Vegetable tagine with apricots

This dish is low-fat, low-GI, and diabetic-friendly, and is easily made into a vegan recipe by omitting (or substituting) the yoghurt. The fruit adds a great sweet answer to the spices.

Vegetable tagine with apricots

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, cut into wedges
2 carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground paprika
1 x 7cm cinnamon stick
Large pinch of saffron threads
375ml (1 1/2 cups) vegetable stock
650g butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, coarsely chopped
250g green beans, topped, cut into 6cm lengths
100g dried Turkish apricots
100g fresh dates, halved, pitted
1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
Greek-style natural yoghurt, to serve

Method:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the carrot, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, paprika, cinnamon and saffron and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic.

2. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add the pumpkin, beans and apricots. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Add dates, chickpeas and lemon rind and stir to combine.

3. Spoon among serving bowls and top with coriander. Serve with yoghurt.

Source: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1847/vegetable+tagine+with+apricots

Serves: 4
Rating:

Layered Mexican Dip

Layered Mexican Dip

Ingredients:

2 cans refried beans
450g cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa
Shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp)
Optional - sour cream, olives, hot peppers, guacamole, onion

Method:

1. Mix the refried beans and salsa together. Spread out half of the mixture in the bottom of a small, oven proof casserole.

2. Put a layer of cream cheese on top of the first layer of refried bean mixture.

3. Top this layer of cream cheese with the remaining refried bean mixture.

4. Sprinkle cheeses on top, cover, and put in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, or until it is thoroughly heated.

Serves: as many as you want

Rating: 4

White Bean Salad

Ok, so the last few recipes (or the next few, depending on which way you're reading this) have been salads. Guess what? This one is too...I'm going through a salad phase!

This dish is great for people with arthritis as the apple cider vinegar, radishes and cucumber are all beneficial foods.

White Bean Salad:

Ingredients:

50g mesclun*
1/2 cup (100g) canned white beans**
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 small carrot (70g), cut into matchsticks
1/2 lebanese cucumber (65g), cut into matchsticks
2 red radishes (70g), trimmed, cut into matchsticks
2 Tbsp apple juice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp toasted pepitas

Method:

1. Place mesclun, beans, herbs, carrot, cucumber, radish, juice and vinegar in a medum bowl. Toss gently to combine.

2. Serve salad topped with seeds.



* Note: Mesclun is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves. The mix varies depending on the source, but it may include lettuces, spinach, rocket/roquette, Swiss chard/silverbeet, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, frisée, mizuna, oak leaf, mâche, radicchio, sorrel, and/or other leafy vegetables. Mesclun is good up to 5 days in a plastic bag. Wash and blot dry just before using.

** Note: Many varieties of pre-cooked white beans are available canned, e.g. cannellini, butter and haricot beans. Any of these is suitable for this dish

Serves: 1 as a complete meal, or 2 as a side dish

Rating: 4

Vegetable and Bean Bake

This dish takes about 40 mins to prepare and another 60 mins to cook, but it's something different to pasta bake...

Vegetable and Bean Bake:

Ingredients:

1 cup each of the following vegetables (diced): pumpkin, onion, red capsicum, eggplant, tomato, zucchini
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp freshly crushed garlic (or, let's face it, as much as you like!)
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs (can replace with fresh herbs)
2 Tbsp water
1 can soya beans (drained and rinsed)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190*C
2. Combine diced vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Bake in oven for 45 mins or until begetables are just tender.
4. In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, garlic, italian herbs and water.
5. Remove vegetables from oven. Add the tomato mixture and the soya beans to begetables and stir well.
6. Return to oven for a further 5-10 mins.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature as a main meal or a side dish.

Serves: 6

Rating: - this is one of those on my TO COOK list.

Vegetarian Baked Pumpkins

This title really doesn't do the recipe justice.

Vegetarian Baked Pumpkins:

Ingredients:

4 whole Golden Nugget pumpkins (they're small pumpkins)
1 cup zucchini, grated
2 cups potatoes, grated
4 shallots/spring onions, chopped
1 can soya beans, drained
3/4 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 cup grated carrots
2 large mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp chopped fresh coriander

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180*C
2. Cute 1/3 off the top of each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds
3. Level off base of pumpkins so they sit flat
4. Wrap pumpkins in foil and bake for 20 mins
5. Combine grated vegetables, mushrooms, shallots, cheese, soya beans, honey, cumin and coriander and mix well
6. Remove pumpkins from the oven and upwrap the top of the foil
7. Fill pumpkins with bean mixture and cover over again with foil
8. Return pumpkins to oven and bake a further 40 mins or until pumpkins are tender.

Serve whole!

Serves: 4

Rating: - 3.5