Bruschetta with Raw Garlic Bread - VEGAN Recipe

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I threw a potluck at my place yesterday.  One of my efforts was a pungent, fresh and tasty bruschetta. 



Back in my ‘gluten’ days I used to make this simple dish A LOT.  The flavours are so vivid when the tomatoes are fresh from the vine.  Room temperature, to bring out their sweet, acid fruitiness.  When freshly minced garlic, peppery extra virgin olive oil and basil combine with the tomatoes, and a good pinch of rock salt is rubbed between thumb and fingers to freckle over the top..something magical happens. Inhale deeply whilst gently tumbling the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon or fork. It is a sensual, aromatic feast as the acid ‘cooks’ the garlic and the essential oils from the basil are released into the juices from the tomatoes. The ingredients act like a great boy band…individual, unique but together they ROCK!

I decided to try a recipe for Raw Garlic Bread - Russell James.  The recipe is complete genius with surprising ingredients like psyllium husk and almond pulp. The bread is raw, living (‘cooked’ via a dehydrator to keep its enzymes intact..an oven on it’s lowest setting could possibly work) spongy and light. It even has a chewy crust, much like a french baguette. I made two changes to the recipe.  Omitting the dates and using one clove of garlic, as the cloves I had were ginormous and the tomatoes were laden with garlic too.  It turned out quite perfect!  Gluten free, low carb.  All praise to Russell for a fabulous recipes.  It is one I will used again and again.

The topping is simple.  Ripe, succulent tomatoes roughly chopped.  Fresh, minced garlic and torn organic basil leaves.  Salt to taste.  The bread acts like a sponge to the salad and it transforms it.  It’s chewy, garlicky, fresh, aromatic and perfectly pert.


The raw bread takes 14 hours to dehydrate but it made 4 small loaves and it freezes.  The tomato bruschetta takes mere moments.

Nutritional info according to Science Daily

 ‘researchers found that tomatoes are the biggest source of dietary lycopene; a powerful antioxidant. Tomatoes also contain other protective mechanisms, such as antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory functions. Research has additionally found a relationship between eating tomatoes and a lower risk of certain cancers as well as other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, ultraviolet light-induced skin damage, and cognitive dysfunction’.

Enjoy

x

Delicious Raw Cauliflower Tagine - RECIPE

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I know I’ve been banging on about it all summer but I’m really trying to increase my repertoire of recipes that require prepping only. Foods that are enzyme rich and flavour full. No pans to wash with heat hardened onions welded like rocks to the bottom, or ages spent stirring sauces or heating ovens.  But I’m thriving on it.  So for the moment I’ll continue to use pans to make like drums and keep my food as nature intended.
The raw food scene (don’t cook it just ‘collate’ it)  seems to be awash with the most amazing desserts you’ll ever eat and a healthy abundance of wraps, but I find the quantity of mains and entree recipes a bit spare.  

I savour the exotic spice combinations that typify the worlds cultural cuisine.  Just because a dish is known in its cooked form, doesn’t mean it can’t rock raw!  I think this dish may just be proof of that.  Of course you can’t compere the flavours of something cooked low for hours allowing the flavours to develop slowly.  Today I’ve a tagine that will evoke the aromatic spices of Africa, but it is different.  Think of it like twins.  The same, but with personalities of individual nature.  Both are great, in their own way.

Zesty, aromatic - RAW CAULIFLOWER TAGINE

Serves 4                                               HEALTHY -low carb, vegan, gluten free, soy free, low fat 


1 organic cauliflower cut into small bite size florets
1 large carrot diced small 
1 shallot 
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes soaked for 30 mins (the unsalted dried ones not in oil are best)
2 large ripe tomatoes (seeded centres removed, or tagine will be too wet )
2 cloves garlic
4 dried dates chopped
2 Tbs pine nuts (you can lightly toast for extra crunch if you desire)
1/4 inch of fresh ginger
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder (or cumin seeds roasted and ground)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1 Tbs chopped fresh mint - plus a few leaves for garnish
zest of small orange
1 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp Himalayan or sea salt

*Optional (but enriches the sauce) - 2 Tbs EVOO or hemp oil.  Hemp has nutritionally better balanced Omegas.



