Hailing from Egypt, Ful Mudames, to my Western palate has a flavour that is reminicsent to pea soup - just as hearty and savoury!  It's much thicker and goes well with rice.  Make sure to add the garnish included in this recipe - it makes the dish!


FUL MEDAMES

Time: 1 Hour      |      Servings: 4      |      Difficulty: Low


3 28oz cans Fava Beans (aka Broad Beans), drained and rinsed
3 cups water
2 bouillon cubes
dash of soy sauce (optional)
Salt/pepper to taste

6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

In a large pot, add fava beans, bouillon cubes, water and soy sauce (if using).  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Leave covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a food processor combine all remaining ingredients and pulse into a thick paste.

Remove lid from fava beans, and allow water to reduce for another 15 minutes.  Using a potato masher, mash fava beans until it is thick, chunky paste.  Taste, season with salt/pepper to taste.

Top with garlic mixture, and enjoy with rice!

Macaroni Bechamel

With a name like "Macaroni Bechamel" chances are you wouldn't conclude this dish is Egyptian.  Not only is it Egyptian, it is one of the most intrinsically "Egyptian" dishes to eat!  This, and Kusheri (aka Koshari).

Only by coincidence am I cooking Egyptian food while the political unrest erupts in Egypt.  As you know, I have a passion for world food, and I am still in my "Africa" phase.  I've got many more Egyptian, and Moroccan dishes to come!  Also from all over central Africa too.

Apologies for the lack of pictures - I am going to try to get these up as soon as possible.  We've moved and it has been a crazy busy time!

Some notes about this dish - I usually write down "preferred protein" because honestly recipes are for personalization, in my belief - therefore I say "whatever works"!  However, I do strongly recommend for this dish to use veggie burger crumbles, pulsed seitan or textured vegetable protein as they hold together well.

This recipe uses a few pots (about 4, minimum) - I truly tried to make this use less pots, but for efficiency, there is no other option.

Take care everyone!


MACARONI BECHAMEL

Time:    2 Hours      |       Servings:  6      |     Difficulty:  Medium


3/4 lb macaroni

1 lb preferred protein, ground or pulsed, if applicable.
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon thyme, fresh (or 1/4 dried)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon oil

salt, pepper to taste

4 cups nondairy milk
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1/2 all purpose flour
salt, pepper to taste



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to instructions, drain and put back in pot. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat oil on medium and add onions.  Saute until translucent and add garlic and parsley.  Cook until fragrant, and add protein, heating through.  Add crushed tomatoes, thyme, cinnamon and salt/pepper.  If needed, reduce this mixture until it is thick.  Set aside.

In a stock pot, heat Earth Balance on medium heat and add flour.  Whisk continuously until flour is bubbling slightly.  Whisk for 1-2 minutes.  Add nondairy milk and vegetable broth in continuous, even streams.  Continue whisking and add nutritional yeast and soy sauce; sauce will become very thick. 

Add 1/2 of the bechamel sauce to the macaroni.  Stir to combine and in baking dish (lasagna dish or dutch oven recommended), add 1/2 of the macaroni.

On the macaroni layer, add all of the protein/tomato mixture.  Add remaining macaroni on top.

Pour the remaining bechamel sauce over the entire dish.  Bake in oven, uncovered, until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Ndole (Cameroonian Bitterleaf Soup)

Other than my mom's famous low-fat veggie soup, this is Daniel's new favourite soup.  SO easy too.

A very peculiar but delicious combination you will find in African cooking, especially Western, is tomato and peanut.  It may sound odd, but together these two foods create a flavour that is unique and tasty.  Actually, the combination is even difficult to imagine, as they change each other's flavour so substantially - so what you imagine it tastes like, may not be even close to what it does taste like.  All the more reason to give it a try.

Bitterleaf is a special leafy green that is found in Africa, unfortunately I have not found any here.  Kale is the next best thing, so it is used in this recipe.



NDOLE


Time:  45 min     |     Servings:  6      |      Difficulty:  Low

Ingredient

2 bunches kale, deveined and chopped into small pieces
1 lb preferred protein, such as beans, tempeh, seitan - pulsed if applicable
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, organic recommended as they cook best
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, including leaves, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 can pickled jalapenos, finely diced
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons oil


Preparation

Heat oil in stock pot (or deep pot) and add onions and celery.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add protein, garlic and jalapenos, cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, except peanut butter.

Simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until kale is tender.  Stir in peanut butter.

Serve and enjoy.


Recommendations:  Eat with Fufu!

Mesir Wat and Injera (aka Ethiopian Lentils and Flatbread)

Last month was "African" month... trying recipes from all over the continent - mainly from Western Africa (Ghana, Cameroon, Morocco).  SO delicious!

Here is a recipe for Mesir Wat, Ethiopian Lentils - sweet, spicy and delicious, served with injera, the staple flat bread.  African food is simply a revelation.

Technically speaking, injera should be used as a utensil and served with the lentils on top - eat it with your hands!  But of course, Daniel and I tried this once and then decided to use utensils.  :)

The lentils are great on plain rice, or even with naan, etc - if you'd rather buy some bread than make it.

A last note - most Ethiopian (or Eritrean) food uses a special spiced-infused-butter called Niter Kibbeh - I have made it before and it is excellent - however, to avoid the work of making it (you need to simmer whole spices in the butter for an hour) I have made a short cut - using ground spices and gently simmering them in butter for a couple minutes. 



