Archive for the ‘Vegetarian Recipes’ category

« Older Entries

Veggie recipe: Chinese boiled dumplings

April 2nd, 2012

This is a traditional Chinese recipe I found on the charming Sammy Way’s blog. As with many vegetable-orientated Chinese dishes (I’m thinking spring rolls and noodle dishes), making vegetarian or vegan alternatives is easy. These dumplings are vegan, but serve them to any guest with noodles and they will be none the wiser as they are very filling indeed. I’ve found that you can play around with the vegetables you put in them and you can choose if you only want to boil them or deep fry them afterwards for a crispy coating – not as healthy, but very tasty.

C=cups, t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon

Dough

2½ C      All purpose flour

½ t          Salt

1 C         Warm water

1 t           Sesame oil

First add the salt to the flour, give it a quick mix and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Knead the dough and add more flour if it’s too runny.  At first, it might be sticky (or, as in my case, very sticky), but relax. If it is sticky, allow it to sit in a warm place (Sammy says she usually just sticks it in the oven) for 15 to 30 minutes and it will firm up a bit.

Filling

1kg      thinly shredded Napa cabbage (blanched until slightly translucent and drained thoroughly)

3 T          Soy sauce

2 t           Sesame oil

¼ t          Black Pepper

½ t          Sugar

400g      Firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed thoroughly

4             Stalks of green onion, chopped

½ t          Fresh minced ginger

Preheat a large pot of water.  You can add a small amount of salt and/or oil.  It must be deep enough for the dumplings to be little dough submarines.

Put all the filling’s ingredients into a bowl and smash everything together. The tofu should be the same consistency as for a tofu scramble, with some small chunks.  Taste, and adjust flavors if necessary.

Roll the dough out into a thin 10cm circle, place a decent amount of filling in the center, and fold the dumpling shut.  Make sure you don’t add too much filling, or roll the dough too thin.  This will lead to dumpling disaster: your dumplings will burst open or you won’t be able to close them at all because the moisture from the filling keeps oozing out.

It’s bath time!  Stir the dumplings as you put them in the water to ensure that they don’t immediately stick to the bottom. When they float they are done. Check your first one, and if it’s not totally cooked all the way through (thick dough takes longer), then allow them to float for a couple of minutes before you remove them.  Drain them for a short period and set them off to the side to cool.

Sauce

¼ C        Soy sauce

1/8 C      Balsamic vinegar

1/8 C      Water

½ T         Sugar

Fresh minced garlic and chili to taste

Dip your dumplings in the sauce, or if you’re having noodles with them, let your guests pour the sauce over everything.

 

(Post by our intern Elizabeth Smit)

(Image by Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr)

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Vegetarian recipe: Potato love – a midday snack and a wintery soup

April 6th, 2011

Hope you’re all having a fabulous week so far. I’ve got two vegetarian recipes to share with you today; one is for a delicious snack I came up with, the other is a tasty veggie soup just in time for the winter months creeping up.

Veggie Snack:

I would struggle to cut meat out of my diet entirely but I do enjoy Fry’s Vegetarian Foods. You can get anything from vegetarian chicken-style strips to vegetarian braai-flavoured sausages. You can still enjoy the taste and texture of eating meat, only you’re eating veggies.

I buy the Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style Burgers and the other day I came up with a scrumptious midday snack that was totally meat-free:

Take a French loaf and cut a sandwich sized piece, slice it open. Take one Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style patty and cook it on medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.

While it’s cooking spread a thin layer of mayo on one slice of bread and a thin layer of basil pesto on the other.

Slice up some cheese (I had cheddar and blue cheese together but you can have whatever you prefer).

Once the patty is ready place it on the mayo slice of bread and quickly layer your cheese slices on it. The heat from the patty should melt the cheese slightly. Close the sandwich by taking the pesto slice and putting it on top of the patty and voila, you’ve made yourself a vegetarian chicken burger.

Soup:

For the soup I found a delicious-sounding recipe from Better Recipes. It’s a three potato soup with fresh rosemary.

You will need:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 chopped yellow onion
  • 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato
  • 1 peeled and chopped russet baking potato
  • 2 peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup of margarine
  • Salt
  • Chopped fresh rosemary
  • Sprig of rosemary for garnish

Method:

Place a pot on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onion. Allow the onion to brown before adding the potatoes, two cups of water and four cups of vegetable stock. You can also add a quarter cup of margarine, salt to taste and two teaspoons of chopped rosemary.

