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Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes - 'Try before you Die!'

anatamananataman Who needs a title?Where am I? Veteran
edited February 2014 in Diet & Habits
So out of an interested investment in Anatman, I am going to provide anyone who cares to try them some delicious and dare I say it healthy, but probably surprisingly cheap and easy to obtain and prepare vege/vegan recipes. Feel free to contribute to the thread your own recipes, but please don't get involved in the meat/vegan/vegetarian debate- I'll ask @federica to lovingly and kindly remove them if you can't restrain yourself and keep your views to yourself on this thread - it's supposed to be about wholesome eating. Nothing more or less!

So I will start with a short and sweet prayer, that the 'clergyman' pronounced at my wedding breakfast!

God is good...
Food is good...
Lets get started!
cvalueBuddhadragonDaltheJigsawRowan1980
«1345

Comments

  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    edited February 2014
    Green (puy) Lentil, Red Onion, Coriander and Mint salad

    Ingredients:

    Green (puy) lentils - assume 50g per service portion - cook for 20 minutes with a stock cube then wash in cold water and drain to dryness in a sieve.

    Half a red onion - chop finely!
    A handful of coriander and a few sprigs of mint chopped finely to your taste - experiment!
    The best cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes you can lay your hands on the more the merrier!
    A whole lemon or lime, juiced according to your taste.
    Some salt to taste
    A splash of olive oil

    Preparation:
    Combine the ingredients above and chill and serve as a nice side salad, or eat as a snack when you feel peckish, rather than a packet of crisps or a kitkat


    Some tasty additions:

    Red and/or yellow pepper chopped finely
    A little green pesto - but not too much - half a tablespoon at most!

    This is a tasty vegan offering - enjoy
    cvalueTara1978justushobbits
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited February 2014
    Corn Salad.....mix to taste...

    I use white and yellow...(canned or frozen)
    Diced cherry tomatoes
    diced jalapenos
    chopped scallion
    little mayo (vegan or not).... to mix
    It taste better after a couple of hours in the
    fridge......

    I'm also hooked on veggie quesadillas right now.
    Easy and cheap to make at home....spinach is
    the best! or a 3 cheese.....

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/farmers-market-vegetarian-quesadillas/
    anatamancvalue
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup - Vegan


    Ingredients:

    6 large tomatoes
    +/- 4 garlic cloves (according to vampire status)
    300ml vegetable stock
    4 Chargrilled or roasted red peppers
    olive oil

    Preparation and serving:
    brush tomatoes with olive oil, and roast at 180C for 30 minutes, peel, chop and deseed tomatoes when cooled, pour the roasted tomato juice from the roasting tin into the vege stock.

    halve and deseed the red peppers, brush the skin with olive oil, and place in oven with the garlic cloves under the peppers and roast in a hot oven at 200-220C until skin is blackened for approx 30-40 minutes, (alternatively chargrill the red peppers under a hot grill), take the roasted blackened peppers out of the oven and place in a bowel and cover with cling film until cool, peel off the blackened skin and deseed; pour strained red pepper juices into the stock


    Finally combine the ingredients and stock in a pan - heat for 5 minutes, blend and serve immediately with a good grinding of black pepper, and some salt to taste. Nice served with a wholemeal or granary/seeded gap.
    cvaluetom_hitt
  • Vegetable Fried Noodle

    Prepare Noodle:
    Use half package of fresh or dried noodle. Boil water, drop noodle in the boiling water and boil until soft but still firm (from 1 to 3 minutes). Drain and rinse it with cold water. Coat it with a little bit of vegetable oil (or 1 tsp. of toasted sesame oil) to prevent it from sticking together and set aside.

    Prepare Vegetables:
    2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
    1 big carrot, cut into thin round slices
    Half a broccoli, cut into small-medium pieces
    1 cup sweet peas, peeled sideways
    1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise (or yellow bell pepper for more color)
    Ginger slices
    2 tblsp. soy sauce (I use kikkoman soy sauce)
    Salt
    Canola oil

    Cooking:
    In a non-stick wok, over high heat, boil a little water (just enough to cover the vegetables), add salt and drops of oil to the boiling water so the vegetables will taste nice and the color is shiny and beautiful. Add carrot slices and cook for 15 seconds, remove. Bring it to boil again, add broccoli, boil for 15 seconds, and remove. Same with sweet peas, boil for 15 seconds, remove, empty the wok.

