Lentil Dhal
Lentil Dhal is a vegan-friendly Indian dish that is super delicious, filling, and relevantly cheap to make.
I took a less spicy route with this Dhal but feel free to improvise and add on to the recipe here, it is pretty much foolproof to make and trying new spices is always a good way to liven up your dish.
1 cup lentils
2 1/2 cups of water [add more if you want your Dhal to be more soup like]
2 Tbs of margarine or olive oil
1 onion
1/2 tsp of garlic
two whole cloves
1 tsp of cumin [seeds or ground]
salt and pepper to taste
a few cliantro leaves for garnish and extra spice
1 roma tomato
1) In a sauce pan or kettle boil the water.
2) Get yourself a frying pan and put the olive oil in, once it’s heated up a little add the cloves, garlic, and cumin.
Chop up you onion at this point and add it to the cumin-mix as soon as possible.
3) Once your water is boiling, throw your lentils in on top of the onions and pour enough of the boiling water into the frying pan to cover the lentils.
4) let it cook! [if it looks like it’s drying out add more water]
5) Once the lentils are nice and cooked to your liking, dice the tomato and remove the cliantro leaves from the stalks.
Just throw those bad boys in and stir.
6) Consume!
FY pasta salad!
this is seriously tasty ok and good on it’s own or as a side (I love it with a tuna steak- add a nice herby butter wrap it in tin foil and cook in the oven if your going to do that) but but tis vegan on it’s own (well with the right pasta anyhow) :)
You must have in whatever quantities you feel you need!
Pasta (something chunky like fusilli)
Onion (I like red but white works too)
Garlic
Kidney beans
Chick peas
Bell peppers
Black Pepper
Basil
Wholegrain(!) mustard
You must do this to it
Chop the onion and peper into strips and fry the ever loving crap out of it in the olive oil (seriously the skin on the peppers needs to be a little bit charred) don’t stir it around to much or you’ll end up with mush though and that will not be tasty.
Add the garlic (chopped and however much you like) and fry a little bit more until the garlic is cooked (don’t burn the garlic though cos burnt garlic tastes like arse)
When that’s cooked put to one side after adding the mustard and stirring it around so you don’t have mustard lump.
Cook the pasta
dump all of it into a big bowl or something (pasta, veg and drained cooked kidney beans and chickpeas- there’s supposed to be enough oil in the veg to gently lubricate the pasta) add the black pepper and torn up basil leaves mix it together and then eat it.
(you can eat it cold but it’s many times better eaten warm seriously)
Submitted by http://antedictal.tumblr.com/
THE PERFECT SALAD DRESSING
Ever wanted to make dressing like a pro? Not that crappy thin ‘drizzle-oil-drizzle-vinegar’ shit, but the proper, hefty, ohmyfuck mouth-orgasm salad dressing? Well it’s your lucky day/night/week/year, as I shall tell you how.
For this, you will need:
- Olive oil (not ‘reduced’ olive oil, but the good thick stuff)
- Vinegar (I tend to use balsamic vinegar for this, though white and red wine are also DELICIOUS possibilities, as is tarragon).
- One clove of garlic.
- Mustard.
- Salt and pepper.
- One empty jam jar, WITH A LID, for mixing it all in.
Step 1: Put a good slug of olive oil in there - look to fill the jar up by at least an inch, maybe an inch and a half.
Step 2: Pour in vinegar, to a measure of about 2:1 of oil to vinegar (remember, if it’s too vinegary, add oil, if it’s too oily, add vinegar).
Step 3: Take a teaspoonful of mustard (mustard powder works too) and add to the mix.
Step 4: Crush the clove of garlic into the jar. Mmm, garlic.
Step 5: Pinch of salt, twist of pepper.
Step 6: LID GOES ON JAR. Very important that you do NOT start shaking the jar UNTIL the lid is ON.
Step 7: Shake it like a Polaroid picture.
Step 8: Pour over a big bowl of salad that you made from lettuce, rocket, onion, tomato, bacon (yes, bacon, even for you, vegans), avocado slices, croutons, little bits of haloumi, and such. THEN NOM THE SHIT OUT OF IT coz I guarantee that bitch is gonna be tasty as hell.
This dressing is best used all at once, or over the course of a couple of days. Can be refrigerated, but the fresher the better! Enjoy.
Salad!
