Friday 27 July 2012

No more faux meat burgers!

Today's recipe is a super easy 'burger'. They are called lentil croquettes and can be served with parsley sauce. Having been vegan for a year now, I've found my taste buds have changed a lot and that I actually don't want to eat faux 'burgers' made with ingredients that taste like meat because I actually no longer like the taste of meat (also it freaks me out when they taste too similar!)

Lentil Croquettes with Parsley Sauce

Serves: 4      Prep Time: 1hr     Cooking time: 5-7 mins

Ingredients:
225g red lentils
570ml water
1tsp oil
110g vegan cheese of choice
2 tbsp of peanut butter (optional to leave out for nut allergy sufferers, it will taste just as good!) 
50g fresh parsley
A few drops of lemon juice
1 tsp yeast extract

(For coasting): 75g fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs

(For Sauce): 200ml Rice milk or dairy free milk of your choice
                     1 tsp corn flour
                     1 tbsp fresh parsley

Directions:
1) Wash the lentils, then bring them to boil in water before adding a tsp of oil. (Leave simmering covered for 20 mins)
2) Turn down the heat and beat thoroughly until smooth
3) Mix in all other ingredients.
4) Shape them into burger like formations then coat with breadcrumbs.
5) Cool in the fridge for 30 mins before cooking for 5-7 mins. 
6) In the meantime, make the sauce by heating the rice milk, adding corn flour and fresh parsley until warm, smooth and mixed together. Take off heat and serve!



Can be served with new potatoes, sweet potatoes & lots of veggies for a great wholesome meal. Enjoy!

Laura xo
PS: I kept my promise...'Becoming a teenage vegan' blog coming in the next few days & a jolly good cookie recipe, stay tuned...until then, enjoy the Olympics! Go Team GB!



Thursday 26 July 2012

Aubergines & an apology

First of all I want to start with an apology for my extended absence. I have a tendency to take on too many projects at once and leave them all unfinished so I needed a little prompt to remind me to return to my blog. In the meantime, however, I have been documenting the recipes for all of the dishes I try out so to make up for leaving my blog to get all dusty, I will be posting a new recipe every day for the next 7 days. And if I don't, come and hunt me down on instagram at @teenlauravegan and give me a good telling off!
Aubergines. They are one of my most favourite foods. They taste great in all recipes as they are almost 95% water so tend to take the flavour of whatever dish you are cooking. Not to mention they are incredibly good for you as they are low in saturated fat and cholesterol but provide a great source of Vitamins K, B6, Thiamin and Potassium, as well as dietary fiber. Check, check, check.
Today's recipe is called Aubergines Parmesan. I have made it about 5 times now and loved it more every time I do. It gets bonus points for being approved (and enjoyed!) by my non-vegan father! 
Recipe: Aubergines Parmesan


Serves: 4     Prep time: 30 mins      Cooking time: 20 mins followed by a further 10-15 mins


Ingredients:
150ml oil (olive oil will work although hemp seed oil is much healthier so I tend to use that!)
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
800g tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree (or ketchup!)
2tsp fresh chopped basil 
A bit of salt & freshly ground black pepper
550g of Aubergines
225g vegan cheese (mozzarella/ cheddar style will work but mozzarella melts the best!)
Optional: 3tbsp vegan parmesan/other cheese for the topping


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 4/350F/180C)
2) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan & fry chopped onion and crushed garlic for 5-7 mins.
3) Add tomatoes, puree, basil, salt and pepper- allow this to simmer for about 30 mins with a lid on, stirring occasionally)
4) Wash aubergines and cut into slices
5) Lightly salt and leave for 20 minsrinse, dry and put in a frying pan until soft and lightly browned (alternatively if using an AGA, you can just place them on the plate until brown on both sides without worrying about salting them)
6) Oil a dish to cook in and start layering. Put the tomato sauce in first, then the browned aubergines, followed by grated cheese of your choice. Repeat until dish is full & then top with parmesan/other cheese if desired.
7) Put foil over dish and cook in oven for 20 mins. Then uncover dish and return to oven for 10-15 mins to allow the cheese to brown and melt. 




I hope you enjoy this recipe, it's become a family favourite over here and can be served with quinoa, tagliatelle, vegetables...there are no limits! 




I'll see you all tomorrow for another post...
Laura xo