My Legume Love Affair #96 - June Edition 2016

I'm excited to host My Legume Love Affair this month. As lots of my readers will understand, that is an extended jogging event focusing on the goodness of legumes, started with the aid of lovely Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and now administered by me of Lisa's Kitchen. Each month we have a unique host however it's my turn now for the month of June. We are at edition #96 this month. I sit up for more legume recipes as legumes are an essential and considerable source of protein, specially if you are a vegetarian or vegan.

It is straightforward to participate. All you want to do is prepare a legume-centric dish. Link lower back to this declaration, my weblog and additionally Susan's blog, as she is the authentic founding father of the event. Share your introduction the usage of the linky tool on the cease of this submit with the aid of the stop of the month. Use of the adorable brand, designed by way of Susan, is elective, but preferred.

Only one entry according to blogger please and it should be vegetarian. Recipes from files will handiest be established if reposted and updated with the links required.

For your dish to be protected within the roundup, it ought to include greater than only a few tablespoons of legumes. The mild exception to this are legumes along with fenugreek or tamarind that typically are utilized in smaller quantities. Fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and the from time to time edible pods that incorporate those seeds, and spinoff products including tofu or besan, together with fenugreek, carob, and peanuts are all suitable. The possibilities are infinite. Please simply make sure that your shining component is in truth a member of the legume family. All styles of cuisines and publications are welcome, meaning appetizers, sides, mains and cakes are all suited as long as the strong legume is the important thing element.

Thanks earlier in your participation and inspiration. I am searching out guest hosts for 2016. Send me an e-mail at legume.Lisa AT gmail DOT com or go away a touch upon this post in case you would love to host. I nonetheless have a few spots left for this year.

Vegan Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay

I have not made broccoli Mornay for a while, but it's a conventional baked cheese and vegetable casserole. Oddly sufficient, even though, I dreamed about this dish the opposite night time, giving me an instant yearning. But this time around, I wasn't content material to make the traditional Cheddar version ? An excessive amount of cheese has proved no longer to be too properly for my tummy these days. But I've had great fulfillment these days "veganizing" vintage cheese-and-vegetable requirements with the assist of sauces made with cashews and nutritional yeast. These are a wonderful substitute for cheese, and far higher in every way than rubbery vegan cheese-like products crafted from soy!

I become particularly thrilled with the result, and so have been my dinner partners who notion it might had been even higher than the authentic Cheddar version. This creamy casserole crowned with a golden crunchy cornmeal and chopped nut topping ended up tasting cheesy with none real cheese. It's a really perfect facet vegetable dish, especially whilst served with plump goat cheese biscuits. Rice is likewise an awesome desire, along with your favored legume dish.

Other casseroles to enjoy from my kitchen:

Creamy Chickpea, Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole

Azuki Bean Casserole

Southern-Style Eggplant and Potato Casserole with Chickpeas

Gigantes Bean Tomato Casserole

Chickpea Olive Salad with Za'atar and Cherry Tomatoes

With temperatures soaring at the stop of May, a easy salad become just what I wanted for dinner. Of route, simple could be very regularly the tastiest, mainly when it is easy that you want and you are the usage of remarkable elements. I've been taking part in locating ways to use za'atar these days ? A rather fragrant and uniquely scrumptious Middle Eastern mixture of dried herbs, sesame seeds and salt, za'atar goes wonderfully nicely with tangy foods like tomatoes as well as with bread. So replacement bread for buttery soft chickpeas, toss within the cherry tomatoes and some olives for appropriate measure and za'atar. There you've got an smooth and honestly amazing summer time salad.

Pre-blended za'atar is a great deal extra usually observed in supermarkets now than before, as well as in Middle Eastern grocers, but it's also very smooth to make at domestic using the clean dried herbs you've got accessible.

Other chickpea salads to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:

Chickpea Salad with Vegan Mayonnaise

Chickpea Salad with Chat Masala, Mango and Pomegranate Seeds

Summer Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad with Tamarind Dressing

Cannellini Bean and Asparagus Salad with Mushrooms

After an uncommonly cool spring, it's miles abruptly blazing warm right here in southwestern Ontario. So this means that salads are so as, each to cool and refresh the palate and to keep away from soaring over a hot range for lengthy intervals of time. This surprising warmness wave additionally takes place to coincide with the start of asparagus season right here, and that occurs to be my husband's favorite vegetable.

Asparagus is delicious on its personal with only a little lemon juice and salt, of route, but it additionally pairs wonderfully with simple flavors as a backdrop ? Assume potatoes, for example. For this salad, gentle cannellini beans serve as the backdrop to a serving of lightly steamed crunchy asparagus tossed in a energetic and creamy lemon, tarragon and grainy mustard dressing. And mushrooms are my weak spot, so I brought them into the mixture. It all comes collectively for a easy but stylish and pleasurable summer time meal, served up with a few crusty bread.

