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

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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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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.

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The Meat Eater was very successful at growing chillies this year and ended up with a greenhouse full of them. Which is a good thing as I love chillies but what to do with so many?

Chilli jam, that’s what.

Chilli jam sounds weird. And that’s because it is weird. It’s not jam like you’d have on your toast (although I have been having it on ricecakes with my soup for lunch); apparently you have it with cold meat (or, in my case, fake meat) or cheese or add it to soups or stews or chillies or, well, anything really. It has a very thick jelly-like texture and isn’t burning hot but makes your throat warm and your lips tingle.

Go make it. I made it from Nigella’s recipe.

In the pan, bubbling away (or, a rollicking boil, as Nigella puts it).

Close up bubbles.

Cooling down.

All jarred up (the recipe makes four jars, I halved the ingredients to make two).

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After all the interest in my giveaway of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (see blog post below: hello all you freeloaders from the Money Saving Expert forums), I thought I’d make something out of it and having all the ingredients for the peanut butter blondies in the cupboard negated any need to go to the supermarket. Result.

These are very easy to make but as I’ve never had a blondie before, I’m not sure if they came out properly. They’re very soft and sweet and sugary; almost too sugary, but this is probably because I didn’t have enough brown sugar and so topped it up with white sugar.

Peanut butter blondies

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Lightly grease a metal 8 x 8 inch baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together peanut butter, oil and sugar. Stir in the non-dairy milk and vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder. Once you get the flour somewhat mixed in, it’s easier to just use your hands to knead the dough until soft. It will be very very thick and won’t spread on its own. Transfer dough to the baking pan and press it into place. Sprinkle on the peanuts and lightly press them into the top.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes; the blondie edges should be just barely darkened. The top will appear soft, and that’s okay. Remove the blondies from the oven and cool completely before slicing. 

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I love mushrooms. I don’t very often make stuffed mushrooms because a) I think it’s going to be a bit of a faff and I try to make my life pretty much as faffless as I can; and b) I’m never sure what to serve them with and although I’d be happy to have them on their own, The Meat Eater would probably look at his plate and ask where the potatoes are.

But, while going through the Easy Vegan cookbook, I came across this recipe for baked stuffed mushrooms and thought I’d give them a go. I didn’t quite stick to the recipe as I didn’t read the recipe properly and have a spare mushroom for stuffing with and I didn’t use any celery as I’m not a huge fan of it. Also, I used a red chili (fresh from the greenhouse) and used white breadcrumbs (fresh from the packet of Kingsmill white sliced from the freezer).

And in case you’re wondering if The Meat Eater was left asking where the potatoes were, don’t worry. I served them with mashed potato and baked beans.

Well nice.

Baked stuffed mushrooms (serves 4)

5 very large portabello mushrooms or 10 large cremini/chestnut mushrooms
2-4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 rib/stick celery, finely chopped
1-2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh green chili, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup/50g fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons freshly snipped chives plus extra to garnish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4

Select 4 portobello mushrooms or 8 cremini mushrooms for stuffing. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Put the caps stem-side up in an ovenproof dish. Finely chop the remaining mushrooms and all the stalks. Heat a non-stick skillet/frying pan and add 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the chopped mushrooms, celery, garlic, and chili and saute, stirring frequently, until soft. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs, tomato, and chives to the bowl, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well, adding a little oil to moisten, if necessary. Fill the mushrooms with the breadcrumb mixture. Pour about 4 tablespoons of water into the dish, then cook in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the topping is crisp. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Credits:
Baked stuffed mushrooms
Recipe by Rachael Anne Hill, Easy Vegan, Ryland Peters & Small

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Last week I was ill. Not very ill, but ill enough that I wouldn’t have gone to work, had I a job to go to in the first place.

So, because I was ill, I should have been eating healthy meals but because I was ill, I couldn’t be bothered to make any and so I lived on a diet of crumpets and packaged food. Why wasn’t The Meat Eater looking after me and making me healthy meals, you may ask? I also asked him the same question.

Bah.

What I should have had is this bean and vegetable soup. It’s one of those soups that make you feel healthy just by looking at it as it’s crammed full of, um, beans and vegetables.

It’s taken from The Vegetarian Student Cookbook which contains loads of quick and cheap recipes, more of which I’ll be testing and posting soon.