Method

1. put all ingredients (except carrot, cauliflower, dates, pine nuts and zest) into a blender.  Rough chop them to so you can pulse lightly and still keep the layers of flavours distinct.  Do blend to a sauce but just stop when it reaches this stage.
2. Pour sauce into a mixing bowl and add the zest and remaining chopped mint to the sauce, along with your diced carrot and cauliflower, pine nuts and chopped dates and mix until you’ve coated all of the vegetables. You could of course add other vegetables but I wanted the cauliflower and flavours of the sweet, tangy sauce to be centre stage.


I served my tagine with a green salad with an orange vinaigrette.  All in all it took about 15 minutes to gather the ingredients and prepare the finished dish.  It’s a bit of a flavour circus. The diced veggies are a marching band, and then the zest swings through the arena like a trapeze act. Whilst the man breathing fire blows a gentle warm spice breath over the whole proceedings.  Actually, perhaps you don’t want to conjure up thought of a stranger blowing over your food…so scrap that.  Dream up with your own simile.

I took the dish to a potluck and it garnered appreciative murmurs.  I hope I’ve convinced you to give it a try.  Please come back and let me know if you do.  Comments make me happy!  Feed my happy habit!


x

p.s  you could of course use the ingredients and cook them for 30 mins if you wanted.  Or, to retain all the goodness but concentrate the flavours, use your dehydrator for 5 hours or so.  But please, do add the zest and mint at the last moments so they don’t get lost in the melee.   I loved this dish just the way it was.

p.s.s  I’m a bit cauliflower obsessed at the moment so I’ve a few more rather good recipes up my sleeve.  I’ll be sharing with you soon.



QUICK RECIPE - Spinach and Agushi Stew

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Africa is etched my travel wish list. Not just for vibrant landscapes and beautiful, dark skinned natives but for their exotic food. Though currently a predominantly meat eating continent, a good portion of their dishes just so happen to be naturally vegan.  And their staples are foods I adore….  Plantains, maize, millet, yams, beans, peanuts and coconuts.  Raised under a scorching sun who gently draws out their natural sweetness.  Curries, stews and many starches are either stirred for hours or pounded into shape.  They have wonderful sounding names like Waakye, Fufu and Fonfom.

I love to try dishes from far off countries, to get a taste for the people and the land.  Lucky enough to live a short train journey from the London, ubiquitously termed ‘the melting pot’, I don’t always have to travel too far to savour the world.  Exmouth Market in boho Clerkenwell are weekly hosts to a mouthwatering Ghanian food company. I had a summer romance with one of their legendary dishes last year at the Southbank Festival.  The beaming chefs at Spinach & Agushi, the food stall stirred big steel pans of the stuff and the layers of flavours were dazzling. I was wowed. Like any brief fling that ends on a high….the flavour lingered a little.  
My memory was gently prodded whilst cleaning out my food cupboards last week and I uncovered some forgotten ingredients.  I’d bought the main component (egusi - melon seeds) for this traditional African dish a while back and not yet used them. So yesterday I finally got around to recreating this warming traditional Ghanian dish.  

It’s simple, and it will charm your heart.


Spinach & Agushi Stew

Recipe serves 2

1 cup dried melon seeds (rich in protein, Omega 3, Vitamins, Folic acid, calcium, magnesium and zinc)  if you can’t find..sub with pumpkin/pepita seeds though it will alter the flavour somewhat.
2 cup spinach (I used frozen…allow a little extra cooking time for it to cook if from frozen or let it thaw naturally and use..adapt accordingly)
2 small onion
4 ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 red chilli 
1/2 tsp chill powder (or to taste…I enjoyed the subtlety of this dish)
1 cup water
1 tsp Himalayan salt 
1/2 tsp white pepper (or African Melegueta pepper if you can source it)
1 Tbs coconut oil for frying

I adapted this recipe from egusi sauce which I discovered on the Internet from Global Table Adventure.  It is very simply prepared.  The melon seeds are creamy and ever so slightly sweet.  You can roast them too for snacking (I did and I loved) or use them in your gluten free flour mix. Sprinkle them on cereal too.  They are crisp like flaked almonds.

