Vegan Mofo Day 7 Colour - Italian Inspired Beans

Today's vegan mofo prompt is Colour!
I made this basic dish sometime ago and as I made it I mixed a variety of herbs wondering if they would work out well together...... I'm pleased to report that they did and I love this combo now. However I tricked myself by the 'colours' of this dish because I was thinking it would taste of Italian herbs..... but it didn't exactly have that traditional italian flavour..... it was just the colours that were Italian inspired to match their flag!!!

So it seemed appropriate to post this simple recipe for today's colour theme! 

ITALIAN-COLOUR INSPIRED BEANS

(Makes 4 servings)

                   You'll need:
                           1 can butter beans*
                           1 can red kidney beans*
                           2 zucchinis
                           1 onion
                           1 garlic clove
                           1/2 cup tomato passata
                           1/2 teaspoon each: 
                           cumin, oregano, turmeric, dried onion flakes, paprika

Drain the butter beans and kidney beans and set them aside. 

Chop the onion into pieces and dry fry in a pan with the crushed garlic until beginning to brown. Stir in all the herbs and a few spoons of water and saute until fragant. Add the chopped zucchini and place a lid over the pan to allow to steam the zucchini for approx 5 mins until tender. Stir through the drained beans and passata and stir frequently until dish is completely warmed through.

Recommended to be served with a wholegrain and a side of leafy greens :-)

* Always choose salt free and BPA free varieties when you can.

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. 

Lentil & 3 C's Stew

Here's a nice easy meal that is great in winter because it's so warm and soothing and full of veggies. It is great by itself, but also pairs well with brown rice or couscous or baked potatoes or even freshly baked bread.
We make it in a pressure cooker, as it's super quick & easy. We have the ability to saute first in our pressure cooker which is a feature I love, as I really prefer the taste of sauteed onions over just having them cooked in the stew without being sauteed first. However, if you don't have a pressure cooker you can make it over a stove top -  it will just take longer and may require more water.
This has become a favourite in our home, especially at the end of the week when we have quite a few bits and pieces of veggies leftover and want to use them all up before we buy our fresh lot for the next week. My husband refers to this meal as "pressure cooker lentils" - just stating things like they are ;-)
It works with any different herbs you wish to use, depending on what flavours you'd like to add to your stew. We also occasionally use a drop of liquid smoke which adds a lovely depth to the stew. The options are truly endless. :-) 

LENTIL & 3 C's STEW

(Makes 6-8 servings)

You'll need:
2 cups dried green lentils
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1/4 head cabbage 
2 carrots

2 stalks celery
1 zucchini
1/2 bunch silverbeet 
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice 
1 litre veggie stock
1/2 litre water
1 teaspoon fresh rosemany

Chop all the veggies. 
Saute the onion and garlic. Add the remaining veggies to either a pressure cooker or stove top. 
If using a pressure cooker, add remaining ingredients and cook under pressure for 18 minutes. Release steam and serve. (You can use baby spinach in place of the silverbeet, add after steam has been released and stir through until wilted.)
For stove top, add the stock, water and lemon juice and cook for 30-35 minutes until lentils are cooked through and veggies are tender, adding more liquid if required. Then stir through the nutritional yeast, tomato paste, and rosemary.

Question of the day:
Do you have a winter comfort food? If so, what is it?

Noodles with Green Sauce

Noodles - my husband hates them.... I love them!
So on the occasions that he doesn't join us for dinner, then I get to indulge!
Here's my favourite way of indulging in them lately:

NOODLES WITH GREEN SAUCE

Serves 4

You'll need:
350g noodles
1 zucchini
1 bunch broccolini
1 cup snow peas
90g baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon minced garlic
juice of half a lemon
150g soft silken tofu
1/2 cup soymilk (or other motherless milk of choice)
1 teaspoon cornflour
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon allspice


Chop the zucchini, broccolini and snow peas into pieces of desired size. 
 
