Red Lentil Pancakes

Oops, scoffed most of them before I remembered to take a sexy food photo...

Yesterday, I made red lentil pancakes for the first time.  I adore red lentils and these were the easiest pancakes to make ever...if you don't count the time needed to soak the lentils (overnight) and then carefully blend them in the world's tiniest food processor.  I was worried they wouldn't set and fall apart, I was worried they would burn - these are the things that usually happen when I make pancakes.  But no - they were perfect.

I liberally adapted this recipe and made my batter with chopped onion, garlic, tomato puree and paprika instead of the suggested ingredients and I used good ol' sunflower oil instead of coconut oil.  They were delicious.  The possibilities are endless.  Today I chopped up sundried tomatoes and ham and added them to the batter.  Yum yum.  The only thing I'd do differently next time is use less salt.  They are wonderful served with ketchup, or mango chutney, but I really wished I had some sour cream.

Enjoy!

31.8.10 ~ 225 word recipe (Rustic bean & quinoa soup, aka hearty slapdash meal)

Chop up the half onion languishing in your fridge.

Drop into a large saucepan with some olive oil and cook for a few minutes.

Sprinkle in some garlic granules. 

Add what’s left of the carton of sieved tomatoes from the fridge along with a few shakes of whatever dry herbs you fancy. Let it all simmer on a lowish heat, stirring occasionally.

Rummage through your kitchen cupboards for the macaroni and find an open packet of white quinoa you didn’t know you had. Change your mind in the middle of cooking and ditch the macaroni.

Thoroughly rinse a handful of quinoa, pondering once again whether they are grains or seeds*, and simmer in a separate pan for 15 – 20 minutes.

Put the kettle on.
Once boiled, make 500ml of stock in a measuring jug and add to the simmering tomatoes. 

Then add the drained & cooked quinoa along with a tin each of drained borlotti and butter beans (or any beans or pulses you fancy).

Taste.  Add more stock powder.**
Let simmer for another 10 minutes while you wash up or read your book.

Taste.  Sprinkle with yeast flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with the last of Paul’s homemade bread.^^

The verdict?

“You can cook, you can” says Paul.

And because it’s all so dang healthy, follow with handfuls of Kettle Crisps.


(*They’re grain-like seeds)

**I used Marigold's vegan buillon. 
~ Makes approximately 4 large servings
~ This soup is naturally vegan.  That is, even if I weren't making it for a vegan, it would still be vegan.

Addendum:
^^For Helen :-)
Here's the recipe Paul used to make his bread:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2060/easy-white-bread

Vegan Blueberry Marble Cake Recipe

Recipe adapted from BBC Food

Ingredients

170g self-raising flour

170g caster sugar (I used golden caster sugar)

2 TBSP cocoa powder

5 TBSP sunflower oil

230ml soya milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

pinch of salt

approx 125g fresh blueberries

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. 

Add the oil, milk and vanilla essence and mix well with a whisk.

Pour half of this mixture into a separate bowl. 

Add cocoa powder to one of the bowls and mix in well.

Add the blueberries to the other bowl.

Alternately spoon or pour in each of the mixtures into a greased cake tin. 

Swirl it round with a skewer to create the marbled effect.

Tap the sides of the tin so that the air bubbles in the mixture pop. 

Wait a few minutes for as many of the air bubbles to pop as possible before putting in oven.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 25 minutes.

Leave to cool in tin for a short while, then turn out on a cooling rack.

We have discovered that pouring dark chocolate soya dessert over the cake tastes very yummy!!

(If you are going to put any sort of topping on it, wait till the cake cools down to do so.)

Enjoy!