Chana masala

I have a bit of a thing for chickpeas and a bit for a thing for soups, particularly at this time of year! Plus whenever I order an Indian dish Chana Masala is at the top of my list.

So really it was only a matter of time before I made my own version of this warming dish. I admit this is probably not overly authentic, as I have not gone to town on attention to detail in its traditions but instead opted for a tasty quick meal that can be made in minutes with store cupboard ingredients. 

My inspiration came firstly in this recipe by the PPK and similarly I opted for using soaked and cooked dried chickpeas (I cook them in large batches and freeze them), but you could use canned for speed if necessary.  I didn't have any fresh tomatoes to hand and was concerned as to whether canned would impair the flavour, but then I came across plenty of other recipes that opted for canned tomatoes so I decided I’d give it a go! I also had no fresh coriander (cilantro) and so I added ground coriander to the mix.

I love the texture of the chickpeas in this recipe and the fact it is a cross between a soup and a curry. You could add less water for a thicker dish- mine is probably not so authentic in it's 'soupiness'. This freezes easily so is perfect to portion up for nice protein rich work lunches!

overhead shot....ha ha see my reflection in the spoon (oops!)

Recipe: Chana masala

Serves 4

Ingredients

Spices: 1 tbs garam masala, 1tbs ground coriander*, ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp cumin, oinch cayenne pepper

1 tbs coconut oil

2 onions finely sliced

2 tsp smoked garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic- crushed)

1 dried smoked jalapeno pepper (or 1 fresh)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbs tomato puree

3 cups cooked chickpeas

approx.½ cup water

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

*you can use fresh coriander instead of ground if preferred.

Method

Dry fry the spices in a large frying pan for 1 minute, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.

Add the tomatoes,  chickpeas, salt and pepper and cook for approx. 10 minutes. Add the water (to achieve desired consistency) and lemon juice and cook for a final 5 minutes.

If using fresh coriander, add in the final minute of cooking. Add extra to garnish if desired,

Serve on its own as a light dish or with rice, naan or pitta bread.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

lentil lunch

This is isn’t even a recipe really, it’s more of a principle. So many people I know still get scared about the idea of vegan cooking….

“It will be boring”

“It will just taste of vegetables”

Or simply…

“I just wouldn’t know what to cook!”

We my point is it’s really none of the above…ok I admit at first it takes a little effort to get into the swing of things whether you are fully fledged vegan or simply trying to swap a in few healthy meals each week. It requires effort only because it’s different to how we’ve been brought up to perceive food, different to what we’re used to doing on auto-pilot…we need to break out of the cycle and yes that does require some effort until you get into the zone.

I personally enjoy the challenge, and when I first started the transition I loved the fact it forced me to think outside the box and come up with new quirky ways to enjoy these foods and flavours. However I fully understand that for the others that side of things just holds no interest, food is functional and the creativity is not sparked…but that’s ok too ya know!

So, here’s where we strip it back, keep it simple…but tasty.

As I said, this is not so much a recipe but a principle. A quick and easy light lunch (as it was here) or bump it up for a hearty dinner. Combine as many colours and textures as you can with some beans of lentils for protein, all wrapped up with some tasty seasoning and you are pretty much there, and we all know the general principle…the more colourful a meal the more nutritious it is. Good to remember!

I have provided the ‘recipe’ below but it felt a little silly since the whole point is to mix it up with whatever you have to hand. This lunch came off the back of my ‘freezer prep session’ a week or so ago, when I cooked batches of beans and lentils (and much more) and bagged them up in potions for the freezer.  I used these lentils as my main source of protein, lovely green lentil as they hold their shape and texture so well once cooked, I also used grated courgette for cooking speed along with a lot of chunky chopped tomato as I had a surplus of those too and not much else in the fridge at the time! A sprinkling of cashews  gave a satisfying finish…perfect!   You could easily increase the portion size or add some toasted pitta bread or flatbread with a dollop of humus at the side for some extra carbs.

Recipe: Lentil lunch

Serves 1 for a light lunch

Ingredients

1 tsp curry paste (I used madras)

½ cup cooked green lentils (see this post)

½ medium courgette grated

3 tomatoes cut into chunks

Handful of cashews

(note: you could add or substitute chickpeas, grated carrot, cauliflower, peppers, spinach…or so many more vegetables if you wished)

Method:

In a medium frying add the curry paste and grated courgette and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked lentils (or pre-cook in a separate saucepan) along with the chopped tomatoes and continue to stir to warm through and allow the tomatoes to soften down and create a flavoursome sauce. Once fully cooked through, serve with a sprinkling of cashews.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Sweet potato curry

We've been in 'date mode' recently, with my new best friend the Date Syrup making an appearance. Don't worry he's not gone away for long- I have a couple more date inspired recipes for you next week...but for now I have a simple mid week winter warmer.

