Pumpkin and Greens Lasagna with Butterbean sauce: Meat Free Monday

Remember back to my post about cheese alternatives I mentioned using white beans such as butter beans to create a mock cheese sauce? Well this recipe is a great example!

Two layered vegan lasagna

This lasagna has been a work in progress for a while but I think it is now good enough to be showcased! I love the idea of a very neat lasagna with two defined layers, here we have one layer of roasted pumpkin and onions in a tomato sauce and the second layer is a leafy greens and courgette layer in a creamy butter bean sauce.

Even better is that I used this beautiful pumpkin that my mum bought home from her garden in France for me -

I have made mine so that the top layer of pasta is a little chewy and browned however if you like yours softer then simply add more sauce to the top! The best thing about this recipe is that you kind of build it up in the lasagna dish as you go, the first layer of pumpkin is roasted in the dish, tomatoes are added and it’s put back in the oven, then you create the layers on top! I have done some step by step photos for you below!

I love colourful food!

The other thing I love about using butterbeans in the sauce is how firm the sauce becomes, its creamy and delicious but also sliceable! and it goes perfectly with the green veg, I’d be tempted to make just that again with some rice as a nice comforting dinner.

Serves 6

450g Peeled Pumpkin (1 small pumpkin or enough to cover the bottom of your dish)
1 Onion
1 Garlic Clove
1 tblspn Chilli Powder
1 Can Tomatoes
2 Courgettes
1 Stick Celery
Large Bunch Spinach|
1 Can Butterbeans|
240ml Soya Milk (1 Cup)
8 Lasagna Sheets (I used the spinach variety)

Peel and cut up the pumpkin into large chunks, roughly all the same size. Roughly chop the onion and put into a lasagna dish with the pumpkin and a drizzle of vegetable oil and the chilli powder.

Pumpkin, Onion and Spices – The way a lot of my recipes begin!

Roast in an oven heated to 200c for 20 minutes uncovered. Take it out of the oven and add crushed garlic, the canned tomatoes and a little seasoning, stir to combine everything then add back into the oven for 10 minutes. This forms the base layer of your lasagna.

Canned tomatoes added to create the sauce

While the lasagna is in the oven blend the butterbeans and milk together and put to one side.

In a frying pan heat a little oil and add the thinly sliced celery and courgette and fry until softened, add a splash of water if it starts to brown too much. Add 3/4 of the butterbean sauce and spinach to the frying pan and simmer for 10 minutes. You leave the other 1/4 of butterbean sauce in the blender until the lasagna is assembled as it will be poured over the top.

Spinach pasta!

To assemble place enough lasagna sheets to cover the tomato pumpkin mix. A little bit of over lap is ok but not too much! Press the sheets down unto the sauce a bit.

Butterbeans are the base of this creamy sauce

Top the lasagna sheets with the creamy greens and spread out to form an even layer. The sauce will soak into the lasagna sheets making it lovely and soft after cooking.

More Spinach pasta then more sauce to finish!

Add more pasta sheets to cover the green vegetables layer and pour over the rest of the sauce. At this point you need to press the top lasagna sheets down so that all corners are covered by the sauce. This means they will go soft and not burn.

Once cooked the butterbean sauce firms up abit, the top pasta goes slightly chewy and the middle pasta goes beautifully soft! Serve with a nice green salad or some steamed brocolli and green beans! This recipe also freezes well so is a great one to make in advance for the week/ month ahead.

Lovely cooked lasagna!

Vegan Four Seasons Pizza: Meat Free Monday

Four Seasons Pizza

I’ve been making pizza again…I’ve decided that my pizza’s must be fine to eat fairly regularly because the base is so thin and crispy and there is no cheese! You’d never miss the cheese on this pizza though, the variety of fresh and interesting flavours would be destroyed by the greasy cheese! In fact I simply ban you to even think about adding cheese to this pizza (in a friendly veghotpot way of course)

I haven’t ever really had a 4 seasons pizza which excited me before, which may not be fair to 4 seasons pizzas because I’ve only ever eaten a few. I wanted each section to excite me and send me back to the flavours of that season…fresh spring and summer, cosy autumn and comforting winter.

