Spinach Pesto pasta

I made this to carb load the night before my triathlon (yes I have now completed my first triathlon and am very smug, I came 8th). It was perfect because it had wholemeal carbohydrates for energy, protein from the nuts, iron from the spinach and olive oil for the heart. My pesto is vegan as I don't add cheese, but you can add some if you like.

This meal was a favorite in my student house as it is cheap. To make it cheaper I often use walnuts, sunflower seeds or mixed nuts instead of pine nuts.

Sorry about the picture, again I forgot to take a picture of the actual meal so this is a photo of the leftovers. The main meal also included a huge avocado salad and rye and spelt bread, mmm.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Serves 3
180g Wholemeal pasta
2 large handfuls fresh spinach (or 4-5 blocks frozen spinach, thawed)
Handful fresh basil (optional, this meal did not include this)
Handful pine nuts (or other nuts or seeds)
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
Nutritional Yeast*/ Cheese (optional, I didn't use any but you can add some if you wish)
Salt and pepper

1.  Place the wholemeal pasta in boiling salted water, cover and leave to cook according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain.
2. In a dry pan over a high heat, add the pine nuts (or alternative) and toast until they have taken on a golden colour. 
3. Also add the garlic (skin still on) to the pan to cook a little to take away the strength of raw garlic. Once the garlic looks browned, crush and finely chop.
4. In a blender or food processor, add the spinach, basil (if adding), toasted pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast/cheese (if using), salt and pepper. 
5. Add about 1tbsp olive oil and begin to process. Slowly keep on adding olive oil until the ingredients have mixed and it has formed a paste. 
6. Check seasonings, add to the cooked pasta and serve with a big salad and good bread.

*Nutritional yeast has a nutty savory flavour, similar to cheese. You can get it from most good health food stores. It is great in pesto, mashed potato, anything that needs that savory taste that cheese can bring.

Chestnut, sundried tomato and sweet potato loaf

Sitting down with the family at Christmas and Easter normally makes me feel a little left out, with my own 'special' potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sausages and of course the main star of the show to replace the meat, whatever it may be that I have dreamt up this time. I am always trying to find something special to make for these family meals, and for the 6 or so years I have been vegetarian, I have struggled to find the 'perfect' vegetarian alternative. Sometimes I am so uninspired I just have veggie sausages or Quorn fillets. However, I can now say this loaf  could be a contender, with a few tweaks here and there.

Since turning vegetarian, I have learnt to cook. My mum wasn't very happy when I decided to turn veggie, and put her foot down saying something along the lines of "if you want to be vegetarian you bloody well cook vegetarian", so I did. I'm glad she did, because I probably wouldn't have found such a passion for cooking. It has also meant I cook alongside my mum when the family are together, giving us mother/daughter 'bonding' time, and an extra pair of hands (and taste buds).

I made this for Easter, and got lots of ooohs and aaaaahs when I brought it out. Even though the rest of the family had their turkey, they all helped themselves to my loaf. Definitely a great centrepiece to a vegetarian dinner table, and one I will keep on experimenting with.

Chestnut and sweet potato loaf

Serves 6
110g fresh breadcrumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp of dried
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
10 to 12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
200g vacuum-packed chestnuts, roughly chopped*
70g walnuts
1 egg, beaten
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
300g fresh spinach
Grated nutmeg
Butter
Decorate with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh rosemary

*I used Merchant Gourmet pre-cooked chestnuts. You can get these from nearly all the major supermarkets.

1. Peel and chop the sweet potato into about 1 inch chunks and place in boiling salted water over a medium heat for around 8-10 minutes, or until soft. Drain and mash with a little butter and seasoning.
2. Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent.
3. Combine all other ingredients (except sweet potato and spinach) in a bowl. Next add onion mix and stir in sweet potato and combine.
4. Place spinach in a heatproof bowl. Pour hot water over spinach to wilt. Drain, chop and mix with a little butter and grated nutmeg.
5. Grease 500g loaf tin and add half of nut mix, pressing down. Then pile in the spinach. Top with rest of nut mixture.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes at gas mark 4/180°C/fan 160°C, remove foil for last 10 minutes to brown top. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
7. Decorate with sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary.

P.s. Mine looks huge because I used 2 MASSIVE sweet potatoes. Next time I cook this I will weigh the sweet potato, as 'medium' or 'large' doesn't really give you a good indication of how much you need.

Mexican Tostada with homemade refried beans

I think tostada might be my new favourite word. The recipe also makes a very lovely dinner. Or if you're entertaining they'd probably make really nice canapes. Just cut out small tortillas with a cookie cutter. Not that I've ever made canapes...

The homemade refried bean recipe isn't a traditional one, it is my mums, but it is much more flavoursome than the canned cat food that you buy in the shops. If you want a more traditional style recipe, use pinto and/ or black beans. I like the colour that the kidney beans give though.

Great quick and cheap student style cooking that can be served up to friends to achieve smiles all round.

