Archive for the 'vegetarian' Category

Smokey Moroccan chickpea stew with saffron couscous

Moroccan chickpea stew with saffron couscous

Moroccan chickpea stew with saffron couscous

Today I abandon cakes to share with you this super healthy/super vegan recipe which I found in Aine Carlin’s book Keep it vegan. My son left it here (together with all his other possessions!) when he emigrated to China to teach English as a foreign language. While flicking through it I spotted lots of recipes which appeal and might have a go at, even if I’m vegetarian more than vegan. I have got to say I really enjoyed the saffron cous cous and I will definitely make it again. If you want to feel holy have a go at this stew. Simple, filling and very satisfying. Continue reading ‘Smokey Moroccan chickpea stew with saffron couscous’

Cheese and spinach soufflé

cheese and spinach soufflé

cheese and spinach soufflé

Boy, am I glad Candida is back!!! The pressure has been taken off me at long last…;-)

This is definitely not a vegan recipe as it has cheese, milk and eggs in it, but hey! the days of cooking vegan are over for the time being. I’ve made this soufflé at least three times, combining various recipes from different sources. I can honestly say it has worked every single time. It has puffed right up and was cooked to perfection. Really quite spectacular!  People are scared of souffles and think they are ever so difficult to make but I beg to differ and would like to reassure you. I reckon that provided you get the right balance of ingredients, souffles are not more complicated than any other dish. Last time I made it I divided the mixture into 8 small ramekins instead of making a big one. That was also successful. So here it is. Follow the recipe and have a go. You”ll see for yourself how easy it is. Of course do bear in mind that souffles have to be eaten straight out of the oven or they will collapse so you need to get the timing right.  If you do I guarantee you will impress your friends! 😉 Continue reading ‘Cheese and spinach soufflé’

Braised Cauliflower and Puy Lentil Tabouleh

braised cauliflower and puy lentils tabouleh

braised cauliflower and puy lentil tabouleh

Calling all vegetarians and vegans out there. This is an AMAZING tabouleh which I have made twice already in the last couple of weeks. Packed full of wholesome ingredients and really bursting with flavour. I know it might sound like a bit of a faff, by looking at all the ingredients, but it is so much worth it. Don’t be scared and have a go. You won’t regret it. It comes from the vegan recipe book Peace and Parsnips  by Lee Watson. I will have to check out his other recipes, considering how good this one is. If you want to cook something healthy today or vary your salads repertoire look no further. Continue reading ‘Braised Cauliflower and Puy Lentil Tabouleh’

Cinnamon spiced squash and butter bean stew

cinnamon spiced squash and butter bean stew

cinnamon spiced squash and butter bean stew

First of all apologies for the long absence from the blog but work interferes with my experimenting in the kitchen big time! I am turning into a sad person: all work and not much play. Anyway, I finally managed to try something new last weekend: this lovely, winter warmer stew, straight from the Mildreds cookbook. Lovely served with rice or cous cous. A must for all the veggies out there. Continue reading ‘Cinnamon spiced squash and butter bean stew’

Puy lentil salad with roasted vegetables

Puy lentil salad with roasted vegetables

Puy lentil salad with roasted vegetables

Time to blog something healthy. I fear we have had too many calory laden things lately. As I was entertaining guests for Christmas I made this gorgeous salad courtesy of the  cookery book which my son’s lovely girlfriend kindly gave me for Christmas to add to my collection. Thank you Lucy!! It is called “Mildreds, the cookbook” and it is basically the recipe book of this vegetarian restaurant in London called…surprise, surprise, Mildreds (which is fab, by the way).  The book is full of really interesting, mouth watering vegetarian recipes. I can see me blogging more recipes from it. The good thing about this super healthy  salad is that you can eat it hot or cold and you can add goat’s cheese or feta cheese  to it, if you wish, thus making it a complete meal. I will definitely make it again. I didn’t follow the recipe religiously as I didn’t have all the vegetables, however I am sure there is room for variation. This is definitely something I shall make again…. Here is the original recipe, straight from the book. Continue reading ‘Puy lentil salad with roasted vegetables’

