Recipe #110 Lentil Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 can of green lentils
• 115gr dry chickpeas
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 5 tablespoons of plain flour
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Extra flour to dust your hands and either olive oil or sunflower oil to fry the burgers.

For a healthier version see below.

You'll need a food processor for this.

Start by placing the chickpeas in water for about 1-2h. Get a food processor and with the chopping blade chop the onion, the garlic cloves and the chilli. Now add chickpeas (drained) and the lentils (rinse well so they are loose). Blend again for about 1 minute.
Now add the lemon juice, olive oil, flour, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend until this forms a paste (around 2 minutes should be enough).

Flour your hands and with about 2 tablespoons of the burger mix shape this into a burger patty. 

1) For a healthier version of this recipe you can shape the burgers and place them on baking paper on an oven proof tray. You can bake them for around 20-25min on 180oC.

or you can fry them, just like meat burgers.
2) In a frying pan heat some oil and carefully place the burger shaped patty into the pan. With a skimmer carefully turn them so they fry on both sides. Around 4 minutes on each side should be enough to cook the burger and give it a golden colour.

The amount in this recipe makes 5 big burgers. Estimated cost for 5 burgers = under 40 cents (€) per burger.

Recipe #1 Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash

220 gr arborio rice
1 chopped onion
150 ml of white wine
2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
seasoning (dry coriander, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method 

So first thing peel and cut in dices the butternut squash. Place it on a tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 min at around 200o C. Place the roasted butternut squash in a food processor or blender and add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Blend until you have a thick pure.

Now start the risotto:

Heat the olive oil in a big pan or wok. Add the chopped onion and allow it to get golden; sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Then add the rice and wine. Let the wine evaporate almost completely. Then add a cup of vegetable stock and wait till this evaporates too, and stir from time to time. Continue to do this until there is no more vegetable stock. At the end stir in the butternut squash pure and cover. Let it rest around 15 min before serving so that all the water has been absorbed. 

Citrus Infused water

My orange, lemon and ginger infused water:

Infused waters are a great way to make you drink more water. Drinking more water is known to help reduce headaches, help kidneys to function properly, aid in weight loss and detox your body. By adding these fruits you are boosting the water with vitamins. The most common flavors are cucumber, mint, ginger, orange, lime, lemon...

I used to drink a lot of fizzy water, and now i drink around 2 liters of this orange, lemon and ginger water. Plus my usual juice in the morning and several teas throughout the day. 

Being vegan is expensive #1

1. Starter

Carrot cream soup

• 4 potatoes (1 kg costs 0,99 €)
• 3 carrots (1 kg costs 0,89€)
• 1 onion (1 kg costs 0,69€)
• 2 cups of baby spinach leaves (organic 200gr at 2,80€)
• salt
• Water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (0,75 lt at 3,99€)

Total ingredients cost: 2,15 €

===========================================

2. Main Course

Lentil Bolognese

• 2 carrots (1 kg costs 0,89€)
• 125gr dry red lentils (500gr costs 1,19€)
• 1 onion (1 kg costs 0,69€)
• 1 Vegetable Stock (Knorr 8x at 1,99€)
• 1 can of plum tomatoes (Lidl at 0,39€)
• Fine salt
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil (0,75 lt at 3,99€)
• 450 gr pasta Penne (Tesco at 0,49€)
• water

Total ingredients cost: 1,90 euros

===========================================

3. Dessert

Chocolate brownie

• 2 cups of flour (2kg at 1,29€)
• 2 cups of brown sugar (500gr at 1,49€)
• 1 cup of sunflower oil (1lt at 1,59€)
• 3/4 of cocoa powder (250gr at 3,39€)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• water
• 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (25ml at 3,19€)

Total ingredients cost: 3,40 euros

===========================================

Complete 3 course dinner for 4 people

=Estimate Total Dinner cost 7,45 euros=

Recipe #95 Potato and white cabbage

Ingredients

- 4 medium potatoes

- 3 carrots

- 1/2 head of white cabbage

- 1 courgette 

- 2 small onions

- 1/4 cup of olive oil

- 3 teaspoons of sea salt

Prepare all the vegetables: peel and chops the potatoes, carrots, courgette, onions and take the stem out of the cabbage and shred it roughly with a knife.

