Creamy Chickpea, Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole

My photo does not do this dish justice, but I assure you though that this casserole is not to be missed. For those of you who may have been raised on chicken pot pies, this creamy chickpea is very much like a vegan rendition of this comfort food classic, and it is really just as comforting to the contemporary vegetarian. It is easy to prepare, and with chickpeas, succulent mushrooms, brown rice and herbs, finished off with a cashew paste and some nutritional yeast, you have a complete and hearty meal with plenty of protein. I served it up with my classic Greek salad for a meal that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Creamy Chickpea, Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from The Great Vegan Bean Book: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Dishes Packed with the Kindest Protein in Town! - Includes Soy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes! Published on April 29, 2016 Simple, warming and wholesome baked chickpea and brown rice "comfort food" casserole Print this recipe Casserole: 2/3 cups dried chickpeas (2 cups cooked) 2/3 cup dried brown rice (2 cups cooked) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small red onion, chopped 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 2 medium carrots, diced 2 cups button mushrooms, roughly chopped 1 cup frozen green peas 2 teaspoons dried sage 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 teaspoon celery seed 2 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt fresh ground black pepper Cashew paste: 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in 1/2 cup warm water for 1 hour juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons) pinch of sea salt Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas and brown rice separately and soak each in enough water to cover for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then transfer to a small saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, drain the rice and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Now add the carrots and garlic and sauté for another few minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in the peas, cook for another few minutes, then stir in the sage, thyme, marjoram and celery seed. Preheat an oven to 350°. Transfer the skillet contents to a large lightly greased casserole dish and pour in the rice and water. Cover and bake for 60 minutes. While the casserole is in the oven, make up the cashew paste. Combine the cashews with their soaking water and the lemon juice and salt in a small food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Take the casserole out of the oven, stir in the cashew paste, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper. Stir in a little water if you want a thinner casserole. Cover and let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning and add more herbs and salt and pepper if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Other oven-baked dishes to enjoy:
Kidney Bean Casserole with Mushrooms and Spicy Tempeh Strips
Southern-Style Eggplant and Potato Casserole with Chickpeas
Gigantes Bean Tomato Casserole
Pasta and Feta Cheese Casserole

Mango Kesari Recipe – Mango Sheera – Kesari Varieties

Mango season has started. Last year I shared few ripe mango recipes like Mango ice cream, Mango sago and Aamras. This year I wanted to start my mango recipes with this easy and yummy mango kesari as I love to make different varieties of kesari at home. Mango kesari is nothing but our usual rava kesari cooked with mango pulp. It is known as Aam ka sheera in Hindi, Ambyacha sheera in Marathi and Mambazha kesari in Tamil. Yesterday I tried it for the first time I followed the procedure of my rava kesari recipe and prepared this. It came out so well with the awesome flavor of ripe mango. Do try this kesari recipe for a change. You will love it for sure. Lets see how to make this easy, delicious mango kesari. Even beginners & bachelors can make a perfect kesari by following this recipe.
Check out my Semiya kesari, Karnataka Kesari bath, Milk kesari, Microwave Rava Kesari recipes too.

Mango kesari recipe

How to make rava kesari with mango pulp - Mango sheera / Mango kesari recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Mango Pulp - 1/4 cup ( Use 1/2 of ripe mango or readymade mango pulp) Sugar - 3/4 cup Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Ghee - 3 tbsp Cashews - few Water - 2.5 cups Lemon yellow food color – a pinch ( Optional)

