CAFE HAVEN

Starters, Snacks & Side Dishes

Salata de Vinete (Aubergine/Eggplant Salad) (vegan)

A Romanian siganature starter dish that is served on special occasions. Different countries nearby such as Greece and Turky have their own versions of aubergine salad.

3 large aubergines / eggplants
chopped onion, 1-2 tbs
Ex virgin olive oil, 3 tbs
sea salt to taste
bell peppers or other vegetables for garnish
*mayo or sour cream (optional, vegetarian option)

Grill aubergines until very tender. Direct fire such as BBQ grill or stove top is ideal. If not, bake in the oven on high heat.
Hold the stem and slash the aubergine with a knife lengthwise twice. The aubergine should be so soft that bitter brown juice starts dripping at this point. Let them drip in a colander for about 2 hours. Peel the skin.
Chop the aubergines very finely.

Authentic method: chop the aubergines on a wooden cutting board with a knife until it becomes very fine and sticky (it takes a while).
Easier way (but don't tell your grandma in Romania you did it): Pulse them in a food processor about 5-6 times (short pulse), making sure it's NOT puréed completely, but still have some caviar-like texture.

Add olive oil or other oil of your choice and chopped onion and mix well. Season with sea salt.
Garnish with sliced bell pepper. When it's for guest or a special meal, it's normally garnished in a pretty pattern. Serve with Bread.

* You can add some mayo or sour cream to this salad in the end. In this case, you may want to use less olive oil.

Vegan Paté (raw)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for an hour, drained and rinsed (or nut of your choice)
1/2 carrot, chopped
1/2 small courgette (zucchini), chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tbs chopped onion or green onion
handful of fresh coriander (celantro) or parsley
1-2 tbs tahini (optional)
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt (to taste)

Blend everything in a food processor/blender until it becomes smooth paste. Adjust the amount of seeds, vegetable, or tahini to make the right consistency for you.

Experiment with other veggies, herbs, spices and seasonings.

Serving suggestions:

with your favourite crackers
with veggie sticks
stuffed in tomato, avocado halves, small bell peppers
as sandwich filling

Hummus (vegan)

1 cup cooked chickpeas (or canellini beans / butter beans)
about 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
1- 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin powder, or to taste
1 garlic cloves
salt to taste

Options:
You can blend in any of the following for different flavours:

2 tbs tahini
1 tbs raw apple cider vinegar
handful of fresh coriander
1/4 roasted or fresh bell pepper
about 4 dried tomatoes (soaked in hot water and drained)

Blend everything in a food processor/blender until smooth and creamy.
Enjoy with pita bread, crackers, veggie sticks, or as sandwich filling.

Vegan Pesto (raw)

Surprising amount of fresh spinach is blended into this pesto.

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for an hour and drained (or pine nuts)
extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbs or to taste
1 handful of fresh basil leaves (or more)
1 cup (or more if you like) baby spinach
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic
salt to taste
dried basil (option)

Blend everything in a food processor/blender until smooth. Add more spinach if you like.
Enjoy as dip or sauce for steamed veggies.

Instant tomato sauce (raw)

1 cup tomato passata (or 3-4 fresh ripe tomatoes)
4 semi-dried tomatoes
1-2 dates (soaked, optional)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
dried basil, dried oregano, to taste
salt to taste
some black olives

Blend everything except for black olives in a food processor / blender. Add more dried tomatoes if you like thicker consistency. Garnish with olives and serve as dip, or use it as sauce for raw pasta.

Green Peas Mash (vegan)

My version of Britain's signature side dish. Normally served with meat dish, but can be also eaten as a main for a vegan meal, or as vegan paté.

2 cups fresh or frozen green peas (garden peas)
1/4 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 tbs EX virgin olive oil
dried mint to taste
sea salt to taste

Boil some water and cook peas with onion and garlic until the peas are tender. Drain.
Purée #1 with olive oil and salt in a food processor.
Add some dried mint to the mixture.

Mashed Sweet Potato (vegetarian / vegan)

A side dish packed with antioxidant that tastes almost like dessert. In fact, you can spread it on a toast to make an instant 'sweet potato pie.' I also normally make extra and use the mash to make my sugar/dairy-free apple cake or chocolate cake.

steamed or roasted sweet potatoes, 2 cups
ginger, grated, 1-2 tbs
dash cinnamon and nutmeg
dash salt
butter or coconut milk, 1-2 tbs
lemon zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

(for garnish -- optional)
walnut
raisin or currants

Purée everything except for garnish in a food processor or mash well with potato masher. You may not need nut milk if your steamed potato is very soft and mushy already.

*Great as side dish, or as I said above, try it on a toast or crackers / oat cakes, maybe drizzle some honey on it, to make an instant 'sweet potato pie.'
* You can also use pumpkins instead of sweet potatoes.

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