Cheesy Biscuits

These are really easy to make and they taste great on their own, as the bread for a sandwich, or with a salad or soup.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour (or spelt flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
115 g butter
¾ cup milk
½ cup cheddar cheese

Instructions:
1. Mix the flours, salt, and baking powder together.
2. Chop the butter into small pieces and add it to the flour. Mix.
3. Add the milk and shred the cheese then add it. Mix everything together.
4. Drop by spoonfuls or shape into small buns (or American-style biscuits) onto a baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 200 C until golden. Serve warm.

Stir-Fries

I’ve been making a lot of stir-fries lately. They’re healthy, fast, and easy to vary. Basically, I take a bunch of vegetables and lightly fry them in oil. If I’m using tofu, I dice that and add it now too (or sometimes I marinate it and bake it, then add it). Meanwhile, I cook rice (if I’m making it over rice). I use seasonings such as peanut butter, miso paste, curry paste, or chilli. If I’m using noodles, I add them in to the pan right towards the end. I often add an egg or two and scramble it for a minute, so it’s just cooked. Then I serve the vegetables either over the rice or with the noodles.

Dinner’s ready in 10 or 15 minutes. Does it get much easier than this?

Starring...Radish

When I was young, I wasn’t really exposed to radish, so the vegetable often seemed strange and inaccessible to me in some way. Luckily, I’ve given in to curiosity and begun using them.

They have a nice crispness and a slightly sharp, almost peppery flavour. They work in salads, of course – you just slice a few and toss them with lettuce, cucumber, celery, avocado, or whatever else you want in there. But I’ve also been pleasantly surprised to see how well suited radish is to stir-fries. I add a few slices towards the end of the cooking process so they retain their crunch and add a strong, biting undertone.

I’ve recently also gotten the idea of adding some radish to a loaf of bread. I can imagine the flavours working together. But I haven’t yet tried it out.

Ricotta and Lemon Whole-Wheat Pancakes

I do love to experiment with pancakes and since ricotta and lemon work so well together, that’s what I put in the recipe this time. It was a refreshing, fairly healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
½ cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour (or spelt flour)
2 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1½ cups milk
¼ cup ricotta
zest from 1 lemon
juice from ½ lemon
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
oil
agave or honey to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter. Mix well.
4. Warm oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, then pour tablespoonfuls into the pan. Brown the pancakes on both sides.
6. Serve with agave or honey.

Pad Thai

Okay, so this isn’t completely traditional pad thai. So what? It’s close enough and it’s tasty!

Ingredients:
frozen vegetables (I used what I had on hand – about 200 g broccoli, 50 g corn, 50 g broad beans)
oil
1 block tofu (if desired)
lime leaves
2 tbsp peanut butter (or 50 g crushed peanuts)
2 eggs
300 g pad thai noodles
bean sprouts (I didn’t have them on hand this time, but I’ve often added them at the end)

Instructions:
1. Stir-fry the vegetables in the oil in a big frying pan or wok. Add the tofu (cut into cubes), if you’re using it, and the lime leaves.
2. When the vegetables have defrosted, mix in the peanut butter (or peanuts) and push the veg to one side. Break the eggs into the middle and stir them, so they scramble into pieces.
3. Add the noodles and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the bean sprouts.
4. Serve.

200th Post

I’ve been posting on this blog since the beginning of October 2010, just over eight months ago, and this marks my 200th post. It’s amazing to think that I’ve made around 200 distinct recipes in that time. And it’s also exciting for me to think about all those wonderful months (and tasty dishes) I’ve shared with my fantastic partner, M.

I’ve been posting 5 or 6 times a week up until now, but I’ve been finding it hard to do, what with my full-time job and all (which is actually generally 60-80 hours a week), so I’ll probably start posting 2-3 times a week from now on. But as always, I hope to continue offering vegetarian meal suggestions for you to enjoy with your own friends and relatives, along with interesting quotes, reviews of books, films, and products, and references to other useful websites.

Thanks for reading this far!

Green and Red Couscous

Couscous is tiny pieces of semolina. It’s extremely fast to cook (you pour boiling water over it and leave it for 5-10 minutes) and it’s healthy and cheap. So I’ve been trying to make more dishes with couscous. Combine vegetables and protein and serve it over couscous, and you’ve got a meal in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
about 150 g couscous
boiling water to cover the couscous
1 red pepper
oil
frozen peas (about 75 g)
1 handful cherry tomatoes (5-10)
1 handful radishes (3-5)
black pepper
creamy cheese such as Boursin, if desired

Instructions:
1. Put the couscous in a pot and pour the water over it. Place the lid on the pot and set aside for about 5 or so minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash and dice the pepper. Fry it in oil.
3. Add the peas so they defrost.
4. Wash and dice the tomatoes and radishes. Add them to the pan. Season with black pepper.
5. If desired, mix creamy cheese into the couscous. Top the couscous with the vegetables, then serve.

Braised Lettuce

I was inspired by a recipe in the May issue of Delicious, but that recipe used bacon, which obviously I won’t cook with. So I adapted the recipe to vegetarian tastes and also used what I had around (onions rather than shallots, for example). I served it with the new Tesco vegetarian “chicken breast” for a simple meal. As with the Tesco “lamb” burger, I can’t say I thought the chicken was fantastic, but I like trying new meat-free products.

Ingredients:
2 onions
oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable bouillon
200 ml water
black pepper
smoked paprika
2 little gem lettuces
cream

Instructions:
1. Dice the onions and fry them in the oil. Add the sugar after a few moments.
2. When the onions have caramelised, add the vegetable bouillon, stir, then add the water. Cook for a few moments, and season with pepper and paprika.
3. Wash and halve the little gems. Oil and oven-safe dish and place them in there.
4. Pour the onion mixture and the cream over the lettuce.
5. Cover the dish with aluminium foil. Bake for about 35 minutes at 180 C.