Place vegetables and noodles into a large pot  with water & bring to the boil. Once boiling simmer for 3-5 minutes. 

Whilst the noodles & veggies are cooking prepare the sauce.
In a blender combine the spinach, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, tofu, soymilk, cornflour & herbs. Blend until smooth.

Drain the noodles & veggies and then return to the pot.
Pour the sauce over the noodles and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes until warmed through & slightly thickened.

Serve.
 

Submitted for Health Vegan Friday


Add your recipe on Rock My Vegan Socks blog each Friday.

Slow Cooked Ratatouille with Sweet Potato and Butter Beans

I love ratatouille.... however without any starch I find it doesn't keep me full for very long.
The addition of the beans & sweet potato make this a complete meal.
And using the slow cooker means after a busy day we can come home to a complete meal all ready without having to add anything on the side.

Slow Cooked Ratatouille

1 onion
1 sweet potato
1 eggplant
1 capsicum
1 zucchini
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can butter beans, drained
1 teaspoons each dried thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary & marjoram
800g can diced tomatoes

Chop all the vegetables into reasonably sized chunks.
Add all the ingredients in a slow cooker & fill with enough water to cover (approx 1-2 cups).
Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

I'm such a fan of simple meals like this! Easy doesn't have to compromise taste! 

 
Question of the day:
Are there any meals that are traditionally cooked in the oven that you've tried in a the slow-cooker?

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.

WIAW - Last day of April

Can you believe it's the last day of April already?

Where on earth has this year gone???

Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast was a bowl of granola - This week I made a batch using this recipe from PlantPlate. 
Lunch was my fairly regularly eaten hummus pizza.

And dinner was this absolutely delicious & super easy

Lentil & Green Vegetable Dish

(Makes 6 servings)

You'll need:
1 cup green lentils
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 green capsicum, chopped
1 400g can tomatoes
2 cups stock1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs

Put the lentils in a pot with 2 cups water and the bay leaves, bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Drain and rinse.
In a large frying pan water saute the onions til soft and then add the crushed garlic cloves.
Stir in the other chopped vegetables and saute til slightly tender. 
Add the tomatoes, lentils, stock, tomato paste & herbs. Stir until well combined.Cover and let cook for 10 minutes until all is warmed through.
Remove bay leaves prior to serving.
Serve over a wholegrain of choice.

  Shown here served with a 1/2 fresh corn cob and farro.

This was the first time I have ever cooked farro. 

It was very chewy and I'm not sure if that is how it is or if I had just undercooked it - I'm about to go and research to find out!

Question of the day:

Have you tried any new grains lately?

Agave Mustard Baked Veggies

I love the simplicity of these veggies! They can be prepared in advance and they aren't hard work - a little bit of chopping and coating and then the oven will do the rest of the work for you.

The idea comes from the much loved flavour of honey & mustard, yet obviously excluding the honey.
They make a great side dish with roasts, or BBQ's, or simply to add veggies to your regular meals. 

Agave Mustard Baked Veggies

One large of each of these:
Zucchini
Carrot
Eggplant

Chop all the veggies into desired size.
Place them in a veggie bag along with 2 teaspoons dijon mustard & 2 teaspoons agave nectar. Toss until all veggies are lightly coated. (I save the bags that I buy our produce in to use for occasions such as this.)
Pour into a big roasting dish.

Pour veggie stock over the veggies until 1cm deep in the dish.
Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 200C for 45-50 minutes til softened. (Time will vary depending on size of chopped veggies).

Do you enjoy the flavour of sweet & sour together?

Meatless Monday - Squash

 Today's Meatless Monday ingredient is

Squash

In America the word "squash" would  be the equivalent to our "pumpkin" here in Australia, but since I already did a pumpkin post for Meatless Monday, I decided to do a true Squash post.
Here's Australian squash:

(Any of my American readers like to inform me what you call this vegetable over there???)

Simple Squash Stir-fry

Finely slice a large zucchini and 250g yellow squash

Saute over high heat with a splash of veggie stock to stop from sticking.

