Mung Bean Curry

I love a curry, and I also love mung beans. So why not put the 2 together!
This meal takes a bit of time to prep with all the chopping, and also to cook the beans, but it's not difficult so don't let that deter you!
If you want to shorten the cooking time, you can pre-soak the mung beans for a minimum of 6 hours & reduce the cooking time by about half. You will only need about 1 litre of stock then too.
I love that mung beans don't NEED to be presoaked, and I don't mind the cooking time because this curry has the most enticing aroma as it simmers away on the stove! 

MUNG BEAN CURRY
(Serves 4)

 
               You'll need:
               250g dried mung beans - rinsed
               1 large brown onion
               1 zucchini
               2 celery stalks
               1 large carrot
               1/2 head cauliflower
               200g green beans
               2 garlic cloves, crushed
               1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
               1 Tablespoon turmeric powder
               1 heaped teaspoon each: cumin, coriander
               1/2 teaspoon cardamon
               1 long green chili
               100g baby spinach leaves
               1.5 litres salt free veggie stock

In a large saucepan or pot that has a lid, put the mung beans. Add 1 litre of the stock, cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. While the mung beans are cooking, chop all the veggies into bite sized pieces.
Add the veggies (except for the spinach) to the pot, along with all the spices and the remainder of the stock. Return the lid to the pot and again bring to the boil then simmer. Allow to simmer for approx 15 mins or until the stock is absorbed and the veggies are tender.
Stir through the spinach leaves until lightly wilted, then serve. 

Another year down - Christmas dinner review

2014 went so quickly for us!
I usually post quite a few pre-Christmas ideas but unfortunately this year I didn't get a chance to - my apologies.
I will however, do my usual wrap-up of our Christmas meal & include a few recipes that you might like to store up for next year (don't you just love pinterest for that reason)!


Pre-dinner nibbles of veggie sticks and baked corn tortillas with refried bean dip (recipe coming soon).

 Dinner included the following:

Beetroot & Green bean Salad (recipe below)

Agave Mustard Baked Veggies

Mini potato bites

Wholemeal Quinoa Loaf

Spinach, sweet potato, corn & mixed bean salad

Red Lentil & Spinach Loaf (recipe below)

And for dessert we enjoyed:

Christmas Chocolate fruit cake

Trifle (directions below)

Red Lentil & Spinach Loaf

375g packet red lentils
2 bay leaves
120grams baby spinach leaves
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
400g can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups oats   **
1 teaspoon each: oregano, cumin, sage
BBQ sauce

Place the lentils and bay leaves in a saucepan & fill with just enough water to cover them.
Bring to the boil and then simmer til lentils are softened but not yet falling apart (approx 15-20 mins).
Pour the cooked lentils into a large mixing bowl, removing the bay leaves.
Stir through the spinach leaves and allow the warmth of the lentils to wilt the leaves.
In a small frying pan, place the chopped onion and crushed garlic - dry fry until golden brown.
Stir the onion/garlic mix into the lentil/spinach mix.
Stir through the tomatoes, oats and herbs.
Place mixture into a lined loaf pan and spread the top with BBQ sauce.
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 45 minutes.
This will slice best if you allow it to cool briefly before removing it from the loaf pan.

** For a firmer loaf you can use 2 cups of oats, however this will make a more dense loaf too (pictured below). My husband prefers the loaf with 2 cups of oats, I prefer it with 1 1/2 cups of oats. So take your pick!!!

Beetroot and Green Bean Salad

60grams baby spinach leaves
60grams beetroot leaves
6 baby beets
1 cup green beans
6 walnuts

Dressing:
150g soft tofu
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Combine the leaves in a salad bowl. Chop the baby beets and spread them evenly over the leaves. Remove the ends of the green beans and lightly steam them. Spread over leaves along with the crushed walnuts.
To make the dressing - blend all ingredients until smooth.
Pour dressing over salad to serve.

Trifle

You will need:
basic vanilla cake
custard- I doubled the quantity of the custard in this recipe, but halved the sugar
600grams frozen raspberries
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves.

Tear or chop the cake into little pieces.
In a glass serving bowl, layer 1/3 of the pieces of the torn cake, 1/3 of the raspberries and then a final layer using 1/3 of the custard, followed by a sprinkling of torn mint leaves.
Repeat layering process 3 times or until all ingredients are used up.
Refrigerate until time to serve.

