dinners – Page 6 – Bit of the Good Stuff

Roasted Tenderstem, Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche. Dairy-free. Egg-free. Vegan.

Published on November 20, 2015 by Sharon6 Comments

Today I’m sharing a recipe for a quiche that would be great for sharing in the upcoming season. Check out the festive red and green veggie decoration. You’re bound to attract a ‘wow’ response if you show up at a friend’s party with this clutched in your hands.

The filling is encased in a pastry which is robust enough to be sliced and handled without crumbling, making it suitable for serving as finger food at parties and buffets. It’s dairy-free and egg-free, so perfect for your vegan friends and family. I’ve also made the recipe nut-free, so anyone with nut allergies can safely tuck in.

Filled with roasted onion, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs and nutritional yeast, this quiche is packed with flavour. However, the ‘star’ of this recipe has to be the roasted Tenderstem broccoli. It looks so pretty set in the top of the quiche (like mini Christmas trees!) It also tastes amazing and gives great texture to the dish. Continue reading “Roasted Tenderstem, Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche. Dairy-free. Egg-free. Vegan.” →

Quick and Easy Macaroni Cheese. Vegan Life Issue 10

Published on November 18, 2015 by Sharon12 Comments

When I was a kid, macaroni cheese was one of my all-time favourite comfort foods. Sadly this childhood favourite turned into the ultimate ‘discomfort’ food for me in my 20s, when my intolerance to dairy became acute. With almost instant flare ups of eczema, stomach cramps and joint pain, the pay off for indulging in this dairy-laden dish just wasn’t worth it.

It was probably a good ten years before I tucked into a cheesy pasta dish again. And it was thanks to the highly creative vegan food blogger community that I discovered how cheese sauces could be replicated using non dairy ingredients.

These past few years, I’ve tried a whole host of non dairy ‘mac n cheese’ recipes and have experimented with a few of my own. I now have a favourite self-devised vegan ‘cheese’ sauce recipe which I use for pasta dishes, which the family absolutely loves (and has hidden veggies inside!) but I’m always on the lookout for new ones to try. So when I saw the tantalizing macaroni cheese shot on the cover of November’s Vegan Life magazine, I couldn’t wait to check out the recipe.

I was intrigued to find that the ‘cheese’ sauce is actually a dry mix that you can make ahead of time and store in the pantry. It was devised by Miyoko Schinner (the blogger behind Artisan Vegan Life) and appears in her recently published book The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples.

The recipe sounded so simple to make. I couldn’t wait to give it a try! It’s dairy-free and gluten-free so this is a great dish to serve to anyone that’s vegan or gluten / dairy intolerant. Continue reading “Quick and Easy Macaroni Cheese. Vegan Life Issue 10” →

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower Rice and Vegan Life Issue 9

Published on October 23, 2015 by Sharon11 Comments

It’s been just over a year now since Vegan Life launched here in the UK and, for me, this magazine just gets better and better. I love the variety of features it covers. This month, I especially enjoyed the interviews with Born Free president Bill Travers OBE, who explained the reasons why he has recently gone vegan,

and the interview with Earthlings director Shaun Monson. After reading the article I checked out the trailer for his new film Unity. It looks awesome! Has anyone seen it yet? Continue reading “Indian-Spiced Cauliflower Rice and Vegan Life Issue 9” →

Terry Hope Romero’s Backyard Buffalo Ranch Caesar Salad

Published on August 28, 2015 by Sharon2 Comments

Today I’m sharing a lightly adapted family-friendly version of Terry Hope Romero’s Backyard Buffalo Ranch Caesar Salad which featured in Issue 8 of Vegan Life magazine. Filled with crisp colourful veggies, crunchy croutons, chewy tofu, and the most delicious creamy (yet healthful) ranch dressing, this salad is a total feast for the senses. It’s kid approved too. Lil’ L declared it to be the “best salad ever” and has enthusiastically devoured it for dinner twice this week already.

Continue reading “Terry Hope Romero’s Backyard Buffalo Ranch Caesar Salad” →

Tagliatelle con Verdure. Vegan. Gluten Free Option

Published on May 1, 2015 by Sharon8 Comments

For this month’s Suma Blogger’s Network entry, I’d like to share one of my favourite quick ‘n’ easy evening meals. I’ve used the Italian name for this dish ‘Tagliatelle con Verdure’ as the English equivalent ‘Ribbon Pasta with Green Vegetables’ just sounds far too plain and boring for such a beautiful dish.

For me, Tagliatelle con Verdure is the perfect pasta dish for this time of year. It’s much lighter than cheesy or cream-based pastas, and the addition of peas and tender green leaves make it taste fresh and Spring-like.

This dish also happens to be incredibly simple and quick to make. It’s ready in just 20 minutes, and there’s very little prep or chopping involved. It’s perfect for busy week day nights, but also for weekends when you want to prepare something quick for friends and family.

I always use wholegrain pasta as it contains more vitamins and minerals than white pasta (plus my family prefers the coarser texture and nuttier flavour of the wholegrain varieties). At the moment, the health food shops in the UK stock a much wider selection of wholegrain pastas compared to the supermarkets. Pastas made from ancient grains like spelt and kamut are amongst my favourites. For a gluten-free option, ribbon pastas made from maize are available (like this one from Le Veneziane).

In today’s recipe, I used organic whole wheat tagliatelle from one of my favourite pasta companies – la BIO IDEA – which produces its pasta using traditional methods dating back to 1911.

I often keep jars of antipasti in the fridge, as they’re great for throwing into pasta dishes, salads and sandwiches. I especially love the jars of sun-dried tomatoes packed in herb-infused olive oil. The oil is great for loosening up pasta ribbons, as well as adding extra flavour.

