Creamy Vegan Veggie Soup

Substituting the parmesan for garlic, the butter for oil, and coconut- and or unsweetened almond milk (or soy) makes this a vegan version of Cathleen's deliciously creamy vegetarian soup!

Usually, I grow tired of having the same dish three days in a row (unless...perhaps...it's cake), but this... This worked really well at any occasion. I even had some for breakfast one of the days!

Creamy Vegan Veggie Soup
(Serves 3)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small (red) onion, chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
150g broccoli, cut into florets
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
100g frozen peas
Chopped mushrooms (optional, I had some leftover)
1L vegetable stock (I used 2 stock cubes)
2-3 cups almond/light coconut/soy milk
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt

- Start by heating up oil in a large casserole and soften the onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes.

- Toss in vegetables and stir lightly for a minute, before pouring in the stock, the milk and the spices. Turn heat down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

- Season to taste and serve with some good crusty bread, or just enjoy a cup-a-homemade-soup at your leisure!

The last couple of days, sadly I have been poorly again and so it has been very quiet here and not a lot of cooking involved. For Robert Burns' night last night though, of course I rattled up some traditional (but vegetarian) haggis, neeps and tatties! Gotta make sure to celebrate the few special days of the year, right? Not to mention that it is absolutely deeeelicious! I hope you have had a good week so far *smiles*


Original recipe:
http://www.atasteofmadness.com/2015/02/30-minute-creamy-vegetable-soup.html


- Jules

Honey & Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

This might be one of the best toast topping or side to accompany antyhing this Winter! Maybe as tapas? The tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, garlic is super good for you, and honey is anti flammatory. Now how about THAT?

I made this one of the days when I was packed with pharyngitis, and just needed to make the most out of a little. I used a little extra oil then in the original recipe, as well as honey, cause I was afraid it wouldn't stretch!

Honey & Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
(Serves 3)

500g cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 1/2 tbsp runny honey (syrup for vegan)
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
Salt and black pepper

- Start by pre-heating the oven to 190C.

- Now, pour 2 tbsp oil into a baking dish and make sure it is spread all over the base.

- Halve the tomatoes and place them cut side up.

- Mix the remaining oil, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Spread over the tomatoes, and then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes until tender and juicy.

- Serve on fancy bruscetta, or as an accompaniment!

Original source:
Veg Everyday, p. 343

- Jules

Curried Bubble & Squeak

Bubble and Squeak, something I had never tried until this! I had some cabbage that needed used and when I came across this curried version of it, it sounded great! In season, healthy and exciting flavours.
I didn't have normal curry powder, so I used a korma mix - just use whatever you have at hand and I am sure it will go down a treat!

Curried Bubble & Squeak
(Serves 2)

2 tbsp neutral oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder or paste (I used Korma)
1 large potato (or 400g smaller ones), small dice
200g cabbage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 handfuls toasted cashews or other nuts (for vegan) or a poached egg to serve

- Start by boiling up water and have in a medium pan along with the potato and cabbage. Cook for about 10 minutes.

- In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and soften the onion for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the curry powder.

- Once the potatoes and cabbage is ready, drain off most of the excess water. Tip into the pan,and stir until everything is combined. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes and make sure the potatoes are cooked through.

- Serve either generously topped with toasted and lightly salted cashews, or with a poached egg!

Today, I was working and in the afternoon my colleague pointed out the window - it was snowing! So the snow has finally arrived Glasgow... I must admit I chucked a few snowballs on my way home after the shift... I mean, how could one possibly resist?! Tonight, I have been gymming, cooking, reading some Sherlock Holmes short stories, and now it's feet-up time, think I will watch a movie. I hope you are having a fantasmic weekend!


Original source:
Veg Everyday, p. 228

- Jules

Oska's Fennel & Squash Lasagne

Usually, I have people bringing food as well as making a dish myself when I have parties - food brings people together you know? And it makes the morning after a whole lot easier when you're not up all night dancing - eating is not cheating!

This once, my friend brought this amazing vegetarian lasagne, and the flavours were fantastic! Wanna know how the recipe goes? Keep readin'.

