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.

Broccoli, Radish and Lemon Pasta

Chilli flakes and plenty of black pepper and a spice kick

I love a good simple pasta dish, my favourite weekend lunches include quick, easy and veggie packed stir fries, noodle salads or pasta. It would be a lie to say I don’t buy jars of sauces for convenience every now and then but I do prefer the fresh flavours of a home made dish like this lemony broccoli pasta.

During the week breakfast is definitely my favourite meal of the day, I have a morning routine which involves waving Scott off to work (usually still in my pyjamas at this point!), making a cup of tea, catching up on my ‘guilty pleasure’ tv such as 90210 or Buffy the Vampire Slayer whilst having breakfast, then I get ready and finally I do a quick tidy up before I leave for work. When I tell people they always think I’m crazy because I get up so early but I genuinely wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s my time for myself to wake up and relax before a busy day.

At the weekend I am still an early riser but I find that lunchtimes are my “me time” because I usually have chores/ blogging/ cooking to do first thing in the morning and only once I have got them done can I then relax. Making lunch is my way of winding down and enjoying some peace and quiet. This is why I like meals which are simple and make me feel healthy and happy.

Radishes are my favourite salad veggie at the moment!

Weekends are also my main blog cooking time so meals are made up of either practise rounds of recipes or the finished photographed dish. Yes, sometimes it’s gone cold but I enjoy sitting down to a blog worthy plate of food, I mean lets admit, even food bloggers don’t present every single meal as if its about to be photographed. Most evening meals are just piled on the plate

Anyway on to the recipe! This has been a staple go to lunch for quite a while and one day I decided it was too good to not be shared. It started off as a lazy lunch to just clear out the fridge, I happened to have wilting broccoli and radishes left so I used them but now I purposefully make sure I have these items in.

Its not a saucey pasta but that doesn’t mean it’s not packed full of flavour. Similar to my Courgette Pasta recipe this pasta relies on fresh produce being lightly cooked to bring out its best flavours. I use lemon and olive oil as a dressing and chilli flakes, garlic and plenty of black pepper to add depth of flavour. I’ve done this as a recipe for 1 because me and Scott eat very different things at the weekend so I am used to cooking lunches for one. Just grab a handful of this and that and you can make some great solo dinners!

Serves 1

Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, bad things free!

40g dry gluten free pasta
3-4 broccoli florets
2-3 radishes
1 garlic clove
1 lemon. Zest and juice
1 tblspn organic olive oil plus extra for frying
Black pepper
Chilli flakes

Boil the pasta for around 8-10 minutes until cooked, then drain but reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

Whilst the pasta is cooking heat some olive oil in a pan. Slice the radishes thinly, crush the garlic and cut the broccoli florets into around 6 smaller florets. Stir fry the broccoli, garlic and radish until they start to brown then take off the heat and stir in the olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons of pasta cooking water.

Mix in the cooked pasta and serve on a plate with the lemon zest, chilli flakes and plenty of black pepper.

What’s your go to lunchtime recipe? Do you eat differently at weekends than during the week? More or less healthy?

Warm Marinated Mushroom and Avocado Salad with a Balsamic Dressing

This weekend I went to Pizza Express twice!! I met up with two different friends, one on the Friday and one on the Sunday and since I don’t go to Pizza Express often I really enjoyed sampling their menu

They do the most amazing salads and on Sunday I tried a combination I hadn’t tried before…warm mushrooms with spinach, mozzarella, avocado and a honey n mustard dressing. It was simply delicious however being a typical foodie I wanted to make my own version using flavours I love and without the cheese.

They served theirs with buttery, garlic infused slices of mushrooms but I decided to keep my mushrooms whole for little bursts of juicy mushroom goodness! If you don’t like mushrooms that much or you’re not keen on them whole then just slice them before cooking. I omitted the garlic because I’m going to take this salad to work with me tomorrow and I don’t want to stink the office out

Mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar, herbs and chilli flakes

Marinated Mushrooms-

Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Fat

200g (couple of handfuls) button mushrooms or sliced large mushrooms
1 tblspn olive oil
1 tblspn balsamic
Pinch salt and pepper
Pinch chilli flakes
Pinch dried italian herbs

Place all of the ingredients in a pan on a medium heat and cook, stirring frequently to coat the mushrooms in the dressing and cook evenly, for approx 6 minutes. They’ll be ready when the mushrooms have turned golden brown and still has a little bite to it but juicy. Best thing is to take one out to try it

If the dressing looks like its drying out then add a splash more oil and balsamic vinegar, dont let it reduce too far as you are going to use this cooking liquid as a delicious, rich dressing. You could add a squeeze of lemon too if you fancy however I didn’t feel the need this time.

