vegan

Gorgeous Greek Gemista

Stuffed vegetables are very common in various cuisines of the world. They appear in different shapes and forms, depending on what is available in different geographical locations. There is a tremendous amount of recipe for stuffed vegetables and all seem to use one basic principle: you can stuff any vegetable that is solid enough to hold the filling, which can be a mixture of almost anything at hand in your kitchen. Afterwards, bake or potentially fry the dish. That’s quite flexible, isn’t it?

It is very common to use peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes to stuff, which can be filled with rice, minced meat or even grains. The filling tends to be mixed with onion, garlic, herbs and spices but nuts, pulses and raisins can also be added for a change of flavours.

In Spain, stuffed peppers – called “Pimientos Rellenos” – constitute a traditional dish, especially in the Basque Country. They use “Manchegocheese, beef and cod in béchamel sauce. In India, “Bharvan Mirch” or “Bharva Hari Mirch” is a type of stuffed pepper that is filled with cooked meat, potatoes and onions. For seasoning, turmeric, cumin, chilli, coriander, salt and lemon juice are used. “Mirchi Bajji” is a type of stuffed pepper that is fried and served with sauces and chutneys. In Mexico, the fried “Chile Relleno” consists of cheese and minced meat and served with various sauces. Sometime rice and taco are served together with this stuffed pepper dish. Also, Mexicans use jalapenos to stuff in their “Jalapeno Poppers” that is also fried. In Guatemala, a similar, fried stuffed vegetable dish calledPimiento” is common, which is filled with shredded pork and seasonal vegetables. And these are just a few examples!

The dish – in various forms – is also part of the traditional cuisines of Central and Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Scandinavia, the Baltics, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

In my opinion, one of the most delicious and easy to make stuffed pepper dishes is from Greece. It’s called “Gemista” (or “Yemista”), which simply means “to stuff” in Greek. Baked peppers or tomatoes are stuffed with rice, minced meat and summer vegetables. Most Greek “tavernas” would use seasonal vegetables that they source from the local markets. It is easy to omit meat from the dish and create a wholesome but light vegetarian version of the “Gemista”. They are not only very delicious, but they please the eyes as the pretty and colourful peppers are lined up next to each other, baked to perfection.

I found the below vegan recipe on the website of Forks over Knives. The recipe was designed by Veronica Grace, a vegan chef, who is specialised on low fat vegan recipes. I made a few slight changes to the original recipe to suit my personal taste, but the changes are minor. The dish serves 3 to 4 people.

Ingredients:

  • 6 large or 8 small bell peppers (of varying colours)
  • 1 large onion (finely diced)
  • 3 small courgettes (peeled and finely diced)
  • 3 medium carrots (peeled and finely diced)
  • 250 ml low-sodium vegetable broth (preferably home-made or if packaged, use organic)
  • 500 gram brown rice (cooked to packet instructions)
  • 5 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 20 grams of fresh parsley (finely chopped; if not available use 10 grams of dried parsley)
  • 20 grams of fresh dill (chopped, if not available use 10 grams of dried dill)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Pepper (according to taste)
  • Salt (according to taste)

Preparation method:

  • Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
  • Cut off the top of the peppers and deseed them. Retain the top with stem. Wash the peppers and tops thoroughly.
  • Place the peppers in an ovenproof dish, arrange them upright and put tops back on. Bake them at 180 Celsius for 30 minutes.
  • While the peppers are baking, sauté onions, courgettes and carrots in a vegetable broth for 5 minutes.
  • Cook rice according to package instructions in a separate pot.
  • Once the rice is ready, stir it into the onion, courgettes and carrot mixture. Add the tomato paste and mix well so that the tomato paste coats the vegetables.
  • Add parsley, dill, lemon juice, pepper and salt and stir well to combine them thoroughly. The filling is ready.
  • By now the peppers should be baked. Remove them from the oven and stuff the peppers with the filling.
  • Place the pepper tops on the peppers and bake them for 30 minutes at 180 Celsius. (If the peppers start to brown, lower the temperature in the oven and keep an eye on them. They may require that you remove them from the oven earlier.)