Stir-Fry with Udon Noodles

I’ve been making lots of stir-fries lately, because they’re so easy and healthy. I’ll post a few variations on them, but play around and see what combinations you like. You can also add an egg in at the end, for extra protein.

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
½ broccoli (or a container of tender-stem broccoli)
oil
1 container tofu
100 g sugar snap peas
1-2 tbsp miso paste
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
chilli flakes to taste
150 g udon noodles

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the pepper and broccoli. Stir-fry them in oil.
2. Dice the tofu and add it to the pan. Wash and add the snap peas.
3. Add the miso paste and peanut butter to the pan and stir well, so all the vegetables and tofu get some sauce. Season with chilli flakes according to how spicy you like it.
4. Add the udon noodles and stir-fry 2-3 minutes more, then serve.

Caramelised Potatoes and Broccoli

This is a tasty and simple side dish. I served it with Tesco’s new vegetarian “lamb” burgers, in a playful take on meat, potatoes, and veg. I can’t say I recommend Tesco’s burgers, because they left a strange aftertaste, but they were okay for a fast weeknight meal. I probably wouldn’t get them again.

Ingredients:
new potatoes (about 75 g)
oil
1 tbsp sugar
broccoli
salt
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash and dice the potatoes.
2. Fry them in oil, stirring often, until they brown slightly.
3. Sprinkle with sugar and stir. Fry another 5-10 minutes.
4. Wash and chop the broccoli and add it to the pan.
5. Season with salt and black pepper. Fry another 5 or so minutes, then serve.

Leek, Cheddar, and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

This is a very rich dish, so I wouldn’t make it too often. It’s loaded with eggs, cheese, and cream, which is what makes it tasty, but I can envision arteries getting clogged with each bite.

Yes, of course you can make your own pastry, but I bought it this time. Sometimes it’s just simpler to purchase the pastry. Shortcrust works better, I think, but I had puff pastry on hand and that was fine. In fact, M said she liked that it was a bit different.

Ingredients:
pastry (500 g) (short crust or puff)
oil
1 leek
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp lime leaves or basil or other herb
6 eggs
1 tbsp mustard powder
300 ml cream (single or double)
100 g sun-dried tomatoes
50 g mozzarella
100 g cheddar cheese
other vegetables (I had asparagus that I threw in, but next time I might use red pepper or spinach)
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Roll out the pastry.
2. Light grease an oven-safe pie dish or casserole dish. Place the pastry in it and use a fork to make a few indentations in the pastry.
3. Pre-bake the pastry for about 5 minutes at 190 C.
4. Meanwhile, dice the leek. Fry it lightly in oil with the parsley and other herbs.
5. Beat the eggs with the mustard powder and cream.
6. Chop the tomatoes, cheese, and any other vegetables. Mix them into the eggs, add the leek, and season with black pepper.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the pastry.
8. Bake for about 45 minutes at 170 C.

Cornbread

This is a rather rich-tasting cornbread, so it could just as well be called corn cake. Eat it warm with some butter while having tea or coffee or serve it alongside soup or stew.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (about 115 g), plus extra for the tin
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla together.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with the butter and yogurt. Beat the eggs and add them.
4. Grease a loaf tin or other oven-safe dish and pour the batter in.
5. Bake at 175 C for around 35 minutes.

Salmon Hash

Okay, this is another pescatarian recipe rather than vegetarian, but such are the compromises one must make when living with a carnivore (luckily, a carnivore who rarely eats meat). This recipe is based on corned beef hash, which has potatoes and some sort of processed meat and fried eggs. Instead, I use salmon. And one time when I made this, I also added one flaked fillet of smoked mackerel, for an extra depth of flavour. I plan to try it with tofu at some point soon.

It’s a very fast and healthy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:
300 g potatoes
oil
1 tsp sugar
300 g salmon
2 eggs
salt
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the potatoes. Fry them in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they brown. Add the sugar and continue to brown and caramelise.
2. Chop the salmon into small pieces. Add it to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring and flipping as needed.
3. Move the potatoes and salmon to the side of the pan. Break the eggs into the middle and cook until just set.
4. Serve the eggs over the potatoes and salmon. Season with salt and pepper.

Better and Easier Hollandaise Sauce

I posted a recipe for hollandaise sauce before, but I’ve since improved and simplified it. It is unfortunately easy to curdle the eggs or to end up with a lumpy sauce, so using a blender or food processor fixes that. If you find that the eggs are curdling anyway, add a tiny bit of cold water and then blend again. I served it this time over vegetables.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
½ tsp mustard
1 dash Tabasco
1 lemon
125 g butter

Instructions:
1. Mix the yolks, mustard, and Tabasco in a blender or food processor. Add the peel and juice from half a lemon (save the other half for another use). Mix again.
2. Melt the butter and add it to the blender or food processor a little bit at a time, mixing constantly.
3. Serve over vegetables or eggs.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

This is a really moist, flavourful recipe. Lemon and ricotta go so well together and I decided to combine them into a light cake. You can also make the recipe into muffins or a bread shape. I got lots of compliments on it!

Ingredients:
170 g butter, plus extra for the tin
1 cup ricotta
½ cup yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1½ cups sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 lemon
3 eggs

Instructions:
1. Cream the butter, ricotta, yogurt, and vanilla together.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together.
3. Mix the moist and dry ingredients together well.
4. Grate the zest of the lemon into the mixture and add the juice of half the lemon.
5. Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture. Grease the tin.
6. Bake for 25 minutes at 180 C (or for 15 minutes if you make them as muffins).