I saw this recipe in the May 2011 issue of Vegetarian Living, then while I was looking to see if it was on their website, I saw the exact same recipe on Runner’s World, who credited www.wholegraingoodness.com. I asked Vegetarian Living on their Facebook page whose recipe it was, so I could credit the right people, and they said that it was www.allaboutoats.com’s recipe and they had given Vegetarian Living permission to use it. You can see the recipe here.

It may be a bit confusing as to whose recipe it is, but don’t worry about that, just go and make it as it’s very nice (and very healthy, too).

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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

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Another one from my new favourite site – BBC Good Food – and tonight’s recipe didn’t disappoint, especially as it had the addition of a home grown aubergine fresh from the greenhouse (only one grew unfortunately but I’m going down the quality over quantity route).

I especially like this recipe as it’s a proper vegetarian recipe and lists parmesan-style cheese in the ingredients (and you know how much I hate recipes that say they’re vegetarian and then have parmesan in the ingredients).

I won’t list all the ingredients here as you can look at it on the BBC Good Food website and print it off properly or store it in a binder and stuff, but I will post you a pretty picture (they have a pretty picture too and looking at it now is reminding me I forgot to add the basil.  Oops.)

Tomato & chickpea bake

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The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook

Another one from a cookbook I haven’t used for years – The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook.  The beans will counteract any unhealthyness in the vegetarian parmesan-style cheese (which I get in a block from Sainsburys, much nicer than the tasteless stuff in a pot), won’t it?  This went down so well with The Meat Eater that he went back for seconds.  Or it might have just been that I didn’t give him enough in the first place.

It says to use dried borlotti beans and soak them overnight, rinse, drain and simmer for 1.5 hours but that sounded like too much faff for me so I used a tin, also I didn’t sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes (I never do the salting of aubergine thing).  If you are going to do all this, you’d better take a day off work, as the sauce needs to simmer for40 minutes and it needs to bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, so it’s not a meal that can be rustled up quickly.

Borlotti bean moussaka

Borlotti bean moussaka (serves 6)
Preparation time: 45 minutes + overnight soaking
Total cooking time 2¼ – 2½ hours

Ingredients
250 g (8oz) dried borlotti beans
2 large aubergines, sliced
one-third cup (80 ml/2¾ fl oz) olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
125 g (4 oz) button mushrooms, sliced
2 x 440 g (14 oz) cans peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Topping
1 cup (250 g/8 oz) natural yoghurt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (500 ml/16 fl oz) milk
¼ teaspoon ground paprika
½ cup (50 g/1 & two-thirds oz) freshly grated vegetarian parmesan cheese
½ cup (40 g/1 & one-third oz) fresh breadcrumbs

1. Soak the borlotti beans in cold water overnight; rinse and drain well
2. Place the borlotti beans into a large heavy-based pan, cover with water and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours or until tender; drain
3. Meanwhile, sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.  Rinse and pat dry.  Brush the aubergine slices with a little of the oil and cook under a preheated grill for 3 minutes on each side or until golden.  Drain on paper towels
4. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200C (400F/Gas 6).  Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy-based pan; add the garlic and onion and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the onion is golden.  Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes or until browned.  Stir in the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste and oregano; bring to the boil; reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened
5. To assemble moussaka:  Spoon theborlotti beans into a large, ovenproof dish, top with tomato sauce and eggplant slices
6. To make topping:  Place the yoghurt, eggs, milk and paprika into a jug and whisk to combine.  Pour over the aubergine and set aside for 10 minutes.  Combine the vegetarian parmesan and breadcrumbs in a bowl.  Sprinkle over the moussaka.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the moussaka is heated through and top is golden.

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As much as I love cheese, after last week’s cheese-covered meals, I go through my cookbooks looking for an appetising cheese-less recipe and I pick up The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook that I haven’t used for years and I see this recipe and think ok, that looks healthy, it’s got beans in it and it even tells you not to peel the potatoes which appeals to a lazy slob like me and so I give it a go and here it is without its potato hat

Hotpot waiting for its potato hat

and here it is covered in potato, not cheese

Covering food in potato - not cheese - for a change

and after it’d been cooked and plated

Ready to eat

and it was delicious and easily veganised by swapping butter for vegan margarine.

Sweet and sour mixed bean hot-pot (serves 6)
Ingredients
450 g/1 lb unpeeled potatoes
15 ml/1 tbsp olive oil
40 g/1½ oz / 3 tbsp butter
40 g/1½ oz plain wholemeal flour
300 ml/½ pint passata
150 ml/¼ pink unsweetened apple juice
60 ml/4 tbsp each light soft brown sugar, tomato ketchup, dry sherry, cider vinegar and light soy sauce
400 g/14 oz can butter beans
400 g/14 oz can flageolet beans
400 g/14 oz can chick peas
175 g/6 oz green beans, chopped and blanched
225 g/8 oz shallots, sliced and blanched
225 g/8 oz mushrooms, sliced
15 ml/1 tbsp each chopped fresh thyme and marjoram
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sprigs of fresh herbs, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.  Thinly slice the potatoes and par-boil them for 4 minutes.  Drain the potatoes thoroughly, toss them in the oil so they are lightly coated all over and set aside.
2. Place the butter, flour, passata, apple juice, sugar, tomato ketchup, sherry, vinegar and soy sauce in a saucepan.  Heat gently, whisking continuously, until the sauce comes to the boil and thickens.  Simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring.
3. Rinse and drain the beans and chickpeas and add to the sauce with all the remaining ingredients, except the herb garnish.  Mix well.
4. Spoon the bean mixture into a casserole.
5. Arrange the potato slices over the top, overlapping them slightly and completely covering the bean mixture.
6. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until the potaotes are cooked and tender.  Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of the cooking time, to lighly brown the potatoes.  Serve garnished with fresh herb sprigs.

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