This is a pretty quick & easy salad to put together, I hope you like it!
1 lb shelled edamame
2 ozs sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 large red bell pepper
4 spring onions
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sambal olek (chili garlic sauce)
Boil the edamame in salted water for about three minutes and cool. Lightly toast the sliced almonds and cool. Chop the spring onions, red pepper and herbs. Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, soy and chili sauce.
Once cooled, mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate once more before serving.
Traditional red beans and rice recipes use ham hocks and bacon grease for a lot of the flavor. Obviously I could not use any of that but I think this vegetarian version turned out pretty tasty.
I didn't refer to any of the conventional recipes, I just put together the ingredients I thought would work well for a vegetarian take this southern staple.
1 lb dried red kidney beans
2 cubes Knorr vegetable bouillion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 chopped red onion
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic
Soak and cook the beans according to package instructions. After about an hour of cooking, add the bouillon cubes and half the onion to the beans and continue to simmer. As the beans and liquid start to thicken add the salt, paprika, garlic and red pepper flakes.
Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Once the beans have thickened, serve over the rice and garnish with some raw onion and chopped cilantro.
This is a pretty quick and easy vegetable salad. It's tasty, with a good crunch to it, and will keep well in the fridge for several days.
If you wish, you can blanch the broccoli first but I prefer it raw.
2 large heads of broccoli
2 tomatos
1/2 a red onion
1/2 a cup of raisins
4 ozs grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & black pepper to taste
Roughly chop the broccoli, including the stalks. Finely dice the onion and tomato. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and serve.
Having a background in traditional (ie: meat filled!) cooking I find I that have a hard translating my knowledge to vegetarian cooking. For instance, I've been racking my brain trying to think of a veggie pie or tart.
In the near future I plan to try a veggie pot pie.
However, in the meantime I came up with this sweet onion tart recipe, I hope you enjoy it!
1 sheet puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm, or other brand)
2 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine
6 ozs Gruyere cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
2 ozs Dijon mustard (approx.)
1 clove of garlic
A splash of olive oil
Thinly slice the onion and sauté in the olive oil with the garlic. Add the sugar and red/white wine and reduce the liquid is all gone and the onions have caramelized.
Lay out the puff pastry onto a greased cookie and thinly smear with the mustard. Spread the caramelized onions over the muster and top with the cheese. Pinch over the edges and place into a 375ºF oven.
The tart is done when the cheese is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
This is a great side dish that can be served with all sorts of things.
1 butternut squash
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small red onion
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Peel, de-seed and cut the butternut squash into chunks. Peel the garlic but leave whole. Cut the red onion into six to eight pieces, cutting down from the root helps keep the onion pieces intact while cooking.
Toss everything together in a bowl with a generous splash of olive oil and season.
Roast in a 400ºF oven until tender and it gains a little color, around 30 minutes.
Split pea soup is usually made with ham hocks for flavor so I was somewhat wary as to how this vegetarian version would turn out. However, with a little creative flair I ended up with a very tasty soup!
1 lb dried split peas
6 cups of water
1 bunch spring onions
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 cubes telma Vegetable soup & seasoning
Sun dried tomatoes (I prefer the kind in jars with olive oil.)
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Cook the split peas in the water according to the package instructions, usually about 20 minutes.
When ready, pour off some of the water and crumble in the soup cubes. Remove the green part of the spring onions, the stalks of the cilantro and add to the pot. Simmer fairly rapidly until the onion tops and cilantro stalks have softened. Blend everything throughly with a hand blender, I like the soup fairly thick but you can add a little water to correct the consistency if you wish.
Serve the soup garnished with the sun dried tomatoes, chopped spring onions, cilantro springs, a drizzle of the olive oil from the tomatoes and, if you wish, some grated parmesan.
Of course you can garnish with anything you like but I really like the contrast the sun dried have with the split peas.
16 ozs pasta (penne, rotini or your personal favorite).
2 eggs
1 cup shredded parmesan, or pecorino romano cheese
2 large zucchini
2 cloves garlic
2 oz sun dried tomato
A splash of extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Feeds about four people.
Cook the pasta according to the maker's instructions, drain and retain a little of the cooking liquid.