I have to admit that I wasn't too disappointed to have some leftovers to enjoy!
I hope you all had a splendid Christmas time.

Happy New Year to all my readers :-)

Look forward to sharing with you in 2015. 

Couscous with mushrooms and green beans

I love a warm lunch!

This was so quick and easy to make and totally filled the spot!

You'll need:
1/2 cup wholemeal couscous
6 mushrooms, sliced
100g green beans, topped and tailed
1 shallot, chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Soak the couscous in 3/4 cup boiling water, cover with a lid and allow to stand while the rest is cooking.
Put the mushrooms, beans and shallot into a frying pan. Gently stir until the mushrooms start to brown. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Serve the vegetables mixed into couscous.

 

 

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan           veggie nook        greenthickies  

Cheezey Brown Rice with Green Beans

Here's a deliciously satisfying meal that is quick & easy to prepare!
It can be served by itself, or as a side dish.

You'll need:

1 cup brown rice

Cook as desired, I used the pressure cooker.

1 cup plant milk
1 Tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon tamari
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup green beans, ends trimmed & steamed.

Chives & black pepper to serve

Combine in a saucepan the plant milk, cornflour, nutritional yeast & tamari. Whisk until the nutritional yeast & the cornflour have completely dissolved. Then put over low heat & stir continuously for 5-7 minutes until the mixture has thickened. 
Stir in the cooked rice & the cooked beans. Mix until all the rice & beans have been coated in the cheezey sauce.

Serve with fresh chopped chives & freshly cracked black pepper.

 Now that's my idea of comfort food!

(This makes enough for 2 dinner serves, if you wish to serve as a side for many people I recommend doubling this recipe.)

I meant to post this on Friday - to be part of Healthy Vegan Fridays however I was bedridden! This makes a great meal for any day of the week though! 
Have you got a recipe you can post on Healthy Vegan Fridays -go ahead & check out the Carrie on Vegan blog to submit your recipe.

Spiced chick peas

Here's another easy evening meal for those lazy days :-)

I love a meal that I can use one pan for & spend just a few minutes chopping :-)

Serves 4
You'll need:
1 tin chick peas, drained
1 green capsicum, chopped
200g green beans, topped & tailed, chopped
1/2 pack frozen spinach (defrost in microwave & squeeze out excess moisture)
1 onion, chopped
200g button mushrooms, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried corriander

Saute the onion & garlic in the pan til onion is lightly brown. Add the spiced and stir well. Add the remaining ingredients & cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
Depending on your stove it make be ready - just cook until veggies are lightly softened & all ingredients are warm.

Serve in a bowl with crusty bread - the ends are my favourite!!!!
Would also work well with brown rice.

Enjoy.

Baked tofu & bean mix

BAKED TOFU
(4 serves)
You'll need:
1 pack firm tofu
2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes
2 teaspoons bbq seasoning (check out the range available of different seaonings at the grocery store - make sure the one you pick doesn't contain milk as some of them do - so silly!)

Slice the tofu into thin long strips.
Lay the tofu strips into a baking dish. Sprinkle the seasoning & the garlic flakes over the top.
Pour about 1/2 cup water into the baking dish. Depending on the size dish that you use you may need a bit more - it needs to completely cover the base of the dish but not over the top of the tofu pieces.
Place dish in a preheated 200C oven.
It will take about 30-40 minutes for the water to evaporate. Make sure you turn them once during cooking. I like to let them bake for about 10 minutes after the water has completely evaporated to just make the tofu pieces that bit firmer.

While the tofu is cooking prepare the bean mix.

You'll need:
100g greeen beans
1 tin red kidney beans
1 onion
1 tin tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili
2 stalks celery

Chop the onion & saute in water til lightly cooked. Chop the celery, top & tail then slice the green beans. Add them to the onion. Let simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the drained red kidney beans, the chili & the tin of tomatoes.
I add about a half cup water & let this simmer for 20ish minutes until most of the moisture is evaporated & the mixture is not totally runny anymore.

The baked tofu really compliments the bean mixture & I love to serve this on a lettuce leaf and roll the bean mixture into it. Very tasty.