Beetroot, Blood Orange, Walnut & Rocket Salad

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Amy Grant ~ Somewhere Down The Road
Maroon 5 ~ Tickets 
Buble ~ Wonderful Tonight
Adam Ant ~ Goody Two Shoes
Chris Cornell ~ Imagine (Live)
Natalie Imbruglia ~ Sunlight 
Jackson Browne ~ Your Bright Blue Eyes
Court Yards Hounds ~ Skyline
The Undertones ~ Teenage Kicks
The Black Keys ~ Little Black Submarines
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Look At Little Sister
Michelle Branch ~ Everywhere 
Nat King Cole ~ Just One Of Those Things 
Sarah McLachlan ~ Fallen

One of my favourite things about Winter is the arrival of Blood Oranges. They are by far my favourite citrus but the problem with where I live is that they are almost impossible to buy. One little independent grocers in the city usually has them...however this year they didn't. I was gutted but then another newly opened grocer a little further down the street had a sign saying...Navel Blood Oranges! Woo! Blood oranges...just larger! What is not to love about that? So a bagful was purchased and this happy cook was smiling for the rest of the day. lol. I know...small things etc. Hush, please?

When I have a bagful of these beautiful oranges sat waiting for my attention my mind goes into recipe overload. This time was no different and I walked into my kitchen armed with a stack of printouts and pages of scribblings of newly created recipes and ideas. I can't wait to start cutting them up and getting my hands covered in the blood red juices. 

Now blood orange juice is good for me, freshly squeezed and added to some chilled champagne or sparkling water. I also really enjoy it mixed into a salad dressing which is why I decided to try out this salad recipe. Once again it was random post on a recipe website so I don't know anything about it's origin. But it listed beetroot, rocket and blood oranges in its ingredients so for me it was a sure thing..lol. 

As always I enjoyed the process of making this and didn't end up that purple..lol. However I would say that the amount of dressing you end up with is massively too much and I only used about a fifth and then had to ditch the rest. The bitterness of the rocket leaves worked well to even out the sweetness of the beetroot and the oranges. If I'm honest I could've enjoyed this salad without the dressing but that's just me. But as a whole it was a great salad..fresh, full of texture and tasty. 

Beetroot, Blood Orange, Walnut & Rocket Salad

Beetroot, Blood Orange, Walnut & Rocket Salad     Serves 4-6

2.5lbs cooked beetroot, thinly sliced

2 bunches of rocket, rinsed and drained well

1/2 cup walnut halves

Dressing:

3 blood oranges 
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar 
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
salt to taste

Arrange the rocket leaves over the base of a servings place and set to one side. 

Grate the zest of one of the oranges in a bowl, being careful not to add white pith. Cut the orange in half and juice one half into the bowl and set the other to one side. Add the shallot to the juice and stir well. Add in the vinegar and oil and whisk until combined. Taste the dressing and if its too acidic then juice the second half of the orange and add that. Whisk again. 

Add the beetroot slices to a bowl and then spoon over a few tablespoons of the dressing and then move around to coat the slices. Set to one side. 

Top and tail the oranges and then cut away the skin ensuring there is no pith left. Then thinly slice the oranges. 

Arrange the beetroots slices over the leaves followed by the orange slices and the spoon over some more of the dressing. Serve...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Wednesday has been a great one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe therefore I take no credit for its creation. ~R~ 

Vegan Sloppy Black Eyed Peas (Slowcooker recipe)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Tina Dico ~ Room With A View 
Martina McBride ~ The Time Has Come 
Depeche Mode ~ Enjoy The Silence 
Thunder ~ Stormwater 
Rob Thomas ~ This Is How A Heart Breaks
U2 ~ Where The Streets Have No Name
Skin ~ Wings Of An Angel 
Auf Der Maur ~ Would If I Could
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band ~ Was
Sharon D Clarke ~ Back On Track 
Shania Twain ~ Up!
P!nk ~ Trouble 
Pearl Jam ~ Why Go 
Audioslave ~ Show Me How To Live

Black Eyed Peas...nope, not the group..but the humble little legume. Apparently it is believed that cooking them for a New Year brings prosperity. Well I sure need some of that so I fired up my slow cooker to make a batch of this New Orleans inspired dish. The recipe is from Kathy Hester's cookbook Vegan Slow Cooking although I found it posted on a random recipe website. It is very simple to put together and as it's such a small amount I was able to use my smallest slow cooker...it makes about 2.5 cups of sloppy joe. I have never made sloppy joes of any kind before so I was a little unsure as to how it was supposed to turn out. I had picked up a couple of sunflower rolls the day before so I saved them for this meal. 

