Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2014
Vegetarian Shepherds Pie Recipe fat free
This recipe is made very often in my home as it is so very tasty!!
My Vegetarian/Vegan Shepherds Pie recipe is so delicious that we have not used minced meat in a very long time to cook a shepherds pie. The meat alternative in this recipe is mung beans, if you have never used mung beans you will wonder how they could replace meat, but trust me when I say that these are one of the meatiest tasting beans there is!
This shepherds pie recipe tastes so good that you will forget that you ever cooked it without meat as you will be far too busy savouring the delicious flavours coming off your spoon! This recipe is also fat free.
It is always best to use a pressure cooker for this recipe as the consistency is a lot better, but if you dont use one then just make sure you cook all your pie filling till it is soft textured.
Also if you do not use butter in your mashed potatoes like in this recipe then use Vivaldi Potatoes as they are so creamy in taste that it would not be necessary to add any butter.
I promise you that once you taste my vegetarian/vegan recipe you will never look at a meat made pie the same ever again.
Ingredients
1 Cup Mung Beans
1 Pint Water (or just over 2 cups)
2 Carrots (diced small)
1 Small Leek (diced small)
1 Small Onion (diced small)
1 Small Celery Stick (diced small)
1 Parsnip (diced small)
Salt and Pepper
8-10 Small Vivaldi Potatoes
1 Pint Water (or just over 2 cups)
2 Carrots (diced small)
1 Small Leek (diced small)
1 Small Onion (diced small)
1 Small Celery Stick (diced small)
1 Parsnip (diced small)
Salt and Pepper
8-10 Small Vivaldi Potatoes
Getting Started.....
Take your cup of mung beans and place them in a dish. Carefully pour just over 1 pint or 2-2+1/2 cups of hot water or until the beans are fully covered with double the amount of water. Leave them to soak for a few hours I soaked mine for 8 hours they will cook after being soaked for 1-2 hours in a pressure cooker. If you are not using a pressure cooker you need to soak your beans over night.
When your beans are ready they will have plumped up a little. Rinse them under cold water and place them into your pressure cooker. Now add all your vegetables on top of your mung beans but do NOT mix or stir them. Put your potatoes on to boil in some salted water at least 10 minutes before you cook your Shepards pie filling.
Pour in enough water until you see it start to come up through the vegetables. This is enough water to cook them in. Place on your cooker lid correctly and bring to the boil, once boiling turn down the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes.
When your potatoes are soft mash them through a sieve to ensure there is no lumps.
When your beans are cooked stir thoroughly and add salt to season.
Pour your shepherds pie filling into an oven dish. Scoop spoon fulls of your mashed potatoes and gradually cover your whole pie.
With the back of your spoon even all the potato flat. Take a fork and put diagonals across the whole pie.
Place your shepherds pie under a hot grill until your pie topping had gone all golden brown.
To make Brussels Sprouts just boil then in some salted water for a few minutes then they will be ready.
Your pie is ready.
Enjoy Jeenas Shepherds Pie. :)
This is how every plate looks after eating Jeenas Vegetarian shepherds pie .... You will love this dish, So lets get Cooking !
Friday, April 4, 2014
STORY OF VEGETARIAN METE CHA CHADI LIVER FRY
VEGETARIAN METE CHACHADI sounds crazy??
Many years back, in a small gathering at home, I was reading out the simple diner menu.
"To start with you will have vegetarian mete chachaDi, with hot rice and green chili, followed by Dal, fish and then vege Mutton."
There was obvious roars, " Ghosh has gone crazy...what do you mean by vege liver, vege mutton...stupid ..and etc etc."
I continued " Actually in many culture onion and garlic are treated as non-veg, like old traditional Bengali veg dishes, all Kashmiri dishes (including mutton) , Jain dishes are devoid of onion and garlic. Similarly meat from a " Boli-r patha" ( sacrificed animal) during Puja is regarded as Prashad and always cooked without onion and Garlic. I have seen hardcore vege Brahman friends eat this "meat Prashad". So I call these dishes veg meat preparation, " Pyar-se".
So since then we call these dishes ( devoid of Garlic onion) as Veg-Nonveg dishes or Veg Mutton, just for fun only.
THE RECIPE
In a remote place in Orissa where I spent my childhood, meat or liver was not available much. The man would slaughter one goat if he saw enough customer else one had to come next day.
