Mock Duck Noodle Soup (v)

There was a bit of a shopping fail this week, as I'd planned to make fake chicken noodle soup for lunch on Sunday but upon opening the freezer realised that we had no quorn chunks left, d'oh. I did however remember that there was a tin of mock duck languishing in the cupboard where it had lain for months. It made for an excellent and very tasty soup. So now I need to buy another tin to replace the one I used!

For three portions you need
1 tin mock duck (available from larger supermarkets or Asian/Chinese grocers), gluten sliced into bite sized pieces
3 nests noodles
1 litre vegetable stock plus the sauce/liquid from the mock duck tin
1 onion, halved and then sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
125g closed cup mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 inch ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp soya sauce

To garnish
3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
chilli flakes, tabasco sauce and soya sauce to serve

Place the stock into a large pan and add the noodles, onion, garlic and ginger. Season with soya sauce and the chinese five spice powder. Add all the other ingredients, apart from the pepper and mushrooms, and cook for 3-5 minutes until the noodles are done. Add the mushrooms and pepper and heat through for a further two minutes. Serve in large bowls garnished with the coriander and chillies to taste. Delicious.

Side Salad (v)

Yeah, I know, you hardly need a recipe for a side salad right? Well, I was asked to do some simple basic recipes as part of the Vegan MoFo, along with what I normally blog, so here you go :) This is my fave side salad for all sorts of things, but most especially pasta.

For one person you need
Mixed salad leaves
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Red pepper
Red onion
Salt and pepper
Balsamic syrup
Olive oil

Place the lettuce leaves in a bowl and then top with the cucumber, tomatoes, onion and pepper. Drizzle over balsamic syrup and 1-2 tsp oil before seasoning and consuming. Yum.

Piedmont Peppers (v)

It's been hot today. 32 degrees of hotness in Bradford. Unheard of! And it's still uncomfortably close now. So what you need on a day like today is proper food from the Med. And these are to *die* for. OMG they are good. I love this recipe, but the original from St Delia contains anchovies and is therefore decidedly un-vegan friendly. My version substitutes olive tapenade, vegan pesto and salted capers, and by golly it works. Nom. Nom. Nom.Nothing beats the taste of the Med, with a glass of red vino to hand and a sunset to warm your soul. Serve with mountains of crusty bread and perhaps a rocket salad to cut through the richness of the peppers themselves.

For 2-3 people (depending on greed) you need:

3 peppers, cut in half with the stalks left on but de-seeded

2-3 baby plum tomatoes per pepper half, cut in to halves

2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed

1/2 jar black olive tapenade

6 dessert spoonfuls  of vegan red pesto

2-3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tbsp good quality olive oil

Good quality bread to eat with them

Place the pepper halves on a shallow roasting tin. Fill the hollows with tapenade, then pesto, then garlic, then tomatoes and finally scatter over the capers. Season with pepper (no salt!!) and drizzle over the oil. Roast in a hot oven for 30-45 mins till soft and slightly charred. Scoff. Best served at room temperature.

Greek Salad with Potatoes

Boychild loved this. OMG. He's never eaten Greek Salad before and professed to not like feta but he ate this. And had the leftovers in his lunch the next day. Wonders wil never cease it appears...

For 3-4 portions you need:
1/2 pack new potatoes, jersey royals if you can stretch to them ;-)
1 pack chilli olives
1 pack feta. crumbled into 1cm cubes
2 peppers, cut into chunks
2 red onions, cut into 8ths
2 tomatoes, cut into 8ths and then in half again (so roughly chopped...)
2 tbsp olive oil plus more for roasting
salt and pepper
large handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Cook the potatoes. Toss the peppers and onions in a little olive oil and season. Roast in a hot oven for about 10 mins till tender. Place the tomatoes, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and feta in a bowl. Add the peppers and onions once cooked. Drain the potatoes and cut in half if large. Add to the bowl. Mix and serve.

Pepper & Mushroom Ragu with Beans and Smoked Paprika (v)

I was going to make miso for dinner tonight but boychild declared he wasn't hungry and one of my peppers was looking ever so sad so I decided to change tack and make a spicy, sweet stew of vegetables and pulses served with quinoa. I am on a sort of health kick at the moment (she says, eating crisps and she blogs #fail) so this is uber good for you but yummy too. Enjoy.

