Easy Peasy Enchiladas

Guys, guys!

Right, so I have made this for the second time in a couple of weeks now - because I actually craved it so bad! As I have mentioned before, I am not a fan of eating the same all the time, and I try new recipes constantly! So it's a good sign when I want to make it again, and again...and again!

The only enchiladas I have ever made before was one of those kits you buy in a shop, and buy a few ingredients and throw together, but this is so easy to make - not to mention cheap! You wont miss the cheese, even I was surprised by that!

Easy Peasy Enchiladas
(Serves 2-3, or 5 as lunch served with a side salad)

This doesn't photograph well, but it tastes amazing! Like most comfort food, heh!

Ingredients

For the sauce:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp plain flour
2-3 cups boiling water
1 small can passata (about 80ml)
1 tsp hot sauce (I mixed normal hot sauce and sriracha, yum!)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt

For the filling:
400g can black beans, drain and rinsed
400g corn, drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, mashed
Handful coriander, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Small tortillas (both times for my oven proof dish, it's fit five filled tortillas)

- Start by making the sauce: Boil the water and set aside. In a medium pan, heat up the oil and stir in the flour, make sure it doesn't go lumpy. Now, stir continously as you pour in two cups of water. Make sure you have an smooth mixture, and tip in the passata, spices and hot sauce. Once thickened, take it off the heat and set aside.

- Pre-heat oven to 160-180C.

- Prepare all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and stir well to combine.

- Take an ovenproof dish, and oil a little. Now fill the tortillas with 1 1/2-2 tbsp of the filling and roll up. Place with the edge underneath in the dish so it doesn't come undone. Repeat with remaining tortillas and pour over the sauce evenly.

- Place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes until cooked through, and it's time to tuck in!

Original recipe here.

I hope you have had a nice weekend! Mine has been super busy and sociable! I went to a hen-night last night, and today I kept my sister company as she was looking after two dogs. We went to the park and plop! Into the mud jumped two rebellious dogs! It was quite the site and I got covered in mud! But they were too cute to get angry with...
Last Friday I got my cover-up tattoo worked on a bit, and it is looking sa-weeeeet! Can't wait to get it finished, but I am a sissy and gotta book two hours at a time...

Anyway, I hope you have a crackin' start to a new week tomorrow! And if you try this recipe out, please let me know how you got on!

xox J

Zingy Pasta Salad

Hi and good Sunday!

I hope you have had a lovely weekend! I have taken it a little easier after going to the TRNSMT festival last weekend (I got to see Miles Kane, Sigrid, Nothing but Thieves and ARCTIC MONKEYS! So that was pretty cool :D ). This weekend I have chilled to the max, read. Yesterday my sister Camilla and I went for a long walk, fed the swanlings - the swan couple had FIVE little ones this year, they are the cutest! - and then ordered a large pizza each, becaaaaause it was cheaper than a small pizza, which justifies everything.... Then we watched a couple of chick flicks and generally just had a lovely night!

Today I'm seeing a friend later, but for lunch today, I rattled up this little number! It is suuuper zingy, but has a lovely Asian fusion flavours, and you can serve it with warm or cold pasta depending.

Zingy Pasta Salad
(Serves 2 people)

Ingredients
150g farfalle pasta, uncooked
100g spinach, torn
1 large handful coriander, finely chopped
2 handfuls dried cranberries
1 small can tangerines, drained
1 handful pine nuts

For the dressing
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of brown sugar

- Start by cooking the pasta, the butterfly pasta should take approximately 12 minutes, ten for al dente.

- In the mean time, place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid and give it a shake. Put aside.

- Prepare the spinach and have it in a medium salad bowl, followed by the coriander, cranberries and tangerines. Toast the pine nuts until nice and golden and fragrant. Stir in the pine nuts, and pasta and stir well to combine and drizzle over the dressing! Serve immediately or leave in fridge to cool until serving!

To make this gluten free, you can easily replace the pasta with cooked, fluffy rice.

xox J

Burrito Salad

Degrees are still way up in the 20Cs, and what better than rattling up a salad - especially burrito style!

Burrito Salad
(Serves 3-4)

140g cooked rice
400g can black beans, rinsed
200g can sweetcorn, rinsed
2 large tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 baby gem lettuce, finely chopped
30g fresh coriander, finely chopped

For the dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 green chilli (or a splash or sriracha sauce)
1 tbsp olive oil
150ml unsweetened plant based milk (I used oat milk)
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste

- Start by cooking the rice, and leave it to cool whilst cutting the vegetables. Once cooled, fold it all into the rice and stir well.

- For the dressing, simply have it all in a small blender, and blend until smooth. Pour over generously and stir to combine.

