Cauliflower pakoras

Cauliflower pakoras

 

Once upon a time I had dinner at a lovely woman’s house who made an incredible vegan spread. With minimal fuss it seemed! And on the table were some incredible little cauliflower morsels. I’m not sure if this is true to what she did but I’ve played with it and tried to recreate it and oh my, we love these. I’ve discovered they actually work beautifully to make and take on a picnic too because they are great cold.

What I will note is that I make these by intuition and that’s difficult when it comes to a recipe. But basically, if you want the cauliflower chunkier or smoother, do what works; if you like more/less spice, do what works; if you can’t have chick peas (the besan flour), do what works…you know how it goes. The possibilities, as always, are endless. Use it and go with your instincts. And try not to overcook the base like I did in this pic 🙂

 

1/2 cauliflower

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup besan flour

1 1/2 cups water

2 Tblspn chia seeds (soaked in 1/3 cup water)

For the spices, I have used either a combination of garam masala/cumin/ginger/tumeric

OR  a basic Indian curry powder, plus a bit more turmeric for colour.

You can also add in onion powder for a bit more taste, and chilli.

Be sure to salt the mix well.

*NB the last time I made this I added in fresh coriander and it was beautiful! You could also add in fresh mint for something different too.

 

Either chop the cauliflower finely, or put cauliflower, onion and garlic into food processor and loosely process until it’s finely chopped. Stir in besan flour, chia and water and add spices.

Drop spoonfuls into hot oil (best in a non-stick pan) and fry on both sides.

 

Delicious!!

Alfredo penne pasta with salted tomatoes

Alfredo pasta with salted tomatoes

I don’t often eat gluten free pasta-type products but some days, I just crave that old pasta fix that holds something homely and comforting (comfort eating, isn’t it!). There are gluten free pastas and there are gluten free pastas! All I can suggest, if you are gluten free, is to read the labels and check that you are getting that which you are happy eating. Some are corn based, some are potato based and some are rice based. And they are all different, for sure.

Anyway onto this simple, gorgeous recipe. It’s the sort of meal that suits after an exhausting day when you can flop down on the couch in front of the TV with a bowl of pasta. (And for those of you who have small kids like I do, it’s not that straight forward, I know!).

 

Alfredo sauce: See here for an alternate cashew-based alfredo sauce…or below for my cauliflower one. I really love everything about cauliflower and its diversity at the moment, and it makes for a lovely, light, creamy, garlic-y sauce too!    (This is worth double or tripling if you are feeding a whole family).

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 garlic cloves, diced

1/2 leek, diced

1/3 cup non dairy milk

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper

 

Steam the cauliflower florets until well cooked. In a separate saucepan, saute the garlic and leek for a couple of minutes. Add cooked cauliflower florets, followed by seasoning and milk. Simmer for 10 minutes, and blend thoroughly into a creamy sauce.

*This is great to make in big batches (using  a whole cauliflower and freezing in portions so you can sneak it out for pasta, potato bakes or anything like that).

 

Pasta dish

Gluten free pasta

1/2 cup chopped fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup cherry tomatoes

salt

Alfredo sauce

 

Toss 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes in a hot, dry saucepan with a generous sprinkling of rock salt until they begin to blister or show signs of cooking. (I like mine quite well cooked and soft, you may prefer yours less so).

Cook the gluten free pasta, drain, and toss in the pan with the tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach and stir through your alfredo sauce. Delicious and simple! 🙂

 

 

Aloo gobi matar (Potato cauliflower tomato based Indian curry)

Aloo gobi matar

I have posted a few favourites of my Indian curries on this site here (see the Non butter chicken,  Tikka Masala, Korma and Sri Lankan tamarind curry recipes). Aloo gobi is one of the first Indian curries that actually sold me Indian food in India. It is simple and divine and easily (and often) vegan. There are many many variations but it is essentially a tomato and onion based curry with simple veggies. The Aloo Gobi refers to the potato- cauli combination. Matar refers to the peas, however I have adapted that to green beans. Use whatever suits you and your family though. Peas are very common in Indian curries.

