Category Archives: Vegan

Hermione’s Child Friendly Veggie Chilli with spicy potato wedgies

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This is a family recipe for children and adults that can be easily adjusted to cope with individual tastes. You can use whatever peppers take your fancy, red, green or orange. Don’t like peppers? No problem. Substitute courgettes, aubergines or simply leave out altogether. The carrots and sweetcorn will do the trick!

Vegan

Gluten Free (check baked beans – Heinz are OK)

Serves 4-6, depending on greed factor

Ingredients – for the chilli

  • 1 medium onion – finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper – finely chopped
  • 3 medium to large carrots – grated or mix of grated/chopped
  • 1 cup of sweetcorn – tinned or frozen (we used frozen)
  • 1 400ml tin/pack passata
  • 1 400gm tin baked beans
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1tsp chilli powder – mild probably but feel free to up the heat if pain threshold permits
  • 1tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • splodge of tomato purée
  • salt

Ingredients for the wedgies

  • 4 Medium to large potatoes – cut into wedges
  • 3tbsp plain flour – use Gluten free (ordinary plain flour works too if Gluten is not an issue)
  • tsp salt
  • tsp ground paprika
  • olive oil – to drizzle

Method

For the sauce:

  • Add 1 tbs olive oil to a pan with a splash of water.
  • Add all chopped veggies and sweetcorn to the pan over a low heat and sweat for 15 minutes – veggies, not you!

Meanwhile……for the wedgies

  • Parboil the wedgies.
  • In a bowl, mix flour paprika and salt
  • Remove parboiled wedgies with a slotted spoon and coat in the flour mixture
  • Line a baking tray with parchment or just use the tray as it is and suffer the washing up. Drizzle with olive oil and fill with coated wedgies, adding a further drizzle of oilive oil over the top.
  • Place into the pre-warmed oven, 200°C for about 30 mins

Back to the sauce…

  • Add chilli powder and cumin to veggies
  • Pour in passata, beans and purée
  • Sprinkle with oregano and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with the wedgies and maybe some couscous and tortilla chips. Enjoy!

 

Swedish scalded rye bread

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For a long time now, I have been trying to make bread – with mixed success it has to be said. Most bread failures were due to an obstinate refusal to rise, resulting in a series of high-density bricks. More recently, however, I have concentrated on making rye breads, variations of Nordic and North European breads. Generally, these have a denser texture than white breads hence more suited to my previous non-rising results. While we like thin slices of rye bread, particularly with cheese and pickles, we were less appreciative for the apparent need of a power saw to cut them. We had effectively created a new type of building material.

Then I discovered this recipe in a book ‘all you knead is bread’ by Jane Mason. I have altered it slightly by adding pumpernickel and molasses for extra flavour but the texture is delightfully soft. You have to battle with a sticky dough and there is an overnight stage involved but what a reward awaits.

Vegan

Vegetarian

 Makes one small loaf, as in the photo

Ingredients

  • 325g strong white bread flour
  • 1 tsp. instant yeast
  • 125ml tepid water
  • ¾ tbsp. salt
  • 1 rounded tsp. molasses/black treacle (optional)
  • 1 tsp. pumpernickel seeds (optional)

 

  • for the scalded flour,
  • 50g rye flour (dark if possible)
  • 150ml boiling water

Method

Day 1:

  • Add rye flour to a bowl and pour over the boiling water
  • Mix to a paste, cover and leave overnight

Day2:

  • Dissolve molasses in the tepid water and whisk in the yeast.
  • Leave for 15 minutes
  • Meanwhile, retrieve the bowl of scalded rye paste and mix in all the other ingredients, including the dissolved molasses/yeast mixture.
  • When mixed, tip out onto your work surface and knead for 10 minutes. It will be very sticky so use a scraper to turn the dough.
  • Put the kneaded dough back into the bowl, cover and place in a warm place for 2 hours.
  • Pull the dough out onto a floured surface.
  • Flour your hands – this is one sticky dough! Gently stretch dough into a rectangular shape about 2cm thick then fold as you might fold a letter to go into an envelope – first fold about 2/3rds of the rectangle. Second fold taking the top right over the first fold and firming gently down.

Using a scraper to help lift this soft dough, place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Flour the top and cover with a tea towel – or use cling film first and then a towel.

Allow to rise for an hour before uncovering and placing in an oven at 180C for 40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack and don’t be tempted to try it until it is cool! Delicious!

 

 

Tarka Dal

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Side Dishes
Vegan

Vegetarian

Gluten free

This is a recipe from Monisha Bharadwaj and is one that always delights as a component of a curry meal – a star in its own right.

