Category Archives: Vegetarian

Steamed broccoli with Asian dressing

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This is a great idea for when the broccoli season starts. The salad can be served warm or cold.

INGREDIENTS:
broccoli florets
inch ginger, finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, cut into strip (remove seeds if you don’t want too much heat)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

METHOD:
Boil some water is a saucepan and steam the broccoli for 5 minutes.

Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Add the florets while they are still warm.

Chickpea courgette mash

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Chickpea courgette mash

chickpea and courgette mash

Chickpea and courgette mash

This recipe for chickpea courgette mash is made with the same ingredients as those used in hummus: chickpeas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice as well as the courgettes. Inspiration for it came from the courgette hummus recipe.

The important thing about growing and harvesting courgettes is to pick them when they are small before they get too big. My favourite way of preparing courgettes is to thickly slice the courgettes and then slowly fry them in a splash of olive oil before dressing with salt, black pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a knob of butter.

Courgettes or zucchini are low in calories and contain folate, potassium and Vitamin A. They are extremely flexible and can be prepared and eaten in many different ways (raw, boiled, fried, roast or barbecued). Interestingly enough, there is no difference between a courgette and the larger marrow, it’s simply that courgettes are harvested earlier while marrows are left to grow larger. That said, however, some species taste better as courgettes while others taste better as marrows.

In the summer when courgette production is in full swing, it’s good to find new ways of cooking courgettes. For more recipes for courgettes, check out this recipe book on Amazon: What Will I Do with All Those Courgettes?

INGREDIENTS:
courgettes, cut into 1cm cubes
400g cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon cumin
olive oil
salt and pepper

METHOD:
To make the chickpea courgette mash, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the cubed courgette. Fry gently until they have lost all their liquid and are almost starting to brown.

Add the chickpeas, garlic and cumin and stir well for a minute or so. Stir in the tahini and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Heat through.

Remove half of the mixture to a bowl and blend with a stick blender. Pour back into the frying pan.

The idea is to evaporate some, most or all of the liquid depending on how dry you want it. I like to make it fairly dry so that it browns as you continue frying it.

Smoked salmon pasta

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Smoked salmon pasta

smoked salmon past

Smoked salmon pasta

This pasta dish is made with smoked salmon, spinach and cream cheese. A couple of spoonfuls of the pasta cooking liquid are added to the dish at the end to moisten it slightly. The dish is then served with freshly ground black pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

INGREDIENTS:
100g pasta per person
1/2 or 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
50g spinach per person, finely shredded
50g cream cheese per person
 zest and juice of 1/2 – 2 lemons
1/4 – 1 packet smoked salmon
handful of basil, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

METHOD:
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water.

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a large wok. Gently soften the garlic for a few minutes before adding the spinach to wilt. Add the cream cheese and mix well to combine, before adding the lemon zest and juice. Season with black pepper.

Drain the pasta, keeping back some of the cooking liquid.

Add the smoked salmon to the sauce along with the pasta and basil. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of cooking liquid to slacken the pasta slightly.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.    

Vegetarian meal plan

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Vegetarian meal plan

The below is a photo taken by Sin Mei. It represents a cross section of our meals over a 2 week period.  All of the ingredients were grown in our garden (except for the salt and the cream) You can see: Blackberries and cream. Rosti, Pinto bean stew, Chick pea salad, grid charred aubergine, fried green peppers, tomatoes, fried Okra, cucumber salad, felafel, fried eggs, courgettes, home made mayonnaise, tortilla, savory rice, corn on the cob, cauliflower, general salad which includes lettuce, pickled beetroot, parsley, mint etc. Thank you to Sin Mei for taking the photos. 

Photos of our vegetarian meals taken by Sin Mei.

Photos of our vegetarian meals taken by Sin Mei.

vegetarian meal plan

Vegetarian meal plan

The aim of this vegetarian meal plan is to provide some ideas for tasty vegetarian meals.  We are not normally vegetarian but have recently have been eating more vegetables. As the season progresses and we grow more and more of our own vegetables, it makes sense for vegetables to play a larger role in our meals. The criteria for a recipe to be included in the vegetarian meal plan was that it was tasty and worth cooking again.

The inspiration for this vegetarian meal plan was Hannah – a Canadian girl who came in April. The original challenge was to write a post with a 14-day vegetarian meal plan. The food varied according to what was in season and what was available. As time went by, the meal plan grew and now totals 31 meal ideas. As I discover new recipes they will be added.

vegetarian meal planThe recipe and video for how to make the garlic mayonnaise can be found here.

vegetarian meal planDAY 1: tortilla de patatas, steamed broccoli with soy sauce and sesame oil, guacamole, green salad, garlic mayonnaise.

vegetarian meal planDAY 2: spicy chickpea stew, fried eggs, red cabbage coleslaw, green salad, garlic mayonnaise.

vegetarian meal planDAY 3: vegetable cauliflower and broccoli curry, brown basmati rice, pimientos padrón, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 4: fried eggs, rosti potatoes, steamed broccoli, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 5: pizzas, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 6: moussaka, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 7: falafel, devilled eggs, kale salad, green salad, garlic mayonnaise.

 

vegetarian meal plan

DAY 8: green lentil and kale stew, coleslaw, fried eggs, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 9: huevos rancheros (pinto beans and friend eggs), steamed broccoli, green salad, garlic mayonnaise.

vegetarian meal planDAY 10: spaghetti puttanesca, salad.

DAY 11: curried rice salad, fried eggs, coleslaw, green salad.

vegetarian meal plan

DAY 12: vegetarian tagine with couscous, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 13: mushroom risotto, green salad, red cabbage coleslaw.

vegetarian meal planDAY 14: leek, mushroom and goat’s cheese quiche, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 15: spinach and ricotta pasties, small jacket potatoes, salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 16: Mexican meal: kidney bean stew, tortilla wraps, sour yoghurt, tomato salsa, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 17: curry meal 1: dal, sag aloo, curried aubergines, brown basmati rice.

vegetarian meal planDAY 18: pumpkin risotto, steamed broccoli, green salad.

DAY 19: vegetarian chilli sin carne, brown rice, green salad.

DAY 20: pasta with tuna and tomato sauce, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 21: spinach and ricotta omelette, tomato salad, cucumber and mint raita, salad.

fried polenta cakesDAY 22: fried polenta cakes, braised chard, fried eggs, tomato salad, salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 23: rosti potatoes, sautéed broad beans, fried eggs, salad.

vegetarian meal plan

DAY 24: curry meal 2: chana masala, vegetable samosas, onion bhajis, creamy egg curry, rice.vegetarian meal planDAY 25: leek and cheese quiche, jacket potatoes, sautéed broad beans witth spring onions, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 26: scrambled eggs with garlic sprouts and oyster mushrooms, fried jacket potatoes, tomato salad, green salad.

DAY 27: fennel and lemon risotto, tomato salad, salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 28: vegetable stir-fry, egg-fried rice, salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 29: stuffed cabbage leaves, fennel chickpea salad, tomato salad, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 30: cheese and mushroom omelette, cucumber tomato rice salad, green salad.

vegetarian meal planDAY 31: pumpkin canneloni, green salad

Cucumber tomato rice salad

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Cucumber tomato rice salad

cucumber tomato rice salad

Cucumber tomato rice salad

This fresh summer salad is made with brown rice, tomatoes, cucumber and mint and is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. It can also be made with cous cous.

INGREDIENTS:
brown rice, cooked
1 cucumber, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
juice of one lemon
a handful mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

METHOD:
Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.