METHOD

Take the ripe mango, peel the skin. Remove the pulp and grind it to a smooth paste without adding water. Measure 1/4 cup of it and set aside.I used readymade mango pulp here. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a kadai. Roast the cashews till golden and remove in  a plate leaving the ghee in the kadai. Add the rava. It should sizzle in the sides as you see in the picture. Roast it in medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Remove in a plate. In the same kadai add 2.5 cups of water and 1/4 cup of mango pulp ( you can add 1/2 cup of mango pulp if you want more mango flavor) I din’t want dominating mango flavor in my kesari, so I added the pulp half the quantity of rava. When the water comes to roll boil,lower the flame completely and add the roasted rava. Mix it well using a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps in it. Rava splashes, be careful while mixing. After all the water is absorbed by the rava, close the kadai with a lid and keep the flame medium. Let the rava cook well for 2-3 minutes. Open the kadai and add sugar. Mix well with a whisk without lumps. It will become watery. So mix well till the kesari becomes slightly thicker. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee and cardamom powder. Mix till the ghee is absorbed by the kesari. Don’t wait for the kesari to leave the sides of kadai. Remove it as soon as the ghee is absorbed by the kesari. If you keep on stirring after this stage, kesari will become hard and chewy.So remove the kesari in a ghee greased bowl or plate. Don’t worry, Kesari will be very slightly watery, sticky and it falls like a ribbon as shown in the picture. It will thicken and tastes soft when it becomes warm. You can make them into pieces if you spread the kesari in a plate OR serve it as a scoop in bowls. Enjoy !

Note

Add 1 cup of sugar if you want more sweetness in your kesari. As we are adding mango pulp, the quantity of sugar I mentioned here is enough. You can add more mango pulp if you like dominating mango flavor. I have used readymade mango pulp here. You can take the pulp from the ripe mangoes, grind to a puree and use it.

Enjoy this easy, yummy mango flavored kesari at home with your loved ones

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Murungai Keerai Sambar – Drumstick Leaves Sambar Recipe

Whenever I buy Drumstick leaves/Murungai keerai (in Tamil), my first choice is to make sambar with it. I make Murungai keerai poriyal, adai and even kootu/Poricha kuzhambu with it. But drumstick leaves sambar is my family favorite. Its been long time since I shared sambar varieties in my blog. So I thought of sharing this healthy murungai keerai sambar recipe for rice. Lets see how to prepare this yummy drumstick leaves sambar at home.
Check out my Murungaikai sambar/Drumstick sambar & Drumstick masala recipes.

Drumstick Leaves Sambar

Drumstick Leaves Sambar / Murungai keerai sambar recipe for rice !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sambar Recipe

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook Drumstick leaves/ Murungai keerai - 1 bunch Toor dal - 1/2 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - 1/4 tsp Water - 2 cups To temper & saute Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chillies - 3 nos Curry leaves - few Sambar onion/Small onion or big onion - 15 nos/1 no Asafetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Tamarind - Small lemon size Water - as needed Salt - as needed Ghee – 1 tbsp

METHOD

Take the drumstick leaves from the stalk and wash it twice or thrice. In a pressure cooker base, take the toor dal, 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and cooking oil. In a small bowl, take the drumstick leaves and keep it inside the cooker.No need to add water to drumstick leaves. It will be cooked well with the help of steam. Do not cook the keerai and dal together. Dal will not cook mushy. So I cooked the dal and keerai in separate container inside the cooker. Soak tamarind in water. Pressure cook the dal & keerai in low flame for two whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and hing. Add sambar onions and saute until transparent. Add tamarind extract, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and boil well for few minutes.Add the cooked keerai and mashed dal. Mix well and boil the sambar for few minutes. Add some ghee at the end.Switch off the stove.Transfer the sambar to a vessel. Enjoy by mixing with plain rice !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste. You can replace drumstick leaves with Siru keerai, Thandu keerai and Arai keerai.

Enjoy this easy, healthy sambar for rice ! I served it with cabbage poriyal & Koozh vadam.

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Thalippu Vengaya Vadagam Recipe – Kari Vadagam