You could of course pick your favourite flavour and make a whole pizza of it, or four big pizzas with each flavour

Spring (Asparagus), Summer (Tomatoes and Pesto), Autumn (Mushrooms), Winter (Carrots)

I made this a sort of rectangle pizza and made each section very separate from each other, each season is its own pizza in a way. This pizza takes a little bit of prep but I kept each season as simple as I could with one main tomato sauce and only 2 main flavours per season which speak for themselves. We have the following flavours:

Spring – Asparagus, Lemon Zest and Chilli Flakes

Summer – Basil and Tomato

Autumn – Mushroom, Thyme and Truffle Oil

Winter – Carrots, Mustard Seeds and Coriander

Who needs cheese with you’ve got so much flavour!

I did find that if you are only making one pizza then you only need half a carrot and a handful of mushrooms etc so I have written this recipe as if it would make two pizzas. If like me you don’t mind having half a carrot in the fridge for another recipe or to be juiced then just half it to make one. All of the “extra flavours” are ingredients I have in my store cupboard but below I have suggested some alternatives if you don’t have everything already and you don’t want this pizza to cost a lot.

Spring – Asparagus with lemon zest and chilli flakes

Asparagus season runs from May to June. I think it adds a gorgeous freshness to the pizza and contrasts really nicely to the crisp pizza base. If you can’t get Asparagus then swap it with artichokes, green beans or even some softened leeks, I wouldn’t suggest the canned asparagus it’s like mush! Fresh Asparagus is really good for you and for me it sums up the season of Spring. If you don’t have chilli flakes then you could use a fresh chilli or a good grind of black pepper will give you the kick it needs.

Summer – Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

Tomatoes and Basil are classic summer ingredients. tomatoes season runs from July to October and they are a pretty basic pizza ingredient. I added pesto (you can make your own vegan pesto or buy vegan pesto from the shops) to add another level of flavour and I only add the fresh basil after cooking so that it remains that gorgeous bright green colour. If you don’t have pesto you could add a crushed garlic clove and some basil leaves. If you don’t have tomatoes then a nice red pepper sliced up would add a lovely sweetness to contrast the slightly peppery basil.

Autumn – Mushrooms, dried thyme and a good drizzle of Truffle oil!

Although you can get mushrooms all year around I picked them for Autumn because for me they sum up the sorts of foods I start to eat when the weather gets colder, Mushrooms are at their best between October and November. Mushrooms and Thyme are a classic combination and work perfectly on a pizza. I added truffle oil for an intense warming flavour but if you don’t have truffle oil then a good quality Walnut oil or even just an extra virgin olive oil will be nice drizzled over. If you don’t have thyme you could add rosemary or dried sage. If you don’t have mushrooms then go to the shops…..I really can’t think of an alternative for the cheap and cheerful mushroom

Winter – Carrots spiced with ground coriander and mustard seeds with fresh coriander

Carrots season run from January to April but again you can easily buy carrots all year around. I had never seen carrot on a pizza so it took me a while to decide how I was going to present it. I first thought a carrot puree would be nice but visually I didn’t think it would look appealing so I decided to go with a very finely Julienne carrot. This worked really well, the carrot softened enough to make it enjoyable to eat but still with a bit of texture and bite. The spices are not over whelming they just lift the dish. If you don’t have Mustard Seeds or ground coriander then some ground ginger or even just a small amount of cumin seeds would be nice. If you don’t have carrots then add some very thin julienne of parsnip? (question mark because I haven’t tried this but imagine it’d be nice!)

A platter of different flavours

Makes 2 Pizzas

Pizza Dough:
210g Strong White Bread Flour
1 1/2 tspn Dried Yeast
1 tblspn Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
110ml Luke Warm Water

To make the bread dough sift the bread flour into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the flour and into that add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the luke warm water. Mix it with a wooden spoon combining all the flour untill it has come together as a dough (add a little more water if needed). Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes then shape it into a ball, coat it very lightly in oil to keep it moist and place in a bowl covered in cling film for an hour or so to let it rise.

Tomato Sauce:
1 Garlic Clove – crushed
1 tblspn Tomato Puree
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
Drizzle Olive oil for frying

In a small saucepan heat some oil and fry the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute then add the canned tomatoes, turn down the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until reduced, thick and spreadable.

