Book review time. Last Tuesday I went on a book shop binge and $269 later I walked out with two canvas bags full (I am praying my partner is not reading this blog post because that really was extravagant). Amongst those books was a great new cookbook called Neighbourhood by Hetty Mckinnon.  This by no means is a vegan cookbook but definitely is vegetarian. I actually prefer to buy vegetarian cookbooks rather than vegan as I like the challenge of changing the dairy and egg components of recipes to something that is cruelty free and vegan.

After my book shop binge I sat in the car waiting for a friend for a walk and I flicked through all of the pages and decided this was the next cookbook to review. It is right up my street this book as it has pages and pages of salad recipes which can easily be made into wholesome filling meals. When I got the book home I handed it to Makrand (my partner) and asked him what he would like me to cook, he bypassed all the salads and went to the sweets – so I will be soon reviewing some of those including a grilled banana slice.

Deciding which recipe to review first was easy as I had a cauliflower in the crisper.  So I chose a cauliflower and pine nut salad which has a very unusual sweet and sour dressing. I also had lentils soaking so decided to use them too for more protein  and changed the parmesan to pepita sprinkle and used quinoa instead of faro (due to me being gluten free) I purchased a bunch of asparagus and loosely followed the rest of the recipe.

The sweet and sour sauce was something I had never tried making as it included sugar and I really don’t use sweetener in my savoury dishes but decided to give it a go using maple syrup instead of caster sugar. I added garlic and chili to the original sauce in fact changed most of the recipe, but this is what I love to do, be inspired by recipes and mix them around.

I suggest trying my version of the recipe and really do recommend either buying Neighbourhood by Hetty Mckinnon or putting it on your birthday wish list, it truly is a marvelous cookbook.

A big part of the vegan chef and lifestyle course I offer, is learning how to adapt recipes to what produce is in season and what you may have on hand. This recipe is a true testament to that.  You don’t have to follow a recipe completely to make it a winner and something new to add to your cooking repertoire.

Quinoa lentil and Cauliflower salad with a Currant sauce

Currant Sauce

1 medium red onion finely diced
2 small cloves garlic
1 tbsp maple syrup or more if you have a sweet tooth
1 cup red wine vinegar
splash of olive oil
4 tbsp currants
1 juniper berry
3 white peppercorns
1 chili

Salad

1 cauliflower cut into small florets
1 bunch asparagus cut into 1 cm pieces on an angle
1 ½ cups puy lentils cooked
1 ½ cup cooked quinoa
½ bunch of parsley or rocket
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
salt to taste
extra olive oil

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main.


Place the cauliflower in a baking dish with olive oil and salt and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Make the sauce by sautéing the onions and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Steam or boil the asparagus for 5 to 8 minutes. Mix the cooked cauliflower and asparagus with the quinoa and lentils and the herbs. Pour on half the sauce and mix through. Check for salt. Serve the salad with a spoonful more of the sauce.

The Best way to cook beans and legumes

If you want to learn how to cook beans and lentils to avoid intestinal discomfort check out my blog post.

We also learn in a hands on way how to cook beans and legumes in the foundation module of the training. There are 4 more places left for the April course and 8 for the May course. Read more details about the Modules here.


Hope you find space to try out this recipe as it is a real winner especially for those who are partial to sweet tastes. I would love to hear how your cooking adventures are going and will soon set up a facebook page for you to share your kitchen successes and tips and ideas. Watch this space for the new facebook page and please feel free to pass on this blog post to others.

With gratitude Veet
 

Categories:Sauce/Dips Salads

Tags:lentils quinoa cauliflower Currants Asparagus

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