For 2-3 portions you need:

Ragu

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

125g mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 can butter beans

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

pinch sugar

1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp vegan stock powder

salt and pepper

handful roughly chopped fresh coriander to serve

Quinoa

1/2 cup quiona

1 cup water

1 tsp vegan stock powder 

Begin by sauteeing the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the mushrooms, pepper and garlic and cook out, covered, for a further 10 mins. Remove the lid and add everything else apart from the coriander. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins or so till slightly thickened. Check the seasoning.

Meanwhile place the quinoa, water and stock into a lidded pan. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and allow the quinoa to finish cooking by steaming.

Serve topped with the chopped coriander. Feel virtuous and don't binge on junk afterwards like me...

Sweet and Sour Thai Style Vegetables (v)

My moogi made this for me and Lex tonight and it was deeeeeelicious.

For 4-6 portions you need:
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 red pepper, cut in to chunks
1 tin pineapple, cut into chunks (reserve the juice)
1/2 head chinese leaf, finely shredded
1/2 pack baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tbsp soya sauce (mushroom soya sauce is the best one to use apparently but I don't think the world will stop turning if you use dark or light soya sauce...)
reserved pineapple juice
4 tbsp tomato ketchup

Place everything in a wok with a lid and heat. Cook for 5-10 mins, covered, till the veggies are tender. Serve with jasmine rice.

Stuffed Peppers with Smoked Paprika, Cous Cous and Tomatoes (v)

I am in the throes of using up all the perishables in my flat and tonight it was the turn of the peppers and tomatoes. I've been hankering after stuffed peppers for a while now, and these were OK but didn't really hit the spot. I bet you're all clamouring to make these now eh ;-)






For 2-3 servings you need:
3 sweet peppers, cut in half and deseeded
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup cous cous
1/4 tsp vegan stock powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2/3 pack baby plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
salt, pepper and a pinch sugar
1/2 pack passata
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Begin by frying the onion in the oil for 5 mins or so. Add the garlic, tomatoes and passata and cook out till thickened and the fresh tomatoes have cooked down. Season and add the chick peas, smoked paprika and oregano.

Meanwhile place the cous cous, stock powder and boiling water in a bowl and allow to soak. Add the cous cous to the sauce once it's fluffed up.

Place the peppers in an oven proof dish and fill with the cous cous mixture. Top with some cheese if you are not vegan. Bake in a moderate oven for 25-30 mins until the peppers are tender.

Baked Mixed Vegetable and Cheese Frittata

This is baked in the oven which means there's less chance of the bottom burning before the top is cooked and also saves having to faff about with hob and grill and flipping over the half cooked product. Use whatever vegetables you fancy. This is what I had lying about the flat.






For 6-8 portions you need:
4 eggs
1 cup grated chedder
1/2 cup frozen sweetcorn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 orange pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
large handful fresh chives and garlic chives, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Fry the onion in the oil for 5-10 mins till softened. Add the pepper, sweetcorn and peas and cook for a further 5 mins. Meanwhile beat the eggs with the chives and season. Once the vegetables are cooked, tip into a silicon cake tin, pour over the eggs and cheese and mix around to distribute evenly. Top with the tomatoes. Bake in a moderate oven for about 20-30 mins till lightly set but don't overcook or it'll go rubbery. You can eat this hot, room temp or cold and it's perfect for a picnic.

Pepper, Mushroom, Onion and Tomato Galette (v)

This is a vegan filling for your lovingly prepared galettes.

For one person you need:
1/2 a sliced onion
2-3 sliced mushrooms
2-3 sliced cherry tomatoes
1/2 a pepper, sliced

Start by flash griddling the veggies to tenderise them a little. Once done, wipe the pan clean and lay a galette on to it. Scatter over the cooked veggies and then fold the galette into thirds before flipping over quickly and then scoffing. Bon apetit!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta (v)

OK so this is virtually the same as the courgette pasta but it's worthy of its own entry...

