Tag Archives: Vegetarian

Coconut Lime Tempéh with Peanut Sauce and Banana Chips

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 block of tempeh, (16 oz. / 450 gr)
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 shallot
• 2 garlic
• 1 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 tbsp. green curry paste
• 1 tsp. sambal oelek
• 1 can coconut milk, preferably full fat
• About 1 cup water
• ½ – 1 tsp salt or fish sauce
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar, or gula java
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• A handful of toasted salted peanuts for serving
• A handful Banana chips for serving
• More lime wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by cutting the tempeh in half and boiling it on medium heat for 5 minutes.
After this time, remove and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, cut into large-ish chunks, about 1”/ 2.5 cm pieces.
In a large pan heat the coconut oil and add the tempeh. Frying on all sides for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and reserve.
Add the finely chopped shallot, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook gently until fragrant.
Add the curry paste and sambal and cook for one more minute. Carefully add the coconut milk, fish sauce or salt, coconut sugar, peanut butter and lime juice. Bring to a simmer.
Add the tempeh and cook for about 15 minutes.
Serve with on a bed of rice, with the toasted peanuts and coconut chips and more lime wedges.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

Roasted Red Pepper and Sun Dried Tomato Fettuccine

9 Replies

A quick Pasta dish, made in minutes. So simple and so good, I mean really, really good. The creaminess from the cashew nuts is so much better than any dairy cream I can think of and it’s also highly nutritious and actually good for you. So what’s not to love, it’s delicious, it’s quick, it’s nutritious, it’s pasta! And honestly, picky eaters are not even going to know they’re eating roasted peppers, win win if you ask me.

Ingredients;

1 lb. Fettuccine, preferably fresh
½ Cup sun dried tomatoes
1 Cup cashew nuts
4 whole roasted peppers from a jar
½ Cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic
¼ Cup Parmesan cheese
More Parmesan cheese to serve (leave out for vegans)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of Basil
Handful of toasted pine nuts to serve
About 1 – 1 ½ cups of water to thin the sauce.

Instructions;

Soak the sun dried tomatoes in a cup of water for a couple of hours.
And also soak the cashew nuts in a cup of water for a couple of hours.
You can do this the night before or early in the morning.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile place in a blender; drained sun dried tomatoes, drained cashew nuts, the roasted peppers, the Parmesan cheese, the garlic, white wine, about ½ cup of water to begin with and salt and pepper to taste.
Blend until creamy. Adding just enough water to get it creamy.
When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and reserve a cup of the boiling water.
Return the pasta to the pan straight away and pour over the roasted red pepper sauce, adding enough of the water from the cooking to make it saucy.
Serve immediately with more Parmesan Cheese, toasted pine nuts and Basil.

Enjoy!

Myra Xo

Stuffed Peppers and Aubergines

13 Replies

This is a great vegetarian main dish!

During the holiday season you want to be able to serve a great main dish to your vegetarian guests that’s not just everyone else’s side dishes.

Well here to the rescue with this fantastic vegetarian main course. You can prepare it a day ahead and cook it in the oven on the day itself. Leaving you plenty of time to pour those drinks and catch up with your friends and family.

And we both know that it doesn’t have to be Christmas to serve these delicious stuffed vegetables, how about meatless Monday?

So, give this a try and let me know if you miss the beef? I bet you won’t.

Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side

Ingredients.

2 Aubergines
2 red peppers
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic, peeled and grated
1 pack of Quorn mince or vegetarian mince, 340 grs. / 12 oz.
2 cups cooked spelt or brown rice
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. agave or honey
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup vegetable stock
a handful parsley, chopped
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 cup grated cheese like cheddar or gouda or vegan substitute
salt and pepper

Bechamel sauce;

4 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk of choice
salt and pepper
ground nutmeg, just a dash

Method;

Pre heat oven to 200° / 390°

Wash all the vegetables, dry them and cut them in half. Cut the core and seeds out of the peppers leaving the stalk on. I actually try to cut the stalk in half too so everyone gets a bit of green.

Remove the flesh from the aubergine leaving about a quarter inch of the sides.

Cut up the flesh.

Put a large frying pan on the heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the onion and garlic until beginning to colour. Add the aubergine and celery and add the other tablespoon of oil. Season with the Cajun seasoning and cook for about 15 minutes until the aubergine is soft.

Add the quorn and spelt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and sweetener. Cook for an other minute.

Add the tablespoon of flour and cook for a minute or two. Add a cup of stock and stir around, it should be getting a little thick, the idea is to bind the filling a little bit so it holds better in the vegetables. Fill the peppers and aubergine halves and place them in a baking tray that has been covered with parchment paper.

To make the bechamel sauce;

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat.

Add the flour and whisk into the oil until smooth.

Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and changes to a lighter colour.

Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly to stop lumps forming.

Cook for at least five minutes so the flour is fully cooked.

Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg.

Pour the sauce over the filled vegetables. and cover with aluminum foil, place on a rack in the middle of the oven. After 30 minutes remove the foil and sprinkle generously with the grated cheddar. Return to the oven for additional 20-30 minutes.

If you try this recipe let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #thecookingspoon on instagram! You’ll make my day.

Endive Gratin with Baked Apples, Blue cheese and Thyme

5 Replies

Serves 4 as a side dish

Who disliked Endives as a kid?… raise your hands….

Well I don’t know about you, but I really really disliked Endives when I was a child. Always prepared so very over cooked. Boiled and then rolled in some cheap ham and covered in cheese. It was bitter and the consistency was just aweful.

Thank goodness we have come a long way since then when it comes to being creative with endive. Really there is more than just Waldorf salad and the typical gratin.

I actually love this dish and some times I eat it with just some steamed new potatoes, it’s that satisfying. But I think it goes particularly well with white meats like chicken or pork.

Ingredients;

6 Large heads of Endive, about 1.5 lbs.

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp. pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin.

1 tablespoon fresh Thyme leafs

1/4 C. white wine

5 oz. blue cheese, 2 medium apples, peeled, core removed, cut in wedges

2 tbsp. honey

2 – 3 tbsp. pine nuts

Method;

In a large frying pan, melt one tablespoon of butter and when hot add the apples. Fry for about 5 minutes then add 1 tbsp. of honey, cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the apple slices to a plate and reserve.

Cut the endive in half lengthwise and remove bruised outer leafs if necessary. Slice away a small bit from the bottom.

In the same pan, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Add the endive cut side down and sprinkle over the thyme, season with salt and pepper.Cook for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic and the remaining honey, and turn them once in a while. Add the white wine. Depending on how thick they are, cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pierce with a knife to check if they are tender but still a little bit firm.

Turn on the grill.

Transfer the endive to a baking dish and gently place the baked apple wedges around the sides.

Cut the blue cheese in slices and divide over the endive. Sprinkle over the pine nuts.

Grill the endives for about 5 minutes until nice and melted and golden. Keep an eye on it!

Enjoy

Myra Xo