I've had a little trouble with dried black eyed peas before so although it doesn't say to do so, I put mine into soak the night before. Aside from chopping a small amount of carrot, pepper and garlic the work is minimal. The instructions say a cooking time of 7-9 hours and I checked mine at the 7 hour mark and although it had all mulched down nicely I found the peas to be a little undercooked. I added the cabbage, puree and seasonings at this point and placed the lid back on and left it to cook for a further 2.5 hours. Now...I believe at this cooking time the peas were just cooked. But next time I would maybe add a little more water and give it 10 hours on Low. But that is just my personal preference...

The results when added to the firm Sunflower roll (which I ate as an open sandwich to avoid spillage..yes, yes I know..what a wuss! lol) was very enjoyable. Having never eaten Sloppy Joes before it was certainly an experience. I greatly enjoyed the taste and textures. And eventually I got the hang of the sandwich..lol. I don't think I'll ever be a closed Sloppy Joe kind of a gal...but whatever works is good, right? Give it a try...see which sandwich style you prefer...

Vegan Sloppy Black Eyed Peas....

Vegan Sloppy Black Eyed Peas     Yields 2.5 cups
(Recipe from Vegan Slow Cooking/Hester)

Morning ingredients: 

2 cups water 
1/3 cup dried black eyed peas
1/3 cup carrots, chopped
1/6 cup millet
2 tbsp minced bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning 
1/8-1/4 tsp liquid smoke 

Evening ingredients:

1 cup minced greens collard, kale etc
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste 

2-3 rolls/buns for serving (Obviously use GF bread if that is required)

In the morning:

Add the morning ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 7-9 hours. 

In the evening: 

About 30 minutes before you wish to serve this..you need to add the greens and tomato paste. Cover and allow to cook for the remaining 30 minutes. 

Right before serving add the salt and pepper, along with more Cajun seasoning if desired. Pile the sloppy mixture on your rolls. Serve....

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Tuesday has been very good to you....

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not my creation and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hardwork and creative talent of Kathy Hester. ~R~  

Indian Lentils with Courgettes, Orange Rice and R&R Orange Slaw

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Rizzle Kicks ~ Mama Do The Hump
Dan Balan ~ Chica Bomb
Mary.J.Blige ~ Family Affair
Sophie Ellis-Bextor ~ Bittersweet
Riva ft Danni Minogue ~ Who Do You Love Now? 
Rogue Traders ~ Voodoo Child
Ciara ~ Love, Sex, Magic 
Kylie Minogue ~ 2 Hearts 
David Guetta ~ Sexy Chick
Kelly Clarkson ~ What Doesn't Kill You
Usher ~ OMG
Eve ft Gwen ~ Let Me Blow Ya Mind
Katy B ~ Lights On 
Baha Men ~ Move It Like This

As you can see from my play list my energy levels where lacking today so the Dance Around Like A Fool play list happened. lol. It always works...before I know it I'm chopping in tune and stirring with wiggles. Although I am a dyed in the vegan wool rock chick I can appreciate the dance music genre..sometimes ;-) Today it worked and that is good enough for me. 

Over the holidays I made an old favourite cabbage dish as a filling for my breakfast omelette and it reminded me of all the great recipes I had yet to try from the cookbook I used. The book being Mridula Baljekar's The Low-Fat Indian Vegetarian Cookbook. I made a decision to try out a new recipe from her book one day a week until..well...I've run out..lol. Seriously all the recipes I've tried so far have been fantastic. 

In all honesty I chose the Lentils with Courgette recipe because I really wanted to try the Orange Rice recipe and Mridula recommends pairing the two. I also found a bag of Moong Dhal lentils in my stocks cupboard so it seemed meant to be. lol. I was really curious about them once I found them...they are tiny little yellow and oval in shape lentils. I must have bought the bag when shopping in the cities Indian and Continental Store..aka...heaven store. 

I liked this pairing because it looks like a typical curry and rice but when you take your first bite you get a zing of orange from the rice...heat from the chilli in the lentils...and holding it all together is the wholesome lentils and succulent courgettes. That all being said...I would make an effort to remove the cloves next time as they can become overwhelming which is a shame. And I really enjoyed my Orange Slaw I served on the side...it gave the meal a freshness. For days when you want some a little different...then give this meal a try...

