Weekend Carnivore

Often part of managing to stay on a diet is learning how to cope with those naughty cravings that strike everybody from time to time.  You can decide to let yourself have a blow out where you have the calorie laden treat you are desiring or deny yourself it. The denial path may feel as if it is the correct one but if I do that then I end up wanting the naughty treat even more and chances are I will eventually give in and in a bigger way that would have originally been the case.

There is, as Tony Blair so famously once said, a third way. That third way is to find a recipe that adapts the naughty recipe and makes it so that you can enjoy a healthier version of the treat. Okay, it might not be exactly the same but it is close and it stops you going for broke and blowing the diet.

This week, I was really craving some sort of fruit cobbler but I knew there was no way I could justify having all those eggs and butter that goes into a normal cobbler recipe. So, I took to the foodie internet and searched for a cobbler recipe that would satisfy my craving but be pretty low fat.

I was on Food.com (the new name for Recipezaar) when I saw Lady Pit’s recipe for her Any Fruit Fast Fat Free Cobbler recipe and thought it was worth a try.   The only sutible fruit I had for this fat free cobbler recipe was some frozen blueberries. A blueberry cobbler sounded really good and so I decided that was going to be the way to go.

fat free vegan blueberry cobbler recipe

The cobbler recipe was really easy to put together.  Essentially, all you do is mix together the dry ingredients with the wet, pour it into a pan and then throw the fruit in and let it bake.  I didn’t even bother to defrost my frozen blueberries and it still worked just fine.

The only change I made to the fat free cobbler recipe was to use light soy milk instead of the normal milk that was called for in the original recipe. Since the original cobbler recipe didn’t call for any eggs, this then turned this into a fat free vegan cobbler recipe.

No, it wasn’t exactly the same as a traditional blueberry cobbler that is full of eggs, real milk and butter but it was very tasty, easy and hit the craving spot without making me feel guilty. That has to be a win and I know I will be making this again with whatever frozen fruit I happen to have around. I am thinking it would be especially nice with some frozen cherries for when I get a cherry pie craving.

Perhaps the only change I would make to this vegan cobbler recipe is to bake it in a smaller dish. I think I used a slightly bigger one than was called for in the recipe and that meant it didn’t get very thick. However, it tasted great and the oozing and juicy warm blueberries mixed with the cobbler crust was just what my tastebuds were calling out to enjoy.  It was a bit like a giant flat blueberry muffin with extra juicy blueberries and that isn’t going to be a bad combination for me.

I love it when I discover a new favourite food.  When I was in Barcelona last month, I ate a lot of my meals from an up scale salad bar. It was full of a delightful array of olives and some of my favourite vegetables such as artichokes and sundried tomatoes.  One of the vegetables that was frequently part of the salad spread was hearts of palm.

I have had hearts of palm a few times in the past but only in small quantities and years apart from each serving. For some reason, it was on this trip that I discovered that I really like hearts of palm. I thought that perhaps it was just that quality of the ingredients that the hotel used which made the difference.  So, when I got back home to London I decided to buy a couple cans and see if  I still enjoyed the taste.  I ate the entire can of hearts of palm within a few moments of opening it. So, I guess that was a yes!

Hearts of palm is a vegetable that comes from the inner core of some varieties of palm tree. Which makes it sound very exotic indeed. The taste is similar to an artichoke heart with a slightly smoother texture.  They are also very low in fat and calories.  That has to be a winning combination in any food.

Part of why I enjoy vegetarian cooking so much is that there is always a new vegetable or fruit like this to discover and when you do chances are they are really healthy for you too. Which gives me plenty of excuses to play around and find new recipes for these ingredients.   Which is exactly when I have been doing with hearts of palm.  One of my favourite new heart of palm recipe is this hearts of palm and spinach dip recipe. It is reduced fat but certainly not reduced flavour.

Hearts of palm and spinach dip

Hearts of palm and spinach dip recipe

Ingredients:

15 grams spring onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
55 grams frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess liquid
100 grams hearts of palm, from a can, drained
100 grams reduced fat mayonnaise
60 grams reduced fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Using a mini chopper or a food processor, blitz together the spring onions and crushed garlic until the onions are finely chopped.
2. Add the defrosted spinach and pulse until that is broken up and about the same size as the onions. It won’t fully get to that size but try your best.
3. Add in the hearts of palm and pulse once again. This time you want these to be slightly bigger than the onions.
4. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Blitz until everything is well combined but not too thin.
5. Scrape everything into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

Serves: 6

Shall we start by getting out of the way what I consider to be a pancake? You would think that would be a pretty simple debate but when you are an American that lives in the UK it becomes slightly more confusing.  What they British consider to be pancakes are much thinner than what Americans would think of when they hear the word ‘pancake’. British pancakes have much more in common with crepes than American pancakes. They are thin and often filled with something. Hence, more like a crepe regardless of how unpleased they may be to be compared with the French. They are very tasty but they are not what I consider to be a pancake.

