Homemade Vegetarian Sushi: How to turn it into a party!

Me and my good friend Tilly (who designs/ owns the fabulous and very sexy lingerie brand Nearer The Moon) have been meaning to meet up for ages, I had the idea that we could catch up on life whilst making sushi… it was both our first time making it and here is how it went!

Hard at work! Do you like my new ‘raspberry’ hair colour too

I love the idea of doing something creative instead of just going for drinks, it means you have also shared an experience together and created new memories whilst reminiscing about old ones. I think the concept of a sushi making party could be extended to a much bigger group of friends, all you need to do is pile up the ingredients in the middle of the table and then provide everyone with a rolling mat. Tilly’s boyfriend Toby came to see Scott too and they helped us eat our creations, thankfully!! Sushi is small but very very filling!

I recently bought the Yo! Sushi Japanese cookbook, I would highly recommend it because it explains very clearly what all the more unusual ingredients are and it has step by step photos of how to make all different types of sushi.
As well as sushi we also made gyoza dumplings just to have a bit of variation to our lunch.

The dumplings pre cooking-

These were really yummy but I think we could have filled them more, it’s hard to know how much to put in because you don’t want to tear the wrapper. Aside from being slightly fiddly they were very easy to make, the recipe is called vegetarian gyoza dumplings on page 102 and it is simply gyoza dumpling wrappers filled with minced vegetables.

To make the dumplings finely dice 1 clove garlic, 1 inch ginger, 4 shiitake mushrooms, 1 carrot, 4 savoy cabbage leaves, 1 onion and 1 leek then mix in a bowl with a 1 tblspn corn flour and 1 tspn toasted sesame oil. Brush the top half of your gyoza skins with water then pile a heaped teaspoon of veg mix into the middle and fold your wrappers over the filling, seal the edges tight. Continue until you are out of gyoza skins and vegetable mix. These are then fried in batches until golden brown on both sides and once ready add them all back into the pan with half a glass of water, pop the lid on and steam until the water has evaporated.

The dipping sauce was the highlight here – 2 tblspn rice vinegar, 3 tblspn soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw the ingredients but the taste was authentic and bold.

The dumplings, hot and ready to eat-

A good piece of advise if you are having people over to make sushi is to prepare your rice in advance. It needs a lot of love but it is worth every minute! The book actually has 4 pages dedicated to preparing the rice so i would suggest reading that first, but here is a condensed version.

Wash 200g of rice (feeds 4-5) 5 times until the water runs clear then leave to drain for an hour in a sieve. Now put in a saucepan with 220ml of cold water, put the lid on and bring to the boil, DO NOT LIFT THE LID, as soon as you hear it boiling turn the heat down and simmer for 7 minutes. Once the time is up take the pan off the heat, STILL DON’T LIFT THE LID, and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Trust me, this makes perfect sticky sushi rice.

Once cooked pour it into a large flat bowl and pour over 30ml rice vinegar mixed with 6g salt and 20g sugar. The next bit felt very traditional, using a wet wooden spatula gently separate the rice to mix the vinegar in and at the same time fan the rice to cool it down quickly. Keep doing this all around the rice until it is thoroughly mixed and cooled down significantly. If you are not using it straight away then cover with a damp tea towel and do not refrigerate. It will be good up to 4 hours.

The rolling of the sushi took a bit of practise. Both of us put too much rice in our first attempt of maki rolls and ended up with fat rolls which didn’t quite close up

By the end we were making really pretty sushi though! For these maki rolls you break a seaweed sheet in half and lay the sheet horizontally close to the edge nearest you pf your mat. The trick is too wet your hands so the rice doesn’t stick then spread your sushi rice out on the seaweed evenly and leave about 1cm border on the side of the seaweed nearest you. Once your rice is spread out use your finger to make an indentation horizontally through the middle of your rice, this makes a gap to put in your chosen fillings.

I used wasabi paste, asparagus, black sesame seeds and pickled ginger as my first choice. You could also use any of the following vegetables thinly sliced:

Carrot
Peppers
Cucumber
Avocado
Herbs like Coriander
Sprouted seeds
Beetroot
Mushrooms

To roll the maki lift the edge of your mat and use your fingers to secure the filling. Gently roll the mat so it is folding the seaweed over the filling and joining it all together at the other end (the book explains this better). I was surprised at how well it stuck together, you must ensure you use enough force to create a tight filling but not enough that you squash it!