There is so much dressing in this salad and it tastes divine! So you could easily serve some garlic bread with it for mopping, scrumptious!

This is what I call a proper dinner for a hot sunny day, or as a healthy lunch, I had it as both to be honest, and it wont be the last time - already craving it!

Original recipe by the Bosh! plant based cook book, I swear I am going through every single recipe in that book! I hope you don't mind, hehe!

xox J

Middle Eastern Pizza

It's Summer, you're feeling a little lazy, but you wany pizza so bad - and you want to be healthy at the same time: contradiction central, however I miiiiight have a recipe that will tick a few of those boxes.

We're talking pizza, but with a home made wholemeal dough, you gotta put some elbow grease into it, but then you can relax with a refreshing drink whilst the dough is rising. And the combo of these veggie toppings work SO well together - I promise you!

As far as additional toppings, you can use homemade vegan pesto, hummus, vegan-style mozzarella.... But personally, I loved this just on it's own!

Middle Eastern Pizza
(Serves 2 hungry people, or 4 with a side salad if you want to be good!)

Ingredients
For the dough:
500g strong wholemeal bread flour
1 sachet dry fast-action yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
340ml water at 37C (if you drip a drop of it on your wrist, you shouldn't be able to feel it - that's what they taught us in primary and secondary school in home ec! :D)

For the sauce (This is SO tasty by the way!):
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
Small handful fresh basil, roughly torn
1 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
200g tinned tomatoes (or about 2-3 fresh ones, chopped)
1 tsp red wine vinegar (you can also use white wine vinegar, or cider vinegar)

Toppings:
50g artichokes in oil, finely chopped
1 roasted red pepper from a jar, or a handful of those tiny peppers for a bit of a kick, finely chopped
6 mini plum tomatoes, finely chopped
6 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely sliced

-Start by making the dough: have the flour in a large baking bowl, add the yeast and the salt and stir well to combine. Make a well in the middle and pour in the lukewarm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together - then flour your work surface and tip the dough onto it. Knead it for about 10-15 minutes until beautifully elastic. Oil the baking bowl, put the dough in, cover with cling film and leave it to rise for an hour.

- In the meantime, make the sauce; put all the ingredients in a little mixer and blitz until smooth, set aside for assembly.

- Once the dough has doubled in size, knead for a further minute, divide into two, and wrap in clingfilm, leave to rise for a second time for 15-30 minutes (it's worth it!). Now chop your vegetables whilst you wait. I placed all of mine in a bowl and stirred so it was ready to be evenly drizzled over the dough as soon as it was ready!

- Pre-heat the oven to 250C, rolle each piece of dough out into a thin pizza base, pour over the sauce evenly out all the way out to the edges, drizzle with vegetables (and vegan mozzarella - if using) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

- Once it's done, top with your favourite topping or enjoy on its own!

I hope you love it as much as Kev and I did! I had a couple of slices with me for lunch the next day, and it was delicious, mmmm....

I hope you are having a good week so far! Here in Glasgow the weather's heating up again and I am just getting better after having a ridonculous Summer cold, but I was back at badminton last night - which was awesome!

xoxo
J

Original recipe from Bosh! Plant based cook book

Scrummy Aubergine Burgers

Hi all!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend so far! It seems forever since my last post, but life has been a little busy as of late! Today my dad is coming to visit, so that'll be awesome! I'm gonna bake some bread later on, as I am sure he will be famished after the journey....

But now - Let's talk burgers!

Normally I am not a fan of aubergine, but when cooked until soft, smokey and lush: I'm all for it!

Scrummy Aubergine Burgers
(Makes six smaller or four big burgers)

Ingredients
100g bulghur wheat, dry
250ml water
1 vegan stock cube
400g aubergine, cut into dice
2 tbsp oil (such as sunflower, where there is no prominent flavour)
60g walnuts
40g fresh spinach, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 more vegan stock cube
1 small tsp cinnamon
100g quick-oats

To serve: buns, or pitta, lettuce or spinach leaves, salsa, or ketchup and vegan mayonnaise, etc! So much to choose from :D

- Start by cooking the bulghur wheat in the 250 ml water along with 1 stock cube.

- In the meantime, pre-heat the oven at 225C, and tip the chopped aubergine on a baking tray, drizzle with the oil and bake for about 30 minutes, at the halfway point, turn the pieces over.

- Dry-toast the walnuts lightly until aromatic, this shouldn't take more than a minute or two, then chop them roughly and set aside.

- Now, mix the cooked bulghur, aubergine, walnuts and spinach in a large bowl. Use a stick blender and blend until you have a rough mixture, then stir in the remaining stock, lemon, cinnamon, and oats - plus a little salt and pepper.