Method1. roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, garlic and red chilli.  Place in a blender and blend  to a loose paste.
2. grind the melon seeds in a coffee grinder to resemble the consistency of almond flour.
3. gently heat a pan and melt the coconut oil.  First stir in the tomato mixture and cook on a low heat for 5 mins.  Then shake in the ground seeds and stir.  Now add the chill powder and seasonings with the water and spinach. Once incorporated and the stew is flecked with the greens, simmer ever so gently for a further 5-8 mins.  (preparing the night before and reheating is said to enhance the flavours…I devoured it immediately and with gusto!)

I served mine with slithers of plantains rubbed in fresh garlic, sprinkled with sea salt and  fried golden in coconut oil.  To coin a well worn phrase.  It was far out!  Warming, creamy, a little cheeky and delightful.  

The result (I think) is not too far from the bowls of gorgeousness served by those guys from Spinach & Agushi.  I thank them for introducing me to the taste of Ghana.



Please enjoy,

low fat, vegan, gluten free, sugar free




Cheezy Cauliflower Popcorn - so good it’s criminal!

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My target for this month’s The Secret Recipe Club, where members get secretly assigned a cooking blog to recipe test was,  Ma, What’s for dinner?   

Mother to 3 boys, Alex, has transformed her unruly and oft hair pulling, meal times by cooking WITH her children.  Her reason?  Get your children interested in food and they will build up a healthy, long-standing relationship with food.  The result? She’s bonded with her kids in the kitchen, and is inspiring others to do the same.   Isn’t that fantastic?!  Cooking is a priceless life skill, eating well is best imported into the minds of little people from day dot.  It is clear, Alex’s family obviously treasure time spent together in the kitchen. 

When Angie, one of the ladies that make the magic happen at SRC, and also queen of her own blog Big Bears Wife, sent me this month’s secret assignment, I admit to being momentarily stumped.  Alex and I are chalk and cheese when it comes to food choices. Alex’s recipes tend to be heavily meat based. I am a vegan.  I had to pick a recipe to trial and blog about, but I’m all about health and taste without animal products…What to do when faced with a challenge?…..become SOULUTION targeted.   I clicked in and out of several recipes and landed upon Popcorn Balls.   The ingredients list nearly had me running for the hills - butter, sugar, corn syrup!!!   I hatched a plan to discover a way to make these grab and run, treats tasty, quick and GOOD for you. 

 I adore researching recipes online.  Food bloggers are so creative!  This can be especially true for vegan bloggers who think outside of the box.  My poking and clicking unearthed a recipe I thought could use whilst (loosely) keeping to the theme.  No, it is has no sugar, it is not even made out of corn BUT it is good.  Very good.  SO GOOD these badboys are now nipping at the heals of my TOP vegan snack of choice - the KALE chip!

I give you - Cheezy Cauliflower Popcorn!   Yes…believe it. 

Raw Food guru Philip McCluskey was the man who created this recipe and set of bloggers in their thousands to get them some movie snacks.
I kept them raw, but you can do raw-raw and baked too.  They are such fun to make and are VERY moreish!  Allow 1/2 head of cauliflower per person.

I borrowed my friend’s 8 year old to make these with me and their verdict was….’they’re epic!’ (seems to be the new buzz word…better than ‘sick’ I guess)








Serves 2

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
4 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Method
1. chop the cauliflower into small bitesize pieces (please do as I say and not as I did and made them too big….I thought I knew better.  Lesson learnt!) and place into a zip lock bag or a plastic tub with a lid or deep sides.
2. add the oil and water to the bag and give it a good shake
3. next put in the seasoning and shake, shake, shake until the florets are  covered and golden.

next - there are 3 ways to do this….

raw-raw - that’s it, you are finished and can snack at will
raw-put onto a paraflex sheet and dehydrate for 5-7 hours
baked - add an additional tbs of oil and pop into the oven for 20 mins.




