Vegan Wedding Reception!

This is the shiznit. I’m almost looking forward to my wedding now! Here’s our 5-star 3-course meal that we’re having at a veg-friendly restaurant on the river. It will be followed by a gluten-free vegan wedding cake as well, made by the nice cake making folks at the The Forest. These photos aren’t much good, but you can thank/abuse Nokia for putting crap cameras in their phones. You could also thank/abuse us for not remembering to take a decent camera with us to the food test-run, but you’re just not the sort of person who’d do that, right? We’re all friends here, right? Hugs for all! Anyway… The food was all very nice, moderately stodgy, simple, rather darn tasty 5-star fare, with a forktonne of that more-expensive-than-gold mushroomy truffle oil stuff poured over half of it. Yumbo!

Entrées

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Stack with Roast Tomato Sauce and Red Onion Marmalade.

Grilled Field Mushrooms, Toasted Olive Bread Asparagus and Truffle Oil.

Mains

Ragout of French Lentils, Spinach, Kipfler Potatoes and Macadamia Gremolata.

Porcini Mushroom Risotto, Stemmed Asparagus and Truffle Oil.

Desserts

Glazed Mango, Sauternes Syrup, Strawberry Sorbet

Poached Yellow Peaches, Fresh Raspberries, White Peach Soup

Wow, tasty AND healthy? Ouch. Yes, veganism is awesome! All the animals get to benefit, including me. Everything except for the second entrée is gluten-free, but the vegan bit is the most important! Closely followed by the tasty bit! And there’s still a fancy gluten-free wedding cake to come. Don’t forget the cake. Who could forget cake? Not me, that’s for sure.

P.S. Happy Leap Day!

Fennel and Mustard Seed Pakoras

Ingredients
750g can of mixed beans (eg. small red kidney, baby lima, garbanzo, great northern)
1 – 2 tablespoons gluten-free self-raising flour (I use FG Roberts)
1 tablespoon dried fennel seeds
3 teaspoons dried yellow mustard seeds
1 teasp turmeric
1 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp ground cayenne pepper
1 teasp ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
sesame seeds, optional
vegetable oil for deep-frying (eg. sunflower)

Method
1. Drain and wash the beans. Put them into a food processor – add water until the mixture starts to move/blend easily (but is still a thick, heavy dough-ish consistency, not runny). Add flour and blend thoroughly, until a smooth consistency.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pot. Add the mustard and fennel. Cook at high temperature until the mustard seeds start popping, then quickly add other spices. Take off the heat and add to the food processor, and blend until combined/evenly dispersed (the fennel seeds won’t break down).
3. Heat up oil for deep-frying. Roll mixture into balls in the palm of your hand, roll the balls in sesame seeds, coating them and pressing firmly so they stay on (optional), then deep-fry the balls in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.
4. Serve with fresh coriander, and sauces (sweet chilli and kecap manis). This recipe makes more than enough for four people – for an entrée or snack.

Pakoras without seeds:

You could use channa flour + a little starch (eg. potato or tapioca) and a pinch of baking powder in place of the gluten-free SR flour.