    Heat the wok over medium high heat to dry. When the wok is dried, add a little bit of Canola oil, wait until the oil is hot, add noodle, stir fry for a few minutes. Add 1 tbsp. soy sauce, stir to mix. Remove and keep warm.

    Heat oil, stir fry ginger slices for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, stir fry until lightly brown. Add bell peppers, stir fry for 1 minute. Add carrots, broccoli, sweet peas. Stir fry quickly for a few minutes until all vegetables are cooked. Add 1 tbsp. soy sauce and salt. Stir to mix. Toss in the noodle; stir fry until all is heated through.

    (Note: This is a strict Buddhist dish so there are no onion, garlic or meat)
    anatamanVastmind
  • matthewmartinmatthewmartin Amateur Bodhisattva Suburbs of Mt Meru Veteran
    Buddhist Cook books I like:

    3 Bowls - Vegetarian, American/Zen monastery style food.

    And just found this one: Chinese Buddhist recipes. My last search on amazon turned up little in the way of books, which is too bad for the homeland of seitan, tofu and tempeh.
    http://www.buddhagate.org/Vegetarian/recipes/English.html

    I'm still tracking down a suitable Japanese or Korean Buddhist cookbook. While the Japanese monks aren't vegetarian anymore, for the Japanese Buddhist cuisine is still synonymous with vegetarianism.
    cvaluekarasti
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    Who uses a slow cooker/crock pot? ......
    Right now, while we're all freezing our butts off,
    this baby comes in handy....hahaha.....

    Here's a site....

    http://www.wisebread.com/35-slow-cooker-recipes-for-busy-or-lazy-vegetarians

    They also make a crock pot vegan cook book too!

    cvalueanataman
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    Vastmind said:

    Who uses a slow cooker/crock pot? ......
    Right now, while we're all freezing our butts off,
    this baby comes in handy....hahaha.....

    Here's a site....

    http://www.wisebread.com/35-slow-cooker-recipes-for-busy-or-lazy-vegetarians

    They also make a crock pot vegan cook book too!

    Trust me @Vastmind, we're not all freezing our butts off!

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-10/bushfire-victoria-south-australia-live-blog/5248506

    This is a tried and true recipe my wife and I enjoyed while doing a liver cleansing diet a few years ago. The original has tuna in it but replace it with fetta cheese and it will be lovely!

    http://eatsmeatsandleaves.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/tuna-and-pasta-salad/
    Vastmind
  • DandelionDandelion London Veteran
    I'm so glad you started this thread. Earlier today I made the blandest nut roast... I won't post the recipe, don't worry! I love cooking but do find vegetarian cooking harder than cooking with meat (went veggie last August), and there's only so much cheese I can eat, no matter how much I love it (which is now a food staple, oh dear)! I do have a delicious mushroom and blue cheese recipe though, I'll share that tomorrow when I wake up. Off to have nightmares now, courtesy of today's daily cheese consumption...
    lobster
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    Quorn fillets with a pesto sauce...{drool}
    anataman
  • After I become vegetarian, I don't miss anything, except for the tasty Salt and Pepper Shrimps.

    In my regular recipes, I use Portobello mushrooms to replace chicken, pork, beef. And it works well for me. But nothing can replace Salt and Pepper Shrimps. So I tried Salt and Pepper Tofu, I had low expectation but the result is so good that I am now a happy vegetarian for life. Here is the recipe:

    Pan Fried Salt and Pepper Tofu

    Drain 1 extra firm tofu from the package. Cut tofu into 12 rectangular slabs. Put the pieces in 2 layers of paper towels and press down lightly to remove excess water. Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl, add tofu and toss the bowl to coat the tofu evenly.

    Chop 1 red and 1 green bell peppers into tiny pieces.

    Heat a little bit of Canola oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, stir fry bell peppers quickly for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl, (optional: add dried red pepper flakes to the veggies). Keep warm.