- Fry them in a little oil, until crisp and serve up with your favourite accompaniments!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! Have a fantasmical Sunday!

xox J


Original recipe from Kjøttfrie burgere <3

Breakfast Tofu Scramble

Hi!

Guess who's back from the land of Norway!

I have even been back to work this week, hence a rather late return to the blog world...

I still cannot believe the weather we've had. All ten days in Norway were super sunny and warm, and then I come back to a week of much the same here in bonnie Glasgow!

But let's get to the good stuff shall we? I'm talking about tofu scramble of course :D

Breakfast Tofu Scramble
(Serves 2-3 people)

(Here served with sweet chilli sauce)

Ingredients
For the sauce:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
A good pinch of chilli powder (or a splash of hot sauce)
1/4 cup of water

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 block of tofu, pressed dry
1 cup of spinach, roughly torn
A knob of vegan butter spread

To serve:
Toasted potato waffles
Vegan mayonnaise
Mild salsa

- Start by making the sauce: Pour the water into a jar, then add the seasoning - Put the lid on and shake until you have an even sauce. Set aside.


- Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion for about five minutes until glossy, before adding the red pepper. Once softened, crumble in the tofu. Heat through, and add the sauce - stir for about a minute or two, and then tip in the spinach to wilt. Once wilted, add a bit of vegan butter spread and melt into the mixture!

- Serve on toasted potato waffles with a little vegan mayo and salsa, or with some sweet chilli sauce.

And that's about it! I might post a few photos in a bit as well, just so you can see what I have been up to.

What's your favourite ways to prepare and serve tofu?

Have a fantastic Sunday!

xox J

Original recipe here.

Vegan Foul Mudammas

Hi!

I have been missing in action due to working, and seeing friends before going to Norway to visit my family tomorrow! I haven't been since last August, so I am quite excited about seeing everyone again!
I manage to fit in a school reunion, national Norway day, Eurovision and a trip to Oslo! It will be so good *smiles*

So I thought I would post a recipe that I have slightly tweaked, and also this time I got a better photo. This is an Egyptian dish and it simply melts in the mouth! Have it as part of a mezze, or with toasted pitta - you wont be disappointed!

When I spoke to the owners of an Egyptian restaurant here in Glasgow, they said - the secret is lots of garlic and butter! But who says that can't be vegan butter?

Vegan Foul Mudammas
(Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
Pinch of smoked paprika
Dash of salt
4 tbsp tomato puree
50ml water
400g can butter beans
50g vegan spread
Handful fresh coriander, chopped - to garnish

- Start by heating the oil in a frying pan and sautee the onion for about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for a further minute, stirring continuously.

- Now add your spices and stir until fragrant, before tipping in the tomato puree, water and beans. Stir until you have a smooth blend and heat through.

- Finally, add the vegan butter and stir until it is fully incorporated, mash lightly with a masher - you want to see some of the beans in the end! stir in half the coriander. Toast some pita bread and serve with the remaining coriander on top!

I hope you are well, and forever trying new recipes! What has been your favourite recently?


Anyway, I will be checking in again in just over a week's time, until then <3

xox J

Delicious Korean Vegan Mince with Rice

From Italian-style to Korean-style!

Honestly I have already made this twice in less than two weeks, it is the ultimate comfort food and only takes about 20 minutes to make; the same amount of time it takes to cook your rice to perfection.

You might just love it...

Delicious Korean Vegan Mince with Rice
(Serves about 2-3 people)

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil
200 g vegan mince (I used Sainbury's own - it's delicious! You can use this from frozen)
3/4 cup white rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger (fresh or ground)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp pepper flakes (or a quarter of a fresh red chilli, I seem to always have some that needs used up)
Sesame seeds to garnish

- Right, let's go! Start by cooking the rice as instructed on the packaging (I always rinse it three times, and also add a bit of oil and salt to the cooking water).

- Now, in a frying pan, turn the heat up to medium, add the sunflower oil, follower by the vegan mince and the garlic cloves. Cook until defrosted and heated through if using frozen, and make sure the garlic is nice and fragrant. Then add your Spring onions and cook for a few minutes.

- In the mean time, in a bowl - mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, pepper, pepper flakes and ginger and stir well to combine. When your mince mixture is done, pour this sauce over and fry so everything gets coated.

- Serve the mince over a nice bowl of rice and tuck in!

What's not to love? :D

So today I actually had to leave work because I was feeling really light headed and unwell... It might be the whole going back to work and it getting to me physically, but I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow as I have a few things I want to discuss anyway. Wish me luck!

Other than that I am just gonna try and recover as I am hosting a charity bake night for some girls on Saturday and I really need to be on the ball for that - there are so many things I have to make! But I am excited about it...

How about you? Have you had a good week so far? I really hope so!
Also, if you have any more Korean food inspiration, please feel free to share in the comments below!

xox J

Original recipe here.

