Veg and mac and cheese, green veg medley

Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle, drizzle ... not the dinner, the weather - it's all very tedious.   Lots of veg left in the veg box to use up.  Comfort food required.

So, two dishes...  if you can manage to juggle them, and start them more or less at the same time you could have them both on the table within 30 minutes - but I didn't - it was about an hour, but twas very tasty.


Veg and mac and cheese

kholrabi, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
cauliflower, florets separated, stem chopped into bite sized pieces
broccoli, florets separated, stem chopped into bite sized pieces
carrots, peeled and chopped - you guessed it - into bite sized pieces

Pasta (in this case gluten free)

soya milk (or ordinary milk, obvs)
mustard
corn flour
grated cheese (cheddar and cheshire today)

1.  Steam vegetables for about 12 minutes.
2.  Simmer pasta
3.  Boil soya milk, slake corn flour in water, add to hot milk to thicken sauce, whisk quickly over a low heat, to mix in until it thickens.  Season.  Add 3/4 of the grated cheese.
4.  Drain pasta, tip it with veg into an oven proof dish. (don't drain every last drop, some starchy water will help it remain moist). Pour over sauce, move about to mix in.
5.  Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20+ minutes.

Green veg medley

leeks
olive oil
celery
garlic
white wine
chard

1. Chop and wash leeks.  Sweat down in olive oil.
2.  Add chopped celery and garlic, soften a bit more.  Add white wine and chopped chard stalks, cover and simmer.
3.  When veg are soft and nearly ready add shredded chard leaves, cover and  steam for five minutes.

Was lovely - have loads left for the freezer/ kitchen fairies lunches.  The gluten free pasta and the soya milk make the mac and cheese much lighter and fresher feeling.

Mung bean casserole

Tasted much better than it looks, honestly!

Mung beans
2 leeks
olive oil
garlic
spicy seasoning (I used a middle eastern/persian - ish mix)
bay leaf
potatoes
carrots
cauliflower
mushrooms
tin of tomatoes
chard

brown rice

1.  Simmer mung beans for about 30 minutes.
2.  Soften chopped and washed leeks in olive oil.
3.  Add spices, garlic and bayleaf, stir.
4.  Add other vegetables (not chard yet) and enough water to cook.
5.  Cover and simmer.
6.  5 minutes before serving chuck in mung beans, tomatoes and shredded chard.

Scoff.  Really healthy, really delicious.

Roast mushrooms, lentil casserole and cabbage

The BEST thing in today's veg box .. 2 lovely field mushrooms ... delish.  So, kinda, sorta, stuffed mushrooms innit? but not quite.. It really is very simply roasted mushrooms with a lentil stew and some cabbage.  It was really, really easy.

onion
red pepper
garlic
olive oil
carrot
puy lentils
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
herbs


1. Start "ragu"/ stew by gently frying onions, and the adding veg... and some wine if you have it.
2. Add lentils or other beans (if they REALLY needed soaking you should have started this yesterday), simmer for a bit, add tomatoes, simmer again until done.
3. Stir fry chard with a sliver of garlic in olive oil.
4.  Steam cabbage.
5.  Grill mushrooms on both sides, with a drizzle of olive oil and a good grind of black pepper.

Lentil & chard, with squash and tomato risotto

This was DELICIOUS! It is vegan and gluten free.  It took about 40 minutes, but a nice gentle 40 minutes.. once the initial chopping is done, it is all lid on and steam for a bit, and add water to stop it drying out.

So, start with the chard:-

1 onion

Huge armful of chard, preferably free from Mum's garden

Garlic

Olive oil

Wite wine

Puy lentils

Spinach

Fennel fronds

1.  Chop an onion finely and sautee in olive oil for about 4 minutes on a medium heat, add in chopped chard stalks and a clove of crushed garlic.
2.  Add half a glass of white wine (or not, .. water is fine).

3.  Steam/fry until softish for about 8 minutes. Add in chopped spinach stalks.  Cook again for about 2 minutes.

4.  What stalky bits are quite tender add chopped leaves - both spinach and chard.  Add some more water, stir and allow to wilt for 4 ish minutes.  Add chopped fennel at the end.

5.  Meanwhile, boil put lentils in plenty of water for about 25 minutes, until soft.

6.  Drain lentils, mix into mixture, season.  

If you've managed to finish before the risotto is ready, just reheat or eat warm.  

Squash and tomato risotto

Olive oil

1 onion

1 patti pan squash

Garlic

Risotto rice

Paella spice mix (or paprika, saffron and herbs)

6 tomatoes

1 stock cube

White wine

1.  Soften chopped onion in olive oil.

2.  Add chopped squash to softened onion, turn it over a couple of times and add rice and garlic.  Turn  rice over under all grains have a film of oil over them.

