Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes With Vegan Gravy

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When it comes to comfort food what you would say? Mac and cheese, a bowl of soup, hamburger, chili, casserole, pie or mashed potatoes?

Comfort foods may be consumed to positively pique emotions, to relieve negative psychological effects or to increase positive feelings. The term was first used, according to Webster’s Dictionary, in 1977.

Comfort food for me is a meal that it’s easy to make, warms your heart and soul and it makes you feel you cooked something extraordinary. This mashed potatoes with caramelized onion and a vegan brown sauce is absolutely a worth-to-try meal and it can be a dinner on its own.

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I used nutritional yeast before added it to salads, pasta meals but making a gravy from it takes you to a new level. Nutritional yeast is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with vitamin B12.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes With Vegan Gravy
(Recipe inspiration: Daily Garnish)

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes
– 8 pieces of medium potatoes (about 600 g), peeled and diced
– 2 large onion, chopped
– salt
– nutmeg
– milk (cow or non-dairy), butter, sour cream – as you request to make your mashed potatoes
– olive oil

For the gravy
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2 tablespoons soy sauce
– 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
– 3 talbespoons white spelt flour (or all-purpose flour)
– 250 ml water
– salt, pepper
– olive oil

Method

Heat 3-4 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add diced onion with a pinch of salt. Put a lid on your pan and keep cooking the onion over low heat. Stir often so the onions don’t stick to your pan. Cook for another 25-30 minutes until tender and light brown.

In the meantime cook the potates in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain the pan into a colander and add the potatoes to a bowl. Season with salt, nutmeg, then add milk, butter or sour cream to your taste and mash the potatoes.

In a small pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the chopped garlic for about 3-4 minutes. Add soy sauce and nutritional yeast. he key to smooth gravy is working quickly so add flour to the pan and immediately start whisking the mixture. Pour water slowly, step-by-step, while continuing to whisk the mixture. If you work hard enough the gravy will be smooth after you added all the water. Bring the gravy to simmer and let it thicken in a few minutes. If you find it very thick, add a bit of water to it.

Serve the gravy by pouring it over the mashed potatoes.

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Roasted Eggplant With Tahini Yoghurt Sauce

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I’m sharing a Middle-Eastern recipe with you today. It’s called baba ganoush and a dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with virgin olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means “father of pestle”. Baba ganoush can be an appetizer or starter but also a side dish or salad. It is made of roasted, peeled, and mashed eggplant, blended with tahini, garlic, salt and lemon juice. Cumin and chili powder can be added.

The eggplant is first roasted, then the softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed or salted to remove excess water and then is pureed with tahini. There are many variants of the recipe, especially the seasoning. I learnt this version from a Japanese friend of mine, Maki.

I didn’t scoope out the softened flesh, I served it in the eggplant skin and I made a tahini lemon yoghurt sauce to go with it. I served it with Arabic bread and a big bowl of salad.

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At the end of August we spent a a long weekend with friends at a wonderful place, called Lake Balaton like last year. During the weekend I was responsible for the salads and side dishes to make. I had many helping hands (I needed) to cook everything while I was also nursing my son. 🙂

montazs01

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Roasted Eggplant With Tahini Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients (serves 6)

– 2 large eggplants, halved the long way
– 6 tablespoons + 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
– 400 g soy yoghurt / yoghurt
– 4 tablespoons tahini
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin
– juice of 1 lemon
– 1 clove garlic, chooped
– 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
– salt
– sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Place eggplant halves on a glass baking pan lined with paper. With a sharp knife, cut crisscross vents about 1 cm (0,39 inch) apart across the flesh. Drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, then bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together yoghurt, tahini, 4 teaspoons olive oil, chopped garlic and parsley (leave a bit for garnish), lemon juice, cumin. Season with salt.

Serve the eggplant halves with the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and the remaining parsley. Also serve with pita as a spread or as a side dish with steamed brown rice and salad.

Chargrilled Sweet Pepper And Walnut Dip + The Jewelled Kitchen Cookbook

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I remember the first time when I met Bethany (the girl behind Dirty Kitchen Secrets). I arrived to London on a greyish August day in 2011 and I was going to meet Sarka and Giulia for the first time at Sydenham station. The girls were waiting for me and after giving big hugs to each other for the first time, we walked back to Sarka’s place. There she was Beth with her sister, Joslin. Beth was smiling, talking a lot and I found her funny and crazy at the same time. Her liveliness and personality is what makes an impression in you. During the next couple of days at Food Blogger Connect I got to know her a bit better. She was friendly, caring and helpful (and she still is! :)) and we had so many memorable moments along with the other food bloggers that weekend.

