Veggie spaghetti bolognese

An Italian classic, but without the meat! I replaced the ground meat with red lentils and they worked really well with this dish - they have a very similar consistence, are a great source of protein and they're delicious! ^^

course	country	time	difficulty
main	Italy	30min	easy

Ingredients

Serves 2

imperial	metric
2 tbsp		olive oil
1		onion, chopped
2		garlic cloves, chopped
9oz	250g	zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup	50g	red lentils
2 tbsp		tomato paste
1 tbsp		sugar
3 tsp		balsamic vinegar, white
1 tsp		dried oregano
1		bay leaf
21oz	600g	canned chopped tomatoes
to taste		salt and pepper
9oz	250g	spaghetti

Instruction

• in a pan, heat olive oil and cook zucchini on high heat until evenly browned
• add onions and garlic and roast everything togehter for a few minutes
• add lentils, vinegar, oregano, bay leaf, tomato paste, sugar and canned tomatos
• and cook on medium heat for about 30min (no lid)
• in a big pot, bring about 2l water to boil and add 2tbsp salt
• add spaghetti and cook about 7 minutes - check single spaghetti the last minutes
• they are done, if they are still firm to the bite (al dente)

Strain spaghetti and serve with sauce and freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!

Zutaten

für 2 Personen

2 EL		Olivenöl
1		Zwiebel, gehackt
2		Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
250g	Zucchini, gewürfelt
50g	red lentils
2 EL		Tomatenmark
1 EL		Zucker
3 TL		weißer Balsamico
1 TL		Oregano, getrocknet
1		Lorbeerblatt
21oz	600g	stückige Tomaten/ Pizzatomaten
nach Geschmack		Salz und Pfeffer
250g	Spaghetti

Anleitung

• Olivenöl in einer Pfanne erhitzen und die Zucchinwürfel bei großer Hitze gleichmäßig anbräunen
• die Zwiebeln und den Knoblauch zugehen und ebenfalls für ein paar Minuten mit anrösten
• die restlichen Zutaten außer die Spaghetti zugeben
• und alles bei mäßiger Hitze für 30min simmern lassen (ohne Deckel)
• ca. 2l Wasser mit 2EL Salz in einem großen Topf zum kochen bringen
• die Spaghetti ca. 7 Minuten kochen, dabei wärend der letzten Minuten immer mal einzelne Spaghetti probieren
• sie sind fertig wenn sie noch etwas Biss haben (al dente)

Spaghetti abseihen und zusammen mit der Soße und frisch geriebenen Parmesan servieren. Guten Appetit!

Vegan Ghanaian Chicken and rice

Another super simple and easy vegan dish - this time inspired by the classic "Chicken & Rice" from Ghana.

I used myself-made seitan (klick here, to see the recipe) as substitute for the chicken and it was delicious! I really liked, how all the flavors worked together - the sweetness from the peppers, the saltiness of the soy sauce, the taste of citrus and the spiciness. Yum!

Give it a try! ^^

course	country	time	difficulty
main	Ghana	30min	easy

Ingredients

Serves 2

Rice

I used the same method as in this recipe.

Sauce

imperial	metric
8oz	225g	Seitan
2 EL		soy sauce
1/4 cup	60ml	orange juice (100%)
1		garlic clove, pressed
2 tbsp		oil
1 big		bell pepper, red, chopped
1		onion, chopped
1		garlic clove,chopped
2 tsp		curry
2 tsp		paprika powder
1/2 tsp		cumin
1/4 tsp or more		chili
7oz	200ml	coconut milk
to taste		salt

Instruction

Preparation 12-24h ahead: marinate seitan in orange juice, soy sauce and 1 pressed garlic clove If you're in a hurry, you can skip this step and add these ingredients directly to the dish.

• strain the seitan but save the marinade for later
• set up the rice (see link above)
• in a pan, heat some oil and cook seitan and onions on high heat until evenly browned
• add chopped garlic and pepper and roast a few minutes together
• add spices and stir
• add marinade and coconut milk
• if the consistence is to runny for your taste, mix 1 tsp starch with a bit of cold water in a small container, add it to the sauce and bring to boil (there's also gluten-free starch, if you're sensible to gluten)

Serve seitan ragout with rice and chopped cashews

Zutaten

Serves 2

Rice

I used the same method as in this recipe.

