Tofu veg stir fry

 

The veg dodger is away this week - so the veggie and I are indulging in veggie fare.  Infact, we are going towards entirely plant based - though reserving the right to go off piste if we fancy.

This veggie stir fry was chock full of veggies and tofu, with soba noodles.

Vegetable oil

Leek

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Carrot

Red pepper

Green beans

Broccoli

Tofu

Chinese 5 spice

Vegetarian mushroom sauce

Soashing rice wine

Soy sauce

Spinach

Soba noodles

Sesame seeds

1.  Chop all vegetables into quite small pieces - particularly leeks, as these are tougher than the sping onions which I would normally use for stir fries.

2.  Cut tofu into cubes and fry gently in sunflower oil, flipping so that each side are golden brown.  Turn off heat.

3.  In a wok heat sunflower oil - add leek and fry for a few minutes.  Add crushed garlic, ginger and chilli flakes.  Stir.

4.  Add remaining hard veg and stir fry.  Add a little water to steam fry.

5.  Add spices, sauce, rice wine and stir in.  Cook for a minute or two.

6.  Boil noodles in salted water.

7.  Add drained noodles, fried tofu and spinach - toss together.

8.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and scoff.

Vegan moussaka

 

I have got a glut of aubergine from the veg box - and I don't really like aubergine - so they have to be enhanced!

This was delicious, though the photo is a bit scruffy.  There are four layers - a spiced lentil ragu, griddled aubergine slices, a white sauce and potatoes - possibly not an authentic moussaka, but my take on it today.

It is jam packed full of vegetables - use what you have.

Ragu sauce

Olive oil

Leek

Garlic - crushed

Carrot

Aubergine

Red pepper

Kale

Green lentils (tinned)

Tomatoes

Italian herbs

Harissa

Dried mint

Cinnamon

Yeast extract

White sauce

Soya milk

Bay leaf

Nutmeg

corn flour

Potatoes

Aubergine

Olive oil

1.  Finely chop leek and sautee in olive oil.

2.  Add peeled and chopped carrot, chopped red pepper, aubergine and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

3.  Finely chop kale, and stir in, cook for a few minutes

4.  Slice aubergine, and griddle in olive oil for a few minutes on each side.

5.  Add drained green lentils, chopped tomatoes (I used fresh, but a tin would be fine) to the vegetables.

6.  Add a teaspoon of yeast extract, a good pinch of italian herbs, a small pinch of mint, a teaspoon of harissa and a pinch of cinnamon to the veg mix - with salt and pepper - taste and adjust if necessary.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, add water if it's getting dry.

7.  Make white sauce by simmering soya (or other) milk with bay leaf and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  When it boils remove bay leaf and thicken with slaked cornflour (cornflour dissolved in water) - keep stirring as it thickens.

8.  Chop and boil potatoes in salted water.

9.  Layer an oven proof dish - lentil mixture, aubergine slices, white sauce - then tumble the potato on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes.

10.  Serve, scoff - have seconds.

Quick mushroom and pepper stroganoff

 

Quick, tasty and economical.  It can be made vegan by using Elmlea plant based (or other plant based cream), but I used elmlea double cream, which cuts down on the dairy, rather than cutting it out altogether.

Olive oil

Chopped shallots (onion or leeks)

Crushed garlic

Red pepper

Mushrooms

Basmati rice

Paprika

Spinach

Frozen peas

Elmlea (cream/ plant based cream)

1.  Sautee chopped shallots, add chopped red pepper and mushrooms, and crushed garlic - soften for about 5 minutes.

2.  In a saucepan/heavy pot cover basmati rice with water, to about an inch over the rice, add salt - heat until it starts to boil.  Slam on the lid and turn the heat right down - let it a cook gently and absorb the water for 12-15 minutes - turn heat off, and let it just sit there.

3.  Meanwhile, when veg are softened chuck on a couple of handfuls of spinach, a cup of frozen peas and stir in.

4.  Add a cup of water and bring up to simmer.  

5.  When the spinach is wiled the peas will be nearly done.  Now add the cream, stir in to make a sauce and sprinkle on paprika.  Stir gently.

6.  Serve, scoff ... finish seconds.

Sweet potato and mushroom cheesy bake

I had a load of sweet potatoes, and a carton of mushrooms - and, found a recipe for a bake on Abel and Cole's website - so I nicked it... and adapted it to what I have got in.  The result was delicious - even the veg dodger was satisfied.