Ingredient swaps - swap the nutritional yeast for ground nuts.  swap the nutritional yeast for date syrup or maple syrup and ground nuts (grind your own in coffee grinder or high speed blender) so a sweet snack.   Don’t swap, but add - flax meal when dehydrating - so nice, as the flax meal goes all crisp and nutty!

Jackfruit Seed Curry

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A couple of weeks ago I was cat sitting for a friend, in a city just North of London.  It is quite unlike where I live, there cultural diversity is not exactly thriving.  So I get excited to wander in and out of a long stretch of enticing Asian food stores.  I shake boxes, peer into tubs, gingerly sniff at strange vegetables.  I squint at minuscule text on colourful packages to uncover what the contents are.  These stores don’t just look different.  No sleek expensive displays just shelves with bulk bags of rice and bean flour, they smell different too.  I revel in the foreignness of it all!

After a lengthy Q & A with a patient store owner, who matched my excitement at times (or humoured me at least), I went home with a bag of spirally fingers of green veg, a huge root vegetable called a mooli or daikon, and a last minute grab of a handful of large seeds, the colour of many a wall in British homes in the 90’s…magnolia.  The jolly man at the till told me what they were, but a Google search was on the cards to find out what to do with them.  This giant seed that was giving nothing away!

A few of Asian websites offered their take on the preparation. In Thailand they boil them.  Their wedding ceremonies use mung bean flour and coconut flour make make a dough, to shape into balls to resemble the seed (I failed to discover why) and call it Met Khannon.  The sweet bake is said to symbolise that whatever fate has for the bride and groom and ensure they will have support of others, and never loose sight of their dreams.  i was feeling far too single to think about weddings and confetti ….and perhaps my recent (and ongoing) green smoothie-juicing-salad munching health kick made the thought of pungent, colourful spices all the more exotic and enticing.

So I opted to transform the seed, Indian style, and prepare Palakottal.  

 Mine is a slightly adjusted version of a dish hailing from Tamil Nadu. 

To create this dish for two you will need…

1 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium onion diced small
1 green chili with most of ribs and all seed removed unless you like some fire
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
3 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds

oil for frying

Measure all your Indian spices and decant them onto a plate to sit beside your cooker top, waiting for you to  enlist their beguiling flavours.  Use a knife to score the thin skin of the jackfruit seed, the use thumb and forefinger to prise the seed free.  Gently drop into a pan of nicely bubbling water, coloured with the turmeric powder.  Lower the heat to a simmer and let the seeds jiggle in the hot broth for 25-30mins. 
Drain the liquid and shake the seeds onto a chopping board.  Take your knife and carefully split the seeds in half.  You can use the same pan, emptied of water, to toast the spices. Toasting releases the spices natural oils and their flavour deepens as the mingling fragrance blooms into the kitchen. 
But first, add oil, about a table spoon, to the hot pan and fry the onion, chili and chopped garlic and ginger for a minute or so. I love how they begin to glisten. It is a glorious union!  When they are sizzling and taking on a touch of golden hue, it’s time to push the spices into the pan.  Stir the mix so it doesn’t burn, when each fragrant spice has unfolded put the juicy tomatoes in the pan, with the seeds and  gently combine it all together. 
Only a few minutes is needed to coat the seeds and for the tomatoes to break down to a sauce.

Serve simply with fresh Indian bread or brittle, roasted, poppadoms and a scattering of fresh green cilantro (coriander leaves or to give it its Indian name dhania). 

The seed are soft and waxy as freshly dug new potatoes.  They absorb the spices and slightly acidic tomatoes so well but still layers of flavour pop intermittently.

Xmas Feasting - PART 3 - Starter - Balsamic Pear Salad with Deep Fried Cheese Croutons (DAIRY-FREE)

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I wish I had £10 for every time I heard Mariah Carey sing ‘All I Want For Christmas’….I’d be stockpiling a small fortune by now! Hey, ho… ho ho!