    If the pan is dried, add a little bit of oil, (optional: add chopped ginger for fragrant), then add tofu and fry on both sides until golden. Transfer them to a warm plate, throw chopped red and green peppers to the plate.

    Note: I use chopped bell peppers to replace green onions, and chopped ginger to replace crushed garlic.
    anataman
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    I don't know if any of you have a juicer, but this concoction is really out of this world (serves 4) - small glasses, don't have to much milk or yogurt before or after otherwise your urine will appear beetroot red, which can be disconcerting, but is normal (if this continues beyond 24 hours - and/or looks like blood and is disconcerting, then seek a physicians advice, but mention you've had beetroot and an alkaline liquid. Oh, this brew also can be a laxative as well and can cause diarrhoea if drunk in excessive quantities and mimic a rectal bleed.

    I'm not really selling it to you am I

    Regardless
    just add these together in the juicer :

    4 carrots
    a small (or half a large) beetroot
    1-2 sticks of celery (don't have too much celery because of the salt content, but if you like to workout or have chance to go to a steam room, where you can sweat the excess salt- do it!)
    4 apples
    1 lime
    and a nice stick of fresh ginger, no need to peel


    additional variations [are pretty much infinite, and down to your imagination but] include:

    red peppers,
    tomatoes,
    cucumber [good for the skin I am informed]
    broccoli stems, that would normally go in the garbage
    grapes/bluberies

    Experiment!








    Bunkscvalue
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    This is my vegan recipe for a tasty mediterannean-style griddlled/grilled (or even baked) peppers courgettes and carrots (lunch today) - serves 2-4 depending on portion size and keeps in the fridge well for 5 days or even longer - doesn't ever sit there for more than 1 in my house:

    Ingredients:

    olive oil
    juice of 1-2 lemons
    a splash of balsamic vinegar
    toasted pine nuts
    a little salt to taste
    1 or 2 red peppers
    1 yellow pepper
    6 baby courgettes - sliced in half lengthways
    3 small carrots -sliced lengthways about 0,5cm thick

    Method:
    baste the vegetable in the olive oil, then place on hot griddle (or under a medium to hot grill) until slightly soft and lightly charred on both sides. Place the cooked vegetables in a salad bowel and let cool, collect and add the juices.

    lightly toast a handful of pine nuts in a teflon pan or under the grill, it's crucial not to toast them to much, they should not be charred. Let them cool

    When cold combine in salad bowel with the lemon juice and salt and splash of balsamic to taste.

    Chill in fridge and serve with whatever you like. I like to serve it with rocket, watercress and spinach, and a few ripe cherry tomatoes, and a few slices of pink-lady apples, and a a scattering of walnuts.

    Makes you feel wholesome!

    Enjoy


    cvalue
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    cvalue said:


    Pan Fried Salt and Pepper Tofu

    Tofu is yummy! Have you tried the smoked variety?
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    That would be awesome, @federica! A big undertaking, but no doubt appreciated by many! I'm not a vegetarian at this point but I do make a point to add vegetarian meals to my diet many times per week, so I appreciate the recipes and the book recommendations! Thanks to all.
  • Great idea @Federica! Thanks.

    @SpinyNorman, so far I only buy fresh tofu in China town, I haven't tried smoked tofu yet but will do. I didn't even know that smoked tofu exists. Now I know. Thanks.
  • anataman said:


    just add these together in the juicer :

    4 carrots
    a small (or half a large) beetroot
    1-2 sticks of celery (don't have too much celery because of the salt content, but if you like to workout or have chance to go to a steam room, where you can sweat the excess salt- do it!)

    Wow, I had no idea celery had so much "natural" sodium! This recipe looks great, though, and I will try it (despite having only a blender, not a juicer :-( )
  • I have been making this a lot lately - it's from one of Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks. I just saute the spinach instead of blanching/chopping it - super quick recipe.

