Smoky Plum Sauce Marinated Tofu & Wilted Greens

Ah, Spring. So much choice at the fruit shop! Mangoes and strawberries are high on my must have list at present. Meals become lighter and I don't know about you but enjoying the great outdoors becomes more manageable here on our mountaintop. I've been busy in the garden soaking up lots of Vitamin D and generally enjoying being in shorts and t-shirt. The houndies have of course been ever so helpfully supervising all garden activities and sunning themselves at the same time. What would I do without them? Luckily, nobody of great concern is about to be blinded by this mountaineer's white winter legs apart from the residents of Fowlty Towers but the girls are too busy looking for grubs in any case.

This recipe makes use of autumn's plum sauce, and the fresh bright greens that are sweet and in abundance at present. Make sure you marinate the tofu from the day before for the flavour to develop fully, and top with some toasted peanuts. 

If you haven't made your own plum sauce yet I have included it at the end, but a good quality shop bought one is fine. The liquid smoke isn't essential but it does add a good flavour to the tofu, so use it if you can.

Ingredients (Dinner for Two)

250gr firm tofu

2/3 cup plum sauce (shop bought or home made)

2-3 drops of liquid smoke

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2-3 cups of Asian greens ( pak choy, gai lan, wombok, choi sum etc)

1 small bunch coriander leaves

2 cups brown rice (cooked)

toasted peanuts to serve

oil for frying

Method

1. One day ahead, drain and cube the tofu, and put it into a container with the plum sauce and liquid smoke. Toss well to coat evenly and leave in the fridge overnight.

2. Cook rice according to packet directions and set aside, keeping warm.

3. Put  a little oil in your wok or frypan, and fry the tofu on high heat, until it is brown and sticky from the sauce. Set aside.

4. Crush the garlic and fry on high heat for a few seconds before adding your choice of greens and coriander. Add the soy sauce and a tablespoon of water and put the lid on, giving it a shake. The water helps the greens steam and wilt quickly. Leave it  a minute and take off the lid.

5. Serve the greens over the rice, with the tofu and top with toasted peanuts.

 Spicy Plum Sauce

Ingredients

2kg pitted red or purple plums 

1 large diced brown onion

1 cup sugar 

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

2 tsp Chinese five spice

1/4 tsp chilli powder

a little oil for frying

Method

In a large saucepan saute the onions, garlic, ginger, spices, and plums in a little oil until onion is translucent.

Add the sugar and vinegar, and gently bring to the boil, and then reduce to low heat and put on the lid, Leave for about 30 minutes, or until the plums are very tender. Take off the heat and allow to cool a little.

You can run the mixture through a mouli, or use a hand blender, until smooth. Return to the pan and simmer on low until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Wild Mushroom Pie

I love autumn. The days are still warm enough to be outside pottering around the garden, the nights are getting quite chilly and towards the end of April we start lighting our slow combustion fire. It's cosy and pleasant. And there are mushrooms. We had so much rain at the beginning of autumn the mushrooms have been popping up ever since. ***Word of warning here folks - if you don't know which mushrooms are safe to eat don't go collecting wild mushrooms*** Here where we live in the upper Blue Mountains saffron milkcaps abound for easy picking if you know where to look. Lucky for us a great deal can just be found in our own garden under the pine trees and azaleas where they flourish and pop up reliably every year. So I took to making a delcious wild mushroom pie.If you don't have wild mushrooms, just get a nice of full flavour mushrooms from the market or grocer.

Ingredients
shortcrust pastry for bottom (I used two sheets of store bought because I was lazy)
puff pastry for the top (1 sheet)
3 cups sliced wild mushrooms (or mixed bought doesn't matter!)
1 stick of celery diced
1 carrot diced
2 bay leaves
handful sage leaves, shredded
1 brown onion diced
1 clove garlic
1 small bunch fresh thyme, chopped
cracked black pepper to taste (few twists will do)
2 cups porcini mushroom stock (porcini mushrooms left to soak in hot water) OR beef style stock powder
1 tablespoon of plain flour
2 tablepoons butter or vegan margarine
vegetable oil for frying plus  butter (or vegan margarine)

Method
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and  add a tablespoon of butter. Add the onion, carrot, an celery, and saute until soft.Add the garlic, bay leaves,sage, thyme, and cracked pepper.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms, and a little more butter if needed, cooking gently on low heat until the mushrooms soften and wilt down.
3.In a saucepan melt two tablespoons of butter on low heat and whisk in the flour. Keep stirring for a few minutes to cook out the flour (or your pie will taste like batter!). Slowly begin adding in the hot stock, a tablespoon at a time and keep whisking to prevent lumps as it begins to thicken.
4. add this sauce to the mushroom mix and simmer on a ow heat for about 10- 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, and set aside to cool. (Tip: Making this the day ahead and leaving to be completely cool also enhances the flavour for the next day).
5. Grease a 20 cm pie tin and line with shortcrust pastry. Blind bake for 10 minutes and then remove.
Spread out the mushroom filling into the case, and top with puff pastry, pressing firmly all the way around (I do a little roll around the edge to ensure it stays put).
6. Bake in a 180C preheated oven for approximately 30minutes or until the top is puffy and lightly golden.
7. Let the pie rest for a few minutes when out of the oven before slicing and serving.

Vegan MoFo: Crying Onion Tart

Well, I got lost a bit the last week as we took a much needed short break without the foster hounds, and arranging everything for a just a few days off seemed to be a titanic task.  My planned post for today is somewhat interrupted by the Aussie politics of the last 24 hours. How could I possibly resist a bon voyage post to outgoing PM Tony Abbott when two years ago I posted about his election?

