Tag: Vegetarian (Page 4 of 8)

Best ever butternut squash soup

10/09/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

Ten out of ten for this one. You can use any type of squash or pumpkin but butternut is the best.

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
2 celery stalks sliced
3 leeks sliced
2 carrots sliced
1 tsp black mustard seeds
30g butter or Bertoli (or oil if you want vegan)

Chuck everything in a big pot and sweat gently for 10 minutes.

1.2L light chicken (or vegetable stock to make it vegan)

Add the stock and simmer for 25 minutes. Whizz with a stick blender. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Even more incredible with Gremolata sprinkled on top:

1 tbs parsley chopped finely
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
zest of one lemon

Mix the above. That is Gremolata. Sprinkle on meat and fish to zap it up a bit if it needs it.

Blue Cheese Dip

05/07/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

Great as a dip for veg, crackers and buffalo wings

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 tbs milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Mix. That’s it!

Roast Vegetable Salad

26/06/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

Simple to make and flexible with main ingredients. Firstly make this awesome dressing which would go with other things too.

50g cashew nuts

Boil 3 minutes. Add

2 garlic cloves

Boil 2 minutes more. Drain, remove garlic skins and add to a blender (stick blender is best) with

Juice of a lemon
2 tsp onion powder
half a cucumber

Zap. Add the other half of a cucumber and zap again. You can experiment by adding herbs – tarragon, chives, etc but I am not sure that is necessary.

For the salad – you can swap vegetables around but I used the following:

Red cabbage, cut into thin slices including the core so it stays together as a “steak”
Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
Courgette, sliced
oil

Fry in a hot pan until charred. Transfer to an oven 180C fan, season and roast 30 minutes. Less if your charring took a while. Take them out when soft all the way through, and cool for a bit. Meanwhile…

Broccoli florets
Chives chipped or spring onions in 3 cm lengths

In the same pan, add a bit more oil then toss the broccoli and chives around and char until bright green with charred bits. They should be still crunchy but not raw. Remove.

Tofu (vegan) or halloumi (vegetarian)

In the same pan, sear until browned.

Cherry tomatoes
Lettuce hearts, quartered

Arrange the roasted and seared items with the fresh items in a tasteful display on your platter. Serve with the sauce.

You could also try asparagus, treated like the broccoli; button mushrooms left whole and fried with garlic and herbs in olive oil; swede or parsnip treated like the sweet potato.

Asparagus and Goats Cheese Tart

30/05/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

Awesome, looks impressive and is actually very easy to make. Here’s how (serves 4)

3 eggs beaten
Pack of puff pastry sheet

Heat the oven to 180C. Unroll the pastry sheet, leaving it on its parchment. Put it on a baking tray. With a sharp knife score around the pastry sheet about 2cm the edge so it looks like a picture frame. Stab the inside if the frame with a fork or knife. Brush with beaten egg all over, but keep the rest of the egg, you will need it later. Bake 15 minutes. Remove and cool. Actually you don’t really have to let it cool, I didn’t. You may need to squash down the middle a bit if the whole thing has turned into a pillow.

A bunch of asparagus

Boil for 2 minutes, then plunge into cold water to blanch then set aside

50ml creme fraiche
50g grated cheese
seasoning

Mix these with your remaining egg

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 lemon zested

Mix with your asparagus

50g goats cheese or similar, cubed

Pour the egg and cheese mixture onto the centre of your pastry frame and spread out. Lay out the asparagus artistically, then dot with the goats cheese. Cook at 180C for another 15-20 minutes until set and golden.

Great with a salad for lunch!

Greek potatoes, halloumi and asparagus

07/04/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

Great with a grill or you can eat this as a light meal. Use quantities according to your needs.

New potatoes
3 garlic cloves, crushed but left whole
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into even chunks, about 2cm cubed. Put in a baking tray, toss in oil, season and bake in an oven at 190C for 30 minutes

Fresh asparagus, cut into 4cm lengths
Pack of halloumi cheese, cut into 2cm chunks (serves up to 6 – for more servings open another packet)

Toss into the potatoes. Cook a further 15 minutes. It is done when the potatoes and asparagus are tender and the halloumi is tinged brown. Discard the garlic and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.

Onion Rings

02/04/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

The best side with Daddy Burgers. You will need:

Large onion, sliced into 1cm slices and rings separated (1 onion = 2 servings)
Fizzy water
Self-raising flour
Oil for deep frying

Make a batter with the flour and water, the consistency of double cream. Start with a cup of flour and add water until it looks right. Heat your oil in a saucepan to 180C. Dip onion rings into the batter and deep fry for 2-4 minutes until they look light brown. Drain on kitchen paper, serve with plenty of salt. Salt and deep frying are bad for you but the onion is good so I guess it cancels out.

Easy Banana Loaf Cake

12/02/2018 / Neville / 0 Comments

First line a greased 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.

140g butter, softened
140g caster sugar

Beat in a bowl until white and fluffy

2 large eggs, beaten

Stir in until well mixed

140g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Fold in to make a runny mix. Fill the tin and cook at 180C/160C fan for 30-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean (it might still be gooey from the banana but you want the cake mix cooked. Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes then take out.

Butternut squash and lentil dhal

22/10/2017 / Neville / 0 Comments

Easy.

prepared squash
2 tbs mild curry paste
oil
seasoning

Put cubes of squash in an oven tray, toss in oil and curry paste and season. Cook in a 200C oven for 30 minutes until soft. Meanwhile…

200g green lentils
600ml vegetable stock

Put in a pan and simmer 40 minutes or in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes.

100g spinach
1 lime, zested and juiced
pack of coriander, leaves chopped

Add to the lentils. Add the squash and heat until the spinach has wilted.

1tbs desiccated coconut

Heat in a pan until slightly brown

50 pomegranate seeds

Serve in bowls. Add pomegranate seeds and coconut on top. Serve with warm naan breads and plain yoghurt.

Simple squash and halloumi salad

10/10/2017 / Neville / 0 Comments

This makes a warm salad which makes a great lunch. This serves 4 but can be adjusted.

1 large butternut squash
Olive oil
Seasoning

Peel, de-seed and chop your squash into bite-sized lumps. Place in a roasting tin, toss in oil, season and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft. Toss halfway through so it gets a bit charred on all sides. Remove when cooked and keep warm.

Near the end of cooking time,

225gm couscous
Same volume of boiling vegetable stock made with a cube or powder

Put the couscous in the stock and cover. Leave for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Pack of halloumi
Olive oil

Put a splash of oil in a frying pan and heat. Chop the halloumi into cubes about 12mm across. Fry the cubes in the oil over a medium heat, turning so all sides are tinged brown.

Chopped parsley or coriander leaves
Pomegranate seeds (frozen defrosted works too)

Assemble your salad tossing together couscous, squash, halloumi, parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Sag Aloo

27/09/2017 / Neville / 0 Comments

Authentic enough…

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 large red chilli, halved, de-seeded and finely sliced

Fry gently. Add

500g potato cut into small cubes

Fry some more. add

1 tbsp chopped ginger
½ tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric

Fry some more. Add a splash of water and ½ tsp salt, cover and let cook for 10 minutes until soft. Add

250g spinach leaves

Continue cooking until wilted. Done!