    Spinach with Scallions, cooked in the Moghlai style3 lbs. spinach, trimmed and washed
    8 Tbls. veg. oil
    6 scallions, trimmed, white and pale green sections finely minced
    2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
    1 tsp. fresh hot green chili, minced
    1 1/2 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. sugar
    1/2 tsp. garam masala
    Fill a large 4 to 5 qt. pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil.
    Put the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, into the water just long enough to wilt it.
    Remove each batch with a pair of tongs and place in a colander.
    Do all the spinach this way.
    Squeeze out as much water as possible out of the spinach and chop fine.
    Heat oil/margarine or oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame.
    Put in the scallions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
    Scallions should not brown but they should wilt slightly.

    Now add the ginger and chili.
    Saute another minute or two.
    Scallions should be quite translucent.
    If they start browning turn down the heat.
    Add spinach, salt and sugar.
    Saute on low heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. (More like 8 minutes for me.)

    Sprinkle with garam masala and mix.
    cvalue
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    Nele said:

    anataman said:


    just add these together in the juicer :

    4 carrots
    a small (or half a large) beetroot
    1-2 sticks of celery (don't have too much celery because of the salt content, but if you like to workout or have chance to go to a steam room, where you can sweat the excess salt- do it!)

    Wow, I had no idea celery had so much "natural" sodium! This recipe looks great, though, and I will try it (despite having only a blender, not a juicer :-( )
    Not sure how well it will blend you might want to add some apple and/or carrot juice instead to thin it out a bit. Let me know how it turns out!

    Celery has a natural BP lowering effect apparently, which is why I use it a lot, but you do need to make sure you exclude as much 'added salt' otherwise this will counteract the benefits. Thats why we try and prepare and cook all our own food with fresh ingredients as much as possible. And why I've got so many recipes!

    That recipe of Madhur Jaffreys is great - my wife has cooked it up before, we love asian food, and the more chill the better!

    Mettha
  • I enjoy a baked sweet potato topped with spicy mustard and fresh ground black pepper. No need to sweeten a sweet potato. Never let those wonderful potato skins go to waste.
    cvalueanatamanNeleVastmind
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    grackle said:

    I enjoy a baked sweet potato topped with spicy mustard and fresh ground black pepper. No need to sweeten a sweet potato. Never let those wonderful potato skins go to waste.

    Thanks for that, I've never thought of baked sweet potato, and with mustard. We like a good 'standard British' baked potato, but that's got my tastebuds twitching. I agree about not wasting the skins, I always like to eat the skins my kids leave over, by sprinkling them with some cheddar cheese and ground black pepper, and crisping them up in the oven for about 10 minutes.


  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    grackle said:

    I enjoy a baked sweet potato topped with spicy mustard and fresh ground black pepper. No need to sweeten a sweet potato. Never let those wonderful potato skins go to waste.

    I've never had sweet potato - it sounds yummy though.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2014
    before we get back to topic, please could members (yet again!!) take note:

    This thread has been moderated, and several comments removed.

    There should never have been 'several comments'.

    Once a post is flagged, the person flagging the post must refrain from further comment on the flagged post, or engage in a discussion with the flagged member.

    Protracted discussion of this kind makes Moderation extremely difficult, and at times impossible.
    I am in the UK.
    The time difference means that sometimes, I miss immediate flagged content and don't receive the alert until some time afterwards.
    if people then persist in engaging with a member who has had their comment flagged, it often means one of two things:
    Either we have huge swathes of posts to edit/remove, or we can no longer deal with the thread, because too much has been added to the mix.
    Additionally, as moderators, grouped, we have other things taking our attention, other than being here constantly, to moderate. so we don't always see flagged posts immediately.

    So to sum up:
    Please do not engage a member whose comments or behaviour amount to trolling or flaming.
    Just alert/flag the offending post, and leave well alone.

    Is that clear to everyone, now?

    Ok.
    No further comment or response is necessary.
    Back to topic.
    anatamancvaluematthewmartin
  • Simple Moroccan vegetables with cous cous.
    ingredients 2 medium sized potatoes
    2 carrots
    1 larger or two smaller courgettes ( zuchini )
    all in 1 inch cubes.
    1 onion sliced.
    2 cloves garlic crushed.
    1/2 stick cinnamon
    3 cloves
    1 bayleaf
    1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
    vegetarian stock...cube or 'pot'
    cup of dry cous cous.