From the left..R&R Orange Slaw..Orange Rice..Lentils with Courgettes

Lentils with Courgettes                         Serves 4
(Recipe from The Low-Fat Indian Vegetarian Cookbook)

225g/8oz/1 cup yellow split lentils/moong dahl
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 green cardamon pods
1 tsp Royal cumin
4 whole cloves
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1" cube fresh ginger, grated
1-2 fresh red chilli peppers, seeded if wished
1 tsp ground turmeric 
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste 
225g/8oz/2 cups courgettes, cut bite size pieces
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped 

Wash the lentils thoroughly and leave to drain in a colander. Heat the oil over a medium heat. Peel back each cardamon pod very slightly and add to the oil along with the Royal cumin and cloves. Let them sizzle for 15-20 seconds. 

Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers. Stir fry until the onions are caramel brown 7-8 minutes. Add the lentils, turmeric, cumin and stir fry for 2 minutes then pour in the 570ml/1 pint/2.5 cups of hot water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir once or twice. 

Add the salt, courgettes and garam masala. Stir and recover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the coriander leaves and tomatoes. Serve...

Mridula's Lentils with Courgettes

Orange Rice       Serves 4
(Recipe from The Low-Fat Vegetarian Cookbook)

275g/10oz/ 1.5 cups brown basmati rice
1 large orange 
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 2" piece of cinnamon stick, halved
4 green cardamon pods, bruised 
1 tsp salt or to taste 
450ml/16fl oz/2 cups of hot water 
1 tbsp seedless raisins (I omitted this ingredients)
25g/10z/ 1/4 cup flaked almonds

Wash the rice until the water runs clear and then soak it in water for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly. 

Grate the orange rind finely and squeeze out the juice. You will need about 60ml/2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup of juice. 

In a heavy based saucepan heat the oil gently over a low heat and add the cinnamon and cardamon. Let them sizzle until the cardamon pods have puffed up. 

Add the rice and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes then add the hot water, raisins, orange juice and zest. Bring to the boil and allow to boil steadily for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan tightly and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep the pan undisturbed for 5-6 minutes. 

Meanwhile, grill or broil or roast the almonds until browned. Fluff up the rice with a fork and transfer it to a serving dish. Gently mix in half the toasted almonds and scatter the remainder on top. Serve immediately. 

Mridula's Orange Rice

Rocket & Roses Orange Slaw
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

4 Brussels sprouts, finely sliced 
1/2 small carrot, peeled and stripped
1 small lump of red cabbage, finely stripped 
4 tbsp fresh orange juice 

Place all prepared veggies into a bowl and pour over the orange juice. Leave to sit in the juice for an hour. Then serve. 

Rocket & Roses Orange Slaw

  
Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week has started well...

~Red~ 

NB: The Lentil & Courgette and Orange Rice recipes are not mine and therefore I take no credit for them whatsoever. They are the creation and hard work of Mridula Baljekar and hers alone. 
And I thank her for a truly excellent cook book. ~R~  

 
  






 

 

Patchwork Veggie Stuffed Lasagne

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Foundations ~ Build Me Up Buttercup
Strauss Jr: Blue Danube
Tina Dico ~ The Time Of Our Lives
Pink Floyd ~ Fearless 
Dead Boots ~ On The Rocks
Bing Crosby ~ Temptation
Maroon 5 ~ Sweetest Goodbye
Beth Hart ~ For My Friends
Plant & Kraus ~ Trampled Rose
Imelda May ~ Sneaky Freak
Foo Fighters ~ Gimme Stitches 
Dave Matthews Band ~ Warehouse
Luke Morley ~ Loving You
Nickelback ~ Never Again

I have a love/hate feeling about veggie lasagne. I love a good homemade lasagne packed with fresh veggies and freshly made sauces but hate frozen processed store bought offerings. I dislike the veggies they put in them which are always the same chunks of aubergine, courgette and onion. They are also tough and chewy..and white pasta is always slimey and the sauce tasteless. I did have an awful experience in one restaurant where they served me a slice of completely frozen lasagne...well all frozen except the very edges. *shudder* 

Now serve me up a portion of a good homemade vegan lasagne with some salad and I'm one happy vegan chick. I actually enjoy the process of making lasagne...oh you know me by now lol..I put on some good music and I completely Zen out in the kitchen work. 

