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.

Butterbean and beetroot bulgur wheat salad

I love beetroot, but I don't cook with it enough. I really want to make beetroot brownies sometime, I love the idea of earthy red beetroot with dark gooey chocolate, mmmm. Look out for this recipe, I might make some for my birthday to take into work. They already think I'm a little mad, so it probably won't help my reputation, but as Hugh says in the recipe link above, if carrot cake works so well, why not beetroot brownies?

This is a slightly healthier beetroot recipe. VERY quick and easy with few ingredients, and excellent the next day once the flavours have infused to take into work. If you don't have bulgur wheat then you could use quinoa or couscous, or even rice. It is very adaptable.

I made this recipe a little while ago so I'm not 100% sure I have included all the ingredients. As with all my recipes, experiment with flavors and see what works for you.

Butterbean and beetroot bulgur wheat salad

Serves 2
1 cooked beetroot, chopped (I buy the vacuum packed beetroot, NOT in vinegar)
Half a 400g can butterbeans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, chopped
3 blocks of thawed frozen spinach, or 2 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100g bulgar wheat
1 good quality vegetable stock cube (I use Kallo organic)
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
Handful sunflower seeds 

1. In a saucepan on a low heat, add the bulgar wheat and stock cube, cover with about double the amount of boiling water and let simmer.  
2.  Chop the beetroot, tomatoes and spinach, and drain and rinse the butterbeans
3. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice together, add a little salt and lots of black pepper
4. Once the bulgar wheat is cooked (the water should have completely evaporated by the time the bulgar wheat is ready, about 4-5 minutes), place in a bowl and let cool
5. Meanwhile, toast some sunflower seeds in a dry panover a medium heat until they begin to take colour, about 3-4 minutes
6. Combine all the ingredients, add the dressing, toss, check seasoning and serve with the toasted sunflower seeds sprinkled on top

TST (tofu, spinach and tomato) sandwich

There is nothing better than a hot breakfast sandwich on a Sunday morning. I came up with this recipe whilst I was a student in Leeds, so it is uncomplicated and cheap to make. I have seen many different recipes for vegetarian "bacon", but this recipe is the simplest with only 3 ingredients. I think it saves a lot of faffing around and still produces a yummy result.

If you're expecting it to taste anything like bacon you are sorely mistaken, but it does give you the smokey, salty goodness that a good breakfast sandwich should. I load it up with spinach and tomato, and maybe even some brown sauce if I'm feeling a little daring.

TST sandwich

Serves 1
Olive oil
Extra firm tofu, sliced thinly into 4-5 slices
Dark soy sauce (better for colour but light is fine if you have that)
Half tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 slices wholemeal bread (or a roll)
Handful spinach, washed
1 beef tomato or 3 cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly
Brown sauce (optional)

1. Heat a griddle pan on a high heat and add a splash of olive oil
2. Add the sliced tofu, and sprinkle on the soy sauce and half of the smoked paprika on top
3. With the back of a spoon, spread the smoked paprika over the tofu to cover the top side
4. After 3-4 minutes, flip the tofu. It should be nicely browned on one side
5. Add some more soy sauce and the rest of the paprika, covering the tofu again
6. Meanwhile, toast your bread or warm your roll
7. After another 3-4 minutes, flip the tofu and cook on each side for around 1 minute to ensure it has taken on enough colour
8. Add a squeeze of brown sauce (if using) to your toast and layer your tofu up on top
9. Add your tomato and spinach, cut in half and serve with a lovely mug of Earl Grey

Spicy tofu peanut stew

A few weeks ago I took my other half away for a long weekend in North Wales. We stayed at an amazing retreat called Trigonos, which serves incredibly imaginative and tasty vegetarian and vegan food. On the first night we stayed there we were served a really good tofu tomato and peanut stew. As I didn't write down the ingredients I could taste at the time and my other half has swanned off to Indonesia, I had to try to guess what was in it. I am pretty pleased with the outcome, and will happily attempt it again.

The peanut butter really thickens up the sauce and gives it a very luxurious texture. I used 100% peanut butter with no added oil/sugar/salt as I find the normal sugary peanut butters too sweet. I did however add sugar to the recipe to sweeten the tomatoes, so you can use whatever peanut butter you have in your cupboard. If you have decent quality tinned tomatoes or sugary peanut butter you could completely miss out the sugar.

