Hi Guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post, but I'm back now with a lovely warming dish that may remind some readers of childhood. I know that as a child I ate a lot of Mince and Dumplings (in fact I remember the time i broke my wrist i had just finished a big plate full, meaning i couldn't have my wrist reset until hours later.), I'm not too sure if many other people did, maybe you could let me know.
But as being vegan nows means the original childhood meal is off the cards I thought, why not knock up not only a vegan alternative but a damn tasty, nutritious and filling meal that the whole family can enjoy.
I think this meal ticks all the boxes and its super simple to make, I made the whole thing from scratch in under a hour and a half, that includes making my own veggie gravy. Perfect for a relaxed, rainy sunday afternoon like this one.
Lentils and Dumplings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- For the Gravy
- 2 Carrots (chopped)
- 2 sticks Celery (chopped)
- 1 small Onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Organic Veggie Stock (i use Kallo)
- 1 tspn Tomato Puree
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- For the Lentils
- 1 cup Brown Lentils (cooked)
- 1/2 cup Green Lentils (cooked)
- 1 cup Vegan Gravy
- 1 cup Canned Chickpeas with Water
- For the Dumplings
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Suet
- Cold water to mix
- In a skillet fry the carrot, celery and onion on a low heat for about 10 minutes until starting to brown, then add the sugar and stir until the sugar starts to turn to caramel add the flour and stir until the flour has absorbed the oil.
- Add the veggie stock and tomato paste followed by the thyme and bay, let it bubble away for about half an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve, mush up all the veggies to get all the flavour out. You now have the perfect vegan friendly gravy for your lentils.
- Add the lentils, chickpeas including the water from the can and the gravy into the skillet, bring to the boil.
- Whilst that is heating up, mix the flour and suet with a tablespoon of water, keep adding tablespoons of water until you have a soft, sticky dough.
- Divide the dumpling mixture into 4 and place on top of the simmering lentils.
- Turn the oven to Gas mark 6 and leave to heat for 5 minutes, once hot place the skillet on the top shelf for about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve a big bowl full alongside some mashed potato and your favorite vegetables.
Honestly this is one of the best meals I've made in ages, please let me know if you do give this a go let me know via the comments below or on twitter at NEveggie also you can follow me on instagram @neveggie.