I have called this lasagne Patchwork because it is not all my own creation. The tomato sauce is the K.I.S.S Marinara Sauce from the Veganomicon cookbook from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero...it's an almost perfect sauce. The 'white' sauce is part of a recipe I found online by Heather at  With A Side Of Sneakers.  Her vegan lasagne looked so good and when I read the recipe I knew I had to test the sauce out. I do have GF noodles but I chose to use wholemeal this time. My vegetable layer was chosen simply by what I was feeling in the mood for...lol. And I chose a mix of dried breadcrumbs and mature cheddar style vegan cheese for the topping. 

I had help when making this lasagne as my nieces were here and they quality controlled all the sauces as they were made and all veggies as they were chopped..lol. So I have from the harshest of critics, that it's one heck of a tasty lasagne...

The creaminess of this lasagne was just what I was hoping for and the white sauce was perfect. Combined with the marinara, noodles and veggies it made for a seriously tasty dish. Complete comfort food which in my book is never a bad thing every now and then...

And I confess now that I find it almost impossible to photograph lasagne and bakes...and even more so when I am a little shaky so many apologies for the photos today...lol. 

Patchwork Veggie Stuffed Lasagne

Patchwork Veggie Stuffed Lasagne          Serves 8
(Recipe creation a joint effect as stated above)

12 wholemeal lasagne sheets or sheets of choice 

Marinara Sauce: 

2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
8 garlic cloves, minced 
4 tins of chopped tomatoes 
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
1/2 tsp dried thyme 
1 tsp sugar 
salt and black pepper to taste 

Cream Filling Sauce: 

1 tin of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp Dijon mustard 
1/4 cup veggie stock or water
1 tbsp basil 
1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1/2 tsp onion 

Vegetable Layer: 

1 yellow pepper, chopped 
1 red pepper, chopped 
2 small carrots, thinly sliced into half moons
good handful of baby spinach, chopped
1 large courgette, quartered and sliced 
10 Brussels sprouts, sliced 
1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs 
2 oz mature cheddar style vegan cheese, grated

Marinara

In a large saucepan heat the oil and then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, herbs and season and stir well, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and then blend until smooth. Set to one side. 

Cream Filling

Add all ingredients into a processor and blend until smooth. I needed to add a little water but no more than a 1/4 cups worth. Set to one side. 

Vegetable Layer

In a large skillet heat the oil and then saute the peppers, carrots, courgette and Brussels sprouts. Stir well to coat in the oil and then cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Add the chopped baby spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and set to one side. 

Assembly: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350'F/200'C/GM 6 and ready a 11" by 8" lasagne dish. 

Lay a thin base of marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish and then cover with lasagne sheets. Then add more marinara...followed by a layer of veggies...then the creamy sauce. Repeat this once more. Then one more layer of marinara and noodles. A final layer of marinara smoothed over the top of the noodles and then liberally sprinkle the top with the breadcrumb/vegan cheese mix. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Cover loosely with foil and then bake for 30 minutes covered then 15 minutes uncovered. 
Remove from the oven and serve...

Gratuitous close up of this creamy lasagne...

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Sunday has been a peaceful one...

~Red~ 

NB: The recipe for K.I.S.S Marinara Sauce is not mine and therefore I take no credit for it's creation. That is the hard work and creative talent of Isa Chandra Moslowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Also the recipe for the Creamy Filling is not mine and once again I take no credit whatsoever for its creation as that is the hard work and talent of Heather @ A Side Of Sneakers. I thank all of them for such great recipes which helped me create this lasagne. Respect...~R~ 





 

Apple, Pecan, Baby Spinach Salad with Maple & Balsamic Dressing

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

KT Tunstall ~ Another Place To Fall 
Joan Jett ~ Bad Time
Janiva Magness ~ Walkin' In The Sun
Sinatra ~ What Now My Love
Bach: Suite For Cello Soto #1 in G. Prelude
Zac Brown Band ~ Free/ Into The Mystic
Shelby Lynne ~ Go With It
Jones & Holland ~ End Of The Road
Tina Dico ~ Poetess' Play 
Bon Jovi ~ Born To Be My Baby
Sade ~ Smooth Operator
Thunder ~ You'll Still Need A Friend
The Eagles ~ I Love To Watch A Woman Dance
Foo Fighters ~ New Way Home

I've had a busy few days and finally I have sat down and the world has stopped spinning. Today I've had the pleasure of family time with my sister and her little ones. The cheeky little monkeys are growing up so fast and today little Noo looked very grown up with her sports outfit and her new hairdo...lol Fitness trainer in the making...or a ballerina...or mechanic...or warrior princess. She hasn't quite made up her mind yet. lol. She had a great time on my exercise bike today but even better time 'training' her sister, brother, Mummy and ML on it. "Just to make sure it works for you Auntie R...when you are well enough..." 