I think these mushrooms would actually be delicious served as part of a deli platter or even poured on toast with some nice thick slices of avocado. In this salad I served them with the following items:

Mixed salad leaves
Chives
Parsley
Fresh tomato
Black olives
Capers
Avocado
Cooking liquid of the mushrooms drizzled over as a dressing.

Juicy balsamic mushrooms top off this fresh salad

I just have to let you know what else I ate because it was so delicious, after the Friday meal I was actually really excited to go back Sunday. The salads come with garlic dough sticks however I ordered mine without and instead had a portion of polenta chips (which I’m also planning on putting my own twist on next week). They were nothing like the polenta sticks I have made in the past, these were crispy and thin like chips, definitely tasted deep fried but oooh so worth it.

Then for pudding I tried one of the small puddings served with an earl grey tea, I had the chocolate truffle ice cream. It was so rich but a small enough portion to not be sickly. I’d really recommend it!

Roasted Pepper and Goats Cheese Platter with a Herb Oil

Use all different coloured peppers for a bright party dish!

It was my mums 50th birthday on Saturday and me and my sister planned a weekend of surprises for her! It was so exciting planning each treat and seeing it all come to life in a big smile on her face! Our weekend included an afternoon tea at the beautiful Luton Hoo hotel, followed by a party with good friends. Then the next day we sent her off to a holistic spa for a full massage, manicure and pedicure and then in the evening I cooked a dinner party for us all!

I am getting a bit more confident throwing dinner parties and I am starting to want to host them more frequently! I have found that by having dishes which can be made in advance and also having some dishes which can be served cold it helps you have a more relaxing evening once people arrive.

I also began planning recipes for the starter and main which included the same ingredients, for example including the same herbs running through the meal means you will only need to buy one or two varieties. This keeps the cost down and creates some uniformity throughout the menu.

This time I also decided to make a meat main course option because, although most of my dinner parties have been completely vegetarian, I felt it would be nice to cook a dish I knew everyone would enjoy, even if I couldn’t eat it!

Here was my menu (I can’t resist sharing!)

Starters
Bean and Pea bruschetta
Deli meat platter
Roasted peppers with goats cheese and herb oil (recipe below)
Tatziki

Main
Herb and Lemon Roast Chicken
Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
Potato and Fennel Frittata with rocket (recipe to come soon)
Green bean salad
Tomato and basil salad
Red pepper sauce (Recipe to come soon)
Salsa Verde

Pudding
Fresh berries including blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
Meringue Nests
Maltesers (Mums birthday tradition)
Ice cream
Cinnamon and Hazelnut cake

Dinner parties should be pretty and tasty!

I made too much food but I would rather be eating delicious leftovers for a couple of days than see my guests finish everything on the table

In the run up to her birthday I subtly asked my mum what her favourite food was to help me plan the menu (although apparently not too subtly because she subsequently guessed I was going to be cooking!). Mum’s only answer at that moment was Tatziki! I planned around that dish this instantly brought rustic, rural dishes to mind and I knew it had to include some kind of tortilla and a big platter of roasted veg. Placing lots of dishes on the table for everyone to help themselves is my favourite way to eat, I didn’t serve one thing up on people’s plates it was all in the middle with big serving spoons.

These roasted peppers were one of the big hits of the night. As soon as it was put down in the centre of the table everyone’s eyes lit up and lips were licked with anticipation of digging in. That’s what I love about vegetarian food, it is so colourful with lots of varieties of flavour.

I made this during the day and popped it in the fridge ready to serve later on, just before serving I allowed it to reach room temperature and then scattered toasted pine nuts over the top and added another drizzle of good quality olive oil (photos taken before the pine nuts were added). The bowl of olives was an added extra because we always have olives as part of our starters, they’re perfect to nibble on whilst waiting for a meal without filling you up like bread would.

