Spanish Tortilla

One of my favorite foods. I like to add some smoked paprika to give it a bit of a kick!
Ingredients
400g of new potatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil
8 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
Bunch of Asparagas
A large handful of grated cheese of your choice (Manchego is good for a Spanish feel or plain English cheddar is fine!)
2tsp smoked paprika
2tsp oregano
salt
pepper

Method
1. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic and saute in a lare deep frying pan until they start to soften.
2. Chop the potatoes in to small pieces (2 cm square ish) and add to the pan.
3. Saute for 10 minutes on a low heat and sprinkle with the smoked paprika and some salt. Cook until the potatoes are al dente.
4. Meanwhile beat the eggs together with themilk in a bowl and add the oregano, salt and pepper.
5. Add the asparagas to a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Pour the egg mixture ontop on the potatoes and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle on the cheese and arrange the asapragus on top then cook under a pre heated grill until the cheese starts to turn brown.


Serve with a green salad and a glass of rioja.

Ready meals at the ready!

I'm not a big fan of ready meals but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do when presented with a hectic life. However, when the time comes to turn to the ready meal a vegetarian is often left with pizza, macaroni cheese, a soya burger, or dare I say it quiche! Get yourself down to Good ol Marks and Sparks, the king of high quality ready meals for a bit of a treat. My favorite of the bunch is their Vegetable Moussaka, made with lenitils, aubergines and the usual sauces, this is filling, really tastey and a snippet at £1.99! What's more it's won awards! They do a great selection of vegetarian greek mezze (their stuffed vine leaves are mouth watering), good Leek and Gruyere Tartlets and a lazy vegetarian Indain meal for one. What's more this retail giant has just announced it's "eco plan" investing £200m, over five years to make the company carbon neutral. That's very nice of them. Ethical and Tastey!!

Butternut Squash Risotto

Another hearty, comfort-food meal. Adding ginger gives this a bit of a kick. If there is any left over it is nice cold or mix in an egg and fry it up into a risotto cake!

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
200g of risotto rice
Vegtable stock
Parmasan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method
1.Peel and chop the butternut squash into 1 inch chunks
2.Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and add the ginger, fry lightly for 1 minute.
3.Add the butternut squash and a cup of stock. Simmer until the butter nut squash has turned mushy.
4. Meanwhile heat some olive oil in another saucepan and add the risotto rice, fry for a few minutes then add some stock.
5. Everytime the rice absorbs the liquid add more stock until the rice has cooked.
6. Combine the butternut squash mixture and the rice, mix well together. Serve srinkled with parmasan cheese, rocket salad with lemon juice, and crusty bread.

Roasted Vegtables and chestnuts with a blue cheese and lime dressing

Another winter warmer! The blue cheese and lime juice gives it a nice tangy taste.



Ingredients
3 large parsnips
3 large carrots
2 large potatoes
250g cooked, peeled, chestnuts
Juice from 1 lime
200g of blue cheese, crumbled (stilton, roqueforte..)
5tbsp Olive Oil
3tsp Caraway Seeds
Salt and Pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C
3. Pour 3 tbsp of olive oil into a large roasting tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes
4. Slice all the vegtables into long strips
5. Add the vegtables to the oil and sprinkle with the caraway seeds and season.
6. Mix together and cook in the oven for 50 minutes
7. Roughly chop the chestnuts and add to the vegtables for 10 more minutes, remove from oven.
8. Mix the remaining oil and lime juice together
9. Dish up the vegtables and dress with the lime juice and crumbled blue cheese

Melanzane Parmigiana

This is one of my most favorite meals and real comfort food. The trick is to add lots of basil and to fry to aubergine slices in egg and flour before creating the dish. It can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook.