For 2 people you need:
2 courgettes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 pepper, diced
handful cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tin cherry tomatoes
handful olives, sliced
pinch sugar
salt and pepper
vegetable stock
dash red wine
175g pasta

Toss the veggies in olive oil and then roast them for about 20 mins. Meanwhile place the garlic, seasonings and tomatoes in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer. Cook the pasta, drain. Add the veggies to the sauce and toss in the pasta. Scoff.

Little Tortillas with Pisto

Another @deliciousmag recipe from their August edition…

For 4-6 people you need:
500ml sunflower oil
750g waxy potatoes, sliced lengthways
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil

75ml olive oil
1 large aubergine cut into 2cm dice
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 courgettes, diced
3 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped

Make the pisto by heating the olive oil in a pan with a lid. Cook the onion for about 10 mins and then add the aubergine. Cook for 10 mins then add the pepper. Cook for another 10 mins. Add the courgettes and tomatoes and garlic and season with salt. Cook for about an hour, covered, over a very low heat.

Heat the sunflower oil in a different pan and cook the potatoes till tender. Drain. Add the potatoes to the eggs and mix lightly. Pour into a non stick pan and cook gently. Leave to cool slightly once cooked. Cut into wedges and serve with the pisto. Lovely as part of a tapas feast.

Turkish Menemen with Sumac Yogurt

Yet another @deliciousmag recipe from their August edition… This is a lovely brunch dish. I love brunch…

For 4 portions you need:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp each of cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chilli flakes
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
400g tinned tomatoes (or about 8 plum toms) diced
4 medium eggs
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

25ml olive oil
½ tsp sumac
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g yogurt
Squeeze lemon juice

Sautee the spices till they pop then add the ginger, onion and garlic. Fry till softened then add the tomatoes and pepper and a couple of tbsp water. Cook gently for 10 mins or so. Season.

Meanwhile make the sumac yogurt – mix everything together adding lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

Make 4 hollows in the veg mix and crack in the eggs. Cook gently till done. Drizzle with some more oil and scatter over the parsley. Serve with flatbread.

Baked Polenta with Griddled Summer Vegetables (v)

A lovely light lunch dish (omit the parmesan for a vegan version). This is from @deliciousmag August edition.

For 4 portions you need:
800ml vegetable stock
200g quick cook polenta
100g finely grated parmesan (use dark stock instead if making it vegan)
100g asparagus tips
1 large courgette, peeled in to ribbons
150g cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
120g roasted red peppers (either do your own or use a jar), sliced
Squeeze of lemon juice
Large handful of rocket leaves

Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan and then slowly add the polenta, whisking all the time till it thickens. Season well and add the parmesan. Pour into a lined baking tin (e.g. swiss roll tin) and leave to set for 5 mins then bake at 180 degrees for about 20 mins.

Meanwhile griddle the veggies on batches. Mix with the lemon juice and season well.

Serve the polenta dressed with rocket and the griddled veggies on the top. Sophistocated but easy ☺

Spanish Omelette

There are endless variations on the plain and humble omelette and this is about as authentically Spanish as, well I'm not sure. Nothing Spanish that's for sure.. But it's tasty and a good way to use up leftovers/frozen veg.

For 3-4 people you need:
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 onion, diced
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, diced
1 courgette, diced
1 tin sweetcorn/1/4 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
oil

Begin by sauteeing the onion in the oil for a few mins, then add everything else aside from the eggs, cheese and tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 mins. Season the eggs, then add the cheese to the eggs and put this into the pan. and move everything about a bit to ensure even distribution. Cook on a low heat till the bottom is done. At this point you have a choice. You can either put it under the grill to cook the top (add the sliced toms at this point and maybe a touch more cheese) or you can put it in the oven to finish it or you can be brave and invert it on a plate and slide it back into the pan or you can transfer it to a glass dish and nuke it in the microwave. Whatever you decide to do, the omelette needs to be fully cooked. You can then either eat it hot or room temp or cold.

Roasted Peppers (v)

I had a few peppers that needed to be used up and Lex said he wanted to try them roasted. So I obliged.