Pizza Toppings:
Bunch Asparagus (Around 16 spears)
1 Lemon
Pinch Chilli Flakes
2 tblespoon Pesto (1 per pizza)
2 Tomatoes (1 per pizza)
Basil Leaves garnish
Large Handful Mushrooms – sliced
Sprinkle Dried Thyme
Drizzle Truffle Oil
1 Carrot
tblspn Sunflower Oil
Ground Coriander
Mustard Seeds
Fresh Coriander garnish

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Roll the dough out into two rectangles, it will be quite thin. Place onto a pizza tray or some baking paper so that it is easy to pick up once the toppings are on. Spread some tomato sauce on to each quarter of the pizzas leaving a gap down the middle.

Blanch the asparagus for 1 minute then drain and line up in rows in the Spring corner (see photo), sprinkle on 1/2 lemon zest on to each pizza and sprinkle a small amount of chilli flakes on to each pizza.

On the Summer corner spread some pesto over the tomato sauce. Thinly slice the tomatoes and layer up over the pesto (fresh basil doesn’t get added untill after it’s cooked)

Slice the mushrooms and pile on to the Autumn corner. Mushrooms shrink when cooked so add plenty and don’t be afraid to over lap (look at my before and after cooking photo and you will see what I mean). Sprinkle over the dried thyme but do not add the truffle oil until after it’s cooked.

Julienne the carrot and in a small bowl mix with the oil and spices then add to the winter corner. Again the coriander leaves don’t get added untill the end.

Place the pizzas into the oven fo 12 minutes. Once out add the fresh basil to the summer sections, fresh coriander to the winter sections and a good drizzle of truffle oil to the autumn section. slice and serve hot!

Simple Aubergine and Tomato Curry: Meat Free Monday

Whenever I’m thinking of recipes, especially curries, I’m conscious that I should be making everything from scratch including curry pastes, sauces etc but when I am throwing an evening dinner together after a busy day at work I always reach for the jar of curry paste in my fridge for convenience. Using a pre bought curry paste is not cheating it’s a perfect way to have a delicious meal when your tired and busy and just need food! Adding some vegetables and curry paste together is a lot healthier than reaching for the takeaway menu or buying a ready meal.

Aubergine, Onion, Fresh Tomatoes and Spinach make up this really easy curry

The quality of your curry paste however is important because it will be the base flavour for your whole meal. I use Patak’s range because it is vegan and they have a large selection to choose from in the supermarket. It’s not the cheapest you can buy but the quality is good so it’s worth it! Think about what ingredients are going to match the paste, for example a jalfrezi is suited to rich tomatoes and onions and a korma is more suited to a milder creamier curry. You can experiment though as I have used korma, jalfrezi and balti curry pastes in this aubergine curry and each time it has been delicious with varying levels of spice and richness.

This dish is all about being simple and easy to throw together, it’s also got a sideline benefit of being very versatile. Swap the aubergine for anything you have in your fridge such as courgette, peppers or potatoes. Swap the cherry tomatoes for quartered salad tomatoes or you can also use frozen spinach instead of fresh if you have some!

Swapping ingredients takes a little bit of understanding of how they all cook differently but once you’ve thought about that and adjusted the method it’ll be easy. For example a diced courgette will cook a lot quicker than an aubergine or potatoes may need to be par boiled before adding into the curry.

Great way to serve curry is to place a large pan of curry in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves

I don’t add any extra flavours such as garlic, ginger or chilli because the curry paste is strong enough however feel free to add what you like. Also a lot of recipes call for you to salt an aubergine but I never do this, cooking it in the paste and tomatoes will soften it up fine! Aubergine soaks up a lot of oil so don’t put too much in your pan!

Serves 4 (freezable and can easily be doubled for larger quantities)

1 Onion
1 Aubergine
6 Cherry Tomatoes – cut in half
1 tablespoon Pre bought Curry Paste
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
Large handful or 100g Spinach
Sunflower or Vegetable Oil for frying

Dice the onion finely, heat around 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and add the onion, fry for around 3-4 minutes to soften. Dice the aubergine quite small and then add that to the onion in the pan. Continue to cook the aubergine, stirring frequently, for around 8 minutes untill the aubergine has browned. Be careful because the air also browns the aubergine, watch the skin instead of the flesh, when it begins to change colour and almost blister then you know it’s cooking.

