OKRA MASALA

Just a quick one today and the last in the series of Vegan Eats World pics, I promise. I have lot's of exciting new posts in the pipeline and feel excited to share all my ideas with you.

I had to share this last dish as I love okra, I usually make it in a standard tomato and onion sauce but the masala was an interesting twist and added a whole new dimension to my idea of okra! I would never have thought to put the two together but it works perfectly, the okra makes this a substantial vegan meal while the spices and comforting (optional) brown rice, make this an ideal Winter warmer.

On a side note I'm currently recovering from a chest infection so I'm craving lots of healthy food, now more than ever - and strangely lots and lots of tomatoes.  This dish was great for that, it was also relatively quick and easy to make so this one will be going in my book of favourites for sure. 

DHAL

Another great source for vegan/vegetarian recipes is Ocado as you can filter the recipes by dietary requirement to find something suitable. That's were I found this beauty for Dhal curry, another one of my favourite winter warmers. Be prepared the recipe has a lot of ingredients and takes around one hour to make in total (prep and cooking time) but it's soo worth the effort! I would go as far as to say this is the best veggie curry I've ever made or tried and I've had a fair few.

I served mine with brown rice, I'm trying to swap all my white grains at the moment, 1. because it's healthier and 2. to see if it makes a difference to my weight and digestion (I always feel and look so bloated after white carbs!)

As you can see this dish is so vibrantly colourful and full of different veggies, lentils and spices, making this one nutritious dish.

Ingredients

400ml Coconut Milk 

1⁄2 bag Garden Peas 

1⁄2 bag Spinach

1⁄2 tsp Coriander

1 handful Flat Leaved Parsley, fresh

2 tbsp Blended Olive Oil

1 Large Onions

3 cloves Garlic

1 tbs Root Ginger

1 tsp Ground Cumin

400g Puy Lentils

1⁄2 tsp Mixed Spice

1⁄2 tsp Ground Turmeric

1 packet Fresh Coriander

6 large Tomatoes, cut in to 8 segments

6 whole Sundried Tomatoes, chopped

1 small Butternut Squash, diced in to approx 3 cm squared cubes

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a frying pan and cook the onion until it softens; for a minute or so. Then add the garlic, being careful not to brown, for a further minute.
2. Add the butternut squash, fresh and sundried tomatoes and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add the dried spices and mix well. Cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the coconut milk. Cover and cook for on a low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add the frozen peas and the lentils, stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and add the chopped spinach and fresh coriander. Stir through just until it wilts and serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh parsley or even a swirl of natural yoghurt.

Perfect served with popadoms, chapattis or warm naan bread on the side with some mango chutney for dipping, if you want to be a little bit cheeky.