Yesterday we spoilt ourselves with an afternoon movie and went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug...and I really loved it. It kept me entertained the entire time which is new because usually I find myself drifting off during the Tolkeinfests. But it was great to escape into the dark movie theatre... Right onto the very excellent salad recipe. 

Festive foods, that turn out to be so good...you know that you'll be eating them all year round. lol. That is exactly what happened with this salad. I chose the recipe just before Christmas from a recipe site and sadly again it's the work of the busy recipe creator...Anon. Grrrr! Anyway...lol. It intrigued me as I love the fresh crunch of an apple in a salad and I am always looking for new ways to eat green leafys so the baby spinach was another selection factor. I'm not usually one for dressing my salads because I have the whole 'oil' phobia but this dressing intrigued me because of the vinegar, oil and maple ratio. 

I served this salad as my starter course on Christmas Day and it smelt so good whilst I was putting it together that, as I plated it up my stomach was rumbling. From the first mouthful I was in food heaven...the freshness of the greens and cucumber...the crunch of the apple...the soft crunch of the pecans...and pulling it all together was the beautiful dressing. There was a hint of sharpness from the vinegar, a tang from the oil but the maple blended through them both and gave a slight sweetness. This salad was so good...I loved every part of it. And although I chose it for the festive menu...I can feel the beautiful spring lunches in the crisp apples...where it will perfect to eat...the cooling summer lunches in the cucumber...the warming autumnal lunches in the maple dressing. It is most definitely an all rounder...

Apple, Pecan, Baby Spinach Salad with Maple & Balsamic Dressing

Apple, Pecan, Baby Spinach Salad with Maple & Balsamic Dressing    Serves 1

2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 small Gala apple, cored and chopped
1/3 cup diced cucumber 
1/4 cup pecans 
2 tbsp sunflowers seeds 
2-3 tbsp Maple-Balsamic Dressing 

Dressing:

3 1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp pure Maple Syrup
2 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil 

Makes 1/2 cup 

Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. Place the salad into a bowl and pour over the dressing and toss well to coat. Then arrange on a plate or eat straight from the bowl..lol. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday has been a great one...

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not my own and therefore I take no credit for its creation. But thank you to whoever did...~R~  

  

Pea and Mint Pesto

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Buckcherry ~ Nothing Left But Tears 
Beth Hart ~ Easy 
Soundgarden ~ Never The Machine Forever
Foreigner ~ That Was Yesterday
Peggy Lee ~ My Old Flame
The Zutons ~ Not A Lot To Do
The Union ~ Cut The Line
Alisha's Attic ~ The Golden Rule
Thunder ~ Can't Get By On Love
Joan Jett ~ Pretty Vacant
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Eddie Vedder ~ Guaranteed
Nicola Benedetti ~ Tzigane 
Caro Emerald ~ Absolutely Me 

Delicious...delicious...delicious! This pesto is a little bit tasty. lol. I made this with the help of my little nephew Myles and he was less than impressed. However he did enjoy stripping the mint from its stalks...oh and pulsing the processor but he wasn't so keen on the peas. 

If I'm honest I wasn't too sure about this pesto myself but was very brave...come dinner time I cooked off some spaghetti and peas and stirred in some of the pale green sauce. Leaving it a few minutes to heat through...I took my first mouthful...and was completely taken with it. I know..the spaghetti helped obviously, it being my ultimate comfort food but this pesto wasn't at all like I expected..it wasn't overly fresh or raw and using garlic infused oil made it a very mellow pesto sauce. The mint is a gentle hit despite how potent it smelt going into the processor. And I have leftovers! I'm looking forward to using it up...as the littlest niece would say...Ooooh Yummy Yummy. lol.

Since making this batch of pesto I have enjoyed it as part of a sandwich and also cold in a simple pasta salad as in the picture below..using a 'new to me' pasta shape Trofie. It's a great little pasta that holds sauces really well as well as it's shape. 

