BBQ Pulled "pork" Mushroom

As a vegan who wants to stay creative and never feel like I'm missing out, I try to go back to certain food cravings I've had and then work on it to meet that need but without death or blood on my hands. I went vegan mostly for the animals, but also for my health and the environment and when I eat it needs to be tasty, wholesome and guilt free.
This is a really easy and tasty recipe which takes me back to those days when I would eat pulled pork Arepa's, A typical dish from Venezuela and Colombia which are like mini sandwiches made with corn flour and filled with different ingredients to make a tasty snack or dinner.
I don't miss the pork but I miss the texture and the BBQ taste and since I discovered the oyster mushroom it made me easier to recreate this sandwich filler.

This recipe is super quick and easy to make and one I recommend if you like BBQ sauce.

I tend to do a weekly shop at my grocers and depending what is available, I then decide what to cook for the week. I used to make the mistake of buying so many vegetables that by the end of the week most of the food had gone rotten or mouldy and I had to throw it and apart from being a Vegan I do try to be as environmentally friendly as possible and try not to do waste anything, including food.

 The best mushrooms I have found to do this are the King oyster mushrooms. If you can see in the picture they ready to be shredded because of their form.

You can easily shred them with a fork or use a knife following the lines of the mushroom.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion sliced
1 packet of King oyster Mushrooms shredded/pulled
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground garlic
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

Recipe:
1. Wash and slice the onion.
2. Put the oil into a frying pan, large enough to fit all the mushrooms so it cooks evenly. Put on a medium heat.
3. Wash and pull/shred the mushrooms into thin slices.
4. Put the onions into the pan and fry for 2 minutes or until a bit golden,
5. Stir the mushrooms into the pan and continue to fry at a medium-high heat for about 6 - 7 mins, or until most of the water has evaporated and they begin to brown.
6. Add the seasoning; Paprika, salt, Black pepper, Cumin, ground cinnamon, ground garlic and stir and leave for a further 2 mins.
7. Add the BBQ sauce, I recommend you add gradually according to your taste. I put less than half a cup but you can add more or less.
8. Leave for a few more minutes until the sauce begins to caramelize.
9. You will see it has a thick caramelised texture and the Pulled mushrooms are ready to take out.

You can serve this in a sandwich, an arepa or even with a jacket potato.
It's an easy, quick recipe and i'm sure you will love it.

Courgette and Apple Tater Tots

The other day I was looking up different recipes with courgettes as I had a large bag of them and needed inspiration.

Nakoa's birthday is coming up so I'm deciding what's going to be on the menu. Don't want any family members rolling their eyes at the 'Vegan menu ' selection. Then I saw the Tater Tots and just the name sounds so fun and appetising. The recipe I saw was for courgettes and I made two batches. One with courgettes and the other with apples.

Today I tried out apple (top) And courgette (bottom) tater tops.

These are so simple to make, they only require 4 ingredients and I think these are great finger foods for a party/gathering. 

They can be served at kids and adults parties or just to have as a side dish at home like what I'm doing now  

follow the recipe below and if you want to make the apples tots then replace the courgettes for apples. It's that simple. 

3 large potatoes, peeled

2 courgettes, grated (large holes)

1 tsp salt

Olive oil

- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for 20-30 minutes, until fork tender but still hard in the middle. Drain water and let potatoes cool until they are comfortable to handle. You want them to still be warm.

- Preheat oven to 220ºC. Grate potatoes on the large side of a box grater and put into a large bowl. Grate each courgette and squeeze out the liquid using a clean dishtowel or kitchen roll. 

- Place grated courgette into the bowl with the potatoes and add 1 teaspoons salt. Use your hands to mix everything together.

- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands to form small cylinders with the mixture. Use about 1 tablespoon per tater tot. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow them to firm up.

- Brush the top of each tater tot with a small amount of olive oil.

- Bake tater tots until browned a crispy, about 30 minutes flipping halfway though.

 

- Serve with ketchup or bbq sauce if desired, or why not try my vegan sour cream which you can find on here.

Avocado & Basil Spaghetti

This avocado and basil spaghetti dish was so creamy and simple to make. This is a nice starter to have or even as a main course.

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INGREDIENTS for sauce
1 - 2 Avocados
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh Basil
Handful of raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
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DIRECTIONS:
- Put a saucepan of water to boil to make prepare spaghetti.
- In a frying pan fry 2 cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil and cherry tomatoes. - Sautee for about 10 mins at a low heat with lid on it.
- Blend all ingredients until you have a thick creamy sauce.
- Mix with pasta, fried cherry tomatoes and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top.
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#lukitaslittleworld

ESP:

INGREDIENTES SALSA
1 - 2 Aguacate
2 Ajos
1/3 taza albahaca fresca
Un puñado de pipas crudas
1/3 taza aceite de oliva
.
DIRECCIONES:
- Prepar una olla con agua y poner a hervir para preparar los espagueti.
- En un sartén freír ajo triturado y añadir tomates Cherry y dejar 10 minutos a fuego lento con una tapa.
- Para hacer la salsa poner todos los ingredientes en la batidora o trituradora, encender y dejar hasta que se haga una salsa cremosa.
- Mezclar con pasta y tomates. Añade sesamo negro por encima.

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup with Chard

In my last post I mentioned that I bought Chard from the local farmer, which means its a week of cooking different dishes with Chard before it goes to waste.

I always try to pack my dishes with all the food your body needs in a day; legumes, grains, fats and oils, leafy greens and veg. (Fruit tends to be in my smoothie)
For starters I prepared a red lentil Moroccan soup and as the main course; spicy chardslaw with pumpkin and hemp seeds (in previous post), potatoes, red quinoa.
Super filling and tasty. Great for this miserable weather we are having. I do like a bit of rain, the city needs it but I do hope it's not like this all bank holiday weekend. This dish is excellent for autumn/winter.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 medium onion diced

- 2 medium carrots diced

- 2 large cloves garlic crushed

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

- 1 - 2 chilli's 

- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

- 1 tin diced tomatoes (400g)

- 1 cup dried split red lentils

- 8 cups of vegetable stock

- 1 bunch chard (stems removed and roughly chopped)

  

     DIRECTIONS:

- In a large saucepan heat the oil. 

- Sauté the onion and carrot over medium-high heat until soft and beginning to brown, (7 minutes).

- Add the garlic, cumin, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes, and salt. (Cook 1-2 minutes more). 

- Stir in the tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until the liquid has reduced and the tomatoes are soft, (5 minutes).

- Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the lentils are soft, (10 minutes). 

- Fold in the chard and cook until wilted, but still vibrant, 5 more minutes. Taste for seasoning.

- Serve the soup in bowls with a wedge of lemon on the side and some crusty bread or croutons.