GOOD EATINGS - VEGAN CEVAPI, TZATZIKI AND SUMMMER SALAD

I have decided to start a new series on my youtube channel as I want to share more recipes that could be good to share with non-vegan friends and family (and vegans alike of course). Dishes that I know my family members enjoy and that hopefully will win some of your friends and family over too and entice them to try some plant based food. In this first video I’m using a mock minced meat to make a Balkan or Greek inspired dish called cevapi which I serve with some parsley spiked tzatziki and a fresh summer salad. This vegan cevapi is reminiscent of the original with the same flavours and I must say that the mock meats available to us now could fool most people to think it wasn’t mock at all. I am greateful for this when cooking for the parts of my family who are more used to meaty food as I of course want them to enjoy their meal. Luckily my family is quite open to trying vegan food but with this recipe I’m pretty sure anyone would enjoy it so don’t be shy and try it on someone you like that might be a little skeptical. Hopefully I’m right!

To give you all a little update on what’s up in my life at the moment Rob and I are just about to move out of our current house as we are searching for our new forever home. That is why my social media is a little quiet at the moment but I have put focus into making one video a week to share with you all rather than little daily snippets. It’s a hectic but fun time and we are so enjoying summer. Next week we’ll be going to London to stay for a little over a month so I’ll be sharing from there soon and hope you will enjoy the change of scenery. Looking forward to a calmer tempo in terms of what I need to do and a little city life as well. Maybe next summer we’ll be enjoying our very own garden and stay the whole season in Sweden. That is my wish but for now we’re going to enjoy a bit of city flare and keep looking for our dream house. Wishing you all a lovely day, I really hope you enjoy this recipe! x

VEGAN CEVAPI, TZATZIKI AND SUMMMER SALAD

Makes roughly 18 cevapci / 4-6.

INGREDIENTS:

For the tzatziki:

0,85 cup vegan greek yogurt or creme fraiche or sour cream

0,5 cucumber, grated

1 clove of garlic, minced

Large handful of parsley, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

For the cevapci:

800 g vegan minced “meat”, choose one that holds shape well

2 yellow onions, finely chopped

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

0,75 cup parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp paprika poder

0,5 tbsp smoked paprika powder

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

For the salad:

Greens of your choice

3-4 tomatoes, I used various colours, in bite sized pieces

0,25-0,5 cucumber, in cubes

4-5 radishes, finely sliced

1-2 spring onions, sliced

0,25 lemon, juice

Sea salt and black pepper

Serve with: boiled or roasted potatoes

METHOD:

The tzatziki:

Place your grated cucumber in a sieve over a bowl and fold in a pinch of salt. Let sit for 20 minutes roughly to release water. Once it’s rested squeeze out the excess water and place in a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Give it all a good mix and refrigerate while you prepare the other components.

The cevapi:

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees celsius on a fan assisted grill mode. You could also cook these on the barbecue if you wish.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it well with your hands. When the ingredients are very well combined you can shape the mixture into shapes. The oval cylinder shapes (see video) should be about 7-8 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. Place your cevapi on a lined baking tray and grill at the top of the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Flip the cevapi roughly every three minutes to make sure all sides get grilled and no side gets burned.

The salad:

While you grill the cevapi you can layer together the salad on a large serving dish. Start with your greens and then layer your other ingredients on top with good spread across the dish. Squeeze on your lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve:

Serve your cevapi on top of the salad if you wish for a fresh and summery impression along with potatoes and tzatziki.