Green quinoa salad

A vegan diet can be a healthy diet. Often healthier than most realize. I’ve noticed that vegans love their greens. For instance parsley, and in particular Italian flat-leaf parsley, is one of the all-time favourite herbs. We also find different associations for parsley in all cultures. In the Jewish celebration of Passover, parsley is seen as a symbol of spring and rebirth. Conversely, the Ancient Greeks didn’t cook with parsley as they associated it with death but used it in burial garlands.

Legend has it that Catharine de Medici introduced parsley to France and popularised this herb in the French cuisine.

Because of the long germination period of the seeds, it was believed that these had to travel to hell and back seven times before sprouting. You can imagine why this Soycerer is so fond of parsley!

Since ancient times parsley is known for its medicinal powers. It was used for digestive disorders, bronchitis and infections, and as a kind of recipe in cure-alls. Modern science has confirmed that indeed it is a health-giving herb and has wide application. Parsley is rich in vitamins (particularly A and C) and minerals and removes toxins from the body. Parsley reduces inflammations, contains antioxidants and histamine inhibitors. Parsley is a great breath freshener as well.

In short, great in taste and good for health, beautiful in salads, for example this green quinoa salad.

Ingredients:

-        250 gr quinoa (half white, half red)

-        500 ml water

-        ½  tablespoon olive oil for frying onion

-        1 small onion, sliced thinly

-        ¼ teaspoon salt

-        ½ teaspoon cumin powder

-        50 gr pistachio, coarsely chopped

-        2 spring onions, sliced thinly

-        1-2 fresh green Spanish peppers, deseeded, sliced thinly

-        50 gr rocket

-        20 gr Italian flat leaf parsley

-        20 gr coriander

-        1 tablespoon fresh dragon

-        1½ tablespoon fresh dill

-        1 ½  tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

-        1 ½  tablespoon olive oil for dressing

-        Juice of 1 lemon

-        Salt to taste

-        100 gr cooked butter beans

Method:

Bring the water to a boil, add quinoa, bring to a boil again, cover and reduce heat. Cook until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and can easily be fluffed with a fork, about 15 minutes. Let the quinoa cool.

Heat the oil, fry the onion until light brown, add cumin and salt, remove from heat.

Chop the herbs finely.

Roast the pistachio and chop coarsely

Cut the spring onions in thin rings.

Mix the cooled quinoa with olive oil and lemon juice.

Toss the quinoa with the herbs, spring onions and rocket.

Stir in the butter beans and pistachios.

Add fried onions with the oil in which they were fried with the cumin and salt. Mix well.

Add more salt to taste.

Cool for at least one hour.

Enjoy the salad on a warm summer evening with a cool glass of mint and lemon water. By the way, mint is also known for its very high antioxidant capacity. 

Quick green (laird) lentil soup

Some dishes are really easy and quick to prepare. Something you wouldn’t  expect from lentils, to be so easy to prepare and on the table within 30 minutes.

However, although some dishes, even when speaking of a sandwich, can be prepared within minutes, this does not mean that one should eat them fast or carelessly. For many reasons, I think it is important to take time and attention to eat. Let’s say, always eat your food with a generous helping of mindfulness. 

Good for your digestion and good for your mind, it enables you to relax. Of course it is easy to relax at a full dinner table, but one should treat lunch at work with the same mindfulness. We’re all talking about the stress at work, the rate at which society urges us to live. And for what? To get a burn-out? To get indigestion from eating too hastily? If there is a secret to staying happy and relaxed at work and diminish the risk of a burn-out, it is taking your time to eat at lunch time, not at your desk, move away from your desk and go to another room or outside and encourage your colleagues to join you.

Green (laird) lentil soup

Ingredients

150 gr green laird lentils

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Provençal herbs

¼ teaspoon savoury (sarriette).

Salt to taste (around ½ teaspoon)

½ teaspoon rice syrup (substitute with honey)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Method

Wash the lentils (and if you have time, soak for 4 hours). Cover lentils with cold water (about 3 cm above the lentils), bring to a boil, scoop off the froth. Add Provençal herbs and savoury.

Boil lentils on a low flame until soft and the consistency of the soup is a slightly thick.

Check in between if more water is needed.

Fry onions.

When lentils are very soft add salt, pepper, fried onions and rice syrup, boil for one minute.

Turn off heat and leave stand until served.

Tastes great with mash potatoes with olive oil or plain rice. And for a full meal: complement it with red cabbage and a cucumber salad.

By the way: this recipe has nothing to do with lunch, but everything with speed and mindfulness!

