Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Happy new year, dear readers! I hope that 2014 will be a wonderful year for all of you, filled with much love and happiness! Of course, may it also be filled with good food!

At this time of year, many of us (myself included) vow to live a healthier lifestyle in the year ahead. It is also at this time of year, that we all tend to feel the after-effects of indulging over Christmas and New Year. What better way to get back on track than with clean and simple food like this soup. Thanks to the sweet potato, this really is a meal in a bowl, so we tend to enjoy it without bread on the side. Nourishing, comforting, and fuss-free... a great way to start the year I think :)

Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
An adapted recipe from Australian Good Taste, July 2000

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g orange sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
110g (1/2c cup) dried split red lentils, rinsed
3.5 cups vegetable stock
1 zuchinni, coarsely grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and once they start to darken and are aromatic, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until the onion softens slightly.
2. Add the sweet potato, lentils and stock to the saucepan and stir well to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
3. Stir in the zucchini and cook, uncovered, for 3 minuted. Season to taste and serve.


Anna x

Satvik Foods & a Giveaway!

A little while back, I was fortunate enough to receive this lovely bundle of products to road test by Australian company Satvik Foods.

I am usually a little sceptical when it comes to 'readymade' foods, as I worry about the ingredients and processing, but the Satvik Foods range is a little different. These packets of goodness are pretty straightforward - no nasties, no unpronouncables, no numbers.. just real ingredients. Lentils, quinoa, Ayurvedic spice blends, and salt.

On days when you are short on time and just want to get the food on the table, readymade mixes like these are a Godsend. Preparation of a healthy and delicious meal is made so simple with these mixes - there is no soaking required and they are fool proof! You can follow the packet instructions, or get a little creative and add extra ingredients.

I am in love with the dhal and spice range, in particular, 'Mystic Masala'. For this one, all you have to do is heat a little oil, add the mix, then add chopped tomato, coconut milk and water. Then a short time later you have delicious comforting dhal ready! I love the addition of nigella seeds to the spice blend, it tastes so good. I added a little extra salt, a good squeeze of lemon and fresh coriander (not pictured) and honestly, without any exaggeration, it was the best dhal I have tasted in a longgg time!

The Satvik Foods range is available in many health stores, and online through the Satvik Foods website. But, without further ado, here is the best part...

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!

To WIN a $30 pack of Satvik Foods, all you have to do is leave a brief comment on this post saying why you would like to try this product range.

This giveaway is open only to Australian residents, and closes on Monday, December 16th at 5pm AEST. Please be sure to enter your name and email address in the comment form to submit a valid entry.

*** This competition has now closed. Congratulations to Sue! ***

Good luck! xx

Botanica, Red Hill

This is my new favourite takeaway in Brisbane.

For me, it ticks a lot of boxes. It's quick; it's healthy; I can eat everything on the menu; and, oh.my.word... it is DELICIOUS! If you love feeling good about what you eat, then Botanica is worth a visit.

Located in Red Hill, Botanica was opened by owners Ali and Brett Hutley at the beginning of this year. Not only has it become a hit with locals, but has become known as the place for salads in Brisbane. And don't let its size fool you.. although small, Botanica offers a lot for a small eatery! There are up to eight fresh, hearty salads daily, all of which are either vegan or vegetarian.

Botanica is takeaway only, and takeaway boxes come in three sizes. The family size feeds 4+ for $25; the medium 2-4 for $15; and the small $10. I opted for the medium size to feed Mr Ladybird and I for lunch, and was surprised with how much salad could be packed in so neatly! I opted for a little of each salad as they all looked so good.

From left to right, the menu was as follows:
Brown rice with roast vegetables, baby spinach and soy and coriander dressing
Raw beetroot with orange, mint and fetta
Shaved broccoli with cranberries, almonds and garlic cashew cream
Potato, pea and dill salad with green tahini
Red cabbage with parmesan and walnut crumb and Dijon vinaigrette
Kale and parmesan salad with sourdough croutons and roast garlic vinaigrette
Mougrabeh with roast sweet potato and onion, supergreen pesto and baby spinach

All were so tasty, bursting with flavour and with the perfect amount of seasoning and dressing. The kale salad was the winner for me. I could eat that every.single.day. Yum! The medium box filled us up for lunch, plus there were leftovers to have along with dinner.