Tomorrow is Monday - which means VEGAN TIME. Even if you’re not vegan yourself, it’s handy to have a stash of vegan recipes ready for when you have a vegan guest. I want to kick off Vegan Mondays with a day all about SALAD. I dunno about you guys, but I bloody love salad. Here are a couple of my favourite salads:
Tomato and Onion
Fresh chopped tomatoes and red onions tossed together with fresh basil, salt and pepper.
Bean Salad
Haricot beans, chopped celery and red onion in a dressing made from lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and parsley. (Can also include chorizo)
Avocado Salad
Baby spinach leaves, avocado and walnuts with olive oil and black pepper. (Can also include bacon)
Tricolore
This traditionally includes mozerella cheese, but you can leave that out. Avocado, tomato and red onion with fresh basil leaves drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. Submit your favourite salads and salad dressings! Keep them vegan-friendly if you can (no meat, cheese, eggs, etc), or at least include a vegan alternative. WELL GO ON THEN.
Woo! Salad!
Cheese and Onion Soup
Something quick and easy to tide you over while I’m writing some longer posts up. This is something I often chuck together for lunch when I’m too lazy/poor to make anything else.
You need
One large potato
One onion
One clove of garlic
A handful of grated cheddar cheese
400ml of vegetable or chicken stock
Some mixed herbs and black pepper
You do
Fry up your chopped onions and garlic in a bit of oil. When they’re soft, stir in the herbs and pepper, then add the stock and the potatoes chopped into small equal-sized cubes. Leave to simmer until the potatoes are soft through. Then turn down the heat and add the cheese, stirring it until it’s all melted through. Serve!
Fry-up Stew!
A stew made of breakfast things! Perfect for any time of the day. Serves 2. Sometimes I am fat and eat the whole thing myself.
You need
Two decent-quality sausages, cut into bite sized pieces.
Two rashers of bacon cut into small strips.
A tin of chopped tomatoes.
250ml of chicken stock.
A small can of beans (haricot or similar).
One small onion, chopped.
One clove of garlic, chopped.
1/2 teaspoon of paprika.
You do
Heat a little oil in a wok or saucepan, add the onions and garlic and stir for a minute or two. Then add the bits of sausage and stir for another minute. Then add the bacon. Stir it all until cooked through, then stir in the paprika. Next add the tomatoes, stock and beans and leave to simmer for about 10-15 minutes on a medium heat until it’s reduced and all goopy and stuff.
If you’re feeling particularly breakfasty you can stick a fried egg on top!
Anonymous asked: re your chili recipe adding dark chocolate powder really rounds out the flavour.
Cheers for the tip! Will definitely try that next time I make chili.
A Post About Chili!
Chili is a fantastic staple for your kitchen. I like to make up a huge batch of it and freeze it in single portions so I’ve always got something I can eat in a hurry. The best thing about chili is that you can put pretty much anything in it and it’s still damn tasty. It’s something worth experimenting with. Here’s the method I tend to use:
You need
A medium-sized onion
One pepper, any colour
One or two cloves of garlic
A small packet of mince (veggies can use lots of beans instead)
A tin of chopped tomatoes
A tin of kidney beans
A teaspoon of paprika
Something chili! Powder, sauce or a chopped chili pepper depending on what you prefer.
Tomato puree
Optionally, a little Worcestershire sauce and red wine
You do
Chop your onions, garlic and pepper and fry in a little oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish. Once they’re soft, add the mince and stir until brown all over. Then add the chili and paprika and stir through. Then you can add everything else! Stir it thoroughly, cover, and then keep it on a low heat for an hour and a half to two hours. The longer you cook it for, the better it’ll be! If it starts to dry out, add a little more liquid.
Veggie Bolognese
Veggie BologneseI used to make this all the time at university cos it’s cheaper than beef bolognese and it goes with lots of things. I’d make up a load, have it with pasta one night, then with fried potatoes the next night.
You need
A tin of chopped tomatoes
A tin of green lentils
A handful of mushrooms
Two cloves of garlic
One medium-sized onion
You do
Chop the onions and garlic and fry them in a little oil until soft. Then just add everything else to the pan, and simmer for around fifteen minutes, making sure everything is cooked through. IT’S THAT EASY.
You could also try it with beans instead of lentils. You could try adding peppers or chili or anything like that. Have an experiment!
Anonymous asked: GET HALLOUMI
CHOP
FRY
PUT IN PITTA
This person is correct. This is an excellent idea. Even better if you include roasted veg like tomatoes, aubergine and corgettes with it.