3.  Add a glass of white wine.

4.  Stir, add water/stock a bit at a time as it simmers and plops away, stirring now and again.

5.  Grate tomatoes and add pulp.  Gently keep simmering.

6.  It'll probably take about 20 minutes.

As previously stated, utterly delicious.  Gluten free and vegan.  Cheese could have been added to the risotto, but it really doesn't need it.

Oh yes - and £3 - dog food.  Total breach:  £20.59

Mum's garden dinner and pasta

A visit to the folks this weekend and presented with a bumper crop of rainbow chard, patti pan squash and tomatoes.  So - pasta with 2 sauces:- Greek inspired chard, mediterranean squash and tomato casserole.

Greek inspired chard

4 leeks
1 tbsp olive oil
Enormous haul of chard
2 cloves garlic
1 glass dry white wine
small handful black olive
mint, rosemary and thyme
salt and pepper
feta - crumbled over

1.  Clean and chop leeks, saute in olive oil.
2.  Wash chard well, strip leaves from stalks.  Cut stalks into 1 cm pieces, add to leeks.  Saute for a while.  When a bit soft add crushed garlic and white wine.  Put lid on pan and allow to soften for a bit.
3.  After about 10 mins add chopped leaves and stir around.
4.  Add chopped olives and perhaps more water if its dry.  Cover and simmer until soft.
5.  Before serving crumble feta over and season with salt and black pepper.

Mediterranean squash and tomato casserole

1 red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large(ish) patti pan squash
1 courgette
1 yellow pepper
lots of small (or is large chopped) tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
pich chili flakes
1 glass white wine
chives, parsley

1.  Sautee chopped red onion in olive oil.  Add diced squash.
2.  Chop and add courgette and pepper and wine.
3.  Simmer until softenning slightly, add tomatoes and crushed garlic, stir and cover.
4.  Simmer until soft, add chili flakes, cover and heat through.
5.  Before serving mix in chopped chives and parsley.

Pasta:  cook according to packet instructions, drain, toss in olive oil to stop it sticking.

Scoff - surprising chard "hating" people - because they ALL finished their plates.

Chickpea, sweet potato and chard red thai curry

I have been a bit pre-occupied for a while, so Kitchen Fairies has suffered, as has my diet, a bit.  So, when the opportunity presented itself for me to inflict kitchen fairies on a new victim I was very pleased.  After a full day of work, and with meeting for a proper purpose, as well as scoffing and chatting ... and the new victim being veggie ... made this the perfect tea.  Easy, tasty, quick and forgiving as I had faffing to do as it cooked.   Used veg from the veg box, so rang the changes from peppers and bamboo shoots etc etc.  Predictably was too busy chatting to remember to take pic of actual dinner - but, given that I am incapable of cooking for 2 here are the 5 lunches which have now been stowed in the freezer for another day.

So, my recipe today:-

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 sweet potato, diced
Handful green beans, chopped
Some mushrooms, chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tin coconut milk
water
Big handful of chard - toughest stems chopped off, leaves chopped into big strips
1/2 tsp sugar (to taste, when I tasted it, it was slightly too hot and sour, you might not need it, you might want more)
To serve:-
Jasmine rice (cooked in rice cooker - cook to packet instructions)

1.  Fry onion gently in peanut oil, for a couple of minutes.  Set rice off cooking (follow packet instructions, or chuck in a rice maker with the right amount of water and ignore 'til done).
2.  Add curry paste, garlic diced sweet potato and mushrooms, stir round for a while.
3.  Add green beans, stir in.
4.  Add chick peas, coconut milk, and water - simmer for a bit (about 15 minutes).  Add water if it looks like it's going dry.
5.  When veg is soft enough to put the tip of the knife in, add chard, allow to soften for 5 minutes .. ish.
6. Squirt of lime, or lemon if you have it.  Scoff

Newest victim claimed to enjoy it.  I hope so, and hope to victimise them more in the future.

Mushroom, chard and baked bean curry

Veg box.... loads of mushrooms and chard, this is quick and delish.  Ended up adding baked beans as was a little heavy handed with the spices, so wanted a bit of sugar to slightly calm the heat - what better, then, than baked beans, with a bit of sugar already in them.  Cheap, cheerful, delish.

1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
1 courgette, chopped
Spice mix (I used a gosht mix and extra chili)
2 cloves crushed garlic
Mushrooms, chopped
Chard, stalks chopped, leaves shredded
Tomatoes, chopped
Baked beans

1.  Soften chopped onion in 1 tbsp olive oil & 2 tbsp water.
2.  Add spices and garlic, then add chopped veg including chard stalks and tomatoes, add water if it looks dry.
3.  Simmer for 10 minutes, add shredded chard and baked beans.
4.  Simmer for 5 minutes, until veg is all cooked.

Serve with chapatis or rice and natural yogurt.