Category: Eating In

Cooking Invention Week: Qui-sotto (6/7)

Hello Alle Zusammen (all of you)!

Today’s invention is a really neat little trick, really! It’s a quick and dirty way of making quinoa risotto. Why quinoa? Well, to switch things up a little, of course! Quinoa also has an inherently nutty flavour, which can be interesting to those precious, little gluten-free tastebuds of yours!

The secret? Lentils. Cook the quinoa together with the lentils. They will essentially melt into your quinoa, giving your quinoa a thick and soupy texture.

Quinoa Risotto to go!
Quinoa Risotto to go!

Ingredients

  •  2 cups quinoa
  • 2 cups lentils (I use the red split ones, but you can also use beluga, brown, any kind you like, really)
  • 2 bell peppers, ideally of different colours
  • 150g of mushrooms (shitake is lovely for this recipe)
  •  2-3 stalks of scallions (and a little extra for the plating)
  • 1 medium leek
  • 2-3 stalks of chopped kale or bokchoy (or any leafy green)
  • 1 veggie stock cube (careful to get a gluten-free one!)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Wash and soak the lentils for at least 2 hours. Drain.

2. In a medium pot, put the cups of lentils and quinoa together, along with the chopped leeks, chopped scallions and salt and pepper. You can add a veggie stock cube if you want the dish to be more flavourful. Add 3-4 cups of water and start cooking for approximately 10 minutes! Stir from time to time, especially closer to the end (when there is less water). The mixture will be heavy, so don’t turn the heat up too high.

3. When the dish is almost done, add in your chopped mushrooms, chopped kale/leafy green and chopped bell peppers, in that order. Mushrooms need to cook a little, so you can even add while the rice/lentil concoction is still cooking (depending on the type of mushroom you chose for the dish).

And you’re done! A delicious, one-pot meal that has essentially all the carbs, protein and veggies you need! Enjoy!

Peace,

Daisy

Cooking Invention Week: The Amazing Tiger Nut! (4/7)

Hello My People!

Today I’d like to share with you an amazing new discovery I made: the superfood Tigernut! Tigernut or Earth Almond (English) or Chufa (Spanish) or Erdmandel (German) is very high in fiber, good fats, and magnesium, and therefore very healthy! More importantly, it’s got a slightly sweet taste, kind of like the cashew, so it’s delicious to eat!

You can read more about its benefits in this Forbes (yes, Forbes!) article.

One can use it instead of oatmeal or flour in a pie base or crumble. One can even make it into “milk,” just as one would do with cashew milk or almond milk. It’s a fantastic switch-up for the usual grains or nuts you use in your cooking.

The Tiger Nut!
The Tiger Nut! In Germany, one common brand of ground tigernut is Govinda. 
Use it as a base for pies or crumbles... or instead of regular oatmeal!
Use it as a base for pies or crumbles… or instead of regular oatmeal!

So this week’s recipe idea is just that: a tigernut base apple crumble!

Ingredients for Filling

  • 3-4 large apples (please buy organic), chopped up or sliced
  • 5 tablespoons of apple sauce (or any fruit puree really, but please go for “no sugar added” versions)
  • Optional: bananas or frozen berries (for texture and flavour)
  • Optional: Nuts and/or raisin

Ingredients for Crust/Base

  • 2 cups of tigernut meal (you can mix it with oatmeal – final quantity should be the same, i.e. 2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of water (or any nut milk)

Method

1. Mix the tigernuts with the olive oil and water. You don’t need to over-mix it – just ensure that the liquid is more or less equally spread out over the grains.

2. If you’re using it as a base, spread it on the botton of your 21cm x 15cm pan. If you’re using it as a crumble topping, sprinkle on top of the filling when you’re done assembling the filling.

3. Mix the chopped apples with the other ingredients and spread in your pan.

4. If you’re making a crumble, spread the mixture on top. If you just really like tigernuts or oats, make two batches and have both a base and a crumble top! This is all about you, babe! 🙂

Enjoy a sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan. super-delicious dessert! No added sugar at all, unless of course, you’re gonna eat this with some yummy vegan ice-cream!

Peace,

Daisy