Recipe - Smokey Aubergine Dip with Golden Garlic and Parsley Flatbreads

[Wo]Man cannot live by hummus alone....

Hence the need to share this wonderfully refreshing, tasty snack with you - perfect either for lunch, supper or as a starter for a dinner party. Let modern-day kitchen equipment do the hard work for you and it becomes super easy to make!

Be gone with you hummus I say.... (well until next week anyway...)

Chantal xx

smokey aubergine dip with golden garlic parlsey flatbreads

[serves 2-4 as a snack or light lunch, 8 as a starter to a meal, + extra dough for 4-8 more flatbreads or 2-4 small bread rolls]

Kitchen stuff you'll need: oven proof dish, 2 oven trays, food blender, food mixer with dough hook attached, lemon juicer + strainer for pips, small jug, pastry brush, dessert spoon, measuring spoons, large bowl, sharp knives, chopping board, rolling pin.

Gather

Dip

2 aubergines

100ml plain soya yoghurt

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp ground cumin (OR harissa paste OR smoked paprika)

1 clove of garlic - crushed (or 1 tsp garlic puree)

1 green chilli chopped (I used half a very large jalapeno - seeds in)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

finely chopped parsley, fruity extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate seeds to serve 

Flatbreads

500g strong white flour

7g sachet dry fast action yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

300ml warm water

extra flour for dusting your work surface

3 tbsp vegan sunflower margarine

1 tsp garlic puree (or 1 clove of garlic grated through a microplane grater)

1/2 large bunch of flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

Create

The order of this method is the one that I use to ensure I can serve the dip and flatbreads warm from being freshly cooked at the same time.

1.  Place the flour into your mixer bowl, salt one side, yeast the other, oil in the middle and pour over the warm water. Mix on a low speed with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.

2.  The dough should be smooth and elastic and spring back when you press a finger into it. Lightly cover it in the bowl with oiled cling film, set your oven to 200C / 180C fan and leave the dough nearby where it's warm.

3.  Prick the skins of the aubergines with the tip of a sharp knife and place them in a baking tray and into the top of the oven for 30 minutes, or until soft and wrinkly.

4.  While your dough is proving and your aubergines are baking, prepare all of your other ingredients - add all of the other dip ingredients to your blender and melt your margarine & mix with the garlic and herbs.

5.  If you've bought a whole pomegranate rather than a pack of ready picked seeds, then now's the time to try that cute little trick of cutting it in half and holding the cut half in the palm of your hand and tapping the back of the skin, hard, with a spoon. The seeds should fall out into your hand (ideally oyu need a very ripe fruit). But do this over a large bowl, as the seeds and juice can can go everywhere!

6.  Once your aubergines are out and cooling, place two baking trays in the oven and crank up the heat to 220C / 200C fan.

7.  Take your dough out of the bowl and for flatbreads cut into 12 pieces (best done half, half again then each piece into 3).

8.  Roll out each piece to about 2-4ml thickness (*cheat alert - I use an adjustable Joseph Joseph rolling pin - but don't have the 4ml disc - which would be good). I make these quite thin as I like them a little crispy - thicker will make a doughier flatbread and you'll need to bake them for longer.

9.  Place 2 or 3 breads on each baking tray and brush liberally with the melted garlic/parsley margarine.

10.  Bake the flatbreads for about 8-10 minutes or until pale golden and 'bubbling'.

golden garlic parsley flatbreads delicious straight out of the oven!

11. Meanwhile hold each aubergine by the stalk, cut in half lengthways and scrape out the flesh with a dessert spoon. Add this to the yoghurt and seasonings and blitz until the dip is fairly smooth (I think a bit of texture is good). Taste, season and reblitz quickly until you're happy with the flavour.

scrape out the baked aubergine flesh with a dessert spoon

12.  If you need more flatbreads to serve, make a second batch!

you can freeze the remaining dough to make bread rolls or more flatbreads later

Enjoy!

You can either chill this dip or eat it warm, as I prefer to do. Divide it into the bowls you're using and drizzle over some of the extra virgin olive oil - a nice fruity flavoured one is lovely. Then add a spoonful of pomegranate seeds on top and a pinch or two of parsley. A rose (yes, rose) wine is lovely.
This simple dish soon removes the compulsive, obsessive relationship you used to have with something called hummus, to the dim and distant past.... 



 

Bonus info:

Aubergines are a powerhouse of nutrients and antioxidants that have a whole range of positive effects on your health and well-being. Ladies - they are good for PMT/S too - hurrah! And out of interest I have been eating them quite often at the moment and my PMT was miles better this month (no people got harmed anyway, which was a breakthrough) so perhaps something to try if you suffer, as I do, with severe symptoms. You can read some more info here.