Every body needed a piece of liver, and it used to be very tiny piece for each and sold with mutton. It was so small that you couldnt cook any dish with the liver. There were many people at home who wanted a piece of liver, so it could not be put in the meat curry.
My mother used to chop them into very small pieces and fry them...
It is one of my favorites and often a party dish when liver fans are there
Here it is
CAUTION . This should be tried by foodies who appreciate the typical light aroma of liver in original form, unmasked by the riot of garlic, ginger, onion, spices.
INGREDIENTS
1.Liver 200 gms ( mutton, Lamb, ( Beef can be used) NO CHICKEN LIVER, I dont like it , never used it). You can try with 50 gm also if you are not sure if you would like it.
2. Turmeric 11/2 level tsp
3. green chili 7, or more, ( 3 chili broken into 2 -3 pieces for seasoning, rest for garnishing)
4. Kalo Jeere ( Kala jeera, Kalounji) 1 level tsp
5 Oil 1tbsp to 11/2 tbsp
6 salt to taste
PROCESS
cut the liver into tiny pieces 8 to 12 mm,
Heat Oil in a Kadhai ( I dont use non-stick ones for most Indian dishes).
Add the Kalo jeera and green chili seasoning, keep stirring and when the green chili turns white to very light brown, add the liver.
Add salt and turmeric powder,Keep frying , until the liver changes color ( about 3 minutes).
Add 1/2 cup water
simmer for 7-8 minutes covered. ( Liver is generally cooked in 3-5 minutes and remains soft, any heating beyond 5 minutes makes it stiff, but cooked). Here in this recipe , the liver will be stiff but cooked.)
Remove cover and dry out the water while stirring allow the material to stick to the Kadhai.
IMPORTANT. When sufficient material sticks to the wall, reduce heat put 1 to 2 tbsp water, and scratch out the sticky material in water, and mix with the liver.
Picture below , material sticking to the Kadhai just before adding water
Most stuck material taken out with water and being mixed
Repeat this process 3 times , i.e allow the material to stick 3 times and remove with water and mix 3 times. In Badshahi cooking it is called " BHUNO THRICE" ( fry 3 times) , it can be bhuno twice, 4 times...etc depending upon Chefs whims :-)
( I remember, when I was young, many people who learnt this dish from me would come back and say " I cooked it, was very nice, but nowhere near yours". Obviously it wouldnt have been , because I never told this Bhuno thrice business to them..Looking back I feel sad, I was so mean....but feel bit better when I think that most great Chefs dont share every thing)
Reduce heat , add rest of the green chili and mix
Remove into a dish and eat , straight or with rice
RESCUE OPERATION
After making this, if you find it is just not edible or you dont like it...here is the good news...Proceed as usual from here, ginger garlic paste, onion, tomato , garam masala , diced Potato et al..recover the dish and devour
This is not a part of the dish , it is for you dear foodies
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
100 Vegetarian Custard Pie
Custard means a dessert made with milk, sugar and eggs. For the people who does not like having eggs, this recipe serves as a best alternative to make a custard pie without using any eggs. Few days back I had few of my best buddies visiting my house after a long time, one of them was a vegan and I tried my best to prepare the food devoid of dairy and non-veg and that is the reason why I made this vegetarian custard pie.
Speaking about veganism brought me to an interesting topic, here in USA my world is very small I can barely count the people on my fingers whom I can call as my friends. In this small world, I observed that many of them are converting to a vegan diet and it is very interesting to know the reason behind their conversion.They all watched either "Forks over Kinfe" or "Veducated" movie on a Netflix. I was pretty amazed to see that a movie could impact someone so much that they prepared to leave their most favorite non-veg food and practice veganism. I watched both movies and could imagine how the meat eaters would have felt when they saw it. Im a vegetarian so, I did not regret much but my heart broke apart after seeing how animals are treated, when they are raised for meat or milk production. May be I too will switch to vegan soon!!!!
Ingredients:
Ready made Pie crust-1 (I bought this from Kroger, you can find it in the frozen section)
Custard powder-5tbsp (You can buy this in any Indian store, make sure it says 100% vegetarian)
Sugar-1cup
Fruits of your choice (I used Apple, Blueberry & Raspberry)
For Jam: I used frozen Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry in equal quantities
Method
Blind baking: Pre-heat oven to 475F. Take pie out of the cover and with the help of fork poke some holes on the crust (It prevents the pie from raising) .Cover it on the top with parchment paper, then add any dry beans on top and bake at 475 F for 20 min. If you do not wish to blind bake you can just bake it directly.
