to taste
A few handfuls of chopped mint

Dressing
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Directions

  • Finely chop red onion
  • Chop avocado into small cubes
  • Rinse, drain and add the beans to a bowl containing the avocado and onion
  • Sprinkle though chopped mint ( I like mine roughly chopped)
  • Add Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Combine the juice of a lemon with the cumin, and mix through the salad.

We served ours cold, over brown rice.

Question: Do you ever use canned vegetables?