Did you check out Xmas Part 1 & 2?  Hope so..if not, there is always time.. click here for Part 1 and Part 2, right here 

To keep with the ‘healthy but feasty’ theme I thought a light , but flavoursome, salad would be a good choice for the Christmas Day starter. Do you agree?     I can’t help feeling a little nostalgic at Christmas.  Reminiscing about some retro dish from my childhood (it’s all those bloody old Christmas songs filling the airways and catapulting me back to Christmas past).  I’ve been recalling the days when a crouton was ‘posh’ food and me ma would serve everything  deep fried and breaded, to showcase her culinary mastery.  Us little’ns would see a few cubes of oily breadcrumbs on top of the Maryrose sauce and  think we’d skipped up to the Upper Classes.  Our pinkies would flick up from our cutlery in reverence, and an attempt to eat like stereotypical posh people. (cough)  I think I must have had a case of invented memory syndrome because I cannot possibly be old enough to remember when prawn cocktail was in its heyday!  So, with that in mind, and looking to what is seasonal I racked my brain for the perfect Christmas starter……and my inspired dish for Christmas day starter is to be……

 Balsamic PEAR Salad With Deep Fried Cheese Croutons With Mustard Dressing and Leaves.

Recipe   Serves 4

3 large conference pears
2 tbs balsamic glaze
1 tbs vegan butter & 1 tbs sesame oil for frying
salt & pepper

deep fried cheese
vegan hard cheese  recipe here to make your own
4 tbs breadcrumbs
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs tapioca flour & water to make paste or  use egg replacer
salt & pepper
oil for deep frying

dressing (can be made ahead of time)
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil (walnut oil would be lovely too I think)
2 tsp brown rice syrup (or agave, maple or similar)

organic salad leaves to serve

Method

1.carefully peel your pears and cut into quarters lengthwise.  2. heat oil and butter in a pan and fry the pears until they are crackling and starting to caramelise.  3. season and spoon over the balsamic glaze, cook for a further 3-4 minutes.  4. whilst they are cooking away nicely grab all your dressing ingredients and mix them in a jar. Set aside  5. to make the cheese crouton like things (sorry, it’s dark and cold here, not feeling very inspirational to come up with a fitting title) take an apple corer and cut out 3 cones for each person.  Roll them in the tapioca paste then roll….gently now….in the breadcrumbs.  6. fry in the oil..careful!…until golden.  Drain and them put all your elements together. Finally, get all cheffy and drizzle over the Dijon dressing.  Let the feasting fun commence! 

 I’m hoping to extend the Christmas Feasting series to Part 4 and share some additional desserts and party food….if time allows.

Baked Zucchini Fries with lemon aioli - Gluten free, low fat and crispilicious

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Hello!  This week I’ve been rushing around, on my bike, on the train, around food festivals, in food markets, around my kitchen experimenting with some delights I will share here soon.  Busy, busy! I have also been racking up some time at  The Lean Green Bean   Its my fifth month with the The Secret Recipe Club and Lindsay’s foodie foray was to be my December assignment. Read about it here to find out what it’s all about (if you can keep a secret).   

Lets talk fries….



Crispy garlic Zucchini Fries

These looked so good on Lindsay’s blog I just had to give them a go.  There was a teeny bit of tweaking to be done to make these crispy sticks gluten-free and vegan.  Traditional recipes of this type use egg to bind the crumb to the object- de-la-legumes so I needed to find the best alternative.  I didn’t want to use something out of a box that someone else had produced I wanted to find a vegan ‘egg’ in my cupboards.  This website was a big help - all about egg replacements in baking.  I used 1 tbs flour (sorghum), 1/2 tsp oil and 2 tbs water to mix to a paste.  It worked a treat.  Here is what you need for the rest of the recipe

  Ingredients
(serves 2)
2 zucchini (courgettes) julienned
2 tbs gluten-free flour (sorghum has a lovely flavour and works perfectly)
1 tbs vegan Parmesan powder or nutritional yeast
1/4 tbs gluten-free bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp paprika (you can also add a pinch of chili powder if you want them fiery)
salt & pepper to taste

