Recipe: Assorted Vegetarian Recipes and Ideas

These were all ideas for a friends' ma in law's birthday. All the lady ate in the end was some cheese rolls!! So I thought I could share them with some other more adventurous people....

A veggie compilation i want to share!!

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ADDICTIVE ARTICHOKE DIP

1 6 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fresh flat leaved parsley
1 medium clove garlic, peeled
2 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sour cream
salt
cayenne pepper

Put the lot into a food processor and blend until smooth. Yum

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SOUTH OF THE BORDER TOMATO SALSA

2 large ripe tomatoes cored and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 small red onion minced
2 medium cloves garlic minced
3 tbs minced coriander
2 tbs lime juice
1-2 small jalapeno peppers minced - less if you wish

Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander, lime juice and peppers in a medium bowl. Add salt to taste and mix gently.

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AVOCADO SALSA

3 medium ripe avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium plum tomatoes, cubed
2 medium cloves garlic
2 spring onions sliced thin
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs minced coriander
salt
tabasco sauce

Place the avocados, tomatoes, garlic, spring onions, lemon juice and coriander in a bowl. Add salt and hot sauce to taste and mix gently. Serve immediately.

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HUMMUS

1 19oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt

Place the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and blend. Scrape the sides down every so often until the ingredients are finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, oil, yoghurt and cumin and process until smooth.

Serve with vegetables to dip into it and toasted pitta bread.

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MARINATED SPANISH OLIVES WITH GARLIC AND HERBS

1/2 pound mixed olives
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large cloves garlic sliced thin
sprigs of fresh rosemary or oregano
1/2 small lemon,
black pepper

Zest the lemon and then cut the strips into very thing strips. Combine with everything else and put into a pot with a lid. Leave to marinate for at least four hours at room temperature.

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ONION TARLETS

Enough short crust pastry for 18 tartlets

FILLING:
2 tbs olive oil
4 medium onions sliced thin
1 tbs sugar
salt
ground black pepper
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk

Roll the pastry out to the thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into rounds about 3 1/2 inches across.

Grease two regular 12 cup muffin tins (deep tartlet tins) and press each circle into the cups, pushing the pastry halfway up the cups.

Chill the pastry while you do the filling.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat stirring until they are soft. About 10 minutes I guess. Stir in the sugar and continue cooking until the onions turn a rich golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat if the onions start to burn. Season the onions with salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400/200C/gas 6. Divide the onions between the pastry shells. Beat the eggs with a fork in a measuring jug and then pour in the milk.

Pour about a tablespoon of the egg mix into each shell and then bake until the edges of the pastry turn golden brown and the filling is set - about 20 minutes.
You could always sprinkle a bit of veggie cheese on top 1/2 way through the baking.

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POTATO SALAD

I have no measurements for this one as I've never used any. Sorry.

As many potatoes as you think you will need for the amount of people you have.
I used a 5lb bag of Desiree for about10 people and don't worry - it keeps in the fridge.
Large jar Hellmans Mayonnaise
Large bottle salad cream
mint sauce
wine vinegar.

Right - peel the potatoes and cut into quite large chunks. You don't want them to break up too much.

Boil them in salted water until done. Drain and set aside to cool a bit.

In a measuring jug mix equal parts of mayonnaise and salad cream. Add about 1 tsp mint sauce and then about 2 tbs vinegar. The dressing is meant to be quite a sharp one.

Pour over the warm potatoes and mix well. Don't worry if it goes a bit mushy - it still tastes good!

Use the same mayonnaise mixture over a huge pile of shredded white cabbage, grated onion and grated carrots. Then you got a coleslaw. If people don't like bits of onion. Whizz up 1/2 an onion in with a tablespoon of dressing in a blender. No bits! And if you use a red onion you get a lovely colour.

If your ma-in-law doesn't eat eggs then this is out because of the mayonnaise. Oops.

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MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO DOUGHNUTS

8 oz strong white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp easy-blend dry yeast
1 oz grated parmesan
1 tbs olive oil
100ml hand hot water
1 small egg, beaten
FILLING:
4 pieces sun-dried tomato
2 3/4 oz mozzarella
vegetable oil for deep frying

Make the dough - mix the flour, salt, pepper, yeast and parmesan in a bowl.
Mix the oil and water together then add to the flour with the egg and mix to a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
Cut each piece of tomato into six.
Cut the mozzarella into 24 pieces.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
Press out to flatten then place a piece of tomato and a piece of mozzarella in the centre.
Draw the dough up over the filling and pinch to close.
Place on an oiled baking sheet, cover with an oiled polythene bag, leave to rise for 1 hr.
Heat the oil until cube of bread rises to the surface and is golden.
Fry the doughnuts, a few at a time, for about 5 minutes until deep golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve sprinkled with grated parmesan.

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VEGETARIAN CHILLI

2 small onions, chopped quite chunkily
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cartons passata (sieved tomatoes, any supermarket will do them)
1 packet Vegemince (in the frozen section of any Tescos)
1/2 can of kidney beans or a whole can if you like them lots
1 packet of Colmans mix for Chilli con Carne*
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
dash Worcestershire sauce (optional as veggies can't have it)

Fry the onions in a little oil until quite soft.