For each pepper, cut in half and deseed. Drizzle over some olive oil and add a crushed clove garlic between each pair of pepper halves. Season with salt and pepper and then roast in a hot oven for about 30 mins. Once cooked, drizzle over a little balsamic vinegar and serve warm with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Nasai Goreng (v)

aka Fried Rice. This is a cheat recipe as it uses a jar of Nasai Goreng paste. But it was lovely :)

For 4 portions you need:
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 red pepper, chopped
200g rice, cooked
2/3 jar Nasai Goreng paste (I got mine from Tescraps)
4 eggs, cooked in to 2 omelettes and cut into strips (use a packet of marinated tofu if vegan)
2 tbsp oil

Begin by cooking the omelettes if using eggs. Then in a wok heat the oil and fry the onion for a few mins. Add the paste and cook out. Add everything else, aside from the cooked egg or tofu, and stirfry for 5 or so mins to reheat the rice and cook the peas. Add the egg/tofu and heat for 1-2 mins before serving, adding some chopped coriander if you fancy. This is also nice cold the next day for lunch.

Vegetable Rice with Fennel and Smoked Paprika (v)

This was a dinner of two halves; me and N enjoyed it whilst Lex declared it horrible. He did at least eat the carrots and broccoli but wouldn't touch the rice... Moral of that story? L does not like smoked paprika!

For 4 portions you need:
50ml sweet sherry
50ml brandy
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 head broccoli, cut into smallish florets
3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped into small pieces
2 carrots, sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
250g paella rice
600ml stock
salt and pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
4 tbsp flaked almonds

Find your paella pan. Begin by sauteeing the onion and carrots in the olive oil. Keep the lid on to retain the steam. After about 10 mins add the smoked paprika, fennel seeds, broccoli and garlic. Sautee for another 2-3 mins. Then add the sherry and brandy, turn the heat up high and reduce the liquid by about half. Add the rice, stock, pepper and tomatoes. Bring to the boil then simmer with a lid on for about 15 mins. Stir frequently to stop it from sticking. Check the rice and cook for a few mins more if not quite done. Season to taste and serve scattered with the almonds and with a lemon wedge on the side. Yummy.

Mexican Bean Salad with Tortillas (v)

Whenever I go to a certain up market food store for a posh sarnie, I am always tempted by the mexican bean wraps. And always, always, always, without fail, they are a big disappointment: soggy, flaccid and tasteless. Bleck. This recipe on the other hand is spicy, vibrant and refreshing. My DH declared it "really nice" which is high praise indeed. You have been warned...

For 4-6 portions you need:
1 can mixed bean salad in water, drained
1 can sweetcorn, drained
1 red pepper, diced into pieces about the same size as a sweetcorn kernel
1 red onion, diced
8 radishes, diced
1/2 small bag fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander tbsp red wine vvinegar
juice 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 chilli, finely chopped
zest 1 lime
1 avocado, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp good quality cold pressed rape seed oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 large, beefsteak tomato, chopped

To serve:
Tortillas
Grated cheese (optional)
Tomato salsa
Sour cream (optional)

Mix all the ingredients for the salad together in a large bowl and leave to marinate for about 30 mins or so. When ready to eat, spoon the mixture into the centre of a tortilla and top with whatever you fancy (or indeed leave au natural). Fold up the tortilla and scoff, scoff, scoff. Yumsome :)

Corriander, Onion and Pepper Quesadillas

These go nicely with the three bean chilli and are a doddle to make.

For each quesadilla you need:
1 flour tortilla
small handful grated cheese
1/2 sliced spring onion
1/4 finely diced pepper
large pinch fresh corriander

Place the tortilla on a hot griddle pan and then add the cheese and veggies. Fold in half and push down to brown evenly. Flip over and push down again. Serve cut into wedges.

Greek Salad

A yummy, refreshing salad for lovely hot days like today :)

For 3-4 portions you need:
1 block good quality feta
1 red onion, chopped into rough chunks
1 red and 1 orange pepper, cut into rough chunks
1/2 cucumber, cut into rough chunks
olives (I like green pitted ones personally)
2-3 tomatoes, cut into rough chunks
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp good quality olive oil
pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tub semi dried tomatoes

Mix everything together in a bowl. Serve with pitta, houmous etc as part of a mezze platter.