VEGETARIAN PAELLA
INGREDIENTS:
2 handfuls of Green beans
5 of Button Mushrooms
300g of Firm Tofu
400g of Arborio rice
400g of canned chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 of Grilled red capsicums
2 teaspoons of Paprika
1/4 of a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
6 cloves of Garlic, crushed
10 Shallots
1 teaspoon of Chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon of Saffron soaked in a tablespoon of water
1L of Vegetable stock
About 50ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (and an extra teaspoon for garnishing)
1 Smoked, or roasted or charred or grilled eggplant (I smoked the eggplant)
*optional add ins*
-you could add in some canned chickpeas, red kidney beans or even lentils for extra protein and fibre
-you could add some artichokes
-add a vegetarian sausage
-Kalamata olives
-green peas
-you could add some spinach for some extra greens and nutrition
METHOD:
Cut up all veggies and tofu
(If you choose to smoke the eggplant) Cut eggplant in half and smoke it using a barbecue (Bbq). Have the Bbq on, heating up with wood in it (I used a small plank of wood but you could also use chips of wood) , this will start the smoking process. Heat up the Bbq with the wood for about 15 or so minutes before adding the eggplant. Once heated, smokey and fragrant, place the eggplant on the Bbq, skin down on grill, cook for 10-15 minutes, once cooked leave aside to cool down. Once cooled cut into slices and set aside for later.
(If you are roasting/grilling or Charring the eggplant instead, ignore most of this step, and cut the eggplant in half and cook with the skin side down your way, once cooked leave it aside to cool down. Once cooled cut into slices and set aside for later)
Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius Roast the red capsicum in the oven until tender and juicy, this should take about 30-45 minutes. Leave to cool. Once cooled peel off the skin and remove stem and seeds, then slice into strips.
Heat 2 teaspoons of Extra virgin Olive Oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the tofu and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes each side or until golden. Remove from pan and set aside for later
Heat 1 teaspoon of Extra virgin Olive Oil in the same fry pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cook for a few minutes until golden. Remove from pan and set aside for later
In a large fry pan/Skillet, on medium heat add the rest of the oil. Add the shallots and sprinkle a little bit of sea salt. Cook the shallots for about 5 minutes or until soft, stirring them frequently.
Add the crushed garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, stir, and cook for another minute.
Add the rice and stir gently to combine.
Add the tomatoes, stock, roasted capsicum and saffron. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low.
Stir occasionally (make sure you only stir a few times as over stirring can change the consistency of the rice) for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is almost tender
Add the green beans and mushrooms and gently combine and cook for anther 10 minutes, if a lot of the moisture has gone add a little bit of water or stock (a few tablespoons should do)
Add the eggplant and tofu on top and cover pan for a couple of minutes to warm them up before serving.
Add the parsley, salt, pepper, serve with lemon and enjoy
**Note that a great paella should have a slight golden crispy, crust on the bottom and edges of the paella (this is known as socarrat)
This makes roughly 6 servings and is vegetarian and vegan
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
This meal is low in saturated fat and has great amounts of both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. It is rich in fibre and has many micronutrients.
It is particularly rich in Vitamin C due to the tomatoes and red capsicum, it’s also rich in potassium.
It contains some good amounts of Vitamin A and potassium per serve as well.
If you use super charged mushrooms (mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight/ UV rays) you will also get some good amounts of vitamin D as well. You can supercharge the mushrooms you buy yourself by putting them in the sun.
This is a nutritious Mediterranean dish. The Mediterranean diet is a diet that is often recommended by health professionals as it is a good guide for people to follow as it contains many diverse fruits and vegetables, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, wholegrains, seafood and fish, herbs and spices, and breads. It recommends for people to eat poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation and suggests people to rarely eat red meats.
The traditional paella is a Spanish dish and it pretty much meets this description of the Mediterranean diet with the exception of chorizo, My version is a little different as it is vegetarian, it has no seafood and no meat but still generally meets the Mediterranean guide.
*When buying stocks be cautious of the sodium/ added salt, if the stock has a high amount of sodium then maybe don’t add additional salt to the dish.
