Another recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Veg Everyday! cookbook. One thing I’ve noticed about this cookbook is that it has no approximate cooking or preparation times in it (not that I ever take any notice of the preparation times; I’m so slow, I take about four times as long as it states). This is annoying as I like to know roughly how long something’s going to take so I know when to start cooking (or if it’s not a meal to make when I’m late back from uni) and if there’s something to go with it, what time to start making that. Reading the recipe doesn’t give you much of an idea either as he doesn’t often state timings in minutes (rather, giving instructions such as ‘cook until the liquid has evaporated).

Still, I didn’t really need cooking times tonight and so made this recipe, which I knew was nice and fairly faff-free, as I made it a week or so ago.

I’m not going to type out the method but I’ll give you the ingredients and you can probably work out what to do with them yourselves (by the way, it takes about 30-40 minutes to make).

Mushroom risoniotto (serves 2)

2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
A knob of butter
500g mushrooms, thickly sliced
150g risoni or orzo pasta
2 garlic cloves, chopped
A few sprigs of thyme (leaves only)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
About 175ml dry white wine
About 50ml double cream or creme fraiche
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A good handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Related posts:

1. Pasta with greens, chilli and garlic The Meat Eater gave me a copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s...
2. Leek and mushroom stuffed peppers I made this last week but didn’t take a photo,...
3. Vegetable paella A quick and easy dish from Food for Fitness by...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Meat Eater gave me a copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘River Cottage Veg Every Day!’ cookbook for Christmas and tonight I gave one of the recipes a try. It’s a great book, packed full of tempting recipes and gorgeous colour photos. After a week of wine- and cheese-based indulgence, I only wanted something light, so went for the pasta with greens, chilli and garlic recipe.

Hugh’s recipe called for spring greens, kale or Savoy cabbage, but my local Tesco had none of these in, so I used some spinach instead.

The following method and ingredients aren’t exactly as stated in the book, but this is what I used and how I did it.

Pasta with greens, chilli and garlic (serves 2)

100g spinach
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 onion
150g pasta shapes
salt and pepper

Fry the onion in the olive oil for about 10 minutes (put the pasta on to boil in a separate pan when appropriate for timing)
Add the garlic and chilli to the onion mixture and fry for a couple more minutes
Add the spinach to the onion mixture and fry until wilted
Season with salt and pepper
Drain the pasta and mix with the spinach and onion mixture

Related posts:

1. Tomato and chilli soup Today’s soup was practically free, as it was made using...
2. Roasted aubergine, tomato & basil pasta The basil I got from the greenhouse was a bit...
3. Yellow courgette soup with chilli and cheese As courgettes are in season at the moment, I’ve been...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I thought this was a bit bland, didn’t really taste of much and could be improved by adding cheese (then again, I think everything can be improved by adding cheese). The Meat Eater thought it was really nice and subtle and didn’t need anything else. Then again, he has tastebuds and can taste everything, whereas I can’t taste anything unless I pour chilli flakes all over whatever I’m eating.

I’m not going to post the recipe this time, as I’ll probably get into trouble if I keep posting all the recipes from the book, but you can find it in The Quorn Kitchen cookbook.

The original recipe calls for making your own pastry (not sure what type, just your average pie-pastry, I suppose) but I used ready-made filo.

Related posts:

1. Quorn Tortilla Stack After last week’s spicy enchiladas, I had some meatfree mince...
2. Quorn chilli cheese pie The Blue Anchor in Ruckinge does fantastic food and last...
3. The Boxing Clever Cookbook A new cookbook, yay! I’d had my eye on The...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I held a competition a couple of weeks ago, giving a reader the chance to win a copy of Vegan Cookbook: The Essential Guide .

The winner – picked by an online random number generator – is Emzy Lemezma.

Well done Emzy!

Related posts:

1. Giveaway: Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide   Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide by Isabel Hood...
2. The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions This must be the first cookbook of its kind. At...
3. Innocent Veg Pot Competition Winner Announced Well done to Jamie for winning the limerick competition. I...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A while back, I was sent The Newlywed’s Vegetarian Cookbook. Thinking I was hinting at something, The Meat Eater got a bit nervous when he saw it on the dining table. When he saw a copy of Vegetarian Food for Kids his face turned the colour of a turnip (I should probably point out that that’s where the similarity to any kind of root vegetable ends).