Trim the ends from the zucchini and cut into quarters lengthways, cut out the center core of seeds then cut diagonally into pieces. Cut the sun dried tomatoes smaller pieces.
Slice the garlic and saute with the olive oil in a large pan, add the zucchini and cook a little, the zucchini should remain crunchy, add the sun dried tomatoes and, lastly, toss in the pasta.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and mix together with the parmesan cheese. Take the hot pasta etc. and throughly toss together with the egg and cheese mixture, also throw in a splash of the hot cooking liquid. The heat from the hot pasta and water should cook the egg and everything will be coated with a delicious cheesy carbonara sauce.
There are many different variations to the carbonara recipe, I encourage experimenting!
This is a really refreshing, crunchy, asian influenced salad. As usual, at my daughter's request, it is vegetarian, however the addition of some grilled and diced chicken breast can make it appealing to the carnivore's in your family too!
Crunchy Asian Salad
1 medium Napa cabbage
1 bunch cilantro
1 cucumber
2 bunches spring onions
Crispy Chow Mein noodles
Sesame Ginger Dressing*
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil * Sesame oil can be pretty pricey so, unless you want make that investment, consider purchasing a good quality store bought asian dressing.
Salad prep
Cut the Napa cabbage into four pieces lengthways, remove the root from each piece and, with a sharp knife, shred the cabbage as thinly as possible. Slice the cucumber thinly and roughly cut the slices into strips. Chop the entire bunch of cilantro. Remove the root from the spring onions (aka scallions) and any discolored outside leaves, finely chop and throughly mix together with the other ingredients in a large bowl.
As usual with my recipes this makes quite a lot! It will probably make enough for about six people. I like to take what I need for each meal and keep the rest of the undressed salad in ziplock bag so I can pack some for my, and Louisa's lunch.
Dressing prep
Mix all the ingredients together in a dressing bottle and shake! Alternatively I like to use a hand blender to throughly mix, and emulsify the dressing.
Toss the desired amount of salad together with the dressing and serve topped with some of the crispy chow mien noodles.
Grilling pizzas outside on a warm day is a fun group activity. Encourage your guests to get creative with their choices of toppings and sauces!
Dough
1/2 lb bread flour
1/2 lb all purpose flour
1 tps salt
1 tbs honey or sugar
10 ozs warm water
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Makes about three small pizzas.
The grill should be prepared with the charcoal around 30-40 minutes before you are ready to cook. The coals should be glowing. I advise gathering the coals to one side in order to give you control over the amount of heat the pizza gets by moving from one side to the other as needed.
Add the yeast, honey (or sugar) and olive oil to the water. Add the salt to the flour and make a well in the center, when the yeast begins to bubble add to the flour. Work the flour and water together from the center outwards. Once well mixed, turn out on a clean floured surface and knead throughly. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise.
Once the dough has risen, turn out on to a floured surface and knead briefly to knock the air out. Split into three roughly equal pieces. Roll out a piece the dough, sprinkle a little cornmeal on a cutting board and lay the rolled out on top. The cornmeal prevents the dough from sticking to the cutting board/pizza paddle. Add your sauce, cheese and toppings and slide gently on to the grill and place the lid back on the grill!
Depending on the temperature of the coals, the pizza should only take about 10-15 minutes.
You can, of course, put whatever you like on a pizza, the different combinations are limited only by your imagination!
I am not going to add specific pizza ingredients to this "recipe" as, after the dough, there are just three basic tenants to makings pizza,
Base sauce
Cheese
Toppings
As I said above, the different combinations are limited only by your imagination!
Some of the pizzas we made tonight were, a honey, apple and gorgonzola; an alfredo, tomato, and double cheese; and a tomato, asparagus pizza.
I was listening to NPR this morning and caught the tale end of an interview with Nigella Lawson. One of the dishes she mentioned was a tomato curry, unfortunately I wasn't able to hear the whole recipe. On the way home from work I decided to try my own spin on a tomato curry.
Once home, I realized I had a bunch of potatoes I needed to use up, so this recipe morphed a tomato and potato curry!
