Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Sautéed Mustard Greens! Ⓥ

Mustard greens can be intensely spicy, especially when you're growing them fresh from your own garden. This year we have a healthy happy supply of mustard greens and were trying to figure out how to eat them since they are entirely too zingy for my taste in a salad. That's when this recipe came along. This is super easy to make and super delicious and healthy!  

Sautéed Mustard Greens

2-3 large bunches Mustard Greens, chopped  

1/4 cup Walnuts (or almonds or other nuts) 

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp (just under) Tamari or Soy Sauce

dash of Black Pepper

a little water for consistency

In a large frying pan or pot, toss all your ingredients together and sauté on medium heat until lightly cooked. The greens will shrink a lot. 

I like to add chickpeas sometimes as well, really you can add whatever you feel like. :) This recipe is so simple and easy and delicious! Great way to get more greens into your day. 

Makes a wonderful side dish or snack. 

Makes 2-3 servings. 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Chickpea Fritters Ⓥ

First thing, these are not falafel, they are lovely crispy chickpea fritters. ;)

I originally found this recipe over at The LunchBox Bunch, with some very slight changes to my liking and to make them gluten free. Check them out anyways, they have a ton of amazing vegan recipes! 

Mine didn't come out as pretty as The LunchBox Bunch, but they still tasted incredibly delicious.

They are pretty easy to make though are a bit messy--but who doesn't have fun getting messy in the kitchen? They are super delicious! 

They'd be great as an appetizer or snack, or a side to a meal like we made them for. I think these would also be awesome in a sandwich or burger, though they are a tad on the crumbly side. 

Of course, these are vegan, and we made them gluten free. 

makes 12 small round fritters.

Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters

1 can Chickpeas, drained 

1/2 cup organic Pumpkin Puree (canned)

1/4 cup Hemp Seeds

1 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

a touch of cayenne or chili powder

1 Tbsp Brown Rice Flour (for binding)

1 cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs for coating

Olive Oil for frying. 

*baking note: you could also bake these instead of frying them if you'd prefer. Bake on parchment paper or a lightly greased baking sheet at about 350 degrees for about 20 minutes - or until toasty. BUT the panko bread crumbs are really made for a light fry. 

In a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas and pumpkin. With a large fork or potato masher, mash the beans until at least 75% of them have been mashed together with the pumpkin.

Add in the spices, apple cider, hemp seeds and flour. Fold together until a moist mixture forms.

Form the mixture into golf ball sized balls and roll in your panko crumbs until well covered - pat down into flatter cakes. 

Preheat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil if hot, place the cakes in the hot oil - carefully!

Try to leave about an inch space between each cake for easier flipping--unlike what I did and mush them all together. ;)  

Cook on each side for a couple of minutes - until toasty brown. Try not to burn, although a bit of crisping is nice.

Let cool a bit, serve, and enjoy! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Lentil Curry! Ⓥ

Another curry recipe for you because I love curries and I think that everyone should. ;) Healthy, spicy, yummy! The lentils add a wonderfully creamy texture, just make sure you cook them long enough that they dissolve into your liquids.

This may take some time to make but the actual preparation is easy and you don't have to do much except stir it every so often. I like to dance around the kitchen while I keep an eye on things. ;) 

Lentil Curry

1 medium Sweet Potatoes, cut into small chunks

2-3 medium Carrots, thinly sliced

1 head of Broccoli 

1/2 cup Red Lentils

1 400ml can Coconut Milk

1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1-2 Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste*

1 cup Vegetable Stock/Broth 

1-2 cups Water

1 Tbsp Tamari

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

3/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

*depending on what brand of curry paste you use will depend on how much you want to add, and depends on how spicy you like your curry. We make it pretty spicy but not overpoweringly so. You'll definitely have to play around with whatever curry paste you use. My favourite by far is the Namjai brand. :)

In a large saucepan, sauté the sweet potatoes and carrots on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add in the curry paste and spices and sauté another minute. Add in the lentils, water, and vegetable broth and simmer on medium heat for about 40 minutes, stirring every so often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more water if necessary as the lentils soak it up. Add in the coconut milk and remaining ingredients and simmer another 15-20 minutes of low-medium heat, until you can easily poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and the lentils have become extra soft. I never measure the water I add so if it looks like it needs more then add more. 

The curry sauce is usually nice and creamy but has a fairly thin consistency. Serve over cumin-spiced rice or quinoa! 

Makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: "Butter" Chickpeas! Ⓥ

Another one of my favourite recipes for you. :) Packed full of flavour and goodness! And pretty quick and easy to make! 

"Butter" Chickpeas:

1-2 medium Sweet Potatoes, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Green Curry Paste

2 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Salt

dash of Tamari

2 tsp Vegan Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 can Crushed Tomatoes

2/3 cup Rice Milk (or other unsweetened vegan milk)

Veggies of your choice (I like Broccoli & Cauliflower)

*depending on what curry powder and paste you are using may depend on how much you want to add. Generally this recipe isn't overly spicy so you can adjust it to your desired liking. 

In a medium pot, boil the sweet potatoes until almost cooked. 

While potatoes are boiling:

Add oil and spices in a large saucepan and cook for a minute on medium heat. Add the chickpeas and sauté another couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding in the sweet potatoes at the end. Cook until veggies are tender and the sweet potatoes are fully cooked.  

Serve over rice or quinoa! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Recipe: Yummy Falafel! Ⓥ

Falafel is one of my all time favourites! You can do soooo many things with it! It's high in protein, low in fat, and absolutely delicious! What more could you want?

This Recipe is suuuuper easy to make and is ready in minutes! Plus it tastes wayyy better than any pre-packaged "add water" varieties you can buy in stores. Perfect if you're in a rush or just don't feel like slaving in the kitchen for hours on end.

Gluten-Free Falafel:

1 can Chickpeas, drained

1 tablespoon Garlic Powder (or 2-3 Garlic Cloves)

2 tablespoons Parsley (fresh or dried)

3/4 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoons Brown Rice Flour (or flour of your choice)

1-2 tablespoons Water

Olive Oil for frying. (or oil of your choice)

Combine all the ingredients (except for the oil of course, that's for frying them silly! ~_^) in a Food Processor, and start with just a tablespoon of water. You want the result to be a thick paste so if it's still a little dry add one more tablespoon of water. Don't add more than this though or it'll be too runny, trust me!

**If don't have a food processor you can mash the chickpeas, mince the garlic, and mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl, but the food processor just makes it soooo much easier.**

Form the mixture into small balls, and flatten them a little bit (I usually get 12 balls out of this recipe). 

Heat the Oil in a large frying pan before you place the balls into the frying pan. 

Fry them on fairly high heat until brown. Flip and repeat. Don't be alarmed, this only takes 2-5 minutes!

**I use the bare minimum of oil to keep it less fatty but make sure you're using enough so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. I also use a non-stick Environmentally-friendly ceramic frying pan, which helps keep the amount of oil needed low.**

And voila! Falafel! Goes great in wraps, pitas, or even by itself. :)

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