Sunday dinner ... vegan -> veg dodger

 On Sunday I fancied a proper Sunday roast dinner with gravy etc... but had to cater from vegan to veg dodger, so decided on a nut roast for one end of the spectrum, and lemon garlic chicken for the other - with pick and mix vegetables for all to share.

Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Aubergine
Roast squash
Walnuts
Pistachio nuts
Ground almonds
Rolled oats
Vegan stock
Potatoes
Swede
Carrot
Soya spread
Kale
Red wine
Passata
Petit pois

1.  Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil.
2.  Mix pre-roasted squash, nuts and oats in a bowl, add a slosh of olive oil and some stock.  Let it sit to absorb the liquids.
3.  Slice and grill the aubergine.
4.  Peel potatoes, toss in oil and roast for about 50 minutes.
5.  Peel and chop carrots and swede and boil until soft.
6.  Roughly shred kale and boil in salted water for about 20 minutes.
7.  Build the nut roast by putting half the mixture in an oven dish, top with aubergine slices, finish with the rest of the nut mixture.  Roast with the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes.
8.  Drain and mash the carrots and swede and add black pepper and soya spread.  Mix, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
9.  Make the gravy by sauteeing chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil - when soft add red wine and half a cut of passata with about half a pint of stock.  Simmer.
10.  Drain the kale and fry in olive oil with a little water and season.
11.  Cook petit pois.
12.  Serve, take the bits you want, scoff.

Asparagus and green beans with feta and walnut pesto

What a collision of events - summer has hit in Todmorden, so let's make the most of the weather with some delicious in season asparagus, it's also National Vegetarian Week and Love Your Local Market fortnight ... so I made this fabulous dinner with every single ingredient available from Todmorden Market.  Feta from The Crumbly Cheese, Olive oil, walnuts and garlic from me (The Mediterranean Pantry), and all the veg from Kevin on the outside market.




Baby new potatoes
Green beans
Asparagus
Feta

Baby spinach
Baby plum tomatoes
Spring onions
Radish

Walnuts
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Lemon
Mint
Basil

1.  Boil the potatoes.
2.  Steam the asparagus and green beans over the potatoes.  To prep the asparagus simply bend it gently, it will naturally snap where the stem gets a bit woody.  Top and tail the beans, and but them in half.  I steam the veg over the potatoes - put them on 5 minutes after the potatoes have come to the boil.
3.  Meanwhile make the pesto.  Whizz together a small handful of walnuts, two big handfuls of basil and about 8 mint leaves with 2 big cloves of garlic (just peel and crush slightly with the back of a knife and add to the food processor), with a glug of olive oil, a spritz of lemon juice and grated lemon zest.
4.  Toss together baby spinach, tomatoes, spring onions and radish with a drizzle of olive oil.
5.  Chop feta into chunks.
6.  Gently toss together potatoes, beans and asparagus with the feta chunks, and drizzle with the pesto (you don't need that much, it packs a punch).
7.  Serve with the salad, scoff.

British baking week: Day 5: Also Apple Day - so Apple Bread

More or less from here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/apple-bread/detail.aspx ... but the batter was far too dry so added about 4 tbsps orange juice.  The result is lovely and moist with a bit more underlying fruitiness.  Next time might even add orange zest for added oomph.