She told me then that she was going to write a cookbook about Middle Eastern cuisine. She put so much work and effort in it and finally her book, The Jewelled Kitchen was out in bookstores in Europe and Australia on 4th July (Middle East 11 July, USA 1 October). I was so happy and honoured to be asked by Beth to take part in her virtual cookbook launch. The book is published by Duncan Baird Publishers, photographed by another dear friend, Sarka Babicka. Food styling was done by Emily Jonzen, prop styling by Lucy Harvey. All in all The Jewelled Kitchen is a wonderful, beautiful and great book. “It takes you on an unforgettable adventure of Middle Eastern and North African cuisines. We are all familiar with a few mezze favourites – hummus, falafel, tabbouleh and stuffed vine leaves – but Bethany offers up a whole host of other treasures.”

As a vegetarian I found the book very useful to get to know the vegetarian Middle Eastern cuisine more. There is a whole chapter for vegetarian meals and we shouldn’t forget the delicious mezzes and desserts. There are many recipes in the cookbook I would like to try in the next few months.

I picked this chargrilled sweet pepper and walnut dip recipe from Beth’s book. As Beth says: “…This recipe is traditionally made using sun-dried Aleppo peppers, finely chopped to a coarse paste. These peppers, which hail from Syria and neighbouring Turkey, have a high oil content and a hind of earthy smokiness in their flavour. … It’s lovely as a dip, spread on flatbreads, mixed into hearty stews, or tossed with pasta or potatoes.” I used red kapia peppers to make it.

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Chargrilled Sweet Pepper And Walnut Dip

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 500 g roasted sweet pointed peppers
– 75 g walnut halves, roughly chopped
– 55 g fine breadcrumbs
– 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon paprika
– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (optional)
– 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
– finely chopped mint leaves, to sprinkle
– sea salt
– warm Arabic bread, to serve

Method

Slice off the tops of the roasted peppers, discarding any seeds. Chope the flesh finely and put it in a mixing bowl.

Add the walnuts, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, Aleppo pepper flakes (if using) and oil. Season to taste with salt. Mix well, then set aside for about one hour to allow the flavours to develop.

Put ingredients in a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mint. Serve at room temperature with warm Arabic bread.

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More recipes from Bethany’s cookbook from fellow food bloggers:

Chickpea flour quiche from Giulia
Slow-braised stuffed squid from Emiko
Eggs poached in tomato and pepper stew from Sarka
Moroccan carrot salad from Karin
Stuffed caramelized onions with tamarind and allspice from Sarah
Lamb rice with cripsy potato base from Sally
Date fudge from Regula

Mashed Parsnip Potatoes With Thyme

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When I posted the glazed walnut lentil roast I promised to share more vegetarian recipe ideas for Christmas. Last year I cooked/baked more side dishes than ever before to go with the cranberry and pistachio nut roast. It was a new way for me to serve many delicious, scrumptious new tastes. We loved it so much. It’s going to be a tradition in our household!

This year I’m planning to make this mashed parsnip potatoes, baked carrots in a bag, cranberry chutney, roasted brussel sprouts with orange juice and vegan stuffing. Make sensational sides that will complete your Christmas meal, no matter where or what you’re having.

Parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot and parsley root but it has a sweeter taste, especially when cooked. Parsnip is rich in potassium and it is a good source of dietary fiber. It is wonderful in soups and stews as well as roasted or mashed like potatoes.

If you want to make this vegan use soy sour cream and Earth Balance spread (instead of sour cream and butter) to make mash creamier.

Mashed Parsnip Potatoes With Thyme

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

– 200 g parsnips, peeled, diced
– 330 g potatoes, peeled, diced
– 100 ml sour cream
– 20 g butter
– 2-3 sprigs of thyme
– salt, pepper

Method

In a large sauce pan cover potatoes and parsnips with water. Bring to boil and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain potatoes and parsnips. Mash with a potato masher, mixer or immersion blender. Add sour cream and butter to thin a bit and make mash creamier. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.

Serve it warm with a nut roast.