Reduce the heat to a low setting and place the lid on the pot. Allow the mixture to cook for six to eight hours.

Use a blender to puree the mixture into a thick consistency. Ladle into bowls and use the fresh rosemary to garnish.

(Image by mmbapon. stock.xchng)

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Cape Town’s meatless Mondays and going vegan

March 14th, 2011

Save a cow, eat your veggies.

Meatless Mondays is an initiative that has spread across the globe quickly. While South Africans enjoy their meat, especially at braais, the city of Cape Town decided to encourage its inhabitants to set aside one day a week as meat-free. The idea is to promote awareness about the amount of meat that people eat. But what if you want to take it even further? Well, then there’s veganism.

According to Lisa Nevitt, of Cape Town Magazine, Cape Town is the first African city to encourage and promote a meat-free day once a week. Institutions and blogs adopted the cause as their own as restaurants began adding delicious vegetarian dishes to their menus and bloggers posted easy-to-make meals. The Protea Hotel Victoria Junction joined the Meatless Mondays campaign with a three-course vegetarian meal including poached quail eggs, Kalahari truffle-topped asparagus, and a baby marrow and peanut burger.

A food-blog, Simply Delicious, has a number of vegetarian recipes to help the everyday meat-eater out. As people explore the idea of eating less meat they tend to share their experiences and meals, and as a result more people are encouraged and tempted to try out something completely different. Oprah, SAB Catering (Dutch catering company), Bob Harper (fitness trainer for The Biggest Loser), Women’s Health magazine and many more have all pledged to support the initiative by posting their recipes, offering discounts on vegetarian meals on Mondays, or, in the case of Oprah, making Harpo Studios offer more vegetarian options to the crew and audience.

There’s even a step further you can take to ensure you eat healthier and protect the lives of animals born to the slaughter: Veganism. This month is the Vegan Easy Challenge; a 30-day challenge where you are expected to eat only vegan food for the whole month.

According to Vegan Easy, it’s actually really easy to lead a vegan lifestyle. A vegan is someone who doesn’t eat, wear or buy products made from animals. People imagine that a vegetarian diet would be boring so it can be difficult to convince those same people that vegan food can be varied, tasty and scrumptious. I had a friend who spent most of his life as a vegan and he never had a problem finding great meals to enjoy.

By living a vegan lifestyle you will save the lives of many animals, be more environmentally aware and be healthier. Vegan Easy reports that almost 60 million land animals and up to three trillion sea animals are killed for our consumption or use every year. By cutting those products out of your life you can reduce that number and, if your diet is well-balanced, you can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and strokes.

If you’re keen to experience a vegan lifestyle you don’t have to jump right in. Why not start by cooking a vegan meal once or twice a week? As you find it gets easier to come up with great recipes and easy to find the right ingredients you can progress from there. Or you could start out with Vegan Easy’s “30 day vegan easy challenge menu”.

Let us know how it goes.

Image via Stock.xchng.

No comments »

Posted in Animal-friendly Products, Eco-friendly Products, Green Living, Raising Awareness, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Veggie Recipe: Vegetables Provencal and Parsnip Fritters

March 7th, 2011

Hello all, it’s meatless Monday again and I have two great vegetarian recipes for you to try out this week. Both recipes are from the book called Vegetarian: the best-ever recipe collection and are delicious, healthy and easy to make.

For the parsnip fritters you’ll need:

2 parsnips

1 cup flour

1 separated egg

1/2 cup milk

115g washed and dried baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

oil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts

salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

Method:

After you’ve peeled your parsnips place them in a pan of boiling water. Allow them to simmer for about 15 minutes (don’t let them get mushy). Once you’ve drained them cut them into diagonal slices but don’t cut them too thin.

Place your flour into a bowl and make a hole in the middle. Put your egg yolk in and mix well with a fork. Add the milk and keep mixing the liquid into the mixture. Add some salt, black and cayenne pepper to season the mixture and then use a whisk to beat the batter.

Next use the whisk to beat the egg white in a separate bowl. Fold in a little bit of the yolk batter and then fold the egg white into the batter.