Shallots

Olive oil

Sweet potato

Potato

Garlic

Stock

Plain flour

Soya milk

Cheddar

Wholegrain mustard

Spinach

Breadcrumbs

1.  Sautee chopped shallots in olive oil, add garlic.

2.  Add peeled and cubed sweet potato and potato, then add chopped mushrooms.

3.  Sautee briefly, then add stock and simmer until the vegetables are nearly tender, add spinach and allow to wilt, stir in.

4.  When the veg are tender and the stock has been reduced add a couple of spoons of flour and stir to coat the vegetables.

5.  Add the soya milk and simmer as it thickens, then stir in grated cheese and a spoonful of wholegrain mustard.

6.  Transfer to an over dish.

7.  Mix breadcrumbs with grated cheese and sprinkle over the top.

8.  Serve, scoff - we had a rocket salad with it.

Smoked mackerel pilau

 

Another - what's in the fridge/cupboard? dinner.  

This was really tasty, really easy to make and really economical.

I happened to have fennel, golden beetroot, courgette and spinach - but you could equally well use celery, carrot, mushrooms, frozen peas etc etc

Olive oil

Spring onions

Garlic

curry spices (whatever you have got)

Fennel

Golden beetroot

Courgette

Basmati rice

Spinach

Smoked mackerel 

1.  Chop and gently fry onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.

2.  Chop other firm vegetables - fennel, golden beetroot, courgette - and fry gently until nearly soft, for about 15 minutes, add curry powder and cook for another minute.

3.  Add basmati rice, turn over a few times until everything is coated.

4.  Add water/stock to cover the rice with a generous layer of liquid - at least 1 cm above the level of the rice.

5.  Turn heat up and bring to the boil.  As soon as it boils slam on the lid and turn the heat down to the minimum possible.

6.  Leave to sit - do not stir - for 10 minutes.

7.  Add generous handfuls of spinach and the flaked mackerel over the rice - slam lid back on, and leave for another 5ish minutes, for spinach to wilt and fish to heat through.

8.  Stir through, serve, scoff.

Parsnip, cabbage, cannelloni bean and gorgonzola pie

You know that feeling - you know you have a glut of assorted vegetables, but they don't necessarily go together.  Well, I had parsnips, cabbage and some mushrooms - and some gorgonzola which needed using.  I remembered a recipe from Prue Leith using parsnips and cabbage in a pie, so I developed it from that.

Covered it in shortcrust pastry, and served with potato wedges and steamed broccoli.

Olive oil

Onion

Mushrooms

Parsnips

Garlic

Vegetable stock

Apples

Flour

Shredded cabbage

Cannelloni beans

Gorgonzola

Short crust pastry

Broccoli

1.  Sweat down chopped onion in olive oil.

**    chop potatoes into wedges and toss in olive oil - roast at 180 for about 1 hour.

2.  Add chopped mushrooms and peeled and chopped parsnips.

3.  Add crushed garlic and stock to cover the vegetables.  Simmer.

4.  Add chopped apples and cook until parsnips and apple are tender, simmer off most of the stock.  Thicken sightly with flour.

5.  Stir in shredded cabbage and simmer for another 5 minutes.

6.  Stir in a tin of cannelloni beans.

7.  Melt in gorgonzola.

8.  Cool a little and put mixture into a pie dish,

9. Cover with shorty crust pastry, stab steam holes in the top, and brush with milk/soya milk.

10.  Bake at 180 for about 35 mins,

** steam broccoli for about 12 minutes.

11. serve, scoff .... delish

Smoked salmon linguine

 

It might seem a bit summery for an autumnal Sunday tea - but I added a bit of zing with chilli, and it was fresh and tasty, but also filling and satisfying - and very quick to make.  If you started with water boiled in the kettle I think it could be on the table in 15 minutes.

I made it with linguine - but it would also be good with shorter pasta - which would be ideal packed into a tub for work lunches.

Linguine (or pasta shapes)

Olive oil

Onion

Red pepper

Mushrooms

Frozen peas

Chillli flakes

Cherry tomatoes/baby plum tomatoes

Smoked salmon 

1.  Put salted water on the boil for the pasta - bung it in when it's a a rolling boil (follow instructions for timings on the packet).

2.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil until translucent.