Serves 5 as part of a larger buffet spread

Wheat and Gluten free, Vegetarian, Dinner party worthy

5- 6 peppers, all different colours
Olive oil
Parsley
Mint
Basil
Small piece of soft goats cheese
Pine Nuts
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c. Pour a little olive oil into your hands and give each pepper a little massage to cover them in the oil, you don’t need too much but enough to make sure the skin will char and blacken. Pop the peppers (whole) onto a baking tray and put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. They will be ready when deflated and the skin is blistered and blackened.

Place them into a plastic sandwich bag (Or into a bowl with a tight lid of clingfilm) and leave to cool then pull out the stalk, core and seeds and gently peel off the blackened skin. Putting them into a bag helps you to take the skin off without damaging the pepper too much. Slice the peppers and arrange on a plate however you like.

Finely chop your fresh herbs and put them in a small bowl with a good lug of olive oil (around a tablespoon should be enough) and mix well then pour the herb oil over the peppers.

Crumble the goats cheese on top and give it a little pinch of salt if you like and a good grind of black pepper. This can now get put to one side either in the fridge or on the table ready for your dinner later. When ready to serve heat a small frying pan with no oil and add your pine nuts. Toast them until they start to turn golden and then scatter them over the platter.

Choose a good quality goats cheese – as local as you can manage!

This recipe has been submitted to Allergy Free Wednesday over at The Healthy Alternative blog

Vegetarian Sausage, Rice and Lentil soup

We’re back from Brighton now and although we had a really great time, it is nice to be home I’m not back to work until Thursday as we are off to London today for an extra holiday (spoiling ourselves!) so I find myself in a weird stage of not quite being ready for the post holiday detox but also feeling like I have over indulged and need some vegetables in my life!

When you get back from a holiday you have to be really organised with meal planning and doing the food shop because its more than likely that you will have an empty fridge, and this can quickly lead to multiple takeaways. Before we left for Brighton I made sure nothing too perishable remained in the fridge but I left items such as celery, carrots, onions and apples because they do last a bit longer.

This meant that alongside store cupboard ingredients like canned tomatoes, rice and lentils, I had everything to make a post holiday soup! But like I said I didn’t quite feel ready to get straight back to a vegetable soup diet so I dug around in my freezer and found some veggie sausages, perfect, these are a great way to make a soup feel more substantial!
Unfortunately these sausages are not gluten free but they are vegan! You can leave the sausages out for an awesome rich, gluten free tomato and rice soup!

Serves 3-4
Vegan, gluten free option, dairy free

3 medium sized carrots
2 onions
2 sticks celery
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon italian herb seasoning
90g (1/2 cup) red lentils
90g (1/2 cup) white rice
1 can chopped tomatoes
1.5 litre gluten free Veg stock
6 vegan sausages (I used Linda McCartneys onion and rosemary vegan sausages)
Parsley

Chop your vegetables up small and put into a large saucepan with a little oil and Cook for 6 minute, stirring frequently. Add crushed garlic and the dried herbs and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the lentils and rice and give it a good stir. Add the canned tomatoes and vegetable stock, put a lid on and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile grill your sausages, cut into bite size slices and put to one side.

Once soup is ready, add the sausages and heat them through again then garnish with parsley.

Do you have a standard meal you make for when you return from holiday?

Carrot, Red lentil and Ginger Soup

Carrot, lentil and ginger soup

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of blended soup and I can’t stand carrot and coriander soup…so why have I made a blended carrot soup? Because I have come up with a recipe I like and I thought I would share it for others out there who either already love blended carrot soup, or for those looking for a version which isn’t the classic carrot and coriander.

I always seem to have tonnes of carrots left over in the fridge, its so cheap to buy a big sack of them in the supermarket that is seems silly not to stock up and soups are a great way to use them. I usually slice them up really small and leave the soup unblended but obviously this time I dug out my hand held blender and whizzed it to a silky smooth consistency.

Silky smooth blended soup

Right, it’s 8pm on Friday night and I think this soup speaks for itself so I will simply leave you with this great, easy recipe. Perfect for easy lunches, light suppers and days when you need a warm comforting meal without the added calories.

Vegan, wheat and gluten free, dairy free
Serves 4- 6

8 large carrots (1kg)
2 large onions
2 sticks celery
150g (1cup) red lentils
2 garlic cloves
1 thumb size piece ginger
2 green chillies
1.5 litres gluten free vegetable stock
Large bunch parsley

Roughly slice the onion, carrots and celery and add to a large pan with a splash of olive oil. Heat until softened for around 6-8 minutes then add the crushed garlic, peeled and diced ginger, diced and deseeded chillies and lentils and give everything a really good stir.

