Category Archives: Stews and Casseroles

Thai Curried Lentils

2014-06-29 19.16.51

Here is a really delicious, quick and easy curried lentils dish (particularly quick if you happen to have cooked lentils on hand – or use canned – you need about 3 cups cooked lentils).  Finding a good curry paste is essential for this, I used Ayam’s Thai Panang which doesn’t contain fish or shrimp – and 20g only contains 1.6g of fat.  This serves 6, or 4 really hungry adults. 🙂

Thai Curried Lentils
 
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Cuisine: Thai
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large red capsicum
  • 250 grams green beans (unprepared weight)
  • 3 heaped teaspoons thai curry paste - about 20g
  • 2 lime leaves, scored
  • 280 grams dry regular green or brown lentils
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • to serve: fresh chopped coriander, yogurt
  • 1 cup soy milk mixed with 1 tsp coconut essence
Instructions
  1. Put the lentils into a medium saucepan, cover with boiling water, bring to boil and simmer until just tender - about 20 minutes.
  2. Put your rice (we like long grain brown rice with this dish) on to cook.
  3. Chop the onion, dice or slice the capsicum, top and tail the green beans.
  4. Heat a large casserole or saucepan (which has a close fitting lid) on a medium heat.
  5. Add the vegetables, and once softening, reduce the heat, and stir in the curry paste, and stir for a few minutes until all incorporated. If you have to wait a while for your lentils you can just switch off the heat at this point, place on the lid and continue once your lentils / rice are ready.
  6. Add the lentils once they're ready, stock, lime leaves and lime juice.
  7. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  8. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until your green beans are cooked to your liking, then stir in the soy/coconut mixture, and heat through gently.
  9. Serve over your rice and top with coriander leaves and yogurt.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 244 Fat: 1.28 Carbohydrates: 18.6 Sodium: 70 Fiber: 16 Protein: 15.8

 

 

Vegetable & Tofu Chilli with Corn Muffins

2014-06-19 19.42.10
This is a hearty tasty chilli packed full of protein – tofu, beans, and quinoa!  Make it as spicy as you like just by adding some freshly chopped chillies along with the onion and garlic, or keep it mild for children with just the small amount of chilli flakes.
The muffin recipe is adapted from Bryanna Clark Grogan’s recipe here. I just removed the oil and doubled the baking powder – about a tablespoon in total.  I used standard medium grain yellow polenta.

Vegetable & Tofu Chilli with Corn Muffins
 
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Recipe type: Chilli
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp marjoram
  • 250 grams plain firm tofu, mashed or blitzed in processor to breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 6 large white cap mushrooms, diced (about 150g)
  • 1 large red capsicum, diced
  • 2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 sweet potato (220g), diced
  • 2 cups passata
  • 1 cup water mixed with 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 cup sweetcorn
  • ⅓ cup quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1 can kidney beans
Instructions
  1. Fry the onion, tofu, garlic, spices and herbs, mushrooms and tomato paste, in a splash of water or stock, until onions softened and mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated.
  2. Add capsicum, zucchini, sweet potato, passata, stock, beans, corn and quinoa and stir well.
  3. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until sweet potato is cooked.
  4. Serve with the muffins, mashed avocado, fresh coriander and salsa.

 

 

Winter Bake

2014-06-10 19.35.12

Winter Bake

This was concocted in the far north of Scotland in 1998, whilst 5 months pregnant with my 1st child.  My husband still teases me that we could have gone to the Maldives for our final holiday as just a couple, but I wanted a cosy wintery holiday in Scotland!  It was very cold and snowy and we were staying in a beautiful old stone cottage.  I wanted something warming and comforting, and the only vegetables we had in were cabbage and potatoes, so I came up with this.  16 years later we’re still making it (albeit with a different cheezy sauce now)!

