Clockwise: Zulu Cabbage, Tempeh Meatballs, Vegetable Kebabs and Putu Pap with Chakalaka

This side dish is a great accompaniment to Umnghusho (African samp and beans).

Ingredients for Putu Pap (polenta porridge)

2 cups water
1 ½ cups white ground cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Chakalaka (Tomato and Onion Sauce)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 medium tomatoes; peeled, deseeded and chopped (see Cook’s Notes)
½ teaspoon salt

To Make the Putu Pap

• Bring water to boil. Add the cornmeal and salt, turn heat to low and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately with tomato and onion sauce.

To Make the Chakalaka

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil and saute onions until transparent and light brown. Turn heat to low and add sugar; cook for 1 minute to caramalise. Add cinnamon and stir until blended. Add tomatoes and salt and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes. Serve chakalaka over the putu pap.

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Umnghusho - A Taste of South Africa

A taste of South Africa – Umnghusho is also known as samp-and-beans in South Africa. Samp is the African reference to hominy and umnghusho is a staple of millions of South Africans. I have replaced the sugar beans used in the traditional recipes for umnghusho with tempeh (or you can use soy crumbles if you cannot find tempeh in your neck of the woods). You may also replace the zucchini with green bell pepper if you wish. Serve the umnghusho over brown rice or putu pap.

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unrefined vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons garam masala
6 dried curry leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 packages (8 ounces each) tempeh, crumbled (or replace with soy crumbles)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced No Salt Added tomatoes with juice
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ tablespoons vegan sugar
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Make the Umnghusho

• In a cast-iron of heavy-bottom Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and saute the onions until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes; stir often.

• Add the hominy, curry powder, bay leaves, garam masala, curry leaves and salt. Stir frequently for 10-15 seconds to combine ingredients. Add the tempeh and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to thoroughly blend and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender but not mushy and the umnghusho sauce is thickened; stir often. Remove from stovetop and finish off with ground pepper. Serve over brown rice or Putu Pap.

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Experience a taste of New Orleans with this satisfying Seitan & Vegetable Etouffee

Ingredients

½ cup vegan butter (1 stick)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 packages (8 ounces each) seitan, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
2 large portobello mushroom caps, diced
2 large zucchini, unpeeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ¼ cups vegetable broth

To Prepare the Etouffee

• In a large cast-iron or thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and saute, stirring often, until the onions are soft and transparent, 8-10 minutes.

• Meanwhile in a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, paprika, parsley, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the seitan to the flour mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Set aside the coated seitan and leftover flour; you’ll be using the flour later to thicken the broth and make a nice thick sauce.

• Add the mushrooms to the onion and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Add the seitan and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring often for even browning. Add the zucchini and garlic and stir to blend, then immediately pour in the broth. Bring to a boil, then add half of the seasoned flour and stir vigorously to thoroughly combine. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent scorching.

• Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often, then add the remaining flour. Stir vigorously to thoroughly combine and to make a smooth, thick sauce. Adjust salt, if necessary, and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

• Serve etouffee over rice or with homemade bread to sop up the gravy.

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Roasted Vegetable Tart

Ingredients

1 zucchini, unpeeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 crooked-neck or other yellow squash, unpeeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 ½ cups finely cut broccoli flowerets
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for greasing pan
1 tablespoon dried, or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup julienned sundried tomatoes in olive oil
1 sheet vegan frozen puff pastry

To Make the Tart

• Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large roasting pan with olive oil.

• Put the zucchini, squash, broccoli and carrot in a large bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme and salt and toss until thoroughly combined.

• Scrape the vegetables into the roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes, or until veggies are cooked but not mushy. Do not stir during cooking. Set aside to cool.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. (200 C). Lightly flour a countertop and unroll or unfold the pastry dough (pinch together any seams and use a rolling pin to gently smooth out the dough, if necessary).

• With a sharp knife, score a border 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) in from the edge all the way around. Be sure to not cut all the way through the dough.

• Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffy. Meanwhile, put the sundried tomatoes into a food processor and blitz until a smooth paste. Set aside.

• Remove the pastry from the oven and using a fork immediately press down the middle section of the tart. Spread the sundried tomato only on the middle section and top with the vegetables.

