Vegetarian Foods Archive

I was inspired by Ruby Tandoh's  recipe in The Guardian  to make a savoury Crumble .   Its b een a while since I've made a savoury crumble.  The last I blogged about one was when I made this  Black Eyed Bean and Vegetable Crumble .  Ruby's herby topped crumble had butternut squash and spinach, mine has cauliflower and kale.   Once I've scattered the remaining crumble on top, its ready to go into the hot oven. I like how the spicy tomato juices have dyed the cauliflower florets almost a copper gold. Sorry no pictures of it coming out of the oven bubbling furiously on the sides oozing its unctuous volcanic tomato juices, but you get the gist.  I have to say, my savoury crumble reminded me more of a  Leek and Butter Bean Cassoulet  that I made years ago than a crumble, still it was good and I especially liked how silky the kale had become.    You may be interested to note that  I have also made a Sweet Cauliflow...

What's the weather like where you are?  Or should I not ask?! It's not so nice here at all, we went into Cardiff this morning and driving there and back - well it felt like we were in a submarine with the rain coming down in buckets.  I am not feeling 100%, plus its been a good, but busy week at work, so I was actually glad to get back home when we did, as I was not in the mood for Christmas shopping and the hustle and bustle.  I was glad that I didn't need to do any cooking either when we got in either. I made this Savoury Crumble a couple of days back, yes I know two Savoury Crumble s in one month.  This one is very autumnal in appearance, though its quite wintry outside.  Gold and yellow from the butternut squash and sweetcorn, moss green from the kale and studded with clay brown aduki beans.  It was quite pretty to gaze at, but then I went and covered it with a blanket of wholemeal flour and cheddar cheese crumble topping.  Once baked, a ...

I picked up a Swede  -Turnip (Neep) last week thinking ahead of St Andrews Day.  I wanted to honour my friends and my time in Scotland. I also wanted to get my hands on some vegetarian haggis , as I didn't have the inclination this time round to make some vegan haggis from scratch , but as our visit to the city this weekend was cut short by the weather - we had neither home-made or shop bought haggis.  So with St Andrews Day here, I have to admit I wasn't overly energetic or  experimental as I had done so in the past , so resorted to making a vegan Neep Curry.  And although nothing like his recipe, I was actually inspired by Denis Cotter to make a Turnip Swede Curry from his book  Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me . Denis Cotters recipe is made with leeks, double cream and yogurt.  Happy St Andrews Day to Scottish friends in Scotland and those who have migrated to other parts of the world! Turnip Swede, Kale and Chickpeas Curry Serves 4 - 6 ...

This  Big bowl of green pasta was very nice.  The hazelnut and kale pesto clung onto the pasta like a bean pod protecting and clinging onto the peas and beans inside.   We had a big bowl of this  Kale and Hazelnut Pesto  Pasta twice, once in the evening and second - the following day for lunch.    For those of you who are unfamiliar with Purple Flower Sprouts as I was a couple of weeks back , they are a hybrid of Brussels Sprouts and Kale.     Forgive me for a short post, but I feel a little sniffly today, so I am signing off a little early so I can get an early night - I didn't sleep so well last night.  Again hardly a recipe, but here goes. Green Bowl of Pasta Serves 2 Ingredients and Method Cook enough pasta for 2 people.   Heat 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil, add 2 cloves of garlic crushed and saute until soft and infused the oil. stir 100grams purple flower sprouts or Brussels sprout, halved.  cook for few...

Some of you may remember that last Summer, I went to the National Botanic of Wales.  I promised to share some pictures from the Fungi Mushroom , but never did.  I had forgotten about it until recently when I made a recipe with mushrooms.   So here goes.  Let me me warn you though there will be an intermission, interrupted with a mushroom recipe and then we continue onto some of  the Fungi Exhibits. I absolutely loved the collection of hand stitched textile exhibits, all showcasing a mushroom and each one unique and carefully crafted.  Blackening Waxcap If you click on the image, you will see a number of others.  Each one different, exquisite and stunning in its own way.  Fungi Saviour of the Planet- the Mycosphere ! Okay here comes the recipe: Kale Covered Barley with Green Mushrooms.  Some of you will know that ba rley is being used in place of rice in risotto style dishes.   The first time I ever came across...

This was not what I had planned to make with the aubergines that have been  nestling at the bottom of the fridge for the past week or so, but I couldn't remember the recipe I had actually planned to make with them.  Do you have days like that?!  Pick up some avocados for something specific then can't remember why and end up just making guacamole with it! It didn't matter in the end as this Harissa Aubergine, Kale and Chickpeas dish was lovely.  We had it  early this afternoon after a lovely day in Cardiff where I spent quite a bit of hard earned cash today.  I picked up a gorgeous retro dress from a stall at St Mary's Market in the High Street, (the same place I got my Angry  Persian Aunties );  and a couple of pair of shoes from one of Cardiff's many Arcades, yes you read right, a couple of shoes and I am not even a shoe person.  Honestly they are both for work.  The past three months, and I am not kidding I have been going into work...

