Rustic Root Vegetable Stew with Coffee and Brown Lentils

Inspiration for this recipe came from a book called New Vegetarian Kitchen, written by Nicola Graimes. I changed quite a lot of things, though, mostly out of pure laziness, or because some ingredients were not easily available. “Oh, this tastes so rustic!”, was the first comment of my one-man test group. And yes, that would be the best word to describe the taste. You don’t notice the coffee at all, but it gives depth to the taste, so even if you don’t like coffee, I’d suggest you give it a try.

For four portions you need:

• 800g root vegetables (I used carrots, swedes, celeriac, and root parsley - and found that a perfect combination)


• 100g shiitake mushrooms


• 1 medium-sized onion


• 1-2 garlic cloves


• 3 Tbsp olive oil


• 1-2 bay leaves


• a twig of rosemary


• 1 espresso


• 400ml vegetable broth


• 100g cooked brown lentils (or beans)


• salt and pepper to taste

Chop the onion and garlic clove(s). Cut celeriac into thin sticks, the rest of the veggies in equal-sized cubes. If the mushrooms are small, you don’t need to cut them - if they’re bigger, halve or quarter them. Heat the olive oil in a pan (one with a lid, preferably), and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Then add garlic, stir, and add the rest of the veggies and mushrooms. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add broth, coffee, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and rosemary.

Let cook, covered, over a low heat until all vegetables are tender, or 30-40 minutes. Once in a while, check that there’s enough water - add if needed! In the end, remove bay leaves and rosemary and add the cooked lentils (or beans).

Serve with cooked or mashed potatoes.

Root Vegetable and Cabbage Curry with Sticky Tofu Sticks

I got the idea for this recipe from two different sources: the curry from a cooking wizard friend of mine, and the tofu sticks from a book called Vegan for Fun, written by one of Germany’s leading vegan chefs, Attila Hildmann. The ingredients cost next to nothing - provided you’ve got oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, and agave syrup. I had, and ended up paying 3,50 euros for the rest - and I only bought organic (of course, I also live in Germany, the promised land of cheap, high quality food! ;) ).

This recipe is just perfect for two quite hungry eaters!

For the curry you need:

• about 700g veggies (I used a mixture of carrot, celeriac, swede, broccoli stem, and cabbage)


• 1 smallish onion


• 2 garlic cloves


• about 1cm piece of fresh ginger


• (chili flakes if you like - I don’t)


• 1,5 tsp curry powder


• 3 Tbsp oil for frying


• 2 Tbsp soy sauce


• 3 Tbsp (vegan) cream


• salt to taste


• a bit of water, if necessary

For the sticky tofu sticks you need:

• 200g tofu


• 3 Tbsp oil for frying


• 2 Tbsp soy sauce, agave syrup, and peanut butter, each


• ½ tsp curry powder

First, cut all vegetables into thin sticks - the thinner, the better. Crush the garlic and chop the ginger. Heat oil in a frying pan or a wok and fry the vegetables over a medium heat, starting with onion, then adding garlic, ginger, and curry powder (and chili if using), and then adding the rest of the veggies. Once the vegetables are starting to get tender, add soy sauce, cream, and a bit of water if needed. Season with salt, cover with a lid and set aside to wait while you prepare the tofu sticks.

Cut tofu in long sticks. In a cup, mix together soy sauce, agave syrup, peanut butter and curry powder. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry tofu sticks from all sides. Once they are light golden, add the soy sauce mixture and continue frying over a low heat until the mixture gets sticky - be careful not to burn!

Divide curry on two plates and arrange tofu sticks on top. Decorate with fresh herbs, like parsley or cilantro. Serve immediately!