So I spent the afternoon in tears. Not because I'm unhappy about Tony being given the flick by his own party, but because I spent some of it slicing onions. How fitting for me to do a tribute to Tony in the kitchen in the form of an onion tart. I can't see he can complain as I'm only doing my wifely duty poised over the kitchen stove since I loathe the other housewifely activity of being bent over the ironing. ( If I'd had a waffle iron I could possibly have done a recipe with that instead, also fitting for our stumbling mumbling waffling Tony). I suppose I could then thank him for getting rid of the carbon tax so that it lowered the cost of electricity associated with using my iron - but in any case we have solar and I had no problem with the carbon tax to begin with. Yes, he really did say that.

If you aren't aware, Tony is famous for his somewhat bizarre raw onion munching activities, so in a humourous tribute yesterday before the result was even in, social media was alight with #putoutyouronions.  So, my contribution is this delicious rustic chilli onion tart (the chilli is the crying part). Serve with a large helping of bright greens...the leafy kind that is, not the political party ;) So long Tony - now every time I slice an onion, I'll think of you.


Ingredients:
One quantity of vegan savoury shortcrust pastry
One quantity of vegan bechamel/white sauce
3 large onions
1 cup sliced sweet potato
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch salt
1/4 - 1/2 rsp chilli powder
few bayleaves
oil

Method:
1.On a low heat saute the onions in a little oil with sugar, salt, and chilli powder until soft and caramelised (about 30 minutes).
2. While onions are cooking preapre your pastry and press into a greased tart tin. Pop in the freezer for 30 minutes, this helps prevent the pastry shrinking during baking.
3.Steam sliced sweet potato until just beginning to soften, and set aside.
4. Prepare you bechamel sauce, and while it is cooking out, blind bake the pastry shell for 10 minutes.
5. Take out the tart shell and put the potato on the bottom followed by the crying onions, and then pour the bechamel over the top evenly.
6. Bake for a further 20 minutes. Leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly, and then serve.

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Quick & Easy Green Fettucine

Thursday is usually a longish day for me.It's kennel day, so that means it's an hour and a half drive down the mountain and by the time I head home it's the same time back and I'm so beat I want something quick and easy for dinner. Today I was lucky it was a short day but with the Beloved being away and one of our fosters being "extra needs" at the moment I just wanted a simple dinner for one. Which is good since today's prompt is quick and easy!

Basically, I just cooked some fettucine and threw in any green vegie I had with some melted non dairy butter, garlic, chilli powder, and lemon zest. I go a bit overboard with lemon while the hubby isn't here because he isn't fond of it in savoury dishes. I had plenty of kale from the garden, parsley, peas, broccolini, and some avocado. I squeezed a bit of the lemon juice over the top with some pepper and voila! dinner.

I would like to say I ate it at the table but in in reality I just ate it on the sofa watching QI with Lady Poppy for company who was too busy wrapped in a food comatose of her own to be worried about what I had. Any dinner is a quick dinner if you're a greyhound - your mum makes it for you!

Vegan Potato & Corn Chowder

It has been a loooooong time since I posted anything. Time, motivation, and creativity seem to get sucked into a black hole. Of course life also seems to do nothing but revolve around dogs these days too... but anyhoo... Being sick is a good motivator for finding the perfect comfort food that doesn't require too much effort.

This week I happened to get some kind of man flu. I say it is man flu simply because the way I felt Monday I am sure nobody else has ever felt in the universe and I was obviously dying. Somebody sapped all the energy out of me and gave it to someone else. Muscles ached in places I didn't think there were muscles. Stars exploded and new universes were formed inside my head. Of course, it did not help that I had completed the City to Surf on Sunday while knowing I was sick, but of course being in the early stages of man flu I obviously thought that I was invincible against my normal rational judgement and ran the 14km anyway. At one point while running I thought I was hallucinating when I saw two Wonder Women and four giant bottles of Pure Blond beer jogging past. Possibly aliens as well. Perhaps I had wandered onto the set of the next series of Dr Who? It has since been confirmed I was not hallucinating and these strange things were in fact there and I wasn't going mad. It was all worth it though as I was running to raise funds for Greyhound Rescue. 

However. Back to the problem of finding a bowl of nourishing comfort food.

Dairy in quantity does nothing good for me. However, there is something about creamy rich food that makes us feel better. This chowder does all of that without all the nasty dairy bits. It is rich and buttery tasting from the almonds, filling, and comforting. If you use crispy eggplant instead of the bacon style slices it is also gluten free!

Ingredients

4 medium waxy potatoes peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups corn kernels

1 cup diced onion

1 cup soaked almond kernels (husks removed) soaked in 1 litre of water

2 litres of vegetable or vegan chicken style stock powder

1 packet vegan bacon style slices (or crispy chargrilled eggplant works too!)

1 bunch of dill

1 bunch rocket or spinach

pepper to taste

lemon infused EVOO

oil for sauteing

Method

1.Soak the almonds for a couple of hours or simmer for 15 minutes in a litre of water and cool.

2. Put the almonds and their water into the blender and process until very smooth. Kinda like making almond milk but we are using the ground almonds as well.

3. In a  large saucepan saute the onions in a little vegetable oil until soft and then add the corn kernels, diced potato, almond mixture, and stock.

4. Simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). If it is getting too thick thin it out with a little more stock or water.