Creamy Vegan Rosemary Risotto

Risottos never fail - it's creamy and comforting and is SO worth the 40 minutes of stirring. Not to mention that it's inexpensive which is always a bonus, right? People might ask - but parmesan! And butter?! But trust me, you don't need it... true story!

Creamy Vegan Rosemary Risotto
(Serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot (optional), finely chopped
1 litre vegetable stock (I used three cubes of Knorr vegetable stock)
2 tbsp cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar, or 1/2 glass white wine)
1 cup arborio rice (or other risotto rice)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 + 1/2 sprig rosemary, 1 whole and 1/2 finely chopped
Salt and pepper
60g vegan spread,such as Pure

- Start by heating the oil in a large pot, and saute the onion for about five minutes, before adding the garlic cloves - cook for a further couple of minutes.

- Add the carrot, and the rice and stir for a couple of minutes, add another glug of oil if necessary.

- Then add a ladleful of the stock the cider vinegar, garlic and onion, add the full sprig of rosemary. Keep stirring and feeding the risotto more stock as it gets drier - once you feel it is close to done (about 35 minutes in, but taste to check earlier), take out the rosemary sprig, and add the chopped rosemary, add the last ladleful of stock and the vegan spread to fluff it up! Season to taste with salt and pepper.

And there you have it! Delicious, simple food, that just asks for a little bit of attention!

What is your favourite type of risotto? Mine varies depending on the day, and it depends what types of vegetables I have or crave, but usually I always use a lot of garlic - because yum!

How has your week been?
I have been working, and managed to fit in two badminton sessions! Yesterday I'm being an adult and waiting for a new washing machine being installed, but come Friday - I have a girls' night with a good friend of mine, and the rest of the week I'll improvise!

Vegan Herby Breadsticks with Tomato Sauce

Hello all and happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by! Today I thought I would share with you a nifty way of making garlic bread. After I made it I realised that it would have been better to put the herbs IN the dough along with garlic that youæd just fry off... So I will write that down in the recipe - because the garlic that I scattered on top burnt a little in the oven - still tasty, but I'd rather you learn from my mistakes than having the same thing happening *smiles*

Vegan Herby Breadsticks with Tomato Sauce
(Makes about 6)

Garlic Herb Mix:
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp olive oil

For the dough:
1 sachet dried active yeast
1 1/4 cup luke warm water (when you apply a drop to your skin, you shouldn't feel it)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups spelt flour (I used 1 cup plain and 2 cups spelt)

Oil for brushing
1 jar of good tomato sauce (like a roasted red pepper and tomato pasta sauce, or you can make one from scratch!)

- Start by heating 1 tbsp oil in a small frying pan, and fry off the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Take off the heat and stir in the herbs - set aside.

- Now, mix your luke warm water with the brown sugar and the yeast. Stir until the lumps have smoothened out, and leave to sit for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to form bubbles on the surface; this is the yeast doing it's thing!

- Tip in the flour, the salt and the oil, and stir to combine. Knead well for about five minutes, before swirl through the garlic and herbs. Shape into 6 even small breads, and cover with a clean kitchen towel for 50 minutes to allow the breads to rise.

- Pre-heat the oven to 200C, brush the loaves with oil and place them in the middle of the oven to bake for about 20 minutes.

- Heat your sauce through 5 minutes before the breads are done. And once out the oven, you can brush them with butter and sprinkle of garlic powder - if you want!

And that's it! The easies lil' loaves I have made in a while, and this was awesome to have right before a badminton session, I carbed up like a pro!

Today, I have taken it easy - run a few errands in this part of Glasgow, bought some prizes for a charity bake off I'm hosting for some friends next month, and met up with a friends for a little bit. Then came home, made dinner and chilled out! Hopefully I'll get a wee heads up for when I start working. Tomorrow Alphonse and I are going to the vets for his annual vaccination.
What have you been up to so far this week?


xox J

Save the Fish Cakes!

Heya everyone!

I hope you are having a great day/morning/evening!

My sister and I just got home from Katherine Ryan's show Glitter Room, and dayum girl can she make you laugh! We had such a
good time *smiles*

So, anyway... Yesterday I tried this recipe from a Norwegian vegan burger book "Kjøttfrie Burgere" (meatfree burgers)...
Before I had finished my dinner I shared it on Instagram, cause I was just that blown away by it! I made up my own
sides, and it turns out adding half a can of butterbeans to your mash makes ALL the difference! Are you ready? You sure?
Brace yourself!