Sprinkle with a teaspoon of each: granulated garlic, dried chives and dried parsley.

Serve as a side dish to any main.

I must admit that squash is not an ingredient that I buy regularly. However I do enjoy eating it - especially when it's not overdone. I like it to still have a bit of crispness left in it.

Do you enjoy eating squash?

Simple Green Split Pea Stew

For those nights when we need instant meals and we have the morning to prepare, I find the slow cooker is just so handy! 
This meal is so tasty and yet it's as simple as chopping and letting the slow cooker do the rest of the job for you.
 
Don't own a slow cooker - you can also make it over a stove top if you prefer - just bring all the ingredients to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes.

SIMPLE GREEN SPLIT PEA STEW

Serves 4

1 cup green split peas - (if you have time soak overnight in 2 cups boiling water)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili (optional- adjust as desired)
1 zucchini
1 carrot
1/2 large green capsicum
1 can tomatoes
1 can baby potatoes
2 cups veggie stock (either store bought or home-made) 

Chop all the vegetables to your desired size.
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and leave for 6-8 hours until everything has softened.
Remove bay leaves prior to serving.

Serve with warm bread of choice.

Question of the day?
Do you enjoy using a slow cooker?

POTATO AND LENTIL LAZY NIGHT STEW - Easy Mid-week Meal

I have made this 'stew' (for want of a better word) several times.
Its so quick & easy but yet really tasty. That makes it great for those evenings when we are late home from one activity and not long til we need to leave for the next....
The added bonus is that these are simple foods that we almost always have on hand.

POTATO AND LENTIL LAZY NIGHT STEW

To serve 2 you'll need:
1 onion
2 potatoes
1 zucchini
1 cup button mushrooms
1 can lentils
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Chop the onion, potatoes, zucchini and button mushrooms into small pieces. 
Add to a frying pan and lightly saute, adding small amounts of water to stop from sticking to the pan. 
Drain the lentils and add them to the veggies with the tomato paste. Cover for 15 minutes.
Remove lid and stir through the basil.
Serve with black pepper.

*You can sub fresh oregano in place of the basil. 

Equally as tasty, but changes the meal completely!*

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

veggie nook

greenthickies 

Mexican Chickpea Filo Pie

All this talk of pie has made me cave in.....

Yep that's right, I'm finally making a recipe with pastry!

Well I did promise the occasional treat right?!?!? ;-)

Mexican Chickpea Filo Pie

You'll need:
1 can chickpeas
1 onion
1 capsicum
1 zucchini
1 cup corn (either fresh, frozen or canned)
1 tsp each paprika, cumin, oregano
1/2 cup salsa
4 sheets filo pastry

Chop the onion, capsicum and zucchini. Combine in a large frying pan with the drained chickpeas and herbs. Dry fry until veggies are mostly cooked through. Stir through the salsa.
Line a pie tin with the sheets of filo.

Pour the veggies mixture into the pastry and gently fold the pastry over the veggies. Brush the top of the pastry with plant-milk of choice. 

 

Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.

Slice & serve :-)

Mexican Meets Italian

Another recipe that eventuated when my hubby felt like something different than me! 
He wanted pasta, I wanted Mexican.............. so we decided to merge them!

One word.....
       YUM

Oh, and another few words too.....
       TRY IT!

To serve 2 you'll need:
200g spaghetti
1 cup black beans
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup cashews
1 teaspoon chili
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 avocado, chopped into pieces

Cook spaghetti per packet directions.
In a large frying pan combine the black beans along with the chopped vegetables, corn kernels and cumin. Dry fry til veggies have softened, approx ten minutes.
While the spaghetti and bean mixture is cooking make the sauce.
In a blender combine the cashews, chili, garlic, lime juice, nutritional yeast, and water. Blend until smooth.
When the spaghetti is cooked, drain & return to the pot. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and stir until all the strands are lightly coated, warm over gentle heat just so the sauce is warmed through.
Serve the spaghetti in a bowl with the bean/veggie mix spooned over, a large spoonful of salsa and some chopped avocado pieces.