5. While the soup is simmering chop up the bacon style slices and fry until crispy. Or fry up some smoky chargrill eggplant pieces instead, and set aside.

6. Take the soup off the heat, stir in a drizzle of lemon oil and pepper to taste, and the fried slices or eggplant.  Toss in rocket and dill, and stir through to wilt.

7. Serve with extra dill or rocket on top, and crusty bread.

Vegan Portobello Chestnut Patties

You may have been wondering where I have been since posts are so few between these days. I've been concentrating on juice feasting and eating some simple raw food, with some cooked meals to try and heal my body and get this damn weight off! So I haven't been experimenting much of late. But the change of season means I feel drawn more to comforting food since Summer's fruity bounty has all but come to an end. 

I love Autumn. The days are still mild, the nights crisp, and time seems to slide gently into winter. It's the season when the fire is lit again for the evenings, I linger in a hot bath, and then want to curl up with the cats and hounds for a cosy night in. 

Mr Sprout and myself celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on the 26th March and it has been the first we have both been able to have the day off and spend it together since we were married. The romantic picnic I had in mind went down the drain with the ridiculous amount of water we've had pouring from the skies of late. Not to be discouraged we changed plans, packed our wellies in the van and headed out to Mt Irvine to squirrel for nuts instead. For us it's about a 50 minute drive since we live on the other side of the mountains, but it is a nice one. The small communities of Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine were cut off completely for several days in the bushfires we had in the Spring, and as we drove we saw plenty of areas that had been charred. Yet in the amazing nature of the Australian bush the eucalypts were already covered in bright green foliage helped along by the recent rains. Thankfully  Kookootonga nut farm was spared by the blaze although the neighbouring property lost everything. Which is just as well because we spent a very pleasant hour or so wandering under the canopies of towering chestnut and walnut trees and plucking the fattest nuts we could find.

 Since it was mid week we were barely disturbed by anyone else and the misty morning no doubt kept other squirrels at bay. $8.00 kg for fresh organic nuts are not to be beaten and certainly there is something lovely about gathering your own.

I decided to make some chestnut and portobello patties with our bounty since the mushrooms are also particularly good at the moment. they are delicious in your favourite bun with leafy greens and lashings of mustard, or wrapped in kale or chard leaves if you want a gluten free option. Earthy flavoured vegetables like fresh grated carrot or beetroot go well (or even just some ripe tomato). The mixture also makes excellent vegan sausage rolls, just get some vegan puff pastry and away you go!

Ingredients
250gr peeled cooked chestnuts, chopped
200 gr portobello mushrroms
1 large brown  onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
handful fresh sage, tarragon, and rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1.If you are using fresh chestnuts cut a criss cross in the top and drop them in a pan of boiling water for about 10 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then peel and  roughly chop.
2.In a frying pan saute onion and garlic in an little coconut or oil until beginning to soften and then add the mushrooms. continue to cook until onions are cooked through. Allow to cool.
3.In a food processor put in all ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles a mince and sticks together.
4.Leave in fridge, covered,  for half an hour or so for flavours to develop.
5.Using your hands shape into the size and shape you desire, and fry in a little oil until brown on both sides.

The Twelve Posts of Christmas: Vegan Vegie Ribbon Tart

I have seen vegetable ribbon tarts done a few times but always it is more of a quiche type thing, and not vegan. I can't say I've ever had a really good vegan "quiche" that involves silken tofu. I don't know why, it just doesn't do it for me. This tart is made using a thick silky "custard" using non dairy milk and flour to thicken it, flavoured with onion and thyme. It is based on a very thick white sauce. When baked it sets very well, just allow it to cool a bit before serving. It shouldn't be piping hot - just warm, or it can be cooled completely and served cold. I used sweet potato and zucchini, but you could use any vegetable easily sliced into ribbons like beetroot, parsnips, swedes, or carrots. Bake in a loose bottomed flan tin for easy removal.

Base - Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon cornflour
125gr vegan butter, softened and cut into cubes
pinch salt
pinch ground pepper
cold water

Sift flour, cornflour, salt, and pepper into a large bowl.
Rub butter through flour using your finger tips until it resembles large breadcrumbs.
Add 1 tablespoon of water and draw mixture together into a ball. If it is still too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it holds together.
Roll out and press into your greased tin. Trim edges.
Place in freezer for at least an hour. If you are making ahead cover in clingfilm and leave in freezer until ready to bake.
Blind bake in a 180C preheated oven for 12 minutes, and then remove, and put aside.

Filling
2 zucchini
1 sweet potato
1 1/4 cups non dairy milk
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 tablepoon dijon mustard
1 small onion
1 heaped teaspoon chicken style stock
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Method
1.Cut zucchini and sweet potato into ribbons using a mandolin or vegetable peeler. Blanch ribbons in boiling water for a couple of minutes until just softening. Drain and set aside to cool.
2.onion and saute until softened, and set aside.
3.Arrange vegetable ribbons in a circular fashion in pastry base leaving a bit of a gap for the custard to settle in between and support the ribbons.
4.In a small sauce pan on low heat melt butter and then add flour to form a roux. Add milk slowly whisking vigorously to ensure no lumps as it thickens. Add stock, mustard, and onion, and using a hand blender puree until onion has blended. Add thyme, and keep stirring for a few minutes on low heat  to cook out the flour.
5.Pour mixture over vegetable ribbons, gently spreading over the top and pushing to ensure mixture falls between ribbons.
6.Bake in 180C oven for 20 minutes until  pastry is golden.
7.Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin and cutting into wedges to serve.