I am a big fan of Vengaya Vadagam/ Small onion vadagam since my childhood.This younger generation people may not be aware of this traditional recipe and slowly its forgotton by our people :( When I was young, my dad used to buy a packet of thalippu vengaya vadagam from an Iyer mess every year during summer. My mom adds it in Thuvaram paruppu sadam, Kootan choru and we love to have it as a side dish for curd rice too. . After marriage, I was amazed to see my MIL making Kari vadagam/Vengaya vadam on her own. She says its a very simple recipe preparation and can be easily made at home. Our job is to just mix and make balls. Sun will do the remaining part, she says funnily.Since Sendhil is not fond of vadagam, she stopped making it for some years. This year, I requested her to make this yummy onion vadagam for me. Last week we prepared it in Bangalore. I felt the chopping part and sun drying part takes more time. But the end result will be worth the wait. It came out great with wonderful aroma while frying. Iam enjoying it by making vadagam chutney/thogayal and use it for tempering Vatha kuzhambu and Kootu varieties. Nowadays my lunch smells divine because of this vadagam. You too give a try and feel proud to make your own homemade vengaya vadagam recipe. Lets see how to make this easy and yummy Thalippu Vadagam/ Kari vadam at home.
Check out my Koozh Vadam, Killu vadam and Javvarisi vadam too.

Vengaya vadagam recipe

How to make thalippu vengaya vadagam recipe

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Homemade

Serves: 15 balls

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 10 days

Total time: 10days30Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 200ml Small onion/Shallots - 1.5 cups ( chopped) Garlic cloves - 1/2 cup ( Chopped) Chopped curry leaves - 2 tbsp White urad dal - 1/4 cup ( soak in water for 30 minutes) Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp Toor dal - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1.5 tbsp Methi seeds -3/4 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Salt - as needed Castor oil - 2 tsp Cooking oil - to deep fry vadam after drying

METHOD

Wash and soak the white urad dal for 30 minutes.Wash and peel the small onion and curry leaves.Chop it finely. Peel and chop garlic cloves. Measure them in a cup. Take everything in a wide bowl. Mix well. To this add, mustard seeds, methi seeds, toor dal, cumin seeds, salt, red chilli powder. Mix well using your hands. Drain the water from the soaked urad dal and grind it coarsely without adding water. Dal should be coarse. Now mix the dal with onion mixture tightly and make balls of small lemon size. Let it dry under the Sun for a day.Coarse Urad dal paste acts as a binding agent here. So do not skip this step, If you wish, you can spread the mixture as it is without making balls and sun dry them. In that case, take the required amount of dried vadagam, keep in a separate bottle and use it. Reserve the remaining vadagam without touching often because there are chances of getting worms quickly.  On the same day night, take the partially dried balls. Break into crumbs and add castor oil to it. Mix well and make tight balls again. Let it dry over night under the fan. The next day, sun dry the balls.As the balls dry, it will loosen. So roll it tight everyday. Repeat the same process until the balls dry completely and becomes black in color. It will take nearly one week to 10 days to for the balls to dry depending on the weather/heat. For me, it took nearly 10 days. My MIL says it takes a week in Salem. After the balls are dried well, store in an air tight box. For adding this gravy, take one ball, break into small pieces and fry in oil until it emits a nice aroma. Add to vatha kuzhambu, Kootu and poricha kuzhambu recipes. Enjoy !

Try these yummy, flavorful vadagam at home and enjoy your lunch !

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Ethiopian-Style Red Lentil and Okra in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

I haven't been posting much because I have been making recipes that have already been documented in this space. That said, I do have a recipe to present that has been sitting in my draft folder for quite a while. That's a shame, because it is a good one and not difficult to prepare either.

I'm especially fascinated with different cuisines and African food certainly stimulates the palate. This Ethiopian-style stew is spicy and tart yet mellowed out with the addition of silky okra, a vegetable I don't use as often as I should. High in nutrients and antioxidants, the taste is rather difficult to describe, but it does nicely fill out soups and stews and is often enjoyed breaded and fried.

Homemade berbere is a must here. It's of blend of chilies and aromatic spices that takes very little time at all to make up and it keeps well in a sealed glass jar for a good few months.

Green beans can been used in place of the okra is you please.

I served this dish with spiced teff cakes with sun-dried tomatoes but as with all Ethiopian vegetable dishes it would go also go well with injera bread, a spongey sourdough bread made with teff flour.

