Today sister Tess and sister D invite you to take a seat at the belly table, as we meet local vegetarian chef and cookbook author Veet Karen, and explore some of her favourite flavours to use in the month of July, we look into the surprising science of flavour , celebrate Canada Day with Greg Wyler and launch our cookbook review segment with a very interesting wholefood baking book.
[sorry about everything being squished together, we are trying to fix the issue]
VEET’S BEST IN SEASON FOR JULY
The bounty of beautiful winter vegetable dishes below are all by Veet of Veet’s Cuisine, see her website for details of her books and catering. And her facebook page for regular suggestions on what to put on your plate.
Veet’s warm cauliflower salad
CAULIFLOWER PEA POACHED EGG AND GOATS CHEESE
For the first week or so of really cold weather each year I can’t even contemplate eating a salad and then the salad cravings begin again. Apparently as a four year old living in a hostel for migrants the only food I asked for was salad and it is still a very big and important part of my diet. This year after my ten day break from salad, the cravings began and this little salad was born.
1/2 cauliflower
good quality cold pressed olive oil
200 g shelled fresh peas
1/2 jar of Meredith Valley goats cheese
4 good size handfuls of organic cos or mixed lettuce
4 organic, free range eggs
1 avocado
1/2 tsp cumin seeds cauliflower
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
dressing of your choice
Serves 2-4
Cooking and prep time:
45 minutes to 1 hour
Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces, place in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a few pinches of salt over the top. Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle the cumin seeds over the cauli and cook for a further 5 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce, slice the avocado thinly and cook the peas in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Assemble the salad in individual bowls in the following order- lettuce, avocado, cauliflower, peas and goats cheese. Poach the eggs to your liking and place on the top of the salad.
Pour over your favourite dressing. See page 37 for options or squeeze on some fresh lime juice and drizzle the oil from the goats cheese. Yum, I want to go and make it now!
For a vegan option omit the eggs and cheese and add some fried or oven baked tempeh.
Mak and Veet cauliflower soup
MAK AND VEET CAULIFLOWER SOUP
I love blended soups and my partner loves soups that are chunky and have lots of different flavours. This soup I created the other day to please us both. It worked fabulously.
1 cauliflower, cut up small including the nut
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp organic herb salt
salt and pepper to taste
filtered water to just cover the cauliflower
4 tbsp yoghurt (optional)
4 people
Heat the butter or oil in a saucepan. Add the minced garlic, cauliflower, cumin and herb salt and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower has started to break down. Turn off the heat and serve into individual bowls with a tbsp of yoghurt in each, if using.
PALAK PANEER HOME STYLE WITH SILVERBEET
This Palak Paneer is similar to the palak paneer you will find in Indian homes and not in restaurants. As it is not a blended palak, you blanch the silverbeet to retain the lovely green colour and as it isn’t overcooked the flavour is hands down better this way.
Veet’s home style palak paneer
2 bunches of silverbeet
250 g paneer cut into cubes
2 onions finely diced
2 tsp finely grated ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tomatoes finely diced (these are optional – they are not traditionally used but I like the flavour they add)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garam masala
2 chillies finely chopped
3 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
1 tsp salt and to taste
Serves: 4 if the only curry or 6 to 8 if eating with other curries
Preparation and cooking time: 35 to 45 minutes
Wash the silverbeet really well and blanch it for 3 to 5 minutes in a small amount of boiling water. Remove it from the water and let drain. In a wok slightly heat 2 tbsp of the oil and add the cumin seeds, chili, garlic, ginger and onion. Fry until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, 1 tsp salt, coriander and garam masala and cook for a few minutes. Next cut the blanched silverbeet very finely and add to the wok.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes then turn off the heat. In a frying pan fry the paneer in the remaining oil. You only need to brown two of the sides of the paneer. Drain the cooked paneer on kitchen paper. Finally Add the paneer to the silverbeet, it should be still warm but if you would like it h otter just heat up for 5 minutes or so. Serve with brown rice or millet.
WATERCRESS AND CARROT SOUP WITH COCONUT AND LEMON
I do prefer watercress raw but the flavour it creates in this soup is quite sensational. If you would like to add more protein to this soup you can add 1 cup of washed red split lentils at the same time as you add the water.