Lentils and the wonders of identity

When I speak about lentil soup, I mostly take for granted that lots of people have no idea about the enormous variety of lentils and the different ways of preparation. Being very familiar with the Indian vegetarian kitchen, the food and ingredients have grown on me and, like many Indians, I also have a special liking for dal-bhat (lentil soup with rice), though not on a daily basis. It is simple, healthy and provides a full complement of proteins required by the body.  

The traditional Indian and Nepalese meal consists of dal-bhat, vegetables and some side dishes. Nutrition apart, this combination often functions as an identity marker. It signifies the distinct identity of Indians and Nepalis who stick to their culture and traditions. It is the food that offers comfort away from home. It’s food that brings people together. The kind of food that nourishes body, mind and community. Also Indians in the Caribbean (no not the indigenous but the descendants of the indentured labourers), express their identity as Indians, when saying ‘we like our dal-bhat’. Thereby stating that they stick to their simple but authentic food, to their own, inherited, traditions.  

Channa dal

And it is simple to cook. Below one of my favourite recipes. If I have the time I use channa dal since that needs to be soaked and pressure cooked. But it also tastes great with either red split lentils or toor dal.  

Yellow dal

Ingredients:

grated tomatoes

150 gr channa dal*, soaked overnight

3 cups water

200 gr. tomatoes (is 2 medium sized tomatoes), 1 grated, 1 roasted, peeled and cut into cubes

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped

For tempering:

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 pinch asafetida (hing)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

12 curry leaves

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Method

Pressure cook the soaked channa dal* with salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric in 3 cups of water to one whistle and simmer for 12 minutes (*instead of channa dal (lentils), you can use small red split lentils (without soaking) or toor (arhar) dal/lentils (soaked for 30 minutes) as these can be cooked in half an hour). 

grated tomato and grated ginger

Open the pan after the pressure has dropped and check if the lentils are well cooked, otherwise cook until soft. Add water if needed.

Add the grated and cubed tomatoes, ginger and coriander leaves and bring to a boil.

Transfer to a pan to serve.

 

Tempering

Heat the sunflower oil in a small frying pan, add the asafetida, add cumin seeds and curry leaves, and cook till the seeds start jumping.

Remove from heat and add chilli powder.

Pour the tempering over the lentil soup and serve hot (immediately after tempering).

Enjoy with rice and a good vegetable curry!

Share and relate: a multisensory experience - post Covid-19 reconnecting!

‘People are people by other people’. My interpretation for this Xhosa adage is that ‘people are relational by design’ ( the object-relations theory). With this we recognize that as human beings we are just a cog in the wheel and do not exist without relations. And we should recognize as well that all living beings are part of this wheel. Realizing that we cannot exist without each other, asks for respect for all living beings and the world we live in. Think about the dreadful idea of what would happen if bees went extinct! 

There are many ways to relate to each other. Here, I rather focus on positive ways. We can share in a concert and listen to music. For me, and I know this is often impossible, I prefer the intimacy of a house concert instead of a big concert hall. It seems that musicians are more inspired in their performance as they connect more easily with the audience on a small scale.

Music and food seem a match made in heaven, considering their long history (just search the internet for more info) in inspiring one another. Both enhance building relationships, bringing them together can only have an inspiring outcome.

A houseconcert (click the link for an example) followed by sharing a meal is the recipe for having a wonderful time together and strengthening society on a very small scale. Sweet sounds followed by sweet food make a concert a true multisensory experience!

On such an occasion, I would serve a rice dish, for instance a tasty vegetable pulao.

Vegetable pulao

Ingredients:

450 gr Basmati rice

9 dl water

1 onion, medium sized, chopped

2,5 cm cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

6 cloves, freshly ground 

1 teaspoon cumin seed

 6 small green cardamom, freshly ground

12 curry leaves

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

½ teaspoon grated garlic

150 gr peas

100 gr French beans, sliced

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin seed, ground

Salt to taste ( ½ to 1 teaspoon)

2 table spoons lemon juice

100 ml sunflower oil

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing

Method

 

Wash the rice and soak in 9dl water for 30 minutes.

Heat sunflower oil in a pan and fry cumin seed and chopped onion 2-3 minutes.

Add curry leaves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, ginger and garlic; mix well. Cook for one minute on medium heat.

Add peas and French beans, mix well.

Now add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, powdered cumin seed and salt. 

Strain the rice, keep the water  aside. Mix the rice with the spices and vegetables.

Add the (soak) water, do n­ot stir. Bring to boil and let it boil on a low fire for 14 minutes, until the rice is cooked. During cooking, do not stir. 

When ready sprinkle lemon.

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Enjoy!