Also worth mentioning is the beautiful selection of freshly baked gluten-free sweet treats on offer daily at Botanica. When I visited, there were cinnamon bundt donuts, Callebaut chocolate fudge cookies, cherry white chocolate and sour cream muffins... just to name a few! So tempting, but I declined on this occasion. I guess I'll just have to visit again, for salads and maybe more! ;)

Botanica
9/1 Enoggera Tce, Red Hill
QLD 4059
Ph: (07) 3367 3334
http://www.botanicarealfood.com.au

Vegetarian Bolognese

As a child Spaghetti Bolognese used to be one of my favourite meals - either at home or to order on the rare occasion all eight of us went out for dinner. I remember the way the sauce would end up on my face as I happily slurped up the spaghetti. I still find comfort in enjoying a nice bowl of spaghetti bolognese. Sure, I still get sauce on my face (some things never change!) but the only thing that is different is that I now prefer my 'Spag Bol' meat free. Purists will scoff at the concept of a meat free bolognese, but what the heck - I will call it a bolognese nonetheless!

I cook this often as it is child friendly and my little man loves it; plus, it freezes very well so is a good healthy emergency meal. The lentils are the protein here, but to bump up the protein even more serve with fresh pasta. I especially love this bolognese with fresh, silky, homemade spelt pasta if I have the time to make it.

If you are keen to see a post on how to make fresh spelt pasta, please let me know by leaving a comment below! For now though, here is the recipe :)

Vegetarian Bolognese
An original Diary of a Ladybird recipe

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp cumin powder
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
2 handfuls baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or a natural sweetener such as xylitol* or powdered stevia*
* available at most health food stores

Method
1. Heat oil in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until softened.
2. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for a minute before adding the tomato paste, tomatoes, vegetable stock powder and half a cup of water. Season with a little black pepper and salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the lentils and cook for another 5 minutes, and then remove from the heat and stir through baby spinach.
4. Add sweetener to taste (basically to take the edge of the tomato tang) and add more salt if desired. Serve with your choice of pasta and some freshly grated parmesan.

Ciao for now, readers!

Anna x

Vegetarian Sheperd's Pie

This is absolutely, hands-down, my favourite veggie sheperd's pie recipe. All too often, veggie versions of meat dishes are very very disappointing, but not this one! This dish is packed with flavour (and protein!), and is lovely, hearty meal. You can also add a cheeky slosh of red wine if you've got a bottle open as it adds a great flavour. I make this quite often as it is equally tasty served the next day for lunch (or dinner again, if I'm feeling lazy...)

Vegetarian Sheperd's Pie with Cheddar and Lentils

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• • 2 red onions
• • 2 carrots
• • 2 sticks of celery
• • 2 cloves of garlic
• • a small bunch of fresh rosemary
• • 2 x 400g tins of lentils
• • olive oil
• • 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
• • 200ml vegetable stock, preferably organic
• • 1.5kg Desiree potatoes
• • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• • 150g Cheddar cheese, grated
• • 100ml whole milk
• • a pinch of nutmeg
• 
  
• Method
• The following steps and accompanying pictures are from Jamie's website.
• 
  

• To prepare and cook your filling

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Peel and roughly chop the onions and carrots
  • Trim and roughly chop the celery
  • Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves

  To prepare and cook your filling

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Pick the rosemary leaves, discard the stalks
  • Finely chop half of leaves, put the rest to one side
  • Drain the lentils

  To prepare and cook your filling

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Heat a large pan on a medium heat
  • Add a good lug of olive oil and the onions, carrots, celery and garlic
  • Cook gently with the lid on for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened

  To prepare and cook your filling

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Add the chopped rosemary leaves, tinned tomatoes and stock and stir well
  • Bring to the boil, then add the drained lentils, reduce to a low heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until thick and delicious

  To make your mash topping

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Peel the potatoes, cut them into halves and quarters depending on their size, and put them into a pan of salted, boiling water
  • Boil for about 10 minutes until tender
  • Stick a knife into them to check they’re soft all the way through

  To make your mash topping

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Drain in a colander and return them to the pan
  • Grate the Cheddar cheese
  • Add the milk, butter, most of the cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan

  To make your mash topping

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Finely grate in a few scrapings of nutmeg
  • Mash until smooth and creamy

  To assemble and cook your shepherd’s pie

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5
  • Transfer the lentil mixture to a large ovenproof baking dish
  • Spoon the mash evenly over the top, poke the remaining rosemary leaves into it to decorate and drizzle with olive oil

  To assemble and cook your shepherd’s pie

  • 
  • 
  • Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, then cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  And voila, it's ready to eat! Nom nom nom :)
  
  Tell me, dear readers, what sort of food do you like to tuck into on a cold and miserable winter's night?
  