This was my first attempt and as you can see it was a bit full and could have been closed together tighter.

Our first completed maki rolls!

Once we felt confident with our maki rolls we decided to try Californian inside out rolls, these ended up being our favourite. You have to cover your sushi mat with clingfilm first. The concept is the same except once you have spread out and gently pressed down your rice on to the seaweed you have to flip it upside down and put your fillings onto the seaweed side then roll it up. Then coat the rice exterior in sesame seeds and slice. I used asparagus, avocado, wasabi and ginger as my filling.

Inside out roll! Ready to be rolled in sesame seeds then sliced

Inside out rolls!

Yes we were very busy! We also made hand rolls which were a lot easier but to be honest not as pleasant to eat. Only because we all felt that the seaweed stuck to your mouth and they were messy to eat!

The method is really simple, lay half a sheet of seaweed in your hand and place your rice in the corner in a triangular shape going across the sheet (see photo for guidance). In the opposite corner stick down a couple of pieces of rice. Lay your sliced vegetables across the rice and then roll the wrap around the filling into a cone shape. Those extra few bits of rice will seal the come.

Visual guidance on where to place your rice (I am struggling to describe it!)

The hand roll in its finished cone shape!

Our hand rolls all piled up ready to be eaten

We were well and truly stuffed afterwards and we’d definitely caught up on all the gossip! If you have any questions about making sushi then please feel free to comment below I don’t think I have captured everything I learnt about the technique! It was so new to me and so exciting!

You don’t have to be an experienced cook to give this a go, it’s relatively simple with the right preparation and extremely satisfying! I can’t wait to have more friends over for my next sushi party!

Asparagus, Broccoli and Courgette Pizza with a Spinach Powder Crust (vegan)

I never really need an excuse to make pizza but this time I chose pizza for dinner because I wanted to use my spinach powder again! I really liked the spinach crusted tofu I made before because it didn’t have a hugely strong spinach flavour and I felt it would work nicely to add interest to dough.

The uncooked dough had a very green colour but once cooked it looked paler and simply whole meal which I thought was nice and rustic, bright green pizza dough may be a bit off putting! I wanted to keep it as a “green pizza” so I replaced the traditional tomato base with a tofutti cream cheese base (good way to use up what was left over in the tub!) and I topped it all off with my fave vegetables – asparagus, broccoli and courgette!

I absolutely love asparagus on pizzas, you don’t have to pre cook them as they cook perfectly in the oven but if you have particularly large stalks then I would suggest peeling and slicing them like I have! Similar with the broccoli, little bit of common sense but chop the florets into small pieces so that they cook all the way through.

What’s your favourite pizza topping?

I have a fail safe pizza dough recipe that I use as a base every time before adding any twists such as seeds or herbs, so I used that again for this recipe but I added a few tablespoons of the spinach powder. This made it a little dry so I reduced the amount of flour and that worked perfectly. I felt the dough needed more kneading than usual but once fully kneaded and risen it was lovely and soft, once cooked it was crispy.

I felt the tofutti cream cheese base added a nice twist so I would recommend trying it instead of using tomato purée! As usual I added some chilli flakes and fresh herbs after cooking to add depth. I love mixing cooked and raw ingredients in a dish just for a bit of variety.

Makes 1 pizza

Pizza Dough:
110g Strong White Bread Flour
1 Packet of Easy Blend Dried Yeast
2-3 tablespoons Spinach Powder
1 tblspn Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
55ml Luke Warm Water

Topping:
2-3 spoonfuls of Garlic and Herb Tofutti Cream Cheese
1 Large tomato – thinly sliced
1/2 Yellow or Green Courgette – thinly sliced
4-6 Asparagus Spears – sliced in half if large
4 Broccoli Florets – chopped into smaller florets
2 Spring Onions – finely sliced
Black Pepper
Dried Chilli Flakes
Fresh Basil Leaves – roughly torn

To make the bread dough sift the bread flour into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast, spinach powder 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 and spinach powder until it has come together as a green dough (add a little more water if needed but only 1 tablespoon at a time). Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 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.

Pre heat the oven to 180c

Roll the dough out until it is to the desired thickness, I like mine really thin! Place the rolled out dough onto the tray you will cook it on then spread over the tofutti cream cheese and assemble the toppings except the chilli flakes, pepper and fresh basil evenly on top.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables on top are cooked and the crust is golden and crispy. Once cooked sprinkle with chilli flakes, black pepper and freshly torn basil.