Add the vegetable stock and stir again then put a lid on the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes until everything is softened.

Then stir in the chopped parsley and blend until smooth. Garnish with parsley and some black pepper and serve piping hot!

Mixed Bean and Pea “Garden Burger” – Vegan and Gluten Free!

Hellooo new bean burger! I have a feeling this will be the year of the bean burger and I plan to dive into the journey and be as creative as possible! That’s the beauty of a vegetarian burger, the possibilities are absolutely endless!!

This burger is called a “garden burger” because it is made of lots of green veggies like peas, spinach and herbs. Also it has a nice speckled marbled effect with the greens it is also my first vegan AND gluten free burger! Usually I use eggs and breadcrumbs to bind the burgers but this time I simply used some rice flour and it worked perfectly. It did create a firmer texture throughout the burger which I liked but just be careful not to add too much flour.

There are other gluten free flours out there but I bought rice flour so you will see it a lot over the next few weeks. I promise I will buy a few more varieties soon!

For convenience I used frozen peas and also frozen spinach, buying vegetables frozen can be a good thing, a lot of them are frozen straight after being picked and therefore have “the freshness locked in”. At least that’s what the packet says! When I first left university I would always have a variety of frozen vegetables on hand because they are only a couple of quid and would last a few weeks so I wouldn’t have to worry about wasting anything or letting unused fresh veg go off. Now a days we still use them but they are more for emergency/ budget weeks than for everyday.

Makes 4 medium sized burgers (or two whoppers….or 8 minis…you get the idea!)

Vegan, vegetarian, wheat and gluten free, dairy free

1 can mixed beans
100g frozen peas
100g frozen spinach
1 red chilli
Large bunch coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon – zest and juice of 1/2
Pinch salt and pepper
1.5 tblspn Gluten free rice flour

Defrost the peas and spinach and squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. Blitz/ mash/ smash/ crush the beans and put in a big bowl with the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to combine all of the ingredients together.

Mould into 4 burgers and place on a plate in the fridge for at least half an hour to allow them to firm up.

To cook you can either fry in a little oil for around 6- 8 minutes turning a few times whilst cooking or you can grill, again turning a few times during cooking until it is hot all the way through and nice and crispy on the outside.

For the sake of the photographs I served this in a bun (and then froze the bun afterwards) however to keep it gluten free then this is perfect served on its own with a big salad or even along side some rice and chunky tomato sauce.

Bubble and Squeak: The Ultimate Post Christmas Brunch (re-post)

Isn’t life funny sometimes. I feel like everything has just come full circle because today I decided to have a go at making a twist on my more traditional bubble and squeak recipe and when I clicked on my blog to find it I realised that exactly one year ago today I posted that said bubble and squeak recipe!! I decided to repost it because it really gets me in the mood for christmas and also it’s a delicious way to eat some vegetables for brunch!

Bubble and Squeak conjures up memories of my mum cooking brunch in the kitchen on boxing day whilst we happily sorted through presents received the day before. We’d be in our pyjamas with a good cheesy christmas film on in the background! We’d have piles of freshly fried bubble and squeak made with everything left over from the day before topped with eggs and washed down with fresh orange juice! This recipe tastes best when your using left over roasted veggies but my healthy take on it is also delicious!!

Serves 4:

1/2 small Savoy Cabbage
8-10 Sprouts
2 Carrots
1 Large Potato
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Power
1/2 teaspoon dried Rosemary
Olive Oil for cooking

Preheat a baking tray in the oven at 190c

Prepare the vegetables by slicing the carrot, and cabbage, chop the potato into chunks and peel the sprouts then chop in half. Place the chopped potatoes onto the hot baking tray and spray/ drizzle with olive oil, roast for around 20 minutes. Steam (or boil) the sprouts, carrots and cabbage  untill soft then mash them with the roasted potatoes, garlic and rosemary.

Let it cool down a little bit then shape into cakes and fry in some olive oil untill golden brown and hot through.

Serve with a poached egg and plenty of tomato ketchup!!

Help yourself to seconds!