  
  Anna x
  
  

Lovely lentils for baby

My cute-asaurus is now eating food! And what an exciting (and sometimes challenging) foray it has been into the world of solids in recent weeks... At the age of around 5 months I introduced Roman to rice cereal and some basic fruit and vegetable purees and we have now worked our way up to more meal-like purees. Nowadays most babies don't start on solids until 6 months. However, we decided to move this forward after much consideration and advice from our GP as Roman was becoming very unsettled in between feeds and it had become apparent that milk wasn't quite enough anymore. 'Lovely Lentils' is a definite favourite of the Emperor's at the moment. I introduced lentils to him about two weeks ago once he was taking around 5-6 tablespoons of vegetable puree at lunchtime as sometimes proteins can be a little tough on little digestive systems if they're not quite ready. As a vegetarian baby, lentils will be  very important part of his diet, so I'm much relieved that he enjoys eating them already! As a general guide, this recipe is suitable for babies 6-9 months of age, but (as always), use your own discretion and seek professional advice if unsure. I can hardly describe how delighted I am to now be posting about baby food and hope to do so on a regular basis for all my mama readers out there! So here we go... Oh, and if you're making this you might notice the amount I make in my photos looks a lot more than the recipe makes.. this is because I doubled this recipe on this occasion. Lovely Lentils An adapted recipe from 'Top 100 Baby Purees' by Annabel Karmel Ingredients 30g unsalted butter 125g (4oz) leeks, finely sliced 30g (1oz) celery, chopped 30g (1oz) red pepper, cored, de-seeded and chopped 60g (2oz) red lentils, picked through and rinsed 100g (4oz) 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped 250g sweet potato, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf 15 fl oz (approximately 900ml) vegetable stock* or water * Preferably homemade and salt-free. I just use water at the moment. ALSO, the actual amount of stock/water you will need depends on your saucepan size. As a rule of thumb, add enough to cover the veggies and lentils... you can always add more during cooking if required :) Method 1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the leeks for 2 to 3 minutes. 2. Add the celery, red pepper and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes. 3. Add the lentils, saute for one minute, then add the sweet potato and bay leaf and pour over the stock. 4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender. Remove the bay leaf and blend to a puree. Make it as smooth or chunky as your baby prefers. If it is too thick, add a little boiled water/stock. Once the mixture has cooled you can transfer it to ice cube trays to freeze and then transfer to labelled and dated freezer bags as I have done below. I don't know about you, but between one thing and another I simply do not have time to cook my baby food from scratch three times a day! To serve simply defrost and heat... and offer to your little one with a big helping of love and patience <3 Ladybird x

Vina Vegetarian Restaurant, Newtown

Mr Ladybird and I headed to Vina Vegetarian Restaurant on Wednesday last week. Things can be quite busy at this time of year, so we were keen to have the night off from kitchen duties mid-week. Newtown was absolutely bustling for a Wednesday night! The ambience at Vina is not the drawcard at this family run business however the the food is.

I was keen to go to Vina for dinner in part because I had a hankering for some vegetarian sweet & sour 'pork'and I was sure that Vina would offer something similar on their menu. I'm not normally one for fake meat, but the veg version of sweet and sour pork makes me go weak at the knees! What can I say...? It's a guilty pleasure...

Once seated we peruse the extensive Vietnamese menu over some Jasmine tea. Vegetarians and vegans are certainly spoilt for choice here, so it takes us a little while to decide on what we want!

We order, and a short while later our entrees arrive. we hungrily tuck into the lightly fried tofu and vegan spring rolls. Both are delicious, particularly the crunchy spring rolls. Neither is too heavy so we still have a healthy appetite for our main dishes.

For our mains we order a mock chicken curry and mock pork in a sweet and sour sauce. The curry is delicious, but the mock pork dish is a bit disappointing - not quite the crunchy, deep-fried balls with sticky sauce that I had envisioned... Despite this, it is great to get a good serve of fresh vegetables in each dish.



All in all, a good meal from Vina. The staff did incredibly well to manage the restaurant when it so busy, and they are always so nice that it's ok if you have to wait a little bit. Vina is also a little better value than Green Palace Thai Vegetarian further up King St in Newtown, so do give Vina a go if you're looking for vegan/vegetarian options in Newtown.

Vina Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant

395 King St, Newtown NSW

(02) 9557 0456

Ladybird x