Sauce

225g	Seitan
2 EL		Sojasauce
60ml	Orangensaft (100%)
1	Knoblauchzehe, gepresst
2 EL	Öl
1 große	Paprikaschote, rot, gehackt
1	Zwiebel, gehackt
1	Knoblauchzehe, gehackt
2 TL	Currypulver
2 TL	Paprikapulver
1/2 TL	Kreuzkümmel/Cumin
1/4 TL oder mehr	Chilipulver
200ml	Kokosmilch
nach Geschmack	Salz

Instruction

Vorbereitung 12-24h vorher: den Seitan in Orangensaft, Sojasauce und einer gepressten Knoblauchzehe marinieren Wenn mal eine Zeit zum Marinieren ist, kann man die Zutaten auch direkt zur Soße geben.

• den Seitan abseihen aber die Marinade für später aufheben
• den Reis wie oben im Link beschrieben ansetzen
• etwas Öl in einer Pfanne erhitzen und Seitan sowie Zwiebeln bei großer Hitze gleichmäßig anbräunen lassen
• den Knoblauch sowie Paprikaschoten dazugeben und für ein paar Minuten mit anrösten lassen
• alle Gewürze dazu geben und umrühren
• nun Marinade und Kokosmilch zugeben
• wenn die Sauce für deinen Geschmack noch zu flüssig ist, vermische einfach in einem kleinen Gefäß etwas Stärke (1 TL, gibts bei Bedarf auch glutenfrei) mit etwas kalten Wasser und gib es zum Curry und lass es nochmal aufkochen

Den Reis und die Sauce mit ein wenig gehackten Cashewnüssen bestreuen, fertig!

Majorcan garlic soup [vegan]

A super quick and easy recipe for all the garlic lovers out there! This soup is full of flavor, while being super creamy and smooth (without any diary!).
Give it a try and tell me how you liked it! ^^

course	country	time	difficulty
starter or main	Spain	30min	easy

Ingredients

Serves 2 as main and 4 as starter

imperial	metric
2 tbsp		olive oil
20 (2.5oz/75g)		garlic cloves, peeled
3 slices		sandwich toast, chopped
4 (1lb/450g)		tomatoes, chopped
4cup	1l	vegetable broth
1 tbsp		tomato paste
1/2 tsp		oregano
1		bay leaf
1 tbsp		sugar
pinch		chili powder
to taste		salt
1 slice		sandwich toast, chopped in cubes

Instruction

• in a big pot, heat olive oil and roast garlic and toast until browned
• add tomatoes and tomato paste and roast for a few minutes
• add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 15 minutes
• use a hand blender until you get a nice smooth consistence
• if you want, you can strain the soup through a sieve
• put the soup back on the stove to warm it up again
• in the meantime, fry toast cubes in a pan with a bit olive oil until crispy and browned

Serve soup with croutons and some fresh herbs of you choice

Zutaten

Für 2 Personen als Hauptspeise oder für 4 Personen als Vorspeise

2 EL	Olivenöl
20 (etwa 75g)	Knoblauchzehen, geschält
3 Scheiben	Sandwichtoast, grob geschnitten
4 (etwa 450g)	Tomaten, in Stücken
1l	Gemüsebrühe
1 EL	Tomatenmark
1/2 TL	Oregano
1	Lorbeerblatt
1 EL	Zucker
Prise	Chili pulver
nach Geschmack	Salz
1 Scheibe	Sandwichtoast, in Würfel

Anleitung

• Olivenöl in einem großen Topf erwärmen und Knoblauchzehen sowie Toaststücken anrösten bis sie Farbe bekommen
• Tomaten und Tomatenmark dazu geben und kurz mit anbraten
• die restlichen Zutaten zugeben und zusammen ungefähr 15 Minuten auf mittlerer Hitze kochen
• mit einem Pürierstab fein pürieren und bei Bedarf noch durch ein Sieb passieren
• Suppe zurück auf den Herd stellen und warm halten
• in der Zwischenzeit die Sandwichtoastwürfel in einer Pfanne mit ein wenig Olivenöl knusprig anbraten

Serviert wird die Suppe mit den Croutons und etwas frischen Kräutern.