Add the salt and olive oil. Pour 1 litre and 250 ml -500ml water over everything (just enough to cover all the vegetables)

Method to cook:
1. Regular saucepan: Cook for 25-35 minutes. Pure everything till it's smooth.

or

2. To prepare this in a Thermomix Food processor: set time to 35minutes, Speed 1 at 100oC. At the end: Pure at speed 4 or 5 for 50 seconds. 

Recipe #93 Green Cabbage Soup and cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 big potato
• 400 gr diced butternut squash
• 250 gr -350 gr steamed green cabbaged shreds
• 2 medium onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small courgette
• 1/4 of a cauliflower head
• 1,200 lt water
• 3 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Shredded the cabbage and steamed it for 35 minutes the night before; alternatively you can cook it for 20min in boiling salt water.

Cut the vegetables into chunks: courgette, onions, butternut squash, cauliflower.

Place everything in a saucepan with one garlic clove, olive oil and salt. Pour between 1-1,5 litres of water to get all the vegetables covered.
Method to cook:
1. Regular saucepan: Cook for 25-35 minutes. Pure around 75% so you still have some chunks floating in the liquid.
2. To make this in the Thermomix Food processor: set time to 35minutes, Speed 1 at 100oC. At the end: Pure at speed 4 or 5 for 50 seconds.

Recipe #91 Vegan Nutella Spread

Ingredients

• 1 cup of hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla 
• 5-7 tablespoons of Hazelnut milk (or soy or almond milk)

Roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 250oC for 15-20 minutes. 

Take them out and rub them in a towel to take most of the skin off.

Place them in a food processor and pure the hazelnuts. Add the remaining ingredients and blend till its smooth. 

If using coconut oil transfer as soon as possible to your jar or plastic box and let it harden in the container.

Veganuary wrap up

After 34 days vegan I can definitely see health benefits from a vegan diet (and life style)

• lost almost 2 kg with no effort (a little over 3 pounds); i still eat chocolate and desserts when i feel like it but of course most of the desserts at restaurants have dairy. I like Alpro chocolate desserts and snack on a lot of almonds and unsalted cashews both for the taste and the protein.
• my skin is brighter - I feel so clean inside out
• my nails are stronger !
• I sleep better
• I've replaced my breakfast toast or croissant for a breakfast smoothie (this was the biggest change in my eating habits). I make a smoothie to go usually with fresh fruit and vegetables and either tea, water or soy milk and add some superfruits like chia seeds. They keep me fed for the morning and are quick and easy to prepare at home, nothing processed and especially no animal products !
• Weaning yourself off cheese is a habit ! Cheese is addictive... and you can live without it. To be honest the first 10-15 days were bad because you are used to grab for cheese. But now I've found that Vegan cheeses are booming at the supermarket which is a great sign. I prepare all of the dishes i used to make but use vegan cheese.
• Right now we are in the process of transitioning all our home cleaning products and my make up for vegan products. Also, not that difficult once you know where to get them. I've found vegan body moisturizer, shower gel, deodorant, toilet cleaner, fabric softener ... !

I know my diet has much more variety then it used to have, for e.g. 1 year ago. I am addicted to greens and need to have some everyday. I am not taking any food supplements and i am curious to make some blood tests in some weeks to check out my cholesterol.

Bye bye Veganuary, Hello Vegan Life. 

Veganuary Day #31 - The End

Started the last Veganuary Day with a good old Irish Breakfast... vegan of course !

Snacked on a big plate of fruit in the afternoon.

And dinner was Bean Stew with rice.

Recipe #89 Slow cooked Bean Stew

Ingredients 

• 1 + 1/2 cups mixed beans (here I used 1 cup Adzuki beans and 1/2 cup white beans)
• 1 canned tomatoes
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 medium carrots
• cayenne pepper, black pepper, sea salt and dry parsley
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 3 cups of water
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 5 leaves of green cabbage

Wash the beans and rinse (no need to soak).

In a food processor slice the carrots, chop the onion and garlic cloves and pure the tomatoes.

Throw everything into a slow cooker and season with 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 teaspoons dry parsley and add the olive oil and vegetable cube.

Cut the cabbage into small strips.

Cook on High for 6h. Check if the beans are soft and season if salt is missing.

Veganuary Day #30

Breakfast

Citrus Mean green juice

Lunch

Tomato soup

Greens with onion potatoes and Avocado mash

Snack time

Two Apples

Nakd Berry Cheeky

Dinner

Tempeh with orange sauce and basmati rice 

Recipe #88 Citrus Juice

Makes 2 juices of 300ml, around 170 calories each juice.