Home Made Broad Bean Falafel & Pita Bread

I'm back! After an almost two month hiatus after Vegan MoFo I've finally got my mojo back. I'm not sure if I will participate next year, I found this year a bit draining, and I didn't enjoy it as much. I also found the lack of Google Reader really annoying and I felt like I probably missed out on some really great posts. The Random MoFo thingy for some reason kept taking me back to a few particular blogs... not that they weren't great but I like to try and have at least one look at everybody. Anyways, enough whingeing.

Like we do every year, we grow broad beans, which were in plentiful supply to us so that I forgot to freeze a shelled half kilo of them(d'oh!) . However, when I pulled the plants up I harvested the rest and these have been outside drying out in their pods. I decided to use some today to make some gluten free broad bean falafel. For some reason so many of the mixes and recipes I've seen aren't gluten free so  I decided to just make it. Now don't get me wrong, I like chick peas, but I like the Egyptian broad bean falafel a lot better. We don't use this humble bean enough! I fear the poor broad bean gets left at the back of the shelf too often while the chickpea gets flung about and used like the village bicycle. What a floosie.

When I began looking at different recipes I found so many people used tinned chickpeas, flour, and eggs to make it at home. What's with that? Tinned chickpeas are way too soft to give a good felafel texture, and if made correctly you DO NOT NEED FLOUR OR EGGS!!! Sounds like a pikelet mixture to me.

Anyway with a lack of a decent recipe I had to come up with my own.

I also wanted to make my own pita bread to have warm and fresh, and some other yummy fillin's and fixin's like hummus and tabbouleh. 

I wanted to make a gluten free tabbouleh so I used my old friend the millet seed. I've seen plenty of recipes of late for quinoa in salads who is currently to the food world what One Direction is to music. I can't believe I just wrote about One Direction in a blog post. But you know what I mean, it's trendy,  its popular, its everywhere (although us vegans have been eating it long before the hipsters did). Millet on the other hand lies old and forgotten like the daggy Kamahl record covered in dust at the back of Vinnies.  So back to millet I go! I like to add a little orange zest to the tabbouleh, and use char grilled tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes to give it a slightly smoky flavour.

Falafel Ingredients

225 gr dried podded broad beans

75 gr dried chickpeas
75 gr sunflower seeds
75gr sesame seeds

1 small onion

1 bunch coriander leaves

1 clove garlic

2 tsps ground cumin

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tablespoons tahini

1/4 cup water

Method

1.For a quicker falafel I simmered the broad beans and chickpeas in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes, and then left aside to cool. Traditionally these are soaked overnight, but I wanted it now! They were just softening but still very firm. You don't want these to end up as a pot of hummus, you want a gritty texture.

2.In a food processor put in all the ingredeints except the water and pulse until you have a very coarse breadcrumb appearance. Add a little water after each pulse to help it a long. You should have a very thick mixture that easily sticks together.

3.Shape portions of the mixture to your desired size (I got 8 large falafels, but you could make them smaller for appetisers).

4.Heat some sunflower oil in a frying pan for shallow frying, and then fry falafels until dark golden on each side. Put them on a oven tray and put them in the oven at 100C to keep warm until you are done cooking them all.

Pita Bread Ingredients

2 cups bakers flour

1 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

Method

1.If you have a stand mixer you can use your dough hook and place all ingredients in the bowl and leave until dough centres around the hook and comes away from the sides of the bowl (adjusting liquid if necessary). If you are doing it by hand, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and pour wet ingredients in the middle. Using a spoon gradually incorporate the flour into the middle until all mixed, and then turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth. 

2.To cook the pita, take pieces about 1/4 cup in size, and then roll out very thin, almost to the point where it would break. Dust with flour if you have to to prevent it sticking to your workbench.

On a very hot BBQ plate, or an iron skillet (or in my case, my iron wok-of-all-work) spray lightly with oil, and cook until "bubbles" appear or it puffs up. Flip over and cook the other side. It takes about a minute for the first side, and maybe 30 =40 seconds for the second side. It's important to use as a hot a surface as possible. Of course traditionally pita breads are baked, but there's no way a home oven could get hot enough to bake it so it puffs. This is the same method I use to make naan and tortillas and it works great.

Millet & Kale Tabbouleh Ingredients

1/2 cup millet

1 big bunch of flat parsley

1 big handful mint

2-3 large kale leaves

juice of 1 lemon

1 Lebanese cucumber

4 large tomatoes - deseeded, chargrilled, and cooled

2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil

1 tsp orange zest

Method

Chargrill seeded tomatoes and set aside to cool. When cool chop finely, and set aside.

Cook millet in a pan of boiling water according to packet directions and set aside to cool.

Finely chop parsley, kale and mint. If you are making a lot pulse it a few times in the food processor its much quicker!

Dice cucumber.

Assemble tabbouleh by placing all ingredients in a large bowl and tossing until well mixed.

We had our falafel in the fresh pita with the tabbouleh, some corn cous cous, coconut yoghurt and freshly blitzed hummus. You could also add extra chilli, tahini, or garlic sauce if you wanted to. It was delicious! If you wanted a gluten free meal just omit the pita bread and eat the falafel with the corn cous cous and all the extras :)

Mac n' Cheese Nachos

My blog reader seems to be full of macaroni cheese and taco cleanse! So I thought why not join the party and put nachos and macaroni together? 