    Method...gently fry spices in veg oil for a minute. Then add onion and fry until translucent.
    Add pots and carrots stir for two minutes.
    add courgettes and cook for another minute stirring.
    Add stock cube or stock pot. Cover with water to just above the level of the veggies.. Stir to dissolve stock .simmer until potatoes are tender but not too soft.
    Meanwhile steep cous cous according to instructions. I add a little stock to the water.
    When water is absorbed add a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

    serve cous cous onto plate. Spoon over veggies and their gravy.

    Serves two.
    If you have no cous cous rice is fine.
    anataman
  • For a more robust version of the above drain a can of chickpeas and add for the last two minutes of cooking.
    Chickpeas btw are one of the few things I use from cans.
    Cooking them from scratch takes a long time even with a pressure cooker, and they taste no different from a good quality canned product.
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    At one of our retreats, someone had made a huge pot of Channa (sorry about the spelling, that is how it was pronounced) that he said was from an Indian woman he met while traveling. Does anyone here have a recipe for Channa? I loved it! It was quite spicy, and I love a good spicy dish.
  • karasti said:

    At one of our retreats, someone had made a huge pot of Channa (sorry about the spelling, that is how it was pronounced) that he said was from an Indian woman he met while traveling. Does anyone here have a recipe for Channa? I loved it! It was quite spicy, and I love a good spicy dish.

    I have...and I will get back to you with it...
    karasti
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    One of the retreat centres I go to has really good vegetarian food, they have a full-time cook. He uses lots of tofu!
  • This Tibetan Vegetarian Guthuk soup is eaten only once on the night before Losar's Eve, as part of a ritual of dispelling any negativities of the old year, to make way for an auspicious new one.

    http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/guthuk-recipe.html
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited October 2019
    Channa in spicy broth.
    Ingredients. 2 cans of chickpeas. ( as I have said above there is little point in cooking them from dried , it takes ages soaking and cooking them and the end result is indistinguishable from the canned product. )
    drain them and reserve half the liquid for stock.
    sliced onion..one large one.
    2 cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped.
    2 skinned tomatoes. ( soak them for a minute in hot water the skin just peels off ) de-seeded, chopped.
    2 heaped teaspoons of garam masala..
    lightly toasted cumin seed and black onion seeds ( kalonji, you can find it in any Asian store )
    chili powder if liked.
    bay leaf.
    tomato puree. a good squeeze..
    salt to taste.

    Fry onion and spices over lowish heat until onion is translucent.
    add drained chickpeas.
    Fry over medium heat for two minutes stirring.
    Add the rest of the ingredients and the liquid from the chickpeas.

    Simmer until broth has thickened, add salt if needed.
    Serve with rice or flatbread.
    A dollop of thick plain yoghurt on top is nice for non vegans.

    anatamankarastiIchLiebte
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    Thanks so much @Citta! I will make up a pot of this this week! Yum!
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    A few of my favorites.

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chilaquiles_casserole.html

    This one has a long prep and cook time, but is worth it.
    http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/vegetable-tagine.html

    Probably my favorite veggie recipes, but definitely needs a tsp of salt.
    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html


  • zsczsc Explorer
    This is so great. I've been trying to make the transition to vegetarianism myself. I'll try to find (and make :) ) a recipe to contribute!
    anataman
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited February 2014
    karasti said:

    Thanks so much @Citta! I will make up a pot of this this week! Yum!

    Let us know how it goes ? If you can get hold of fresh coriander leaf a little chopped and sprinkled over each serving makes it taste particularly authentic...its often called cilantro in the US.
  • zsczsc Explorer
    Okay so this doesn't count as a recipe I made myself, but tonight for dinner I fried and steamed some (frozen) legume ravioli dumplings I got from a local Korean market. They were very tasty and have 50 in a pack for 3.99.
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    Quorn fajitas