Winter Bake
 
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Recipe type: Bake / Casserole
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • ½ large savoy cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 ½ cups split red lentils
  • 1 onion, finely shredded (ditto)
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 2 cups passata (or blended canned tomatoes)
  • 1 t vegetable stock powder
  • Tabasco - optional
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs
  • 4 medium / large potatoes (about 800g)
  • 1 cup freshly made breadcrumbs
  • SAUCE:-
  • ½ a raw onion
  • 1 T corn flour
  • ½ cup cashews
  • 1.5 cups Soy milk
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp vinegar
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp chicken style stock powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ date paste / other sweetener e.g maple syrup, rice syrup.
Instructions
  1. Heat a medium saucepan on a gentle heat, add cabbage and herbs. Place on lid and allow the cabbage to steam in its own juices.
  2. Put lentils in a medium saucepan, cover by an inch with water, add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, passata, stock powder and optional tabasco; bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until cooked down to a thickish soup.
  3. Finely slice the potatoes (use a mandolin or processor, or with a knife, about ½cm thick) and steam for 10 or so minutes or until just tender.
  4. Make the white / cheezy sauce by putting all ingredients into a blender, blend til smooth, pour into a small sauce pan and stir constantly until thickened.
  5. Grease a deep baking dish or casserole dish which has a close fitting lid e.g. Pyrex or Le Creuset)
  6. Layer in the dish as follows:
  7. - ⅓ of the potatoes
  8. - ⅓ of the cabbage
  9. - ½ of the lentil mixture
  10. - ⅓ of the white sauce
  11. - Half of remaining potatoes
  12. - Half of remaining cabbage
  13. - Rest of lentils
  14. - Half of remaining white sauce
  15. - Remaining potatoes
  16. - Remaining cabbage
  17. - Remaining white sauce
  18. - Breadcrumbs
  19. A quick spray of oil on top
  20. Bake for 40 minutes, in a moderate oven, placing on the lid for last 15 minutes to prevent top burning. Test is cooked through by piercing with a knife. Should be very soft, top crisp and sauce bubbling. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach, Basil, Mushroom & Potato “Lasagne”

2014-06-08 19.18.33
I was going to make a new type of lasagne but a gluten-free friend was joining us for dinner and I couldn’t find gluten free lasagne sheets (and the ingredients in some of those products is rather off-putting!)  so decided to substitute potato for the pasta layers.
This was SO GOOD!  Luckily I wrote everything down as I did it so can make it again!
The cheesy sauce is also on this site here, you’ll need half of the portion this makes.

Spinach & Basil, Mushroom & Potato "Lasagne"
 
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Recipe type: Lasagne
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 450g silken tofu
  • 450g frozen spinach (frozen weight)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Leaves from 1 large bunch of basil, blitzed in food processor with 3 tablespoons of pine nuts
  • zest of a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 700g mushrooms, diced. (I used flat mushrooms and white cup, but whatever you have is fine)
  • 50g cashews, soaked if necessary, and blended with enough water to cover
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 700g potatoes, sliced thinly.
  • ½ a portion of cheese sauce recipe (see intro)
  • 1 cup of passata / blended canned tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Thaw and squeeze as much of the water out of the spinach and mix in a large bowl with the tofu, the onion - finely chopped; the nutritional yeast, salt, basil & pine nuts, lemon zest and juice and set aside.
  2. Make the cheese sauce as linked to in the introduction.
  3. Saute the mushrooms in a large pan in their own juices, mix in the cashew cream, tamari and lemon juice. Cook until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are tender.
  4. Meanwhile steam the potatoes until just tender - about 7 mins.
  5. Take a large lasagne dish. Layer as follows:
  6. cup of passata / blended tomatoes.
  7. A third of the Potatoes
  8. Half of the Spinach tofu mixture
  9. Half of remaining potatoes
  10. All the mushrooms
  11. Remaining potatoes
  12. Remaining spinach tofu mixture
  13. Cheese sauce (about half of the quantity the recipe makes)
  14. Place in a moderate oven - 180 for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling and top is browning.

Chana Saag Aloo (Indian spiced chickpeas, spinach and potatoes)

2014-06-02 19.36.24

I’m not calling this a curry as it’s very mild and there’s no chilli involved so it’s great for small children who might not have developed a love yet for spicy food.

2014-06-02 19.36.35

Rather than the usual rice, this is great served with wholemeal pitta bread to scoop up the delicious sauce and vegetables.  We enjoy topping ours with a sprinkle of coconut and spoon of  mango chutney.

Chana Saag Aloo (Indian spiced chickpeas, spinach and potatoes)
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 600g potatoes, diced - approx. 1-2 cm
  • 2 medium onions, halved and sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 cans chickpeas, or 420-440 grams home cooked, drained and rinsed
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 600 ml vegetable stock
  • 350g baby spinach leaves
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Steam the potatoes whilst you heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Dry sauté the onions, add the garlic once they've released some moisture (add a splash of stock or water if required to prevent sticking), then stir in the cumin seeds until they start to pop, then the other dry spices.
  2. Add the chickpeas, tomato paste and the stock.
  3. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Once the potatoes are just tender, add to the pan and then, handful by handful, add the baby spinach leaves, stirring gently until they wilt before adding more.
  5. Add the lemon juice, and remove from the heat. Season to taste.