MESIR WAT with INJERA


Time: 45 min      |      Servings:  4      |      Difficulty: Low


Ingredients

2 cups red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground fenegreek
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt, to taste

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Teff flour
1.5 cup cold water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
Oil for frying


Preparation

In a pot, heat Earth Balance over medium heat - add all ground spices.  Stir continuously until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add onions and continue cooking until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Bring heat to high, add lentils and stock.  Bring to a boil and turn down head to low to simmer.  Cover and allow to cook for 30 minutes, or until lentils are fully cooking.  You don't need to stir.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium and drizzle oil (make sure the pan is well oiled; nonstick is ideal).  In a bowl, mix flours, baking powder, oil and water.  Mix until just combined - the consistency should be thinner than pancake mix so add more water if needed.

Pour a 1/2 cup into pan.  It will bubble.  You do not need to flip injera.  When the sides pop up and the top looks cooked, place aside.  Continue preparing the rest of batter this way.  Watch the heat; make sure it on medium or lower, as the bottom may burn if you don't watch.

Serve cooked lentils on top of injera and enjoy.

Papa a la Huancaina

Coming from a Peruvian background, I am going to venture into veganizing a few quintessential Peruvian dishes, like this one.  It's creamy, savoury and so satisfying.  Paired with a tangy, dark flavour like Grilled Smoked Tofu - you are looking at one delicious meal.

"Papa a la Huancaina" means "Huancayo styled potatoes" with Huancayo being a region in Peru.

A curious bit of info, as Peru is "birthplace" of the potato, the word "potato" comes from the Quechua (language of the Inca) word for potato, "papa", and also is where the Spanish word "papa" comes from, like papas fritas.


Papa a la Huancaina (with caramelized smoked tofu)

Time:  45 minutes (plus 24 hour chill)      |      Servings: 4      |      Difficulty:  Low


Ingredients
2 containers Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese"
5 bell peppers, either red or yellow, or a combo, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon preferred vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic/onion powder
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1 lb potatoes, favourite kind, boiled whole and sliced

2 packages smoked tofu, cut into strips
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon preferred vegetable oil

Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Chopped tomato, for garnish (optional)


Preparation
Begin by heating oil in a frying pan on medium-high. Add bell peppers and onion, and cook until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 5 minutes longer.

In a blender, add bell pepper mixture, cream cheese, non-dairy milk, and spices.  Blend until a smooth consistency is reached. Add more non-dairy milk if a thinner consistency is desired.

Place in a bowl, tupperwear, etc, and allow to chill overnight in the refrigerator.

When sauce is ready, place potatoes in a pot of  salted cold water, and bring up to boil.  Boil until tender with a fork, about 45 minutes for medium sized potatoes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, coat strips of smoked tofu with soy sauce, syrup and sriracha.  Allow to marinade for 15-30 minutes.  Sautee in a pan with oil on medium-high heat, using marinade liquid to deglaze while becoming caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Be careful not to burn.

Slice potatoes and drizzle with Huancaina sauce, serve with caramelized smoked tofu. Garnish with chopped tomato and cilantro, if desired.

Middle Eastern-Inspired Phyllo Triangles with Dill Sauce

(Had to repost this because I was having major formatting issues in the original post.  Apologies for repeats!)

I've labelled this recipe as "World Class Vegan" and under medium difficulty due to the length it takes (1.5 hours) and the use of phyllo. Phyllo is actually very easy to work with, but it does take practice. I've added instructions below.

Middle Eastern-Inspired Phyllo Triangles with Dill Sauce

Time: 1.5 Hours      |      Yield: 8 Servings (Pastries) |      Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

2 cans soybeans

3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 large onions
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach (optional)

1 pack phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread
2 tablespoons water, hot
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 soy creamer
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon


Preperation

Begin with preheating oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a deep skillet (or pot) on medium-high.

Coarsely peel and chop onion, and pulse in food processor until they are finely chopped. Add to skillet, and sauté. Meanwhile, add garlic to processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to onions and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

Pulse cherry tomatoes in food processor until coarsely chopped and add to onion mixture. Drain and rinse soy beans, coarsely chop in food processor and add to tomato mixture. Cook until it reaches a boil and turn heat to medium-low and add vinegar, almond butter, and spices. Continue cooking at a simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until soybeans are tender. Add spinach, if using, during the last 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool, 10-15 minutes.

After mixture has cooled, begin preparing phyllo dough. Unwrap and lay flat - be careful, phyllo can be delicate and easy to break. With a sharp knife, cut the entire square in half, lengthwise.

Mix oil and water in a bowl. Carefully take 1-2 layers of phyllo and place on clean surface. Using a pastry brush, sparingly brush with oil/water mixture. Make sure to mix the oil and water well before applying to the phyllo. Add another 1-2 layers of phyllo, doing this 3 times in total. Pay special attention to properly aligning the dough - but don't worry if you're off. Once you layers are done, simply take a knife and cut along the edge of the dough to make clean sides. Done properly, you will see a long rectangle before you. The phyllo should be facing you lengthwise.

As the steps to making phyllo triangles can seem daunting, and the instructions are terribly long, here is a great link to a video which shows you how to do it. In the video the cook makes non-vegan spanikopida, but the phyllo directions stay the same! Click here. I’d like to point out that she cuts the phyllo in 3 (width wise), where we are cutting them in 2 (lengthwise), as we are making larger triangles. Also, the cook folds away from her – I personally find it easier to fold towards. Try both ways and continue with whatever feels comfortable for you.

Repeat the steps until 8 triangles are formed, or until filling is used up. When done, mix Earth Balance with hot water and melt together. Heat in microwave if needed.

Using pastry brush, glaze the top of each triangle liberally with sugar mixture, binding any loose edges of phyllo. Place triangles on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Meanwhile, finely chop dill and mix with remaining ingredients. Chill while waiting for phyllo triangles to bake.

When ready, allow triangles to cool for 15 minutes, then serve with dill sauce.