Lentil Soup

Lentil soup

1 cup of mixed lentils and barley (soaked overnight, keep water)
1/4 pumpkin deseeded and chopped
4 potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, sliced
1 onion diced
1/4 cup olive oil
garlic
fresh tumeric root, diced finely


Fry off onion garlic and tumeric. Your oil will be a lovely yellow and your onion glassy transparent. Add your vegetables and fry off for a further 2 minutes. I know it seems like a lot of oil but it is needed for this part. Add your lentils water and all. Add further water until vegetables are just covered. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season to taste.


Serves four, especially with a nice fresh loaf of rye bread.

I hope you find the time to try this simple recipe. It is hearty and filling and kids love it. Well mine do and they are picky :0)

Michelle

Winter vegetable Casserole

Nothing like a casserole to warm your soul when the weather is freezing out. I find  this casserole with a hint of being a curry does this beautifully. And it is super healthy and very vegan. So enjoy.

winter Vegetable Casserole
(generously serves two.)

1/2 butternut pumpkin (cubed)
2 large carrots (sliced thickly)
2 potatoes (cubed)
1 bunch bok choy(sliced thickly)
fresh tumeric
fresh ginger
fresh garlic
1/2 cup red quinoa
1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight)
coconut oil
olive oil

Peel an inch of tumeric and ginger. Prepare 4 cloves of garlic. Into your mortar and pestle place the tumeric,ginger and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Grind all the ingredients into a paste.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a frypan and put in your paste. Fry this mix off for a couple of minutes. The aroma will be intoxicating.

Add your vegetables and stir until well coated in the oil and paste.
Add your quinoa and chickpeas.
Add water until all ingredients are just covered. Simmer gently for two hours or place covered in oven at 150 degrees celcius for 2 hours.
Give everything a good stir. The pumpkin tends to work as the gravy, thickening the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with some nice warm bread.
This is also a great slow cooker recipe. Just make sure you fry off your paste before adding to slow cooker. Then when you get home in the evening. Whala! Dinner is served

You could adapt this recipe to pretty much whatever vegetables you have on hand. Though I reccomend either pumpkin or sweet potato being in there. It makes the gravy almost creamy.

Michelle

Easy, simple, delicious recipes

Food and cooking has played a huge part in my life. I've worked in restaurants and cafe's throughout Australia. I've gathered so many recipes over the years and thought I should probably get them all written down in one place. Thus here comes my 'Recipe Journal' . A lot of the food I eat now is fresh organic and locally sourced where possible. A lot of the recipes are vegan. But having the love of my life insist on being a MEAT  eater there will also be a few meat dishes thrown in. So anyway I shall send my recipes out into blog land and hope some people enjoy them. Love to all.

Michelle