Vegetarian week: Day 1: Mushroom and spring green "cake"

National vegetarian week, and the last day of the veg box!  A challenging combination - but a quick think, and scout in the cupboards and I came up with this "cake".  I thought it was going to be a bit more like yorkshire pudding, but it ended up a little more solid - it was tasty still - and gluten free.

Red onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Mushrooms
Spring greens
Eggs
Soya milk
Chives
parmesan
Cornmeal
GF self raising flour

1.  Sautee the chopped red onion in olive oil, when they are softish add chopped mushrooms and crushed garlic.  Let it all soften down gently for about 10 minutes - add a little water if you think it's looking dry.
2.  Start the batter by whisking together eggs and milk - I used 6 eggs and about a pint of milk, add chopped chives and a small handful of finely grated parmesan.  Mix together the dry ingredients.
3.  Lay shredded spring greens on the mushroom mixture for a few minutes until they start to wilt.
4.  Put and oven dish, with some olive oil in the bottom, in the oven to heat up.
5.  Transfer the veg to the hot oven dish, pour on the batter, mix and put in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes.
6.  Steam the carrots, stick the peas in the pan under the carrots for 4 minutes (ish) ...
7. Serve, scoff

Even the veg dodger enjoyed it - infact they went back for a cold snack later on!

Sunday roast - budget version

We seem to be having a bit of a run on baby roast potatoes at the moment, but they are sooooo good.

This is another VERY simple, but delicious dinner, and again - all available from Todmorden Market.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Chicken legs
Lemon
Garlic
Roast chicken seasoning
Carrots
Spring greens

1.  Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces, boil for 10 minutes.
2.  Put olive oil in 2 oven dishes - one for the potatoes, and one for the chicken.
3.  Put the potato one in the oven to warm up.  Put the chicken in the other, with 3 halved cloves of garlic, a sprinkle of roast chicken seasoning and a slice of lemon.  Chuck it in the oven.
4.  Drain the potatoes, add to the hot olive oil, and roast for 1 hour(ish).
5.  Prep the veg, and then steam for the last 12 minutes of everything else cooking.  When you put the veg on - have a look at the chicken - baste it with the juices.

Stuffed mushrooms with steamed veg and watercress sauce

This was delicious, the photo does not do it justice at all... I will be working on my presentation!

Anyway, I started with the rice and lentils, and got them on the way,  then I chopped the veg for steaming.  Then I prepped the mushrooms.  Then I made the watercress sauce.

When all that had happened -the rice was cooking gently in the oven, the lentils were 2/3rds cooked ... so I started off the mushrooms in the oven.

Brown rice
Lentils
Leek
Carrot
Green beans
Field mushrooms
basil
Rape seed oil
Crushed garlic
lemon juice
Watercress
Zatar spice
Spring cabbage
sesame seeds.

1.  Cook the brown rice, follow your favourite method - I do ... put in heavy pot, cover with water to 1 inch over the surface.  Bring to the boil.  Cover and leave in a medium oven for at least 20 minutes
2.  Boil lentils in loads of water for 20+ minutes.
3.  Chop veg (leeks, carrot, beans) and steam over boiling water for about 20 minutes.
4.  Drizzle rape seed oil in a baking tray, add mushrooms, stem side down, drizzle over a little more oil, grind over black pepper and bake for about 20 minutes.
5.  Chop an onion, and fry gently until golden brown, add garlic and zatar spice - stir in drained lentils and rice.
6.  Turn mushrooms over, layer in basil leaves and spoon rice mixture onto the top.  Pop back into the oven for 5 minutes.  At this point add the shredded cabbage to the steaming vegetables.
7.  Zizz together 1 small gherkin, large handful of watercress, 2 chopped garlic cloves, juice of half a lemon and good splosh of oil.
8. Serve ... sprinkling the vegetables with sesame seeds.

Scoff

Roast cauliflower, jersey royals and vegetable medley

Once again the photo doesn't do it justice ... but this was lovely.  The cauliflower was roasted whole, the jersey royals were par boiled and roasted (yes, yes, I know ... should be boiled/steamed and served with butter .. but they were absolutely sweet and delicious roasted).

So, what did I do....?

