Family Fav Plant-Based Dishes
I have been experimenting with a lot of plant-based, vegetarian and vegan dishes lately and after nearly a year of focusing on more healthy and wholesome meals for my family, these are some of our favourites that I am often asked to make.
Vegetable Fritters from Create Mindfully
I whip these guys up for a mid-day snack and to put into the kids' lunch boxes for school!
They're filling and absolutely delicious.
What you'll need:
- 3/4 Cup Chickpea Flour
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Red Onion
- 3/4 Cup Chopped Red Pepper (I use whatever colour pepper I have!)
- 3/4 Cup Corn
- 2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
- Vegetable Oil (I used Coconut)
Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients. Add water and whisk until all the clumps are out. Fold vegetables into batter.
2. Heat pan on medium high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to cover the pan. You can test the oil by dropping a couple of drops of water or the batter into the oil. If they sizzle, your oil is hot enough.
3. Spoon some of the batter on the pan, fitting as many fritters as you can on the pan you use. Cook until browned. You should be able to lift the fritter easily when it is ready. Flip and cook the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil as needed.
4. Serve with Vegan Chipotle Ranch Dressing (optional!)
Chickpeas in Turmeric Peanut Butter Curry by Vegan Richa
This one is super filling and a bit on the spicier side but my children love it nonetheless!
What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 1/2 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp or more ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom optional
- 1/3 tsp or more cayenne
- 1/2 tsp or more turmeric
- 3 tbsp or more peanut butter or almond butter
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk like coconut or almond
- 3/4 cup water or broth
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 cup or more sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup or more sliced summer squash or zucchini
- 15 oz can chickpeas drained and washed or 1.5 cups cooked, or use cooked lentils
- 1/2 tsp or more salt
- 1 tsp or more sugar or other sweetener of choice
- 1/2 to 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or use 2 tbsp thai basil
- pepper flakes to taste
Directions:
Blend the onion, ginger, garlic with 2 to 3 tbsp water until smooth. Keep aside. I use a NutriBullet and the small amount works in the small blender. Alternatively, finely mince the onion, garlic and ginger as use.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne and cook until fragrant. 15 to 30 seconds.
Add in the onion puree to the skillet and mix. Mix in the turmeric and cook until the mixture is well roasted and onion does not smell raw. 7 to 9 minutes. Stir occasionally. (Cook at a slightly lower heat if using minced onion garlic).
Add in the nut butter, non dairy milk and mix in. it will take a half minute for the nut butter to mix. Add water. Mix well.
Add the veggies and chickpeas, salt, sugar. Mix, cover and bring to a boil. 4 mins. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Add red pepper flakes to taste and mix in. At this point you can also mix in some baby greens, and adjust the curry consistency (add more non dairy milk or cook longer for thicker).
Continue to simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes until the curry thickens a little. Serve over rice or cooked grains of choice.
Vegan Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry by Green Healthy Cooking
Can I just say that this photo I took DOES NOT do this dish any justice? It has to be my most favourite dish of all because of the variances of flavours and texture. The addition of sweet potato really adds to the mix and I swear, out of all the dishes, this should be the first one you should try!
It's perfection!
What you'll need:
- 1 small Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 cups cooked Chickpeas (preferably home cooked)
- 1 large Sweet Potato
- 1 can Coconut Milk
- 2 Tbsp red Thai Curry Paste
- Salt (if necessary)
- Pepper (if necessary)
- Fresh Coriander (optional)
- Chilli (optional)
Directions:
Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat.
Peel and finely chop onion and feel and crush garlic.
Peel sweet potato and cut into about 3/4" (2cm) cubes, the bigger the cubes the longer they take to cook. Make sure they are no bigger than 3/4".
Once hot, add a splash of flavorless oil to the pan and then add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent.
(If serving over freshly steamed rice, now is a good time to start preparing that)
Add curry paste and mix well.
Add coconut milk, sweet potato and chickpeas and stir well. Make sure all sweet potato cubes are well submerged in liquid so they cook fast.
Bring to the boil and once boiling reduce heat to constant simmer (medium low).
Let simmer uncovered until sweet potato is cooked through and sauce has thickened (20-30 minutes), stirring mid through and making sure again all sweet potato pieces are submerged in liquid at all times.
Salt and pepper to taste if necessary, then serve over steamed white rice, sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander and a little bit of chopped chilli for extra spice.