I wondered what I’d do with a vegetarian cookbook for kids. I thought it would be all beans on toast and other unsophisticated meals like that (don’t get me wrong, I love beans on toast, but I don’t need a recipe for it). But then I saw under the ‘Lunchboxes and snacks’ chapter a recipe for an avocado and chickpea wrap. Wow, that’s a bit posher than the Kraft Dairylea on white sliced my mum used to pack me off to school with (although I actually hate avocado and would rather have a Kraft Dairylea Triangle any day, to be honest).

The other chapters in the book are:

Breakfasts
Soups and fast food
Kid’s favourites
Family feasts

Originally – before going through the book – I had planned to give it away on my blog. But after seeing recipes such as:

Pizza soup (yes, really!)
Bean, cheese and tomato quiche with a buckwheat crust
Creamy orzo pasta bake
Breakfast bread and butter pudding with dried apricots and cranberries
Multi-grain granola bars
Veggie chilli with roast pumpkin wedges
Butternut squash and chestnut crumble

I decided to keep it for myself, sorry.

With over 60 recipes for all the family and crammed full of gorgeous colour photos, this is definitely not a cookbook just for kids.

Related posts:

1. The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions This must be the first cookbook of its kind. At...
2. Food for Fitness: Muesli bars I did a lot of exercise last week (running, cycling,...
3. Giveaway: Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide   Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide by Isabel Hood...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

After last week’s spicy enchiladas, I had some meatfree mince to use up, so had a looked through the Quorn Kitchen cookbook and decided on these. I thought they’d be like the enchiladas, but in a lasagne-style, rather than rolled up. It was nice, but not as nice as the enchiladas. The Meat Eater said they needed less cheese and more sauce.

Quorn Tortilla Stack

300g Quorn Mince (I used Sainsbury’s own)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp mild chilli powder
400g chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire or brown sauce
3 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves
4-6 flour tortillas
200g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F/Gas Mark 6)
2. Heat a large, shallow, non-stick frying pan until hot and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Then add the Quorn Mince, paprika, chilli powder, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, Worcestershire or brown sauce. Season to taste.
3. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir through the coriander.
4. Place a tortilla on a large non-stick baking tray and spoon over a portion of the mince mixture evenly and a handful of cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and top with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut into quarters and serve.

Related posts:

1. Quorn chilli cheese pie The Blue Anchor in Ruckinge does fantastic food and last...
2. Vegetarian spicy enchiladas The only enchiladas I’ve ever made before were the spicy...
3. Vegetable paella A quick and easy dish from Food for Fitness by...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Vegan Cookbook - The Essential Guide

Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide by Isabel Hood is a new addition to the Need2Know range of books.

Comprising seven chapters, the first two chapters cover an overview and background of veganism, along with a checklist of ingredients every well-stocked vegan store-cupboard should contain and a list of essential equipment.

The next five chapters contain the recipes under headings of:

Fruit and vegetables
Pulses and grains
Nuts, seeds and oils
Fresh herbs
Chilli and spice

I haven’t tried any of the recipes myself yet, but a few that caught my eye as I went through the book are:

Middle Eastern Pitta Bread Casserole (this sounds fantastic – like a lasagne, but with toasted pitta bread layered with spicy, tomatoey chickpeas)
Turkish Stuffed Artichokes
Beaumes de Venise Jelly with Grape and Banana Salad
Butter Bean Ramen
Polenta with Sweetcorn, Roasted Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
Recipe for basic nut cheese or mayonnaise
Pasta with Spiced Cashew Sauce
Walnut and Olive Pâté with Fresh Fig Chutney
Spring Vegetable Laksa
Baked Mushrooms Florentine
Sicilian Aubergine Rolls
Roasted Aubergine with Satay Sauce
Sweetcorn in Chilli and Chocolate Sauce
Wild Mushrooms Tacos
Chili Bean and Potato Turnovers

There are many, many more recipes in this book and I’m looking forward to trying them. All the recipes use fresh ingredients and don’t rely on meat substitutes. Measurements are UK friendly (in grams, tsps and mls, etc.) and, as far as I can see, all the ingredients are widely available, although there are plenty of tips and guidance for ingredients you may not be so familiar with (i.e. Vege-Gel).