Add the curry paste and mix everything together for 1 minute.

Add the canned tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of water. Turn the heat on, stick a lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. I go back and check every 5 minutes or so to give it a stir and make sure it’s not drying up. If it looks dry then add more water. After 20 minutes taste a bit of aubergine, if it’s soft and easily chewed then it is ready, if it’s a bit squeaky or tough then give it longer. Larger pieces of aubergine will take longer.

Add the spinach and put the lid back on untill it has wilted. Stir to mix the spinach in then serve! This will be great with some brown rice or naan breads. If I’ve just taken a portion of this out of the freezer for dinner then I like to pop a naan bread in the toaster and it’s an instant meal, if your less lazy then boil some rice

I have submitted this recipe to The Wellness Weekend over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs!

Tofu, Lemon and Tomato Soup (Or Mock Seafood Soup): Meatfree Monday!

Mock Seafood Soup with lemony Tofu, rich tomato soup and griddled lemon slices

For all you Seafood lovers out there, please forgive me, for I have made a delicious but very vegan mock seafood soup! Seafood soup is my all time favourite dish but I decided I needed to try a version without the seafood. I haven’t cut fish 100% out of my diet yet but I always enjoy making veggie versions of the classics I used to eat all the time.  Should this even be called “Seafood Soup” since it is entirely devoid of seafood? I’m not sure but it has the fundamentals of my favourite recipe, ie rich tomatoes, hints of lemon and fennel and soft white tofu instead of white fish.

If anything it is just a really beautiful lemony tofu soup!

The seafood soup would usually contain some form of white fish like cod, maybe some salmon, small prawns, large prawns and mussels! I couldn’t think of a prawn and mussel replacement so I kept it simple and just focused on replacing the fish.

Silky Smooth Tofu is a perfect match for the soup base

The base of this soup is very similar to my Tomato Soup with Basil Gnocchi   but I made some subtle changes to keep it in line with the seafood soup we have on holiday.

Serves 2 – Soup is freezable but I’d recommend frying fresh tofu each time.

1 Onion
2 Sticks Celery
1/2 Red Pepper
1 Large Garlic Clove
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Chilli Powder
8 Cherry Tomatoes
1 Can Tomatoes
300ml Vegetable Stock
2 Lemons – one for juice and one for the garnish slices
200g Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

To prepare the vegetables finely dice the onion and red pepper and finely slice the celery and garlic clove. Halve the cherry tomatoes

In a large pan heat some olive oil and then soften the onion and celery for 5 minutes untill it starts to brown (don’t let it get too brown) then add the red pepper and garlic. Add a splash of water if it is browning too fast.

Once the vegetables are all softened add the spices/ fennel seeds and stir, cooking for a further 1 minute, untill everything is completely combined.

Add the canned chopped tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Simmer gently for around 20-30 minutes. Taste and season to taste (season after adding the stock as stock cubes can be quite salty.

Drain the tofu and slice it into pieces roughly 2 inches long (it really doesn’t matter but I’ve made mine rectangle). Place the slices in between some kitchen paper and press firmly to remove extra moisture. I use Cauldron’s Original Tofu which is quite firm so for the purpose of this recipe I don’t feel the need to press it too much.

In a frying pan heat some olive oil and add the tofu pieces so that they are quite spaced out in the pan. Squeeze half the lemon over the tofu and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes untill it has began to brown slightly. The lemon won’t let it brown completely. Turn the pieces over gently and squeeze a little more lemon juice over.

Add a few slices of lemon to the pan whilst cooking the tofu and allow them to brown on each side.

Serve up the soup into bowls and top each portion with the cooked tofu and some browned lemon slices and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with some good crusty white bread and definitely a glass of dry white wine!

Mock Seafood Soup

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower with Curried Yoghurt Dressing in a Naan Wrap: Meat Free Monday

Use your hands and naan to scoop up the delicious fillings then tuck in!