Spring Veg Hot Pot – Virtual Vegan Potluck

A great centre piece main course for any potluck!

Welcome to Veghotpot and hello old friends! I am once again taking part in the ever growing “Virtual Vegan Potluck Party” where 168 Food Bloggers are sharing Vegan dishes including starters, sides, mains,puddings, soups, salads and drinks. If you’ve stumbled across this post and want to start at the beginning then please click here to visit Vegan Bloggers Unite. The idea is that everyone has linked to the person before and after them in the party list so you should be able to do a full circle of deliciousness! To visit the person before and after me in the main course category then please click the buttons below!

“Click Me to see Rachel in Veganland”

“Click Me to see My Plant Based Family”

So for my main course offering to this exciting party I have made a Creamy Bean and Spring Vegetable Hot Pot! My blog isn’t called Veghotpot because I’m an obsessed fanatic of this dish (although we have eaten it continuously over the last 3 weeks because I wanted it to be perfect), but I do love a good veghotpot! In fact this is the first veg hot pot to appear on Veghotpot……confused yet?

Leave on a table with a large spoon…it will disappear!

I love cooking big one pot dishes, they are usually more suited to the winter months when the slow cooker is dusted off and root vegetables and hearty beans are slowly stewed in dark ale and served with big comforting mountains of mashed potato. A traditional hot pot recipe includes red meat cooked in a dark meaty sauce and topped with thinly sliced potatoes (a dish I used to love but is now completely alien to me). Vegetarian varieties are mostly root veg based and often include some alcohol to add depth to the traditionally rich sauce.

We are now fully into spring (if you can believe it) so I wanted to take the concept of a hotpot but really lighten it up, make it more seasonal and much more colourful! I have used a medley of spring vegetables including leeks, asparagus, garden peas and carrots mixed with creamy vegan tofutti garlic and herb cream cheese.

Arrange the potato slices so it looks pretty! Each portion will have an even amount of potato

This is my first taste of tofutti garlic and herb cream cheese and I’m not sure what I think about it on its own but mixed with all of these lovely vegetables it is absolutely delicious! I couldn’t find vegan cream cheese anywhere in the supermarket so i ventured down to my local Holland and Barrett as I knew they would have it. It wasnt too expensive either so I was pleasantly surprised. I found this dish very moreish, every time I have made it I have ended up having second helpings and even when I was photographing it I couldn’t resist sticking a spoon in. Oh dear if you read my blog often you will have realised by now that if I have a spoon in my hand nothing is safe! I’m a picker!

Serves 6

Vegan, Gluten and Wheat Free, Dairy Free

2 Carrots
1 Large Onion
2 Leeks
Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
10 Spears of Asparagus
1 Can White Beans such as Canellini or Butter/Lima beans
1 Cup Frozen Green Peas
1 tblspn Gluten Free Flour – I used rice flour
100g Dairy Free Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese (I used Tofutti)
400ml Gluten Free Veg Stock
1 Large Potato

Preheat your oven to 180c.

Peel/ Wash/ Trim your carrots, onion and leeks then fry in a small drizzle of olive oil for 10 mins on a medium heat in a large deep based oven proof frying pan or casserole dish.

Crush the garlic into the pan, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and add your roughly chopped asparagus, white beans and frozen peas and cook for a further 5 mins. Once the vegetables are softened (and the peas are defrosted) stir in the flour, cream cheese and vegetable stock.

Bring to the boil then simmer covered for 15 mins. Add a splash of water if the sauce is thickening too quickly.

Top the filling with a layer of thin slices of unpeeled potato, you can do this randomly or in a nice swirl like I did. Cover with foil or put the lid on and bake in the oven for 20 mins. Then uncover for 10-15 mins to crisp up potatoes.

It is done when the potato slices are browned around the edges and the filling is bubbling away underneath. Serve hot with any side you like. If you are serving this at a party then make a couple of big pan fuls, place a large spoon in each pan and watch it disappear!

I can’t wait to see all of the recipes fellow bloggers are bringing to the potluck! Enjoy the party and thank you for checking out veg hot pot at Veghotpot

Butternut Squash and Peanut Curry

Packed full of Vegetables

As usual this recipe was a real work in progress until I finally got it to the point where I thought it was well balanced and fairly authentic. I originally wanted a tomato based curry however it just did not work with the peanut butter, and if there was anything I was going to compromise on it was NOT the peanut butter.