 

This dish is very healthy and very nutritious. If you crave for strong Greek flavours, add a dash of cinnamon and oregano to the filling. I normally serve them with steamed or stir-fried French beans, okra or broccoli. Alternatively, fresh garden salad or baby spinach leaves are suitable side dishes too.

Bon appetite!

Spinach & Tofu Cannelloni from Italy

Cannelloni is a typical Italian dish, which can be made with minced beef, cheese and/or vegetables. Cannelloni is typically made with a cylindrical type of pasta or with fresh lasagne sheets that are rolled over around the filling. Cannelloni is typically sitting on tomato sauce and sometimes either tomato or béchamel sauce is used on the top of the dish. Most of the time, cheese is sprinkled on its top and then the dish is baked so that the flavours mingle and the topping turns brown and slightly crispy.

There is little to know about the origins of cannelloni. Probably it originates from the 19th or early 20th Century and it is associated with the name of Nicola Federico, an Italian chef. It is thought that he created the cannelloni in a small restaurant in Naples. From the little restaurant, the cannelloni spread all over the world. It became very popular; so much that probably most Italian restaurants offer it on their menu.

I often make cannelloni based on the below vegetarian recipe that I found on BBC Good Food. It is very healthy and nutritious as it uses spinach and tofu for filling. The dish is sitting on a bed of tomato sauce and tomato sauce is used on its top, too. Instead of cheese, nuts and breadcrumbs are used to achieve the crispy finish.

The dish contains ample amount of vitamins and nutrients. Thanks to the spinach, vitamin K, A, B2, B6, E, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper and calcium are included in the dish, amongst other nutrients. The tofu mostly contributes calcium, manganese, copper, selenium and protein and also includes other minerals and vitamins to a lesser extent. Nuts and the ample amount of tomato sauce used in this dish provide additional valuable nutritional content.

This spinach & tofu cannelloni serves 4 people. Serve it with steamed or stir-fried French beans, broccoli or okra or mix them all up for a lovely side dish. Try it today and enjoy both the health benefits and the lovely taste of this dish!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (400 grams each)
  • 50 grams of pine nuts or walnuts (roughly chopped)
  • 400 gram bag of frozen spinach (defrosted)
  • 350 gram pack of silken tofu
  • 300 gram pack of fresh lasagne sheets
  • 4 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs
  • Salt (according to taste)
  • Pepper (according to taste)
  • Basil or oregano or Italian mixed herbs (according to taste)
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg

Preparation method:

  • Sweat the onion in half of the oil in a saucepan. Add one-third of the garlic and fry until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and basil / oregano / Italian mixed herbs. Bring the sauce to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius.
  • Heat half the oil in a saucepan and fry one-third of the garlic for 1 minute. Add half the pine nuts / walnuts and the spinach. Wilt the spinach and tip out the excess liquid.
  • Whizz tofu in a food processor until smooth. Add it to the spinach & nut mixture. Add the nutmeg and some pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce into a 20 cm x 30 cm ovenproof dish. Divide the spinach, nut & tofu mixture between the lasagne sheets. Roll the lasagne sheets up and lay them on top of the tomato sauce in the ovenproof dish.
  • Pour half of the tomato sauce over the lasagne sheets, cover with aluminium foil and bake the dish for 30 minutes.
  • Mix breadcrumbs with one-third of the garlic and half of the pine nuts / walnuts. Sprinkle this mixture over the dish, drizzle with a little oil and bake for 10 minutes uncovered until the crumbs and nuts are golden.

Bon appetite!

Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce & Broccoli

Pastas with cream-based sauces can be really delicious. However, these dishes are often heavy, unhealthy and very fattening. It is best to minimise their consumption and replace them with healthier alternatives.

When I started to cook in a health-conscious way, I ditched the recipes that contained too much fresh cream. I then came across this vegan pasta with an interesting, pumpkin-based creamy sauce. I immediately recognized that it is a perfect alternative to the fatty pasta dishes swimming in cream-based sauces. It is equally delicious and attractive, but this creaminess has nothing to do with animal fat.