Ps: As kids this was a great way to fill us up of vegetables!! We used to have everything in there – carrots, leeks, peas, potatoes, cauliflower, parsnips! Anything left over that could be mashed

Kale and Tomato Herby Fritatta: Vegetarian Breakfasts

I thought I’d focus on my two favourite breakfasts this week, eggs with kale and tomatoes and also baked beans on toast. Recently I’ve just been stirfrying the kale and serving it with scrambled eggs for minimum fuss but I prefer a fritatta because it is neater and more of a complete meal.

When it comes to breakfast I think simple is best, you’ve just woken up and you fancy a slice of toast and a cup of tea. Only problem is that’s not a very balanced start to your day and I personally prefer to start my day with a filling, nutritious meal including eggs and greens.

You may think it’s a bit extreme to eat kale for breakfast but I promise you that stirfried and seasoned, this dark green leaf is so delicious mixed with the creamy eggs. If you simply can’t do it then swap the kale for spinach, another iron rich green which is perfect at breakfast time.

So to keep this fritatta simple I kept the ingredients quite minimal, just enough to make this a bit more special than just your average egg dish but still simple non the least. You can make one large fritatta to share between two or you can make two mini ones like I have.

Serves 2

2 Large handfuls Kale
Small Bunch Parsley
Small Bunch Mint (approx 12-15 leaves)
2 Garlic Cloves
4 Spring Onions
4 Large Eggs
2 Tomatoes

Wash and chop the kale and herbs and crush the garlic cloves. Heat some oil in a frying pan and then stirfry the kale, herbs and garlic with a pinch of salt for around 2-3 minutes then add the chopped spring onions and continue to cook, stirring often, untill the kale has wilted. Around 5 more minutes.

Place thin slices of tomato into the bottom of two small round pie dishes/ tart dishes and then fill with the kale mixture.

Beat two eggs and then pour the eggs over the kale into the dishes. Use a fork to just move the kale around to allow the eggs to run down and fill the dish.

Place under a hot grill for 12-15 minutes untill the top and sides are firm, then turn it out on to a baking tray and place back under the grill untill the tomato lined bottom has browned and the egg is cooked through.

What’s your favourite breakfast? Do you like kale? I will post the recipe for my home made heinz style baked beans later in the week

Balsamic Roasted Radish, Chickpea and Feta Side Salad

This recipe came about because at the beginning of the week I had planned to make a big chickpeas and pumpkin salad for my lunches but after a few cold days and the need to use up some other ingredients I turned the salad into a chickpea and pumpkin soup. This meant I had lots of little items left such as a big unopened bag of radishes, cucumber and avocados.

Roasted Radishes give this salad a warming wintery feel

I still didn’t really fancy a salad any more but then I remembered ages ago I had seen a few recipes for roasting radishes just like other root veg so I decided this would be more of a wintery radish salad! Roasted radishes are delicious, they are no longer crisp and peppery but they are soft and have a subtle deep flavour! It’s a perfect way of transforming a summer salad into a winter salad.

I also roasted the chickpeas with the radishes, I love roasted chickpeas as they go really dark and nutty which makes them more interesting in a salad. Make sure you are roasting already cooked chickpeas though and not the dried ones! Adding chickpeas gives this a bit of substance so you could eat it by itself but I quite like the idea of having it as a side salad to some beany burgers or even to lighten up a sausage dinner!

You could eat this salad when the radishes are still warm out of the oven, then they are still glossy and delicious, or you can let it cool down as they intensify slightly although they do go a tiny bit wrinkled!

Serves 2

around 28 radishes (or a couple of handfuls)
1/2 Can Cooked Chickpeas (1/2 cup)
1 tblspoon Olive Oil
2 tspn Balsamic Vinegar
Salt (I used Himalayan Salt)

1/4 Cucumber
1/2 avocado
1/2 Small Red Onion (or spring onions if you don’t like red onion)
Approx 50g Feta Cheese

Parsley for garnish

Heat your oven to 190c. Slice the radishes in half and place in a large baking tray then pour over the chickpeas. Coat in the oil, salt and balsamic vinegar.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. (Leave to cool if you are eating them cold)

Dice the cucumber, avocado and finely slice the red onion and mix with the radishes and chickpeas. Crumble the feta over the top then give it a good stir so everything is mixed. Drizzle over any leftover oil and balsamic from the baking tray or add another drizzle if it was all absorbed. Put in a big bowl for everyone to help themselves and garnish with parsley.