Mushroom risotto Ⓥ

I love risotto, but only the ones I make myself (or those made by my Italian friend, chef & fellow yogini Lucia). Tonight I was inspired by this recipe, which I tweaked a bit.

I added some cherry tomatoes & 2 garlic cloves (with their skin), pepper & salt in the oven, as well as 2 of the big mushrooms, sliced, tossed with pepper, salt & olive oil. I put the vegetables in 2 different oven dishes for about 20-25 minutes at 190 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1,5 cups of arborio rice, rinsed
• 5 cups of vegan stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 5 to 6 big mushrooms (about 500g)
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Unsweetened soy cream
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine (optional)

Preparation

1. Prepare the 5 cups vegetable stock/ broth and set aside.
2. Rinse the rice and set aside.
3. Add the olive oil to a pot, add the onion and sauté on medium high for a couple of minutes.
4. Then add in the sliced mushrooms, stir fry for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
5. Add the garlic and stir fry for a few minutes.
6. Add the rice and sauté for a minute or so.
7. Add the white wine and allow to be absorbed.
8. Add 3 cups of vegetable stock/broth, stir well and simmer until the broth is mostly absorbed.
9. Then add 1 cup vegetable stock/broth, stir well again and cover and simmer until the broth is mostly absorbed.
10. Then add the last 1 cup of vegetable stock/broth, stir well again and simmer for a final few minutes.
11. Once all the stock/broth has been mostly absorbed by the rice, add a few tablespoons of soy cream and mix well.
12. Turn off the heat and stir in the 2 Tbsp of vegan butter.
13. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
14. Serve with some nutritional yeast.
15. Serve with the roasted cherry tomatoes and mushrooms.
16. Enjoy.

 

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Kale stoemp, mushrooms & mince Ⓥ

Kale stoemp is a typical Dutch winter dish. In The Netherlands people eat it with a sausage and gravy (non-vegan style). I made a vegan version and on day 1 I ate this simply stoemp made of mashed potatoes, kale and soy cream with a vegan sausage, mustard and small pickled onions.

On day 2 I made with the leftover stoemp an oven dish pimped with mushrooms and mince ‘meat’. It was delicious.

 

Ingredients

Stoemp

• 1 KG of potatoes
• 450 (or more) kale (I used organic, frozen)
• Unsweetened soy cream to taste (or use oat or rice, but they often are too sweet for me)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Topping/ filling

• 250g mushrooms
• 400g mince (I used the Naturli brand)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Soy sauce
• 1 tsp of Cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Preparation

1. Make the stoemp: peel the potatoes, cut in quarters and boil for about 15 minutes in some lightly salted water.
2. Prepare the kale according to the package instructions (about 12 minutes in this case).
3. Once the potatoes & kale are properly cooked, save some of the water from the kale, throw out the water of the potatoes and mix well to obtain a nice consistency. Mix everything well with a fork or mixer for very smooth consistency. Add pepper & salt to taste. Add some soy cream & olive oil for creaminess. Set aside.
4. Clean (with paper towel, not water) the mushrooms and slice them.
5. Finely cut the garlic cloves.
6. Preheat the oven to about 180°.
7. Fry up the mushrooms until nicely golden brown, add the garlic for a few minutes, set aside.
8. Fry the mince in a skillet, add some soy sauce, Cayenne and black pepper.
9. Add some olive oil in the oven dish, spread half of the stoemp in an equal layer, add some mushrooms, then the mince, finish with the rest of the stoemp and some mushrooms on top.
10. Put the dish for about 15-20 minutes in the oven.
11. Enjoy.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Leek and bacon quiche with olive oil crust Ⓥ

Quiches are great food to make ahead when organizing a dinner party, you can freeze them or prepare the day before and warm them up before your guest arrive. Serve with a simple rocket salad and a olive oil/ mustard/ lemon juice dressing. Yesterday I made a simple leek & bacon quiche, using a tofu mixture for the filling.