I found the recipe for this pasta with pumpkin sauce & broccoli on the website of Forks over Knives. The recipe was developed by Victoria Fiore. I made minor changes to it, so the recipe below is slightly different to her original “velvety macaroni”.

Let’s see how to make a creamy but healthy pasta dish for two people.

Vevety Macaroni from www.forksoverknives.com
www.forksoverknives.com
Ingredients:

  • 1 large pumpkin (or several smaller pieces)
  • 2 medium-sized broccoli heads
  • 300 gram dry pasta (preferably durum or rice macaroni, penne, farfalle or fusilli)
  • 4 garlic clove
  • 120 ml plant-based milk (preferably almond, hazelnut, coconut or flax seed milk)
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley flakes
  • Salt according to taste
  • Pepper according to taste

Preparation method:

  • Bake the pumpkin in the oven on 180 Celsius for half an hour.
  • Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and set aside.
  • Separate the broccoli into small florets and cut their stems off. Chop the stems into small pieces.
  • Place the broccoli stem pieces to a saucepan. Add a bit of water, cover the saucepan with a lid and steam the broccoli stems for 5 minutes. When they are soft, add the broccoli florets, cover the pan and steam the broccoli mixture for further 5 minutes. Drain the water (if any).
  • By this stage, the pumpkin is ready. Remove from the oven, let it cool for a while and peel it. Remove seeds and cut it into small pieces. Put the pumpkin pieces into a saucepan, add the garlic cloves and cover the pan. Steam it for 10 minutes. If it starts to brown, add some water to avoid the pumpkin pieces sticking to the pan and burning. Once the pumpkin mixture is ready, drain the water (if any) and add the plant-based milk to the pan to create a mixture. Season with salt, garlic powder and pepper.
  • Transfer the steamed pumpkin mixture into a blender and blend it until smooth and creamy to create the pumpkin sauce. Add the parsley to the sauce and mix well.
  • Transfer the pumpkin sauce back to the saucepan. Add the pasta and the broccoli mixture and mix well.
  • Heat the dish for a few minutes and serve immediately.

Velvety macaroni from weightloss.com.au picture
www.weightloss.com.au
Isn’t it creamy and delicious?

Bon appetite!

Magical Minestrone from Italy

Minestrone” is a generic Italian word, which used to describe a very substantial, large bowl of soup or stew. However, this word no longer refers to a general soup. It describes a specific and particularly delicious Italian soup, which is respected and loved all over the world.

Minestrone is made with vegetables including onions, beans, celery and carrots. Normally pasta or rice is added to the soup, too. There is no exact recipe for the “right” minestrone, which makes it a very exiting dish. It offers plenty of room for creativity. Every region has its own minestrone that contains signature ingredients and probably every cook makes it in a slightly different way. Some cooks prefer thick, almost stew-like versions; others prefer lightly cooked vegetables in a broth-type soup. While the soup’s texture can vary widely, Angelo Pellegrini, a famous food writer and academic argues that the “genuine” minestrone has to be a bean-based broth and borlotti beans (aka Roman beans) must be used in it.

minestrone www.allyou.com
www.allyou.com
Minestrone is also a dish with history. At around the 2nd Century BC, thanks to commerce an abundance of food passed through Rome. As a consequence, meat, bread and soups were introduced to the diet of Romans. Thick vegetable soups and stews became staple foods. The ancient cookbook of Marcus Apicius described a soup called “polus” as a common dish at that time. Polus contained faro (a food product made of grains), chickpeas, fava beans, onions, garlic, lard and green vegetables. Later, other ingredients appeared in this soup, including meat and wine. When potatoes and tomatoes were introduced in Europe in the mid 16th century, these were added to polus as well. The additions of ingredients contributed to the evolution of the dish and ultimately changed the character of the soup. Although it changed over time, it always remained part of “cucina povera”, aka the “poor kitchen”, which was often cooked from leftovers and it was normally consumed as a side dish. Later, between the 17th and 18th centuries the soup’s recipe was more or less formalized. From that era onwards, it only contained fresh vegetables and was offered as a meal for its own sake. The name “minestrone” formally appeared in 1871.