Oska's Fennel & Squash Lasagne
(Serves 4-6)

PS the one Oska made looked waaaaay better, but it was gone before I could take a snap!

For the filling:
500g squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
2 fennel bulbs, the hard outer layer removed, the rest sliced
150g goats cheese, crumbled
20g parmesan

For the sauce:
1 litre milk (I used almond plus 1 tbsp vegetable stockto make it savoury)
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk,finely chopped
1 tsp peppercorns
30g unsalted butter
30g plain flour (I used cornflour)
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Lasagne sheets or more courgettes sliced lengthways to separate the layers

Side salad to serve

- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

- For the bechamel sauce, heat the milk with the bay leaf in a casserole, add the celery, onion and peppercorns and heat through until right before it starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.

- Toss the squash with2 tbsp oil in a roasting dish, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for half an hour until softened, then toss immediately with the garlic and thyme, and set aside.

- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and soften the fennel for about 5 minutes, and set aside. Guess what? It is composition time!

- Gently re-heat the sauce and straing through a colander. Heat up the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the (corn)flour until you have a smooth rue, then add to the sauce and cook until it thickens, stirring constantly so it remains smooth. Stir in mustard season to taste and set aside.

- Spread a third of the sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Layer half of the lasagne sheets over, and then roast squash on top of that, another layer of sauce, then lasagne sheets followed by fennel. Scatter the crumbled goats cheese on top, and spoon over any remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese and a trickleof oil.

- Bake for about 30 minutes (or longer if needed) until golden. Serve with peas and a green salad.

Now how is that for a lasagne? Thank you so much for the recipe Oska!

What is your favourite vegetarian lasagne?


- Jules

Soba Noodles with Aubergine & Mango

Hello! And happy new years to those of you who celebrated it!

I hope you had a good one and that 2016 has treated you well so far. I on my part have had a bit of a turbulent start, but I know that it will have a whole lot of good things in stock as well! I have managed to fit in attending a gig (Ben Caplan & the Casual Smokers - they are magic! and a little crazy), as well as having gone to the first Loud Poets Slam in Glasgow! They are a spoken word group from Edinburgh, and I got to catch up with a friend I had not seen in two years!

If anything, I will keep nourishing my sociable side, I find it quite important so as to not forget who you are, as it can get a little hectic and tiresome when you work full time.

New years resolution - go to more gigs! (along with more local travelling, walks in the mountains, saving money, and getting back on track with exercising, the cold I had, and still kind of have is still lingering, and I really took a blow when it hit me!)

Anywhoooo, enough about me, let's talk food! I rattled this up tonight after I had been to work and the gym! I was snacking on other things in the mean time, cause I get borderline hangry when food is not ready and I have been running.... Y'know the feeling, I'm sure.

This lovely little noodle salad is freshly garnished with exotic mango, and you know what? It goes darn well with the rest of the ingredients!

This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty", which my cousin gave me for christmas last year. I have only started diving into it, and so far all the recipes are fantastic!

Soba Noodles with Aubergine & Mango
(Serves 2)

For the sauce:
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar or agave syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
1/3 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp oil
1 large aubergine, diced
Large white or green beans (optional, I had some that needed used up!)

120g uncooked soba noodles (I used capellini, as that what was lived in my cupboard)

Garnish:
Mango, diced or sliced
Red onion, finely chopped
Fresh basil and coriander leaves, chopped

- Start by making the sauce in a small bowl, still well to combine and set aside.

- Heat oil in a large casserole and chuck the diced aubergine in along with a shuggle of salt. Stir every few minutes, for about 10-15 minutes until the aubergine is golden and soft. Stir through the beans if you're using them, and heat up. Turn off the heat and set aside.

- Whilst the aubergine is doing it's thing, simply cook soba noodles or whatever you are using for your base as instructed. If you are serving the salad warm, simply drain, and add in with the aubergine immediately, swirling through the sauce and topping with garnish. If not, allow for the noodles and aubergine to cool before combining, then pour over the sauce and garnish when you serve it.

I served this warm the first time, and it worked a treat! Tomorrow I will enjoy it as a cold noodle salad, makes no difference at all! One of the things I love about this recipe!


Original source:
Plenty, p. 112

- Jules