1.  Take the big floppy leaves from the outside of the cauliflower.  Leave the nice cuddly soft leaves, they are delicious.  Drizzle with oil oil and sprinkle with salt, sumin seeds and sumac.  Squeeze on juice of half a lemon.
2,  Stick the cauliflower in a hottish oven - for an hour(ish)
3.  Boil the jersey royals, for 5 mins, and then stick in hot olive oil, in a roasting tray, in the oven.
4.  The veg ... in olive oil gently fry 1 chopped and washed leek, 1 celery stick, a small handful of green beans, a peeled and chopped carrot and some crushed garlic.
5.  Add some water to the frying veg and simmer until al dente ... add shredded spring greens.

Twas delish innit.

Cajun cod, tiny roasties ... spring greens and peas

Fish and chips are a bit of a Friday night tradition ... but a twist is always welcome.

To be honest, it's not much of a twist - f&c is a classic because it's delicious.

The twist was i) greens with peas - has been lettuce before but today we had spring greens - and the combination is GOOD and ii) polenta and cajun blacknned seasoning on the cod pieces.

Start with the potatoes - boil, drain and roast in olive oil.

After about 45 minutes start on the rest ....

Toss fish pieces in polenta a spice mixed together - fry for a couple of minutes on each side.

Steam green and frozen peas.

Serve, scoff, have seconds.

layered potato, tomato and cheese with vegetable ragu

Olive oil
Potato
Onion
Cheese (edam in this case)
Tomato
Garlic
Vegetable stock

Red onion
Olive oil
Mixed herbs
Mushrooms
Courgette
Yellow pepper
Spring greens
Baby kale
garlic

1.  In an oven proof dish, splosh of olive oil.
2.  Layer thinly sliced potato, onion, tomato and cheese.  Season every layer of potato.  End with layer of potato.
3.  Pour in a pint of stock, with crushed garlic.
4.  Drizzle with olive oil.
5.  Bake for about 1 and a half hours, until potato is soft, and top is golden brown.

After 5 above, start the rage.

1. Sweat chopped veg in olive oil, with the herbs.  (onion, mushrooms and courgette)
2.  Add a little water or stock, and simmer.
3.  Cook until soft.
4.  Add shredded greens and cook until soft (about 4 minutes)

Serve, scoff.... have seconds, smile.

potato, turnip and leek bake, steamed carrots and spring greens with grilled haloumi

A beautiful day today, and a quick ready steady cook rifle through the fridge - and ta dah!

Potato, turnip and leek bake

4 potatoes
2 turnips
1 leek
olive oil
garlic
stock

1.  Slice potatoes and turnips and par boil for about 7 minutes.
2.  Slice and soften leek in olive oil - add crushed garlic.
3.  Splosh a little olive oil in an oven dish - layer in a third of the potato and turnip, add half the leeks, the next turnip and potato, drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, the last of the leeks and the rest of the potato and turnip.  Drizzle with olive oil, pour in about a pint of stock and bake for 40 minutes or so.

Steamed vegetables

1.  Peel carrots and cut into batons, steam.
2.  Add shredded cabbage after about 8 minutes, steam for a further 5.

Halloumi

Grill halloumi in a dry frying pan from 1-2 minutes on each side.

Scoff.

Butter bean, leek and mushroom hotpot with spring greens

The veg box is getting a bit more interesting as spring develops.  Today I opened the fridge and pulled out a leek, some celery and mushrooms - and then thought ah, yes ... spring greens,

So a hot pot thingy and steamed spring greens.  yum.



4 big potatoes
Olive oil
Leek
Celery
Mixed herbs
Mushrooms
Garlic
Stock
cornflour
white wine

Spring greens, shredded

1.  Cut potatoes into think slices and boil until nearly done.
2.  Meanwhile sautee leeks and celery int olive oil.
3.  When leeks are a bit soft add crushed garlic and a spinkle of mixed herbs.
4.  Add mushrooms, turn over a few times add stock and white wine.  Simmer for a few minutes, add drained tin of butter beans.
5. Slake the cornflour in a little water.  Add to the vegetables to make a nicely textured sauce.
6.  Turn veg into a oven dish, top with sliced potatoes - sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for about 40 minutes.
7.  About 15 minutes before you think the hot pot is ready, steam the shredded spring greens.

SCOFF!  Lovely!