Veggie Lentil Cottage Pie

This is such a good hearty satisfying yummy dish.  And a good source of protein and fiber.
You can make this dish vegan by using a vegan butter and milk substitute in the mashed potatoes.

Filling:
250g brown lentils, cooked, drained & set aside
coconut oil for frying
1 leek, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 cup steamed butternut (I pre steamed mine for about 15 mins)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used button but you can use others)
1 cup peas (not canned)
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
115g container tomato paste (heaped 1/3 cup)
1 tsp veggie stock powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 tsp powdered pepper

Topping:
4 cups potatoes, steamed until soft (about 30 mins - I steamed them while filling was cooking so that mash is fresh & soft when I spread it on filling)
salt & butter to taste
a little milk to make it "fluffier"

• heat oil and fry onion, leek, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric & stock powder until onion is translucent, about 5 mins
• add remaining ingredients with 1 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat & simmer 15 mins
• while it's simmering, chop & steam the potatoes - when they're done, mash them with salt, butter & a little bit of milk - add little milk at a time and add more if you see you want the mash to be more fluffy
• remove cover and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed (it took me about 20 mins), but leave some moisture left, it mustn't be simmered dry
• place filling into a glass dish (remember to remove bay leaves) & gently spread mash potato over the top
• serve & enjoyyyy

Tomato Rice Pilaf

This is just about a staple in our house, we all love it, not only because it's tasty but also because it's quick and easy to make (latter part is very important haha).

1 medium - large onion (sliced & roughly chopped)
1 tbs coconut oil
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups veggie stock
400g fresh diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander

•  fry onion in oil until it starts to become translucent
• add rice and spices and mix to coat
• add tomato and stock, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 mins

Good as a dish on it's own, or as a side-dish.

Vegan Lentil Carrot Burgers

These are a healthy alternative to meat or frozen burger patties.  Unlike most burger patties, these are actually nice when eaten just as is - I made these especially so that baby (well, 1 year & almost 2 month baby) can join us for our burger dinner.  :)

This makes about 9 small burgers.

2 1/2 cups cooked & drained lentils (about 1 cup dried), mashed (I blended them in a food processor - quicker than trying to mash 'em)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely grated carrots
3 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I used gluten-free bread)
salt to taste
coconut or sunflower oil for frying (coconut will give it a slight coconutty taste)

• put lentils in a bowl & add all remaining ingredients except oil
• mix well
• shape into patties & fry both sides in a little oil until heated through

Make your burger and munch away!

We didn't have burger buns so we had to use sliced bread, and the slices were way bigger than the burgers so I used a cookie cutter to make smaller pieces of bread (this is the only shape I had that was just the right size)

Yum, a good burger.

Red Lentil & Veggie Dahl

This turned out really good, BUT . . . only because we added chutney to it - without that it was nice, but it seriously lacked *something*, and chutney filled the gap perfectly. I'm talking about Mrs Ball original chutney.

coconut oil for frying
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
2 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tbs garam masala
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces (about 1 1/2 inch) (I used broccoli)
2 1/2 cups carrots, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups potatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp himalayan salt

•  in a LARGE pot, heat coconut oil & fry onion & ginger for a minute, then add garam masala & stir
• add lentils & stir to coat, then add cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, turmeric, 5 cups of water &1 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
• bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.  Simmer until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30-40 minutes
• add chutney to taste before serving

Can be eaten as is, or served over rice.

Butternut Soup

This is a really yummy & easy soup to make.  Butternut is one of my FAVE veggies, so I love this dish.

1 butternut, peeled & chopped into large chunks
1 onion, chopped into chunks
veggie stock
sunflower or coconut oil
cinnamon
nutmeg
cayenne (optional)

•  place chopped veggies on baking tray, drizzle generously with oil, sprinkle over lots of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and if you want to add cayenne for some kick, sprinkle just a light layer over (or add more if you like it hot)
• bake at 180 degree C for 1 hour, until tender and cooked
•  place in a food processor and add veggie stock - blend and add more veggie stock to get the soup a consistency that you like - you can make it chunky or smooth

Easy peasy.  :)

Red Lentil & Butternut Curry

This is good on it's own or served on couscous.  I loved it.

