Vindaloo masala daal with carrots and spinach + courgette raja with mint

This recipe is inspired by a man with a spice mix stand in the small village Agonda in the Indian province Goa. He told me he made the best home made masala there is. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try his version - but tried my very best to remember each and every word he said when he explained how to make it. The result is right here below!

Vindaloo masala daal with carrots and spinach + courgette raja with mint

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

1-2 Tbsp vindaloo curry (to taste)

1 Tbsp ground turmeric

2 garlic cloves

1 aubergine

400 grams crushed tomatoes

8 dl / 3 1/3 cups water

3 dl / 1.2 cups red lentils

400 grams carrots

8 dried organic apricots

1 handful of fresh parsley + extra for serving

100 grams organic fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Courgette raja with mint

1/2 courgette

5 dl / 2 cups natural unsweetened plant yoghurt

1 handful of fresh mint

1 pinch of chiliflakes

salt och freshly ground black pepper

How to

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the aubergine and cut in to pieces. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the vindaloo mix, turmeric, onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant and the onion has soften.You might want to add 1-2 Tbsp of water if it feels too dry.

Add aubergine, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes, until the aubergine is soft. Mix everything until smooth using an immersion blender.

Scrub and slice the carrots. Chop the apricots. Add to the saucepan together with lentils. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, until you get a very creamy daal. Maybe add a bit more water if it feels too dry. Remove from heat and add the parsley and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.

Let the daal sit for at least 20 minutes before servering. Serve with extra spinach and rajta only, or with both + some wild rice/black rice/brown rice!

Recipe was first published in The Gothenburg-Post/Två dagar

Lentil cracker with seeds and rolled oats

A staple which can vary in so many different ways! Depending on what seeds or nuts + flour I have at home my crackers always look different. This one though, with red lentils, have become one of my absolute favourites! Why? The lentils make the crackers if possible even more crisp - try for yourself!

My favourite way to serve them is with some kind of spread - you find a few of my favourites when scrolling though my recipes here on my website!

Lentil cracker with seeds and rolled oats

2 small trays

Ingredients

1 dl / 0.8 cups red lentils, soaked over night or for at least 8 hours

1 dl / 0.8 cups pepitas or pumpkin seeds

1 dl / 0.8 cups flaxseeds

1 dl / 0.8 cups rolled oats

1 dl / 0.8 cups oat flour

1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 1/2 Tbsp psyllium husk

1/2 tsp salt

2 dl water

2 Tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil

How to

Soak the lentils, then rinse. Mix all the dry ingredients and the lentils in a bowl. Bring the water to a boil, pour over the dry mix together with the oil. Mix until a dough.

Divide the dough in two. Roll out, until very thin, between two pieces of parchment paper. Put on two baking trays. Let sit on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes.

Pre heat the oven to 150°C fan / 300°F fan. Bake the two trays in the oven for 30 minuter, carefully then turn the whole cracker thing around and bake for another 10 minutes, until dry and crisp. Let cool and indulge!!

Recipe was first published in The Gothenburg-Post/Två dagar

Carrot- and tomato soup with red lentils and quinoa

With a high speed blender at home you can not only make creamy nut butters, smooth smoothies, sauces, dressings, ice creams, hummus in minimum amount of time - you can also make a delicious soup in almost no time at all. Mix your raw veggies until completely smooth, then just transfer to a saucepan and let the whole thing simmer for a couple of minutes. READY! Add some kind of topping (can be shaved veggies, beans, nuts or seeds or quinoa as I have here) for a even more hearty soup. I also added some red lentils, if you want to do the same and are using soaked + sprouted ones you can just add them without any extra simmering, but it you're using raw ones you would want to simmer for about 10 minutes, on low heat. 

In this recipe I use carrots and tomatoes as the base for the soup - but you could also add fennel, parsnip, pumpkin or whatever you find in you fridge. You could also make a green soup with broccoli, peas, spinach etc. Feel free to vary the soup depending on what you're craving at the moment! Also, this is a clever recipe if you want to make a smaller amount of soup, to serve one or two. Just use half of everything! 