American pancakes are much thicker, raise a bit and are proper comfort food for me. Like so many comfort foods, the cravings for them often come at times when you simply are not prepared.  Such as the case this weekend when I woke up simply needing to have pancakes.  I had flour and baking powder but no eggs. The only milk I had was soy milk. I didn’t even have the normal vegetable oil I would use to make pancakes.  To make matters even worse, it was cinnamon pancakes that were the focus of my pancake cravings and I apparently had also run out of cinnamon! Crisis!

The pancake craving wasn’t going away though and so I decided to see what I could do with what I did have on hand.  I have made vegan pancake recipes before and enjoyed them. So, I knew that I could make a good pancake without egg. Soy milk works fine too in vegan pancakes. I actually prefer making vegan pancakes with a vanilla soy milk for that extra layer of flavour. I only had the normal sweetened soy milk though so that was going to have to do the job.

The bigger questions was what oil to use to make these vegan pancakes. I didn’t have any vegetable oil and  I wasn’t going to use olive oil or avocado oil.  I still have a bit of that macadamia nut oil that I bought at last year’s Masterchef Live.  So, I thought why not try that? It might even give a nice nutty background taste to the vegan pancake recipe.

Finding something to replace the cinnamon was the final challenge. I’ve have chocolate with cardamom flavouring in the past and also in a few cakes. It isn’t a huge leap in flavour from cinnamon and so I figured now was the time to find out if cardamom and macadamia nut oil would go together well as part of a vegan pancake recipe.

It sure did! The macadamia nut oil provides a lovely nutty background taste without overpowering the batter. If I had prepared to do this recipe and had slightly deeper pockets, I might have chopped up some actual macadamia nuts and stirred them into the batter. I am sure that would have added an extra special taste to the vegan pancakes.  As predicted, the cardamom worked in a very similar way to cinnamon and brought sweet and spicy feel to the pancakes.

To finish off the vegan pancake recipe, I griddled some banana slices and popped them on top before drizzling a bit of agave syrup over the top. If I hadn’t been so stuck on this being a vegan pancake recipe, I would have gone for honey.

Vegan cardamom macadamia nut pancakes

Cardamom vegan pancakes

Ingredients:

100 grams plain flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and combine well.

2. Add the milk and the macadamia nut oil and stir until thoroughly mixed. If you are finding your batter is just a bit too thick at this stage then add a bit more soy milk.

3. Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is hot enough to make pancakes. I usually drop a tiny bit of water onto it and if it instantly sizzles I consider it ready to be used.

4. Either spray with non-fat cooking spray or use a tiny bit of the macadamia nut oil and then start to drop the batter on the hot surface.

5. Leave each vegan pancake until bubbles have started to form on the pancake. Then flip over and cook for a minute or so on the other side. Watch carefully because they can very easily go from perfectly golden brown to burned and ruined.

6. Divide the vegan pancakes onto two plates, top with your choice of toppings and enjoy!

Serves: 2

If you have been paying attention at all to my food blog posts then you have figured out that I love hummus.  I honestly would sooner give up chocolate than hummus. It may sound a tiny bit crazy but it is also true!

A few years back, I was walking through Soho in London and noticed a new restaurant called Hummus Bros.  Loving hummus, I was immediately interested in going and trying this place out but I just didn’t have anybody that I thought would be willing to go with me.  Years past and I still hadn’t tried it.

hummus bros

Then, a few weeks ago my friend Kelly – another hummus lover – had some time to spare in central London. We decided that now was the time to lose our Hummus Bros virginity.  Boy, we were not disappointed!  It may just be the case that this is the perfect ‘fast food’ restaurant for me.

Firstly, any restaurant chain that uses a pun as their tag line is off to a good start with me.  Really, Hummus Bros, you had me at ‘give chickpeas a chance’. Still the truth is always in the tasting and as much as I love hummus (did I mention that?), there are few things as disappointing as being served a bad hummus. Perhaps this is the case simply because of the high expectations you carry with you from whatever your most recent mind blowing hummus had been.  You are chasing that hummus high and anything that undermines that hits hard.

Good thing then that the hummus on offer from Hummus Bros is so amazingly good! Firstly, it isn’t just about the hummus that you can get there but what you get on top of your hummus. The hummus is a base and then you can order any number of combinations piled on top. Then, you are given a wonderfully warm brown pita to scoop it all up.

The toppings range from the very vegetarian offerings such as chickpeas or fava beans to the decidedly carnivore such as slow cooked stewed beef.  Kelly and I ordered a few small dishes between us to try. The servings were generous and without a doubt if I was going on my own it would be enough to order one small hummus. However, this was more like the hummus sisters throwing a party. So,we went nuts and tried a number of them. Each one was super good.