This is my contribution to No Croutons Required. A month-to-month event showcasing vegetarian soups and salads, alternately hosted via Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and myself. It is my flip to host this month.

Other salads to enjoy this summer:

Chickpea Salad with Vegan Mayonnaise

Black Bean Salad with Fresh Mango and a Chaat Masala Dressing

Classic Greek Salad Revisited

Thai Coconut Mango Quinoa Salad

Bisi Bele Bhath (Rice with Lentils and Spices)

This combination of rice, toor dal, vegetables and spices is largely a south Indian version of north Indian kitcheree ? The classic one-pot meal ? With the usage of tamarind, coconut, aromatic spices and a tempering feature of south Indian cooking. The bisi bele spice blend is a alternatively precise and wonderfully fragrant combination of coriander, fenugreek, dried chiles and cinnamon that may be a snap to make up. A fragrant and warming dish with a piece of warmth and a delightful candy and bitter flavor, bisi bele bhath is all you want for a fulfilling and nourishing meal. Throw in some crunchy vegetables and roasted cashews for a nutty taste, bisi bele bhath is a south Indian consolation meals and gentle for gentle tummies.

There are some steps to this recipe however it's totally worth the attempt as you get a entire meal to your effort. The bisi bele masala or spice combo is available commercially at Indian grocers, however grinding your very own blend at home continually provide you with the hottest spice combination experience. I've used carots and inexperienced beans for the greens in this model, but sense free to experiment with other greens together with okra.

Other rice dishes to revel in:

Coconut Rice with Fragrant Seeds and Spices

Indian Lemon Brown Rice

Indian Lentil and Rice Pancakes

Indian Yellow Rice

4 Ingredient Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups

Before I moved faraway from processed sugar and save-bought treats, Reese's peanut butter cups used to be a weakness of mine. Now that I actually have found out more about making healthful treats in my very own kitchen, particularly healthy raw delights, I can still enjoy the flavor of peanut butter and chocolate with out the guilt.

No food processor is required to make those uncooked delights, and satisfactory of all, there are best four components, unless you want to depend a little dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of sea salt as substances. These superb and no longer-too-candy chocolate and peanut butter treats maintain nicely in the freezer for a good few days. They are without a doubt instead filling, making them an excellent protein-packed light breakfast on the run or as a snack each time the yearning hits. I actually have a weak spot for peanut butter, but in case you want, you can use almond or cashew butter alternatively. Using a quality darkish chocolate is fundamental for the recipe. Inferior chocolate just might not do.

Other raw peanut butter treats to experience from Lisa's Kitchen:

Raw Peanut Butter Fudge

Raw Peanut Butter Cocoa Maple Squares

Raw Peanut Butter Truffles

Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Nut Squares

On the top of the studying stack: Choosing Raw: Making Raw Foods Part of the Way You Eat

Tamarind Broth with Puréed Toor Dal and Spices

A heat wave has once again enveloped Ontario, and that means lighter meals are in order. I've been serving a lot of salads lately, and wanted something fairly light, but different. A craving for Indian creations got me searching for some new ideas.

The first book I flipped through was Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries , and all of the other books simply sat on the shelf as I knew what I was going to make pretty much right away. Certainly one of the most cherished cookbooks on my shelf and one that I always recommend to friends and family wanting to know more about Indian cooking. Mr. Iyer provides a treasure trove of recipes that always work out perfectly and are easy to adapt to the cook's preferences. Each time I flip through the book, I find more and more ideas to try. The book is not vegetarian, but with 660 recipes, vegetarians will never run out of ideas.

This time I went with an easy sweet and hot tamarind broth cooked with earthy toor dal and spices. This broth makes its presence known with the complexity it imparts to the palate. Thinner than the English version of mulligatawny soups so often found in Indian restaurants in this part of the world — thickened with the addition of vegetables and sometimes meat — this is a classic "pepper and water" soup much closer to traditional south Indian creations that consist mainly of just water, pepper and spices. I added a tomato to the broth for extra tanginess and depth, a small shallot for a bit of sweetness and texture, and hot chilies for some added heat. It's a soothing and comforting soup that, served over fresh cooked white rice or Indian flat breads, makes for one trouble-free summer meal.

Note: Tamarind has a unique taste profile, as it is tart, sweet and sour with robust flavor. You don't need much for the tamarind flavor to come through. If you can't find or don't have tamarind, you can use lime juice sweetened with a bit of coconut sugar. The dish will not be quite as rich in flavor, but good nonetheless.

This is my contribution to My Legume Love Affair, a monthly event featuring the mighty legume. Started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and now administered by me, and kindly hosted this month by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds.

Other dishes featuring tamarind you are sure to enjoy:

Tamarind Potatoes with Spices (Imli Aloo)

Indian-Style Potato and Pea Salad with Tamarind and Chat Masala

Chickpeas in a Creamy Coconut Tamarind Gravy

Tamarind and Coconut Pulao Rice