 

method



1.Prepare your station
bowl one - flour & Parmesan
bowl two - egg replacer - (flour, oil and water)
bowl three - breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder, baking powder, salt & pepper
2. dip the bald fries into the bowls from 1-3 ensuring they are well covered. 3. gently place on an oiled baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 220 degrees for 20 mins.  Give them a little shake halfway through. 4. serve immediately with lemon aioli (blend tofu, lemon juice and garlic powder or minced garlic clove and season to taste)


Did I enjoy them? A picture speaks a thousand words!   

I think I actually like them better than sweet potato fries (speaks my fickle heart) as the texture and flavour are very close to white potato fries…only better AND good for you.  The spud being a member of the nightshade family is a no-go area for many.  This recipe will be sweet music to their ears.

See, this is what happens when you are a member of The Secret Recipe Club, you stumble across edible gems you might otherwise have missed. Bravo Lindsay. I hope your December SRC was as happy-making as mine.

How to make a warming bowl of beetroot & mustard soup with parsnip crisps.

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When I travel into London on the train.  Go from hills and valleys to stone and steel.  I like to pop a book into my bag to read if I fail to strike up a conversation with a travelling stranger.  Which I often do, whether they like it or not.  9 times out of 10 my boldness, (yes, it is a shame to see it as a courageous thing in this country, but…what can I say, generally it has been the way, quite unlike many other countries I’ve visited.  In Borneo, to be conversing with someone practically gives then want to squeeze up right beside you or drape an arm over yours, in America they are not quite so free with minimizing personal space but launching into a friendly discourse is common place…in the places I’ve travelled anyhow), uncovers a remarkable character with a story to tell.  Anyhow, the last two journeys have not been a peek times so no stranger has taken up the seat beside me.  So I’ve been free to pull out my slim volume of Love in a Dish by M.F.K Fisher a much admired American food writer who manages to render me over come with romance as her words are as carefully chosen as her ingredients.  Its not what she makes, her diet was overloaded with meats and pates and coloured with fine wines, but even though I am vegan I can appreciate her love of food, the conversation of food, the nature, history and anthropology of it.  It is the story she so perfectly unfurls in mellifluous tone.  Indeed, to me she is like the foodies Joanna Lumley.  Why am I telling you all this?  Wasting space on the page when I could be perfunctory listing the things you need to buy from the shop, the measures you will be required to provide and the numbered bullet points of the ‘method’.  Well, I will again, next time do this, but  please, indulge me this once as I spend a happy hour, tapping out sentences that make me feel the romance of the words as much as the love of the recipe.  So, for today, here is my recipe, a la M.F.K Fisher.

I’ve been practically lathering in lentils lately.  Dahls given va va voom with chunks of fibrous ginger or married, subtly with sliced meaty mushrooms.  Though my love for these remain undiminished, today I wanted a burst of colour to puncture the mist and fog huddling outside my window.  Along with a colour boost I sought warmth to embrace the union in the vibrant, thick broth.  Beetroot and mustard sang to me from vacuum pack and portly jar.  Yes, fresh taproots with a dusting of earth still evident and to be scrubbed away, would of course be your ingredient of choice. But when you’ve still got the pink glow and fatigued muscle, post 2 hour cycle ride, the last thing you may want to contemplate is a walk, up hill, to the shops.  Sometimes you’ve just got to make do.  Embrace convenience.  And promise to be more organised next time.  I sat for a minute sipping my green tea, and thought about what flavour it was I craved.  Not too sweet, not too tart, I wanted a thick soup that didn’t lay so heavy on me that it rendered me ineffectual for the rest of the days tasks.  I grabbed a ball of white cabbage, the bright corn yellow mustard from Dijon, two small, red onions, and put the kettle on to boil.   I set quickly to work, post-exercise hunger was making itself heard in my midriff.  I chopped the contents of two packs of beetroot in a hapless style and threw the chunks into my pot.  The cabbage sliced in two. Then one half, roughly cut into slithers. The onions where peeled, quartered and then sent to meet the beet, and yes, when time allows the onions would favour a slow saute, but hunger dictated my design.  A table spoon was scraped around the inside of the Dijon jar.  Two garlic cloves, lay down under my knife and bashed flat with my fist then to joined the melee. Now for spice.  Too easy to tip in a spoon of garam masala or all-spice, or introduce the Middle East with a woody stick of cinnamon, as I’d done so oft before. I wanted a fragrance to enliven my senses, but I wanted a fusion of flavours I’d not used before.  A teaspoon of dusty red paprika to warm.  Like delving blind into a lucky dip, I jostled amid the clutter of spice jars thrown together in my large plastic trug.  My fingers touched each jar and I briefly considered each one.  Imagining the resulting mix of flavours.  I smiled, quite involuntarily, when I made my selection.   I shook four wizened, green cardamon pods into my pestle and bashed hard.  The tough outer shell spilt and released tiny grey seeds.  I bashed and ground.  Inhaling the aromatic beads.  My yield of three pinches of powder then scattered over the waiting ingredients.  I felt satisfied.  I ignited the burner, poured the hot water from the kettle (to speed the process) to cover the mix and the lid went on with a resounding clang. 
Whilst the vegetables came to a boil my mind considered a worthy and compatible garnish.  I hunted down the mandolin  and swiftly produced a dozen slithers of parsnip.  I brushed olive oil on one side, and then the other. Pink salt, maybe a little too much, sprinkled over the top before putting the root to its fate under the scorching heat of the grill. In no tine the oil was dancing around the curling edges. Five minutes, two and a half each side, and I had parsnip crisps..or chips. These days, my wandering heart and love affair with America has made me bilingual.  Does ‘American’ count as another language? The frizzled crisps didn’t last long. The sealible

After 20 minutes the steam had frosted all my windows and sweetened the kitchen air.  I took arms with my trusty hand blender and stabbed into the boiled mass until the vegetables were one.  I tasted.  A scatter of pink salt settled upon the surface and then dissolved into the burgundy puree.  I tasted again.  A tiny sip from the end of the spoon.  My hands clapped together three times in reverence to the harmonious blending, and then ladled two scoops into my bowl…. and then one for luck.  The parsnips crisps I’d managed to not devour were then placed in the centre of the bowl, and admired for a second or two before I carried the soup to my chair.  I threw the switch on my muddle of fairy lights and ate my lunch whilst following the hops and jumps of the blue tits, as they did their rounds of grub foraging on the remaining leaves of the apple tree. I slurped at the spoon and the sweet, faintly sharp, softly heated soup brightened the winter day.







Flowery prose spent.  Tomorrow, normal service shall be resumed.

Butternut squash gnocchi in a rich sage & mushroom sauce

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gnocchi ~ derived from the Italian word ‘nocca’ meaning knuckle or knot of wood.  I have only eaten gnocchi once before.  Years ago.  I poked around in my memory bank to remember when this was, but to no avail, all I could remember was a the taste.  I was not impressed.  Since turning vegan over 11 years ago I never entertained the idea of ever eating it again, not just because the Italians use eggs but also starchy carbs and heavy pastas do not leave me feeling very vibrant. Probably why I don’t consider Italy as a possible favourite food destination right now (though I wouldn’t baulk at a free trip to the Italian Lakes!.  But lately,  whilst following my favourite vegan websites and scouting for ideas for something new, gnocchi keep on popping up.  Finally, when Lisa aka Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives entered this into the m the Secret Recipe Club , she wrote  such a raving report about butternut squash gnocchi, I found my tipping point and had to make it. (jumping up and down excitedly) I am SO GLAD I did.

