Monday, November 3, 2014

In My Kitchen November: Polenta Crusted Adzuki bean & Vegetable Loaf

This month In My Kitchen I'm sharing a few newish gadgets that bring me much delight, and a recipe I've created using them. 

Let me introduce to you my new Tupperware gadget - 
I debated long & hard about if I should get one of these as they are a little pricey. In the end, I have decided it has been so so worth the money! It is incredibly versatile, works just as well as my electric food processor and yet runs just on my arm strength!!!! ;-) Gotta love anything that is environmentally friendly and helps with jiggly arm syndrome!
It has a great capacity, but at the same time doesn't take up much cupboard space (considerable less space than a traditional food processor). It is incredibly easy to clean and all the attachments store inside the compartment itself.
I use it for so many things, but it especially comes in handy for when I want to add vegetables to dishes where I don't want them to be chunky.


Let me also introduce to you my new electrical gadget - 
I never had much luck with the stove top pressure cooker that I had - so I offloaded it and waited for a good special on an electric one. I was over the moon when Target had a massive homewares clearance and this was less than half price. I quickly informed my husband that it was to be part of my birthday present! Thankfully, he took the hint!!!!
I am REALLY REALLY happy with it's pressure cooking ability. Not only for making legumes from dried instead of relying on canned ones, but also for making soups, stews, as well as cooking rice and other grains.
I LOVE the saute function, as it means I can toss in my onions and garlic and saute them in the same pot before adding other ingredients, saying on washing up. 

The non-stick coating is fantastic meaning I can saute without using oil, and also the insert goes into the dishwasher - a MUST for all our cooking gadgets as I hate washing up!!!!
It is *meant* to be multi-function meaning it can slow cook also, however after several trys with the slow cook feature on maximum length I have been disappointed to find the meal virtually uncooked. So, alas I haven't as yet been able to offload my other slow cooker as I was hoping to with a multi-purpose machine. Though, I find that with this machine I have no real use for a slow cooker as I can pop this on anytime and the keep warm function works amazing. Also everything that I previously would of done in the slow cooker has worked fantastically well being pressure cooked.


And now let me show you a recipe I made using both of these new gadgets:

POLENTA CRUSTED ADZUKI BEAN 
AND VEGETABLE LOAF 

Loaf:
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1/2 head broccoli
2 celery stalks
1/2 capsicum
2 cups cooked adzuki beans
1 teaspoon each: dried oregano, cumin, turmeric, paprika
1/2 cup tomato paste
Topping:
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/3 cup polenta
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs work fine however I particularly like the added crispiness that panko crumbs provide)


Place all the vegetables roughly chopped into a chopper, or food processor.
Process until all ingredients are finely chopped. (You can do this by hand if you would rather, for the best outcome you need all ingredients very finely chopped.)
In a large bowl, lightly mash the adzuki beans (I used the back of a spoon, depending on how soft your beans are you may need a proper masher) and stir in all the herbs and the tomato paste. 
Add the vegetables to the bowl and stir until well combined.
Press the mixture into a large baking dish (I used a 30cm x 20cm). Press down well.
In a smaller bowl combine the ingredients for the topping/crust. Press the crust over the bean mixture and gently press down. (For a gluten free version replace the breadcrumbs with more polenta.)
Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40minutes until golden brown on top.


Slice and serve.
Delicious with roasted potatoes (as I had but somehow managed to delete the picture)!
My hubby and daughter love this in a burger!

(Note: I have made this several times and I usually include frozen spinach that has been defrosted prior to adding it to the vegetable mix - however on the occasion I was taking pictures I defrosted the spinach and then forgot to stir it in!)


Share what's in your kitchen at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Question of the day:
Have you ever debated about purchasing a kitchen gadget and had it work out more valuable than you initially thought?

24 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new appliances, it can be so exciting! Lovely recipe too and a good way to get extra veg in by chopping it finely into a loaf. Thanks!

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    1. I always find new appliances exciting! :-) Glad you like the recipe. Thanks.

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  2. Sandy - I have just made this for lunch and it is delicious! Thank you for the recipe and it's definitely a keeper x

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    1. Thank-you so much for the feedback - I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this :-)

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  3. This sounds like a tasty dish. I have a new pressure cooker but don't know how to work it- the instrcutions are less than satisfactory.

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    1. Oh that is very frustrating when instructions aren't as helpful as we would like them to be.
      I hope you can work it out.

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  4. looks like two great purchases - I love that the chopper doesn't use any electricity - and great if they help you make yummy meals like this with less effort

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    1. Thanks :-) I am still surprised with how much I use the chopper - such a great investment.

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  5. New appliance are always fun!! Enjoy yours. I really like adzuki beans and cook them up in winter. I found a American recipe that used coffee for the stock which makes for a rich sauce.

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    1. Adzuki are some of my favourite beans I reckon.
      Ooooo that stock sounds interesting - I definitely would of loved that in my coffee drinking days!

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  6. I had never heard of the Extra Chef and have never tried a pressure cooker, so these are completely new to me! It looks like they fit well in your kitchen and cooking style though, and certainly were put to good use for this recipe.

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    1. Yes they definitely fit well with the way we cook. So pleased they made their way into our home!

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  7. I have never used a pressure cooker before! My most' economical' kitchen gadget was my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with all the attachments. It gets used every week and so very much worth the expense :)

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    1. I don't own a stand mixer but I hear from many people that they are worthwhile!

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  8. Sandy, how interesting! Both the hand food processor AND the digital pressure cooker! I have two stove top pressure cookers - one which I bought and one which a friend gave me for much the same reason as you've let yours go! :) The pressure cookers make short work of beans and legumes, but I'm yet to figure out how to cook them without them going mushy. Any tips? :)

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    1. It has taken me sometime to feel like my beans end up ok in the pressure cooker.
      I make sure I don't use too much water and that I don't over do them. I still find that the ones on the bottom end up more mushy than the ones of the top though.

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  9. I have just pulled my pressure cooker out this week again. I always forget how handy it is for cooking legumes. I have been playing with canning my own beans this week to do away with BPA lined tins. Your chopper looks interesting but I don't think I could do away with my food processor.

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    1. I must admit that I haven't gotten rid of my electrical food processor yet either, just enjoying this one more & have tucked the big one away into a less accessible cupboard! ;-)
      Yes, BPA is part of the reason I'm trying to cook more of our own beans from scratch too.

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  10. Your new gadgets sound so useful. I don't have either myself, but I've loved reading your review and how much you're enjoying them. The Bean and Vegetable Loaf looks yum!

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  11. Hi Sandy! I've never heard of an "Extra Chef" before but I really like the concept. The electric pressure cooker would be really handy but I prefer my stovetop one only because we lose power to frequently; especially in the winter when my pressure cooker gets most of it's exercise! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. That definitely sounds like it would be more hassle than it's worth then. Best to stay to what you know will work :-)

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  12. A digital pressure cooker sounds pretty exciting - I have a pressure cooker, but it’s quite old, and the seal’s not great. My new gadget is a new blender, and I got a high speed one for the first time. The speed is quite incredible compared to what I was used to with my old slow one. I used to try to make a smoothie for example, and if I added something like kale, there would still be chunks of leaves after ages. The new one absolutely obliterates everything, and I’ve made a couple of really delicious vegan chocolate desserts, and beautiful bright green speck-free smoothies!
    Beck

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    1. Oh dear - definitely need to make sure the seal is working well on pressure cookers.
      Ooooo your blender sounds very very awesome - glad you are enjoying it and getting good use from it already :-)

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