3.  Add the other vegetables to the softened onion, with a pinch of chilli flakes, and sautee gently for a few minutes.

4.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the vegetables, add chopped up smoked salmon, and toss around to mix thoroughly.

5.  Serve, scoff ... it was really delicious.

Red Thai Fish Curry

 

A few vegetables, some fish and a jar of thai red curry paste .. ta dah!  Red thai fish curry ... in under 30 minutes.  Just the thing for a bunch of hungry people after an afternoon of walking.

Jasmine rice
Coconut oil (or other mild cooking oil)

Onion

Garlic

Thai curry paste

Mushrooms

Red pepper

Green beans

Cod

Pak choi

Coconut cream

1.  Fry chopped onion gently in coconut oil until soft.

2.  Add crushed garlic and red thai paste to taste (the brands have different strengths, read their instructions), fry for another couple of minutes.

3.  Prep vegetables and chop into bite sized pieces.

4.  Cook the rice - I use the adsorption method - cover with cold water 1 inch over the surface of the rice in the pan, heat to boiling, then slam the lid on and turn the heat right down  It should be ready in about 12 minutes, but it's quite forgiving if you leave it alone and let it steam.

5.  Add most of the veg to the curry sauce, but not the pak choi.  Fry for a couple of minutes, then add some water and simmer until a bit soft, about 10 minutes.

6.  Add thicker stems of pak choi, stir in, and simmer for 1 minute more.

7.  Add coconut cream and dissolve into the sauce, add more water if it's too thick.

8.  When the coconut cream is fully mixed in add chunks of cod, lay over soft green leaves of pak choi.

9.  Put the lid on and let the curry cook gently for another 5 minutes.

10.  Check that the fish is cooked - opaque throughout.

11. Serve, scoff, receive praise.

Pork stir fry with noodles

 

Well, folks, it has been a while!  My cooking mojo has taken a serious dip.  We've had dinners, obviously, but not that exciting ... and I've not been in a sharing mood.  So, in an attempt to get back at it - I've gone a little oriental (well, with what I had in the fridge and cupboard).

Coconut oil
Pork steaks

Spring onions

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Medium egg noodles

Carrots

Pak choi

Mange tout

Oyster sauce

Tomato ketchup

Rice wine vinegar

Shaoxing rice wine

Soya sauce

Cornflour

1.  Prep the meat and veg.  Cutting pork into small pieces, peel and slice carrots, thinly slice spring onions, crush garlic, grate ginger etc.

2.  In a wok, heat coconut oil to very hot, then chuck in spring onions and stir in the oil.

3.  Put a pan of water on to boil for the noodles.

4.  Add the diced pork to the spring onions, stir until a little coloured.

5.  Add crushed garlic, grated ginger and chilli flakes to the pork, keep stirring.

6.  Add noodles to boiling water - for about 6 minutes.

7.  Add chopped veg to pork mixture - carrots and pak choi stems first, stir fry for a minute or two, then add the softer bits.  Keep moving around.

8.  Add oyster sauce, a squirt of ketchup, rice wine vinegar, rice wine and soay sauce ... keep moving.

9.  Slake the cornflour.

10.  Add a ladle of water to the meat and veg, keep moving.

11.  Stir in slaked cornflour to thicken the sauce, stir in well.  Add more water if it's too sticky.

12.  Drain noodles and add them to the wok.

13.  Stir together for two minutes.

14.  Serve, scoff ... add more soya sauce to taste ...

Cauliflower, carrot, cabbage and pasta cheese - with some sausages

Open fridge, close fridge ... think ... ah well here we go.

Sausages
Oil
Cauliflower
Carrots
Cabbage
Pasta
Oat (or whatever) milk
Cornflower
Cheese (mostly cheddar, but a bit of ?? which needed using up)
Mustard

1.  Prepare veg for steaming.

2.  Place sausages in an oven dish, toss in a tiny bit of oil.  Bake.

3.  Steam veg over boiling water, for a couple of minutes, then add pasta to the water.  Put the steamers back on top and keep simmering for 10-12 minutes.

4.  Make the cheese sauce by boiling the "milk", add a spoonful of mustard and bring to the boil.

5.  Add most of the grated cheese to the sauce, whisk until the cheese is melted.

6.  Slake the cornflour and add to the cheese sauce, whisk in and simmer for a minute or so, until cooked through and the sauce is thickened.

7.  Drain veg and pasta, place in baking dish, add the sauce, mix together.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes.

8.  Serve, scoff...