Ingredients
2 large aubergines
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 carrots
1 stick of celery
1 large onion
2 large garlic cloves
2 balls of mozarella
Freshly cut basil
Parmazan cheese
Olive Oil
Flour
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper

Method
1. Thinly chop the onion, carrots and celery.
2. Fry in a saucepan until they soften. Add the tinned tomatoes, season and simmer for 20 minutes
3. Slice the aubergines length ways at about 1 cm thick.
4. Beat the eggs together in a bowl and cover each aubergine slice with egg, then with flour.
5. Heat the Olive Oil in a pan and fry the slices on a medium heat until they start to brown. Remove slices and place on kitchen roll to absorb excess oil.
6. Slice the mozarella balls
7. To buld the dish sread a layer of sauce, then add a layer of aubergines, another layer of sauce, half the mozarella, sprinkle with a large handful of basil. Then add another layer of aubergines, sauce, the remaining mozarella, basil. TO finish add the final layer of aubergines, cover with sauce and sprinkle with the grated parmasan and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 minute until the top is browned and bubbling.

Serve with fresh crusty bread and a green salad.

Roasted Brussel Spouts

I am convinced that the best way to cook brussel sproats for any roast dinner is to roast them. Cut off the base and remove the rough outer leaves, put them in a roasting tray with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven for about 40 mins until they start to char a little. They taste both a mixture of salty and sweet and are niceto snack on cold - honestly!!! Brussel sprouts can be nice!!

Festive Biscuits

For the lazy...decorate your own gingerbread men(well strictly they are asexual until you decorate them). Did this last night, lots of fun!!!

A Vegetarian Christmas

Christmas always poses as a bit of a quandry to the non-veggie cook who has been descended upon by a vegetarian or two for the biggest meal of the year. Having experienced 15 years worth of vegetarian Christmas meals I thought it might be nice to share what I think makes a good veggie alternative.

Firstly, I have absolutely no objection to having just the veggies - roast potatoes, parmasan baked parsnips, carrots (also good roasted!), sproats ect. ect. Although of course its not a good idea to roast them in goose fat! The major issue is the gravy, a roast dinnner just isn't a roast dinner without the gravy so always supply a healthy helping of veggie gravy with the meal (bisto gravey granuals with the hot water from the veggies and a splash of red wine works a treat!). Any vegetarian will love you for this!!

However, if you fancy serving up something a little bit special and different (please please no more nut roast or Linda McCartney Veggie Sausages!!!) I really recommend a recipe by Queen Delia, Cheese and Parsnip Roulade with Sage and Onion Stuffing. I have this most years for xmas and it is truely divine, loved by veggies and non veggies alike. It's a bit fiddly to make and you have to get hold of some sage derby cheese (go to the local deli) but it's well worth the effort. The recipe can be found in Delia's Vegetarian Collection and on her website. Delia's vegetarian recipes are wonderful for any special occaision. Now repeat the mantra after me after me . . . "the only way is the Delia way". . .

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion Lasagne

This is a favorite amongst all my friends that I've cooked for and a good one to bring out at a dinner party. Simple to cook and impressive on the taste buds!

Ingredients
2 large butternut squashes
6 red onions
Lasagna pasta sheets
Tomato (passata/bolognaise) Sauce
Bechamel Sauce (home made or shop bought - if home made be sure to add
some nutmeg)
Parmasan Cheese
Mixed Italian Herbs
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Method
1. Peel and chop the squash and onions into chuncks (1 inch sq-ish)
2. Place in a baking tray and season with Italian herbs, salt and pepper,
drizzel with the olive oil and place in a preheated (200deg) oven until roasted (about 30-40 mins), mixing occaisionally whilst cooking.
3. Spread a layer of Bechamal sauce on the bottom of a lasagna dish then place a layer of lasagna sheets, then:
- A layer of tomatoe sauce.
- A layer of the vegatable mixture.
- A layer of lasagna sheets
- A layer of tomato sauce
- A layer of vegtables.
- A layer of lasagna sheets
4. Pour over the rest of the Bechamal Sauce and sprikle parmasan cheese on
the top and add a sprinkling of pepper.
5. Cook in the oven for 30 - 40 mins until the top has browned.
6. Serve with a fresh green salad, tomatoe salad, and crunchy bread.

(serves 6)

Introduction

The aim of this blog is to share my own veggie recipes, review other veggie recipes, and generally act as a placeholder for all my favorite veggie things. It's not a place where I am going to push my views on the ethics of being vegetarian and attempt to convert anyone. Quite frankly I'm not really sure why I am vegetarian, I just am and have no desire to revert back to my meat eating days. So enjoy! I hope you will find something to tickle your taste buds!