Paws for thought... Should your companion animals be Vegan too?

I frequently read online that people who are vegan have successfully transitioned their companion animals (aka 'pets') primarily cats and dogs, to a vegan diet.

When David and I rescued our two lovely chihuahuas we were vegetarian at the time and didn't even consider the prospect of attempting to feed them either a vegetarian or a vegan diet. We did however initially feed them what they had been used to [Royal Canin small dog kibble and occasionally Pedigree Chum wet food) whilst looking into the content of dog foods (a real mine field if you ever do it - and a real eye opener!). We wanted to find the best, most nutritious content (i.e. not full of 'fillers' and mechanically recovered hoof) with the most ethical aspect of meat sourcing we could find.

What we came up with was Lily's Kitchen foods - which contain organic meats, no fillers and a range of more holistic-type ingredients for animals' health and wellbeing. The foods were an instant hit with our girls! 

Please can we go home and have dinner now mum??!!

They gained weight (they were underweight when we got them), grew glossier coats and were the proverbial 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' dogs they were meant to be. It was, and is, a joy feeding them.

However, when we moved on from being vegetarian and became vegan, it was surprising how one of the first questions many people asked us was whether the dogs were going to be vegan as well? We always replied no, because it was my instinct that dogs are meant to eat meat. Although I did not, and do not, want to support the meat industry in any way - where the dogs were concerned it was my one concession to using other animal products.

BUT the questions did get me to thinking about it and to doing the inevitable research to find out more.

I came across articles like this one which told of one of the world's oldest dogs having been vegan - whilst also stating that dogs are omnivores, much like humans, and can therefore cope with either diet. And I took advice on the matter from some of the larger organisations such as Peta who advocate the change, with a caveat to revert to meat if your dog doesn't get on with it! and from the Vegan Society who simply say: "Dogs can be fully nourished by a well-balanced vegan diet. There are several complete vegan dog foods on the market, but watch out for animal-derived Vitamin D3." As for my vets? Well it would come as no surprise to hear that they don't agree with dogs being fed a vegan diet - but then they don't tend to agree with feeding anything other than the foods which pack out their waiting rooms...

[I really do wonder at the fact that more vets aren't vegan - it's very curious to me... but I digress...]

The advice for feeding cats however, is slightly different. Most experts seem to agree that they are most definitely carnivores, designed to eat meat and although it is possible to feed them a vegan diet, it needs to be carefully created and some supplements will be vital.

Of course the issue does attract the odd newspaper headline now and then - such as this sensationalist one in the Aussie Herald Sun about a kitten who nearly dies from being fed a vegan diet - but when you read the article and see she was simply being fed potatoes, rice milk and pasta - it's hardly surprising the kitty was poorly! This would nearly kill most humans too. Sadly this type of negative coverage does little to dispel the perception that we vegans are all fanatically deranged hippy lunatics. Great.

Still wanting to know more before changing my dog's food I next looked for information on the physiology of dogs - as one of the arguments that vegans often quote re the human need NOT to eat meat, is that our bodies simply aren't designed for it. Our entire digestive system and gut flora is far more suited to a plant-based diet. The information I came across seemed to suggest that Dogs, even though omnivores, are much more suited / evolved to eat and digest meat.

It's with this in mind and seeing that my dogs are thriving on their meat-based diet, that I have, for now, decided to stick with feeding them meat-based foods. Their food is supplemented with some fresh vegetables from our own meals.

Wild Campfire Stew - one of the girls favourite!

But despite using a brand of dog food that I believe is one of the best and most ethically-sourced we can get (they are fabulous people too when you talk to them on the phone) I do feel a pang of conscience every time I open a tin. I do feel a slight wave of nausea every time I smell the contents.

So, I'm not going to end my research there.

The next step for me will be to look into any RCT (randomised controlled trials) / scientific studies to see if there is any hard evidence either for or against, which will help me to make an even more informed decision. 

I'll keep you posted...

The rest will then be down to the palate and the well-being of my dogs. What suits them best is what I shall feed them, because, after all - they're animals too and part of the very reason I became vegan in the first place.

Chantal xx

Are you vegan? Are your companion animals vegan? I'd love to hear from you and about your experiences with this issue. Please contact me using the form on the RHS of the page, or tweet to me @vegsoup4thesoul

Further info:

You can read more from advocates of vegan dogs (and authors on the subject) here and here. Oneof the most popular foods used in the UK seems to be Veggiepet - which you can find out more about here.

Recipe: Tabouleh-style Salad with Hot Griddled Basil-Infused Tofu.

Looks like the heatwave can't make up its mind? 