What do you think.....?
Can Mexican and Italian be mixed?!?!?!?!?

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday. You can add your recipe at these blogs: 

carrie on vegan                    veggie nook                    greenthickies  

Mexican Casserole

A twist on Mexican!

A great tasting dish for something that is rather effortless to make.

It takes a bit of time & preparation but its not hard.

Everyone in our home really loves it!

You'll need:
1 pack corn tortillas
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans           (or 1 cup home-made pre-cooked)
1 can red kidney beans   (or 1 cup home-made pre-cooked)
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes
1 red chili     (or to taste)
1/2 cup salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander

Chop the tortillas into bite size pieces.
Place on a lined baking tray & bake at 200C for 10-15 minutes until just firm but not yet brown. (Cooking times with vary depending on the tortillas you use and your oven.)

Drain the canned beans, and canned corn. Chop the onion, zucchini, capsicums and chili. Combine all of these into a large casserole pan or baking dish. 
Add the rice and spices. Mix well. 
Stir through the tomatoes and salsa.
Spread evenly around the pan.
Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30minutes in a preheated 200C oven.

The tomatoes will be bubbling hot when you take the dish out of the oven.
Spread the baked tortilla chips over the top and gently press them down into the mixture.
Return the dish to the oven and continue to bake for a further 10-15minutes until the chips are browned on top.

Serve and enjoy!

Perfectly satisfying by itself or you can add mashed avocado or tofu sour cream if you like.

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

Lentil, Corn and Tomato Stew

Welcome to Friday!

I hope this week has been kind to you :-)

You know what Friday posts are don't you.....

HEALTHY VEGAN FRIDAY RECIPES!!!!

Don't forget to add you healthy link on these blogs:
carrie on vegan                    veggie nook                    greenthickies


Here's my recipe submission for the week.
Lentil, Corn and Tomato Stew - which has all of those things in it, plus zucchini because I just love it!
This stew is really easy to make and is very tasty.
It keeps well and is easy to reheat so it makes for great leftovers too.


You'll need:

1 cup green lentils
1 cup frozen corn kernels (you can use canned or fresh if you'd rather)
1 x 800g can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each oregano and marjoram
1 cup water (more or less depending on your cooker - you want everything to be just covered with water)



 
Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on slow for 6-8 hours.

If you don't have that much time you can cook it on high for 4 hours.

Don't have a slow-cooker, don't stress! This can also be made over a stovetop. Just place all the ingredients in a stock pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour. 

Borlotti balls

Here's a great alternative to meatballs. I see no reason not to add extra veggies to any meal!!!

In a small bowl mash 1 can drained borlotti beans.
Finely grate in 1 zuchhini and 1 carrot.
Add 2 Tablespoons tomato paste and 1 teaspoon italian herbs.
Mix well.
Roll mixture into balls.
Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 180C oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown.

To make a basic sauce:
Finely chop 1 onion. Place in a sauce pan and add 2 crushed garlic cloves. Lightly dry-fry until you hear the onion sizzle. Add 1 cup passata tomato cooking sauce & 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves.
Stir until bubbling. Approx 5 mins.

Serve balls and sauce over pasta. 

Shown here with spelt spaghetti.

Baked Cannellini Bean Stew

This is a really easy dinner that is tasty & can be served with many different sides.
Also great as a leftover on toast!

You'll need:
2 x 420g can cannellini beans
1 x 310g can creamed corn
1 zucchini
1 teaspoon sage

Drain the beans. Mash one can.
Add the creamed corn and mix well. Add the other can of beans, but don't mash those ones. 
Grate the zucchini into the mixture & add the sage. Stir until well combined.

Pour mixture into a lightly oil-sprayed pie dish.
Bake at 200C for 35 minutes until golden brown on top. You will see the bean/corn mixture bubbling around the sides. The top will be crusty and the mixture underneath will be moist & tasty! 

Serve!