This is anther recipe where I had a very exact idea in my head of what I wanted to create but I wasn’t sure if the idea would translate well into real life. Fortunately I think it has, it’s a great little dish for a weekend lunch or light evening dinner. The spicy Cauliflower is the base flavour of the dish, the curried yoghurt is to add some moisture and another flavour level, the raisins and flaked almonds add bursts of sweetness and a crunch. I never used to add raisins to curries but Scott always did when he cooked a curry at uni and since then it’s become normal in our house. You can swap raisins for chopped dried apricots for an equal sweetness. You could also swap flaked almonds for cashew nuts for a slightly different texture but equally as delicious.

Cauliflower florets coated in a little bit of spray oil and some tandoori spice mix

I love roasted Cauliflower it has so much more flavour than boiling it, adding a spice like tandoori mix enhances the flavours and transforms the cauliflower to an almost meaty base which can be used in a curry, warm salad or like this – topped with curried yoghurt, garnishes and rolled up in a naan.

Naan topped with curried yoghurt, roasted tandoori cauliflower, raisins, flaked almonds, sprouted lentils and quinoa and fresh coriander

This is very much a ‘hands on’ dish, I piled all my ingredients on to a board and then used my fingers to scoop up a mixture of everything into my naan bread and rolled it up to eat. I couldn’t fit all my cauliflower into the wrap so I finished it off with a fork. Next time I would try finding a larger flatter naan bread – or making my own! You could also use a flat bread, tortilla wrap or roti to scoop up the fillings.

The curried yoghurt was very simple and would be a nice dip to accompany many Indian starters or just to scoop on to some rice to spice it up. I used soya yoghurt because, although I can occasionally eat dairy without feeling ill, yoghurt is something which really does not agree with me. I found the soya milk a fine alternative once the curry paste had been added but by its own it was a little sweet.

The different textures and flavours all complimented each other really nicely!

Serves 2

1/2 Cauliflower (roughly 4 or 5 florets each)
Sprinkle of Tandoori Spice Mix
1 Small Onion – finely diced
2 tblspn Curry Paste
3 tblspn Yoghurt (Soya)
Handful Raisins
Handful Flaked Almonds
Small Bunch Coriander
Handful sprouted lentils and quinoa (optional)
Sunflower oil for cooking (Spray variety if you have it)

Pre heat your oven to 190c (fan oven temp). Wash your cauliflower and place in a  baking tray, spray with sunflower oil (or drizzle with a little oil if you don’t have spray oil) and sprinkle generously with the tandoori spice. Roast in the oven for 15-17 minutes.

Meanwhile in a frying pan add a little sunflower oil and fry the onion untill softened, add the curry paste and continue to cook for 1 minute stirring to combine the onions and curry paste.
Put the yoghurt in a bowl and then add the curried onion mix and mix to combine completely.

Heat up a naan/ roti/ wrap and place it on a plate then top with the roasted cauliflower, yoghurt, raisins, almonds, sprouts and coriander.

Eat by wrapping up the naan with the filling or with a knife and fork. This could also be served with rice or salad instead of a naan if you wanted a low carb curried treat.

Might need a bigger naan…

I have submitted this recipe to the Weekend herb Blogging event  over at Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs)

Potato, Spinach and Sweetcorn Chowder Pie: A recipe revisited

To continue the theme of this first birthday month I have got another “Fix that dish” post where I have taken a recipe from my early blogging days which I felt could be improved and I have re-made it using my new knowledge and food ideals. Last week I freshened up my Quesadillas recipe and this week I have decided to look at my Spinach and Potato pies , a recipe which me and Scott both enjoyed but I just never felt it lived up to the creamy potato pie I was trying to create.

30th September 2011

6th August 2012

In my first recipe I layered a ‘creamy’ vegetable sauce in between very thinly sliced potatoes and topped it with filo pastry, I knew I wanted to keep the filo pastry lid because it made it a proper pie and I like the crunchy pastry contrasting with the filling. This time I began by thinking about what sort of potato dishes I had cooked in the past which I enjoyed and I remembered a summer many years ago when I went through a phase of cooking potato and sweet corn chowder every day for my lunch, I couldn’t get enough! If I could bulk this up and add some more vegetables this would be a great pie filling…and it was!