Its been a little while since I have made stew with fluffy herby dumplings.  And the atrocious weather on Sunday kept me indoors and in the kitchen, cooking up some advanced meals for the working week ahead, this Butternut Squash, Kale and Sweetcorn Stew was one of them.  I think stews, casserole and ragout type dishes are best made a day or two in advance for the flavours to embrace the chosen vegetables.  So when I got in from work, all I had to do was put the stew on the hob to start warming through and as it does, begin making the dumplings  which only takes moments to whip up - really - dropping the uneven shaped balls on top. Put the lid back on and allowing the vegetable suet to do its magic, fluff up and almost double in size in the steamy bubbling heat.    I have written about suet before, click here if you want to learn more. The dumplings could be kept plain or just with herbs, but I wanted a little cheesyness without the greasy weight and t...

I love the voluptuous shape of the butternut squash.  I often describe it as the curvy  red head of the vegetable world.  I also love the wrinkles and crinkles of the curly kale, so it excites me when I can bring these two together as they would make a perfect combination like strawberries and cream.   The last recipe with this combination was my Butternut, Kale and Sweetcorn Stew , This evening its a far more simpler recipe of Kale and Butternut Squash Spaghetti dish, but there is no compromise on flavour, this dish warms you all over and that's even before you tucked in. This is essentially Spaghetti Pasta  Aglio, Olio e Peperonicino  or chilli flakes dressed up further with butternut squash ribbons and shredded kale.     It was a  relatively simple quick delicious meal and just what we both wanted after a long slow day at work.    Now I am off to laze.   Enjoy the rest of your day, I am really tired.  Goodnig...

This yellow turmeric infused rice with butter beans is inspired by a family Pilau  - Savoury Rice recipe . I make a variation of this rice dish with whatever is in season or what I have to hand every other month.   As we are going away for a long weekend to my mother in laws, we have been raiding the fridge and vegetable basket, so there was not much in the way of fresh ingredients, other than some curly kale which I wish was from the garden.  I always have some dried beans, lentils and pulses so decided to make this dish last night when I put some butter beans to soak overnight. For ease, yes I admit I will sometimes opt for tinned beans and pulses such as kidney beans, sometimes chickpeas and pinto beans.  But there are some beans  that I will never ever buy tinned and would prefer cooking them from scratch.  Butter beans is one of those that I like soaking and simmering from scratch, as the ones from the tinned are awful and sometimes a congeale...

I know its spring and I should be sharing elegantly presented light green dishes with all manner of micro green garnish, instead I share an autumnal looking one.    This Curried Butter Bean dish hit the spot that evening when I came in from work feeling like a little fed up with stuff going on around me at work, but I don't want to talk about 'office politics' and favouritism.  No I want to talk about this naturally 'buttery' bean bowl that melts in the mouth with a hint of tomatoey spice and the kale is almost seaweed like.  This recipe can be more soup like if you add more stock or water to it, but I enjoyed the thickness of it wrapped up in a tortilla bundle like a big warm hug. I had some mushrooms left over from the Smoked Paprika Mushroom Loaf and threw them in, but its not necessary other than it gives this dish additional texture.    I am joining in for the first time with Butter Bean Curry recipe . 

Brighton Eats blog post here .    Back home in Wales, we have seen a rise in  the number of fantastic independent vegetarian eateries, especailly in the last five years.  The majority of these are crammed in the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales including its first 100% vegan cafe.  You will also find some vegetarian and vegan eateries in other parts of Wales, such as   Hunky Dory's in Newport   (now closed, but left a legacy by influencing non-vegetarian eateries to put slightly more interesting vegan and vegetarian options on their menu).   What all these places have in common is that they all serve down to earth, honest food - the kind of food I make at home.  However, there is not yet a 100% vegetarian or vegan restaurant with the Accolade of vegetarian fine dining  - haute cuisne - a gap that no doubt will be filled in the next few years, especially as there are a handful of excellent vegan and vegetarian supper clubs...

This  Warn Aloo Gobi Salad aka Roasted Potato Cauliflower Salad was really yummy. What elevated this salad was the seeds, especially the Kolonji , onion seeds known these days as nigella seeds.   We ate this Roasted Warm Aloo Gobi Salad with a little drizzle of tangy tamarind sauce or even mango sauce if you prefer sweetness.  The seeds added both spice and crunch.  There was also crunch from the curly kale that crisped up in the oven, but if you still want additional texture maybe some poppadom crisps or pitta chips.  I was thinking about tinkering with this further by throwing in some chickpeas, but decided against it as I was concerned they would have dried out too much, but popping beans are quite trendy at the moment - so I was kicking myself after, so maybe next time.   Vegan Mof o prompt  today is Fusion Food.    This Warm Aloo Gobi Salad is essentially a Aloo Gobi Curry or even Bombay Potato - w hat makes this fusion is that ...