Jam: Heat a small pot and add hand full of your favorite frozen fruit to it and mix well, soon the mixture starts converting to a thick mixture add 1tbsp of sugar to it and turnoff the stove.
Custard preparation: Heat a thick bottom pot and add 2 cups of water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2tbsp orange zest, 1/4cup orange juice and mix well. Take 1/4 cup of warm water and add 4tbsp of custard and mix well. Add this custard mixture to the boiling sugar mixture in the pot and mix well. When the mixture is thick enough turn off the stove and let the mixture to cool little bit.
Custard pie: Arrange thinly sliced apple pieces at the bottom of a baked pie and spread prepared jam on it. Then add custard mixture and allow it to cool completely. Decorate with your desired fruits and serve cold with whipped cream on top or sprinkle some confectioners sugar on top like me.
For me this is the best vegetarian custard that I ever tasted and my friends liked it a lot.
Tips: If you do not have any problem in having milk you can substitute milk for water during custard preparation.
for real custard recipe, blind bake the pie and mix 6 large eggs, 2cups of sugar and 1cup of milk in a pan and pour this mixture on a pie and bake it @ 475 F till it turns golden brown and enjoy!!!!
I hope you like my recipe! Please leave your valuable comments!!! :)
Speaking about veganism brought me to an interesting topic, here in USA my world is very small I can barely count the people on my fingers whom I can call as my friends. In this small world, I observed that many of them are converting to a vegan diet and it is very interesting to know the reason behind their conversion.They all watched either "Forks over Kinfe" or "Veducated" movie on a Netflix. I was pretty amazed to see that a movie could impact someone so much that they prepared to leave their most favorite non-veg food and practice veganism. I watched both movies and could imagine how the meat eaters would have felt when they saw it. Im a vegetarian so, I did not regret much but my heart broke apart after seeing how animals are treated, when they are raised for meat or milk production. May be I too will switch to vegan soon!!!!
Ingredients:
Ready made Pie crust-1 (I bought this from Kroger, you can find it in the frozen section)
Custard powder-5tbsp (You can buy this in any Indian store, make sure it says 100% vegetarian)
Sugar-1cup
Fruits of your choice (I used Apple, Blueberry & Raspberry)
For Jam: I used frozen Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry in equal quantities
Method
Blind baking: Pre-heat oven to 475F. Take pie out of the cover and with the help of fork poke some holes on the crust (It prevents the pie from raising) .Cover it on the top with parchment paper, then add any dry beans on top and bake at 475 F for 20 min. If you do not wish to blind bake you can just bake it directly.
Jam: Heat a small pot and add hand full of your favorite frozen fruit to it and mix well, soon the mixture starts converting to a thick mixture add 1tbsp of sugar to it and turnoff the stove.
Custard preparation: Heat a thick bottom pot and add 2 cups of water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2tbsp orange zest, 1/4cup orange juice and mix well. Take 1/4 cup of warm water and add 4tbsp of custard and mix well. Add this custard mixture to the boiling sugar mixture in the pot and mix well. When the mixture is thick enough turn off the stove and let the mixture to cool little bit.
Custard pie: Arrange thinly sliced apple pieces at the bottom of a baked pie and spread prepared jam on it. Then add custard mixture and allow it to cool completely. Decorate with your desired fruits and serve cold with whipped cream on top or sprinkle some confectioners sugar on top like me.
For me this is the best vegetarian custard that I ever tasted and my friends liked it a lot.
Tips: If you do not have any problem in having milk you can substitute milk for water during custard preparation.
for real custard recipe, blind bake the pie and mix 6 large eggs, 2cups of sugar and 1cup of milk in a pan and pour this mixture on a pie and bake it @ 475 F till it turns golden brown and enjoy!!!!
I hope you like my recipe! Please leave your valuable comments!!! :)
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Red Lentil Vegetarian Flan Recipe
My healthy flan recipe contains no eggs,cheese, dairy,wheat or gluten. But if desired you could use a wholewheat gluten based pastry instead - it will still taste great.
You could eat this red lentil flan recipe anytime of the day as it is so very tasty.
I use my gluten free buckwheat pastry recipe for the base with vegetables and red lentils for the filling, this flan tastes absolutely delicious, every single ingredient I use works a treat, it is so filling, tasty and so very nutritious which is good for you.