Chowder Pie Filling

I used pretty much the same ingredients as before except I swapped the vegetable stock for soya milk. If you’d rather have a less creamy pie then using vegetable stock will work fine. Using soya milk and extra light Philadelphia cream cheese makes these little pies under 300 calories (based on my fitness pal calculations) which means they are perfect as a treat.

Serves 4

2 Onions – chopped
1 Large Carrot – sliced
1 Leek – sliced
2 Medium sized Baking potatoes – peeled and diced
2 Garlic cloves – crushed
2 tspn Dried Thyme
300ml Soya Milk
3 tblspn Extra Light Philadelphia
2 tspn Wholegrain Mustard
200ml Water
1 tblspn Plain Flour
1 Handful Spinach
3 tblspn Sweetcorn
2 Filo Pastry Sheets

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Saute the onion, carrot, leek, potatoes and garlic in a pan for 5-6 minutes untill the veg has all began to soften. Then add the thyme and some salt and pepper.

In a jug mix the soya milk, cream cheese, mustard and 200ml water and mix well untill combined.

Add the flour to the vegetables in the pan and stir, then add the milk mixture, sweetcorn and spinach. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the potato is soft. Pour the vegetable mix into 4 individual sized pie dishes.

Cut the filo pastry sheets in half and place one half on top of each pie dish, scrunch the pastry slightly to get good texture, also it looks prettier!

Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling hot. Serve with greens such as broccoli or peas.

Crispy pastry and a creamy chowder filling

Quinoa Chopped Salad with raw veggies: Meat Free Monday

I love chopped salads, it means you get a good mouthful of everything in the salad and there are endless possibilities of combinations of ingredients. I decided to add cooked quinoa to make the salad a bit more substantial and to make it a complete meal. I took this to work in a Tupperware tub with some sliced tomatoes and it was delicious and filling.

I decided to keep all of the vegetables raw to keep it fresh, summery and full of goodness! Veg like broccoli is great in a salad like this because when chopped up small it adds punches of flavour and a different texture. The head of the broccoli looks so pretty in amongst the quinoa.
I added the broccoli into the bowl with the quinoa while the quinoa was still hot to allow the broccoli to wilt slightly, then once cooled completely you can add the rest of the vegetables.

After the quinoa had cooled down I added raw spinach leaves, basil, spring onions, avocado and pistachio nuts. This is a really high fibre, high vitamin dish which will keep you satisfied untill dinner. You can add other vegetables of your choice, this is a great way to use up any salad items that are left over in the fridge.

This recipe made enough for me to have 6 portions, these are roughly the proportions I used

1 heaped cup Quinoa
8 Broccoli florets – thinly sliced
100 – 150g Spinach (or a large handful) – sliced
8-10 Basil leaves – sliced or torn
4 Spring onions – sliced
1 Avocado – Peeled, stone removed and chopped
small handful Pistachio nuts
1 Lemon
Drizzle Olive oil
Black Pepper

Cook the quinoa according to the packets instructions (I find that covering the quinoa with water and bring to the boil then turn the heat down and cook for 8 minutes works every time).

Drain the quinoa if needed and put into a large bowl with the broccoli. Make sure you scrape all those little broccoli bits in to the bowl too.

Once it is cooled add the other chopped veg and the pistachios and season with black pepper. Drizzle olive oil and add a squeeze of lemon then stir and serve at room temperature with some big juicy tomatoes and a fresh glass of juice!

Perfect to take as a side dish to a bbq or summer party.
I have shared this recipe on “Summer Salad Sundays” and “Wellness Weekend“. Please go see what other delicious recipes have been linked up to these events

Carrot and Chickpea Curry: Meat Free Monday

I nearly called this “Carrot, Chickpea and Coriander Creamy Curry” but that’s quite a mouthful!

I’ve wanted to try a soya/ lactose free single cream for ages but wasn’t sure what to do with it, I originally thought maybe I would make a “Cream of” soup but I’m not really a fan of creamy soups (apart from mushroom mmm) then I thought about a few curry ideas I’d been playing around with and how using a ‘dairy’ cream instead of a coconut cream would work nicely.

I was a bit aprehensive because I have never really liked the taste of cream but with the spices and carrots I think this is not too rich or heavy and it actually works nicely.

Well now I had soup on my mind, specifically carrot and coriander so I based the flavours of this curry on my favourite carrot and coriander soup recipe which includes ginger and spices.