Pea and Mint Pesto Salad

Pea & Mint Pesto   Makes 1 heaped cup

2 cups defrosted garden peas
1/3 cup raw cashews
juice of one smallish lemon
1/4 cup loosely packed, fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp garlic infused oil

Place the first four ingredients into a blender or processor and blitz down. Then with the blade running drizzle the oil into the feeder and then blend until its a smooth paste.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a great day...

~Red~

Dreena's Holiday Tart

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Eagles ~ Saturday Night
Bobby McFerrin ~ Circlesong 7
Airbourne ~ Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women
Blur ~ Song 2
Amy Grant ~ Every Road
Sting ~ Mad About You
Chopin: Nocturne #1 in B Blat Minor
Slash ft Rocco ~ Saint Is A Sinner Too
Jim Reeves ~ Distant Drums
Sarah McLachlan ~ Dirty Little Secret (Live)
Ocean Colour Scene ~ The Circle 
Maroon 5 ~ Fortune Teller
Train ~ 50 Ways To Say Goodbye
Melissa Etheridge ~ Yes I Am 

Welcome and Happy New Year folks...I hope your celebrations were lacking in drama but abundant with fun and laughter...mine was..despite a nasty fall. Cheeky!..it was before alcohol was had...but that did help with the pain later..lol. 

So...if you celebrated the recent holidays...what did you make for your main course? Nut roast? En Croute? Tofurky? lol. Well this year I wanted something a little different from the first two...and I never eat the latter. And I found a great recipe online...it was a tart and the filling was relatively simple to make and packed full of good ingredients. It was also a little old school...like a homage to the old days. I was a little exasperated to find that the recipe was by Anon..again. But after some searching I found it was originally the recipe of Dreena Burton...so thank you Dreena. Phew...I always prefer to give the credit where it's due. 

The pastry recipe I used was the old faithful...4oz wholemeal flour and 2oz vegan butter and a little cold water. This made the perfect amount for the tart base. Blind baked in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350'F/180'C/GM 4. And as I rarely eat pastry these days I thought it was the time for a treat...so I made it with no guilt. lol 

It's true that the filling does take a little work but it's enjoyable work. On a personal level I would use chopped frozen spinach next time as I found, even though I had chopped it myself, the frozen leaves a little stringy which was a shame. And as you coat the top of the tart and the pastry shell with a tamari/oil mix the pastry goes very brown, very quickly...and I admit I freaked out a little as I thought it had burnt. But that being said I would I cover the tart with tin foil for the first 20 minutes of baking and then uncover for the final 20 minutes. 

I've enjoyed this Tart hot and cold...with roasties and with simple steamed veggies on the side. Both have been enjoyable and a slice with a great salad would be perfect too. For me this tart really worked and provided everything I was hoping for in my main course. Intensely savoury..filled with fresh herbs, chickpeas and walnuts...what is there not to love? lol. 

Holiday Tart with festive stars...

Dreena's Holiday Tart     Serves 8
(Recipe from Dreena Burton)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced 
3/4 cup celery, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 14oz can chickpeas, rinsed and 1/4 cup reserved 
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp tamari 
1 1/4 cups of frozen spinach
3 1/2 tbsp dried cranberries 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 9" prepared wholewheat pie shell
1/2 tbsp olive oil for brushing 
1 tsp tamari for brushing 
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped for garnish 
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400'F/200'C/GM 6. 

In a skillet over a medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for 1o minutes until onions soften and begin to caramelise. Set aside. 

In a food processor, add chickpeas (except 1/4 reserved cup), walnuts, lemon juice and tamari, and pulse to lightly chop (do NOT puree). Remove half of the chopped mixture from processor and transfer to a large bowl. 

Transfer sauteed onions to remaining mixture in the processor. Puree until smooth, scrapping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer puree to bowl with lightly chopped chickpea and walnut mixture. Add spinach, cranberries, parsley, thyme and reserved chickpeas. Stir to combine and transfer to prepared pie shell, spreading evenly. 

Combine oil and tamari and brush on top of pie and crust. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 33 - 38 minutes until lightly browned (HA!). Garnish with parsley and serve.  

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that your Thursday has been incredible...

~Red~

NB: This recipe is not my creation and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creative talent of Dreena Burton and I thank her for it. ~R~