Oil-free vegan pesto with linguine

Oil-free vegan pesto :)

Am incredibly proud of this one! 

Up until a few nights ago, pesto in my mind was so dependent on the use of olive oil that i wouldn't dream of attempting it on the oil-free program... however, after buying a particularly lushy bunch of organic basil, the temptation to try pesto sans oil was too great... and i'm overjoyed to report that it not only worked but was a total taste sensation! It tasted creamy, rich and delicious, but didn't leave you with that overindulged, heavy oily feeling that real pesto can.

Ingredients:

For Pesto:

1/2 C cashews, ground

1/2 C toasted pine nuts, ground

3 cloves sautéed garlic

1/2 massel imitation "chicken" stock cube

1/2 C soy milk

1 C water

1 bunch basil

2 handfuls arugula

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt & Pepper

For Pasta:

1 packet linguine

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 massel imitation "chicken" stock cube

1/3 C water

1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced

3 zucchini, peeled in ribbons

extra water, as needed

To serve:

2 tomatoes, diced

salt & pepper

fresh basil leaves

Method:

For pesto, in a blender combine the ground cashews and ground toasted pine nuts, the sautéed garlic, stock cube, soy milk, water, basil, arugula, lemon, salt & pepper. Blend to smooth and creamy.

For pasta, bring a big pot of salted water to the boil and cook linguine until al dente.

In a large wok, saute minced garlic with the 1/2 stock cube and water, then add mushrooms and when just cooked, throw in zucchini ribbons and the cooked linguine. 

Finally stir through the pesto sauce, adding water as needed to prevent it from sticking.

Serve piping hot garnished with the fresh diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and fresh basil leaves.

If there is any pesto left-over, it keeps well in the fridge and makes a great snack spread for the next day.

Potato, mushroom, tuscan cabbage and cashew bake

Potato, mushroom, tuscan cabbage & cashew bake.

Ingredients:

White Sauce:
1/2 c raw cashews, finely ground
1 massel imitation "chicken" stock cube
1/2 C soy milk
1 C water
salt & pepper
1 scallion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

Vegetables for Layering:
4 dutch cream potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
salt & pepper
1 small spanish onion, finely sliced
4-5 large field mushrooms, sliced
2-3 T capers
1 handful basil leaves
1 tsp minced rosemary
1 bunch tuscan cabbage or kale, finely sliced.

Method:

To make white cashew sauce, in a blender combine the ground cashews, stock cube, salt and pepper, soy milk, water, scallion and garlic and blend well until combined and a pale green.

Slice all the vegetables and then begin the layering, beginning with a base of white sauce. 

Layer the potatoes, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, onions, capers, basil leaves, rosemary...

Add mushrooms...

Follow with a layer of the shredded tuscan cabbage/kale and then pour on more cashew white sauce and repeat layering process until out of ingredients.

Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes and then uncovered for the last 10 minutes.

Delicious served hot as well as cold left overs for lunch the next day!

deconstructed brown rice pie

Deconstructed brown rice vegetable "pie"!

Ingredients:

2 C brown rice

2 T toasted mix of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds & salt

2 T tahini

1 sweet potato, sliced into thick circles for steaming

1 egg plant, sliced lengthwise into 10ths

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced

2 large scallions, finely sliced

1/2 massel imitation "chicken" stock cube

1 bag baby spinach leaves

1 T mirin

1 can tomato soup

1 can tomatoes

1 tsp white vinegar

6 asparagus spears.

Serves 2 starved elephant-men or 4 sensible adults!

Using inspiration from one of my favorite cook books, "let it simmer" by the god-of-cooks Sean Moran, this is my take on his Brown Rice and Vegetable Pie. This is my vegan friendly, oil free version which remains incredibly hearty, perfect for a winter's night and extremely satisfying. 

 Method:

Cook brown rice using the absorption method (~6 c water: 2 c brown rice) 

While the rice is cooking prepare everything else.

Peel and slice sweet potato into big thick circles, then steam until soft in ~ 2 c water in a wok, reserving sweet potato water.

Mash sweet potatoes in separate bowl and set aside.

For eggplant, arrange eggplant segments in a steamer and cover with minced garlic and a good sprinkling of salt. Steam until soft.

To the reserved sweet potato water (which will have reduced to about 1 cup), add the 1/2 massel stock cube and a sprinkling of the sliced scallions (reserving the most part for the spinach), stir over high heat until the scallions are bright green and then add the mushrooms with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. 

Sauté until just cooked and set aside, reserving the sweet potato/mushroom stock water (of which there should now be only about 1/2 C left).

Check on the steaming aubergine which by this stage should almost be ready to turn off the heat.

To the reserved sweet potato/mushroom water, turning the heat up to high, add all the green scallions and sauté before adding the spinach and a splash of mirin, along with a good sprinkle of salt. Steam down spinach (which will only take a few minutes) and set aside.

If there is any liquid left over from the spinach you can throw that out and then re-use the same pan to make the tomato sauce.

Combine the can of tomato soup with a can of regular tomatoes and add 1 tsp white vinegar to balance the sweetness of the canned soup. Season with salt & pepper if necessary.