The cream I used was Alpro Soya single cream which is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, plus its got 45% less fat than normal cream so it’s a win win situation! You can find more out about the cream here.

Just for visual impact I would recommend cutting your carrots into rustic looking pieces rather than just slicing them, it just looks prettier and keeps them nice and chunky.

A curry is the sort of recipe that you can throw in vegetables that need using up and easily adjust to your taste so don’t feel like you need to stick rigidly to my recipe, although I can assure you that it is delicious kept simple the way I have made it!

You may notice that I have a collection of spices I rarely deviate from in my recipes, these include mustard seeds, cumin seeds, paprika, smoked paprika, turmeric, curry powder and dried garlic. I think the best way to be economical is to buy a good selection of spices and then mix and match them rather than buying a new flavour every time you cook something new. It shows how versatile the spices are and how mixing them can create different strengths and moods of a dish.

Serves 4

4 Carrots – sliced/ diced
2 Onions – finely chopped
1 Red Chilli – deseeded and sliced
2 Garlic Cloves – chopped into small pieces
thumb sized piece of ginger – peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 Can of cooked Chickpeas
Large bunch spinach (approx 200g)
1 carton Soya cream (around 250ml)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
Large Bunch Coriander – washed and chopped

Part boil the carrots for 8 minutes, drain and set to one side.

In a pestle and mortar crush the garlic, ginger and chilli untill you have a rough paste, this does not need to be too smooth but just crush it as much as you can.

In a large, deep frying pan or a heavy bottomed saucepan sautee the onions untill softened and then add the turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds and the crushed garlic, ginger and chilli mix. Fry whilst stirring for another 2-3 minutes then add the cream, 1 cup of water, the carrots, chickpeas and spinach. Cover with a lid of a sheet of foil and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Check it and give it a good stir half way through making sure it has not dried up in the pan. If it has add a splash more water but not too much.

Once the cream sauce has reduced add the chopped coriander, stir to wilt it slightly then serve with some naan breads.

In Montreal we ate Poutine….so I’ve made Poutine (veghotpot style)!

There were dishes that stood out from each city we visited on the honeymoon and I wanted to have a go at making some of them and putting my own stamp on it. Today I’ll focus on Montreal since it was our first stop!

When we first got to Montreal it was quite late and we were tired from a full day travelling, not to mention that we’d landed in Montreal at 5.30pm their time but to our bodies it was 10.30pm! We hadn’t done much research on the area of Montreal we were staying in because we had decided it was going to be 3 days of chilling out and relaxing so all we needed was a park, a bar and a good place to eat!
By the time we got organised and went out to find some dinner it was 3am back home! As it got dark the visions of the old beautiful town people had described to us disappeared and all we could find were strip clubs (literally about 5 in a row)! My heart sank a little, and even further when we couldn’t find a pub or bar (The next day we walked around again and realised in the dark of the night and our tiredness we had walked the wrong way and if we had walked the other way we would have found restaurants, shops and pubs! We also walked for miles and found the old port which was lovely and also the street market with about 100 pubs on the road!)… anyway, we started to get desperate for a beer and a burger so we walked back to this little hidden restaurant we’d spotted by the hotel and just crossed our fingers that it wasn’t a complete dive! It was called “Cheeburger Cheeburger” and it became our regular for 3 days.

They did a build your own cheese burger which we tried on the second night. I picked the veggie burger and topped it with banana peppers, lettuce, tomato and goats cheese, I had thought banana peppers would be like bell peppers but noo they blew my head off!! We especially liked the bun because it was glazed and soft, just enough bread to hold the burger together. And we shared some chips and onion rings….not a healthy start to our holiday I know but delicious none the less!

The main thing that caught our eye on the menu however was Poutine. Not knowing what this was we were assured by the waiter that it must be tried so for our dinner on the first night we ordered poutine (although I stopped eating it after a few minutes as it tasted like beef stock and I hadn’t thought to double check – 3am!!). We kept seeing it everywhere and after checking if it was veggie we ate it a couple of times. Poutine is traditionally chips (fries) with small balls of  cheese curds and topped with a rich dark brown gravy.