And this means that one day I feel like a hearty veg casserole and the next I could happily survive on a lettuce leaf (which doubles as a fan before I eat it)...

This little dish that I created, and wanted to post for the weekend, is perfect for our changeable weather! It's hearty, yet light at the same time - culinary alchemy wonderment.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy! Factor 50 & wellies at the ready...

Chantal xx

Tabouleh-style Salad with Hot Griddled Basil-Infused Tofu.

[serves 2 generously - easily multiplied out for more]

this warm 'salad' is tasty & filling

Equipment: Griddle pan, spatula, tongs, bowl, chopping board, sharp knives, peeler, jam jar, serving spoon.

Gather

salad

1 pack ready-cooked grains [I went posh & used Merchant Gourmet mixed grains]

10 thick slices cucumber - quartered [I peel the thick-skinned organic ridge cucumbers]

8 cherry tomatoes - halved or quartered if large

6 radishes - thinly sliced

2 spring onions - whites finely sliced

Large bunch of flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

1 pack basil-marinated tofu [I used Taifun bought in Waitrose] sliced into 8 strips

1 tbsp olive oil

dressing

juice of half a lemon [see cooks tip]

extra virgin olive oil 3x quantity of lemon juice [or your favourite omega 3,6,9 oil if you prefer]

1/2 - 1 red chilli - seeds removed & very finely chopped

1 clove of garlic - crushed [or grated with a microplane grater]

salt to taste [I use Himilayan Pink Rock Salt - expensive but you need very little]

Freshly ground black pepper [I'm addicted to this and did 20 mill twists]

Create

1.  Put the griddle on to heat up slowly and brush the tofu strips with the olive oil.

2.  Start preparing the salad and throw it all into a bowl and mix well.

3.  Just before the griddle meets the smoking stage add the tofu strips and grill until golden, then turn the strips over and repeat (about 3 minutes each side?)

4.  Add all of the dressing ingredients to the jam jar (any lidded container will do) and give it a good shake!

5.  Pour the dressing over the salad (you may have some excess if your lemon was really juicy, but you can save this for another day) and mix well to combine.

6.  Pile the salad onto your plate or bowl and top with the hot basil tofu strips.

7.  If, like me, you are ravenous, you can serve with some bread on the side as well!

Enjoy!

Hot weather: Eat alfresco with some vegan mayo on the side and a cold beer...

Cold weather: Warm the grains first and eat snuggled on sofa with extra chilli sauce and a bottle of red wine...

Cooks tip: Mary Berry's way of getting more juice out of a lemon is fab - heat it in the microwave on full power for 15 seconds, then roll gently on your work surface and leave for 5 minutes before juicing. 

I use the other half of the lemon to make a quick lemonade by squeezing it into some sparkling water with a squirt of agave syrup!

Recipe - Beetroot & Chilli Burger (aka 'red white & blue burger')...

Just as I had started making these - boing! I realised it was Tuesday night, 7pm and #veganhour on Twitter - and not wanting to miss it, yet again, I downed beets and rushed to my laptop...

The recipe is courtesy of The Vegetarian Society who tweeted it as being ideal for a summer BBQ. I have had to adapt it a little and so have copied their original and annotated with my comments.

 

Preparation notes

Makes 6 large burgers
Preparation time 10 minutes [um - took me quite a bit longer - see notes below]
Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 beetroot, grated [I grated it finely]
1/2 courgette, grated [ditto to above]
100g vegan mince (if frozen, thaw first) [realised I hadn't taken any out of the freezer, thought I would defrost - but found I didn't actually have any! Ended up making up some dried soya mince with boiling water.]
1/2 pepper, finely sliced [I cut it into minute cubes as I don't like large pieces]
1 tsp mixed herbs [would normally use fresh but I wanted to use up some dried]
2 cloves garlic, crushed
30g sunflower seeds
150g kidney beans, lightly mashed [doing really well as I didn't have these either - used butter beans instead - worked out ok]
30g bread crumbs [didn't have any bread in but managed to find an old bag of crumbs at the very bottom of the freezer - ended up needing about twice this amount]
1/2 tsp paprika [misread and added 2 tsp - but it made it very tasty]
1 tsp hot chilli sauce [used 'bristol badass chilli sauce' (v hot) which poured out in about 3 tbsp!]
A splash of tabasco sauce [I still added this and worry about my masochistic tendencies]
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp plain flour [ended up needing about 60g]
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

 

1. Fry the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. [ok]

 

2. Place the grated beetroot and courgette onto paper towels and press out as much liquid as you can (this will prevent a soggy burger). [went all fancy and squeezed it in muslin - the 'wilting' Dave drank the resulting courgette and beet juice and said it was delicious!]