Save the Fish Cakes!
(Serves 2 hungry people)

Ingredients

125g firm tofu, crumbled
Half of 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed (save the rest for the mash!)
4g seaweed, soaked in cold water, squeezed and chopped into small bits
20g chickpea flower (I used 2tbsp linseeds and 4tbsp water to make linseed egg instead of chickpea flower, and upped the oats to 50g)
30g oats
2 vegetable stock cubes
1tbsp onion powder
1/2tsp nutmeg
50g bamboo shots, cut into small pieces
Salt and pepper

For the mash
2 baking potatoes cut into small dice
2-3 tbsp vegan spread (I use Pure)
1/2 can butterbeans
Salt to taste

For the peas
1 cup peas (I used frozen)
2 tbsp neutral oil, like sunflower oil
1 garlic clove
A good pinch of salt

Soy sauce to serve

- Start by dicing your potatoes and boil until soft in some salted water. After ten minutes chuck in half of the can of butterbeans.

- In a bowl, mix all but the seaweed and bamboo and process in a blender or with a stick mixer until you have a coarse mixture. Add the bamboo and seaweed and fold through. With wet hands, shape into small patties (I got 8 patties in total), fry in pan with 1 tbsp oil for a few minutes on each side until golden.

- For the peas, add oil in a small saucepan, followed by a pinch of salt. If you are cooking these from frozen allow them to defrost, before adding the garlic, the saute for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

- Once the potatoes are ready, mash thoroughly, and add the vegan spread and a little bit of salt - mash, mash, mash and just like that; it is ready to plate up!

Serve with soy sauce and enjoy!

I thought these were like a hybrid between sushi and fishcakes, hence the soy sauce. If you want, you can serve the patties with vegetable fried rice, or sushi rice! I just needed comfort... And mash rules... So mash won!

What is your favourite "mock" seafood dish? I reckon these'll definitely become a staple at ours, yum! Otherwise, I have made vegan sushi before as well which turned out pretty darn good!

I hope you are having a fantastic week y'all! The weekend is juuuust around the corner!

Let's just take a moment and appreciate Miss Ryan.... What a lady!

Lot'o'luv

xox Jules

Falafel Dreams

...yes! Because I do not have a count of how many falafels I have eaten in my life!

Kev and I used to joke/point out when we first met, that no matter where our conversation went... I would at least mention falafel once... But it's so tasty! And versatile too, if you make it yourself.

So, after going over to a vegan diet this year (from vegetarian, so not a huge leap), I thought "but how am I going to make my falafels now?" cause I used to add an egg and a few handfuls of oats, but it turns out - if you are gentle - you can make them without!

Vegan Falafel
(Serves about 2-3...but usually just one if you are me...oops)

Ingredients
1 tbsp neutral oil,like sunflower
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Garam Masala
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander (or a handful fresh, finely chopped)
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Pita bread + whatever else you liked! In the picture I served it with hummus and red pepper paste - yum!


- Start by frying the onion for five minutes on medium heat, then add garlic and continue stirring for a few minutes. Add the spices, fry until fragrant (about a minute), then tip in your chickpeas. Heat through, and then turn off the heat. Mash thoroughly until it is sort of grainy and sort of pasty, basically the consistency that gives you the confidence that tells you "Hey! I can shape that!"

- Transfer the mixture into a large bowl. Wash your frying pan, and then start again by having a little oil in the pan. Shape walnut sized balls, and tip into the frying pan. Make sure you have an order so you know which ones to turn when! Fry a few minutes all over, until they are the way you like them! If you want to make them quite firm, you could also bake them.

- Serve on toasted pita with hummus, salad, pepper paste or whatever else you like! That's the beauty of it! :D

What is your favourite falafel recipe? I'd love to give it a go! One can never get to many falafel recipes... That's my motto!

Also, at the end of last year/beginning of this year - Glasgow got it's very own Purrple Cat Cafe! I went there yesterday to say hello to some feline critters... Here are a few of my favourites (Also - great selection of vegan and other cakes, and their coffee is deeeeeeeelicious!)

I think I will leave it with that cuteness fresh in mind! I have also been working towards a less plastic-filled every day and have been doing some DIY home products that I might share with you in the near future - is that something you might like to read about?
Today however, I went to Lush and got me some lovely things - sometimes you are allowed to be a little lazy and leave it to the professionals!

I hope you are having a lovely week so far!

xox J

A Small Feast feat. Hummus, Ful and Goodballs!

Hello and happy Tuesday!

Today I thought I would share with you this little platter of goodies that can be served up in no time at all! I have already got a few hummus recipes,but you can never get enough - especially when Yotam Ottolenghi gives you the how to! The "goodballs" are from a lovely Norwegian woman's cook book, "Kjøttfrie Burgere" - and they worked really well with these other dishes!