Ethiopian-Style Red Lentil and Okra in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking Cuisine: Ethiopian Published on April 22, 2016 Red lentils and okra simmered in a simple, spicy and aromatic Ethiopian-style tomato sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup dried red lentils 5 cups water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1-inch fresh ginger, grated or minced 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen okra, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces 1 large tomato, diced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 3 tablespoons berbere powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh cracked black pepper, to taste Instructions: Rinse the lentils and add to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pour in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the lentils are cooked but still retain some firmness. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside. Wipe the saucepan dry. Add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened and slightly browned on the edges. Toss in the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute. Add the okra, tomato, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and cloves, and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the okra has started to soften. Stir in the berbere and paprika, increase the heat to high and add 2 cups of the reserved lentil cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring often, until the orka is tender, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the lentils and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary to thin the sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings

I'm sharing this with Jacquline's weekly Meat Free Mondays event.

Other African recipes to try from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Chickpea Patties Smothered in Vegetable Gravy
Mixed Vegetables in a Basic Ethiopian Kulet Sauce
Ethiopian-Style Hummus
Vegetarian Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Stew)

Veg Hakka Noodles Recipe

 

Hakka noodles, or Hakka mee, is a type of noodles - It is yellow in color, normally served in soup and with meat such as pork or chicken fillet, with vegetables and egg ( Source: Wiki).Usually I make Veg noodles with store bought plain noodles.For the first time, I bought Ching’s Hakka noodles and made Vegetable noodles for our breakfast combining Indian & Chinese style.I never thought its so easy and quick to make. I followed the instruction given in the pack on how to cook hakka noodles and cooked it perfectly. Noodles was firm yet soft. It came out well and tasty. Sendhil & Raksha loved it so much. Rice Vinegar & Soy sauce are the star ingredients for this recipe. But I used White vinegar and little tomato ketchup too. I am happy that I tried hakka noodles at home.For a no onion, no garlic version, just skip those ingredients from the list and follow the recipe. Soon I am planning to try Schezwan and more varieties with hakka noodles.Now lets see how to make this Kids friendly, quick and easy Veg Hakka noodles.

Veg Hakka Noodles Recipe

How to make Indo Chinese style Vegetable Hakka Noodles recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast/Dinner

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To cook noodles Hakka Noodles - 200 gm Packet ( I used Chings) Water - 10 cups Cooking oil - 1 tsp Salt - as needed To saute Cooking oil or olive oil - 2 tbsp Garlic - 5 cloves ( finely chopped) Spring onion - 2 tbsp (-do-) Big onion - 1 no ( sliced) Carrot - 1 no ( medium) Capsicum - 1/4 no Shredded cabbage - 1/4 cup Soya sauce - 1 tsp Green chilli sauce or red chilli sauce – 1-2 tsp Tomato sauce – 1.5 tsp White Vinegar – 1/2 tsp (optional) Black or white pepper powder – 1 tsp Salt - as needed Sugar - 1 tsp

METHOD

Boil 10 cups of water in a wide bowl.Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. When the water comes to roll boil, add the noodles. Break the noodles into two while adding in water. Let it cook in open bowl for 10 minutes. In the mean time, finely chop garlic & spring onions, shred cabbage, slice onions, capsicum and carrot thinly. Toss the noodles once or twice in between.Make sure the noodles is not over cooked and mushy. So toss it every once and then.Check it after 10  minutes. Take a small string. Press it. It should break and soft.Then drain the excess water using a colander and wash the cooked noodles under tap water to stop its cooking process. This step helps to keep the noodles stay firm in shape. So do not skip this step. Let the noodles become warm. Now heat oil in a kadai. Saute garlic and half of spring onions. Add sliced onion, carrot, shredded cabbage, capsicum and saute well. Sprinkle sugar and required salt. Keep tossing the vegetables in high flame till its 3/4 th cooked. Now add the tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soy sauce and vinegar.Keep the flame low and mix well. Add the cooked noodles and mix well. Add the black pepper powder and mix well.Noodles should be coated well with the sauce. Check for taste. Add more sauce if needed. Toss the noodles in high flame for few minutes. Remove and serve hot. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sauces as per your taste. You can use white pepper powder instead of black pepper powder. Noodles should be cooked properly. So stay nearby and remove it at the right time. You can add sliced mushroom, Green peas and french beans if you like.

Enjoy yummy Hakka noodles at home along with manchurian as side.Tastes great !!

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