Butter Chicken - without the butter, without the chicken

The past short hiatus of posts has been exclusively due to the fact that I've been working, cooking and continuing in my quest to be the hippiest hipster of them all by trying to grow my own organic garlic.
But mostly I've been working all the time.

So the little patch of cultivated ground dedicated to said garlic forest remains upturned but unplanted.

(On a side note, when I dug up this little spot of land, which is not bigger than 2m2, to a depth of about 30 cm... I discovered 6 whole bricks and 10 half-bricks. It appears I had chosen the previous dumping ground for the entire block's building surplus. On the other hand, it's really sunny there.)

Nevertheless, I have managed to bring you a perfected recipe that is sure to please during these cooler Autumn months.

Introducing... Butter Chicken! - without the butter and without the chicken.
My meat loving friends very much hate this one and argue comprehensively that it definitely isn't butter and it definitely isn't chicken so therefore, it definitely isn't Vegan Butter Chicken.
I don't much mind however, because it tastes better than anything I've ever cooked from scratch and it's so much cheaper than a top-class indian restaurant.
So butter chicken defending champions of the meat, turn away now.

SPICES:

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chilli paste

2 Tbsp ground coriander

VEGETABLES:
1 small onion
6 tomatoes, diced
7 button mushrooms
2 cups of Kale, chopped roughly
1 T tomato paste

PROTEIN:

2 cups of protein*

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

CREAMY GOODNESS:

3 Tbsp nuttelex/non-dairy margarine

400 mL coconut cream

*Tofu or chickpeas or a mixture of both or even kidney beans...

I haven't included cooking rice to accompany this dish, but it is assumed. I also wilt the kale using the steamer part of my rice cooker and then add it at the end.

1. In a fry pan on a medium-high heat, melt the margarine, adding the onion and cinnamon and stir around.

2. Lower the heat a little and add the garlic and ginger.

3. Add the remaining spices and cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Add all the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 15 minutes.

(mushrooms, tomatoes, paste, peanut butter, cashews, coconut cream)

5. Pinch of salt to taste.

With rice, makes a meal for 6.

Bon appetite, hipsters.

Mum, Are Humming Birds Are Made From Hummus? Yes.

Possibly one of the world's simplest vegan dishes - with the exception of cutting up a few veggies and calling it done - has got to be hummus. The other day I made this is in about 10 minutes, from start to finish, because I'd promised a friend some hummus for his birthday and I possessed poor time management.

THROW INTO A FOOD PROCESSOR:
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

2 Tbsp tahini paste

3 garlic cloves

the juice of 1 lemon

100mL olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

BLEND.

Done.

Well, maybe you might need to 1/2 cup of water if you want a smoother consistency, or some paprika for even more exotic flavour, but pretty much, you're done.
Serve with crusty Turkish bread or chopped veggies.

The thing about hummus is, just like a teenage girl's break-up, it's much better the next day.

Freezes well, and I don't know, I'm pretty sure you can go nuts tweaking this recipe to suit whatever is in your pantry. Broccoli hummus? Well, I am always trying to hide broccoli in everything (cos it's up there for iron content, down there for taste), but maybe that's a bit far.

Turmeric, however, is great for your brain, and I've added that before to my hummus with joyous results.

Get cracking, hepcats.

Hey Pesto!

I met a herb the other day.
Basil The Herb.
And now, we're in love.

Just how was it that I'd gone through my 26 years of existance and never once come across basil?
I've lived a sheltered life, I'm sure.

Last night I made a Basil Pesto,  serving size for an entree.... about 4.
I ate it all.
I love Basil. Did I mention that?

Pesto is a really easy spread to make and it's perfect for pre-dinner snacks on crusty bread, or mixed with pasta for an italian mains.

Check it out...

2 cups of Basil leaves.
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1/3 cup of pine nuts
1/3 nutritional yeast (this is the substitute for parmesan cheese... and it's great!)
4 or 5 sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup of olive oil or flaxseed oil or sesame oil*
salt & pepper & sesame seeds

*I usually keep the oil from every jar of sun-dried tomatoes I finish and create a little tasty oil culmination. This spread is a great place to pour that in.

Add the salt and pepper to taste, the sesame seeds don't add too much flavour so add them for an excellent source of Calcium.

(It's quite a forgiving recipe in terms of ingredients; feel free to add walnuts/almonds/cashews instead, or as well as pine nuts... add chia seeds for Omega 3... remove the sun-dried tomato for a less sweet pesto.)

Step 2:
BLEND.

And hey pesto, you're done!