Share and share alike

I love to cook. I love to cook vegan meals that are healthful and scrumptious. I love to share a home cooked vegan meal with my partner, my family and my friends. Some nights it's as simple as a stir-fry full of crispy vegetables, others it a vegan banquet to impress my carnivorous visitors. I don't get the opportunity to do it enough; so I would like to share my passion for vegan eating and living with you.

I am also passionate about treading lightly on this earth. I try not to be a consumer, I grow my own vegetables and ride my bicycle when I can. Solar panels are being installed on my roof today, and while I wait I'm preparing tonight's meal: lentil loaf and grated carrot salad.

As much as I enjoy cooking I don't much like preparation. I use the slicing attachment on my blender to grate the onion, sweet potato and carrots.

Lentil loaf

1cup brown rice
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup yellow lentils
1 onion, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 small uncooked sweet potato, washed and grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
cumin seeds
mustard seeds
fresh rosemary, chopped finely
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Lightly spray a loaf tin with oil spray.
Cook 1/2 cup brown rice (I cook rice in a microwave rice cooker, 1/2 cup rice to 1 cup of water on 50% power for 20 minutes).
Bake 1/2 cup brown rice in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool and grind to rice crumbs.
Dry fry cumin and mustard seeds until the begin to pop.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and press firmly into loaf tin.
Bake for 35 minutes, wait for the loaf to cool, slice and serve.

Carrot salad

5 washed carrots, grated
parsley, shredded
2 tbsp sultanas, soaked in hot water to plump
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

 


Combine the carrots, parsley and sultanas. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey and salt and pepper; pour dressing over salad. Scatter pine nuts over salad to serve.