    I tried this on my kids last night and they loved it. I simply bought the old el passo fajita kit - smoky BBQ flavour. Fried the quorn in olive oil with some onions and red peppers and served with salsa and sour cream and strips of cucumber. Dead easy and the plates were left sparkling clean.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2014
    I like to thaw my quorn "chicken-style"pieces, squeeze as much of their liquid out, then marinate them in some flavoursome sauce, depending on their subsequent use.
    Sometimes, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes, sometimes Worcestershire sauce, vegetable oil and milk, sometimes the water I rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms in. Adds fabulous flavour!
    anataman
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited February 2014
    federica said:

    I like to thaw my quorn "chicken-style"pieces, squeeze as much of their liquid out, then marinate them in some flavoursome sauce, depending on their subsequent use.
    Sometimes, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes, sometimes Worcestershire sauce, vegetable oil and milk, sometimes the water I rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms in. Adds fabulous flavour!

    Yes I do that. Actually quorn isn't too bad, it does have some flavour - unlike soy chunks and TVP which taste like cardboard unless you marinate them!
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    I made a quorn mince Spag Bol recently and we served it to some carnivorous friends who asked the question, we thought you were vegetarian. Goes to show you that people have no idea what they are eating really if it's served with a good sauce:


    This is vegan and cheap and easily serves 8-10 people serve with ciabatta, good red wine (red grape juice if you are abstaining)

    Ingredients:
    Spaghetti cooked al dente and tossed in butter

    1 onion
    3 cloves garlic - crushed
    2 tins chopped tomatoes
    Tomato concentrate
    2 or 3 glugs of olive oil
    1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
    Glass of good red wine or red grape juice
    1 large packet quorn mince
    A handful of button mushrooms
    A large carrot diced
    Stock cube in about 100ml water
    Basil and oregano to taste

    In a large casserole dish gently fry the onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil for 5 minutes then add the quorn mince and the rest of the oil, fry for a further 3-5 minutes adding the garlic and herbs, finally add the carrots red wine, stock, balsamic and chopped tomatoes and thicken with a tablespoon of the tomato concentrate

    Cook in the hub for 45 minutes stirring regularly or I prefer to put the lid in the casserole dish and pop in oven for an hour to an hour and a half iat 180c stirring every 20 minutes or so; add a little water if it starts to dry out too much and then leave to stand.

    It often tastes better if left in the fridge overnight for the flavours to mature.

    Enjoy


  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    anataman said:

    Goes to show you that people have no idea what they are eating really if it's served with a good sauce:

    Yes, that's very true, and in my experience people often don't really care what's in it if the taste is good.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Wasn't it Forrest Gump who said that if you slather Tabasco over everything, you can eat real cheap....? :lol:
    anataman
  • cherry tomatoes
    black olives
    fresh herbs such as Basil, Rosemary, Chives, or Cilantro
    olive oil
    pasta which can be gluten free
    red wine vinegar
    black pepper and salt to taste (optional)

    Slice cherry tomatoes in half and splash red wine vinegar on them. Add black olives. Cook enough pasta and use a kind that tumbles ie not spaghetti. Coat the pasta in olive oil and mix with the other ingredients. The oil and vinegar make a dressing. Then add salt or pepper to taste (optional). Now chop the herbs and add.
    anataman
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    Nice @Jeffery, I was served something just like this the other day but it had a little bit of red chilli to liven it up!
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    edited April 2014

    Just made a tasty soup:

    Green lentil with paprika

    500g green (puy) lentils
    Vegetable stock 2l
    1-2 tsp paprika
    ½ tsp ground white pepper
    1 chopped onion
    1 chopped carrot
    1 chopped stick of celery

    Throw in a pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

    No fuss, warm, earthy and filling...

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Just right for a typical British Spring/Summer day....!

    I on the other hand, have recently developed a passion for salt-preserving/brining vegetables, which is a great way of 'pickling' vegetables without vinegar! It's extremely good for you, full of pro-biotics and sometimes, I learnt, the vitamin content is enhanced by the process, rather than reduced, diminished or eliminated! I made (separately) some carrots, daikon radish, and iceberg lettuce - god, they are AM-AZING!!

  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran

    The weather here was quite drizzly and chilly this morning (although things have improved since lunch!).

    I'm trying to imagine pickled lettuce?

    Isn't the salt content a bit high?

