Sweet Curry Hoummous.

Recently one of my favourite flavour combinations is curry with a sweetener like sugar or syrup. The sweetness enhances the diverse curry flavours.

Today I made a hoummous variation with this:

- 1 big can chickpeas

- juice of 1 lemon

- 2 tblsp olive oil

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp cumin

- 2 tsp currypowder

- 1 tblsp agave syrup

- dash of salt

- pepper

- fresh koriander

Mix chickpeas with spices, lemon juice and olive oil in a big bowl and puree with a hand blender and add some water bit by bit if necessary. When the hoummus is a smooth paste add the agave syrup and mix once again for a few seconds.

Stir in some fresh koriander leaves (and/or parsley) with a fork and serve. Fill leftovers in a airtight container or glass and it will keep for a few days if you really can resist this pretty tasty hoummous for so long (which I don't believe actually, but just for your information).

Curry colour and total cat sweetness.

Potato-Chickpea-Stew w/ Tofu.

-onions

-garlic

-carrots

-potatoes

-salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, veg broth, dried or fresh sage, curry powder

-tomato paste

-tofu

-soy cream

-fresh parsley

Fry finely diced onions and mashed garlic in a little oil until translucent. Add diced carrots and stir for 3 minutes. Fill up with 1 litre cold water and add diced potatoes. Season to taste with paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, veg broth, sage. In the meanwhile dice tofu and fry until golden, season with salt and a hint of curry powder. 

When potatoes are almos done add canned chickpeas and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Just before serving add the fried tofu and a little soy (or oat) cream and lots of fresh parsley.

This is the perfect food when you just caught a cold like me at the moment. It's full of flavour and healthy things, it warms you and it's not too heavy.

Potato-Carrot-Curry w/ Green Tomatoes

- red onions

- garlic

- carrots

- potatoes

- TVP flakes (or big chunks cut into strips)

- apricot-peach jam 

- green tomatoes

- corn starch

- cinnamon, paprika, curry powder, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper, vegetable broth

Like most of the time, I can't give you measurements. I used a big pot and I know that I used 2 litres of water, we had about 4 big portions (with rice).

Fry finely diced onions in 2 tablespoons oil until trunslucent. Add smashed garlic and spices and stir well for about 1 minute, make sure not to burn the spices.

Add a small cup of water and let boil this mixture for 2 minutes, stir occasionally.

Dice carrots and potatoes. Add 2 litres cold water to the onion mixture and immediately add carrots and potatoes, stir well and let cook.

When the water is boiling, add the TVP soy and green tomatoes ( I had quite small ones and just cut them into halfs, if yours are bigger ones cut them into quarters) and let cook for about 20 minutes. Add vegetable broth and maybe a bit more spices, as the TVP soaks a lot of flavour.

Add the apricot-peach jam and stir well. Mix 1 tablespoon corn starch with water and add to the boiling mixture while stirring well. A lot of stirring, hm? The mixture will thicken a bit and gets creamy, lower the heat and stir for another 5 minutes.

If you don't have green tomatoes, leave them. Red tomatoes are much sweeter and would add a totaly other flavour and might be to sweetish. On the picture you see my version without the green tomatoes, was also quite good, but I liked it much better with the green tomatoes. I had a tomato plant and the last fruits wouldn't turn red and as was end of October I thought that I maybe should use them and this curry was the result.

Serve with rice.

Sweet and sour black lentil spread.

2 smashed cloves of garlic
50g vegan butter (e.g. Alsan)
2 tbsp sugar
Melt butter, add garlic and sugar and fry til slightly golden, then
add 150g black lentils, stir well, add water til the lentils are
covered. 

Add veggie broth, dash of cumin, herbes de provence, pepper,
3 fresh leaves of savage. Let simmer for a while, stir from
time to time and add some water. If the lentils are done let the water dissolve almost completely.

Add juice of half a lime and salt. Puree with a hendheld mixer til
you get a creamy spread.

The longer you cook the lentils the softer they get the creamier will be
your spread. Mine was a bit chunky but delicious, though.