Peanut butter is seriously delicious, it took me 2 whole minutes of squirming until I finally snapped the lid back on and hid it back in the cupboard. Not without two spoonfuls rapidly disappearing into my mouth! I rarely buy it because it would never see a slice of bread, it only ever see a spoon (or a finger!) and I’ve certainly never cooked with it before. It added such a beautiful earthy depth which enhanced the sweetness of the butternut squash.

This recipe was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s Butternut Squash Laksa from his 30 Minute Meals cookbook (a firm favourite in my house and I highly recommend it). My recipe is completely different but it came about because as I was eating the Laksa I thought that some peanut butter would be awesome to add some further warmth. I researched recipes which include both butternut squash and peanuts and I decided to keep the coconut milk from Jamies laksa but i added some different varieties of vegetables and use different spicing.

We didn’t serve this with any rice or breads because it is really filling however Scott had some chicken and I had some stirfried baby corn. To be honest it didn’t even need this extra side but I can’t help myself, I’m variety greedy!

Serves 4

Vegan, Gluten Free, vital for Peanut Butter addicts

1 large onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Garlic clove
1 tblspn Fresh Ginger
1 Green Chilli
1/2 Large Butternut Squash
Handful Paleskin Peanuts
1 Courgette
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
Salt and Pepper
1 tblspn Tomato Purée
2 tblspn Organic Crunchy peanut butter
1 can Light Coconut Milk
6 lumps of Frozen Spinach
Olive oil

Roughly chop the onion, red pepper, butternut squash and courgette. Crush the garlic and finely chop the ginger.

Heat some oil in a large deep frying pan or saucepan on a medium heat and add the onion, pepper, garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often then add the butternut squash, peanuts and courgette and cook gently for 10 minutes, again stirring every few minutes to stop it sticking.

Add the spices, tomato purée and peanut butter and stir to mix it in with the vegetables and then add the coconut milk. Simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes then add the spinach, a splash of water and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Taste for seasoning then serve hot with your choice of sides or by itself!

New Potato, Fennel and Spring Onion En Papillote: Technique of the Week

I’ve had ‘En Papillote’ down on my list as a technique to try for awhile. It’s another way of steaming your food but with added flavour! ‘En Papillote’ simply means ‘in parchment’ in French and it is a technique of baking ingredients inside a paper parcel. I used to make similar parcels out of foil and cook salmon fillets with lemon slices in them, it kept the fish incredibly soft and juicy, but I had never tried making a parcel from baking/ parchment paper. It worked really nicely and I love how the ingredients stay very true to their natural form but just with an added depth of flavour from the liquid you use (in this case white wine). The potatoes were soft but not mushy and the fennel and spring onions had absorbed all the lemon and wine flavour but again still with a bit of bite.

It took me quite a long time to decide what to put in the parcel, I have seen plenty of Mushroom en papillote recipes before so I wanted to do something a little different. I loved poached fennel when I tried poaching my veggies so I knew I had to include fennel again! Then I decided on new potatoes because they are very in season at the moment and great for side dishes at a BBQ or summery lunch. They are also small enough to be cooked in this way in a relatively short amount of time. I originally thought about adding leeks but Spring onions were thrown in at the last minute because I had an abundance of them in the fridge and I’d never really cooked them before (only sliced them onto a salad).

This recipe would be perfect as a side dish at a BBQ. I’m not sure if you could actually cook it on a grill (maybe if you soaked the paper first???) but it could definitely be cooked in the oven and then bought outside for people to help themselves too along side BBQ’d vegetable skewers, corn on the cobs, veg sausages and mixed salads.

This portion would serve two, you could make individual sized parcels or even party sized ones! Just half or double up the recipe until you have enough to feed all of your guests.

Gluten free, vegan, BBQ side dish, seasonal!

250g (approx 8-10) New Potatoes
1/2 Fennel bulb
4 Spring Onions
Sprig thyme
1/2 Lemon (juice)
1 tblspn Extra virgin olive oil
2 tblspn White Wine
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan oven) or 200c normal oven.

