lentils

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Slow Cooker Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry; Meal Plan Your Way to Weight Loss – Rebecca Burnicle and Wendy Van Staden

Meal-Plan Your Way to Weight Loss by Rebecca Burnicle and Wendy Van Staden, published by Macmillan Australia, RRP $39.99, photography by Jeremy Simons.

“Meal-prepping is so easy when you put your slow cooker to work. This recipe
makes 8 portions, so stocking your freezer with ‘I can’t be bothered’ dinners
is a breeze. All it takes is 15 minutes of prep in the morning.
Serves 8 / Prep 15 minutes / Cook 3 hours 45 minutes – 7 hours 30 minutes” p154

Slow Cooker Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

2 brown onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder ( I use a gluten free stock)
50 g coconut milk powder
2 cups (400 g) dried red lentils
250 g cauliflower, cut into 2 cm pieces
250 g orange sweet potato (kumara), cut into 2 cm pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 2 cm pieces
400 g can diced tomatoes
400 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
150 g baby spinach leaves
1 cup fresh coriander sprigs
2–6 PersonalPoints range per serve


1 Place all ingredients, except for chickpeas, spinach and coriander sprigs in a 5.5 litre (22 cup) slow cooker. Add 1 litre (4 cups) water and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3.5 hours (or low for 7 hours).


2 Stir in chickpeas and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on high for a further 15 minutes (or low for 30 minutes). Top with coriander sprigs to serve.

Stove-top method:
1 Heat a large non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and ginger, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, until softened slightly. Add spices and stock powder and cook,
stirring, for a further 1 minute.


2 Stir in coconut milk powder, lentils, cauliflower, sweet potato, zucchini and tomatoes. Add enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes, until vegetables and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding extra water if mixture starts to catch
on base of pan.


3 Stir in chickpeas and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Top with coriander sprigs.


· TO REFRIGERATE: Transfer curry to a large reusable container or divide individual portions into separate reusable containers. Store for up to 5 days. To reheat, simmer gently in a saucepan or microwave single
servings until hot, stirring in a little water if curry is too thick.


· TO FREEZE: Store curry as above. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat
as above.

**This is one of my favourite vegetarian curries though I hadn’t thought of adding cauliflower – what a great idea. I will make this to take with me on my next visit to my vegetarian daughter.**

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Malaysian-style Kari – Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1 – Dr Rupy Aujla

Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1

Dr Rupy Aujla

Imprint: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780008395414

RRP: $34.99

“There is one lentil dish I find myself craving more than any other, and it’s this one. The umami blend of soy and fish sauces ripples through the sharp ginger and aromatics of cinnamon and star anise. This is a pleasure to cook and addictive to eat.”

Malaysian-style Kari

PREP 10 MINUTES/COOK 45–50 MINUTES

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

120g shallots (about 2), finely chopped

8–10 curry leaves (optional)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

25g piece of root ginger (about 3cm), grated

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

160g aubergine (about 1 large), cut into 1.5cm chunks

200g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

200g dried split yellow lentils, rinsed

400ml boiling water

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

10g fresh coriander leaves, to serve

1 Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds, cinnamon, star anise, shallots, curry leaves (if using), garlic and ginger and stir for 2–3 minutes until the oil and spices are fragrant.

2 Add the turmeric, soy sauce, fish sauce, aubergine and tomatoes, season and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the lentils and stirring for another minute.

3 Add the boiling water and simmer for 35–40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Remove from the heat and either stick-blend or mash the mixture with a potato masher to create a lovely, thick dhal.

4 Serve the dhal scattered with the coriander leaves.

Cook’s tips You can use cooked lentils from a tin – reduce the amount of boiling water by two-thirds and the cooking time (once the lentils are added to the aubergine, etc.) to 10 minutes.

Tempeh is a fermented soybean product packed with protein, dietary fibre and vitamins. It originates from Indonesia and has a dense and chewy texture, as opposed to tofu’s silky, smooth texture. I know tempeh isn’t everyone’s favourite ingredient but trust me, it’s because you haven’t experienced it at its best. The flavours in this dish are phenomenal and the texture of tempeh suits this method of cooking.