Spicy tofu peanut stew

Serves 2
Olive oil
Half a block of tofu (I used Cauldron firm tofu), chopped into 2cm pieces
1/4 aubergine, chopped into 2cm pieces
 1 large handful kale
2 chestnut mushrooms
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter (I used no Meridian no added sugar/salt)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
40ml soya milk (or alternative)
1tsp sugar (optional, depending on your peanut butter and quality of chopped tomatoes)
1tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
a few dashes of soy sauce

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium/high heat and add the tofu
2. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tofu has begun to brown
3. Add a few splashes of soy sauce to add colour to the tofu
4. Add the aubergines and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, stock cube, peanut butter, sugar, paprika and chilli flakes
6. Turn the heat down to low/medium and cover the pan
7. After 5 minutes, add the kale and soya milk, and taste to check seasoning and adjust if necessary
8. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the kale is cooked with a little bite
9. Serve with rice or bulghar wheat (as above)

Melanzane alla Parmigiana with butterbean salad

I'm going away to Snowdonia this weekend. We are staying in  place called Trigonos. It has its own organic farm, with space for workshops, conferences and classes, overlooking a lake and surrounded by the most beautiful mountains. I can't wait! The food is all vegetarian, unless specially requested, which is a welcome change. I have heard amazing things about the food at Trigonos so I am really looking forward to eating there. My next post I'm sure will be raving about the quality and standard of the place.

But more to the present, I cooked Melanzane alla Parmigiana for my lovely friend Erin who came around last night. The translation means aubergine, tomato and Parmesan bake, and the recipe was taken from the BBC Good Food website.

The topping looks like all cheese but in fact it is an egg with a sprinking of Parmesan. This meal is also unintentionally wheat free.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana with butterbean salad

Serves 2
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Splash of olive oil
1 400g carton passata
1 aubergine, cut into long, 5mm thick slices
Large handful of spinach
 85g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), freshly grated
20g pack basil , leaves torn
1 free range egg , beaten

1 400g can butterbeans
Half red onion, finely chopped
Half red bell pepper, finely chopped
Half lemon
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Fresh spinach, chopped
Splash balsamic vinegar
Splash olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad leaves

1. Heat oven to 200C. In a shallow pan, mix together the garlic and the olive oil. Cook over a high heat for 3 minutes, tip in the tomatoes, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring every now and then.  
2. Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until very hot. Brush a few of the aubergines with a little oil, then add to the pan. Cook over a high heat until well browned and cooked through, about 5-7 mins. Turn them halfway through cooking. Lift onto kitchen paper and do the next batch.
3. When all the aubergines are cooked, lay a few of them in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, then spoon over some sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan, spinach and basil leaves. Add seasoning, then repeat this process with the remaining ingredients. Finally, pour the egg over the top, sprinkle over a little more Parmesan, then bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden. 
4. Meanwhile, mix the chopped onion and lemon juice together (this will take the edge off the onion).
5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients below and set aside.
6. To dress the salad leaves, make extra dressing out of the lemon, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and seasoning, or use a little from the butterbean salad. 

We also had really good Ecuadorian dark ginger chocolate, and white needle, lily and jasmine blooming tea for afters, mmmm

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.

Yellow split pea daal with spinach and cherry tomatoes

My all time favourite comfort food is daal. I love spinach in curries, so I will nearly always add it to daal if I have it to hand. Today I didn't have fresh spinach, so I just used frozen. I find the frozen spinach blocks really handy, especially for curries, pesto and soups.

I added more water to my daal to make it more soupy, so I could have some toast with it. I would normally have it with brown rice and a chapatti or pitta. I also like to use a mix of lentils like chana daal, red lentils and masoor daal but today I just fancied the humble split pea. Mix it up if you fancy, different lentils give different textures and tastes.

Yellow spit pea daal with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Serves 2-3
150g dried yellow split peas
Vegetable stock
1 inch piece creamed coconut (the block of concentrated coconut)
1 large clove garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp panch phoran*
2 blocks frozen spinach, thawed, or a couple of handfuls fresh spinach
Handful cherry tomatoes
1 medium chilli, chopped
Squeeze lemon juice

1. Place the split peas in 4 times the amount of vegetable stock in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover, and simmer for about 1 - 1.5 hours or until the peas have become soft but still hold some shape and the water has thickened.
2. Add the coconut, garlic and chilli to the split peas. Add more water if you feel it is getting too thick. Stir to ensure the peas are not sticking to base of the pan.
3. In a dry frying pan, fry the panch phoran for about a minute, or until beginning to colour and give off an aroma. Add the spices and a squeeze of lemon to the split peas.
4. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add the spinach and whole cherry tomatoes, heat through and serve in bowls over rice, or add more stock/water to produce a more soupy consistency.

*Panch phoran is a is a spice blend used in Bangladesh and Eastern India. The spices typically used are fenugreek, Nigella seed, cumin seed, radhuni and fennel seed in equal parts. Celery seed sometimes is used in place of radhuni.
You can buy panch phoran in nearly all international supermarkets and some good supermarkets.