Pasta and cauliflower cheese bake

pasta and cauliflower cheese bake

pasta and cauliflower cheese bake

First of all apologies for the rather messy and unprofessional picture. I remembered I needed to take one when I had already served a couple of people. OOPS! Still, what counts is the taste, right? And this dish was so comforting it deserves to be shared. How could I not blog it? I am not a fan of cauliflower but if you add a bechamel sauce to it and bake it I could eat it every day. This is a variation on cauliflower cheese but I think the addition of pasta works really well. An ideal dish to have now that the days are getting shorter again and autumn is knocking at the door. Continue reading ‘Pasta and cauliflower cheese bake’

Courgette and feta cheese bake

courgette and feta cheese bake

             courgette and feta cheese bake

I have had much better luck with my courgette plants this year then in previous years when they looked sad and mouldy (see pic below of my happy babies!) so I had to come up with some recipes in order to use my beloved organic zucchini. I invented this simple bake using what I had in the house at the time: courgettes, eggs, flour, onions and feta cheese. BINGO! Really quick to make but so delicious! I’ve already baked it three times with success. As I invented the  recipe I’m kind of guessing the quantities. I’m sure that if you slightly adapted them not much harm would come to it. Do try it if you are in a hurry. Serve it with a nice salad. Voilà! Continue reading ‘Courgette and feta cheese bake’

Roasted summer vegetables

roasted summer vegetables

roasted summer vegetables

Let’s blog something healthy for a change… I love roasted vegetables! And this dish is really straightforward, pleasant to look at and also very tasty. Ideal as a side dish for a barbeque, a quiche, grilled fish or whatever takes your fancy. I let it cool right down and served it at room temperature. I think the flavours develop even more. The inspiration came from Jamie Oliver. Feel free to add/take away any veggies you want: courgettes, butternut squash, asparagus, aubergines, etc. I have made it twice already  in the last couple of weeks, varying the veggies combination. Lovely both times! Continue reading ‘Roasted summer vegetables’

Roasted pumpkin with toasted sweetcorn soup

roasted pumpkin and toasted sweetcorn soup

  roasted pumpkin and toasted sweetcorn soup

Hello all you soup lovers! Who doesn’t like a soup when the weather is cold and grey like it is at the moment? Here’s a delicious recipe to add to  your repertoire.  Really simple but extremely tasty. And the colour is gorgeous: a lovely bright orange! I got the inspiration from Delia Smith but I adapted it quite significantly. For a start I roasted the pumpkin and scooped the flesh out instead of peeling it and cooking it from raw, which is what Delia does. It’s such a faff to peel a pumpkin and life ain’t long enough. I find that roasting it and using the cooked flesh is so much easier for soups and many other recipes besides (like risotto, for instance). Secondly I chose not to liquidize it as you get the nice texture of the sweetcorn this way. Anyway…try it and see for yourself how good it is! :-) Continue reading ‘Roasted pumpkin with toasted sweetcorn soup’

Pumpkin/ beetroot spätzle

pumpkin spatzle

pumpkin spatzle

beetroot spatzle

beetroot spatzle

Yes I know, I blogged the spinach spätzle not so long ago. So what is this? I am cheating, right? Well…in truth, although technically they are the same thing , in practice they taste very differently because of the ingredients I used. Plus I was dead chuffed with my experimenting and wanted to share it.. Both my pumpkin and beetroot spätzle  were very successful and dead easy to make. Not to speak of their lovely colour: bright orange and bright purple. Ironically I never used the spätzle maker for God knows how long, and in the space of a few weeks I have used it several times. Just like London buses: nothing comes for ages and then three come all at once. Isn’t that what you say? I have got to confess this blog has become my online personal recipe book. Dead convenient to use and much better than the old flying bits of paper and torn up greasy recipe pages from various magazines I used to keep tucked in many notebooks.  Continue reading ‘Pumpkin/ beetroot spätzle’