Ingredients

Crust

• 200g wholegrain flour & 50g quinoa flour (or 250g wholegrain flour)
• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 125 ml water
• 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetable filling

• 4 leeks, chopped
• cup of vegan bacon (i.e. De Vegetarische Slager)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of salt
• olive oil

Tofu filling

• 1 package of firm tofu
• soy milk (quantity = dependent on desired consistency)
• 1 tbsp of chickpea flour
• 1/4 cup heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp curcuma
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of salt
• olive oil

Preparation

1. Prepare the crust: sieve the dry ingredients in one bowl, mix the wet ingredients in a separate smaller bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, use a fork to mix. Knead lightly, then roll into a circular shape, big enough to reach across the bottom and the sides of a 26cm pie dish. Add non-stick paper to your pie dish, put the dough in the dish & refrigerate while making the filling.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (I use gas oven 6).
3. Slice the leek in half lengthwise. Place both halves cut side down, then use a circular motion to cut the leek into thin half moons. Rinse out any dirt from between the leaves.
4. Stir fry the leek for a couple of minutes in some olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and stir fry for 2 more minutes.
5. Add the vegan bacon and fry until crispy
6. Add 1 tsp of curcuma, a pinch of salt and fresh pepper. Set aside.
7. Put the crust in the oven, blind bake it for about 15 minutes.
8. Make the filling mixture in a food processor or blender: blend the tofu with the rest of the spices, nutritional yeast and enough soy milk to make it into a creamy mixture, add some chickpea flour to thicken the mixture.
9. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables.
10. Take your crust out of the oven, lower the heat to 180°C (gas oven 5). Add the vegetable/ tofu mixture and put in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.
11. Take your quiche out of the oven, and leave it to cool off for about 10 minutes before serving it with the salad.

Quick pasta dish with leek, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and garlic Ⓥ

So one night I got home late & was hungry but hadn’t done groceries that day. Luckily I still had some fresh vegetables in my fridge and made up this quick dish. It’s great warm for dinner, but equally yummy as a (cold) lunch.

Ingredients (4P)

• Pasta (for 4 people), I used 300g whole wheat penne.
• 1 leek (medium)
• 10 mushrooms (medium)
• 10-15 cherry tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp asafetida powder)
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• Good quality olive oil
• Salt & black pepper

Preparation

1. Boil water for pasta.
2. Wash and cut the vegetables (leek: sliced; tomatoes: halves; mushrooms: quarts).
3. Slice and dice the garlic clove.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet or wok and add leek, fry for 2 minutes, add mushrooms, fry until golden. Add garlic, stir for about 2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and let simmer.
5. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to instructions on packaging.
6. Before draining the cooking water of the pasta, take out a small amount in a cup and set aside.
7. Drain the pasta & splash with cold water.
8. Add the pasta to the vegetables, add olive oil, salt, pepper & fresh basil and stir well.
9. Add a bit of the cooking liquid if the mixture is too dry.
10. Serve with a side salad (in picture: lettuce, tomato, nutritional yeast, roasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds with ume su vinegar) with a mustard dressing.

TIP: You can also add fresh spinach or endives or whatever you have in your fridge at that moment and you feel like adding. The tomatoes and cooking liquid give you a simply but deliciously light sauce.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Ginger infused quinoa with chick’pieces in a creamy leek & green pea sauce Ⓥ

On a night when I didn’t have many fresh vegetables left, I took whatever I found in my fridge, freezer and pantry to whip up this yummy dinner. It was nutritious and filling. You can substitute the vegan chick’pieces by tofu or tempeh, but make sure to marinate it at least 30 minutes before using it (as to soak up the flavour of your sauce).