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#MeatlessMonday: Lentil Hotpot with Steamed Greens – The CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet -Dr Tony Bird, Dr Michael Conlon and Pennie Taylor

CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet

Recipes extracted from The CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet by Dr Tony Bird, Dr Michael Conlon and Pennie Taylor. Available now, Macmillan Australia, RRP $34.99.

 

p178 THE CSIRO HEALTHY GUT DIET
21 G FIBRE PER SERVE GOOD SOURCE OF RESISTANT STARCH
UNITS PER SERVE BREADS AND CEREALS 1 PROTEIN 2 FRUIT 0 VEGETABLES 3 DAIRY 0 FATS AND OILS 0

Lentil hotpot with steamed greens

SERVES 4
PREPARATION 20 minutes
COOKING 1 hour, plus potato cooking time

 

Lentil Hotpot

olive oil spray, for cooking
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 × 400 g tin salt-reduced chopped tomatoes
1 × 400 g tin lentils, drained and rinsed
1 × 400 g tin salt-reduced four-bean mix, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups (180 g) frozen peas
5 potatoes, cut into 5 mm thick slices, steamed and chilled overnight (see page 41)
sweet paprika, for sprinkling
1 head broccoli, trimmed and cut into small florets
100 g green beans, trimmed

 

Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Spray a 1.5 litre baking dish with olive oil.
Heat a deep heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and curry powder and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes, lentils and bean mix and bring to a simmer over medium–high heat, then stir in the
peas and return to a simmer; add a little water if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking.

Spoon the lentil mixture into the prepared baking dish, then top with the potato slices, placing them in overlapping lines to cover the lentil mixture. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake the hotpot for 45–50 minutes until the potato topping is golden
and crisp.

Just before serving, steam the broccoli and beans in a steamer basket over a saucepan of simmering water for 3 minutes or until tender but crisp.

Serve the hotpot with the steamed vegetables alongside.

into small florets
100 g green beans, trimmed

 

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Farro and Green Lentils: The Good Carbs Cook Book -Dr Alan Barclay, Kate McGhie & Philippa Sandall

Good Carbs Cookbook

Images and recipes from The Good Carbs Cookbook by Dr. Alan Barclay, Kate McGhie & Philippa Sandall Murdoch Books RRP $$39.99 Photography by Alan Benson

 

Farro and Green Lentils with Cherry Tomatoes and Marinated Feta 

 

“This is a crunchy–squishy salad, for which the lentils and farro can be prepared ahead of time and, at the last minute, everything tossed together. Unlike some other grains, farro is hard to overcook.” p.162

 

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes | COOKING TIME: 40 minutes | SERVES: 6

 

1 cup (180 g/6 oz) small green lentils

1 cup (180 g/6 oz) farro

¼ cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, crushed

½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

400 g (14 oz) ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 large handful mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, chives), chopped

¾ cup (90 g/3¼ oz) crumbled marinated soft feta

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the lentils and simmer for about 20 minutes. Rinse the farro and add to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the farro and lentils are tender. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Put the cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.

Tip the lentils and farro into the bowl with the tomatoes, pour over the dressing with the onion and herbs and gently toss. Pile on a large serving dish with the feta spooned over the top and garnished with extra herbs.

 

 

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Post Script: The Dinner Ladies Fill You Fridge and Freezer – Sophie Gilliatt & Katherine Westwood

Dinner_Ladies_FRNT_COV

Fill Your Fridge and Freezer 170+ Recipes to Cook Now and Eat Later

Sophie Gilliatt & Katherine Westwood

Murdoch Books

ISBN: 9781743365854

 

Description:

Stock your fridge or freezer with nourishing dinners that can be made ahead

The evening, when time and patience are at their shortest, can be the worst part of the day to throw a meal together. And then there are the unexpected mouths to feed: a friend with a new baby, an elderly family member, a couple of uninvited ravenous teenagers.

