Roasted vegetables and oat pancakes
Hello everyone:)My name is Christina and I'm new to the vegan cook-a-long though I'm "only" vegetarian but frequently cook vegan meals so I thought I would fit right in here;) I currently live in Scotland but will be moving to Norway in about a month's time.
First off; my own recipe for roasted vegetables. I had to use up some of the produce we get in our weekly organic fruit and veggie box; apparently, I don't think we eat much potatoes or carrots because we always end up with lots of them left by the time we get the new box.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (I think it's about 390 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 10 small carrots
- 12 chestnut mushrooms
- 6 medium potatoes
- 1 apple, cored
- 6 shallots (or very small onions), peeled
- 1/2 head of garlic, divided into single cloves but not peeled
- 1 small zucchini
- 5 cm (about 2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 tablespoons vegan ghee or olive oil
- seasoning: salt + pepper and herbs/spices to taste
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Wash and/or peel your produce. I had to peel my carrots as I swear they had half a tonne of dirt on them that didn't come off after vigorous scrubbing. Otherwise I prefer my veggies "au natural" ;) This is what you should have:
- picture:
- Cut all vegetables into similarly sized chunks (about 1 inch cubes) EXCEPT the potatoes which should be sliced fairly thinly. I didn't bother chopping the mushrooms as they are best left whole (also prevents them burning/cooking faster than the other ingredients). Sprinkle your seasoning/herbs/spices and 3 tablespoons of vegan ghee (it's the only "fat" I have at home as I'm trying to empty our cupboards before we move) on the veggies. Using your (clean) hands, distribute the oil and seasoning evenly between the ingredients. I try to "hide" the ingredients that may cook faster (like garlic cloves, mushroom and shallots) under the ones that take longer (i.e. potatoes, carrots). Here's what it looks like before it goes in the oven:
- pictures
- Now bake in the oven for between one, and one and a half hour. Check your veggies every so often (every 30 minutes?) and have a stir around with a spatula. You know they are done when the potatoes taste cooked. Here's what it should look like by the end:
- picture
- Now enjoy! We had about half this baking tray for dinner with bread and hummus, nam! (And froze the rest for a lazy rainy day;) Depending on the seasoning; this can be a very versatile dish. Here are some suggestions:
- Asian: replace salt with soy sauce and add some pickled ginger after the veggies are cooked and maybe some sweet chilli sauce?
- Indian: sprinkle curry powder and some seasoning such as garam masala before you roast the veggies.
- Italian: mix dried herbs such as basil/sage/oregano with the oil before roasting (nb: dried herbs may "burn" in the oven if not properly mixed with oil)
- Mexican: sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and coriander spices before roasting.
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Thought I should also include a sweet recipe and one that is not my own so I thought of an oatmeal banana pancake recipe. Here's the link: http://www.ivu.org/recipes/northam/oatmeal.html
I didn't do any alterations to the recipe. I thought I could at the very least include pictures of the steps and my "recommendations" ;)
Easy, peasy: just blended the ingredients. I was surprised there was no baking powder involved....
Cooked my pancakes in a pan oiled with sunflower oil, waited until the first side showed signs of bubbles on the surface then turned them over. I tried to handle them as little as possible as I know this easily could make them "heavy" and since there was no baking powder in the recipe that worried me a bit.
Served them with vegetable spread, maple syrup and pecan nuts......heaven!Ok, here are my thoughts: the pancakes are not very "fluffy" but still tasted nice. I think you could vary the taste by using a more or less mature banana. I was surprised I had to cook them on higher heat then what I'm used to (heat 5 on my hob, 6 is the highest) otherwise they seemed like they would be a bit "raw". Actually, because of the banana, I guess, they do taste a bit "undercooked" but maybe that's just me... The recipe yielded 10 medium pancakes. I had 4 for lunch that day and toasted 4 the morning after (fitted well in my toaster and didn't disintegrate). I think they are easily adaptable as you could put a pinch cinnamon in them or maybe a pinch of cardamom? This is a keeper in my books as they feel quite virtuous and I guess if they're served with fresh fruit they would be quite healthy....definitely beats porridge in terms of "wickedness" but ingredient-wise they're not that different.
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Ok, hope someone tries one of the recipes and sorry for the long rambling post (apologies for any grammatical/orthographic errors; English is not my first language). If anyone has suggestions for how to use up chickpea (gram) flour, buckwheat flour, oats, soy flour and cornmeal flour; PLEASE share! We're moving in a month's time and I would hate to have to throw away any food. Cheers:)
All the best,
Christina
posted by chrichri @ 7:34 AM
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