Join the Veganlovlie Cocoon!
Receive an occasional burst of sunshine and a little flower, recipes, craft projects and FREE resources.

Thursday 1 October 2009

VeganMoFo 01!

This is my first VeganMoFo post. And this is the plan:

  1. Blog about anything food, nothing specific, just eats and drinks, for the first few days, to get me started.
  2. Fusion dinners. I’ll try (try!) to make mix food from different cultures
  3. Anything brunch or snacks
  4. Food that reminds me of Mauritius or inspired from Mauritian cuisine (yes, I don’t blog enough about Mauritian food. So, here’s a chance! I’ll add in my own personal touch to them)

Well this is just the plan…I’ll try as much as possible to stick to this but we’ll see!

VeganMoFo

So, for my first post I’m going to talk about my experience of British food (or more so English food)!

When I first went to England in 2004, the food was a shock to me. It was plain and bland and I thought I could never ever like English food at all. One food that struck me most was the Jacket Potato more so because of the name than what it really was. Why do they call it ‘jacket’ potato? I would wonder. Well, it’s simply a baked potato served with the skin on. It is very commonly served with butter, sour cream and chives, but also very often stuffed with anything-that-comes-to-mind when the folks go bonkers! It is pretty interesting but I took a while to try and like it. But now, I totally looooooove it! Jacket potatoes can be a very nutritious meal if served with healthy low-fat ingredients.

Well my choice of filling this time was lentils sautéed in tomato sauce.

For jacket potatoes, the best potatoes to use are floury ones (or ones labeled as baking potatoes). They should be baked for an hour and half to two hours in the oven depending on the size. But I cheated and steamed them for 20 minutes first, then baked them for 45 minutes until the skin was crispy.


Jacket Potato with Lentils

Ingredients (4 servings)

4 medium to big baking potatoes

Filling:

1 cup (180g) black lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon demerara sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon dairy-free cheese powder (I used the Free and Easy Dairy Free Cheese Flavour Sauce Mix)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon (or to taste) coarse sea salt
Parsley for garnish

  • Brush and wash potatoes.
  • Bake potatoes at 190 degrees Celsius (for 1½ to 2 hours) until the inside in cooked and the skin is crispy. (Or you can cheat like me!)

To make filling:

  • Boil lentils until tender but not too mushy. Drain water (or keep to use in soups later on) and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
  • Add onions and sugar and stir for a few minutes.
  • Then add in tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until liquid is slightly reduced. (Alternatively add water if required if too thick)
  • Add cocoa powder and cheese powder. Sprinkle with thyme. Cook for one more minute.
  • Add lentils. Stir and mix well. Adjust consistency with some water if required.
  • Add salt. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
  • Make a cross incision on the baked potatoes. Slightly open them and stuff with filling.
  • Enjoy warm!

jacket potato

13 comments:

  1. Now that is one hearty baked potato! Looks perfect for these cold months we have coming up... Its such a great idea to include lentils in the filling, I'll have to try that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jacket Potatoes are AWESOME and so so filling. I always do Jacket Potatoes ( so called because they have their jackets on) when there's Chili or Curry leftover.
    YUM!
    Happy Mofo'ing.
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks, quite appropriately, lovely! Adding cocoa powder is an interesting touch I would never have thought of. I must try it next time I make lentils.

    Thanks for sharing, and Happy VeganMoFo III!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is one awesome looking potato!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds wicked - two of my favourite things, baked spuds and lentils, mmmmm!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This filling sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That has to be one of the most delicious looking potatoes I've ever seen, what a fabulous photo and recipe. Can't wait to see more of your mofo posts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The topping for that looks so good! I ain't had a good old jacket spud for ages!
    By the way, british food isn't bland! (In my opinion :P). Where would we be without the humble stew and dumplings, or cornish pasty!?!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This looks awesome! A meal on it's own! LOVE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  10. teenagedvegan, well I don't think British food is tasteless now. I love so many British dishes now. But when I first went to England I found it bland because my tastebuds were used to really hot and spicy dishes. But ever since I went vegan and started enjoying less spicy and hot food, my tastebuds have adjusted. And I love discovering and trying new foods from all cultures!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hannah, yes baked potatoes are so versatile, I love them!

    Jeni, curry on potatoes! Now why didn't I think of that! That would make some awesome lunches!

    Rose, I've ssen cocoa powder in a number of savoury recipes around and I thought of giving it a try. It's really nice. And you can't taste the cocoa in the sauce but it adds a rich flavour.

    ReplyDelete
  12. YUM! I love my jacket taties!!! This one looks scrumptious!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello, tried it and loved it. Used green lentils and nutitional yeast flakes instead of cheese powder. Felt it needed some more moisture with a yoghurt/lime juice mix. You have become my favourite vegan recipe site and presenter. Tried your savoury pancakes and thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers in a wrap for subsequent lunches. Thanks for all the mouthwatering recipes, will certainly be trying a lot more.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my heart flutter even if you are just saying hi. Thank you for visiting Veganlovlie! :)

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Share This Post

Share This Post

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...