Creamy Chickpea Pasta

2 cans chickpeas, drained
2 medium carrots, grated
1 large zucchini, grated
6 medium mushrooms, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 bottle pasata (pureed tomatos)
1 small can coconut cream
500g pasta

Cook pasta according to the instructions on the packet.  Fry the onion and then add the mushroom and garlic.  Once the mushrooms are soft, add the seasonings, carrot and zucchini.  Once carrot and zucchini are soft, add the chickpeas and pasata and simmer until the flavours combine.  Add coconut cream and serve over pasta.  Enjoy!

Serves: 8-10.

Chickpea and Tomato Curry

2 onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
270mL can coconut cream
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt to taste

Fry onions.  Add garlic and mushrooms and fry until mushrooms are soft.  Add seasonings, chickpeas and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes have broken down and softened.  Add coconut cream and serve over rice or mashed potato with steamed vegetables.  Enjoy!

Serves 8-10

No Chew III: Borscht

3 large beetroots, chopped into 1cm cubes
2 onions, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 TBS of tomato paste
1 TBS veggie style stock powder
Oil
6 potatoes, chopped into 1cm cubes
2 cups of water
Salt to taste

Fry onion and celery in oil.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until the beetroot is soft.  Blend and serve.

Note: I would normally add cabbage, but due to COVID-19 I want to avoid going to the shops if at all possible and I didn't have any cabbage at home.

By the way, these beetroots were picked from my housemate's garden!

No Chew II: Red Lentil Dhal

1 onion, chopped
1 cup of red lentils
Oil
1 carrot, chopped
6 potatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2+ cups of water
Salt to taste

Fry onion in oil.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook until the lentils and veggies are soft.  Blend and serve.

No Chew I: Creamy Zucchini!

So, you have just had some teeth removed and can't chew anything.  What are you going to eat?  Enter the No Chew recipes!  No Chew recipe no. 1 is Creamy Zucchini!

This one is without the potato.

Make the Zucchini Soup recipe and add about a dozen potatoes (depending on the size) to the pot.  Make it about 2/3rds zucchini and 1/3 potato.  Cook until the potato is soft, blend and serve.

Potatoes make the soup more substantial so that you do not get hungry as quickly after eating it.

Apple Pancakes

I wanted to eat something fruity, but not cereal, so I came up with this...

• 1.5 cups of wholemeal flour
• 1 apple grated
• 2 TBS of olive oil
• 1.5 cups of soymilk
• 1 TBS of sugar
• 1/2 tsp of salt

Combine ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.  Preheat sandwich press and scoop on 1/4 cup portions.  Close sandwich press and let cook for a few minutes (I didn't actually time it).  Makes 10 pancakes (they are more like waffles because of how I cooked them).  Serve topped with stewed fruit.  Serves 2.

Stewed fruit

I had some pre-stewed pears and peaches in my freezer which I combined with some frozen mixed berries.  After allowing them to simmer for a bit, add two teaspoons of cornflour that has been mixed with a couple of tablespoons of cold water to thicken.