500g carrots finely diced
1 onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
4 tsp organic herb salt (or to your liking)
juice of 1 lemon
400ml coconut milk
1 bunch coriander
1 or 2 chilies,
1 bunch watercress
1 cup roughly chopped almonds
Add a small amount of cold pressed olive oil to a frying pan and fry the carrot, onion, almonds and garlic for a few minutes, add enough water to just cover the carrots etc- bring to the boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until carrots are tender, roughly chop watercress and coriander and add to the soup, also add the coconut milk, lemon and chilli, there is your soup. However if you like blended soups you can blend it before you put the coriander and watercress in. Use the coriander then as the garnish.
NEW BRIGHTON MARKET SALAD
1 bunch Denise Latham’s watercress
1 handful of pea sprouts
1 handful of sunflower sprouts
1 handful of radish sprouts
8 – 10 strawberries sliced finely
2 mandarins peeled and sliced finely
juice of ½ lime or 1 lime – up to you
a good splash of Summerland olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of roughly chopped macadamia nuts
Mix everything together and serve straight away.
All above recipes courtesy of Veet’s Cuisine
New Brighton Market salad
THE BELLY BOOK REVIEW – EATING A BOOK NO. 1 – by Sister Deanna
Wholefood Baking by Jude Blereau, Murdoch Books 2013
Author Jude Blereau has amassed a tremendous effort in putting together a book highlighting the use of wholefood ingredients to achieve a wide variety of delicious recipes. The first 60 pages of the book cover in detail baking techniques, tools, and ingredients and provide useful instructions on replacing butter, milk, yogurt, buttermilk and eggs. In the absence of “traditional” baking ingredients, she provides tips on food combining to address issues of raising, binding, and the addition of fats.
Jude’s recipes feature wholemeal and semi-refined flours and semi-refined sweeteners. Most recipes are wheat free, with a variety of gluten free options, and many are also egg and dairy free. Many recipes have a variety of options according to the reader’s preference, and wheat-free recipes often have dairy and egg-free alterations. Some recipes include butter and milk, however most recipes can be made dairy free using fat alternatives such as coconut milk, coconut oil, macadamia oil, etc., and dairy alternatives such as rice and almond milk. Apple cider vinegar features heavily throughout the book in the egg-free recipes, to interact with leavening agents (baking powder/soda) and ensure a good rise. Sweetness is achieved through the use of rapadura sugar, maple syrup, and rice syrup.
And now for the taste. In order to get a good cross section of recipes, I sampled at least one from each section of the book. All managed to have a good balance of flavours with just the right amount of sweet. The sweet, combined with the wholemeal flours, and addition of fruit and nuts in many recipes made me feel like I was doing something good for my body, rather than indulging on empty refined sugars and fats. In the main, I was trying to focus on recipes that were egg and dairy free to see just how adaptable they are to substitutions. I was pleasantly surprised. As Jude herself notes however, it is not possible for any egg substitute to provide the “moisture, richness, binding, leavening and structure” (pg. 34) of eggs. Comments from the “tasting team” (family and work colleagues) were never about the taste, as each recipe was received enthusiastically, though some did comment on the nature of the crumb, and the density of some recipes. As Jude notes in her book, many of the recipes are best eaten warm, on the day made. Trying all recipes both on the day I made them, and the following proved this to be true for many of the cake, muffin, and scone recipes, which were a bit dry (though still tasty) the next day.
Of note, two recipes in particular fooled the taste team, who could not believe they were “free” of so many ingredients: 1) Dairy-free and egg-free chocolate cupcakes (which were also wheat free) with creamy chocolate and coconut fudge icing and 2) Dark chocolate and coconut ganache tart (dairy free, egg free and wheat free) . The chocolate tart is worth a special mention, as while a lot of the recipes in the book are a tad complex (though Jude provides very thorough instructions for each recipe) the filling in the chocolate tart has got to be the easiest and one I have ever made and very tasty as well. This last statement is saying a lot, as I love my eggs and cream! An honourable mention goes to the Date and Pecan Streusel Cake. Deliciously nutty, fruity, and caramelly when served warm, and full of wholesome ingredients. The wholesome nature of this cake lends itself well to a variety of occasions, and Jude suggests perhaps even serving it for breakfast on occasion, a comment echoed by the taste team.
The only real downfall of the book is the high cost of many of the ingredients that feature in the recipes. I actually had to stop tasting as my wallet couldn’t handle it. That is not a criticism of the book per se, more a sad reflection on our society that whole foods remain so expensive. While not suitable for the family on a budget, if you have the time and passion to delve into Wholefood Baking, there is a wealth of wholesome, delicious recipes to be explored.