Cut two rectangles of parchment paper (use the whole width of the roll) big enough to fit your potatoes into the middle (you are going to double up the thickness). Lay the two pieces on top of each other then scrunch the paper up slightly around the edges so that it is a boat shape. Place the whole potatoes in the middle, trim the roots and any rough looking dark green ends off your spring onions and layer them on top and then roughly slice your fennel and place that around the potatoes. Make sure you keep the delicate fennel fronds to one side as a garnish. Squeeze over the lemon and pour over the oil and wine then top with the whole sprigs of thyme.

Give it a good grind of salt and pepper and seal the parcel shut at the top leaving plenty of room in the middle to let it steam properly. Make sure the paper is really sealed tightly and give it a little shake to combine all of the ingredients.

Cook for 35 minutes, check the potatoes are cooked through the middle by slightly opening the paper and piercing them with a knife then once done, fully open the parcel, sprinkle over the fennel fronds and serve immediately. The potatoes are also very nice cold the next day with the juice from the parcel poured over the top.

What would you cook in an ‘en papillote’ parcel? What’s your favourite BBQ side dish?

Spinach Powder and Polenta Crispy Coated Tofu

Spinach Powder mixed with dry polenta makes a lovely coating for tofu

Back in February we went to Brighton and I bought some Spinach Powder from ‘The Spice Shop’. I’ve been thinking of simple ways to incorporate it into my cooking and I decided to use it in a polenta coating for tofu first. I didn’t find that it has an over powering taste of spinach but it just adds a lovely bright green colour and adds interest to an otherwise quite bland tofu.

By coating soft tofu in dry polenta before griddling it creates a deliciously crispy coating. If you can’t find spinach powder then you could substitute it with mixed dried herbs or even spices such as paprika (served with chips!).

Spinach powder and polenta could be a great coating for anything including fish and tofu!

This recipe idea is vegan, gluten free and low fat. It is also inexpensive because you only use a small amount of ingredients for the coating.

The method is really simple, mix 2 tablespoons of polenta with 1 tablespoon of Spinach powder and some salt and pepper and spread it out on a plate or a board. Slice and press your tofu then lay it in the powder coating and using your hands rub the polenta all over the tofu.

Heat a hot griddle pan, spray your tofu with some oil and lay your tofu on to the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side turning every minute or so to stop it burning.

I served mine with some paprika stirfried peppers, tomatoes and onions stirred into spaghetti pasta. I felt that the earthy spinach would suit a more rustic dish rather than a stir fry. It would be lovely served on top of a roasted vegetable salad or served in a wrap with peppers and hummous.

I really enjoyed using the spinach powder and I have a few more ideas for the rest of the bag so you’ll be seeing it appear a bit more on here I also bought a beetroot powder so I’m excited to give that a go too!

ps I’m watching Masterchef UK as I write this, it’s so inspiring seeing all of the different flavour combinations!

St Georges Day Baked Apple and Porridge Breakfast!

When I think of British fruits I instantly think of apples. Everyone I know either has an apple tree in the garden or one they can reach over the back fence! Our next door neighbour has an apple and a pear tree which he doesn’t mind us collecting from. No apple from the supermarket will ever taste as nice as one picked straight from the tree! Fact!

British apples are sharp in flavour with a crisp freshness to them. For this breakfast I have used a Bramley apple which is called a cooking apple because it is far too sour to eat raw but when cooked it becomes very sweet and cooks down well to become very soft. You can use any apple you like in your porridge, especially if you prefer sweeter foods then a red apple such as a gala would work. A Bramley apples size suits this dish as you are using it as a bowl

Baked apple is a very traditional pudding recipe not exclusive to British history but also found in cookbooks from America and Europe. Sugar wasn’t popular or accessible in Britain until around the 17th century so they would use dried fruits and honey to sweeten their foods. Apples would be sliced and mixed with ingredients such as dried fruits, wine, orange peel, cloves and honey (or maple syrup) and baked on a fire.

Baking apples whole became popular later on and the apple is cored and then stuffed with the dried fruits and honey then baked (delicious served with ice cream).

I wanted to make a breakfast version and I started off by planning to make a traditional baked apple but serve it with a granola topping but this didn’t really feel right as a breakfast. I then thought about doing stewed apple and finally I came to this recipe of an apple, cinnamon and raisin porridge served in the baked apple shell

I love apple porridge and you can experiment with the dried fruits you like by adding prunes, dried figs, sultanas or even some candied orange peel. I sweetened the whole thing by drizzling Manuka honey over the top of each assembled and baked apple just before serving. You could sprinkle sugar but honey is much better for you. Of course you can use maple syrup as a vegan sweetener.