2 lb tomatoes
1 lb potatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 cups of raisins
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp garam marsala powder
1/2 bunch cilantro, save some to garnish
1 can coconut milk
A handful of curry leaves
Sweet mango chutney, served on the side.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks, toss in a little oil and roast in the oven at around 400°F until cooked.
Sauté the onions and garlic in a little oil, add the curry leaves, chili powder and garam marsala powder.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes, chopped cilantro, raisins and coconut milk. Turn down the heat and place the lid on the pot. Cook for around 20 minutes, until the tomatoes have begun to break down.
Serve over rice with a side of sweet mango chutney.
pinch of salt (Alternatively, a raspberry vinaigrette works well with this.)
Lay out three dishes with the flour, egg and breadcrumbs (It's better to use dried breadcrumbs than fresh).
Coat the cheese with the flour and dredge through the egg and coat with the breadcrumbs. Make sure the cheese has a nice coating of crumb, you can put it back through the egg and breadcrumb one more time if necessary.
Place the breaded cheese on a cookie sheet and grill under a broiler until golden brown on both sides.
Toss the salad, cranberries, pinenuts and dressing together, arrange on the plate and place the grilled goat cheese on top and serve.
I just wanted to demonstrate how to make a simple omelet, as I have noticed that, sometimes, people have a hard time making them.
3 eggs
1 oz cheddar
1/2 oz parmesan
1/4 small onion, sliced
3 slices tomato
Salt & pepper
A splash olive oil
Beat the eggs together with a fork, add the cheese and seasoning.
Heat the oil in the skillet, add the onions. When the onions are cooked to your liking, add the eggs etc.
Use your fork to keep the mixture moving until partially cooked, distribute evenly across the base of the skillet and cook a little longer, allowing the eggs to set.
Lay the tomato slices across half the omelet, fold onto it's self and serve.
This is just an example on an omelet, you can put a large variety of ingredients in an omelet.
In my exploration of vegetarian cooking I'm finding that beans are a great protein substitute, so I thought I'd explore some of the dried beans/peas that are commonly available at the average supermarket.
Great Northern Beans
I find myself using these beans the most. They are great to use in a Cassoulet. However, as that is a meat dish I can't post that recipe in this blog, at least not until Louisa goes out of town! They are also a good choice for veggie/bean burgers and soups.
Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are prominent in Mexican cuisine, primarily as refried beans.
Small Red Beans
Small red beans are used a lot in the cuisine of southern Louisiana such as the classic Creole dish, red beans and rice.
Cannellini Beans
Cannellini beans are related to kidney beans and are popular in central and southern Italian cooking.
Black Eyed Pea
Black Eyed Peas have many uses around the world, even as a dessert in Vietnam. Here in Texas it's called Texas Caviar when served with a mix of spices, peppers etc. and a zesty Italian dressing.
Split Peas
Split peas are mainly used in soups, although I have seen, and plan to try, burger recipes using them.
Black Beans
Black beans are prominent in latin American cooking as well as Creole and Cajun food. A great bean for soups. They are also a good choice for veggie/bean burgers and soups.
Light Red Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are commonly used in chili. Kidney beans contain a toxin when raw and should be boiled for ten minutes, before cooking by any 'slow cooker method', to avoid poisoning! Yikes!
Photo: left to right, starting from the top - great northern beans, pinto beans, small red beans, cannellini beans, black eyed peas, split peas, black beans, light red kidney beans.
This is really great take on the classic apple Tart Tatin, which I have made many times before. I saw this banana version on Jamie Oliver's free podcast "Jamie's Ministry of Food", I highly recommend it, some great recipes explained well. However, there are very few vegetarian recipes!
4 bananas
1 cup sugar
4 oz butter
1 sheet puff pastry
Puff pastry is hard and time consuming to make so I advise buying store bought frozen pastry. The kind I got was Pepperidge Farms brand puff pastry sheets.
Pre heat the oven to 400°F. On the stove top, heat the sugar and butter in a nine inch square baking pan, stirring continuously, until the sugar has caramelized. Be very careful when caramelizing the sugar as it boils at an extremely high temperature and can cause severe burns if it comes into contact with the skin.
Peel the bananas and split in half lengthwise. Carefully lay the bananas in the caramelized sugar and place a sheet of the puff pastry on top. With a wooden spoon tuck the pastry down on the edges. You may find you have to trim it a little to fit.
