Today I went with my eldest daughter Nina to Wanaka. The trip from Queenstown was just beautiful. We had decided to go to the Wanaka AMP Show.
We had such a fantastic day. The weather was at its best and Wanaka's Lake looked beautiful as usual. Further down the page are a few photo's of our trip.
At the end of the day we went to my favourite Cafe in Wanaka called ''Soul Food '' they sell organic, delicious, Cafe food. I always come away from there, just wanting to cook ''healthy whole food'' for dinner. I had cooked, lentils in my fridge and on my drive home I pictured this recipe in my head.
So this is where this recipe came from -
Lentils - Delicious and nutritious. High in protein and they have complex carbohydrates which produces low release energy.
Lentils and Vegetable Stack Recipe
Lentil Patties - you can make this mixture in the morning or night before, store covered in the fridge, and it will hold together better, before forming balls.
2 cups wholemeal bread or gluten free bread crumbed - I used my blender
3 cups cooked lentils - I used green lentils. I buy them dried and then soak them over night, drained and then simmered in fresh water for 50 minutes. Drain.
1 large carrot - grated
1 onion - chopped finely
2 garlic - chopped
1 tsp cumin
sea salt / pepper
Coconut oil for frying
Garnish
Portobello Mushrooms - large one per serving
Fresh thyme or dried - use for flavouring your oil
Tomato - one per serving - halved
Egg Plant (aubergine) sliced 1 or 2 per serving - I soak these in salted water for 3 minutes and then remove and dry them with a paper towel. This is to stop them going brown.
Pesto - Large spoonful per serving. I make mine, freeze them in a ice cube container and then remove them and keep them stored in freezer bags.
Baby spinach of kale leaves
Himalayan salt and pepper
Method
1 - In a fry pan, melt oil and gently fry onion until soft.
2 - Add garlic and cumin, fry gently on low for 30 seconds.
3 - Add carrot, breadcrumbs and lentils, salt and pepper, stir and heat through.
4 - Taste and season more if it needs it.
5 - Place in a bowl and into the freezer to cool quickly ( best to make this in the morning so the mixture is nice a cool so It will hold together )
6 - Heat some oil in the frypan and add your fresh thyme cook for 30 seconds. Now add your mushrooms. Fry on both sides and then remove.
7 - Heat some more oil and fry your egg plant, season them. Remove
8 - Fry the tomatoes and season them.
9 - Roll the lentil mixture into balls to the size of your mushrooms. Flatten them and fry them gently on low, on both sides.
Time to stack - You can do this any way you like, but I did it in this order -
1 - Spinach
2 - Lentil patty
3 - Mushroom
4 - Egg plant
5 - Pesto
6 - Tomato
7 - Spinach leave and season with sea salt and pepper.
Prepare all your ingredients.
Blend your bread with the crusts as well.
Gently fry the onion.
Add the garlic and cumin.
Cook for 30 seconds.
Add the carrot, lentils and bread crumbs. Taste and season.
Cool.
Roll into balls and then flatten them to the size of your mushrooms.
Fry in oil gently to brown, I fried the tomatoes with them.
Heat oil with fresh thyme to flavour it.
Add the mushrooms and fry them on both sides.
Fry the egg plant in oil to brown.
Get ready to stack.
Lay the lentil patty on a bed of kale or spinach.
Next the mushroom.
Then the egg plant and a spoon of pesto.
Top with the tomato and spinach leaves.
Season.
Nina and I went to the Wanaka AMP show, for lunch I had an organic ''green shelled mussel in white wine'' pie. It really was amazing.
AMP show is a farm show. They sure grow pumpkins huge down here, in the South.
I love this, kids and adults growing vegetables and entering them into a competition.
Ending our lovely day at the ''Soul Food Cafe'' I am having a kombucha drink.
View on our drive home, looking down on Queenstown.
Healthy and Happy
xx