 

 

French style Lentil and Vegetable Stew

2014-05-22 13.25.10
It’s really  hard to make lentil stew look pretty.  But believe me, this is so delicious and hearty – true comfort food for a wintery (ok, autumn-ey) evening and is very easy to throw together.  We had it with mashed potatoes for a family dinner but this was just the leftovers for lunch all by itself.

French style Lentil and Vegetable Stew
 
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Recipe type: Stew
Cuisine: French-ish
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 200g mushrooms, diced
  • 1 red capsicum, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 250g green or brown lentils
  • 1.2 L vegetable stock
  • 200ml white wine
  • 400g cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • ¼ cup cashew cream
Instructions
  1. Heat a large casserole pan, and sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in their own moisture, until softened. Use a splash of the stock to moisten slightly if drying out.
  2. Add the capsicum and zucchini and allow to cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the lentils, wine and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are almost cooked, then reduce the heat, add the cauliflower and simmer for 10 or so minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
  4. Stir in the cashew cream and turn off the heat.

Vegetable Moussaka

2014-05-04 18.59.27

The UK supermarket Waitrose does an AMAZING Vegetable Moussaka which I used to LOVE when I was living there (and still eating cheese). This  is my attempt at a dairy free version, and I’m really happy with it.  This is not a particularly speedy dish – a bit like lasagne – there are a few steps before assembly, but it’s really worth it.  The sauce on the top is also on this site here.

Vegetable Moussaka
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 or 2 eggplants (500g), slicked ½ cm thick
  • 1 very large potato (400g), sliced ½ cm thick
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup French style / Puy lentils
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp bouillon powder
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 3 medium roma tomatoes, diced
  • ½ glass red wine (about ⅓ cup)
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp marjoram
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 small jar (375g) tomato pasta sauce
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1 serving Creamy White Sauce for topping
Instructions
  1. Place lentils in a small saucepan with the bay leaf and bouillon powder, and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until tender, around 20-30 minutes.
  2. Heat sandwich toaster, and grill the eggplant slices until soft and slightly charred, and the potatoes until tender. Set aside. If you do not have one, you can grill or bake the slices in the oven.
  3. Make the Creamy White Sauce.
  4. Spray a pan with a little oil and sauté the onion, for 5 minutes; add garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and spices. Once broken down, add the jar of sauce and keep on a low simmer. Once lentils are cooked and tender (should be hardly any water left, stir them into the mixture with the fresh herbs and lemon juice. Season to taste and remove from heat
  5. In a lasagne dish, put a thin layer (¼) of the lentils on the bottom, top with eggplant, more lentils, then a layer of potatoes, then lentils, eggplant, lentils then the white sauce. Top with breadcrumbs if you like.
  6. Bake at 180 for 30 minutes, covering with foil half way through if necessary (if top browning too much).
  7. Allow it to stand for 10 or so minutes prior to serving.

 

 

Savoy Cabbage and Red Lentil Stew

2014-04-15 19.07.09

This was inspired by an old favourite dish Spiced Red Lentils with Cabbage by Mary Gwynn in a much loved and now old and battered cookbook from the 1990s!  That was the introduction to me of the amazing combination of caraway seeds and cabbage.  This has developed over time into this dish, which is bulked out with the addition of more cabbage, chickpeas and some other herbs & spices and then made creamy with the hoummus and zingy with lime juice.

Savoy Cabbage and Red Lentil Stew
 
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Recipe type: Stew
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup red split lentils
  • 1 tsp "steak seasoning" (combination of black pepper, onion, coriander, chili, cumin, oregano, garlic, mustard, etc)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp caraway seeds
  • ½ cup tomato pasta based sauce
  • 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup passata
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ⅓ cup hoummous
Instructions
  1. Place a wide-based large casserole e.g . Le Creuset / saucepan (which has lid) on a medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic, then add the cabbage, dried spices and herbs, stir well to combine. Turn down the heat, add a splash of stock or water, place on the lid and allow to steam for around 5 minutes or until cabbage is wilted, take care it doesn’t catch or burn.
  2. Add the lentils, tomato sauce, passata, paste and stock. Replace the lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils have disintegrated.
  3. Stir in the spinach and chickpeas, parsley, lime and hoummus and simmer for another few minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve. We had ours with brown rice and runner beans.