Hummus, Ful and Goodballs
(Serves 3-4 as a lunch with some pitta bread)

Let's start with the vegetarian patties:
Ingredients
70g dry soy granules
50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp stock powder (or 1 cube)
1/2 tsp salt
250ml cold water
2 tbspketchup

- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Leave it for 10-15 minutes before crushing with a wooden spoon. Now roll them into small balls, brush with a little oil and bake in the oven at 225C for 15 minutes.

You can also fry them if you prefer, but it'll take roughly the same time.

For the ful
Ingredients
150g tin butter beans
50ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp salt

- Have the beans in a medium saucepan with the oil and fry for 5-10 minutes until the beans are tender, add the garlic and cumin and fry for a further minute. Season with the salt, take off the heat and add the lemon juice, and crush gently with a masher. Keep warm until serving.

For the hummus
Ingredients
400g tin chickpeas, drained
2-3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt to taste
A good splash of boiling water

Smoked paprika to sprinkle on top

- Have all the ingredients apart from the water in a deep dish or a measuring jug, and whizz totally smooth with a stick blender - add the water in order to fluff up the hummus. Sprinkle the hummus with smoked paprika - Et voila! Serve with the other two dishes and some toasted pitta bread - perhaps some mint tea just to take you into that relaxed almost holiday state of mind!

I hope you have a fantastic week so far! It's getting lighter out, which is much needed for me at least. And today it's so beautiful here in Glasgow!
Today I've got an assessment in college... just a small one, but still - wish me luck!

xox J

Festive Cauliflower Patties (Vegisterkaker)

Hello!

I hope your week is going well so far!

When I was a child back home in Norway, I was never really into the Olympics... Then, I sat down the other night when I couldn't sleep and watched some... and guys - the Olympics fanatic in me has awoken! I have been watching quiiiite a lot of it, and the snowboarding especially has been fantastic!

Anyways, I thought I would give you a vegan twist to a Norwegian favourite - particularly over christmas, but I never had them for christmas as usually each part of Norway has a different christmas dinner tradition. So when I had these, I thought: I could genuinely have these a lot more often!

And the recipe is easy! You just need a little bit of patience. Instead of fancy rice flour, we are using cooked rice as an actual binder! I made them bigger than the original, but the recipe should make about 30-35 mini patties, I think I got about 12.

Just remember that they should be eaten within 2-3 days, and re-heat properly since there is rice in these patties. I had them mainly on their own with some sweet chilli sauce or ketchup, you can make a fancy sandwich for lunch, OR have as a side to a main meal, or as a starter.

Festive Cauliflower Patties (Vegisterkaker)
(Makes 30 small ones, or about 12 big ones)

Ingredients
200ml white rice + 400ml water + 1 tsp salt
1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
200ml fast-cook oats
1-2 vegan vegetable stock cubes (or 1-2 topped tsp stock powder)
1 tsp ground ginger
About 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Pepper and salt to taste
Oil for frying

- Start by cooking the rice with the salt and water, until soft, which should take about 20 minutes.

- Boil the cauliflower for a few minutes and the drain off the water.

- Have the cooked rice, cauliflower, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and use a stick blender to whizz to a rough paste.

- Shape into small patties, and fry in oil on medium heat until golden on both sides.

Et voila! Simple as that *smiles*

Original recipe can be found here.

Have you been watching the Olympics or tried these patties before?

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day! I'm heading to the docs afterwards (fun, fun, fun!), but then I have badminton, and the last two episodes of Fargo Season 3 ahead of me... And probably some more Olympics, ha!

Take it easy!

xox J

Olive & VioLife Samboussa

Hi!

I hope you are having a lovely start to your week! I seem to always update my blog after badminton... But today I was also at a job assessment! Fingers crossed I get a wee phone call at the end of the week.

Some time ago, when my friend came back from Australia, she told me about this lovely little Moroccan place, called the Moroccan Soup Bar, that she had been to - and she had brought me a copy back.... ALL the way from the other side of the world! It was even signed and everything *smiles*

The recipes are earthy and humble, but packs a punch in flavour! My boyfriend Kev doesn't even like olives, but I caught him sneaking a second one when they were fresh from the oven - I take that as a good sign!

Originally these were made with feta as well, but I just changed that to plain, vegan meltable cheese; it's delicious!

Instead of cutting out rounds and making smaller samboussas, I used a ready rolled short crust pastry (check ingredients to ensure it's vegan as some use butter instead) - and I cut it into six rectangles and folded over and sealed with fork prints around the edges.