Ingredients – for 2 as a main

  • 300gm red lentils
  • 2 tbs sunflower or olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • I large onion, sliced
  • 1 tbs tomato purée
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
  • thumb size piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • ½ tsp dried chillies
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • god pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • chopped coriander leaves (if available)

Method

  • Simmer lentils in a large pan of water for 20 mins and drain
  • Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds until they begin to pop. Add onion and fry, stirring until slightly crisp. Remove half the onions for use as topping later.
  • Add tomato purée, ginger, garlic, chilli and salt, heating and mixing through.
  • Add mixture to cooked lentils and warm through.
  • Serve in a bowl with the reserved fried onions piled on top, spinkled with coriander leaves.

This is great with plain boiled rice and a spoonful of yoghurt or naan bread but also makes a great side dish as part of a more elaborate meal.

Mushroom Miso Broth

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Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten free 

This is another modified Jamie Oliver recipe from his great new book ‘Superfoods’. I am a great Jamie fan and he makes a chicken and mushroom miso broth – which is delicious – but we found this simplified veggie version to be just as tasty. Curiously, I think the way the onions are cut into quarters is a key element in achieving a more authentic taste. No idea why.

I use large breakfast mushrooms here but you could experiment with a mix of mushrooms, adding rehydrated, porcini or wild mushrooms.

Ingredients for two people seeking a modest meal 

  • Sliced mushrooms – quantity to suit desired waist size, 300g is fine
  • 1 or two onions, depending on size – red if possible but white works too.
  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1 x 5cm piece of ginger – peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 1 heaped teaspoon miso paste
  • 800 m stock – water at a pinch
  • 1 good handful of curly kale – essential goodness
  • Basmati rice – wild rice might be better. 175g is about right

Method

  • Peal the onions and chop lengthways into quarters or eighths.
  • Heat the sesame oil in a medium pan and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in the chopped mushrooms to coat with oil and continue frying gently.
  • Then add the ginger, miso paste and stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
  • This is the time to get your rice on. Plain boiled is best
  • Tear the kale into small pieces, removing any tough stalks and add to the broth, simmering for a further 5 minutes or so.

Serve and enjoy

 

Meat option

If you want to include chicken, use skinless boneless thighs/breasts and cook in the sesame oil before adding the mushrooms. With this meat option, chicken stock would add even more flavour.

Feijoada – Black beans, squash, peppers with rice and a fresh salsa

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This is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe from his ‘Superfoods’ book. It is a great book, by the way, although not everything in it works. His gluten free seedy loaf, for example, looked good when we made it but was inedible.

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This recipe, however, works well with a few adaptations along the way. We left out the okra, for example. We have never tried black beans before we saw Jamie’s TV ‘Superfoods’ programme. We were surprised to get cartons of organic black beans in our Sainsbury’s Local!

Vegetarian

Vegan version leaves out yoghurt

Ingredients – based on a meal for 2

  • ½ a smallish butternut squash , (600g)
  • olive oil
  • 1 level teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 level teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 small mixed-colour peppers
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
  • 1 x 400 g tin/pack of black beans
  • tablespoon natural yoghurt
  • fresh chilli to taste or use chilli flakes
  • 1 bunch of fresh coriander , (30g)
  • balsamic vinegar

for the salsa

  • 1 ripe tomato
  • 1 lime – lemon works well too
  • Serve with…
  • rice for 2. Jamie used wild rice. I used basmati with cumin seeds (see savoury rice)

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  • Halve and deseed the squash , chop into 3cm chunks. I prefer to remove the rind but then I am fussy.In a large roasting tray, toss it with olive oil, the ground coriander, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  • Deseed the peppers and cut into 3cm chunks. In a separate tray, toss and massage them with olive oil and the smoked paprika.
  • Place both trays in the oven for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile….

  • Roughly chop the onion, retaining a quarter to finely chop for the salsa
  • Add dash of oil to a pan and add the roughly chopped portion of oinon.
  • After 5 mins simmering, add a splash of water.
  • Crush in the garlic, add the bay leaves and a good splash of balsamic vinegar. Slow cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
  • Tip in the beans, juice and all, then half-fill empty tin with water, swirl and pour into the pan. Simmer until the time is up on the squash and peppers, then stir both into the pan. Simmer for 20 mins until the feijoada is dark and delicious, loosening with an extra splash of water, if needed. Remove bay leaves.
  • Cook rice

To make a quick salsa….

  • Finely chop tomato and some coriander leaves with as much chilli as you like. Place in a bowl and add the reserved finely chopped onion.
  • Toss with the lime/lemon juice and season

Serve Feijoada with the rice and salsa, a spoonful of yoghurt and a sprinkling of the remaining coriander leaves.