Recipe: Spicy vegan ‘meatball’ stew

Hello darlings!

I forgot to plan something for dinner, so I made this stew impromptu! I had some vegan meatballs that I got from Ikea that I wanted to use, but I didn’t want to make a typical tomato sauce.

The spices I used were made to mimic the amazing Moroccan ras al hanout. We completely ran out of Moroccan spice mixes (to my Moroccan family reading this, I came up with this recipe last minute and didn’t have time to come over and take some from you 😭) so I tried to mimic it as well as I could with the individual spices in my spice cupboard.

I wouldn’t say it had the exact Maghrebi taste that I was hoping for, but it was super yummy in its own way! There’s no shame in not being able to replicate something fully, especially when you compare it to the spices you get from Morocco. I’m just glad it turned out beautiful and accessible for those who want to do something new with their spice cupboard.

I also used a lot of oil in this recipe to mimic the fat that comes out of meat when you have a meaty stew. It was wholesome and hearty and comforting and it really gave the stew a yummy texture, especially when mixed with the rich spices. I will make this again and again and again!

You can make your own vegan meatballs, or use whichever ones you have on you. Alternatively, you can use this stew with beans, chickpeas, or anything else you want! Make this recipe yours. I came up with it by using whatever I had in the fridge because I hate wasting food, so do the same! Trust yourself when it comes to veggies ❤️.

Also, if you haven’t checked out Ikea’s vegan range, especially their hot dogs and meatballs, I would recommend you try ASAP. These meatballs are so clean. They’re soy free and made from chickpeas, peas, carrots, bell peppers, corn, kale, pea starch, onions, oil, and spices. They don’t try to mimic meat, but have their own unique rich taste and texture.

I love you all so much! Here’s the recipe for two (I ate it all by myself though)

So messy with a yummy side salad!!

Spices:
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder or dried coriander
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder (or chop some up and fry with the onion and garlic)
3-4 hairs of saffron or 1/4 teaspoon of saffron powder
1/4 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon of spicy paprika
1 bay leaf

Veggies
1/2 a carrot chopped
1 tomato chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1 onion sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
1/2 handful of raisins
1tsp tomato paste

Additions
7 vegan meatballs
2 tbsp olive oil
Bread/rice/pasta/quinoa/couscous/carb of your choice
1L of boiled water

Would you believe this isn’t vegan?

Instructions
1. Cook up your vegan meatballs and set aside. If possible, try to overcook so they don’t collapse, because vegan meatballs aren’t always as sturdy as the meaty counterparts.
2. Heat the olive oil and once hot, dash your onions and saute on low-medium heat until they soften. Add your garlic and let cook slightly until fragrant/golden
3. Add all of your spices except the bay leaf and mix until everything is covered
4. Add the rest of your veggies except the raisins and mix. Once your veggies are also covered in the spices, add the tomato paste and mix again for 1 minute
5. Add the water and bay leaf and let boil for 3 minutes on high heat. Then lower to medium heat, cover and cook for around half an hour until the water has reduced significantly and the stew thickens up. Check every 10 minutes to see how it’s doing and if the water reduces too fast, feel free to add more. Whilst you wait, you can make your rice/pasta/couscous/quinoa. If you want to make brown rice, I have instructions on my Instagram here (I know how tricky it can be, but I made it easy).
6. The carrots should be soft by the time it’s ready and your stew should be just the right consistency for you. If you want it extra thick, mix some cornstarch in cold water until it dissolves and dash the cornstarch in the stew — I don’t think you would need to do that here, especially because we used a lot of oil at the beginning
7. When done, add the raisins and meatballs and mix to let the raisins plump and the meatballs absorb some of the sauce before serving

Enjoy! I don’t upload all of my recipes and healthy vegan hacks on here, so if you want more, feel free to head to my Instagram! xox

I love you all so much!

Diana xoxo

Instagram: @flowerknafeh
Twitter: @superknafeh

Easy realistic vegan shawarma recipe (YES I GOT YOU)

Hello my loves!!

PSA: Most of my recipes are on my Instagram blog @flowerknafeh, so head over there if you want more regular recipe uploads!

It seems like yesterday, I was trying to establish my blog as a regular hobby and I used #BlogItIntoExistence to write about how I wanted to go vegan. Here I am writing a vegan shawarma recipe! So, this happened almost as an accident because I wanted to buy shiitake mushrooms, but I ended up buying a box of a mixture of shiitake maitake and oyster mushrooms. I made a mini vegan barbecue and just as the mushrooms were about to expire, I decided to wing it and make vegan shawarma.

I loved shawarma growing up and when I went vegetarian in 2014, it was something I really felt like I was missing out on. But I just went with the journey and if I was really craving shawarma, I’d cheat and have one. Of course I’d feel bloated and horrible after because my stomach wasn’t used to digesting meat. Later on, I would start using soy-based “meat” and even took a trip all the way to East London to try some vegan shawarma, but it still wasn’t it!

Looking back, I think it was the oyster mushrooms that gave the strong “meaty” taste and texture.

Doesn’t look vegan!

For mushroom haters, you wouldn’t eat unseasoned chicken and expect it to taste nice, right? So why would you do the same with mushrooms? Marinade, season and cook with love, culture and joy.

I wanted it pure, proper, tangy, juicy Arab style. Seasonings and everything. I decided to try to use these leftover mushrooms to marinate. I had around 150g of mushrooms left over so I winged it. I used around 2 teaspoons of the following spices:

The best thing is to use ready made shawarma spices. I used Abedo shawarma allspice – but here are the ingredients in case you want to use stuff from your own spice cupboard:

Black pepper, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, cardamom, summac, cloves, nutmeg, citric acid, mahlab (if you can’t find mahlab individually, skip it and add extra summac and use equal parts of everything but half the amount of nutmeg)

Essentially, use equal amounts of all the spices but add less nutmeg.

Additions:
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
(Garlic and onion powder are used to help plant sources taste more “meaty”)
1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses
1/2 an onion – chopped in thin slices

Technique:
– add 1tbsp of olive oil to your mushrooms and gently mix
– Add your spice mix gradually (if you want to taste the marinade, you can)
– Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours

Cooking instructions:
There are three ways you can do this
Oven:
– Cook for 30 minutes on gas mark 3, flipping them over halfway and adding your thinly sliced onions
– 5 minutes before it finishes, add 1tsp of pomegranate molasses (add gradually and more to taste), mix again and back in the oven
– If you want it to be more crispy, keep it in the oven for a bit longer
Pan fry:
– Fry on medium heat with the onions, adding olive oil or water if the onions get too crispy
– When almost done add your molasses and let sit until it’s crispy enough
Air fry:
– Fry it according to the instructions of frying thin veggies on your machine
– Flip halfway adding the onions
– When it’s almost done, add the molasses and leave for an extra five minutes

Assemble:
Really, just do it how you want to do it! I used pickles, tomato, lettuce, hummus and added some vegan mayo. With the leftover I went Lebanese style and sprinkled the shawarma over hummus!

I love you all! Don’t forget to share this recipe with all of your vegan friends – especially if they’re Middle Eastern! The struggle was real for me and I don’t want any of us Arab vegans to feel like we can’t eat our childhood favourites again!

Instagram: @flowerknafeh
Twitter: @superknafeh