Risotto with Peas and Coconut- vegan

A very delicious risotto. Italians should not read this blog.

I found a risotto recipe for 12 people. I thought, who the f*** wants to eat this. Then I looked on the next page and there were 2 more recipes using up 1/3 each of the risotto. Now that made more sense.

Since I was going to cook only the second recipe, I took my calculator and broke the recipe down. I kept the amount of ginger and garlic from the original recipe. That made a huge difference in the flavour profile. Some Miso paste is added to the risotto. Reading it  made me wonder why, but it brings the Umami to the risotto.

Recipe for 4 or 2 dishes:

140 g Aborio risotto rice, 150 g frozen peas

1 red onion, 3 garlic cloves, 20 g ginger

1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp miso paste

700 ml veg stock, 100 ml coconut cream

120 g leek with green part, 1 lemon, 1 green chili, 2 tbsp dessicated coconut

Salt, pepper

Chop onion, garlic, chili and ginger.  Cut the leek in rings.

In coconut oil fry off onion, garlic and ginger for 3 min. Add the washed rice. Give it 3 min.

Add 300 ml veg stock and 30 ml coconut cream. Cook until liquid is evaporated, add more and toss in the leek to cook after 10 min.

After 20 min add the peas and the leftover stock and coconut cream.  Grate lemon zest and check seasoning.

Finish with dessicated coconut on top.

Chicken Wings with Apples and Mushrooms

This is an easy and hassle free way to eat chicken wings. Prep time for the ingredients is 10 min and oven time is 40 min. I found it in an ALDI add.

Prepare it a couple of hours before it needs to go in the oven and keep it in the fridge. When you plan on eating it, just stick it in the oven.

I only know the combination of apples and pork from a trip through Scotland. But with chicken wings was new to me.

Ingredients:

550 g chicken wings

150 g leek, 2 red apples, 200 g button mushrooms, 4 cloves if garlic

1 lemon, 50 ml Noilly Prat, 4 tbsp olive oil, chicken seasoning, salt and pepper

Fresh coriander

Cut leek and mushrooms in slices. Push both apples through an apple divider. Store them in 1/2 lemon juice and water until you need them. 

Mix the other 1/2 lemon juice with olive oil and chicken seasoning and set it aside.

Marinate the wings in the lemon oil mix up to an hour. Give the garlic a squish and place it together with the wings in an oven proof dish.

Add the veggies and apple pieces and dakt and pepper them. Pour Noilly Prat on top and stick in the oven at

160 C fan for 25 min and at 180 C fan for 15 min

Rip some fresh coriander on top.

 

Kimchi Jjigae - Kimchi Stew

It is spicy and sour. A great combination.

I am not a huge fan of Tofu, but in this dish is worked perfectly. The broth gave it taste and the creaminess helped with the spice level. Eaten with short grain rice made it in to a full meal.

Aaron from YT aaron & claire made it. I only exchanged the pork belly with ground pork.

It is important to use well fermented kimchi. The one in my fridge is good enough for Jjigae. 

Recipe:

150 g pork mince

200 g Kimchi, 1/2 yellow onion, 2 spring onions, 

2 cups rice washing water, 1/2 tsp beef stock granulates, 1 tbsp oil

125 g soft tofu, 1 red 1 green chili

Sauce:

1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp Gochugaru hot pepper flakes, 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

In oil brown the pork mince. Add the chopped kimchi and onions and stir well. Add the sauce and on medium heat cook for 6 min. Stir often because the hot pepper flakes burn easily. Add the rice water. Cook the stew for 10 min.

Cut the tofu in cubes and place them on top, sprinkle with a bit more pepper flakes. Finish with chili rings and onion greens. Serve with rice.

Romana Lettuce topped with Parmesan and Pomegranate Seeds

This is a great lunch snack.

An other way to eat leafy greens. I saw it in a news paper clipping advertising it for a New Years Eve special. 

The short time in the pan just gives some color to the salad. It keeps its crunchiness. When it comes out of the pan, just sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top.

Then prepare the toasted breadcrumbs in the same pan. The most work is getting the pomegranate seeds out. Without getting yourself and half of your kitchen splotched with red juice.

Season the salad while it is in the pan. Finish the plates with fresh basil and some white balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients for 2:

2 romana salads

25 g Parmesan, 30 g breadcrumbs

3 tbsp butter, salt and pepper

1/2 pomegranate, 2 tbsp white balsamico

Basil

 

Chicken Gyros in Cream Sauce

Chicken Gyros sounds like a vacation trip to Greece. 

But it is a German style recipe. The sauce is a combination of chicken stock and sour cream. That goes great with rice.

Gyros without a lot of onions is s no go. As a second vegetable I used 2 celery stalks. The two together bulk out the chicken breast.

Before you start the chicken, start the rice.

The seasoned chicken breast strips cook very fast in the pan. When the strips have color, and the onions are a little soft, take them out in a smaller bowl and cover with a lid. That way they heat through even more.

Toss in garlic and celery and give it 6 min. Season with salt and pepper. Now add chicken stock and sour cream. Bring to a boil and add the chicken, reduce the heat and after 3 more min the dish is ready to serve.

Ingredients:

400 g chicken breast cut in thin strips or small chunks, smoked paprika, cayenne, gyros seasoning if available

1 onion, 2 spring onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 stalks celery

Oil, salt and pepper, 150 ml chicken stock, 150 ml sour cream

Maghmour- Aubergine and Chickpea Stew Levant style vegan

A recipe from Lebanon.

I had an aubergine and 200 ml of tomato passata in my fridge and needed an idea.  Google helped and I used what ever I had at home.

Adding the avocado was a quick trick. I wanted to eat one as a starter. But it was too unripe for my taste. Cutting it up and warming it through improved the avocado a lot.

Recipe for 2:

1 medium size aubergine, 1 shallot, 3 spring onions

2 cloves of garlic, mint tea leaves pack,

200 ml tomato passata, 2 tbsp tomato paste

125 g chickpeas cooked, 150 ml veg stock

Salt and pepper, 4 tbsp olive oil

Soy yogurt to keep it vegan or Greek yogurt, 1 avocado

Cut the aubergine in chunks. Salt them and let them sit 20 min. Dry with kitchen paper.

Heat up 3 tbsp oil in a pan and cook the aubergine about 10 min. Take out of the pan.

Add 1 tbsp of oil, the onion and 1 clove of garlic. Aftet 3 min add tomato paste. Veg stock and cook 2 min. Now add tomato passata, chickpeas and cook that 3 min. Season with pepper and a little salt. Add aubergine.

In a pestle and mortar crush 1 garlic clove and the dried mint tea to a paste. Stir in the hot stew.

Serve with some yogurt. I had a hard avocado. That went in with the chickpeas as well. But that is just my take on that stew.

 

Oatmeal Soup savoury

Oatmeal in a savoury soup version sounds strange. But no, it is not. 

My Grandma and my Mom made soups with rolled oats in winter some times. These are body and heart warming soups on cold days.

Most porridges have the addition of milk, honey and fruits. This soup is a lot thinner than a traditonal porridge. We all loved to eat it with bread and butter.

This soup is made with a good veg stock. If you have some that has some bits and pieces of veggies in, even better. Cooking time is just 15 min.

Recipe for 2:

750 ml veg stock, 75 g rolled oats, 1 tbsp butter

Pepper, nutmeg, 2 tbsp cream

Bread and butter

Start the rolled oats in butter. After coating them for 3 min, add hot stock. Cook and season. Finish with a little cream.