The only fiddly part of this recipe is scooping the apple out to create a shell, try not to go through the skin, I suggest leaving around 1cm edge around the apple so that it gets nice and juicy after baking.
The other important thing to do is cut out the core as that will be tough to eat.

Serves 2 (or one if your having it as a brunch- I ate the whole thing to myself!)

Dairy free, gluten free option, vegan option, St George’s day worthy!

50g (4 heaped tblspn) porridge oats – you can buy gluten free oats in most supermarkets.
300ml unsweetened almond milk
2 tblspn sultanas,
1/2 tspn cinnamon,
1 Bramley apple -
2 tspns Manuka Honey or Maple Syrup

Cut the apple in half so you have two halves which can stand fairly flat and then score a circle about 1cm in from the edge to mark where the border will be. Using a small spoon scoop out the apple flesh and discard the core, add the apple flesh to the porridge oats, milk, sultanas n cinnamon in a saucepan and cook on a medium heat for approx 6-8 minutes until the oats and apple have cooked down. If it looks too thick then add abit more milk.

Spoon the cooked porridge into the apple half shells and place on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 170c.

The apple shell should be really soft but still holding it’s shape. Drizzle each half with the honey or maple syrup and serve hot!

Very Simple and Versatile Roasted Harissa Aubergine

Once prepared you can use the aubergine in many different ways

I love aubergines and I only really started eating them in the last few years because many recipes I found put me off by saying they must be salted or that they soak up a lot of oil. The first time I tried cooking it myself I simply stir fried it and it was bland and chewy. I realised that it suited slow cooking and that, like with the oil, it suited big flavours it could soak up.

I now use it as a main ingredient all the time in curries, cut into long strips in lasagna, pasta sauces and now even simply on its own as a side dish. I don’t really know how I came up with this idea other than the fact that I had a lonely aubergine in my fridge and not much else. I wanted to make some cous cous for my lunch and I thought I could use the aubergine to jazz up the cous cous.

I also had a jar of Harissa paste and this idea just came to me. I was pleasantly surprised with how it worked out as the aubergine flesh became full of flavour, quite spicy and incredibly soft. I used a spoon to scoop out the flesh and then I stirred it into cous cous.

Other ways to enjoy an aubergine like this could be topped with raita yoghurt and served with a salad, scooped out and spread into a flat bread as a sandwich, stirred into rice or cous cous, scooped out and served as a kind of spicy mashed aubergine side dish. Or just on its own.

Serves 2

Vegan, gluten-free, low-fat, spicy!

1 Aubergine1-2 tblspn Harissa paste
1 Lemon

Slice the aubergine in half lengthways, using a sharp knife score the flesh but don’t cut through the skin of the aubergine. Take a spoonful of harissa and using the back of a spoon or a knife spread the paste over the aubergine making sure it gets in all of the score lines. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Do this on both halves of the aubergine just on the cut side.

Place the aubergine halves on a baking tray, cut side up and bake in an oven at 180c for around 35 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then use it how you like

The Harissa is very spicy so use as much or as little as you like. You could use other pastes like Curry paste, Thai paste or Pesto.

Raw Beetroot, Orange and Asparagus Salad with Hazelnut Dukkah

Ready for some summer weather!?

A couple of weeks ago everyone from my office went for a work lunch and even though I was tempted to order a big pizza I quickly opted for a house salad as everyone decided on healthy options. I work in a really healthy office, no biscuit tin to be seen! This is actually quite nice to be honest, I can still buy treats if I fancy it, but the temptation isn’t always there.

The salad I ordered seemed to have absolutely everything in it! Avocado, orange, grapefruit, beetroot, salad leaves, tomatoes, hazelnuts and many more salad items. It was nice but I found it confused so I decided to do my own version with a selection of the flavours I really enjoyed.

I used to eat a turkey and orange salad all the time and since I turned vegetarian I actually haven’t eaten oranges in a salad, and as soon as I tried it again I fell in love with the juicy sweet freshness it adds to a savoury salad.

The second addition to this salad is the hazelnut dukkah. This was on the salad I had at the restaurant, when I read it on the menu I got really excited as I’d never tried it before but when it turned up all I could find was toasted hazelnuts. I googled dukkah and it describes the dish as nuts mixed with spices so I gave it a go and I think it worked amazingly, especially with the fresh oranges.