I added a few tbs cake flour at the end because it was quite saucy, but it would be nice served on couscous with the extra sauce, and better with less sauce if you were to munch it on it's own with no couscous to absorb the sauce.

coconut oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs curry powder (or more to taste)
4 cups veggie stock
1 cup red lentils
3 cups cooked butternut, cut into bite-sized cubes (I steamed mine until cooked, about 25 mins)
1 cup greens of choice (I wanted to add spinach but couldn't find that day)
himalayan salt to taste

• fry onion in oil for about 5 mins on low-medium heat
• stir in curry powder & cook another few mins
• add stock & lentils, bring to boil, reduce heat & cook for 10 mins
• stir in butternut & greens, cook over medium heat for about 5-8 mins
• season with salt and serve

Mushroom & Rice Bake with Cheese

I'm not the best food photographer, but this dish is soooooo good & tasty, I'll definitely make this again, and it's easy too which is important for me. :)

coconut oil for frying
400g brown mushrooms, chopped up
1 large onion, well chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 cup smooth cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated cheddar (or whatever cheese you like)

• heat over to 180 degree C.  Get a baking dish ready of more or less 9x13 in.
• heat oil and fry mushrooms with some salt to taste.  Stir now and again until mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit
• add onion and cook for about 5 mins until they're translucent, then remove from heat and add cooked rice - mix well
• in another bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese,sour cream & salt.
• combine egg mix with rice mixture and mix to combine well, then pour into baking dish

At this point, this dish is actually ready to eat just as is!  It's delicious and if you're in a hurry or whatever, you don't even need to do any further steps - in fact I don't think I will next time - if I do this though I'll leave out he egg, I see no reason why that can't be left out entirely.

• sprinkle cheese on top, cover with tin foil & bake for 30 mins

 Yum yum yum is all I can say . . .

Chickpeas in Spiced Tomato Sauce with Couscous

I discovered another keeper last night, a tasty spicy chickpea dish, and I can't wait to make it again. :)

3 tbs organic coconut oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (I added at least 1 1/2 cups - I love onion)
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/2 tsp if you like it uber spicy)
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup finely chopped fresh tomato (I added maybe 1/2 tomato more - I love 'mato)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cooked drained chickpeas
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• heat pan, add oil, and when hot, fry onion until soft
• add ginger and stir once
• add first 4 spices and stir once
• add tomato and stir for a minute
• add 1 cup water and salt, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins
• add chickpeas, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins
• add curry powder and lemon juice, stir, cover and simmer another 5 mins
• serve on couscous (or rice if you like)

It only serves about 2 large or 3 smaller portions.

Protein Rich Beans & Viennas with Barley

This recipe is similar to my Beans & Viennas with Barley one, but this one here has some extra ingredients to add more protein to this dish.  And I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones here, and needless to say it tastes better this way. :)

1 cup uncooked barley, cooked according to instruction
1 large onion, chopped
oil for frying
2 1/2 cups fresh diced tomatoes (including seeds and juice)
1 can (+- 410g can) red kidney beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can lentils (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can chickpeas (about 1 1/2 cups as well)
3 soy vienna, sliced
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried mixed italian herbs
+- 1/3 cup veggie stock

1.   Fry onions in oil until translucent.  Add tomatoes and stir to warm them through.
2.   Add beans, lentils & chickpeas and cook on medium heat until warmed though.
3.   Add worcestershire sauce and herbs and simmer for just a few minutes until the flavours are released
4.   Add the viennas and veggie stock, cover and simmer for at least 15 minutes until everything is warmed though and the flavours have had a chance to mix.

Serve on barley.   Makes about 4 medium servings.  The main protein sources here are the kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils.

This freezes well enough, but may go a little mushy during the defrosting process.

Beans & Viennas with Barley

This is made with soy viennas of course. :)

I was in the mood for barley, so I had to think up something good that I could serve with it and so I came up with this dish, and I think it turned out nice.  Well, even my husband liked it, so there must be something good to it. :)

Serves 2-3

1 cup uncooked barley, cooked according to instructions
olive oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes with sauce (+-410 g)
1 can red kidney beans, drained (+- 410 g)
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried mixed italian herbs
3 soy viennas, defrosted & sliced into thinnish slices
himalayan salt to taste

1.   Fry onions over medium heat in olive oil until translucent.
2.   Add kidney beans and tomato.
3.   Stir in worcestershire sauce, cumin and herbs
4.   Let simmer for about 20 minutes, add viennas and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve warm and add salt to taste if you like.