I made macaroni cheese using my go to white sauce recipe  that I use on moussaka and on occasion, lasagne. I smothered the macaroni on top of some crunchy corn chips, added some black beans, leftover tomato and mushroom sauce, chilli sauce, fresh tomato and avocado. I know it sounds like a weird nacho topping but it was so creamy, cheesy, and filling, and I didn't have to make cashew queso or quinoa chilli. Neat when you've run out of frozen containers of the stuff that you usually keep in the freezer for the times when its a table for one and it seems too hard to cook all of that! 

I really liked it, and I have a feeling the Beloved would have liked it too except he's away still and missed out. That means I'll have to make it again! 

Cookbook Mondays: Pom Pom Sushi

Last year I bought Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh. If you like Japanese cuisine but are always trying to work out what is and isn't vegan then I highly recommend this book. I bought it once again because I was suckered in by the beautiful photography and mouthwatering descriptions, but also because I hadn't come across a specifically vegan Japanese cookbook before.  I've made a few things from it and it is always delicious. The Beloved has grown fond of sushi lately, so for dinner I've made some red and white miso soup, and Pom Pom Sushi that looks so freakin' cute! They are really easy to make, so if you have never tried making your own sushi rolls, or you have tried and failed, have a crack at these. The idea is that you use up left over bits and pieces and wrap them around the balls of sushi rice. I had bok choi leaves, carrot, avocado, mushrooms, pickled ginger, capsicum, and some red lettuce which I used for mine. I think the more colours you have the prettier it is! 

Champignon Bourguignon

It's been a little quiet on the blogging front of late. After I had some fun with some superhero snacks I've been busy just working and looking after Mr Sprout and the furkids. I've not been very inspired lately either, just tired I guess and in need of a rest. Sometimes it's all I can do to make dinner, let alone create for a blog. I have been trying to pick a recipe a week that I haven't tried before from my ever growing cookbook and magazine collection, but so often when we are short on time we stick to the speedy meals we know so well! But all that will shortly change...I'll be sharing more about that soon!

Being July the days are short and cold, the sun doesn't peek at us as often, and comfort food is so easy to reach for (and pack on some extra kgs!) Don't get me wrong, raw vegan is great and I eat a lot that way when its warmer. But there is nothing wrong in eating cooked food when it is cold, and also nothing wrong with a lashing of comfort food now and again, especially if your veggie intake is so high. If it's cold and the thought of a winter slaw makes you shudder, go and get the lentil soup. Or in this case, champignon bourguignon. I know what you're thinking, the beef version has high expectations, and doesn't it have mushrooms in it anyway, so just omit the poor dead cow, add some seitan? Yes and no.

I wanted this to be perfect comfort food, full of wintery flavours that warm you through. I looked at a few recipes for the omnivore version and played around with the flavourings. I didn't want this to be a mock meat version of the original, mock meat has a place and there are some truly great products out there, but I like to eat whole foods wherever we can (there are some mock meat products that I truly shudder when I read the ingredients list ). I don't think anything is missing with this version, truly.  I had the added joy of using homegrown shallots, garlic, and herbs; homegrown Russian kale, and made some dauphinoise with some  homegrown spuds to go with it. 

Guillame Brahimi has a recipe that involves pureed carrot to thicken and flavour the dish at the end so there is no need to add flour. I loved this idea because somehow using flour to thicken a red wine dish seems to make it go grey! It also means this dish is gluten free, even better! I decided to forgo the carrot, but some pureed beetroot would add some great flavour and truly make it a bourguignon colour! You can use tinned beetroot for ease, just drain and rinse well to get rid of as much sugar as you can. I also happened to have a little liquid smoke left from making BBQ sauce, so put this in too. It isn't readily available in Australia but I got some from the Country Brewer. They also do online ordering if you don't have one near you. Serve with some mashed potatoes and steamed kale, or be decadent and have with some vegan potatoes dauphinoise. 

Ingredients

300gr button mushrooms

300gr Swiss brown mushrooms

2 large carrots, chopped into chunks

handful of chopped celeriac leaf (you can just use some celery, I just had some celeriac in the fridge)

3-4 bay leaves

sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

3 shallots ( I mean the bulb kind, not the grassy spring onion some folks call shallots) chopped

1 large garlic clove, bruised and finely chopped

1 tsp Massel beef style stock powder (no MSG, gluten free that's why I use it)

400 ml red wine

100 ml water

1 large cooked pureed beetroot (about 3/4 cup)

few drops liquid smoke (not essential, but adds a certain something)

olive oil

chopped parsley to serve

Method

In a large oven proof saucepan, gently saute garlic and shallots until translucent. 

Add thyme, bay, carrots, mushrooms, and celeriac leaf, and saute for another five minutes or so.

Add wine, water, stock powder, and liquid smoke. Bring to the boil, and leave for five minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to "marinate" for a few hours. you could even leave overnight in the fridge and continue the next day.

Cover and put into a 180C oven, for approx 30 minutes.

Take out, uncover, and add the beetroot puree. 

Put back into the oven and leave uncovered for another 10 minutes. 

Serve with plenty of chopped parsley, cracked black pepper, and crusty bread. 

Vegan Mushroom & Quinoa Moussaka (gluten free)

We love Greek food in our house. The Greeks just know how to make tasty vegetables like marinated artichokes, and char grilled eggplant. There was a fabulous little Greek restaurant in Katoomba called Treis Elies and we went there quite a few times for their ridiculously good veg banquet. We wouldn't eat much all day just so we had room to eat it all. Alas the restaurant is now closed, but we try and replicate some of our favourites at home. I have to say moussaka, in it's herbivore form, is just as tasty - no a lot tastier than it's carnivore counterpart. I've made this version a few times now, and it's now a favourite in our house. When I made this big baking tray last week, with the view to freeze in portions for when I am home late from work or on my own while Mr Sprout is away, my plan was somewhat thwarted. We had some for dinner, and I had a small portion for lunch the following day. When I got home, I found the tray denuded of it's spoils (there was over 1/3 left) and I thought my beloved had portioned it for me. That is, until he didn't eat much dinner and I discovered he had scoffed the lot! 