Mexican Tostada with homemade refried beans

Serves 4
 4 flour tortillas
2 400g cans kidney beans
1 tsp fajita seasoning*
1 tsp vegetable boullion powder/ vegatable stock cube
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes , quartered
½ tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
1 avocado , halved, stoned and sliced (squeeze a little lime juice on it to keep it green)
Juice from 1 lime
2 spring onions, finely chopped
handful coriander leaves, to serve
Soured cream (optional)
Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

*Make your own fajita mix - can be kept in a tightly fitted jar until needed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 vegetable bouillon cube, crushed

1. Place a saucepan on a medium heat.
2. Tip the kidney beans into the pan and add a small cup of water.
3. Add the fajita seasoning, boullion powder/cube, pepper and chilli to taste.
4. Keep stirring until the kidney beans have broken down and is a thick paste with about half the whole beans to add texture - about 5 minutes. Keep on adding splashes of water until you get this consistency.
5. Check seasoning is to taste, cover and set aside.
6. Heat grill to medium-high. 
7. Put the tortillas onto a large baking sheet, then grill on both sides for 2 minutes, or until the edges are crispy.
8. In a bowl, mix the refried beans and cherry tomatoes, then divide the mix between the tortillas. 
9. If you are using cheese, sprinkle the cheese on top of the tostada and grill for a further 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted.
10. Lift onto plates and top with the avocado, spring onions, a squeeze of lime and coriander.  
11. Serve with a dollop of soured cream and a big side salad.

Quorn kale stir fry with tahini dressing

This post is more about the tahini dressing really. When I make stir frys, I usually use the usual flavours (garlic, chilli, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce) but that can get a little boring. I have been experimenting with Szechuan peppercorns recently, which are great to add a different type of heat in meals. But that is for another time...

I think this dressing would be great on salads too if you fry the onion and garlic beforehand. If you don't have tahini, you could use natural peanut butter (preferably no sugar or salt) and make this into more of a satay sauce. Not much of a looker I know, but very tasty.  

Quorn kale stir fry with tahini dressing

Serves 2
1 medium red onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tbsp groundnut oil (i.e. peanut oil, or olive oil)
150g Quorn (or your alternative)
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
50g kale
Fresh or frozen coriander
1 tbsp tahini (or peanut butter)
1 lime, freshly squeezed
Chilli flakes, to taste
Soy sauce
Splash hot water
1/2 tsp honey

1. Heat half the oil in a fry pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Set aside in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the onion and garlic and keep the squeezed lime.
2. Heat the rest of the oil and add the Quorn (or alternative). Cook for 10 minutes, or until the Quorn has cooked through and browned a little. Throw the squeezed lime into the pan. This will cook the lime and relese more juices, ensuring the Quorn does not dry out too much, and add lots of flavout.
3. Add the peppers and kale to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the tahini, coriander, lime juice, chilli, soy sauce and honey to the bowl containing the onion and garlic. Add a splash of water to loosen the tahini and mix well. Check seasoning and add more soy sauce or sugar if needed.
5. Once the peppers and kale are cooked but still with a crunch, tip over the tahini dressing to coat the stir fry and heat through. Serve immediately. 

I found this filling enough without any sides but rice or noodles would be lovely. If you added more water to the tahini dressing, or just made more, than it could coat the sides too.

Lemon, spinach and tomato spaghetti with homemade garlic bread

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog, life has suddenly got very busy and I have had little time to cook let alone write about it. Last weekend I made this spaghetti dish, which was very simple but very flavoursome, cheap and satisfying. This is a great crowd pleaser, and is great for the more novice cooks as it is simple but tasty. And you win bonus points because you make your own garlic bread (sooo much better than shop bought).

Lemon, spinach and tomato spaghetti with homemade garlic bread

 Serves 2

140g spaghetti
1 onion, finely chopped
Handful fresh cherry tomatoes
Large bunch spinach
150g Quorn (or meat substitute)
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon
Olive oil
Drizzle sundried tomato oil (from jar of sundried tomatoes)
40-50g sunflower seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
French stick
2 cloves garlic
Large knob butter
Salad leaves

1.  Heat a dry frying pan and add the 2 cloves of unpeeled garlic and the sunflower seeds. Allow the sunflower seeds to toast and brown, then place in a bowl for later. Let the garlic cook in its skin for 4-5 minutes, then set aside. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the frying pan and add the onion. Fry for 4-5 minutes, then add the Quorn (or substitute). Fry the Quorn for 8-10 minutes, stirring. If the pan becomes very dry, add a splash of water or stock to stop the Quorn from drying out.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cover. 
4. Place the butter in a bowl, crush and finely chop the garlic, and mix. Add plenty of black pepper and a little salt. Cut the garlic bread into slices, ensuring you don't go all the way through, and spread the garlic butter on each side of the slices. Place in the oven on a baking tray for about 5 minutes.
5. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and roughly shred the spinach. 
6. Once the spaghetti is al dente add the cherry tomatoes, spinach, lemon, sundried tomato oil, Quorn, sunflower seeds and plenty of black pepper. Place on a very low heat to heat the ingredients.
7. Plate up the salad leaves, drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice.
8. Serve the spaghetti and the garlic bread. 
9. Add cheese if you wish.