Ingredients (2-3 persons)

• 1 cup of quinoa (I used different colors)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cm of fresh ginger root
• 200 g frozen green peas
• 1 medium-sized leek
• 200 ml soy cream
• 1 package (160g) of ‘chick’ pieces (vegan chicken breast – I use “Greenway”) or tofu
• turmeric, salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• coconut oil

Preparation

• Rinse the quinoa, set aside.
• Peel and cut the ginger root in small pieces.
• Cut the leek (rings) and wash (sieve).
• Boil 2 cups of water (for the quinoa).
• Fry the ginger for 1 minute, add the rinsed quinoa and stir fry for another minute. Add 1 tsp of turmeric, a pinch of salt, stir.
• Add 2 cups of boiling water and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is perfectly dry cooked.
• In the meantime cut the vegan ‘chick’pieces in smaller strips, add the tamari in the package and stir to evenly coat all the pieces.
• Heat up some coconut oil in a frying pan or wok and add the ‘chick’pieces, stir fry for a few minutes until golden.
• Add the leek and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Add the soy cream.
• Stir in the frozen green peas, leave it to simmer for a couple of minutes until the peas are cooked.
• Add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve the quinoa and add the sauce on top.

Vegan broccoli & leek quiche with olive oil crust

Quiches are great food to make ahead when organizing a dinner party, you can freeze them or prepare the day before and warm them up before your guest arrive. Serve with a simple green salad with some cucumber or cherry tomatoes and a olive oil/ mustard/ lemon juice dressing, garnished with some toasted sunflower and/ or pumpkin seeds.

The vegetables can be varied according to the available seasonable produce. Blanch, stir fry and season your vegetables before adding them to the tofu mixture and putting the quiche in the oven.

Ingredients

Crust

• 200g wholegrain flour & 50g quinoa flour (or 250g wholegrain flour)
• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 125ml water
• 125ml extra-virgin olive oil

Filling

• 1 package of firm tofu
• soy milk (quantity = dependent on desired consistency)
• 1 medium-sized broccoli (about 250g)
• 2 or 3 leeks, chopped
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp curcuma
• 1 tsp asafoetida (or fresh garlic)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• olive oil

Preparation

1. Prepare the crust: sieve the dry ingredients in one bowl, mix the wet ingredients in a separate smaller bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, use a fork to mix. Knead lightly, then roll into a circular shape, big enough to reach across the bottom and the sides of a 26cm pie dish. Add non-stick paper to your pie dish, put the dough in the dish & refrigerate while making the filling.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (I use gas oven 6).
3. Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets (try to use as much as possible from the broccoli, you can also use the stem). Boil for 2 minutes (‘blancher’) and rinse with cold water, set aside.
4. Cut the leek in rings, wash and stir fry for a couple of minutes in some olive oil. Add the blanched broccoli and stir fry for 2 more minutes. Add 1 tsp of curcuma and 0.5 tsp of asafoetida, a pinch of salt en fresh pepper. Set aside.
5. Put the crust in the oven, blind bake it for about 15 minutes.
6. Make the filling mixture in a food processor or blender: blend the tofu with the rest of the spices, nutritional yeast and enough soy milk to make it into a creamy mixture.
7. Add the creamy mixture to the vegetables.
8. Take your crust out of the oven, lower the heat to 180°C (gas oven 5). Add the vegetable/ tofu mixture and put in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.
9. Take your quiche out of the oven, and leave it to cool off for about 5 minutes before serving it with the salad.

Vegan recipe: no crust quiche

I love quiches and especially this simple version that’s also gluten-free.

Ingredients (2P)

• 1 package of silken tofu (400g)
• A handful of cashew nuts
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tsp curcuma
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Sea (or Himalaya) salt & black pepper
• 250g mushrooms
• 1 leek
• 200g fresh spinach
• Dry parsley

Preparation

1. Mix the cashew nuts, asafoetida, nutritional yeast, curcuma and 2 tbsp of the silken tofu in a blender till it becomes soft (sauce like) consistency; add the rest of the silken tofu and blend it all together.
2. Add salt and black pepper to your taste.
3. Set the tofu mixture aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
6. Wash and slice the leek and spinach.
7. Stir fry the leek for a couple of minutes before adding the mushrooms and finally the spinach and season with salt, pepper and some dried parsley.
8. Put the vegetables in a baking dish, pour the tofu mixture over it and put in the oven for about 30′.

Serve with a green salad, or an avocado/ tomato and basil salad (see picture).

Tip: you can substitute the used veggies with any vegetable that you like, just adjust the cooking time to be sure they’re tender when they go in the oven.