 

Carrot- and tomato soup with red lentils and quinoa

Serves 4

Ingredients

600 g carrots

400 g tomatoes (or same amount crushed tomatoes, without citric acid)

1 small red onion

1 garlic clove

4 dried organic apricots

1 liter water

1 tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar 

2 dl / 0.8 US cups red lentils (optional, preferably soaked + sprouted)

1 handful fresh herbs of your choice 

unrefined sea salt or mountain salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Topping

2 dl / 0.8 US cups cooked red quinoa (optional)

250 g cocktail or plum tomatoes in different colors

1/2 dl / 0.2 US cups hemp seeds 

1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped

How to

Wash and slice the carrots in to smaller pieces. Cube the tomatoes. Peel the onion and cut in to smaller pieces. Put in a high speed blender with apricots and water, blend until completely smooth. I use one of the three timed blend cycle buttons (35 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds - I use the 90 seconds one for soups like this) on my Omniblend high speed blender to make sure the soup gets really creamy. Add some water if the soup is too thick (especially if you want to add red lentils in the next step, as the lentils will absorb some of the water). 

Transfer to saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add 2 dl red lentils (soaked over night + sprouted for 24 hours) and let simmer for about 2 minutes*.

Wash and cut the tomatoes in half. Toss together with the parsley and quinoa.

Pour the soup in to 4 bowls, top with the quoinoamix and hemp seeds.

* If you're using raw red lentils let simmer for about 10 minutes, until soft but still "al dente".

Creamy lentil stew with butternut squash and kale

The perfect seasonal stew, warming and hearty - and delicious! I often make a big batch that will last for days - plus the flavours seems to develop even more when you let it sit for a day or so which makes it the perfect lunch box food.

The trick to get a really delicious dhal is to use A LOT of spices, as they are filled with both flavour and nutrition! If you don't want to get a lot of different spices to make the spice blend below you can also buy a ready made curry mix that you like and use that instead. Use the same amount as below, or according to your taste. You could also make your own blend of what ever spices you have at home. I think it's a good idea to make a big batch of the spice blend, imagine having your own curry spice mix for occasions like this! Remember - there are endless ways to variate a lentil dhal!

Creamy lentil stew with butternut squash and kale

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 dl red lentils

1 onion

1 garlic clove

300 gram butternut squash, peeled

1/2 dl organic raisins

7 dl water

4 dl coconut milk

200 gram kale

2 handfuls of fresh parsley

tbsp cold pressed coconut oil

salt and freshy ground black pepper

Spice blend

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper 

1/2 tsp ground clove 

For serving

wild rice

plant based yoghurt

fresh parsley 

chiliflakes 

How to

Cook the wild rice according to instructions on the packaging. Mix the spice blend. Rinse the lentils. 

Cut the pumpkin in smaller chunks. Cut away the thick bottom steam part of the black kale, tear the leafs in to smaller pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. 

Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion and garlic until soft ang fragrant. Add the spices and fry for another minute. Add lentils, butternut squash, raisins, water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until a really creamy stew with soft lentils and tender butternut squash. You might want to add a bit more water to get the desired creaminess. Stir every now and then. Add the kale and parsley and remove from the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a bit before serving. 

Serve with wild rice, plant based yoghurt, extra parsley and chiliflakes.

* This is a recipe from “Två Dagar” distributed by Göteborgs-Posten in October 2016. “Två dagar” was produced by contant agency OTW. Recipe, styling and photo by me. 

Curried carrot and coconut soup - with courgette and parsley topping

This pretty thing, a creamy soup to lighten up the darker season that awaits here up in the north, is exactly what I need this time of year. The moment of cuddling up in the sofa with a warming, nourishing and comforting bowl of soup in my hands, looking out over a landscape with the most colourful leaves is one of my favourite things about the autumn. 

 

Curried carrot and coconut soup - with courgette and parsley topping

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tbsp paprika powder 

1/2 tsp chili flakes 

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger 

5 big carrots

2 dl red lentils 

400 ml coconut milk 

600 ml water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil 

salt to taste 

Courgette and parsley topping

2 small courgettes

1 tbsp cold pressed sesame oil

1 handful of fresh parsley 

2 tbsp sesame seeds

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

How to

Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry in coconut oil, on medium heat, until soft in a big pot.

Add the ginger and all the spices and let fry for another minute until spices become fragrant. Wash the carrots and cut in to smaller pieces. Rinse the lentils.

Add carrots, lentils and water to the pot. You might want to add a bit more water - all of the carrots should be covered with water! Let simmer for about 20 minutes, until carrots and lentils are soft. Remove from heat and mix until completely smooth using an immersion blender. Add the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar, bring back pot to the heat, and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Add more spices and salt to taste. 

Topping: Spiralize, or finely chop, the courgette. Chop the parsley. Mix courgette and parsley in a bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Give it a toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve as topping, together with some extra sesame seeds, on the soup. 

Good luck!