Bake until the pastry is golden brown and puffed, around 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and carefully invert the tart onto a serving plate or board, cut and serve with vanilla ice cream.
I'm proud to present my daughter Louisa's, first contribution to this blog.
This recipe is based on a a couple of different recipes she found online and tried out with her friend Andrew.
4 tbs of all purpose flour
4 tbs of sugar
1/8 tbs baking powder
3 tbs of oil
3 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs of cocoa
1 egg
Add as many chocolate chips as you wish.
Mix all the ingredients together in a mug, making sure there are no pockets of dry flour.
Add the chocolate chips last so they don't sink to the bottom, and place in a microwave oven for 3 minutes.
I think that a good tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich is the ultimate comfort food.
I have been making this soup for many years, I'm not sure where I learned it… Most likely from the great Erik Michel!
Soup
1 small yellow onion
4 medium carrots
A splash of olive oil
1 orange, peel & juice
2 lbs tomatos, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
Sauté the onion and the carrots with a splash of olive oil. Add the orange peel, juice, tomatoes, salt and vegetable stock. Simmer for around twenty minutes to allow the tomatoes to break down. Blend with a hand blender*, or traditional blender and serve with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro or basil, your choice.
Sandwich
2 slices bread
1 oz cheddar
1 oz provolone
1 oz mozzarella
2 slices red onion
Layer the three different cheeses and red onion between the bread and cook in a panini press or on a stove top griddle. Serve garnished with the little salad. I garnished mine with sugar snap pea sprouts.
As I started this recipe today I got the news that a friend, Mark Goode, passed away in his sleep this morning, he was only 39 years old… For what it's worth, I dedicate this recipe to him.
Me with Mark, RIP
* I highly recommend purchasing a hand blender, they are so much more convenient than a traditional blender.
1 Large Eggplant (aka Aubergine)
1/4 cup tahini paste*
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 lemons, juiced
Salt and pepper
Roast the eggplant in a 400° F oven for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Once done halve and scoop out the flesh, place on a cookie sheet and put back in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry out a little.
Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor.
Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve with tortilla chips or warm pita bread.
*Tahini paste can be found at most middle eastern grocery stores, or on Amazon.com
This a really wonderful, and simple, bread that I've been making for about twenty three years. It was taught to me by the multi-talented Erik Michel when I worked as a commis chef in his restaurant, in Ripley, Surrey UK.
The only thing I've changed is that I use a steel cut oat grain/groat for a finer crumb and, I think, I may be using a little more olive oil.
As this recipe uses no dairy, fat, or egg wash, it is suitable for vegans.
3 lbs Bread flour
4 ozs Steel cut oat grain (or whole grain if you prefer)
30 ozs Warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tsps salt
3 tbsps sugar
2 packs of dried yeast
Add the yeast, oil and sugar to the 30ozs of warm water and put in a warm place until the yeast begins to bubble.
Sift the flour in to large bowl, add the salt and the oats. Make a well the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture. With your hand, work the flour and the liquid together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth. Place the dough in a oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Turn dough out onto the floured surface and knead again until all the air is knocked out. Divide the dough into three roughly equal pieces. Each piece can be then be shaped into a loaf or divided further to create rolls.
Dust the top of the shaped loaf with flour and make three or four diagonal incisions across the top and place in a loaf tin. Pre-heat the oven to 375° F and allow the dough to rise to roughly double in size.
Once the loaves have risen place in the oven. The bread should take around 30 - 40 minutes to bake. When ready, turn out of the loaf pans onto a cooling rack. To check that the bread is ready tap the bottom of the loaf, it should be firm and make a hollow sound.
To make a crustier loaf, place a dish of water in the bottom of the oven.
This bread does not have all the preservatives that you find in store bought bread, so I recommend slicing and freezing any that you don't expect to eat within a day or two.
This is a very tasty salad, and it's pretty quick to make, once the chick peas are prepared. Of course you can speed it up further by using canned chick peas instead, just be sure to rinse and drain them first.
1 lb dried chick peas (aka garbanzo beans) prepared according to instructions.