If there is one food item that rivals my love for hummus it would be mushrooms. So, when I saw the mushroom topped hummus I knew that had to be one I tried. It was vegetarian delight of stewed mushrooms and caramelized onions nestled on top of their creamy hummus. They give you the option of adding sun dried tomatoes to that mixture and I didn’t have to think twice about saying yes. It was truly an amazing combination.

Hummus Bros Mushroom Hummus

What I found particularly interesting about the hummus sold at Hummus Bros was that the tahini was served in a dollop on top of the hummus.  Which meant you could swirl it in yourself in the amount you desired. I love tahini so it was all in with that sesame goodness!

Another plus for Hummus Bros is the attention they pay to making their food fit into your nutritional requirements. Not only does their website have a full break down of the calorie and fat content of each of their dishes but they also have reduced fat hummus available. If you have gluten issues, you can also ask for the pita bread to be substituted with rice cakes, gluten free bread or carrot sticks.

When we went, we did have to ask them for the reduced fat hummus because we didn’t see it mentioned on the menu. However, when we did ask there was no problem at all in getting it. All this praise for their hummus and we had the reduced fat version. I bet the full fat must be even better.

If you have a soft spot for hummus and are in London then make sure you find your local branch of Hummus Bros and give them a try. Oh, and don’t forget to wash all that chickpea goodness down with a glass of their fresh mint and ginger lemonade!

With a note of sorrow,  I wave goodbye to the summer of 2010.  It feels as if I have barely stood still since the end of spring.    In the summer months alone, I have been to Brighton, Munich, Salzburg,  Paris, York, Wales and Barcelona.  Travelling and tasting food from so many different regions of Europe has been fantastic but it has meant that I haven’t spend all that much time in my own kitchen.

So, while I am going to miss the warm weather adventures, I am also welcoming the opportunity to stay in a bit more and reacquaint myself with my normal cooking routine.  Which, at this time of year is switching from light summer meals to more hearty food. Right about now, my eye turns to root vegetables and finding different ways of bringing them into my cooking.

One way that I have used them in recent years is to create root vegetable mash instead of a normal mashed potato.  Mashing a bit of whatever other root vegetables you have in your vegetable drawer into your normal mashed potato not only adds a bit of colour but extra nutrients as well.   Even if you aren’t cooking a vegetarian meal, swapping a root vegetable mash on top of a traditional shepherd’s pie instead of the normal mashed potato will be a nice change and healthier too.

With a bit of a chill in the air the today, I wanted to make us a meal tonight that was going to warm our insides while filling us up. This can sometimes be a challenge when we are following a vegetarian diet. Of course, I could just make another soup or a vegetarian stew but there will be plenty of those through the course of the winter.  So, I rummaged through my cupboard to help me brainstorm up ideas for a hearty winter vegetarian meal.

We had a can of kidney beans in chilli sauce which kept calling out to me and I decided that I wanted to do something with it for the meal. Not really in the mood for tacos or beans and rice, I decided to play with an idea of a bean pie that has been kicking around in my head for a few weeks.

All I did was sauté some basic vegetables such as onion, carrots and celery.  Then I tipped in the can of chilli kidney beans and added some spices.  I piled it all into two mini casserole dishes and then topped it with a root vegetable mash that I made from potatoes and butternut squash.

What was great was that I was able to cook everything up in the morning and put the casserole dishes into the the fridge. Then, when it was time to cook the evening meal all I had to do was put them into the oven for 15 minutes and the meal was ready.

You have to love it when a meal is simple, healthy and filling.  Perhaps the only change I would make is to add a bit of hot sauce to the mix. I am a total spice wimp so I tend to lay off the spicy heat but anybody who likes things hotter should consider adding a few drops.

Chilli bean pies topped with root vegetable mash

Chilli bean pie recipe

Ingredients:

500 grams potatoes, peeled and quartered

200 grams butternut squash, peeled and chopped into big cubes

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a large onion, diced

100 grams carrots, diced

100 grams celery, diced

1 (420 gram) can kidney beans in chilli sauce

1 teaspoon barbecue sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 f, 190 c, gas mark 5.

2. Put a large pot of water on to boil and put the potato and squash into cook until ready for mashing.

3. Meanwhile, heat  the olive oil in a pan before adding the onion, carrots and celery.  Cook over a medium heat, stirring often until the onion and celery have begun to soften.

4. Add the beans, including all the chilli sauce juices, to the vegetables.  Cook for about three minutes until warmed through.

5. Stir in the barbecue sauce and garlic powder until well blended.

6. Spoon the bean and vegetable mixture into two oven proof mini casserole dishes.

7. Drain the potatoes and butternut squash and mash with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.  If you want a creamier mash certainly feel free to add a bit of butter or margarine to the mash.

8. Pile the root vegetable mash on top of the bean mixture.

9. Put the dishes on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Serves: 2