Vegan moussaka and tzatziki
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Bettina's vegan moussaka recipe is served with tzatziki on the side made from homemade cashew yoghurt. If you're short on time, you can use shop-bought plant-based yoghurt instead of making your own, but it adds plenty of flavour to the dish. Similarly, swap the gluten-free flour mix for a shop-bought one if needed – this version from Bettina comes highly recommended, though, so it's a great recipe to have in your repertoire. This recipe is from Happy Food by Bettina Campolucci Bordi, published by Hardie Grant. Images by Nassima Rothacker.
First published in 2018
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Vegan moussaka
- 1 leek, chopped (including the greens)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- olive oil, for cooking
- 1 aubergine, chopped
- 2 large baking potatoes, chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp of thyme leaves
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- 250ml of vegetable stock
- 500ml of plant-based yoghurt, preferably Bettina's cashew yoghurt
- 2 tbsp of gluten-free flour, preferably the mixture below (but you can use your favourite shop-bought version if necessary)
- salt, preferably pink Himalayan
- black pepper
Vegan tzatziki
- 375g of plant-based yoghurt, preferably Bettina's cashew yoghurt
- 1/4 cucumber, finely chopped
- 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp of chopped dill
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Cashew yoghurt (makes 1 x 1l jar)
- 560g of cashew nuts
- 500ml of water
- 1 probiotic capsule
Gluten-free flour mix (makes 540g flour)
- 210g of brown rice flour
- 140g of buckwheat flour
- 70g of rice flour, white
- 40g of oat flour
- 40g of potato starch
- 40g of tapioca flour
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
If making the cashew yoghurt yourself, start this at least 26 hours before making the dish. Add the cashews to a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak for 2 hours. Drain the soaked nuts and tip them into a blender. Discard the soaking water, add the fresh water and the probiotic capsule into the blender and blitz until you get a smooth texture
2
If you are doing this in a high-speed blender, make sure not to overheat the mixture as this will kill off the probiotics
3
Once blended, transfer to a glass or plastic container. Do not use a metal one as the mixture won’t ferment. Leave the container outside the fridge for 24 hours with a tea towel or muslin cloth on top so that the mixture can breathe, and to keep out any insects or flies
4
After 24 hours the mixture will be slightly fizzy and bubbly, which means it has fermented, so give it a good mix. Place a proper top on the glass container and leave it in the fridge for later use. The yoghurt will last for up to 7 days in the fridge ready to use
5
If you’re in a hurry, soften the cashews by pouring hot water on them and soak them for 15 minutes. Make sure you cool them off in cold water before blending. I would recommend soaking them for 2 hours, but I understand that we are all busy bees! If you are allergic to nuts, the cashews can be substituted with sunflower seeds. Just follow the same measurements and method
6
For the flour mix, simply combine the flours and store in an airtight container
7
To make the moussaka, preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
8
In a big pan on a medium heat, add the leek and carrots to some olive oil and cook until soft for about 5 minutes. Add the aubergine, potato, pepper, tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme and cook for another 10 minutes
9
Add the tinned tomatoes and stock and cook on a medium heat with a lid on for another 10 minutes. Once the vegetables have softened, pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes
10
Meanwhile, add all the tzatziki ingredients to a bowl, give them a good stir, then set aside
11
Now start to assemble the moussaka. Mix either cashew yoghurt or your choice of plant yoghurt with 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour mix and salt and pepper to taste. If it’s too thick add water to thin it out
12
Take the vegetables out of the oven and pour over the topping mixture – make sure the whole surface is covered. Heat the grill, pop the moussaka underneath and cook for 10 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown
13
Once browned let the moussaka cool for 10 minutes before serving with the tzatziki and some crispy greens
14
This is the perfect dish for batch cooking. Make one of these at the beginning of the week and enjoy for the next few days at home or as a takeaway. It’s also very freezable!
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