I used the dukkah as a sort of dry dressing as it coats everything with flavour and the orange segments act as a wetter ingredient. Make sure everyone has enough orange segments to balance out the flavours.

Autumn colours, summer flavours

Serves 2

Vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, fruity!

Handful of Watercress
1 small head of Lettuce – chopped
1/2 Raw beetroot
8 spears of Asparagus,
1 large Orange or 2 medium sized ones
Hazelnut Dukkah- 5 toasted hazelnuts blitzed with 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds and black pepper.
1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds
Organic extra virgin Olive oil

The method is very simple – peel the orange and slice into thick segments, peel and finely chop the beetroot into little match sticks and peel and roughly chop the asparagus.

Dry fry the fennel seeds, crushed hazelnuts and coriander seeds until slightly golden and the aroma has been released. Blitz them with some black pepper in a blender and then stir in the pumpkin seeds. Put this to one side to sprinkle over the salad. It should smell amazing and fragrant!

Griddle the asparagus until soft and slightly browned and leave to cool slightly.

Assemble your salad with the mixed lettuce and watercress on the bottom and then the beetroot, orange and asparagus spears scattered around then sprinkle over the hazelnut dukkah and drizzle over good quality olive oil.

Seasonal Vegan Tofu and Garden Pea ‘Quiche’

A great vegan alternative to traditional quiche

This is my version of a quiche/ flan which is suitable for vegans!I have simply replaced the eggs and cream with tofu. As you will see I have included my favourite combination of peas, lemon, garlic, basil and mint – such classic flavours which instantly make you feel like its summer! I have also added watercress because it is in season right now and is so delicious and very good for you.

I was feeling a bit conscious that I use these flavour combinations a lot, but they work so well and each recipe is so different! So hopefully instead of being repetitive I am simply showing how using up ingredients in different ways can create lots of different meals

I have made pies before with a bean puree or with a nut cream and both worked delightfully, however this time I wanted something much lighter (but still creamy) and less calorific. I don’t eat a lot of tofu but I do buy it when I just fancy something easy, there is so much you can do with it, it’s a great vehicle for stronger flavours and it is low fat.

Creamy vegan filling in a crispy pastry case!

I definitely preferred this quiche served hot however it would be nice to make a head and eat at room temperature too as part of a buffet. When I think of quiche it brings up memories of party buffets with sausage rolls, egg sandwiches, chocolate fingers and lemonade! I’m not sure back in those days, when I was a kid who couldn’t get enough of those styles of buffet, that I would one day be making my own version made of tofu!

Maybe deep down I knew because I was one of the few people who would fill my plate with the salad garnish before adding the more unhealthy options.

In case any one was wondering, I have still been following a mostly gluten free diet. I am feeling great on it and I definitely notice the difference when I “accidentally” eat a huge blueberry muffin someone bought in to the office for their birthday, and my stomach instantly bloats up twice the size! This recipe uses filo pastry which isn’t gluten free but you can substitute it for a vegan short crust or your favourite gluten free pastry. As long as it holds in that creamy tofu filling you’ll be fine!

Serves 4

Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Husband approved!

Tin size – 10″

400g Tofu130g Frozen Peas
1/2 Lemon
Large handful Watercress
2 Garlic Cloves
10 Large Basil leaves
Handful Mint Leaves
Salt and Pepper
3 Sheets Filo Pastry
Spray Oil

Preheat your oven to 180c

Place the tofu, peas, watercress, garlic, basil, mint and juice of 1 lemon into a blender and mix until you have a smooth green puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then blitz again to mix in seasoning. Keep some water cress to one side for garnish

Grease a quiche tin, preferably with a loose bottom so you can get the quiche out easily (and not with 3 spatulas and a lot of swearing as I did). You could also line the tin with baking paper, or just slice it in the quiche tin and take it out in slices

Next line the tin with 3 layers of filo pastry, spraying or brushing some oil in between each layer, trim around the edges so you don’t have too much pastry hanging over.

Pour the tofu mix into the pastry case and smooth out so it is one even layer. Crinkle up the edges of the pastry to make a border around the edge of the quiche.

Place the quiche into the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is cooked. If the edges look like they are browning too much then cover the pie with foil so that it continues to cook but not colour.

If you are taking it out of the tin then once cooked leave it to cool slightly to make it easier to handle.

Leftovers can be placed in the fridge and then reheated in a hot oven for around 10 minutes.

Perfect for sharing, great hot or cold.