Homemade cheesy hash browns, fried egg and roasted tomato brunch

If I owned a cafe, I would strive to make the best breakfast in the area. Being a bit of a foodie, I am awful to eat out with as I just pick apart the meal and moan about how they could have done better. Breakfast is definitely a meal that I have rarely found a cafe that is close to the homemade meals my partner and I can cook. I'm not saying I am a better cook than the professionals, I just think that breakfast is often pushed to the side, and not given the limelight it deserves.

Homemade hash browns are one of the most wonderful additions to a breakfast. They are 100 times tastier than shop bought hash browns, and are well worth the little bit of effort. They will make an average breakfast something special, and you won't want to return to that over processed sorry state of a potato you thought were the don before.

Homemade cheesy hash browns, fried egg and roasted tomato brunch

Serves 3

4 small-medium potatoes

1/4 onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

25g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

25-50g plain flour

4 eggs

3 tomatoes

Olive oil

Spinach, rocket and watercress

Ciabatta

Butter

1. Heat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Grate the potato into a colander over a mixing bowl. Press the potato and try to squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
3. Pour away any liquid extracted from the potato and add potato to the mixing bowl. Mix in the diced onion, garlic, cheddar cheese and 1 egg.
4. Season with plenty of salt and pepper (you need more than you think) and mix well.
5. Place the whole tomatoes onto a roasting tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and season. Place in the preheated oven.
6. You may notice there is a fair bit of liquid now in the potato mixture. Drain off about 75% of this liquid. Sprinkle about 25g of flour on the potato mixture and mix well. The egg, liquid and flour should make a thin batter that should keep the hash browns together.
7. Heat about 4tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and mould the potato mixture into flat patties. Squeeze out any excess liquid so they keep their shape, and place into the hot pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to fry 3-4 at a time. Once the hash browns have browned on one side, flip to brown the other side, adding more oil if needed. If you are cooking them in batches, place the cooked hash browns in the oven with the tomatoes to keep warm.
8. Cut 6 slices of ciabatta and place in the oven to warm. Wash the salad and divide onto 3 plates.
9. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and crack the other 3 eggs into the pan. Once it has cooked on one side, season in the pan with salt and pepper, and flip to seal the eggs.
10. Place the hash browns, tomato and ciabatta on the plates, butter the ciabatta and place the eggs on the hash browns.

Sicilian smoked paprika aubergine, olive and tomato spaghetti

Today I made the mistake of waltzing into a gym class without looking at the description. I saw Body Pump, so I thought aerobics, some heart pumping exercises... how wrong was I. Now I realise 'pump' probably stands for 'pumping iron', I was sandwiched between a bunch of ripped men and women, having to do bench presses and squats for an entire hour. I can still barely lift my arms, so I needed something comforting, carby and quick to cook when I got home.

This recipe ticked all the boxes, with very few ingredients and good full bodied flavours. I have called the recipe Sicilian because it was a take on a Jamie Oliver Caponata recipe, which can be found here: Incredible Sicilian aubergine stew. I also found a really good looking recipe by Sophie Dahl, which I will hopefully be testing out soon Sophie Dahl's spicy aubergine and tomato with poached eggs.

Sicilian smoked paprika aubergine, olive and tomato spaghetti

 Serves 2-3
Olive oil
1 medium purple aubergine, cut into 2cm cubes
1 large garlic clove, crushed and chopped finely
1 red onion, chopped roughly
1 can chopped Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Splash balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful olives, chopped roughly
100g wholemeal spaghetti
70g rocket leaves
1/2 avocado
Lemon juice

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat and throw in the aubergine with a pinch of salt. Shake the pan every so often to ensure the aubergine doesn't burn, and so it colours on every side (about 4-5 minutes).
2.  Place the wholemeal spaghetti in a pan of boiling, slightly salted water and cover. Turn down the heat and leave at a rolling boil. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't bubble over. (Note: if you are using white pasta, it will take around 5 minutes less to cook, depending on the brand, so start this step after you have completed the next step)
3. Add the red onion and garlic to the aubergine, and leave to cook through for another 5-6 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
4. Throw in a splash of balsamic vinegar and let this evaporate away.
5. Add the smoked paprika, black pepper, olives and chopped tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wash some rocket leaves (or the salad leaves of your choice) and dice up some ripe avocado. Squeeze some lemon juice on the salad to stop the avocado turning brown.
7. The pasta should be al dente now, so check it is cooked and drain.
8. Check the seasoning of your sauce and adjust if necessary, and pour over your cooked pasta. Mix all together and serve with the salad.