Heat a pot of oil for frying. Dip the parsnip slices into the batter and then fry them until they are golden and fluffy. Arrange the fritters on top of a bed of spinach leaves dressed with oils, vinegar, salt and black pepper with the coarsely chopped walnuts.

Sounds great!

For the vegetable Provencal you’ll need:

1 sliced onion

2 leeks sliced

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 red, yellow and green pepper, seeded and sliced

350 g sliced courgettes

225g sliced mushrooms

400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons ruby port

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

400g can chick peas

1 cup pitted black olives

3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (mixed)

salt and ground black pepper

fresh herbs to garnish

Method:

Put the mushrooms, garlic, leeks, onions, peppers and courgettes into a large saucepan and add the port, tomato puree, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix it all up well.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the mixture.

Cover the mixture and bring it to the boil. Allow it to simmer for about half an hour and stir occasionally. Once the vegetables are tender remove the lid and increase the heat for ten minutes.

Add the herbs and olives and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy the fruits of your hard work in the kitchen.

Image by Salazar78 via Stock.xchng.

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Veggie recipe: spicy potatoes and cauliflower

January 31st, 2011

This vegetarian recipe is so easy to make and super tasty. It’s best eaten with rice or Indian bread and a raita (a condiment based with yoghurt and cucumbers for example) and fresh mint relish.

Ingredients:

225g potatoes

75ml peanut oil

5ml ground cumin

5ml ground coriander

1.5ml ground turmeric

1.5ml cayenne pepper

1 fresh chilli, seeded and finely chopped (preferably green)

1 medium head of cauliflower, broken up into smaller florets

5ml cumin seeds

2 garlic cloves, shredded

15-30ml fresh coriander

salt

Method:

Cook your potatoes in the skins in boiling water with salt. They should be just tender so leave them on for a bout 20 minutes. Drain them and when they are cool peel and cut them into 2.5cm cubes.

Heat 45ml of the oil in a wok or frying pan. When the oil is hot add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and chilli. Mix them all together and allow the spices to sizzle for a few seconds.

Add the cauliflower florets with about 60ml of water. Cook the mixture over a medium heat, stirring continuously for six to eight minutes. Add the potato cubes and stir-fry everything for a further two to three minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and then remove the wok or pan from the heat.

Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan and when it gets hot add the cumin seeds and garlic. Cook the mixture until lightly browned and then pour it over the vegetables.

Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve.

For the raita:

Fry cumin and black mustard in a pan and mix this in with some plain yoghurt. You can also add some cayenne pepper, mint, coriander and raw vegetables such as cucumber, carrot of onions. There are a number of ways to make the popular Indian sauce, so you can search online for the one that sounds the best to you.

Enjoy it!

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

A vegetarian camping trip – the braai debacle

January 30th, 2011

For those who live in South Africa braaing is an important part of their culture. Most locals either grow up around the braai-vleis (barbecue meat) or have at least attended more than a few braais in their lifetime. It’s often difficult for those trying to live a healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle to enjoy the popular past-time but it really doesn’t have to be; if you’re trying to eat less meat you can still enjoy a party around the fire. I recently spent a weekend away with a few friends who don’t eat meat at all, and we had some amazing snacks and meals that were completely meat-free. Here are a few ideas to make it easier for people to eat less meat but still feel like a good old-fashioned braai.

For breakfast we enjoyed fresh muesli with milk. While a lot of people enjoy eggs and bacon in the morning it’s always a messy affair when camping; the skottel gets greasy and someone has to clean it before it attracts ants and flies. Rather have a healthier breakfast; the muesli is filling and full of nutrients.

As a mid-day snack we brought along some savoury crackers, cherry tomatoes, olives, rocket and hummus. Being able to enjoy the tastes without having to use plates and cutlery is great. You could also bring carrots, celery and cucumber cut into bite-sizes.

For lunch or dinner you don’t have to go without a burger just because you’re trying to eat less beef. We grilled some Fry’s veggie burgers and enjoyed them on rolls with rocket, camembert and tomatoes. I honestly didn’t even miss the beef patties.