How to make seitan from flour

I usually cook completely without any vegetarian meat substitutes. The main reason is that most of these commercial products have loads of ingredients - like artificial colors and flavors - to make it more meat-like and I really don't want these in my diet. Most of the time I'm just fine with my legumes, nuts and other natural ingredients to account for my protein intake.

But sometimes, I want to cook something I know from my childhood - some nice hearty comfort food and traditional dishes - and these recipe usually don't work without a nice piece of meat. In this cases, I use this recipe to make some seitan, and while having full control over all ingredients, I can also fit the taste to my needs.

I hope you try it out! ^^

course	country	time	difficulty
Basics	-	2h	medium

Ingredients

Serves 4

Dough

imperial	metric
8 cups	1kg	flour
2.5 cups	600ml	water

Marinade

imperial	metric
1 tbsp		olive oil
2		onions, chopped
2		garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup	60ml	soy sauce
1/8 cup	30ml	vinegar
6 cup	1.5l	water
2 tbsp		granulated broth
2 tbsp		mustard
2 tsp		paprika powder
1/2 tsp		cumin
1/2 tsp		coriander
1 tsp		garlic powder
1		bay leaf

Of course this is just an orientation, you can drop ingredients you don't like and add others. I find the taste of the seitan with this marinade to be hearty, meaty but not to overwhelming or "specific".
But according to the designated use, you can add more "specific" ingredients like ginger to fit an Asian inspired meal or tomato paste and oregano to fit an Italian dish

Instruction

• in a big bowl, mix flour and water
• using you hand or a kneading machine, knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until homogeneous
• fill the bowl with water until the dough is completely covered
• leave for about 20 min, until you're done with the marinade

• in a medium pot, heat olive oil and cook onions until browned
• add garlic and roast for another 2min
• add all remaining ingredients and stir
• let the marinade simmer until the dough is prepared

• begin to knead the dough under water
• you will notice the water getting milky, that's the starch you're washing out
• when the water is completely opaque, replace the milky water with fresh water
• as you continue kneading, the dough will fall apart, leaving small shreds of a rubber-like substance - that's the protein we want (which is not water-soluble)

you may use a fine sieve to not loose these shred to the drain, while replacing the water try to knead those loose pieces together by using a "folding movement" continue to knead and replace the water until the water remains (mostly) clear the better you wash out the starch, the firmer the seitan will be loaf will be only a fraction of the size of the original dough, but don't worry, it will grow again cut the seitan in suitable pieces, according to the designated use (but keep in mind, the pieces will double in size during the cooking process now, add the seitan pieces to the simmering marinade and cook for about 1 hour after that, fill everything in a big canning car or a tupperware container (depending on when you want to use is)

• it's best to leaf the seitan for 1-2d to soak up all the flavor, but you can also use it after a few hours

Before I use the seitan, I usually drain it and stir-fry it in a pan with oil, like I would any meat. Sometimes, I hold back some of the marinade to use it for my sauce.

Self-made granulated vegetable broth

I think most people don't realize, how SIMPLE it is, to go without all the convenience, instant and super-processed broth products with loads of preservatives, flavor enhancer and other strange and non-pronounceable ingredients.

You just need some nice soup greens, some salt, a blender and an oven. You can even skip the oven part and use your veggies as paste for you soup. It's as easy as that and especially that much healthier.

course	country	time	difficulty
Basics	-	10min + 2.5h drying time	easy

Ingredients

imperial	metric
1 lb	500g	soup greens (I used carrots, leek, celery roots, parsley)
3 tsp		salt

This recipe is like a base to build on, you can use any soup greens you like and you can add more herbs and spices to fit your taste.

One example: if you plan on doing an soup inspired by the Asian cuisine, add ginger and/or lemongrass to you recipe!

Instruction

	clean your vegetables and chop them in big pieces add pieces and salt to a blender and chop finely spread everything on a lined baking sheet and put into oven for ~2h at 170°F/75°C - leave the oven door ajar use a fork to loosen up the mixture every ~30 min or so turn the heat off and leave for another 30min in the oven fill in a suitable container and keep in a dry and cool spot
You can skip the drying process if you're in a hurry - the vegetable paste works just as fine (picture above), it's just more perishable (about 2 weeks in the fridge). When I make this recipe, I usually dry half of the chopped vegetable and use the other half freshly. When you use the paste for a soup, you can fry it in some oil before you put the water in, to get a nice roasting flavor.