 

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 small cauliflower florets

1/2 cup green beans (topped and tailed and chopped roughly)

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced (and peeled)

1 inch fresh ginger, finely diced (and peeled)

1 Tblspn almond meal

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (or as much as you enjoy)

2 cups water

1/4 cup tomato puree (passata) – or alternatively, blanche, peel and squish a fresh large tomato

 

Lightly fry the diced onion and add in the potato pieces. Saute for a few minutes (to get the potato cooking under way) and add in the spices. Once aromatic, add in the almond meal, tomato puree and water and simmer. When potato is almost cooked, add in the cauliflower and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the green beans only a couple of minutes before serving.

 

NB I really prefer my veggies cooked but  not soggy. If you like them mushy, obviously you can cook them for much longer.

 

 

Indian spiced baked vegetables

Indian spiced baked vegetables

The weather seems to have an Autumn flavour to it (finally!) and the nights are actually closing in darker much earlier. The hankering for baked vegetables seems to go with the weather change in the air…

This is deeply divine. Rich in flavour, colour and goodness. And it is perfectly alter-able (nice word) to suit your ingredients in your fridge and your taste buds. I actually think I could eat this every night and die happy. Yum. Yum. Yum. And it is so little preparation.

Also let me just say: My 5 year old and I were arguing over the cauliflower! No, he’s not normally a crazy veggie eater (although he may be becoming one!) but he LOVED this cauliflower. And he stole the rest of mine so we had to negotiate how I could get some back. lol! Great problem to have 😉

Here is what I did.

1 cup cauliflower florets

2 mushrooms, quartered

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 cup pumpkin pieces

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 beetroot, cut into small wedges

1 purple (sweet) onion, cut into wedges

4-6 garlic cloves, slightly squashed and ends removed

1 cup broccoli (but to add later in the cooking process)

Mix together:

1/4 cup water

3 T oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp sweet paprika

salt and pepper

Toss the vegetables in the spice mix and bake at 200degrees C until roasted (45 minutes or so). Add the broccoli into the mix with 5 minutes to go (MUCH  better to keep the broccoli fresh and bright and green!).

You could also add in any sort of potato, eggplant, zucchini, almonds or beans/chick peas. Yum!

Cauliflower and lentil korma pilaf

Cauliflower and lentil korma pilaf with spinach

Oooo heaven 🙂

First, let me share with you this korma paste recipe. It is based on Jamie Oliver’s and I don’t think you can go too wrong with his use of herbs and flavours! I just altered it a little for ease but it doesn’t change the flavour or ingredients really.

Paste:

2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 fresh green chilies (Or use dried flakes if need be, or leave it out if you are chilli-shy)
3 tablespoons unsweetened dried shredded coconut
2 tablespoons almond meal (or add a handful of almonds and they will grind in the process)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro

Dry fry the cumin and ground coriander until fragrant, then tip into a food processor with the other ingredients. Process until a smooth paste.

I know. It looks freakishly like mince, with the tomato paste pinkish tinge. I swear, it’s all herbs and spices and nuts and it smells divine! The left over korma paste I have placed in the freezer for our next round.

Pilaf:

1 small onion
1/2 cauliflower  into florets
1 1/4 cups basmati rice (250g)
1 cup brown lentils, cooked
1 cup baby spinach
3 cups vege stock or water
1 cinnamon stick
2 T korma paste (see above)
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped

Saute onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften and brown.
Add cauliflower and rice and cook for 2 minutes until rice is coated in oil.
Add curry paste and cook for another minute.
Add stock or water and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil.Then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
When liquid has been absorbed, fluff with a fork and stir in lentils and baby spinach.

Serve with fresh coriander on top! And in fact, we served it chopped fresh broccoli and snow peas – because we are green freaks and there needs to be as much green as rice! 😉 But that’s up to you.

Thanks to Valli Little via Delicious for the inspiration 🙂

PS If you want to give your pilaf that yellow look, add some turmeric to your spices.