Pea shoots are currently in season here in the UK and I adore their fresh pea flavour and tender texture. If you can’t get hold of pea shoots, baby spinach or rocket (arugula) would make good substitutes.

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This pasta dish is full of the fresh flavours and colours of Spring. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s perfect for busy weekday nights or weekends when you’re looking for a quick and easy dish to prepare.

Serves 4
Hands on time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 9 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients
300g / 10½ oz wholegrain tagliatelle (e.g. whole wheat, spelt or kamut. For a GF option, use maize)
107g / 1 cup fresh or frozen fine green beans, trimmed and halved
75g / ½ cup fresh or frozen green peas
6 sun-dried tomatoes in herb-infused olive oil, drained and chopped (reserve the oil)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 medium courgette (zucchini), quartered lengthwise and sliced
40g / 2 cups pea shoots (or sub with baby spinach or rocket arugula)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 TBSP pine nuts, toasted (or sub with sunflower seeds)

Method
Prepare a large pan of salted boiling water and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Three minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the beans and peas to the pan. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and return to the pan. Drizzle in ½ TBSP of olive oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and stir through.

While the pasta is cooking, dry fry the pine nuts in a large frying pan (skillet) on a medium heat, stirring regularly. As soon as they start to brown, remove from the heat and set to one side.

Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil (from the sun-dried tomato jar) in the frying pan and cook the courgette until it starts to brown. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so. Stir in the pea shoots until they just start to wilt then remove from the heat.

Once the pasta is cooked, combine it with the contents of the frying pan. Stir in the sun-dried tomato pieces. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Divide between four warm bowls, add a sprinkling of pine nuts and serve.

This pasta dish can also be eaten cold and any leftovers make a great addition to lunch boxes.

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If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback ♥ Do leave me a comment below or post a photo on my Facebook or Twitter pages. Hearing from readers always makes me smile xx

What’s your favourite Spring-time dish?

Chinese ‘Egg-fried’ Noodles… Vegan Style!

Published on October 30, 2014 by Sharon14 Comments

As part of their Healthy Smiles campaign, SimplyHealth invited me to take part in a competition to design a recipe using ingredients featured in their Infographic for healthy teeth. As soon as I saw the list, the recipe that sprung to mind was my family’s favourite Chinese stir fry ♥

It features three of the six ingredients listed in the Infographic’s ‘Eat It’ column – purple cabbage, carrot and ginger. If you drink a glass of water with the meal, then follow it with a cup of green tea, then we’ve got all bar one of the ingredients covered (we’ll forget about the last one, salmon!)

This stir fry takes 20 minutes or less, so it’s perfect for busy week day nights or as a cheap, tasty (and healthy!) alternative to a weekend takeaway. It has a beautiful, distinctive Chinese flavour thanks to the Five Spice seasoning, which is a blend of star anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper.

Instead of eggs, we much prefer the texture and flavour of scrambled tofu in this stir fry. It’s so easy to make. You simply squeeze the excess water from the tofu (no need to press it), and crumble it into a wok…

… then stir in some soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a touch of turmeric to give it a lovely golden yellow hue.

The stir fry vegetables are then added to the wok, along with a sprinkling of Chinese Five Spice, some cashews and a little vegetable stock.

After a couple of minutes, the noodles are stirred in. (We prefer to use wholewheat noodles in this stir fry as they have a chewier texture which works well in Chinese dishes, but do sub with rice or other GF noodles if needed).

We add a final drizzle of soy sauce, then it’s done!

This meal is so speedy and simple to make. It has to be the perfect Chinese Fast Food!

[print_this]Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes
Ready in 20 minutes

Ingredients
200g / 7 oz wholewheat noodles (or use rice or other GF noodles, if needed)
½ TBSP oil
1 TBSP soy sauce (or tamari for a GF option), divided
1 block of firm tofu (about 400g / 14oz)
2 garlic cloves, minced
thumb-size piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 large bag of mixed stir fry vegetables (about 480g / 17 oz / 6 cups of beansprouts, white cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, broccoli, onion, red pepper)
70g / ½ cup cashews (optional)
½ – ¾ tsp Chinese Five Spice

Method
Prepare a large pan of boiling water. Cook the noodles for 4 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and return them to the pan. Drizzle in ½ TBSP oil and stir through to coat the noodles. Set to one side.

While the noodles are cooking, prepare the stir fry. Drain the tofu and squeeze to remove excess water. Crumble the tofu into a non stick wok or deep sided frying pan (skillet). Drizzle ½ TBSP soy sauce into the pan and stir fry on a medium-high heat for a minute or two. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric, and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Dissolve the vegetable stock in 4 TBSP of boiling water and add it to the pan along with the vegetables, cashews and Chinese Five Spice. Stir fry for 4 minutes. Add the noodles to the wok along with the remaining ½ TBSP soy sauce. Stir to thoroughly combine. (I add the noodles in small batches rather than in one go as I find it easier to combine them this way). The stir fry’s now ready to serve.

Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day or two. Heat through in a non stick wok or frying pan before serving.

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Products used in this recipe (UK Stockists)
Cauldron Foods Original Tofu, available from the chilled aisle in most major UK supermarkets
Kikkoman Less Salt Soy Sauce, available from most major UK supermarkets
Suma Five Spice Seasoning, available from health food stores and via Amazon (Other Chinese Five Spice blends can be found on the spice aisle in supermarkets).
Blue Dragon Wholewheat Noodles, available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons

Chopsticks are optional 😉

I would LOVE to be able to use chopsticks. I’ve tried so many times but I’m utterly useless. I’m the one in Chinese restaurants that has to put their hand up and ask for a fork. Shame on me!

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