This dish is one of my go-to dishes and it never fails to please veggies and meaties alike.

I was one of the first meals I cooked for the Boy when I began to experiment with doing things the vegan way. I love it just as much today as I did back then. What’s not to love….it’s colourful, warm, creamy, comforting, lightly spiced and hints at the tropics. Close your eyes and maybe you’ll be taken to a far off land.

Ok, well maybe not that last sentence. But I guarantee this bowl of colourful curry will brighten your day.

It’s also a simple dish with few ingredients, easily adapted to other veggies/beans you may have, is thrown together in one pot and can be frozen for future speedy suppers.

Ok, so have I convinced you yet!  This would also work really well with my super simple flatbread as a healthy alternative to naan!

I also have another reason as to why this particular dish, or namely the photos, are making me happy. I’ve been trying to take decent ‘night shots’of my meals for a while now, and up until recently I had been making slow progress. My research and investigations pointed me in the direction of two key props: a powerful light with good ‘white’ rendering (I’ve used a portable LED source) and a diffuser layer (I’ve used an old bed sheet over a wooden frame).

This shoot was a simple 5 minute experiment (before my dinner got cold), and I really wasn’t expecting much of an outcome. However, for such a quick first attempt I was really rather pleased with my efforts….well now to see if Food Gawker shared that same opinion!

Recipe: Sweet potato curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons madras curry paste

1 medium onion- diced

4 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes- approx. 800g (peeled and chopped into chunks)

1 red pepper- sliced

1 tin of chickpeas (or other white beans)

200g bag of spinach

1 can of coconut milk

Method

In a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion for few minutes in olive oil till soft. Add curry paste and fry for 1 min. Add the coconut milk, sweet potato, pepper and chickpeas and simmer for approx. 15 minutes until potato is cooked. Add spinach (fold spinach through the mixture in handfuls) simmer for a couple more minutes until spinach is wilted. If not liquidy enough add a little water. Serve immediately with rice or naan bread as desired .

Freeze left over portions in individual bags.

 
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

My colleagues eat their veggies!

My workmates still find it a novelty that I eat a predominantly vegan diet. Having known me for so long before I changed my approach to food I think they are still waiting for the point that the ‘novelty will wear off’. I don’t preach or proclaim to know it all but if questioned I try to impart some genuine understanding as to why I do things this way. Typically most will smile and say something along the lines of ‘well I couldn’t do it’. It’s understandable and I know I would have thought exactly the same, I think it takes a first-hand experience for someone to realise the benefits in their own life and how simple it can actually be (once you get the hang of it)!

So, then my ideal opportunity came along….

I work in a relatively small architectural practice (yes, architecture is my ‘day job’) and every so often we all take it in turns to cook lunch for the rest of the team so we can all sit down together and enjoy some social time, food and gossip. I’d been teasing them all (telling them all!) for some time that when my turn came I’d cook them a vegan lunch- I think they thought I really was joking.  I also have a vegetable patch at work… yes very random, but more on that another time, so a veg patch vegan lunch before summer was over was too good to miss.

It amused me that everyone was so apprehensive and worried about what I would serve- who can be scared of some harmless veg! I also know that some of them had also hidden away a little back-up snack should it be needed. I had a mission on my hands, a mission to prove that a meal made without animals could be tasty, filling, varied, decadent and delicious. 

Success…it went down a storm and made me a very happy bunny!  So much so that many of them requested the recipes for the food I’d served.   

The meal consisted of: sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry along with a roasted vegetable tart accompanied with potato wedges, falafel and a big mixed salad. Also for dessert (it would be a sin to forget dessert!) some of my amazing (but still in the process of being refined) sugar free, fat free, animal free chocolate brownies with blueberries and raspberries topped with (vegan) cream.  I promise I will share the brownie recipe with you soon- just not yet, it’s not quite ready (though they still gobbled it up!)

For starters…here’s a recipe to keep you going, everyone wanted more and I promise it will satisfy all the meat eaters in the crowd!

Recipe: Sweet potato curry

Makes 4 large meal sized portions (or lots more tapas style portions)

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons madras curry paste (depending on how spicy you like it)

1 medium onion (diced)

4 or 5 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks)

1 red pepper (sliced)

1 400g tin of chickpeas

200g bag of spinach

1 400ml can of full fat coconut milk

Method

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for few minutes until soft. Add curry paste and fry for 1 more min. Add the coconut milk, sweet potato, pepper and chick peas  and cook for approx. 15 minutes until potato is cooked. Add spinach (fold spinach through mixture in handfuls) simmer for a couple more minutes until spinach is wilted. If not liquid enough add a little water.

If there are any leftover portions this curry freezes well.

ooops, sorry... this one just snuck in!!