Butterbean and Olive Dip: Naked Vegan Cooking

This recipe was taken and adjusted from the awesome Naked Vegan Cooking blog. So all credit goes to them! I adjusted the recipe a bit due to what I had in the kitchen. Click the link in their name to see the original post and their take on the dip. 

Makes one bowl.

Ingredients:

1 x 400g can of butter beans (drained)

2 x tbsp. tahini

2 x tbsp. olive oil

2 x crushed cloves of garlic

1 generous handful of black pitted olives (I didn’t measure, just used what was left in a big jar)

Optional: lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley etc, all to taste

Method:

Exactly like the hummus in my previous post – just put everything together in a bowl and mash/whiz it up!

This is how I ate mine (oh god it was SO GOOD):

I think I like this even more than hummus, the olives give it a great kick. I would call it more of a ‘spread’ than a ‘dip’ though as it’s very filling! I think this is the start of making a lot of bean-based dips/spreads!

Hummus

HUMMUS! (Or hummous as I’ve been spelling it till I actually Googled it today…) This is one of my favourite dips and I probably make it every fortnight or so. It’s quick, easy to make, cheap and very nutritious.

“Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread.”

-          Wikipedia

I’ll normally spread it on wraps with salad or use as a dip with chopped veg.

Makes 1 bowl

Ingredients:

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 x crushed cloves of garlic

Salt, pepper and paprika to taste (optional, I usually put ½ tsp salt with a twist of pepper and sprinkle paprika on top for decoration)

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl  
2. Mash them all up – can be done manually using a potato masher or electronically using a hand held food processor (I really advise investing in the latter, I use mine for soups, smoothies etc) 

And that’s IT! SO SIMPLE!! (Told you this blog would be simple…) Aside from the tahini and chickpeas you'll probably have most of the other ingredients in your kitchen anyway, once you've bought these two extras you'll always have a yummy, nutritious snack on hand :)

Notes/Tips:

- You can adjust the oil/lemon juice measurements to taste and preference. Personally I love olive oil but if you’re concerned about fat simply replace one of the tablespoons of oil with an additional tablespoon of lemon juice, or even water, but that’d be pretty bland! A popular addition is also coriander.

Coronation Tofu

One thing I always wish I had tried before I turned vegetarian was coronation chicken. Well I guess this is the next best thing! I found inspiration for this recipe from Monster Makes but altered several ingredients as well as the method. Enjoy!

Makes 2 portions 

Ingredients:

½ block of tofu (Clearspot is my favourite)

For the Marinade:

2 crushed/finely chopped cloves of garlic

1inch piece of grated ginger (or 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger powder)

2 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp red chilli powder

¼ pint vegetable stock

For the Sauce:

200g plain yoghurt or regular/vegan mayo (I prefer yoghurt for a low fat version)

1 heaped tbsp mango chutney

1 tsp curry powder

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp sultanas

1 chopped stick of celery

Method:

1. Drain and chop tofu into 1cm thick slices. Lay side by side on a chopping board lined with either paper towels or a clean cloth. Cover the top of the tofu with the paper towels/cloth and place another chopping board on top. Pile a few cookbooks or heavy items on top –this will help to press the tofu, removing excess moisture and making it firmer. Leave for at least half an hour (I usually press mine for 2 hours).  

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C

3. To prepare the marinade: mix the garlic, ginger, lemon juice, salt and chilli powder together in a small oven proof dish. 

4.When the tofu has been pressed, chop it up into smaller chunks and mix in with the marinade. (You can also prepare this stage earlier and leave it to marinate in the fridge until needed.)  

5. To prepare the sauce: Mix the yoghurt/mayo, mango chutney, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, sultanas and celery together in a bowl. Chill in the fridge. 

6.Make up approx. 300ml of vegetable stock and pour over the tofu in the dish. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until most of the stock and marinade has been absorbed and the tofu has started turn brown and firm. 

7. Remove the tofu from the dish and drain away any excess liquid. Mix in with the sauce. Enjoy as a sandwich filler or topped on a baked potato!

 

Notes/Tips:

• The measurements in this recipe don’t have to be exact, adjust them to your tastes. This version isn’t very spicy (because I don’t like overly spicy things) but you can always add more chilli powder.
• Feel free to omit or substitute the celery and sultanas for other ingredients like chopped nuts or apricots.
• I’m sure this will work well with chicken too, though you’ll probably have to adjust cooking times.