I decided I had to re create this but with a few twists. I have used a mix of seasoned potatoes and parsnips with herbs as the base, I used some boursin mini cheeses instead of the cheese curds and I made a rich onion gravy to go on top!

This was the level of caramelisation I took the onions to untill I added the flour, mustard seeds, vegetable stock and balsamic vinegar to make the gravy. You can let them get a little darker if you want but I found the flavour rich enough.

I left the skins on the potatoes and parsnips as this was how we had eaten it in Montreal. I added salt, pepper, dried garlic, chilli flakes and some finely sliced sage (left over from my gnocchi) however thyme would also be delicious! Drizzle it with good quality olive oil and roast!

I spent ages in the super market looking for a suitable cheese for this dish and after debating between goats cheese, curds or quark I spotted these minis and decided they would be perfect because they were small balls exactly like the shape of the curds in the poutine we tried, they would add extra flavour and they were soft enough to melt underneath all that gravy!

First pile your roasted potatoes and parsnips into a serving dish and arrange to look rustic and pretty. We always had it served in a bowl or a basket styled dish but Ive used a serving dish here.

Add the cheese, scatter it around so it is evenly spread! Then add that rich onion gravy on top and allow the cheese to melt slightly before tucking in…mmm delicious!

I don’t know if I can call this a meal because it’s not exactly nutritionally balanced I’d say it was more of an extravagant side dish or a dish to serve up with some beers when your watching the footie! I served it for me and Scott for dinner and he had sausages and veg and I had it with a big pile of brocolli and spinach and a veggie burger with no bun!

Onion Gravy: Left over gravy can be frozen.

1 Onion – thinly sliced
Drizzle Vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon Light Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
1 tablespoon Plain Flour
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
250- 300ml Vegetable stock

In a large saucepan cook the onions in the vegetable oil stirring occassionally untill soft. Add the sugar and continue to cook untill they are a nice dark golden colour.

Add the mustard seeds and flour and give it all a good stir then add the balsamic vinegar and vegetable stock stirring constantly so as not to get any lumps. Once the flour and stock have mixed smoothly leave it to cook for 10-15 minutes on a gentle heat untill the gravy has reduced down to a thick gravy consistency.

Has anyone tried Poutine or created their own version of it? Has anyone eaten in Cheeburger Cheeburger?

I looked at reviews online of Cheeburger Cheeburger since getting back and was shocked to find so many negatives! We found the staff very friendly, helpful and fun. The food was basic burger joint food but we thought it was good quality – especially for the cheap price! Oh and we loved the fact the drinks were served in Jam Jars, we’d like to do this when we have a summer BBQ (If summer ever arrives in the UK).

Kale, Lentil and Ginger Souper Soup: Meat Free Monday!

There are a few “Super” foods which have stayed put when fad diets and hyped up new ingredients have flown by and one of those is kale. I took the following extract from http://www.whfoods.com as, well, they summed it up perfectly!

• Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.
• Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale’s glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.
• Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale’s flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

I can’t say I know what all of that means but what I do know is that Kale is really really good for you! Whenever I’m feeling a little bit run down or starting to get a cold I make this soup and feel amazing again! Ginger is also very good for you, especially for digestion and it makes the soup taste so fresh! The soup also contains lemons (vitamin c) and lentils (general goodness).

This isn’t a soup which will be to everyones tastes as it’s not bright and colourful or silky smooth but it’s become one of my favourite soups to make.

You could blend it if you wanted however I think it goes a bit grey, I always prefer to have a ‘Broth style’ soup rather than a blended soup but it is completely up to you!

Serves 4-5 and is freezable

2 Medium sized Onions – Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic – Thinly sliced
1 Red Chilli – de seeded and sliced
Thumb sized piece of Ginger – Thinly sliced or cubed
200g Kale – washed and roughly chopped
1 cup (200g) Lentils
1.4 litres Vegetable Stock
1 Lemon

Sautee the onion for 4-5 minutes untill softened then add the garlic and chilli and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or so.  Add the lentils and vegetable stock and simmer gently with a lid on for 20 minutes.

Add the kale, ginger and juice of 1/2 lemon and cook with the lid on for a further 10 minutes or untill the lentils are completely cooked (soft but with a little bit of bite to them).

Serve with slices of lemon.