Posts tagged monica
Wegan Wednesdays
It's OK to be vegan just one day a week.
Rasa is a Stoke Newington institution that does wonderful (and wonderfully cheap) vegetarian food from Kerala. This is a sample of what I had last night - lemon rice, chapatti, yellow lentil and spinach dahl (cheera parippu curry), aubergines in a tomato and onion sauce (rasa vangi), and okra curry (vendakka masala).
Every time I go, I wonder why I’m not coming for dinner every night.
Last supper with Monica last night, she has left this morning for Dehli! We shared a plate of lentils, avocado salad and hummus. Simple, delicious, and a bit sad…
Monica’s contribution!
Supper last night was lovingly made by Monica and was more of a feast than a dinner. Couscous, pumpkin falafel, hummus, sliced crudités, a salad of beetroot, parsley and almonds, and finally a little sun-dried tomatoes decoction. Delicious.
Dinner at home last night. Monica, freshly back from Mexico, made tlacoyos (corn galettes baked with refried beans and topped up with fresh vegetables) with seriously spicy salsa and a tangy radish salad. My only contribution was a rhubarb compote.
Last night’s awesome (and plentiful) vegan supper, co-created by Mo and myself. Roasted carrots, peppers and fennel, a tomato and avocado salad with parsley pesto, fresh baguette (from Planet Organic) and Puy lentils with sundried tomatoes. The last one wasn’t home-made but from Merchant Gourmet, who certify most of their products vegan-friendly.
I had Guillaume and Milena over for dinner last night. The evening presented with a few challenges. Milena is currently not eating any carbohydrates or fat. Guillaume doesn’t really like spices. And Monica had inadvertently left the house with the recipe book that I was counting on.
And it was Wednesday.
So the brief was: no meat, no fish, no eggs, no dairy AND no fat, no carbs AND no spices AND no recipe.
Given the circumstances I think I did OK. We started with a salad of rocket, cherry tomatoes and roasted peppers, with a dressing of vegan pesto. Then we had saffron couscous with stewed courgettes (in spite of his protestations I put loads of chili in and I don’t think Guillaume was very happy).
Today is the day of the long-awaited soup special - just in time to see us through this last month of winter.
The roasted peppers and aubergine recipe comes from the “Easy Vegan” book we’ve mentioned before - it was made by Monica.
The split pea soup, I’ve been eating all my life - I guess it must come from my mum (although she probably would throw a few lardons in there).
The “double butter” (butternut squash and peanut butter) recipe is an adaptation from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “River Cottage Everyday”.
Happy souping!
This Sunday, still by Mo, we enjoyed a home-made Mexican feast of corn tortilla, courgettes filled with tomatoes and chilli, accompanied by salsa and guacamole. I am content. Just roll me to my bed now.
The first recipe we tried was the “Italian bean dip”. Monica made a few adapts - especially replacing dry fava beans (which you’d have to soak, peel and cook) by tinned white beans of an Italian variety - here, borlotti. The recipe includes a few variants on the usual “bean dip”/ “Hummus” concoction: the addition of boiled potatoes and onion, the lack of nut paste. It makes for a softer, more mellow result. Great comfort food on pitta or sourdough bread for a wintery Sunday night.
We served it with a Mediterranean soup, from the same book, which I will post very soon as part of a soup special!
