Hi, foodies in the Hive!
Has it ever happened to you that your food ends up being "vegan by accident"?
I learned the term a couple of years ago as I was searching on the web to see if some of the products commonly consumed in my town were suitable for vegans. Then I came across this expression, “vegan by accident”, and it didn't quite fit. You know, nothing is vegan by accident; something like that is just plant based, but here we go, whasoever, with this dinner that was accidentally vegan 😋💯
As usually happens to me when I dedicate body and soul to finish reading and rereading for my studies, I found myself with a pantry & fridge full of vegetables which freshness was in danger after a very long stay.
I felt it necessary to use everything I had and save large amounts of leftovers to survive the next few days, as I really had a lot of reading to do.
I had a long drive ahead of me and my husband was leaving town for a couple of days the next morning. Being home alone doesn't put me in the best mood for cooking; I have found that cooking for just myself makes me very lazy. Does this happen to you?
So that night we both had a feast: mujadara, tomato, parsley & sweet chili salad, and a smoky eggplant & red bell pepper dip (with pita bread "nachos")... I'd have enough food in the fridge for those two days in complete solitude. Well, there are always the two dogs, the five cats, the three tortoises, and the parrot--and all the visiting wildlife 😂
INGREDIENTS
Mujadara:
- 2 cups julienned onion
- 3/4 cups white rice
- 3/4 cups lentils
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- salt to taste
Salad:
- 3 cups tomato (thick juliennes)
- 1 cup finely julienned sweet chili
- freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly crushed garlic
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
Smoky Dip:
- 3 cups smoked eggplant, charred and peeled
- 1 small red bell pepper, charred and peeled (without veins/seeds)
- 2 garlic cloves (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- olive oil and hot paprika to taste for garnish
THE PROCESS
MUJADARA
Mujadara is one of my favorite dishes in the whole world; it's a simple Lebanese dish that would actually constitute a well-rounded meal if that's all you wanted. For me, oh, delicious! I prepare it often at home; it's just super satisfying and flavorful.
I simply peeled and julienned the onions. The juliennes should be thick, as they'd shrink quite a bit until they dried out and toasted a bit. As always I cooked them in the hot wok, with just a drizzle of olive oil, putting and removing the lid a couple of times, to achieve dry cooking (no juices). I added salt, which helps to dry the onion and ironically caramelize them.
Instead of placing them on napkins to dry, I set them aside to the edges of the wok until it's time to place them on the rice and lentils.
I cook the lentils and rice in the same pot. First I put the lentils in water, triple their volume, and when they begin to soften (after about 5 minutes), I add the rice and salt. In just 4 minutes, it was done.
I added ground cumin and stirred a little.
I covered the rice and lentils with the caramelized onions... They were crunchy 😋
And that was it for a good portion of mujadara, enough for 4-5 servings.
TOMATO, PARSLEY & SWEET CHILI SALAD
I washed all the veggies well, peeled the garlic cloves...
...Julienned the tomatos and sweet chilies. I removed the seeds of both.
I put them in a bowl and squeezed the lemon. It'd marinate a little while I prepared the rest of the ingredients.
It was time to add the parsley. I had let it dry and then chopped it.
...And into the bowl...
Time for some garlic; it makes the salad a little spicy 😋 I crushed it in my old mortar and pestle, added olive oil, and into the bowl...
Done.
SMOKY EGGPLANT & RED BELL PEPPER DIP
In my experience, these dips turn out best if I let the vegetables char. I did so; I charred the eggplant and a small red bell pepper directly on the stove.
I peeled the eggplants and the pepper...
...removing as much of the charred skin as I could.
I removed the seeds and veins from the peeled red bell pepper...
...and also removed all the pedicels before I put everything into the blender. I used one garlic clove; I had peeled several for the salad. I cut in half and flattened it with a fork so the blades of the blender wouldn't miss them.
Done.
Big joy requires a big plate.
I started with the dip and nachos... Below you can see the simple process of a simple but hearty and healthy dinner.
Bon appetite!
As usual, I hope this post was useful 😁❤️ For me, this was a cool meal.
What do you think?
All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY for all them.
Thank you so much for your visit :)
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Thank you so much for your consideration and support, @plantpoweronhive 😌💚 Very much appreciated!
I also get low in the cooking mood if I'm alone, because of laziness I end up eating anything without much preparation.
That dinner was a real feast. It looks so delicious! Like a 5 star Lebanese restaurant!
Saludos!
I guess we're in that big group of people who get emotionally involved with their cooking. There's something about sharing and getting others to enjoy what we prepare,perhaps?
An invitation to a 5 star Lebanese restaurant every time I'm home alone would be nice 😁😌
Thank you so much for dropping by and for your nice words, awesome @coquicoin ❤️
Esta receta está genial @marlyncabrera , con muchos colores, texturas y sabores, realmente una delicia. Muchas gracias por compartir tu estupendo contenido en Plant Power Vega. Abrazos!
Gracias a ti por tus lindas palabras 💕
Para mí es un placer estar en mi la comunidad y compartir con ustedes 💚💚💚
Siempre bienvenida, esta es tu casa.
You've been curated by @amazingdrinks! Delegations welcome!
Thank you so much for your consideration and support, @amazingdrinks ❤️ Cheers! 😁
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Thank you so much for your consideration and support, @foodiesunite @sirenahippie 😁 Much appreciated 💚
Nunca he probado la Mujdara pero todo eso se ve super delicioso, además el acompañarlo con esa crema de Berenjena y Pimentón rojo es lo maximo! se me hizo agua la boca 😋💕
Mujadara es lo máximo; tienes que probarlo. Sencillo, nutritivo, saludable, con muchísimo sabor. Un plato con personalidad. Yo lo amo. Eso sí, hay que picar bastante cebolla porque se vuelve nada 😏
Gracias por pasar y agarrar un poquito de hambre por aquí 🤣 Mucha comida para la hora... Saludos, querida @carisma77 💕
Definitivamente en algún momento tengo que preparar está receta, está muy buena y sus ingredientes lo máximo 👌
Saludos! 🤗🌹
Wow, what a special dish! Complete with all the most important things as nutrition for the body.
For body and soul, my friend 💕
Thank you so much for dropping by! Have a great day 😁
I love everything on the plate. I took one look and my stomach growled. I will have to eat pasta with barely anything on it because I'm tired and have to run to work.
I would love to devour your plate of goodness.
Wishing you the best day ever!
"Pasta with barely anything" is my specialty for hectic days, lazy days, and trying days... Wishing a nice day, my friend! Don't work too hard 🙃❤️