Competitions
Veggie
Lentil & basil savoury pate
Lentil & basil savoury pate is made from brown lentils and despite it looking somewhat bland, it screams with flavour. I wanted to share this to dispel that myth of lentils being boring veggie food for ageing hippies.
It is easy to make and full of protein and fibre. Absolutely fab on homemade crusty bread or as a sandwich filler.
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a lush succulent dish that can be enjoyed hot or cold and merits a crusty baguette to mop up the juices.
You can use this recipe as a guide, as it’s easy to create your own versions depending on what vegetables you have to hand.
Beetroot & Fennel Risotto
I was thinking about what to cook in January as I went looking around our veggie patch for inspiration. We have an abundance of beetroots at the moments so I picked three of them and walked back to the warmth of the kitchen, grabbing a few other ingredients on the way.
I’m not always a big fan of the risotto but this one turned out to be the most dramatically red and delicious supper.
Mediterranean Vegetable Tart
A receipe for Mediterranean Vegetable Flan with peppers, aubergine and courgette. The non Vegans can top with goats cheese, as an extra special treat!
Also contains a recipe for the pastry case.
Pumpkin Soup
In France this is called the lovely sounding Potage au Potiron, but we’ll just call it Pumpkin soup! We harvested only one potiron, but with it weighing 16lbs I decided to use just a quarter of it. If you can’t get your hands on pumpkin I think you could successfully replace with carrots. The smell when cooking this is wonderful.
Tagliatelle with roast vegetables
A friend made this from scratch for lunch when I called in unexpectedly. I watched with pleasure, ate with increasing pleasure and returned home to try my hand and share my pleasure…. so I hope you will try it out and enjoy!
As the meat is added as a topping it is also a very useful recipe because meat lovers and vegetarians can be invited to share the basic dish.
Baked red cabbage
The colour of the cabbage enhances any main course but it goes particularly well with roasts and can be cooked, at the same time, in a casserole on the bottom shelf. It is very temperature tolerant and can even be gently simmered on top of the stove, providing you are there to stir it occasionally.
As red cabbages can be large you may have more than you need; any leftover freezes well and can easily be reheated in a microwave.
Warm curly kale and Kabocha squash salad
Curly kale represents the season and the squash the new and it’s perfect to take to work in your lunchbox as it works reheated too.
Hasselback potatoes
Hasselback potatoes are one of those dishes that look like they’ve taken a long time but in reality you could have done it with your eyes closed. The end result adds a bit of sparkle to the Christmas/dinner table. They look so tasty and the thyme, garlic, and avocado oil combination is melt in your mouth magic.
Mince pies
Deep mince pies with buttery, crumbly pastry, made with plain and granary flour for extra flavour and texture. The filling’s been given a little kick with the addition of rum. The best recipe for a delicious mince pie to enjoy over Christmas!