I'm not a fan of seitan, TVP or similar. I prefer using other ingredients to give a texture to "mince." My fallback is usually chickpeas, lentils, cracked wheat or a combo. Quinoa makes a nice change, and it's gluten free, so if you make the white sauce with gluten free flour, your gluten intolerant comrades will thank you for it.

You can char grill and marinate your own eggplant, or use store bought. This time I used store bought as I didn't have time to make my own, but usually I do it from scratch. Using a mandolin, cut the eggplant into slices (I usually make them thin, about 0.5cm). If they are the larger eggplants, you will need to salt them to take out the bitterness. It will also stop them from soaking up as much oil when you grill them. Place in a colander over a bowl or in the sink for an hour, you will see a pool of brown liquid which means the salt has done it's job!  Give the eggplant a light rinse and let it drain before patting dry. Fry/char grill on a hotplate in vegetable oil until golden and put aside. Drizzle with garlic infused olive oil, a little white wine vinegar and chopped oregano, leaving it covered, overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients

For the quinoa "mince"

3 char grilled eggplant (or store bought)

1  cup quinoa

500 gr mushrooms, chopped

2  x 400 gr tins of tomato puree

1 x 400 gr tin chopped tomatoes

2 large brown onions, chopped

2 carrots,  finely diced

1 stick celery, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

vegetable stock

pepper to taste

1 bunch oregano, finely chopped

1 bunch parsley,  finely chopped

water

Method

Cook quinoa according to apcket directions in vegatabel stock and set aside.

In a large saucepan, gently saute onion, garlic, celery and carrot until tender. 

Add mushrooms, and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add tinned and puree tomatoes, oregano, parsley, and pepper, and stir through. 

Add cooked quinoa, and about a cup of water, and allow to simmer gently for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it is done you should have a soft porridge consistency. Don't be alarmed if it seems a little runny, quinoa keeps soaking up liquid. Set aside to cool. If you are making this ahead, cover and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

For the white sauce

3 tablespoons nuttelex

1 litre of soymilk ( I use bonsoy as it has a good flavour for creamy sauces)

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

1/3 cup gluten free plain flour (I use Orgran)

ground white pepper

pinch salt

Method

In a saucepan, melt nuttelex and add flour, stirring vigorously into a paste. Slowly add soymilk a  little at a time, to ensure the sauce stays smooth. Add dijon, pepper, and salt, and gently simmer for about 10 minutes, still stirring. It should be nice and thick.

To assemble the moussaka, grease a large deep oven tray, and layer eggplant to cover the bottom. Spread some of the quinoa mixture over the eggplant, and repeat until you run out of mixture. I usually get three layers of eggplant. cover the top with the white sauce, and pop into a 180C oven for about 40 minutes, until top is golden. you can drizzle the top with oregano pesto if you like, or just garnish with a few fresh oregano leaves.

Vegan Pumpkin & Chestnut Tart

I apologise for lack of posts! Working two occupations has left little time for cooking experiments and I've fallen into the trap of cooking from the books. But now that I have a bit of time to breathe I should have a few up for you in the next couple of weeks. 

Autumn is my favourite time of year. The vibrant red and gold leaves against muted browns and sparkling green moss; the mellow warmth of an afternoon and the crisp cool evenings when Mr Sprout lights the fire and we settle in for the evening. The harvest has been gathered and the farmers markets and the grocer are full of the bounty of a good summer. I feel we are spoilt for good local produce 

in Australia, and especially the mountains where I live. Despite my lack of input this last season (although I was full of good intentions, not full of time) the garden managed to produce without me. We have plenty of spuds, and I have been making potato bakes - good comfort food. The pumpkin vine managed to produce 10 decent sized fruit, and the kale hasn't gone to seed so I've left it for the winter. We have oodles of purple garlic, some of which I replanted, and plenty of red shallots (also some of which was replanted). I even got in some early broad beans which have taken off - so not bad considering.

But what to do with the pumpkins? I made a pumpkin and chestnut tart, with roasted red shallots, spinach, mushrooms, sage, and garlic. All lovely autumn goodies. don't be daunted by making pastry. The beauty of this one is I did not blind bake, and it still cooked beautifully on the bottom. The trick is not to roll your pastry too thick. Freezing before baking I found helps prevent the pastry shrinking back too, and I didn't bother to let the dough rest before I rolled it. I don't know about you but letting the dough rest always means to me it goes too hard and I can't roll it, so I don't bother - putting it in the freezer works just as well, if not better. It's up to you.

Pastry

2 cups plain flour

100 gr copha

50 gr nuttelex

pinch salt

cracked black pepper

cold water

Method

Grate copha, and rub through flour with nuttelex until you have what looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add salt, and pepper to your taste (Mrs Bean and myself get a bit excited about pepper, but you can omit it if you like).

Add a little water, enough to bring the mixture together into a firm, slightly sticky dough. I typically use about 2 tablespoons, but on a warm day I may use a little more. Knead for a minute or two, and roll out to about 3 mm thick on a floured bench. 