Lasagne
Submitted by http://oncemoreforluck.tumblr.com/
To make the ragu sauce.
1. Finely chop a whole onion.
2. Pour some olive oil into a pan.
3. Put the pan on the hob and heat it to about idk 6.
4. Add chopped onion and a squidge of garlic paste to pan and stir until it starts to go translucent.
5. Add the meat, and stir until slightly brown. As the meat sizzles, add pepper to flavour.
6. Add creamed tomato and about half a tube of tomato puree.
7. Add a very good shake of worcester sauce and half a teaspoon of salt.
8. Simmer gently for half an hour, adding water or tomato juice if it looks dry.
To make the cheese sauce.
1. Grate lots of cheese.
2. Melt about ⅔ a pack of butter.
3. Add flour bit by bit until it looks like dough. Keep stirring lots or it’ll be lumpy.
4. Keep adding small amounts of milk and stirring until it becomes just the right consistency for you. Add grated cheese. Keep stirring until all melted. If too thick, add more milk until the consistency is just right.
Putting it together.
1. Construct the lasagne in a dish. Add the meat, cheese and pasta in layers in that order until you run out of meat. Pour cheese sauce over the top until completely covered and grate cheese over.
2. Cook at 175 degrees C for 30-40 minutes or until golden on top.
3. If you want, you can use this time to prepare a sissy salad like a girl. I didn’t, I hate salad.
This costs less than a tenner to make and serves four to six people. Also it’s delicious.
Bloggy Adminy things
Hey so it turns out getting a plug from a friend who has a bajillion followers is a Good Thing. Lovely to have so many wonderful new followers! Hopefully some of you will be able to help out.
If there’s something you’d like me to cover - a particular recipe or technique, for example - please suggest it in my ask box.
If you have a recipe you think people would like, submit it! (apparently the submit thing wasn’t on earlier. IT IS NOW!)
Do share and reblog anything you particularly like - the more people who are aware of the blog and contributing, the better it’ll be.
At some point I’m going to start doing THEMES. My first idea for a theme was Vegan Mondays to co-incide with the Meat Free Monday thing which is popular. I’d like to do themes relating to different cuisines as well - like Caribbean, Italian, Japanese, Indian etc. If you have any ideas for other themes, do let me know.
… I think that’s everything! Go forth and make good food!
Tuna Pasta Bake
This is what I made for dinner tonight. It’s easy and delicious and I have PICTURES to go with it!
You Need
Two cups of pasta
One red onion
One clove of garlic
One tin of chopped tomatoes
One tin of tuna
Some cheese
Some oregano, dried or fresh
You Do
Chop up your onions and garlic
Add the onions, garlic and pasta to a pan of boiling water and simmer until the pasta is cooked. Make sure not to overcook the pasta, ideally you want it somewhat al dente - still a little hard in the middle.
Drain the pasta and onions, and put in a baking dish. Add the tuna, tomatoes and a sprinkle of oregano and mix thoroughly. Then cover with grated cheese, and bake in the oven at a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until it looks like this:
Eat it!
I AM EATING IT RIGHT NOW AND IT’S DELICIOUS.
oncemoreforluck asked: I have a family recipe for lasagne, and it feeds four for under a tenner, however it's not vegetarian. Could I still send it in?
Yes, of course. This isn’t a vegetarian-only blog, but I like to get plenty of veggie friendly recipes so it’s useful for anyone.
Creamy Pasta
One of the things I want to get across in this blog is how easy it is to adapt recipes once you know how to do the basics. You don’t need to follow them to the letter - play around with them and put in whatever you happen to have lying around. So here’s a basic creamy pasta sauce recipe you can put as much or as little as you want in.
You Need
There’s only really three things you have to have:
Pasta - about a cupful dried pasta per person.
Crème Fraiche - One of the smaller tubs per two people.
Cheese - parmesan is best, but a little cheddar will do. A handful of grated cheese per person.
Optionally - onions, garlic, bacon, mushrooms, chicken, anything on a similar theme.
You Do
Stick the pasta in a saucepan of boiling water with a little salt. While it’s cooking, get yourself a wok or another large saucepan, add a little oil and fry up any of the optional bits you’re using. Then add the crème fraiche and stir in, followed by the grated cheese. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce, stirring thoroughly. Tuck in!