Add the garlic and fry until softened.

Add the passata, mix well then add about half the packet of Vegemince. No need to defrost it, it just goes straight in. It will soak up the sauce though - be warned.

Sprinkle in the Chilli mix and stir very well - add a tablespoon of water just to help it mix in.

Drain the kidney beans and put them in the pot along with the Worcestershire sauce if you're using it.

Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the coriander at the end and stir in.

Serve with rice.

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OLIVE BREAD

1 tsp honey 2 medium onions, very finely chopped
8 fl oz tepid water 12 plump black olives, chopped
1 1/2 tbs active dry yeast 1 tbs mint leaves chopped or 1 tbs dried
4 fl oz fine grain sea salt 1-11/4 lb wholemeal flour

Dissolve honey in the water and add the yeast. Set aside in a warm place until foamy
whisk in 3 tbs. of the olive oil and the salt

Sift 10 oz/280g of the flour into a large mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast.

Knead for 10 minutes adding enough of the remaining flour to make a firm but elastic dough. Set aside in a warm place for 2 hours or until at least doubled in bulk.

Heat 3 tbs. of the remaining olive oil in a heavy frying pan and saut the onion over a low heat until golden and soft.

Cut 5 of the olives in half and finely chop the rest. Add the olives and mint to the onions and stir to mix. Add to the dough and knead for a minute or two.

Brush a heavy baking tray with olive oil, form the dough into 1 or 2 round slightly flattened loaves spaced well apart on the tray. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to gas Mark 5/375F/190C. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to gas 4/350F/180C brush with the remaining olive oil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer. The bottom should sound hollow when tapped and they should look a golden brown colour.

For a different flavour try green olives or spiced olives.

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VERY BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 oz cocoa sifted 6 tbs. boiling water
3 eggs 4 fl oz milk
6 oz self raising flour 1 rounded tsp baking powder
4 oz soft margarine 10 oz caster sugar
ICING/FILLING:
3 tbs. apricot jam 5 oz plain chocolate
1/4 pint double cream

Preheat oven to Gas 4 and position the shelves in the middle of the oven so both sponges can bake evenly at the same time.
Line two 8 inch greased sandwich tines with lightly buttered circles of greaseproof paper.
Place the cocoa in a food processor or mixer, set the machine in motion and carefully spoon in the boiling water. Blend for two minutes , then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining cake ingredients. Process again until the mixture has become a smooth, thickish batter.
Divide equally between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are risen, fairly firm in the centre and show signs of shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
Remove from the oven and leave them to cool and firm up in their tins, on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then turn out each cake onto a oven gloved hand, peel off the paper, then flip back onto the wire rack to cool.

Filling.

Warm the jam and spread over one of the cakes. If putting a topping on, spread over both cakes.
Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water or a bain marie. Stir until chocolate has melted.
Leave to cool until it is on the point of setting and then spread over one of the cakes. Place the cakes on top of one another then spread the remaining chocolate mix on the top of the cake and swirl.

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SPICED POTATOES

4 tbsp veg oil 1 onion sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves crushed 2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of chilli powder 1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt 1 lb. potatoes in 1 cm dice

In a pan, warm the oil and add the onion garlic and spices and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the potatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes before adding 5-10 fl oz water, enough to almost cover the potatoes.
Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring gently until the potatoes are tender. This will take 15-20 minutes. The water will reduce as it is absorbed by the potatoes.

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Don't forget convenience food too - onion rings you can bake in the oven, hot bread rolls with boursin, those ready bake Yorkshire puddings, the mini ones, you could fill them with a mixture of mushrooms fried in olive oil with onions and garlic.

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Boil up some rice, add in some diced peaches, some cooked frozen peas and some sweetcorn, make up a French dressing and pour it over the rice. Leave it to sit for a while. This one was a real favourite with some veggie friends of mine.

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Get about 3 of each colour peppers, red, green, yellow and orange. Slice thinly and fry in olive oil until they go soft. Leave to cool.

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Chop up 2 cloves of garlic very small, mix in with the peppers, drizzle good quality olive oil over and leave to soak for about an hour at the least. Serve with crusty French bread. Yumptious.

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Get an aubergine, poke holes in it and in each hole insert a sliver of garlic. Bake in a hot oven until the aubergine is really soft and squidgy. When cooled, cut in half, scoop out all the pulp and blend in a processor with enough olive oil to make it smooth. Good with pitta bread.

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Get a french stick, cut into rounds. Buy some cartons of garlic butter from the supermarket, melt it in the microwave and brush both sides of all the bread slices. You may want to melt in a little plain butter with the garlic one as it can be too strong at times. Bake the slices in a medium oven until crunchy - and boy, do they go crunchy!

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Fry up some chunky onions, add baked beans, 1 tsp tomato puree, black pepper, garlic salt and 1 tsp dark brown sugar or molasses if you've got it. Simmer for a while and serve with fresh bread.