A great way to make sure you eat enough without pigging out on chicken breasts, pork chops and beef patties is to make a big pasta salad at home. We made one with feta, cherry tomatoes, olives, cucumber and mayonnaise and it was a great hit even with the carnivorous campers at our site.

For our second night’s meal we sliced up some courgettes sprinkled them with some seasoning and grilled them on the braai while our potato, butternut and sweet potato mix was cooking in some tinfoil amongst the coals. We also cut up green, yellow and red peppers and put them in tinfoil next to the potatoes.

There are, of course, the regular side dishes that most people enjoy at braais that non-meat-eaters can enjoy; potato salad, garlic bread and salad-rolls are a few favourites. So the next time you’re invited to a braai break out the veggies. Who knows, you might even convince a few meat-eaters to try out the beans and bakes.

No comments »

Posted in Green Living, Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Vegetarian recipe: Tomato Bruschetta as a side and Avocado and Almond soup as a main

January 24th, 2011

Tomato Bruschetta:

Ingredients you will need:

A few slices of farm style bread (or French loaf)

Garlic cloves, halved (2 or 3 will be fine unless you enjoy a strong garlic taste)

Plum tomatoes, peeled and diced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh basil leaves for garnishing

Method:

Turn your grill on and lightly toast the slices of bread on both sides. Remove the slices and rub each piece with a half a clove of garlic before returning them to the grill for a few seconds.

Once the bruchetta is ready divide the diced tomato among the toasts. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the mix. Place a fresh basil leaf or tow on top and enjoy.

If you like you can add a bit of diced onion to the tomatoes or even a bit of chilli.

Avo and Almond Soup:

Ingredients you will need:

Around 600ml water

An onion, finely chopped

A stick or two of celery, finely chopped

A carrot, grated

A few garlic cloves (again this depends on how strong you prefer the garlic to be), chopped or crushed

A bay leaf

100 grams ground almonds

2 ripe avos (or 450grams total weight)

Some lemon juice

Olive oil

Fresh chives for garnishing

Method:

Put the water in a pot on the boil and add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaf and salt. When the liquid begins to boil, turn down the heat and allow the broth to simmer, covered, for around half an hour.

Check to see if the vegetables are tender before you remove it. Strain the mixture and keep the liquid and the vegetables separate. Remove and throw away the bay leaf.

Use a food processor or blender to break up the vegetables before adding the almonds. If necessary you can add a small amount of the liquid. The mixture should become a smooth puree. Then add the remaining liquid and stir it all in. put the mixture into a bowl, cover it and place in the fridge until cold.

Half the avos and scoop them into the food processor. Add the soup from the fridge and process it all into a smooth puree. If you want your soup to be a bit thinner add a few spoonfuls of water.

Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice and salt and peep to taste. Serve in chilled bowls with a drizzle of olive oil on top and some fresh chives for garnishing.

Bon appetite!

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Veggie Recipe: Courgette and Basil Risotto

January 19th, 2011

Hey all, sorry I haven’t been putting up vegetarian recipes as frequently as before, the silly season was really madness. But now things have all settled down and I’m ready to give you some more amazing all-veg meals for 2011.

The other night a good friend of mine came over and we decided to try a recipe out of my new vegetarian recipe book. We both love risotto and my favourite vegetable is courgette (baby marrows) so we chose the courgette and basil risotto. It was such a success I just had to share it with you!

Ingredients you will need:

1.5 litres Vegetable Stock

4 Tbsp Basil-Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Plus Extra for Drizzling (we used plain olive oil and just added more fresh basil to the risotto)

4 Courgettes, Diced

1 Yellow Pepper, Deseeded and Diced

2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped

1 Large Onion, Finely Chopped

400g Risotto Rice

4 Tbsp Dry, White Vermouth

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Large Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves, Torn, Plus Extra to Garnish

85g Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Bring the stock to the boil and then reduce the heat, allowing it to simmer over low heat while you cook the rest of the meal.

Heat half of the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. When hot (not smoking) add the courgettes and yellow pepper, stir-fry for three minutes or until lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Transfer the veggies to a plate and set aside.

Heat the rest of the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring every now and then, for around two minutes, until soft. Add the risotto and cook. Stir frequently for around two minutes until the rice is translucent and well-coated with oil. Pour in the vermouth; it will bubble and steam, almost immediately evaporating.