• You may return the tart to the oven for 5-10 minutes to heat it through or serve it immediately at room temperature.

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons unrefined vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cardamom pods, seeds removed
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon jeera (ground cumin)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ dried red chilli pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 cups water
1 cup Moong Dal (split mung beans)

To Make the Dal

• In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium temperature. Add the onion, reduce the temperature to low and cook covered until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.

• Add the cardamom seeds, garlic, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, dried chillis, bay leaves and salt. Stir to combine.

• Add the water and Moong Dal, stirring to blend all the ingredients well. Cover the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it reaches boiling point, immediately reduce the temperature to medium and continue to cook the dal covered for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the dal from sticking to the base of the saucepan. Remove from the stovetop and set aside.

• In a separate skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the dal mixture to the oil and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously.

• Scrape the 1/3 dal mixture back into the large saucepan and return it to the stovetop. Cook over medium heat for a further 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with naan bread.

Variation: You may also add 1 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper to the dal for additional flavour.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unrefined sunflower oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 packages (8 ounces each) tempeh, crumbled
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce
1 tablespoon fruity chutney
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 zucchini, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon arrowroot, mixed with water to make a slurry (thin paste)
3 cups uncooked organic whole wheat penne pasta

To Make the Bolognese

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and cook the onions until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tempeh and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If necessary, reduce heat to medium to prevent burning.

• Add the Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, chutney, salt, oregano, basil, thyme, zucchini and garlic and combine thoroughly. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Reduce heat to medium and add the vegetable broth and tomato; cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the arrowroot slurry one minute before the end of cooking time and vigorously stir to blend and thicken all the ingredients. Remove from the heat.

To Make the Penne

• While bolognese sauce is cooking, prepare the penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

• Serve the bolognese over the pasta or for something different, toss the bolognese into the pasta.

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Ingredients

14 ounces organic extra-firm tofu (1 cake), drained
8 organic Idaho or Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup unrefined extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons unrefined extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted (such as Earth Balance)
3/4 cup soy or almond milk
Vegan mozzarella or cheddar cheese for garnishing (such as Daiya)
Fresh basil leaves for garnishing

To prepare the tofu:

• Wrap the tofu cake in several layers of paper towels. Place tofu on a plate or cutting board. Carefully rest a flat heavy skillet or cutting board on top of the towel to press down on the tofu. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Drain the water and wrap tofu with another several layers of paper towels; allow it to sit for a further 15 minutes. Start preparing the potatoes while you wait on the tofu.

To prepare the potatoes:

• Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the salt in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook partially covered for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Drain. Set aside.

To prepare the tomatoes:

• Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Light grease a shallow roasting pan with olive oil. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup of olive oil, fresh garlic, parsley and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Toss the oil mixture with the tomatoes in a large bowl. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on the pan and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes have released their juices and are tender. Gently transfer the tomatoes to a large serving bowl and pour all the remaining oil and garlic bits over them. Set aside.

To assemble the dish:

• With the longest side closest to you, slice the tofu cake into 8 equal strips. Slice each strip in half vertically (from the shortest to the shortest end). Slice these strips into a total of 8 cubes. When you are done you should have 64 cubes of tofu.

• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, saute the tofu in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, turning them with a spatula once or twice during cooking to brown evenly (most, but not all of the cubes will be browned–this is okay). Add the tofu to the tomatoes.

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute or until syrup is just starting to thicken; do not cook for longer or the syrup will become too thick. Pour the hot syrup over the tofu mixture and toss gently, making sure to coat all of the tofu.

• Add the garlic powder, butter and milk to the potatoes and with a hand masher, smash the potatoes until all the ingredients have been incorporated. You want to retain some of the chunkiness of the potatoes. Reheat just before serving and adjust the seasonings to taste.

• Serve mashed potato topped with the tomatoes and tofu. Spoon over some of the balsamic and oil and sprinkle with additional salt, ground black pepper and grated vegan cheddar cheese (Daiya is an excellent choice). Garnish with a basil leaf. Serve immediately.

CHEF’S TIP:

To ensure creamy, fluffy potatoes every time, always use a hand masher. Using a handheld beater causes the potatoes to release too much starch, resulting in a gummy consistency.

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