The giveaway

I’ve got one copy of Vegan Cookbook – The Essential Guide to give away. All you need to do is leave me a comment and I’ll (well, an internet random number generator will, anyway) randomly choose one lucky winner.

Terms
Competition ends 9 September 2011
UK entries only

Good luck!

Related posts:

1. The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions This must be the first cookbook of its kind. At...
2. The Boxing Clever Cookbook A new cookbook, yay! I’d had my eye on The...
3. Food for Fitness: Muesli bars I did a lot of exercise last week (running, cycling,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A quick and easy dish from Food for Fitness by Anita Bean. I served it with Quorn Salmon Style Dill Crispbakes, from their new fish-free range, which I’ll blog about tomorrow.

Vegetable paella

Vegetable paella (serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 celery sticks, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tsp paprika
350g rice
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
900ml vegetable stock
225g frozen peas (or mixed veg)
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, garlic, celery and peppers for 5 minutes.
2. Add the paprika and rice and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Add the peas, season to taste, and heat through for a few more minutes.

Related posts:

1. Vegetarian moussaka While I was out running yesterday, I had the urge...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

While I was out running yesterday, I had the urge to make moussaka. I don’t know why, as I usually find it a bit of a faff and I’m not especially fond of faff.

I said to The Meat Eater that I was going to make moussaka and he asked why that reminded him of Demis Roussos. I said because it’s Greek? The Meat Eater said yes. I said I could put some Demis on if he liked but The Meat Eater said no. Then I said we could watch Abigail’s Party but The Meat Eater said no to that too.

Never mind, the moussaka was good.

Vegetable moussaka (serves 6)
Recipe taken from Low-Fat Vegetarian Mediterranean Recipes

450g aubergines, sliced
115g green lentils
600ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
225g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
25ml olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
225g mushrooms, sliced
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp dried basil
300ml natural yoghurt
3 eggs
50g cheese, grated
salt and black pepper

1. Place the lentils, stock and bay leaf in a pan. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are just tender. Drain well and keep warm.
2. Heat 10ml/2 tsp of the oil in a large, non-stick pan, add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, mushrooms, chickpeas, fresh and canned tomatoes, tomato puree, basil and 45ml/3 tbsp water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the slices in batches for 3-4 minutes, turning once.
4. Season the lentil mixture. Layer the aubergines and lentils in an ovenproof dish, starting with aubergines and finishing with the lentil mixture.
5. Beat together the yoghurt, eggs and sale and pepper, and pour the mixture into the dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Related posts:

1. Quorn chilli cheese pie The Blue Anchor in Ruckinge does fantastic food and last...
2. Spicy bean lasagne When my running’s going well and I’m feeling fit and...
3. Kohlrabi gratin with buttery crust As I was going to be out all day on...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

When my running’s going well and I’m feeling fit and healthy, that’s when I usually reach for Anita Bean’s Food for Fitness book that has a load of delicious, healthy recipes (not all vegetarian but plenty that are) that are quick and easy to make. Tonight’s was no exception.

Spicy bean lasagne (serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp each of cumin and ground coriander
2 tins (2 x 420g) borlotti beans (or other variety [I used black eye beans]), drained
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
12 sheets lasagne (I actually only used 6)
350g (12 oz) cottage cheese (I used cheddar)
40g (1 1/2 oz) reduced fat mozzarella, grated

1. For the spicy beans, heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions and spices for 5 minutes
2. Add the beans and tomatoes, bring to the boil and cook for a few more minutes
3. Spray a baking dish with oil spray or coat lightly with a little oil
4. Place 3 sheets of lasagne in the bottom of the dish and cover with one quarter of the cottage cheese. Repeat the layers, finishing with the beans and cottage cheese
5. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and bake at 180C/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes

Related posts:

1. The Boxing Clever Cookbook A new cookbook, yay! I’d had my eye on The...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.