Olive & VioLife Samboussa
(Makes 6)

Ingredients
1 pack of ready rolled short-crust pastry

Filling:
15 pitted black olives, finely chopped
100-200g (vegan) cheese, chopped into small dice
1/2 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Few sprigs of thyme, or 2/3 tsp dried thyme
A few mint leaves finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried mint
2 tsp sumac (I LOOOOOOOVE this spice!)
2 tsp pomegranate syrup (I used agave)
2 tsp olive oil

(Instead of the chilli and oil - I used 1 tbsp red pepper paste as that is what I had on hand)

Dipping sauce:
1 tsp pomegranate or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 chilli finely chopped and deseeded or a good pinch chilli flakes
A good pinch of thyme
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

- Take out the short crust pastry from the fridge to soften (about 20 minutes)

- In the mean time, mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl - and set aside.

- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

- Now mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl - set aside.

- Roll out the pastry on a baking paper-clad tray, cut into six rectangles, and put 1 tbsp of the filling in the corner of each piece. Fold over and press down the edges, before sealing with fork prints all the way around it.

- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce whilst they are still fresh out of the oven. And enjoy!

Have you been up to much? I hope you have a great evening!

xox J

Turkish Kisir

I thought I would share a little colourful number, courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi! My cousin gave me this book one christmas, and every. single. recipe. I have tried have been amazing!

Ready? Let's do this!

Turkish Kisir (Serves 4 as a starter, or serve as part of a mezze)

Ingredients

2 onions, finely chopped
100ml olive oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
125ml water
400g bulghur wheat, dry
1 1/2 tsp pomegranate syrup (or use agave)
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp chopped parsley
3 Spring onions, finely chopped (+ extra to serve)
2 green chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
Seeds from 1 medium pomegranate
A handful of chopped mint leaves
Salt and black pepper


- In a medium size casserole, heat up the oil and add the onions. Sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then add your tomato purée, and stir for about 2 minutes. Now, you can tip in your tomatoes, and cook for a further 4 minutes. Add the water and leave to boil - then turn off the heat and stir in the bulghur.

- Now, add your syrup, lemon juice, parsley, Spring onion, chilli, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.

- Plate up, and scatter the pomegranate seeds across, along with a drizzle of oil and some extra mint and Spring onions.

I hope you love this as much as I did! It's fantastic to bring to work for lunch as well, and it is packed full of flavour! I even had this for breakfast to be honest ^ ^

This week has been pretty slow, but good... I have played badminton twice, hung out with Kev and lil fluffy Alphonse, as well as having my sister over - staying up all night chatting and watching rubbish TV. Today she and I even braved the weather and went for a long walk - it was refreshing!

And guys - the weekend is just around the corner!

Have you got plans? I only know Kev and I are going to this nifty little place to eat, and then? Improvise!

I hope you have a good one!

xox J

Chestnut Timbales

Greetings!

Tonight I thought I would share a recipe that I discovered in Viva! Magazine. It is quick and simple and perhaps a little different from your normal patty.

Chestnuts don't necessarily mean christmas now, with the already cooked and peeled and sealed chestnuts you can get all year round - and these served as a perfect lunch for me! My favourite combination was with some mango chutney or sweet chilli sauce. But you might come up with other alternatives, let me know! I have a recipe for mango chutney here if you want to give it a go!

Chestnut Timbales (Makes 6)

Ingredients
45g vegan margarine
1 red onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
100g pine nuts or cashews, finely chopped
125g breadcrumbs
1/2 lemon
60g (smoked) vegans cheese, grated
170g artichokes in oil (drained weight), chopped
200g ready cooked and peeled chestnuts, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp linseeds plus 2 tbsp warm water (or other egg-replacer for one egg)
2 tbsp each chopped fresh parsley, sage and thyme (use dry if you have them at hand)

- In a large pan, heat the butter and fry the onion and garlig forabout five minutes. Add nuts, breadcrumbs, rind and juice of half the lemon, cheese, artichoke and chestnuts. Season and stir in the egg-replacer (linseed mix)and the herbs.

- Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Divide the mixture into six, then with firm hands - shape into patties. If you do have baking rings, you can press themfirmly into these and bake, but I just shaped them by hand! Place on a non-stick baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes - et voila! Perfect in a roll with some chutney (mango chutney was my favourite!), or you can have it with vegan cheese, or cranberry sauce - whatever tickles your fancy!


I hope you have had a lovely weekend! I have had some lovely ladies over visiting for chat, movies and snacks, and today my friend Jill make me a delicious vegan chilli with home made vegan garlic mayo and a vegan sour cream - Yum! She even makes her own elderflower wine, and it is delish!