While this is heating through, for the final element, throw the asparagus spears on top of the steaming eggplant, until just cooked, literally only a minute or so, then you are ready to plate up.

To serve:

Lay a flat spoonful of brown rice on the plate and sprinkle with toasted mix of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and salt. Drizzle 1 T of tahini over the top of this.

Add 3-4 eggplant segments.

A few spoonfuls of mushrooms.

Some steamed spinach.

2 - 3 spoonfuls of tomato sauce.

A dollop of sweet potato mash.

As the final touch balance 3 bright green asparagus spears atop the stack and sprinkle with another dash of toasted sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.

Serve :)

Pistachio & Chickpea Curry!

Ok, a little curry curve ball! This dish has Indian sensibilities, however was made from a pantry that fell short in the spice department.. so i had to improvise. Delightfully, it seemed to work quite tastily! Try not to be intimidated by the lengthy list of ingredients. Once you have everything out on the bench and have chopped all you need, then it's literally a matter of throwing everything in a fry pan and voila!

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

Spice flavorings -
1 heaped tsp chinese five spice
1 heaped tsp tumeric
1 flat tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground jamaican allspice
salt and pepper

Aromatics -
2 eschalots, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 serrano chili, finely sliced
1/2 small nob ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 stem of lemongrass, beaten and finely diced
1 cilantro root and 1/2 bunch's worth of stems, finely diced
splash of water
1 ripe tomato, roughly diced
1 heaped tsp brown sugar
juice half lime

Rice:
1/2 pound long grain brown rice (I used Trader Joe's "Brown Rice Medley" which included a delicious mix of long grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds!
2 C vegetable broth
3 C water (added through out, you may need to use a little less or a little more, depending on your stove and rice variety)

Veggies:
1 C diced carrot
2 zucchini, diced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed well
1/2 pound frozen green peas
1 C shelled pistachios
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Method:
Into a large hot non-stick fry pan add all the spices and then all the aromatics, stirring roughly to prevent sticking. The smell should be delicious!
Then add your rice, veggie broth and 1 C water.
This is like a low maintenance risotto. It requires far less stirring, just once in a while... and just needs you to cast your eye over things from time to time to make sure nothing's sticking.
After the rice and broth and water are bubbling nicely add your carrot and stir.
If the liquid is disappearing too quickly, add some more water.
About 10 minutes after the carrots go in, throw in your zucchini and well-rinsed chickpeas.
Again, check your liquid and add more if required. You want the rice to be moving fluidly round the pan, no sticking. You may wish to cover the pan at this time, either with a tight fitting lid or a loose piece of aluminum foil to speed up the cooking process.
About 5 minutes before serving add the frozen peas and pistachio nuts.
As soon as the rice tastes cooked, take it off the heat and stir through the cilantro leaves.
I'd say, all in all it takes about 10-15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes to cook. Not too long to wait before tucking in.

Broccoli Soup

Serves ~ 4

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 scallions, finely sliced

Salt and pepper

splash of water

1-2 heads broccoli, including stems, roughly chopped

2 zucchini, diced

6 stems asparagus, sliced into 1cm lengths

1/2 c white wine

2 cans veggie broth

Method:

To a hot medium-large sized pot add the onion, garlic and scallions and sauté with salt and pepper, adding a splash of water to prevent sticking.

Add all the green vegetables followed by the 1/2 c white wine and sweat.

Then add the cans of stock and bring to the boil.

After a few minutes of bubbling, turn it down to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, but still a nice bright green.

At this point you can serve as is, with a good chunk of crusty bread... 

Or you can blend it and serve it with said bread, but also a dollop of the reserved unblended veggies.

:)

The Super Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 banana, roughly chopped
2-3 leaves of kale, shredded
2 T almond butter
1/2 glass shaved ice
3 tsp agave
1/2 glass almond milk

Blend and serve!!!
Delish :)

Pad Thai

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
4 small orange sweet potatoes
Pad Thai noodles (made from brown rice if you can find it)
1 eschallot, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
stems from 1/2 bunch cilantro finely sliced
1 wedge ginger for flavoring (to be removed before serving)
salt and pepper
1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp agave
1 T hoisin sauce
1 splash soy
juice from 1 lime
splash of water, more if needed
1 cup green beans, cut into inch lengths
2 large puk choy, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 block medium-firm tofu sliced into 1/4 inch "steaks".
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
leaves from half bunch cilantro
thai basil leaves
black sesame seeds

Method:
Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 min - 1 hr, until soft and sweet.
For pad thai noodles, soak in warm water for 15-20 min until they move loosely but are still quite firm.
To a hot wok add eschallot, garlic, sliced cilantro stems, ginger wedge, salt and pepper. Stir roughly so it doesn't stick. Add a jot of water if it's getting too sticky!
Then add tamarind paste, agave, hoisin, soy and lime, with a dash more water.
Add drained pad thai noodles along with the green beans and puk choy and stir. Add more water to keep things smooth and fluid. Add the tofu carefully and arrange the noodles and veggies on top of them so that the tofu warms through.
Adjust flavors as necessary, adding more agave, hoisin or soy, or lime as necessary.
Just before serving, pile on the shredded cabbage and carrot, cilantro and thai basil and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Serve with the baked sweet potatoes and enjoy!