Green lentil Pate.

Vegetarian pate is delicious with a slice of bread or with warm vegetables. It’s spicy and has much less fat and calories than the normal meat pate.

You can use red or green lentils and add your favourite spices. The vegetarian pate should be spicier than the normal one because vegetables absorb spices more. Try pate before baking (and before adding eggs!) and add spices as much as you like.

Green lentils pate*

Makes one big pate**

Ingredients:

200g green lentils (1 cup), cooked in 3 cups (750ml) of water
2 small carrots, chopped thinly
3 gloves of garlic, chopped roughly
2 onions, chopped coarsely
2 eggs beaten lightly
2 tablespoons oil
½ cup water

Spices ***
2 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

* The idea about lentil pate I adapted from Agnieszka Kreglicka cookbook
** I used loaf pan (22x11cm)
*** add your favourite spices if needed

Method:

1. Cook green lentils in 3 cups of water for 30-35 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain the rest of water if needed. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile in a frying pan heat oil and add onions, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown for 8-10 minutes. Then add ½ cup of water and carrots. Cook for 30 minutes until carrots are soft. Let cool slightly.
3. Preheat oven, 180c. Grease loaf pan (22x11cm).
4. In the food processor, process the onions, carrots and garlic until fine, add green lentils and spices and process again until mostly smooth, with some small pieces remaining.
5. Add eggs in to the mixture, stirring accurately.
6. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until firm in the middle.

Enjoy :)

Rice pancakes.

I like rice. I could eat rice even pure without any add in. However, sometimes it is nice to eat something more sophisticated. Rice pancakes? Why not? Just add eggs and flour and we have simple breakfast or lunch in 25 minutes.

I like this small rice pancakes with orange jam or honey. If you want something more savoury you can add instead sugar a pinch of salt and eat pancakes with tomato ketchup or your favourite dip.

Rice pancakes

Makes 16 small pancakes

Ingredients:

300g boiled rice (white or brown)
1 egg, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons white plain flour
4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons sugar ( or a pinch of salt if you want savoury pancakes )
oil for frying

Method:

1. Combine rice, flour, egg, milk and sugar (salt) in a large bowl.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan, fry pancakes on a medium heat.
3. Drop level tablespoons of rice mixture on frying pan, flattening slightly with back of spoon.
4. Fry until golden brown and then flip. Add more oil if needed.
5. Serve warm.

Enjoy :)