Have a wonderful new week ahead!

xox J

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Lentil Dhal

So today, I thought since I have had a re-boot myself, I would share a recipe that was one of the first I posted on my blog actually! When I was a child, I was the pickiest of eaters, and now.... well - the first time I tried this dish it was probably one of those "hang on a minute.... this is vegetarian and actually TASTY?!" type of moments. Since then I have made it time and time again, despite usually not liking making the same dish again... A few recipes just sort of stick around!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Lentil Dhal (Serves two)

Ingredients
450 ml vegan stock (I use Knorr)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli (or 1/2 if you don't like it too spicy) deseeded and finely chopped
100g red lentils
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp Garam Masala
A few handfuls of spinach
Salt to taste
Pitta bread or rice to serve

Don't you just want to stick you hand in there, like Amelie Montmartre?

- Start by making the stock in a medium sized pan, then add your onions, chilli, lentils, sweet potato and spices. Cover and cook for about half an hour until the sweet potato and lentils are tender. In the mean time, if serving with rice, make sure you time that right for when the dhal is ready.

- Once the dhal is ready, tip in the spinach and stir until it is wilted - this should only take a minute or two. Serve up with rice or bread and enjoy!

We had it with rice today, but usually we serve it with pitta bread. Other than that, I am just waiting on the thumbs up to start my new job - and I finished reading Philip Pullman's "The Books of Dust: Volume One - La Belle Sauvage" and wow! I haven't read his Dark Materials series for over a decade, but being teased into that world again - it was just awesome! I only bought it the other week as well, and though I am a slow reader, I managed to inhale it!

Are you reading anything at the moment?

Have a lovely evening,

J

Divine Halloumi & Red Onion Pitta Breads

Pssst, you... I have a little secret for you.

That was the feeling I got when I bit into this pitta bread after one helluva long day in work! I felt sneaky, I looked at my boyfriend, it was mutual. This. is. awesome!

Ready? Here goes!

Divine Halloumi & Red Onion Pitta Breads
(Serves 2)

250g Halloumi, sliced thickly (about 8 pieces)
1 large red onion, sliced
2 pitta breads
Juice of 1 lime
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp allspice
2/3 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing:
5 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- In a pan, start by heating the oil and add the red onions. Fry until they are super soft. Now add the bay leaves, allspice and pepper. Add a little bit more oil if necessary.

- Once the onions are done, add the lime juice - give it a good stir and scoop them to the side of the frying pan. Now add the halloumi slices. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. In the meantime, mix the garlic and Greek yogurt and set in a small bowl or ramekin until serving.Toast pitta breads, et voila!

- Take out the bay leaves, divide onions between pita breads, place the halloumi slices on top followed by the garlic dressing. And tuck in!

I hope you have had a nice start to the new month! These last few weeks has been tough, but I am hoping to bounce back over the weekend! Tomorrow it's college, and I am really excited about it!

Take it easy ;)

xox Jules


Original recipe: Spice it Up! p. 116

Soba Noodle Salad with Rainbow Vegetables

I came home after a long day at work, all was dark - and look what Kev had rattled up for us! Fancy as anything, and he made it look so pretty! This was really refreshing, even on a cold frosty evening!

Soba Noodle Salad with Rainbow Vegetables a la Kev
(Serves 2)

250g soba noodles (or vegan noodles)
1/3 of a daikon, or 1 pak choi, finely sliced
1/2 small head of white cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, grated
Handful of radishes, thinly sliced
1 Spring onion, finely sliced
1 small handfull of sesame seeds

Dressing:
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp tamari or 2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp agave syrup

- Prepare all the vegetables so you have them ready to toss in with the noodles.

- Then cook the noodles until soft.

- Whilst this is cooking, have all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar, give it a shake and set aside.

- Have all the vegetables in a frying pan and fry for a few minutes until they go slightly soft, and then add your noodles! Give it a good swirl before plating up.

- Pour over dressing and sprinkle over the sesame seeds - and you are done!

I hope you have had a great week so far! I myself have felt quite drained to say the least. But! College was fantastic this week and we made a modern line arrangement:

Today, the Scottish Norwegian Society had their annual Christmas bazaar and it was a lot of fun! I have been to this once before and to get to have open-style sandwiches, playing the tombola and buying Norwegian sweets is always a hit!

Everyone was so lovely - and a few of my friends were there and I got talking to some new friendly faces too!

I wont Twist chocolate at the tombola. This is the kinda goodie bag where you find yourself fighting with family members over certain different ones. Dad and I would always go for the marzipan ones, but I must say the banana chocolate is amazing too! In fact - all of the chocolates are...
I also got a traditional marzipan pig, some floor wash (it's a Norway thing...), Norwegian lefser, christmas cookies and Kev got a small dose of his addiction - Norwegian Melkesjokolade! So a good day overall!
The weather was awful later on in the day though, so it's been filled with Gilmore Girls, studying whilst listening to Kaizers Orchestra, Muse and Magnet, watching Firefly. Productive in its own sense one can say ;)

- Jules

Original Recipe: From Season to Season, p. 32