Slowly add the stock, one ladleful at a time until the rice absorbs all the moisture. Continue to stir constantly. Increase the heat so the liquid bubbles and cook for 20-25 minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is creamy yet firm to the bite, add the vegetable mixture.

Mix in the butter, basil leaves and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately with some fresh basil to garnish.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Veggie Recipe: Thai Green Curry

December 2nd, 2010

The other night we had two guests over so I decided to make a vegetarian Thai Green Curry. My mom cooked some chicken on the side as an optional meat dish for those who enjoy eating meat.

The Thai people always cook with wonderful spices which make their meals so exciting and tasty – even without meat their food is flavoursome.

I didn’t have a recipe because I was following the one my friend made for me a few weeks ago. I just watched her as she cooked and because this method is so simple (and delicious) I could copy it from my head.

Ingredients:

Two cloves garlic, finely chopped

Ginger, finely chopped

Onion, chopped

Thai Green Paste

Coconut milk

Baby marrows, bite sized pieces

Potatoes, bite sized pieces

Salt

Pepper

You can use any variety of vegetable you prefer. My friend added cauliflower and chickpeas while I made mine with butternut.

Method:

Use a medium sized pan and heat up some olive oil. Add the potatoes and allow them to cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Add the onion and let it heat up for a few minutes before adding the baby marrows and any other vegetable you feel like having. Depending on the vegetables you choose, and how fast they cook, you might need to add them before the onion.

Add a dash of salt and pepper if you want.

When the onion starts going golden brown add the garlic and ginger. Allow the vegetables to cook slowly. Check the potatoes and if they’re getting soft add the coconut milk. Allow the mixture to heat up for a few minutes.

Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a small amount of the Thai Green Curry paste and mix it in. Make sure you taste the sauce before adding more, just to make sure you don’t make the curry too hot.

Leave it on medium heat for a few minutes so that the flavours mix well together. Test one of the potato pieces to make sure that they veggies are cooked. Serve immediately with rice.

See? Who said vegetarian cooking wasn’t exotic? Everyone really enjoyed the meal and there wasn’t one bite left. I think I can definitely make it again!

JS

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian Recipes

Tags:

Veggie Recipe: Baked Ziti with Spinach and Gorgonzola

November 2nd, 2010

So it’s been a while since I last posted, so sorry about that, things have really been hectic in the office. But I have a scrumptious veggie recipe for you to try out this week to make up for being away for so long! I found it here on Ezra Poundcake‘s blog

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Gorgonzola:

Ingredients you will need:

2 ½ Tablespoons Unsalted Butter275189_spinach_2

2 Cups Classic Béchamel, Hot

4 Ounces Full-Fat Gorgonzola Cheese, Crumbled (About 2/3 Cup)

1 Pound Flat-Leaf Spinach

1 Medium Onion, Minced

Salt

Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1 Pound Ziti (We recommend Barilla)

¼ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

Method:

To cook your pasta, bring a large pot of water to boil over a high heat. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a medium to large sized baking dish with ½ tablespoon of butter and set his aside.

Take a large bowl (make sure this is large enough to hold your Bechamel, ziti and spinach) and pour the hot béchamel in. Add your Gorgonzola, stirring it into the sauce. Set aside.

Remove the stems from the spinach and set aside. Heat the reminaing two tablespoons of butter in a deep pot and add the onion sautéing them over medium heat until they are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add to this the spinach, stirring to coat the leave evenly with the butter. Add a little salt to taste. Cover and cook until the spinach has wilted, stirring occasionally.

Move the spinach mixture (all of it) into the large bowl with the béchamel. Stir and add the nutmeg – adjust any seasonings to taste. Set aside.

When your water comes to the boil add the ziti and salt, checking the recommended boiling time on the package. Cook the ziti until it is one to two minutes shy of the recommended time.

Stir the ziti into the large bowl with the rest of the mixture and toss it to coat well. Transfer the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano over the pasta.

Bake the mixture, stirring twice. Allow the pasta to absorb the sauce in the baking dish and until it is just beginning to turn golden brown (about 25 minutes). Serve immediately.

Let me know how it goes! And if you have any delish veggie recipes you’d like to share on here send me a comment!

Jade

x

No comments »

Posted in Vegetarian Recipes

Tags: