Koshary

 Koshary, an Egyptian street food that ticks all the boxes. Economical, satisfying and incredibly tasty comfort food. It is easily prepared, can be made in advance, in bulk and frozen. The basics of rice, macaroni and lentils can be varied and chickpeas added. The tomato sauce is essential, I like it quite spicy so will often add a little more chopped chilli to my meal.  The coriander sauce really needs to be fresh, it will keep in the fridge for a day or two. Opinion is divided in my house, I like a scattering of fresh red onion but other family members do not.

It is not pretty but I love to smoosh it all up and scoop it up with flatbread.

I often add another vegetable dish, this miso glazed baked pumpkin  and some wilted chard makes for a more interesting dinner.

For a vegetarian version add a fried egg added, it is delicious.

Koshary

Ingredients

1 cup cooked puy lentils/ black lentils or use a can of lentils  1 cup cooked small pasta eg macaroni 1 cup cooked brown rice   I cook 1 cup of each, mix and then divide them up for another two meals. This is also a good way to use up leftover rice and pasta from other meals.

Spicy Tomato Sauce 2 onions finely diced 4 – 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon Baharat or other Middle Eastern Spice mix 2 teaspoons cumin Red chilli flakes, a pinch or  to taste 2 large tins tomatoes, chopped Salt and black pepper Olive oil

 

Method

Cook grains until just cooked and tender. Do not overcook. I cook them in separate pots; however, they could be cooked together. Drain. If making a large amount, drain rinse well under running water and allow them to cool thoroughly.  

Put pasta, rice and lentils in a bowl and mix well. Divide into meal sized portions. Freeze excess portions. The mixture reheats very well in the microwave so can be made in advance.

Place a serving of the pasta mixture on each plate, top with the spicy tomato sauce

 

 

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Heat oil in a saucepan, add a little oil and cook over low heat until onions soften, add garlic and spices and cook for a minute until fragrant

Add tinned tomatoes and simmer until mixture becomes a thick sauce, Add chilli flakes and season generously with salt and pepper

Fresh Coriander Sauce

1 cup coriander leaves ( 1 bunch) 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon Tahini

Generous pinch of salt 1/4 cup Olive oil or more,  I prefer mild or light.  Start with 1/4 cup and add more as necessary.

 

Method

Wash and drain coriander. Place coriander in the food processor, add garlic and salt and blitz until the coriander is finely chopped.

Add tahina and blitz again.

Add a little oil to start with, blitz and scrape down the sides to make sure it is all evenly mixed. Continue to add the oil until you have a sauce consistency, you need to be able to drizzle it over the dish.

Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. It is best fresh.

 

 

Socca

This recipe is a type of flatbread or pancake that is made with chickpea flour. It is gluten free and suitable for vegans. My favourite version has shredded chard and garlic mixed into the batter. I serve it as a gluten free alternative to flatbreads. The Socca can be cut into wedges or served whole with a topping as a type of simple fresh pizza. 

My favourite version with chard and garlic.

Smaller portion, left whole with a fresh salsa topping.

The batter can also be poured over leftover vegetables to make a big veggie pancake, this also has a little turmeric and spices added. The Socca can also be finished in the oven, this is good to do if the Socca is thick and needs a little more time to cook through.

Socca

½ cup chickpea flour ½ cup water ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil   Extra oil for cooking

Optional ½ cup finely shredded silverbeet /chard 1 clove garlic, crushed ½ teaspoon baking powder

 

Combine the chickpea flour, salt, oil and water in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly and then leave to stand for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer so that the flour is thoroughly hydrated.

Preheat oven and a large cast iron frypan /skillet on the highest temperature you can, it needs to be really hot.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and swirl a little oil around the pan. Pour the Socca batter into the pan, swirl to cover the base of the pan. Put it back into the oven and bake until set and the surface is golden brown and hopefully with crispy edges.

Remove from the oven. Use a large spatula to assist and slide the Socca onto a cutting board or plate. Cut into wedges as you would flatbreads.

 

Cooking the first side.

Turned over and cooking the second side.

Vegan Chilli with Potato Dumplings and Fresh Coriander Sauce

Sometimes an expression that you hear sums it up perfectly. ‘This is the bomb’ and it is, my absolute favourite vegan chilli. A hearty meal with so much flavour. 

The happy marriage of the chilli and potato dumplings was by chance, although, the chilli is like meat sauce and the dumplings like gnocchi, so no great surprise that it works so well. 

I tend to make lots and freeze, it reheats really well, can be extended with kidney and black beans or even used as base for a hearty minestrone style soup. The potato dumplings can also be made in a larger quantity and frozen. 

These are the products that I use. The Chipotle pepper are great but a very good chilli can be made without them.

I like to serve it with a fresh avocado, tomato and onion salad and some flat bread.

Vegan Chilli with Potato Dumplings

and Coriander Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups (200g) Textured Soy Protein 500 g mushrooms, chopped finely or minced in the food processor 2 carrots finely diced or minced in the food processor 2 onions, finely diced 4 -6 cloves garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons cumin powder* 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika* 1/2 teaspoon oregano powder 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes** A little oil to sauté onions * use more spice if desired ** do not use if you are using the chipotle peppers

2 bay leaves, fresh if possible 1 large tin tomatoes, chopped 1 large jar passata /tomato sauce Freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Optional 1/2  - 1 tin of Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce

 

Method

Soak/reconstitute the Textured Soy Protein following instructions on the packet.

Heat oil into pan, add onions, cook over low heat until the onions have softened a little and add the garlic, mushrooms, carrot and spices. Stir and continue cooking until mixture starts to brown.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings, add more chilli if desired.

Potato Dumplings

4 potatoes

½ - 1 cup SR flour or more Generous pinch of salt

 

Method

Wash and peel potatoes, cut into quarters and steam until cooked.

Mash potatoes until smooth.

Mix in the SR flour, using as much flour as needed to make a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently until the mixture will form a ball.

Break of small portions of the dough and roll into balls. Use more flour if necessary.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the dumplings. Bring back to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until they are cooked / float to the top. If the dumplings stick to the bottom the pan loosen with a spatula.

Fresh Coriander Sauce

1 cup coriander leaves ( 1 bunch) 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon Tahini

Ingredients Generous pinch of salt 1/4 cup Olive oil or more,  I prefer mild or light.  Start with 1/4 cup and add more as necessary.

 

Method

Wash and drain coriander. Place coriander in the food processor, add garlic and salt and blitz until the coriander is finely chopped.

Add tahina and blitz again.

Add a little oil to start with, blitz and scrape down the sides to make sure it is all evenly mixed. Continue to add the oil until you have a sauce consistency, you need to be able to drizzle it over the dish.

Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. It is best fresh.

Ethiopian Style Potato and Vegetable Stew

This is my interpretation of a dish that I had in restaurant. The amount of spice is easily adjusted, this version is lightly spiced but could easily have more spice or extra chilli. I make this quite often for ‘Meat Free Monday’ and serve it with a lentil dish similar to Dahl, flat breads, rice and a salad. 

I often add some frozen peas or chopped green beans for some extra colour.

 It is also good as part of banquet style meal which may also include a meat dish. 

Leftover  stew reheats very well in the microwave.

Ethiopian Style Potato& Vegetable Stew

2 teaspoons or more Berbere  spice mix  or other African spice blend 1 tablespoon turmeric powder Small amount of oil to fry spices 3 or more cloves garlic, crushed

1 large onion, finely diced 2 large carrots, large dice 6 potatoes(approx 1kg), cut into bite sized pieces 2 cups shredded cabbage fresh coriander, chopped 1 -2 green chillies, finely chopped to serve Optional Add other vegetables that you may like to add. I often add frozen peas or some chopped green beans to the mix.

Put oil in saucepan, add spices and fry over low heat until fragrant, add onions and garlic and continue to fry, while mixing until onions are slightly softened. Add a little water if necessary to stop spices burning.

Add potatoes and carrot and a little more water and mix well. Cover and reduce heat, cook until potatoes are almost soft. Stir gently so as not to break up potatoes and add more water if necessary. Add cabbage and mix through, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Top with chopped green chilli

Glazed Cauliflower Stir Fry

This glazed cauliflower dish has become a firm favourite. Reminiscent of the sweet and sour of my childhood, with no pineapple or meat, it makes a good dish for vegetarians and vegans and also a good vegetable dish to serve with grilled or barbecued meat or chicken. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave.

Glazed Cauliflower Stir Fry

1/4 cauliflower 1 red capsicum 1 red onion Oil for stir frying Optional Spring onions, thinly sliced to serve

Glaze 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 -2 cloves garlic, crushed

Combine ingredients for the glaze.

Wash and cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces

Wash capsicum. Remove stalks and seeds and cut flesh into quarters lengthwise and then each piece into strips diagonally.

Peel onion and slice into thin strips.

Heat a little oil in a pan, add cauliflower and fry until golden brown. Add onions and capsicum, mix well and continue to cook for a minute. Reduce heat and cover and cook a further 2 minutes.

Remove lid and increase pan until really hot. Pour over the gaze and allow to reduce a minute or so until thick and coats the vegetables.

Serve garnished with thinly sliced spring onions.

Pasta with Broccoli Pesto

Another of my Meatless Monday offerings. This dish is very easy and quick to make particularly with a food processor. The very short cooking time for the broccoli and the chopped parsley keeps it tasting fresh while the walnuts add texture. With a bit of organisation it can be ready to eat in the time it takes to cook the pasta. It can be easily adapted to include traditional Parmesan or some meat for non vegans.

 This version is vegan, 

This has vegan Parmesan added, if not for vegans you could use traditional Parmesan. If you are not concerned with keeping it vegan or vegetarian add some crispy bacon, prosciutto or chorizo.

This is what the broccoli looks like when finely chopped and added to the onion.

Add pasta

And remaining ingredients and a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary.

Pasta with Broccoli Pesto

Ingredients

Pasta approx 250 g or enough for four

1 large head of broccoli, washed and finely chopped in food processor

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or more if desired.

A generous pinch of chilli flakes

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon of salt or more to taste

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

 Optional

1/2 cup grated parmesan or vegan parmesan

extra parmesan to serve

Method

Put a large pot of water on to boil and add salt. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Use time guide on packet.

Put a little oil in a pan, add onion and allow the onions to soften slightly but not colour. Add garlic and broccoli and cook for a minute or two.

 Add cooked pasta, and toss to coat the spaghetti, add a little of the cooking water if the sauce is too dry.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Check flavour, it may need a little more salt. If using parmesan add to the mixture

Serve with additional vegan parmesan / parmesan cheese.

Sunshine Pie or Pasties

The cool Winter weather always makes me think of warming soups, pies and casseroles. For some time I have been making more plant based dishes or giving some of my recipes a ‘vegan makeover’. This pie is called a sunshine pie because of the large quantity of orange/yellow/red vegetables in the filling. These vegetables are high in vitamin A which the body converts to Vitamin D when exposed to relatively low or small amounts of sunshine. Make a large family sized pie or six pasties. I like to serve with green vegetable salad and a good tomato relish.

Although not in the recipe I will often add cheese to the pasties, this is a vegan soy cheese.

Roll out pastry into a rough circle, add filling and then shape into pasties pierce the pastry to create small holes for the steam to escape.

Make sure that you have a good mix of colourful vegetables, sometimes I add a teaspoon of fennel seeds.

This is the Miso / soybean paste that I use. It adds a delicious ‘umami ‘or savoury flavour.

 Utritional yeast also adds a savoury flavour that is a bit cheesy and contains lots of B vitamins.

When making the pie makes sure to mound up the filling or use a deep pie dish.

Sunshine Pie or Pasties

Filling 3 onions 3 cloves of garlic 2 carrots 1 small sweet potato 1 small wedge pumpkin 1 large parsnip 2 red capsicum 1 2 Tablespoons of Miso paste 2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper Olive oil

Pastry 1 cup SR flour 1/2 cup wholemeal flour 125 g Nuttelex or other non dairy spread pinch of salt 3 Tablespoon water, approximately To assemble/finish the pie A little non dairy milk for glazing Sesame/poppy/nigella seeds

Make Filling

Cut up / dice onions and cook over low heat in a little olive oil, stir often and allow to colour but not burn. Crush garlic and add to onions.

Cut up / dice all vegetables into small pieces. I partially cook them in the microwave for 5 -8 minutes until just starting to soften.

Combine onion, vegetables, Miso, nutritional yeast and pepper, mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Taste the mixture Add more pepper and Miso if you think it needs more seasoning.

Place in the fridge to cool.

Make Pastry

Mix flours and salt together.

Rub butter into flour or process on pulse in food processor.

Add sufficient chilled water to make a firm but pliable dough or continue to pulse in food processor.

Knead lightly.

Cover pastry with a bowl and allow it to relax on bench for 10 to 20 minutes

Assemble Pie

Divide pastry into 1/3 and 2/3 balls of dough.

Roll out the large ball of pastry to 3mm thickness. It needs to be about the same size as the pie dish. (diameter and depth of sides)

Place the pastry into the greased/oiled pie tin or dish, allow the pastry to hang over the edges. Moisten the edges with a little milk or water.

Fill with the cooled vegetable mixture, mound it up.

Roll out the remaining pastry circle to form the lid.

Place lid on pie, press edges together. Decorate edges as desired and create a hole in the middle to allow steam to escape.

Brush a little milk over the top of the pie and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake at 180 deg C for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 170 and continue cooking until pastry is golden brown.

Vegan Cottage Pie

Cottage pie was a staple in our house when growing up, economical, easy to make. It replaced Shepherds Pie which traditionally was made with leftover roast lamb. I came from a largish family with boys, that had less leftover roast as they grew. I also made cottage pie as a family dish but over the years reduced the meat, replacing it with lentils. Now I only make this vegan version, my family love this and they are not vegan or vegetarian. I like to make my own stock by simmering dried sitake mushrooms in water for an hour or so. The dried nutritional yeast adds a slight cheesy flavour to the mash as well as adding more B vitamins to the dish. Use the recipe as a guide only, follow the pictures and just get a feel for the process.

Make a big family sized version

Individual

Or substitute puff pastry for the potato. Check that the pastry is animal product free/ suitable for vegan diets.

Serve a generous spoonful making sure to get the topping and lentil mixture

Some green veg for extra health.

How To Make

Soften onion and garlic in a little oil, add diced vegetables and cook for a few minutes.

Add lentils, Gravox or flour and mix well. Add mushroom stock and tomato paste if using, mix well. Bring mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. 

Simmer until the mixture is thick. Check the flavour and season to taste with pepper; and salt if necessary. 

Add Chia seeds, parsley if you have some, mix well.

Allow the mixture to stand for thirty minutes or refrigerate until ready to finish the pie.

Place lentil mixture in an oiled oven proof dish.

Spread mashed potato over the lentil mixture. Run a fork over the potato to create a textured surface.

Place in a hot oven (190 deg C) until potato is browned and crisp on top and pie is hot. 

Vegan Cottage Pie

2-3 cups cooked lentils or 2 tins lentils 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups small diced vegetables (carrot, celery, parsnip) 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons Gravox** or flour 1 cup mushroom stock* 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)

2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds Freshly ground pepper Chopped parsley Mash Topping 1 large sweet potato  3 large potatoes 3 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast, optional 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper

* make stock with dried shitake mushrooms or use vegetable stock

**Gravox Supreme does not contain animal products

Method

Soften onion and garlic in a little oil, add diced vegetables and cook for a few minutes.

Add lentils, Gravox or flour and mix well. Add mushroom stock and tomato paste if using, mix well. Bring mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer until the mixture is thick. Check the flavour and season to taste with pepper; and salt if necessary. 

Add Chia seeds and parsley and allow the mixture to stand for thirty minutes or refrigerate until ready to finish the pie.

Place lentil mixture in an oiled oven proof dish.

Peel and diced sweet potato and potato, Place in saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer until potatoes are just tender. Drain.

Return potatoes to the pot and mash, add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and a little oil and mix well.

Spread mashed potato over the lentil mixture. Run a fork over the potato to create a textured surface.

Place in a hot oven (190 deg C) until potato is browned and crisp on top and pie is hot.

Pumpkin & Tofu Curry

I was out shopping with a friend in an Indian grocery and came across these packet sauce mixes and originally purchased the Butter Chicken for my son but didn’t get around to giving it to him. Having read the ingredients list and determined it was suitable for vegans I decided to use it up in this curry. The packet instructions list butter, cream and yoghurt but to keep it vegan I used almond milk and coconut milk powder. Not even remotely like butter chicken sauce but the resulting dish was very good. I have made it several times since and has been enjoyed by vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. I usually serve it with rice that has chickpeas and almonds added to it. Great for last minute cooking if you keep the ingredients on hand as they have a long life in the pantry, fridge/freezer.

Served with rice and almond cream flavoured with mint, garlic and lime.

The product that I used but any other could be substituted.

Pumpkin & Tofu in Curry (ButterChicken) Sauce

1 wedge of pumpkin, cut into bite sized chunks 1 package firm tofu, sliced in half and then each piece into sixteen pieces. 1 onion  Small amount of oil to fry pumpkin and tofu 1 onion, finely diced or puréed in food processor - optional 2  cloves garlic, crushed

1 packet Butter Chicken Spices  (or other of your choice or use a commercial paste or your preferred combination of spices) 1 tin chopped/ diced tomatoes 1 packet Coconut milk powder 2 cups almond milk I package frozen spinach fresh coriander, chopped Juice of 1 lime/lemon Optional Use other vegetables that you like and have on hand, such as eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower.

Put oil in frypan, add pumpkin and fry over low heat until pumpkin starts to brown.  Add tofu and brown lightly then add onions if using until onions are slightly softened and then garlic.

Add spice mix, tomatoes, coconut milk powder and almond milk. Simmer gently until the sauce thickens and the pumpkin is just cooked. Add spinach and allow to heat through.

Add lime juice and top with chopped coriander.

Cooked rice with chickpeas and almonds.

Fresh salsa to round things out.