Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (25 page)

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Authors: Carla Kelly

BOOK: Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking

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R
OASTED VEGGIES AND
lentils cooked until thick and delicious. Mmmm. With rice, with naan, or by itself, this is the perfect foil to winter weather. The vegetables get double exposure to the spices, so they act as bursts of flavor in the dal. You can double the amount of cauliflower, carrots, oil, and spice mix for the roasting portion and roast a day in advance, use half the vegetables as a side dish, and reserve the rest for this recipe the next day. If you prefer, make the remaining cauliflower into soup such as the Lentil, Cauliflower, and Potato Soup (
page 79
).

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 45 minutes, including roasting the vegetables

½ head cauliflower, cut into large florets

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

1 head garlic, outer skin peeled and top trimmed just to expose cloves

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon Tandoori Spice Mix (
page 53
), or other mild or medium curry powder

½ cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

1 small onion or large shallot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1½ teaspoons Tandoori Spice Mix (
page 53
), or other mild or medium curry powder

1 cup red lentils

2½ cups vegetable stock

Additional stock

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a rimmed baking pan, toss the cauliflower, carrots, and garlic in the oil and 1 tablespoon spice mix. Roast uncovered for 35 minutes, or until tender.

2.
Remove the vegetables, squeeze out the garlic, discard the garlic skins, and deglaze the pan with the ½ cup of stock. Transfer the stock and vegetables to the slow cooker.

3.
Add the onion through the stock; stir to combine.

4.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the lentils are very tender and falling apart. The dal will be quite thick. Adjust the thickness with additional stock as desired.

5.
Season to taste with the salt and pepper just prior to serving.

VARIATION:

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, CARROT, AND PEA DAL

Add ½ cup frozen peas ½ hour prior to the end of cooking.

Tandoori Spiced Potatoes with Spinach

N
OT QUITE A
traditional Saag Aloo, although that name does translate to potatoes and spinach. This creamy, warmly spiced dish is good served as a quick and hearty dinner with a crusty bread roll (or even better, naan or roti) or as part of an Indian-themed dinner. It also goes well with Coconut Rice (
page 216
). To bulk it into more of a main-course curry, add 1½ cups (one 15-ounce can) cooked chickpeas with the spinach.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon Tandoori Spice Mix (
page 53
), or other mild or medium curry powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 medium firm yellow-fleshed potatoes like Yukon gold, peeling optional, cut into ¼-inch pieces

¾ cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

½ cup coconut cream or full-fat canned coconut milk

4 cups fresh spinach, packed, roughly chopped

Salt, black pepper, and chile flakes

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the onions through the coconut cream in the slow cooker. Stir well; don’t worry if the vegetables are not completely covered.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender.

3.
Add the spinach 1 cup at a time, stirring to wilt after each addition. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 15 minutes.

4.
Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and chile flakes as required.

Spiced Sweet Potato Satay

T
HIS RECIPE CAPTURES
both the spiciness and the peanut-enhanced taste of satay, although this isn’t a traditional satay serving style. The end result is hearty and autumnal fare for any peanut butter lover. Make sure you don’t chop the sweet potato too small; small pieces will disappear into the dish as it cooks, and you want the finished product to have visible chunks. This is more spiced than spicy; if you are a heat lover, at the end of cooking feel free to add more cayenne or hot sauce. If at the end of cooking your satay is already very thick and creamy, don’t add the tapioca—the peanut butter will provide enough extra thickening.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 sweet potato, chopped into 1-inch cubes, peeling optional

1 cup red lentils

½ cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

1½ teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon fenugreek

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon allspice

¹/
₈teaspoon nutmeg

¹/
₈teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1½ cups canned coconut milk

2½ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, preferably smooth

1 tablespoon tapioca flour, or cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Salt and black pepper

Roasted peanuts, optional

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Place the garlic through the stock in the slow cooker. Stir well.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 10 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.

3.
In a small measuring cup or bowl, combine the peanut butter through the water to make a smooth paste. Scoop out about ¼ cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and add to the bowl. Combine well so the paste stays smooth. Add the paste to the slow cooker and stir well to thicken.

4.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

5.
Let stand covered for 10 minutes prior to serving, then sprinkle with the roasted peanuts, if using.

Black Bean Beans

I
HAVE A CONTAINER
of black bean sauce, a pungent paste made from fermented black soybeans, in my fridge that I often use for sautéing tofu or green beans—I love the combination of flavors. I’ve taken that theme further with this slow cooker variation, discarding the tofu in favor of a favorite Asian bean, the adzuki, and infusing it with all the savory deliciousness of the black bean sauce. Wonderful served over rice, or as part of an Asian meal.