I did a little bit of tinkering with the recipe.  I wanted the gnocchi to be VEGAN, gluten free and the sauce to be dreamily delicious and low fat.  Can’t be doing with a sauce made from nearly all butter (even if it is vegan), so I used olive oil instead and greatly reduced the quantity.        I cannot wait to make it again.

butternut squash gnocchi with mushroom and sage sauce
serves 3-4

ingredients

gnocchi
approx 3 cups/ 1.2 kg butternut squash peeled and cubed.
2 cups sorghum flour (or plain if gluten-free is not a concern for you)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

mushroom sauce
2 Portobello mushrooms
2 small shallots or red onion
4 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs sorghum flour
1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp (or 6 fresh leaves chopped) dried sage.  I prefer the subtlety of the dried sage.  I think it allows the mushrooms and gnocchi to take centre stage.
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp salt

method
1.steam the squash until soft then mash.
2. add the flour, garlic powder and salt to the mash and using your hands form a dough.
3. dust your counter top and divide the dough into 6-8 balls.
4. roll each ball between your palms to form a sausage.  Roll the sausage gentle with your finger tips onto your floured surface until it is 1 inch thick.  Cut the sausage into 1.5 inch sections.  Repeat until all balls are cut.
5. this is optional..if you want to create a ridge effect to style your gnocchi then use a fork to gently indent a pattern on the top.





6. gently plunge into boiling, slightly salted water for 12-15 mins.



make the beautiful sauce..

1. saute the finely chopped onions in a tbs of olive oil until soft.
2. slice the mushrooms and add to the onions and fry for approx 8 minutes.
3. add the sage and the flour, nutritional yeast and seasoning and gently stir into the mushrooms.
4. slowly add the water whilst gently stirring the mushroom mix.  Simmer for 6-8 minutes..adding a little more water if necessary.
5. add the drained (retain the cooking water…see below for a top tip) gnocchi to the sauce and hey presto.  Serve.



*top tip*

I retained the cooking water.  It had thickened beautifully and turned golden from the squash.  With a scoop of the mushroom sauce I transformed it into a soup.  Fit for a flavourful, heart warming soup the next day. 

Even though none of the ingredients in this dish are strangers to me, the flavours and textures are truly unique.  I am now, well and truly dotty about gnocchi (well this recipe anyway).

How To Cook The Perfect Portobello Cottage Pie With Almond Crust - MEATFREE

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This dish was one of those ‘look in the fridge, see what you’ve got and throw it all together’ type morphings.  It is happy making food.  I hope you like it.  It is an easy, inexpensive dish that really fills you up and has lots of lovely elements of flavour. 

If you are into the benefits of a good meal too then, as a bonus, the mushrooms are an excellent source of protein.  The lentils are very human kind.  Here is an extract from www.whfoods.com ‘

Lentils, are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein—all with virtually no fat. Low Calorie too, only 230 calories for a whole cup of cooked lentils. This tiny nutritional giant fills you up-not out.

Serves 2

2 Portobello mushrooms
2 cups green lentils (brown and Puy lentils work well too)
2 medium sized potatoes
3/4 cup spinach
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
2 tbs vegan cheese (I used Cheezly..if you are lucky enough to reside in USA (jealous!)  use Daiya or similar)
2 tbs ground almonds
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground white pepper

Method
1.put lentils in a pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil, add the spinach, thyme leaves and tsp salt.  Pop lid on, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.
2.wipe the mushrooms clean (do not chop) and fry in oil 2-3 minutes each side, or until the top becomes golden.  Fry dome side first and sprinkle with the pepper, then turn over. Retain any juices in the pan and pour into the cooked lentils.
3.wash (don’t peel as the skin has all the good stuff in) the potatoes and slice 1cm.  Either cook in water or, as I prefer, steam them until soft.  The use a hand blender or a masher to mash the potatoes with the cheese and 1 tsp salt.
4.in your serving dish, lay the cooked lentils, followed by the mushroom or both if you are not using one portion serving dishes, then quarter the mushroom and lay it on top.  Then spoon over the mash to cover and sprinkle over the ground almonds. Place under a hot grill under golden.

getting ready for the mash!

basking under the heat of the grill. 

 Easy, inexpensive, full of goodness, comforting, animal/human kind food, sure to make you happy!