My red lentil vegetarian flan recipe is also very easy to cook and I am sure you too will find this recipe very tasty.
So lets get started and get cooking my wonderful healthy flan recipe.
Ingredients
2/3 Cup Red Lentils
Jeenas Buckwheat Pastry
1/2 Red Pepper/Capsicum (de-seeded diced small)
1/2 Yellow Pepper/Capsicum (de-seeded diced small)
3 Small Onions or 5 Small Shallots (diced)
1/2 Leek (washed diced)
4 Cherry Tomatoes or 1 Medium Tomato (sliced)
2 Small Carrots ( grated then squeeze out excess water by cupping in hands)
Olive Oil
For the Spices
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt and Pepper
note... If you use wheat flour you can use wholewheat or plain white flour to make a savoury shortcrust pastry for the base instead.
2/3 Cup Red Lentils
Jeenas Buckwheat Pastry
1/2 Red Pepper/Capsicum (de-seeded diced small)
1/2 Yellow Pepper/Capsicum (de-seeded diced small)
3 Small Onions or 5 Small Shallots (diced)
1/2 Leek (washed diced)
4 Cherry Tomatoes or 1 Medium Tomato (sliced)
2 Small Carrots ( grated then squeeze out excess water by cupping in hands)
Olive Oil
For the Spices
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt and Pepper
note... If you use wheat flour you can use wholewheat or plain white flour to make a savoury shortcrust pastry for the base instead.
How to make a Red Lentil Flan Recipe
Rinse your red lentils thoroughly in a sieve.
Place them into a pan with some lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for approx 20-30 minutes until soft.
You may need to add more water as you go along.
Place them into a pan with some lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for approx 20-30 minutes until soft.
You may need to add more water as you go along.
Once cooked drain off excess water very well and put to the side for later.
In a large pan gently fry your shallots or onions in some olive oil for a few minutes.
Add your leeks.
Add your red and yellow peppers/capsicums then add turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger and chilli powders stir well.
Cook for a few more minutes then turn off the heat.
Cook for a few more minutes then turn off the heat.
Add your cooked red lentils stir well.
Add the grated carrots with salt and pepper, mix well.
Take some of Jeenas gluten free pastry. Flour the board with buckwheat flour and roll out as thin as you can. You may need to keep gently lifted up your pastry and dusted flour underneath.
Roll out a flat pastry that is larger than your flan tin.
Roll out a flat pastry that is larger than your flan tin.
Grease and flour a flan tin with oil and buckwheat flour. Gently place your gluten free pastry in the flan tin leave enough pastry for it to go over the edges, this will be chopped off when the red lentil flan is cooked.
Place in a pre- heated oven at 180C for 4-5 minutes only. Take out of the oven and spread the red lentil filling evenly.
Place sliced tomatoes on top and put back into the oven for 30 minutes.
Take out your red lentil vegetarian flan out of the oven and place onto a wire rack.
With a knife carefully chop off the excess buckwheat pastry from the edges by tapping the knife onto the pastry, it will leave a real rustic look to the flan which is so beautiful.
With a knife carefully chop off the excess buckwheat pastry from the edges by tapping the knife onto the pastry, it will leave a real rustic look to the flan which is so beautiful.
Take out the red lentil flan from the flan tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy your red lentil vegetarian flan warm or cold.
You can eat this delicious flan recipe as it is or with salad or accompniment of your choice.
You can eat this delicious flan recipe as it is or with salad or accompniment of your choice.
Why not also try my Red Lentil and Pea Flan...
Simply add some fresh green peas for a delicious red lentil and pea flan.
Just warm up 1/2 to 2/3 cup of fresh peas in a small pan of water, drain then add to your red lentil flan mixture instead of the grated carrots.
Flans are so easy to make and are a wonderful tasty dish.
After your red lentil vegetarian flan why not try..
Check out my coconut and almond cake recipe or gluten free cookies recipe for a delicious sweet.
And to finish off....
A lovely warm refreshing drink that is good for you and great for digestion:
Jeenas fresh spiced tea recipe.
Enjoy !
Check out my coconut and almond cake recipe or gluten free cookies recipe for a delicious sweet.
And to finish off....
A lovely warm refreshing drink that is good for you and great for digestion:
Jeenas fresh spiced tea recipe.
Enjoy !
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