Bean and vegetable soup (serves 6)

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1.2 litres vegetable stock
2 carrots, diced
150g mushrooms, chopped
2 courgettes, diced
700ml passata
400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
150g green cabbage, shredded
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
salt and black pepper

In a large saucepan, soften the onion and garlic in 4 tablespoons of the stock for 5 minutes, with the lid on. Stir in the carrots, mushrooms and courgettes, season and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the passata and the remaining stock and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Mix in the beans and cabbage, re-cover the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and stir in the basil just before serving.

Credits:
Bean and vegetable soup
Recipe by Tamsin Burnett-Hall, The Vegetarian Student Cookbook, Ryland Peters & Small

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I don’t make a lot of bars or cakes or flapjacks or things like that, but as I was flicking through my new Easy Vegan cookbook, I came across these peanut butter bars and thought I’d give them a go. The book doesn’t contain any nutritional advice, but I would imagine although they’re probably quite high calories, they’d also be good for pre- and post-exercise, with the oats giving slow release energy and the peanuts being good for recovery. In other words, forget the calories and enjoy!

These were incredibly quick and easy to make and as I had all the ingredients except the golden syrup in the cupboard, sort of free. Result.

Peanut butter bars (makes 8 bars)

4 tablespoons organic crunchy peanut butter
4 tablespoons light corn syrup or golden syrup
1 1/2 cups/100g whole rolled oats
1/2 cup/50g golden raisins/sultanas
1 tablespoon whole-wheat/wholemeal flour, preferably stoneground

A non-stick cake pan/tin 6×9 inches/23 x 15 cm

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5

Put the peanut butter and corn syrup in a saucepan and heat very gently until melted, about 3 minutes. Add the oats, golden raisins/sultanas, and flour and stir well until thoroughly mixed and the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan/tin and press in with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes (the original recipe says 15 but our oven does them quickly, so keep an eye on them). Score into bars or squares with a knife while still warm, then allow to cool before cutting through and removing the bars from the pan/tin. Once cool, the bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Credits:
Peanut butter bars
Recipe by Rachael Anne Hill, Easy Vegan, Ryland Peters & Small

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Vegan Planet is a cookbook I’ve had for years but only made one recipe from; a recipe I didn’t really like but after recently reading good reviews about it on amazon, I thought I’d give it another go.  Rather than risk giving The Meat Eater something that would downgrade me from domestic goddess to domestic idiot, I thought I’d better experiment on myself first.

So, this week’s lunch for me is miso soup with tofu and spinach which sounds disgustingly healthy and as I was making it, I was a little worried that it would taste disgustingly healthy, with ‘disgustingly’ being the operative word and it certainly was one of those soups where you could feel healthiness coursing through your veins but it tasted very nice.

There is tofu in there somewhere, honest.

Miso soup with tofu and baby spinach (serves 4)

6 cups water
1 ½ cups baby spinach leaves, cut into thin strips
½ cup thinly sliced white mushrooms (I didn’t have any mushrooms, so poured in some mushroom ketchup instead)
3 tablespoons minced scallions (that’s spring onions to us English people)
1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce
¹⁄₃ cup mellow white miso paste (I only had brown miso, so used that)
4oz extra-firm silken tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch dice (I used normal tofu; the stuff that comes in a box; isn’t silken tofu that runny stuff that comes in a carton?)

1. Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the spinach, mushrooms, scallions, and tamari.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables soften, 3 to 6 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low.
2. Place about 1/4 cup of the hot soup mixture in a small bowl and add the miso, blending well.  Stir the mixture back into the soup, add the tofu, and simmer for 2 minutes, being careful not to boil.  Taste, adjust the seasonings, and serve hot.

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A cookbook I haven’t used for a while is Vegetarian Express by Rose Elliot so I had a flick through it yesterday looking for inspiration for this week’s soup and came across a recipe for spinach and potato soup.

It was very nice.

And very green.

Ingredients
(serves 5)
1 small onion, chopped
400g spinach
400g potatoes, diced
1400ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
Ground nutmeg
salt and pepper

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil for about 5 minutes
2. Add the potato and cook for about 5 minutes
3. Add the spinach and press down, stirring occasionally until it softens and wilts, about 5 minutes
4. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the potato is tender
5. Remove from heat, add nutmeg, salt & pepper and blend

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