• Water 300ml
• 3 peeled kiwis
• 3 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 10 leaves of mint
• 6 ice cubes

Juice the lemon and the orange, Place the juice and the rest of the ingredients in a powerful blender or juicer. Blend.

Veganuary Day #29

BREAKFAST

Smoothie 

Soy Milk, spinach, cucumber, strawberries, pineapple, beetroot and oats

LUNCH

Tomato soup with orzo

Falafel with boiled rice and salad

SNACK TIME

1/2 Nakd Bar
2 Apples
Green Tea

DINNER

Baguette with Mayola and ketchup and Fry's Chicken Strips with cayenne pepper

Recipe #87 Sweet potato and Broccoli Soup

Shopping list 

• 75gr broccoli 
• 2 medium carrots (175gr)
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 medium potatoes (350 gr)
• 2 teaspoons of salt (or less)
• 1 sweet potato (200gr)
• 3-4 cups of baby spinach leaves

 

Method

Chop the vegetables (except the spinach) and place everything into a pan. 

Cover with 1 litre of water (or a bit more if needed to cover all the vegetables). 

Add the salt and the olive oil and let cook for around 30-40 min. 

Pure everything and add the uncooked spinach leaves. Cover the pan and let the spinach cook in the hot soup for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 portions > depending on the portion size.

Veganuary Day #28

Breakfast

Brown toast bread with avocado paste (cashews, nutritional yeast and lemon), spinach and violife cheese shaves.

Mate and Lemon Tea

Lunch

Barley and vegetable broth soup

Main: Noodles and carrots and zucchini

Snack time

Banana and Rose Tea

Dinner

Mixed nuts (cashew, almonds and hazelnuts)

Half baguette with vegan butter

Sweet Potato and Broccoli soup

Recipe #86 Sweet Potato Crips

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• salt, pepper and cayenne pepper
• 1 litre of sunflower oil

Peel the potato. Use the peeler to shave off fine shaves of the potato.

In a bowl mix the potato shaves with pepper and cayenne pepper.

Heat the oil and fry the shaves. They should get dark but not burned. Take them out and pad the excess oil off with kitchen paper towels. Salt them. Once they have cooled down they will be crisp.

Recipe #85 Butter Garlic Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 400 gr mixed mushrooms
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• seas salt
• black pepper
• thyme
• parsley
• garlic powder
• cayenne pepper
• 50 gr grated vegan cheese (violate pizza to melt)
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of garlic paste (optional)

Cut the mushrooms into chunks and place them in an oven proof dish

Spread out small teaspoons of the butter in between the mushrooms. Sprinkle the cheese, olive oil, nutritional yeast and seasoning.

Bake for 30min on 180-200oC.

You can serve this over couscous, bulgur or with garlic toasted bread. Also great with tomato bruschetta.

Recipe #84 Avocado Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
• Baby Spinach leaves
• 1 tomato

In a food processor blend the avocado, lemon juice, cashew nuts and nutritional yeast. Season with salt and pepper and blend until you have a smooth paste.

Spread this on a bread with spinach and tomato slices.

Recipe #83 Mushroom Creamy Stroganoff

Shopping list

• Dry pasta (around 90gr per person)
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 500 gr mixed mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms and white mushrooms)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 small package of vegan cream
• Sea salt 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper 2 teaspoon
• Garlic powder 2 teaspoons
• Dry parsley 3 teaspoons
• 1 cup of white wine
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup of plain flour
• vegetable stock cube

Method 

Cook the pasta accordingly to the package instructions. 

For the sauce:
Cut finely the mushrooms in a chopper or food processor.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a medium sized saucepan and cook the onion till it's translucent. Throw in all the mushrooms in and stir. After 1-2 minutes cover them with the wine and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Add a vegetable stock cube and 1 cup of water and let it cook on medium heat for about 10min so it thickens into a nice sauce.

Now add the cream and the parsley and let this thicken for another couple of minutes. Stir well and add the flour and the nutritional yeast. This should thicken the sauce.

This should make enough sauce for 4-5 people.

Recipe #82 Fried Courgette

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini

1 cup soy milk

1 cup plain flour

Salt and pepper 

Slice the courgette into thin slices. Mix the seasoning into the flour. Then coat the slices in soy milk followed by plain flour.

Fry for a couple of minutes in a pan with around 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.