Mushroom, Leek and Potato Gratin

These have to be three of my most favourite ingredients, so anything with them all has to be a winner in my book!  I came up with this after trying to decide what to cook for dinner.  A quick look in the fridge, and finding I had both leeks and mushrooms which needed eating, and (I always have) potatoes, so….  After Googling for a while I found this recipe by Bits Of Carey and decided to veganise it, making a couple of other changes.   Was really good and a family hit!

2014-04-01 19.45.41

4.0 from 1 reviews
Mushroom, Leek and Potato Gratin
 
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Recipe type: Bake
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 6 medium/large potatoes, boiled until just cooked.
  • 2 medium leeks, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • White wine / stock / water
  • 500g brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 500ml soy milk
  • 4 tablespoons cornflour
  • ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 T coconut aminos / soy sauce / tamari
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • Salt and fresh black pepper.
Instructions
  1. Whilst the potatoes are boiling, heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and dry sauté the leeks and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add a small splash of white wine to stop them sticking.
  2. Add the mushrooms, thyme and coconut aminos, mix in well, and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated.
  3. Blend thoroughly the cornflour in a cup with some of the soy milk, then stir it into the pan with the leeks and mushrooms, whisking all the time. Slowly add the rest of the milk bit by bit, then cook off the flour – about 3 minutes. Bring to a gentle simmer, still whisking constantly (I have a wooden whisk which I use in my non-stick pan) to avoid any lumps forming.
  4. Add the lemon juice and test / adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat.
  5. Once potatoes are just tender, drain and slice into ½ cm slices.
  6. Take a lasagne style dish and place in a very small layer of sauce, (saves needing to use any oil) then top with a half of the potatoes (mine made enough for just 2 layers, but 3 would be nice too!).
  7. Top with another layer of sauce, the rest of the potatoes, then the rest of the sauce.
  8. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling and browning on the top. Serve with steamed green vegetables like broccoli and beans.

Quick Creamy Tomato Tofu Casserole

Creamy Spanish Tofu Casserole

I’m quite happy it’s a bit rainy at the moment.  Apart from the farmers who of course need this all day drizzle so desperately, it means it’s comfort food season and being originally from England, I have a special place in my heart for hearty steamy stews and casseroles.  So here is one!  I’ve sneaked kale into it again, and it’s packed full of other veggies in a lovely rich tomato sauce.  You can throw others in it too, I often add frozen corn and peas as well (you can easily increase the quantities, you might just need to add a bit of extra stock and / or tomatoes), which bulks it out if you suddenly find you have extra mouths to feed and adds a splash of extra colour.  We used regular tofu this time, but often make it with smoked tofu which accentuates the smokiness in the paprika.  We love this brand, it never lasts long in our house…

I’m lucky enough to have a 5-1 cooker which is a pressure cooker / steamer / slow cooker / soup maker etc. and I’ve used the pressure cooker and soup function in this recipe which really speeds things up.  If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can still make this, the speed also comes from the all in one method, so it won’t take ages anyway.

We served this with Rice Plus which is brown rice with added grains and seeds and is totally delicious.

Quick Creamy Tomato Tofu Casserole
 
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Recipe type: Stew / Casserole
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 400g tofu, cubed (smoked tofu works well too)
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 small red, 1 small green capsicum, diced
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup passata (sieved tomatoes)
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 3 medium potatoes – about 450g – large cubes
  • ¼ - ½ cup frozen corn (optional)
  • ¼ - ½ cup frozen peas (optional)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • 1 cup soy milk mixed with 3 tsp cornflour til smooth
  • Lime juice - to serve - optional
  • Chilli sauce - ditto
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients apart from soy milk & cornflour mixture and lime juice in a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes then on soup setting / simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir in the soy milk with cornflour and simmer until flour cooked out and sauce is thickened.
  2. If not using a super-duper appliance, put all ingredients apart from soy milk and cornflour mixture and lime juice in your pot and bring to the boil, and simmer for around 20-25 minutes or until your potatoes are cooked. Then add your soy milk and cornflour, and stir until the flour is cooked out and the stew is thickened.
  3. Serve with rice or other grain or mashed potatoes.
  4. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top if liked, it adds a lovely piqancy. This also lends itself very easily to being pepped up with chilli sauce for those who like it...