I want to try this with fresh tomatoes next time (didn't have enough last night).

Rosemary Butter Steamed Potatoes

One of my all time favourite ways to have potatoes is with rosemary butter. :)

3 medium potatoes, peeled & quartered into wedges
1 - 1 1/2 tbs melted butter
2 tsp ground dried rosemary
salt to taste

1.   Steam potato wedges until cooked (it takes 45 minutes in my steamer for them to be quite soft).  Once done, salt them to taste.
2.   Ground your rosemary to release the flavours:

Isn't this mini mortar & pestle too cute? :D

3.   Add rosemary to butter, mix to combine and pour over potato wedges to coat them.  After dishing up the potatoes, pour the remaining butter over them too.

Yummmmmm...... :)  I love steamed veggies.

Spicy Cinnamon Butternut & Cinnamon Baked Veggies

Another one of my favourites is baked veggies, especially the spicy butternut with cinnamon - and it's so easy and quick to make too.

Spicy Cinnamon Butternut
butternut chuncks sliced to about 1/4 inch thickness
olive oil
cinnamon
cayenne pepper

Coat the butternut with oilve oil, place in baking tray and sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon and a little bit of cayenne (if you're not familiar with cayenne pepper, it's quite hot so only sprinkle on a tiny bit if you don't want it too spicy).


Cinnamon Baked Veggies
sweet potato, peeled & sliced to about 1/4 inch thickness or just less
onion, chopped into big chunks
olive oil
cinnamon
nutmeg

Coat the veggies with olive oil, place on baking tray and sprinkle with cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg.

Bake all veggies for about 45 mins (or until tender) at 180 C / 350 F on the lowest rack  If it's on the higher rack mine seem to be baked to a crisp.

Yum yum. :)

Spicy Potato, Lentil & Coconut Curry

I love the flavour of coconut curries. :)  So here goes:

2 tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 tsp grated dried ginger
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried crushed chili
1 tsp curry powder
3 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into+- 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup orange lentils, uncooked
300 ml canned diced tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup veggie stock
1 tsp salt
5 drops liquid stevia extract
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, cooked separately

1.   Heat oil and fry onions until they're translucent.  Add the ginger, chili and all the spices, mix, and cook for about another minute.
2.   Add potato and lentils, and stir to coat them with the spices.
3.   Add tomatoes, coconut milk, stock, salt, stevia and bring to the boil.  Cover with lid and simmer until potatoes are tender, while stirring frequently.  I forgot to time it. :(  But it could have been about 1 hour.  Serve over rice.

This is so filling and SO delicious!

Rice & Beans

This is my version of a rice and beans dish which I make quite often - it has subtle flavours, is filling, and is a good vegetarian protein-rich meal, as red kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas are good sources of protein.

I used a lot of canned foods in this recipe because I hate cooking and like to get it done as quickly as possible. :)  So you can improve on this by preparing the lentils, chickpeas and beans yourself instead.
Serves 4.  Since we are only 2 people, I mix the left over rice and bean mixture and freeze it for another day when I'm too lazy to cook.

1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked separately
himalayan crystal salt to taste
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 can (+- 400g) chopped peeled tomatoes or equivalent of freshly chopped tomatoes
1 can (+- 400g) lentils, drained
1 can (+- 400g) chickpeas, drained
1 can (+- 400g) red kidney beans, drained
1 can corn (+- 400g)drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried crushed chillies
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp veggie stock powder dissolved in 5 tbs hot water

1.   Add rice to pot, sprinkle over some himalayan crystal salt to taste, add water and cook as usual.  I use only naturaly himalayan crystal salt as it is a pure salt without the negative health impact of the usual table salt used today.
2.   In a separate pot, heat oil and fry onion and green pepper until the onions start becoming translucent.  Add oregano and mix well.
3.   Add the remaining ingredients, mix, cover and simmer until the rice is done.  Serve on rice.