Vegan Mofo Day 4 Art Inspired - Tomato Crisps

Today's Vegan Mofo prompt is "Artist inspired" – Art comes in many forms – how can you use it to inspire you?

I can't say I'm a very 'arty' type of person. I would love to be able to do incredible paintings or drawings but it's just not me!
But it got me thinking how sometimes we wander through art galleries and realise that art can be splattered colours on a canvas and it's up to the individual to interpret it as they choose........
So today I bring you my "blobs" of colour in food form ;-) haha

TOMATO CRISPS

In a mixing bowl combine a can of diced tomatoes with  

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves. 

Mix until the basil leaves are evenly distributed. 

Spread the tomato mixture over dehydrator trays in a thin but even layer. 

Dehydrate overnight until crisp.

Use a pizza cutter to slice into cracker size pieces. 

These super easy crisps are fantastic by themselves, or they make great crackers for hummus, tofu dips, and other dips and spreads. 

What do you reckon? Are they kind of "arty"??? ;-) 

Warm Bean Salad

Winter is well and truly upon us now, so warmer salads are appealing to me more than cold ones! To be honest I'm not one who enjoys plain boring salads, I like salads with lots of flavours and substance! 

The aroma while this is cooking is just divine...
And is there anything so beautiful as the colours of plant foods?

You'll need:
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can each red kidney beans, butter beans
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 green capsicum
1/2 small celery stalk
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
small handful each fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley
fat free Italian dressing
salad leaves of choice

Chop the onion (I did half in slices and half in little pieces just to be a bit different for a salad!). In a large frying pan saute the onion with the crushed garlic in a little bit of veggie stock. When the onions start to brown add the drained legumes, the corn, the chopped capsicum & celery. 

Fry for approx 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until the veggies are lightly cooked. Quarter the tomatoes and add them to the fry pan. Sprinkle over the chopped fresh herbs and drizzle the Italian dressing over. Continue to cook for as long til the veggies are as soft as you desire. 
Serve over salad leaves. I used a combination of cos, iceberg & a bag of mixed leaves.

Question of the day:
Do you eat salad in winter, or only in the warmer months?

Baked Quinoa Pizza Pie

This is neither a pizza nor a pie really..... but rather inspired by both pizza and pie!
Either way - it's totally delicious :-)

BAKED QUINOA PIZZA PIE

Pie:
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 green capsicum
1/4 cup corn kernels (or other pizza veggies of choice like mushrooms)
1 spring onion
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup tomato paste 1 teaspoon garlic flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili

Chop the veggies and basil leaves.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined.
Press into a lightly sprayed casserole dish. Press down well.

Next make the topping.

Cheese sauce:
2 generous Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon cornflour
1 cup plant milk of choice

Whisk together all the ingredients in a microwave safe jug.
Microwave for 1 minute or until thicken.
Spread over quinoa mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in a preheated 180C oven.

Slice and serve.
This will slice better if it has had time to cool first. 

 Submitted for Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Add your healthy vegan recipe on these blogs:

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Question of the day:
What dishes have inspired you to be creative with their flavours but in an alternate way?

Kale Attacked Minestrone Stew

The reason for the name of this stew:
My husband came home from work, walked into the kitchen to see what I was cooking and commented: "What happened to the dinner? Did it get attacked by kale or something?"
I chuckled!
Kale doesn't tend to wilt down quite as much as other greens in cooking. Though thankfully for the sake of my husband, it does a little.... so when you throw a whole bunch into your stew although it takes over at the start, by the time it's cooked down a little bit, it seems like a much more reasonable amount!!!!! lol
Then again, I think being attacked by the "super hero" power of kale isn't such a bad thing after all ;-)
And so I bring you....

KALE ATTACKED MINESTRONE STEW

You'll need:
1 large onion
1 large zucchini
1 large carrot
2 cloves of garlic
1 can cannelliini beans (drained)
1 can tomatoes
1 bunch kale
3 stalks of both basil and parsley (fresh)
4 bay leaves
1 litre vegetable stock (I used home made)
1/2 cup soup pasta

Chop all the vegetables and herbs. In a large pot brown the onion using a bit of water to prevent from sticking. Add all ingredients to the pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft (and the kale has wilted down lol).

Most of the stock will be absorbed by the pasta - making it more the consistency of a 'stew' and not a 'soup'. If you prefer this more 'soup-like' just add more stock (or water).
Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.

 
I am linking this to Meatless Monday: Watercress.
I have to confess that I can't find watercress in our regular store and I didn't have the time to look for it in other places! Any greens can be substituted for the kale in this recipe.

Meatless Monday: Tofu -- Gnocchi with Basil & Broccoli

Today's Meatless Monday ingredient is Tofu.

Tofu is often an ingredient that people look upon with frowns! I have to admit that I their have been times when I'm had tofu dishes that are just not that tasty! It's important to remember that tofu will take on flavours from what it is cooked with and by itself it quite bland.
Here's a great way to use tofu and make it really tasty!

Gnocchi with Basil & Broccoli

500g gnocchi (either store bought or home-made)
1/2 head broccoli
3 cups fresh basil leaves
300g soft silken tofu
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and the broccoli cut into small florets.
While the gnocchi is cooking prepare the sauce. Place the basil, drained tofu, nutritional yeast & garlic in a blender or food processor and blend til smooth.
You will be able to see when the gnocchi is cooked because it will start to float. When it is cooked, drain. 
Return gnocchi and broccoli to the pot and stir the sauce through til evenly distributed. Heat for 2 minutes until warmed through.

Serve with freshly cracker black pepper.

Serves 3-4

Question of the day:
Do you enjoy eating tofu? 
If so, what is your favourite flavour to combine with it?

Red, White & Green Pasta

Pasta is an Italian meal right???
So why not make it in Italian colours.....
A quick & easy meal that everyone will love! With the added bonus of minimal washing up!!!!


Serves 3
You'll need:
250g pasta of choice 
3 cubes frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 can cannellini beans
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup tomato passata cooking sauce

basil leaves 
freshly cracked black pepper

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta, spinach & peas. Cook until pasta is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
Combine the drained beans, garlic and passata together in a blender and blend until smooth and thick.

 






Drain the pasta and then return to the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir til well combined. Return to the stove and gentle heat on low until the sauce has warmed through - approx 5-7 mins.


Serve topped with ripped basil leaves and black pepper.