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Well, just as high as the vinegar is - but more palatable, because you can mix them in a salad and miss the seasoning - however, because the lettuce is nearly all water, a lot of the salt is drained off.

    Here's the recipe: (Do this in the morning!)

    Take 2 iceberg lettuces.
    Remove just one layer of the the outer leaves, (Keep these) and cut the lettuce in half, and remove the two halves of the hard core, in one piece. Keep the cores, but trim off the yellowed dry base.

    Cut the lettuces into large bite-sized pieces. Put into a large bowl.
    Sprinkle with salt, (about a tablespoonful), and keep mixing and tossing until the lettuces begin to wilt. Leave the lettuces in the bowl, mixing frequently with your hands, until the water starts to come out of the lettuces.

    When they are fairly wilted, pack the lettuces into a clean sterilised jar, and press down firmly.

    You will find the quantity will look very reduced!
    The juice/brine from the lettuces should rise to about a half inch (1 - 2 cm) above the lettuces.

    The lettuces should be submerged. If they are not, add some fresh brine (200ml still mineral water, mixed with 2 teaspoons of salt).
    Take a round, unbroken stone and wash it really well. Scrub with soap and bleach, and rinse thoroughly.

    Now:
    Rinse the outer leaves you removed, and fold them up to fit through the neck of the jar. Push them down onto the pressed lettuce leaves. The brine may well rise beyond the folded fresh leaves; that's fine.

    Now, in turn, lay the lettuce hearts down onto the lettuce in the jar. Push the stone on top of the lettuce hearts, until they are also submerged in the brine.
    Put the lid on. Hopefully, the stone will be proud of the enck/mouth of the jar. This is good, because you need to apply downward pressure.

    This squashes everything down.

    The lettuce will be ready to eat the same day.
    Remove the quantity you need, and drain in a sieve with a weight on top, to remove excess brine.
    eat as a side dish or as part of a salad.

    I'm telling you, it's lush. Crunchy, savoury and definitely different.
    In Asia and Korea, they prepare a lot of side vegetable dishes this way.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    As a side note:

    1) you can of course, also consume the folded leaves you placed on top, as well as the hearts. Normally, lettuce hearts can be very bitter, but by brining these, all the bitterness disappears!

    2) You should use either a ceramic knife to cut lettuces, or a plastic knife specially made for the purpose.
    Metal knives react with compounds in the lettuce and turn the leaves/cut edges brown.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Cottage cheese salad....Yummy!

    1 tub of cottage cheese.
    12 whole, blanched almonds*
    12 green pitted olives
    1 handful of roasted barley grains (optional)
    salt
    olive oil.

    (* I blanch and skin whole almonds myself, Buying them ready-skinned is more expensive, but it's really easy; put the almonds into a small bowl and pour boiling water over them. leave to process for around 10 minutes.)

    In the meantime - Place the cottage cheese in a bowl. If you're using the roasted barley grains, proceed as follows:

    If the cheese is quite dry, add about a tablespoon or so, of milk to 'loosen' the cheese, and add the barley.

    The barley will absorb fluid from the cottage cheese, and soften. This will take a couple of hours, though.

    Take each almond and rub it between your fingers and thumbs; you will feel the brown skin has loosened, and is quite easy to remove.
    Prepare all the almonds, then replace them in the bowl, skinned, and re-cover them with boiling water, until it's completely cold.
    Drain, chop and put into the bowl.

    Drain 12 green olives, chop into rough pieces, and then squeeze the excess juice out.
    Add to the cheese, and mix everything thoroughly.

    add salt to taste, and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
    Mix well.
    leave to one side, covered, until you're ready to eat it.

    I never put this into the fridge for 2 reasons:

    1: it gets too cold and kills the flavours, particularly if eaten directly you take it out of the fridge....
    2: It's never around long enough to store, anyway...

  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran

    Ah so that's why my kids don't eat the lettuce leaves - they say they look old, and taste horrible - never thought that it was all down to the knife, and the fact that I quite like the bitterness of a lettuce heart and don't know what they're talking about - 'eat your greens or you don't get the pudding' - I've been torturing them for years! lol

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