Press into a lightly greased tart tin (I used a long rectangular tin) and pinch the excess off the top. Put into the freezer while you do the filling, or you can cover and leave in the freezer until you need it.

Filling

2 cups cooked pumpkin, half of which needs to be mashed, the other half roughly chopped

1 large  roasted red shallot bulb, chopped

5 large roasted chestnuts, chopped

small handful sage leaves

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

handful spinach leaves

small handful raisins or cranberries

1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 tsp crushed coriander

pinch allspice

Method

Roast the pumpkin and shallots and allow to cool.

Mash one cup pumpkin and spread onto the base of the frozen tart shell.

Sprinkle remaining pumpkin pieces onto mashed pumpkin with other ingredients, and drizzle with garlic infused olive oil.

Place in a a 180C preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until pastry is light golden.

Avocado & Corn Risotto with Lime

While we were on holidays on the far north coast of New South Wales, there were plenty of farmers markets where I bought fresh local produce. Being a tropical climate in this area the avocadoes were plentiful, cheap, and delicious. Even thought it rained and rained, and rained some more, it did give me an opportunity to cook and get the creative juices flowing.  I love avocado - so much that sometimes lunch is whole fruit with a little salt and lots of pepper, just as it is. As Summer says goodbye and Autumn begins, the corn is at its peak and is quite cheap, so marry the two together for a rich and creamy summery risotto.  This recipe makes enough for a dinner for two (or if you are like Nigella Lawson, probably one!). Don't make more than you can eat at one meal time, as avocado becomes bitter when overcooked and does not re -heat well. I find the lime cuts through the richness of the avocado and creamy rice, but you can leave it out or use lemon instead.

Ingredients
1 cup arborio rice
1 garlic clove crushed
Massel chicken style stock powder, made up to two litres
1 whole corn cob, grilled, kernals removed
1 large ripe avocado, or 2 small ripe avocados
1 cup baby spinach
1 lime (or lemon if you don't have lime) cut into wedges
fresh cracked black pepper
vegetable oil

Method
Puree the avocado and set aside.
Make up stock in a large saucepan and bring to simmer to keep hot.
In  a second medium heavy based saucepan gently saute rice with crushed garlic for a minute or two until rice is translucent, stirring constantly.
Add one cup of stock and stir until stock is absorbed.
Add corn kernals.
Keep adding stock about half a cup at a time until absorbed and rice is cooked. i like my risotto with just a bit of bite to the grains of rice, but almost soupy, so it slides quickly off the spoon. It shouldn't stick to the spoon like glue!
When you are ready to serve, stir through avocado and spinach, and leave for a minute until spinach is wilted.
Serve with a wedge of lime and cracked pepper to taste.

Tempura Salt & Pepper Watermelon

I haven't been very inspired of late, feeling pretty worn out and looking forward to a holiday next month and a bit of a break. Sometimes you just get in a rut of cooking the same old quick dinners. But, I did have a flash of inspiration today and decided to try making tempura watermelon. When I told the Beloved I would be making this he didn't seem very enthused, and thought it was a bit weird. Well, I am weird. How would any culinary masterpiece have ever been born if someone didn't make something that everyone else thought was weird?! To be honest I didn't know if it would work with such a high water content, but it did, I have a trick or two to share with you in how to make it work. Since making tempura mix from scratch never quite works for me I decided a packet option was probably best. While I was frying them the colour reminded me of crab sticks but without the terrible smell! Obviously they taste nothing like crab...

Ingredients

Approx 4 pieces per person of watermelon cut into thick fingers about 6-8cm long 

1 packet of tempura mix ( I used Trident, its vegan)

salt and pepper to your taste

Oil for deep frying

Method

Cut the watermelon and leave on a tea towel to mop up excess liquid. Pat just before dunking to dry as much as possible, or the mix will not stick to the melon.

Make up the mix according to packet directions, but add water a little at a time to get a nice thick batter, too thin and it won't stick. I found the best consistency after trial and error was like pikelet batter, quite thick, but runs off the spoon like treacle rather than cream. Whisk in plenty of pepper and a bit of salt. 

Heat oil in a deep fryer or small deep saucepan at (I have a fryer but used a saucepan as easier to clean). If you use a saucepan the oil should be no less than 4cm deep and no more than a third deep of your pan - safety people!  If you are unsure about temperature I suggest dropping a little batter in to see how quickly it bubbles to the surface. If it turns golden in 30 seconds you're ready.

Dip the dried off watermelon into the batter and coat as much as possible (no need to be too picky) and drop into the oil quickly. Fry until golden and then remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with a little more sea salt and cracked black pepper.

If you find the pan spits it is probably because you have not patted the watermelon enough and there is water getting into your oil! therefore it is essential to work quickly so the watermelon doesn't seep again before you batter and fry.

We had ours tonight dipped into some lime mayonnaise, but they were good without it. You cna use soy mayonnaise or egg mayonnaise whisked with some lime juice to your taste. Serve with a side of fried rice.

I really like the sweetness of the watermelon with it's firm light texture,  and the crisp peppery batter. Don't knock it til you've tried it!

Raw Vegan Kale Burritos with Mango Cucumber Salsa

This has to be one of my favourite raw meals simply because it's so tasty and easy to convert. There are lots of recipes for raw chilli, but this is mine.

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts soaked

1/2 cup pecans soaked

1 cup fine chopped button mushrooms

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes soaked

2 whole fresh tomatoes

1 shallot

1 small chilli

1 small clove garlic crushed

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

fresh coriander leaves

Method

Pulse soaked nuts in food processor for a coarse grind, and add to chopped mushrooms.

