Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (24 page)

A
S YOU CAN
see from the recipe list, the dishes in this chapter run the gamut of Asian cuisines—from Indian-influenced curries to Chinese-influenced meals to Southeast Asian–style dishes, all the way to a nonauthentic British curry house favorite! These are all made with my own unique twist, influenced by meals eaten in pre-vegan days.

These dishes are best served with long-grain rice, be it brown, white, jasmine, basmati, or even my Coconut Rice (
page 216
)—or in a pinch, other grains. Indian-influenced curries are also wonderful served with an Indian-style bread on the side: naan, chapatti, paratha, roti, or
papadum
. I have even had curries in the UK served with chips (fat French fries)! If you’re having an English curry house–style curry, such as Cauliflower and Cashew Korma (
page 116
), try it with French fries at least once. It is much tastier than you may think. Specific serving suggestions are given on individual recipes where warranted.

If you have leftovers, try them warmed up with Baked Garlic Potatoes (
page 214
), or cold as a filling in a wrap (with or without salad vegetables). You could also blend the dish until smooth, add a little liquid, and reheat as a “soup” (if the ingredients are suitable).

Peas, Potatoes, and Broccoli

T
HIS IS A
good illustration of how a recipe sometimes comes to be. My friend gave me a recipe for spiced chick-peas baked
en papillote
(in parchment) because she knows I am a chickpea lover. I couldn’t be bothered to make it
en papillote,
so I roasted them in a foil-covered pan after changing the spices to suit my taste. I then thought the dish needed more, so I added broccoli—which I loved, but I still felt it could use something else and decided to add a potato the next time to make it a more balanced meal. When the next time came, I didn’t have as much white potato as I wanted so I added some sweet potato. Finally, I felt I really should try it in the slow cooker, so I did, adding the green peas too. After all that, the result is super yummy with lots going on, filling enough to eat as is, and flavorful enough to serve over a grain, with bread, or in a wrap. This is a little bit like a “dry fusion curry.” If time is not an issue, cook previously soaked chickpeas in the slow cooker on the LOW setting for 8 hours or until tender, drain, rinse, and use in this recipe.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon ancho chile powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder, or cayenne

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (2 cups)

½ medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

2 tablespoons vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
), or water

½ large head broccoli, cut into small florets

½ cup frozen peas, optional

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Mix together the oil though the cinnamon in the slow cooker.

2.
Add the chickpeas through the stock; toss well to coat everything with the spices and oil, rubbing in as necessary.

3.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 3 hours, or until the potato is tender.

4.
Add the broccoli and peas. Stir well to combine. Cover, turn heat to HIGH, and cook for 30 minutes, or until the broccoli and peas are tender.

VARIATIONS:

PEAS, POTATOES, AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS

If you are all out of broccoli, try using quartered Brussels sprouts instead.

PIGEON PEAS, POTATOES, AND BROCCOLI

Replace the chickpeas with cooked pigeon peas.

Spiced Spinach and Pea Lentils

T
HIS DISH WAS
inspired in part by a wonderful meal I had on my trip to Tanzania more than a decade ago. As a vegetarian in Tanzania, I ate a great deal of spinach! On one occasion my cousin, who was living there at the time, arranged for us to eat in the home of an East Indian family. The food was fabulous, and this dish, with its aromatic spice notes, flavor pops from the peas, and earthy spinach, reminds me of that meal.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

½ cup red lentils

½ cup green or brown lentils

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¹/
₈teaspoon ground fenugreek

¹/
₈teaspoon cloves

¹/
₈teaspoon nutmeg

¹/
₈teaspoon turmeric

¹/
₈to ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

2½ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

1 cup thawed and squeezed frozen spinach (measured after squeezing), or 4 cups fresh, tightly packed

1 cup frozen green peas

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the onion through the stock in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the lentils are just tender.

3.
Add the spinach and peas; cook for 1 hour, or until tender.

4.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

5.
Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Pumpkin and Tomato Dal

P
ERFECT SERVED ALONGSIDE
naan, over rice, or even in a wrap, this warming, filling mild curry, with a smooth pumpkin flavor and tender chickpeas for textural variation, is a “set and forget” dish. It does take the full 8 hours (if not longer) to make the beans tender because they are working against the acid in the tomatoes. The dish is really thick; if you prefer a thinner, soupier dal, add stock after cooking until it reaches your desired consistency.