My favourite minestrone recipe was developed by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton and appeared on the website of Forks Over Knives. I slightly fine-tuned it to my own taste and to the ingredients available in my area. It’s a vegan and super healthy and it is an absolutely awesome soup that everyone must try!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium-sized onion (cut into pieces)
  • 2 stalks celery (sliced into narrow pieces)
  • ½ bulb fennel (cut into small pieces)
  • 2 medium gold potatoes (diced)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped or crushed)
  • 400 gram can of tomatoes (either plum or diced tomatoes are suitable)
  • 2 litres of low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 400 gram canned or dry beans (borlotti, fava or cannellini beans; if you use dry beans, soak them overnight)
  • Salt (according to taste)
  • Pepper (according to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons of red-wine vinegar
  • 1 zucchini (quartered and sliced)
  • 1 or 2 bunches of Swiss chard or spinach leaves
  • 300 gram fusilli or penne pasta (preferably durum or rice pasta)

Preparation method:

  • Boil the water in a large pot. Add onion, celery, fennel, potatoes and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the can of tomatoes, stock, beans and season the mixture with salt and pepper, according to taste. Bring the soup to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer it for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook on a low heat for further 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Stir the vinegar and the green leaves into the soup. Season with salt and pepper, according to taste.
  • In the meantime, boil the pasta in a separate pot, according to packet instructions.
  • Once the pasta is ready, serve it in soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the pasta and serve it immediately.

Minestrone www.forthefeast.com Pinterest
www.forthefeast.com
If you prefer a vegan version, you may serve it with ground pumpkin seeds or cheese substitutes. Otherwise, you may sprinkle some Parmesan on the soup, which enhances the wonderful flavours of this minestrone.

Bon appetite!

Marvellous Mediterranean Spaghetti from Italy

I am a big fan of Italian flavours and I believe that there is nothing better than an easy pasta dish for a light, weekday dinner. I often browse recipes on the website of “Forks over Knives”, where I have recently come across this pasta dish. When I prepared it for the first time, it was an instant hit for us. It has fresh, spring-like qualities and it is an incredibly well-balanced dish, in my view. The vegetables just work perfectly well in its sauce and the dish is simply very delicious.

When I looked at the recipe more closely, I discovered that it was developed by Ella Woodward, the author of the popular food blog “Deliciously Ella”. She deserves full credit for this marvellous spaghetti. Nevertheless, I made some minor modifications to the original recipe due to the fact that some ingredients are not always available in the area where I live.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti from www.deliciouslyella.com
http://deliciouslyella.com/
Let’s see how to make this marvellous mediterranean spaghetti with my minor changes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet of durum pasta
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and sliced into eights (if plum tomatoes are not available, other types can be used)
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 large or 2 smaller aubergines, sliced into small rounds and then quarters (alternatively use 1 zucchini, as per the original recipe)
  • 1 bunch of spinach
  • Handful of olives (use deseeded and sliced ones if possible)
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • Salt according to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of Italian or French dried herbs
  • Pepper according to taste
  • 200 ml water

Preparation method:

  • Boil the pasta, according to packet instructions. Once it is ready, set aside.
  • Put the sliced aubergines in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil. Set aside.
  • Put the peppers, tomatoes, salt and dried herbs into a saucepan. Add the water to the saucepan and simmer the vegetables slowly. In case the vegetables start to brown, add more water and stir gently. Slowly cook for a few minutes.
  • Once the vegetables wilted, add the tomato purée and the juice of the lime.
  • Cook the vegetables for a few more minutes and let it slowly combine to form the sauce.
  • Once the sauce is ready, add the cherry tomatoes, aubergine slices (or zucchini slices) and the spinach leaves. Cook gently until the ingredients mix well.
  • Add the olives and additional dried herbs according to taste.
  • Combine the sauce with the pasta and mix well. Cook for a further a few minutes as the pasta will need to be heated.

Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti from www.myrecipes.com
www.myrecipes.com
 This pasta dish is perfect on its own. If you prefer, you may serve it with parmesan.

Bon appetite!