Put fresh tomato, soaked tomato, chilli, ground coriander, garlic, and paprika in food processor and puree. Add to nut mixture. Finely chop shallot and coriander leaves, and mix through. If it is too dry add a little water.

For the salsa, I julienned a cucumber, diced a mango, and added some coriander leaves.

I had mine in kale leaves, but you could also have them it in lettuce cups.

Vegan MoFo: Spiced Lentils & Rice with Cumin Flatbread

When the Beloved and I were first married, I used to make this a lot, as it was quick and cheap. Times have changed, and my repertoire is decidedly bigger than it once was. I decided to make it on a whim tonight since I had all the ingredients on hand, and it's nice to come back to an old favourite once in awhile. If you fry off the spices and onion for a minute, you can throw the rest into a rice or slow cooker.

Ingredients

2 cups long grain rice

1 cup cooked brown lentils

1 onion diced

1 cup chopped greens (I used kale as that's what's in my garden at the moment)

1 tsp tumeric

2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon hot chilli powder (less if you can't handle spicy)

juice of 1 lemon

chicken style stock

mint leaves

vegan sour cream or natural yoghurt to serve

olive oil

For the flatbread

2 cups bakers flour

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tablespoon oil

water

Saute onion, garlic, and spices until fragrant and onion is soft.

Bring 4 cups water to the boil, and add stock and rice. Bring to boil and add lentils, onions, and spices.

Simmer until rice has absorbed all the water and fluff up with a fork. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Serve with sour cream/yoghurt, and fresh chopped mint.

For the flatbread, combine all ingredients and add water until you have a firm dough. Knead for  a minute or two, then pinch off golf ball sized pieces and roll out very thin, dusting with flour to stop it sticking.

On a hotplate, drizzle a little oil, and when it begins to smoke, drop a rolled out dough piece, flipping over when the bread begins to puff, and cook the other side. They cook very quickly, less than a minute a side.

Vegan MoFo: Ajvar

I won't lie to you. I've been making quite a bit ahead of schedule, and keeping it to post simply because of nights like tonight. Because life gets in the way of cooking - like a late night at work, such as tonight, with the I-can't-be-assed-it's been-a-long-day feeling. When you can't be bothered eating a proper meal, so it ends up being dip and crackers. So tonight's post is quite a good one, because it's something to be made and bottled, and poured over some vegies and rice, or pasta when all you can do is open a jar,  Chicken Tonight ain't an option because you're a vego, and tinned tomatoes won't do.

A few months back the Beloved and I were in our local greengrocer when we stumbled upon a jar of ajvar. It wasn’t local (Croatian import) but we had never tried it and it looked delicious. We decided we would try it on pizza instead of tomato paste – oh boy, I think it was the best pizza we ever had! It was pretty pricey though, over $10.00 for a 350ml jar. So, I decided I needed to make it ourselves in summer, when we could roast our own capsicums. However, dreaming of possibly swimming in vats of the stuff, and finding the remains of a big-ass jar of roasted capsicums lurking in the outside fridge (can’t even remember what it was bought for) I decided I would make a cheats ajvar and see how it went before using our own precious produce.

Well…it was pretty darn good! Not having a recipe, and going by the ingredients list on the back of the last jar, I winged it. Sweet and savoury, a little smoky, tangy from the vinegar, I think I got it right. Had some on some crackers with some vegan cream cheese, and was planning n keeping some for a pizza night...but it may just be with pasta tonight :)

Ingredients

400gr roasted capsicums

1 clove roasted garlic

1 large tablespoon mixed herbs

¼ cup vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch salt

Method

Blend ingredients in a blender, and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and allow to reduce to a thick sauce/paste. Cool, and put into a jar. It should keep for a couple of weeks with a little oil on the top to stop the air getting to it, but I doubt you’ll worry, it won’t last that long!

Vegan MoFo: Satay Mushroom Skewers

Skewers, kebabs, kebobs, whatever you call them, omnivores seem to have a puzzled look when you tell them you're having  having skewers. And you're vegetarian  "But what do you put on them if you don't eat meat?" Man, can't these people think of something other than the bits of the decaying corpse of a poor cow? 

Since it's Friday, and I'm pretty beat, I won't be posting a recipe . But if you have some button mushrooms, some cherry tomatoes, and are armed with a great vegan satay sauce, you have a skewer.  I marinated the mushrooms first, and cooked them whole to get super juicy before I skewered them to grill. They go great with jasmine rice, but would be just as good on their own with a side of salad.

Vegan MoFo: Spring Vegetable Couscous with Garlic Butter & Almonds

I'm currently inspired by spring vegetables. The winter seemed so long this year for us in the southern hemisphere, and I'm gobbling up fresh young asparagus and broccolini and enjoying every bite! It was a pretty simple dinner, but I think the best ones often are. This made enough for 4 serves - dinner, and leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients
cous cous for 4 serves
vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
1 spring onion
a few handfuls rocket and baby spinach
approximately 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
1/4 cup vegan butter/margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
lemon wedges to serve
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Cook cous cous in vegetable stock according to packet directions, set aside and keep warm.
In a large frying pan or wok, heat butter and oil on medium heat, and add garlic, sliced spring onion, and almonds, stirring for about half a minute.
Add asparagus, and broccolini, and stir fry for a minute or so until bright green, but don't over cook.
Turn off heat, throw in rocket and baby spinach, and allow to wilt.
Serve over cous cous with plenty of cracked black pepper and a little salt to taste.