1 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
4 cups baby arugula, chopped
10 ozs cherry tomatoes, halved
5 ozs shredded asiago cheese
1tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
Balsamic Dressing
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 heaped tsp grainy stone ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch of salt
Once everything has been chopped and diced, combine all together with about half the dressing; the rest can be used as an all purpose salad dressing and keeps well.
Serve in a romaine lettuce leaf and sprinkle with a little extra arugula.
This lentil curry is really simple, easy and very tasty! This recipe makes a pretty large amount but keeps well, I take it to work several days a week for a no hassle lunch.
The heat is fairly mild, which suits Louisa, but I like it hotter so I add some red pepper flakes or hot sauce to mine.
1 lb green lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 package Golden Curry sauce mix *
2 1/2 cups of water
Cashews and/or peanuts
Cook the lentils until tender, according to the package instructions and drain.
In a pot sauté the garlic, onions and green pepper. Add the lentils, tomato and water, bring to a simmer and add the Golden Curry sauce mix. Keep simmering until thickened and its ready.
Serve on it's own or over some rice. I like to add some cashews or peanuts for a little crunch.
* This Japanese style Golden Curry sauce mix can be found in most good asian grocery stores and on Amazon.com.
This recipe makes two 12 inch quiches. For speed and convenience I use pre-made pastry circles from the grocery store, if you have time to make the pastry fresh go for it!
You can put almost anything in a quiche and is a great way to use leftovers. They can be eaten hot or cold, I often pack a slice for Louisa's lunch.
2 pastry circles.
1 pint of milk (an imperial pint which is 20 ozs, not U.S. which is 16 ozs).
5 eggs
10 ozs fresh spinach
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
16 ozs white beans (I use great northern beans)
2 cups of grated cheddar
olive oil
salt & pepper
Pre heat the oven to 375ºF.
In a large pan heat some olive oil and brown the garlic, add the spinach and remove from the heat; tossing the spinach in the oil and garlic until wilted.
Beat the eggs and the milk together with salt and pepper to taste. Line your quiche pans with the pastry and distribute the spinach, white beans and cheese evenly between them. If you use canned beans be sure to rinse and drain them first.
Fill each quiche with the milk and egg mixture, place in the oven and cook for around 40 minutes.
These black bean tacos are made with the tangy red and white cabbage posted here.
I made these with prepared dry beans but canned beans work fine.
1 can black beans.
1/2 red onion, chopped.
1/2 green pepper, finely diced.
1/2 packet taco seasoning (any brand, 1.25ozs type).
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped.
Flour tortillas.
Crumbled feta cheese.
Coleslaw (see recipe linked above).
Limes, on the side.
Sour cream, on the side.
Saute the onions and green pepper, add the canned black beans, including the liquid, add the taco seasoning and cilantro (reserve a little for a final garnish). Cook down the liquid, stirring all the while, until the mixture has thickened, allow to cool a little.
Heat up a stove top griddle or iron skillet. Fill the flour tortillas with a couple of spoonfuls of the black bean mixture, sprinkle in some feta and fold in half.
Once the griddle or skillet is hot add the filled tortillas and brown slightly on each side. Top with the coleslaw and serve with a lime wedge and some sour cream on the side. Garnish with a sprinkling of the remaining chopped cilantro.
Recently my 16 year old daughter made the request to switch to a vegetarian diet. She always had a love of animals and an aversion to animal cruelty/testing etc. so felt it was hypocritical of her to continue to eat meat. However, she will continue to eat fish occasionally, so her diet will really be pescetarian.
Here is one of the first things I made, a tangy red and white cabbage coleslaw.
1/2 small white cabbage, shredded.
1/4 small red cabbage, shredded.
5 medium carrots, grated.
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced.
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional).
This will make quite a lot of coleslaw so, unless you are feeding a large group, I suggest you ziplock and refrigerate most of it and make the dressing to order as you need it.
Dressing
1 cup mayo.
1 cup plain greek yoghurt.
1 lime or lemon, juiced.
2 tsps ground cumin.
I advise adjusting these amounts to personal taste.
The reason I make a lot of this is that it can be added to other dishes, such as black bean tacos. (see next post!)