 

Enter the Dinner Ladies, the fearsomely organised duo bringing delicious peace to busy households. They are the mistresses of stocked-up fridges and freezers thanks to a wide-ranging repertoire of nourishing, reliable make-ahead meals.

 

Family-friendly favourites dominate: there are spiced slow-cooked lamb shanks; warming curries; veggie-focused ‘thinner dinners’; and easy desserts that may not make it as far as the table, such as apricot, raspberry and coconut crumble or chocolate mint honey pots.

 

Welcome the Dinner Ladies to your kitchen and reclaim your evenings.

 

Author bio:

 

The Dinner Ladies are Sophie Gilliatt and Katherine Westwood. They first met at the school gate in 2007 and came up with the idea of preparing dinners for time-poor friends so that they would always have good homemade food in their fridges and freezers. What started as a back shed project has now grown to a fleet of delivery trucks dropping off thousands of delicious home-cooked meals every week to hungry households in their home city of Sydney.

 

Between them, the Dinner Ladies have two husbands and seven children of varying sizes, appetites and degrees of fussiness. There’s not much they don’t know about pleasing a tricky crowd.

 

My View:

This is a must have book for your kitchen library!

Last night I had a read through – we are having a shared plate/easy supper with our daughters tonight and I was looking for inspiration – I go it in bucket loads – and I haven’t even reached the dessert section yet!

 

So on my list thus far:

Chickpea and Coriander Burgers

Hummus (hommus)

Wimmera Grain Salad (barley & green lentils predominate)

Super Foods Salad

Meatballs or koftas – not sure yet both are tempting…

 

So that is tonight sorted. But this book has so much more to offer – (Chocolate Mint Honeypots aside ) so many great recipes that will keep in the fridge for a few days, recipes great for the freezer, slow cooked meals, thinner dinners, sweet and easy desserts…and my favourite  section super tasty  “spice and five”.

 

This is a keeper!

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Vegetarian Meals Made With Love

Last week my daughter fractured her shoulder; she was on an evening out, ready to order her meal, was about to take the last step on the stairs to the venues dining area, hand on rail and slipped in a pile of something disgusting- we wont go there. Consequently she now is suffering with a fractured shoulder – and needs assistance with most things – washing her hair, cutting up her meals, preparing meals. She cant drive , cant shop, cant work, for at least 6 weeks.

It is times like  this that it is very difficult to be a parent who lives 3 1/2 hours away from one of her children who is in pain and in need.  Her sister has been very helpful, she has been up to visit a  few times, taken her shopping, taken her to the doctors, styled her hair, took her dog for a walk….These two are great supportive sisters.  On the last visit I sent up a care package – food made with love 🙂  I am currently preparing more meals.

The injured daughter is vegetarian – and I haven’t really cooked many vegetarian meals since this daughter left home, many years ago. Lately I have just made the odd meal when she has visited – vegetarian pizza, curry, chilli beans etc To make a 6 weeks of vegetarian meals that can be eaten with one hand ( preferably a spoon) is a challenge. Thankfully I have some wonderful new cook books to help me out.

Coconut Thai Curry with Chickpeas

Coconut Thai Curry with Chickpeas

 

Deliciously Ella is a great resource. I am currently soaking red kidney and black beans (I prefer not to use tinned legumes) to make a Ella’s Black and Kidney Bean Chilli.  Last week I made Ella’s Lentil and Butternut Squash Dhal, Coconut Thai Curry with Chickpeas and Almond Butter (or nut butter if you prefer),  I made Anna Gretta’s Banana Cakes – one for the freezer and one cut into slices for use now and Dan Churchill’s Protein Balls (always a favourite). I also made huge saucepan of vegetarian minestrone soup – a meal in a bowl, and bean patties with Quinoa flakes – my own creations –  recipes I will share with you at a later date.

Bean Patties with Quinoa Flakes

Bean Patties with Quinoa Flakes

What to make for the next 5 weeks? Any suggestions?  The food must be able to be frozen, be vegetarian and not require cutting.