 

3. In a large bowl add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, and season well. The mixture should be fairly dry and easy to press together into burger shapes. If it’s still a little wet add more flour. [I added the oil - ooops, yes did have to add more crumbs and more flour, I used wholemeal flour]

added more breadcrumbs & flour too

 

4. Place the burgers onto a tray lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for one hour. [forgot chilling time was required! but gave them a quick 5 minutes!]

looking disturbingly like raw mince!

 

5. Carefully place the burgers onto the barbecue grill and allow them to cook slowly on a gentle heat. Brush them with a little oil from time to time. [cooked in a frying pan - I think you would need to be very gentle with them on a grill]

 

6. Turn after 10 minutes and cook on the other side. [cooking these slowly is a good idea and it gave me time to contemplate the kitchen carnage that looked like I had been working with bloody meat!]

 

 

And here is my finished burger - ta-dah!

 

I served it with lashings of vegan garlic mayo

 

Judged against their photo??? What do you think??

 

 

Ah but why aka 'red white and blue', you may ask?

Well I have to admit that this burger is delicious (although you may want to add less chilli than I did...) BUT it took me considerably longer to make than the optimistically quoted 10 minutes prep time. We ate gone 9.30pm.

 

Red was the colour everywhere you turned in the kitchen, white were the onions, the buns and Dave's face as he nearly passed out from hunger... and my language throughout was blue.

It was a bugg*r of a burger alright.

So if you have a spare 2 hours and can be more organised and less distracted than me, make them!!

Enjoy :)

Chantal xx

Conversations with a Vegan...

I'm writing up real life 'Conversations with a Vegan'  to open up discussion on how best to talk about what it means to be vegan.

To those who have gone through all of this before me I welcome your advice and input on how I might improve what I say.

To those, who like me, are just starting out on this wonderful new life, then perhaps we can learn together?

And if you're one of the people who I might end up having a conversation with, then I hope these posts help to give you some interesting insight, and of course, as ever, please don't hesitate to contact me with any thoughts or questions.

Ch xx

 
Place - checkout of Tesco's Cullompton, Devon

Time: approx midday

Person: Female checkout assistant

Situation: commenting on my bottle of Agave syrup as she scanned it

Chantal

Dave

Assistant

Ooh that looks new - what is it? Is it like honey?

Yes it is like honey - it's a great substitute for it, but it's plant based.

Oh its lovely and light as well - we have it on everything, cereal, in drinks etc

It's also low GI so it doesn't raise your blood sugar too quickly... 

Oh are you into the low GI thing then?

Well yes partly, but we use it mainly because we're Vegan so we don't eat or use any animal products at all - including honey.

Oh right, do you feel better for being vegan? Healthier?

[sensing real interest at this point]

Yes massively! It's made a huge difference to us, I mean Dave has diabetes and it has practically cured him! You do feel really good eating like this. I don't miss animal products at all.

Isn't it hard though - I mean what is there to eat?

Here's the thing though - when you cook meat, you tend to cook the same things all the time and I know just how automatic it was easy for me to just cook some meat and two veg - classic. 

Mmm yes I think you're right...

But if you take meat and dairy away it forces you to rethink your food and start getting creative and now we eat far more variety than we ever did before! It's taken me a little while to get used to, but it is sooo much more interesting and tasty.

I can vouch for that!

Wow that's really interesting...

[then she reached for a pack of chicken to scan and I got a quizzical look...!]

Ah yes - this is for our dogs - they are a bit off colour and off their food so we've bought them some plain chicken - but at £8.00 for two chicken breasts - even if they are free range - I'm hoping they will be OK soon!

Wow god that is expensive isn't it?!
Will you be OK with cooking this then?

Well it's not ideal but I've eaten and cooked meat for years so I will be OK with it as it's for them - but I'd rather not be doing it - no.

Oh right - yeah of course.

[as the bill rings through at £75]

That's the other thing too - it works out a lot cheaper to be vegan - I mean the cost of food is so high now that taking meat and dairy off the menu does save some money - especially once you get your larder stocked up in a different way.

Yeah it is expensive. Mmm that's interesting.

[Payment, pleasantries and goodbyes...]

So from one small comment about a product someone hadn't seen before, came a gentle, informative conversation where this lady was genuinely interested in veganism and asked some pertinent questions. I would guess judging by the fact that she asked how it made us feel that she has maybe heard/read that it makes you either feel unwell or feel great. I'm glad we were able to share our experiences with her.

With hindsight, I should have spoken about being Vegan right from the start rather than GI - but I was lucky that she pursued our chat further...

Chantal xx

p.s. feeding our dogs chicken (on vets advice) is a topic for future discussion on another post I'm writing about companion animals, such as dogs, being vegan too...