[Recipe] Vegan share platter (Meat eaters can swop beans out for chicken or beef)

A delicious healthy recipe commissioned from Sleekgeek Success Story turned Coach,  Sylvia Frank (read more about her here).

Carefully designed to fit in with the Sleekgeek Food List,  Healthy Meal Template, and  Portion Control Guide.

DETAILS

• Recommended for: Lunch or supper
• Serves:  2 women or 1 man  (see full portion control guide here).

INGREDIENTS

• Quality Protein
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, or used canned black beans if pressed for time.

• Vegetables/Fruit
  • 1 big yellow bell pepper, quartered
  • 1 red cubanelle pepper (longer ones)
  • A half head of broccoli, broken into florets
  • 2 big 1 cm thick slices eggplant/ aubergine
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 10 portobello mushrooms
  • 8 sugar snap peas
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • Chives or half a chopped onion
  • 1 carrot

• Smart Carbs
  • 1 big potato

• Healthy Fats
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil for drizzling over veg to bake.
  • 1 tbsp linseeds/ flax seeds, ground. 

• Herbs, spices and extras
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Tsp garlic powder
  • Tsp onion powder
  • Tsp mustard seeds
  • Quarter cup nutritional yeast (optional)

UTENSILS

• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Bowls for mixing
• Frying pan
• Roasting pan
• Potato peeler
• Stick blender /processor
• Oven sheet
• Baking parchment
• Frying pan

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 180″C.
• Sprinkle salt over the eggplant slices and leave to rest.
• Cut the bell pepper in quarters and halve the red long pepper and deseed them.
• Cut the portobello mushrooms in half.
• Crush and chop 2 cloves of garlic.
• Peel and cube potato into 1 cm cubes.
• Peel and slice the carrot thinly.
• Boil the potato and carrot until cooked soft.
• While the carrots and potatoes are boiling, bring a third of a cup of water to the boil in a tiny pot.
• Add the linseeds to the boiling water and stir quickly in a round motion until it forms a ball. Take off the heat.
• On a piece of baking paper (sprayed with spray and cook) or silicon mat, roll out the linseed mix thinly (about 2mm)
• Rinse and squeeze out the eggplant slices.
• Place all the vegetables on a baking sheet sprayed with spray and cook.
• Drizzle the olive oil over them and season to taste, adding the garlic over the eggplant.
• Pop the vegetables in the oven to roast and the flax crackers in to bake in a separate tray for 20 minutes.
• Drain the potato and carrot mix and add the onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seeds and nutritional yeast (optional).
• Blend the mixture with a stick blender to make a thick, melted cheese consistency, adding a bit of water if necessary.
• Check the linseed crackers and roasting vegetables and remove from the oven when cooked through.
• Heat the black beans and add chives or finely chopped onion.

TO SERVE

• Put the ‘mock cheese’ sauce in a bowl for dipping and place in the centre of the platter.
• Arrange all the different colour roasted vegetables around the centre bowl, making sure to alternate colours for effect.
• Break up the big linseed cracker into pieces and serve alongside.