A few years ago I started a Men’s food group in the village – we meet about every 6 months or so at someone’s house for dinner which has a different theme each time and we all bring a contribution. These have been really successful and great fun. My offerings last night for our South American themed evening were Black bean and sweet potato chilli, avocado and mango salsa and a chocolate mousse.
Black bean and sweet potato chilli
Ingredients:
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can chopped tomatoes or passata
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
Preparation:
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for a minute or two, then add sweet potatoes, carrots and bell pepper until onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low, and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine well.
Simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes, until flavors have mingled and vegetables are cooked.
Mango and avocado salsa
Ingredients
Serves: 8
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 red chilli, seeded and chopped or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
• salt to taste
• Place the avocado in a serving bowl and mix with the lime juice. Mix in the mango, onion, chilli, coriander and salt.
Orangey chocolate mousse
2 bars Green and Black’s Maya Gold chocolate
2 packs silken tofu
1/2 tub soy cream
Melt broken chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and add the cream
Whizz the tofu in a liquidiser
Mix all together
Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours
I also added a slug of rum to the melting chocolate
NB – Maya Gold used to contain milk powder but it does not now. It does say it may contain milk as it is made on the same line as milk chocolate, this is just a “cover my arse” statement made by the company in case of allergy but as far as I am concerned it is vegan currently.
And finally – for tonight’s pudding, Lucy made an Apple and Blackberry Charlotte which was easily ‘veganised’.
450g cooking apples, peeled and sliced
450g blackberries
rind and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
175 – 225g sugar
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
6 large bread slices
50g margarine
Grease a 6 inch diam round cake tin
Place apples, blackberries, lemon rind and juice and cinnamon into a pan and cook gently for 10 minutes until apple is soft.
Add sugar and breadcrumbs
Cut the crusts off the bread
Trim one slice to fit the base of the cake tin – dip in melted margarine and fit onto bottom of the tin
Dip the remaining slices in the melted margarine and use to line the tin sides leaving one piece for the top
Spoon the stewed fruit in and top with the last bread slice
Bake at 190C for 1 hour
Serve with soya custard or soya ice cream
Enjoy!
VeganIndulgence 