Great seasonal recipes enough to turn any meat-eater veggie
Now summer time is well and truly in it’s midst and the weather is hot hot hot, eating lighter, healthier food is top of our list. This week we pay homage to the Vegetarian, and living without meat. Of course, if you just can’t give up the meat then how about trying it out for a day. I’m sure with these ultra delicious and easy to prepare recipes to tempt you, you may just take a little wonder on the veggie side of life. Even better, all the recipes use seasonal produce so wont cost you an arm and a leg!
All recipes are courtesy of the Vegetarian Society and seasonal for the next three months with lettuce, cucumber, raspberries, cherries, courgette and blackberries very much in flavour. You can find more delicious meals to try on their website: www.vegsoc.org
Aubergine, Courgette & Tomato Cob
Serves 4, vegan
This stuffed cob holds together to make a really colourful savoury ‘gateau’ when cut into wedges. It is excellent for picnics as it is easy to transport and keeps its shape.
Ingredients
1 white, round, crusty loaf e.g pain de campagne) or 4 individual crusty rolls
1 aubergine, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
225g/8oz courgettes, sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Slice the top off the loaf or rolls and reserve. Remove the bread from the inside leaving just a shell.
3. Brush the aubergine slices with a little of the olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, until golden.
4.Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the onion and garlic gently for about 15 minutes, until turning golden and starting to caramelise. Stir in the sugar and remove from the pan.
5. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if necessary and fry the courgettes until golden.
6 Layer half the aubergine, onion, courgettes, tomatoes and the herbs inside the bread shell seasoning each layer. Repeat. Put the lid on top. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. The juices will soak into the bread.
Cut into wedges to serve.
Blackberry, Raspberry and Fennel Salad
Serves 4
Vegan
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
Salad
50g walnuts
¼ cucumber
½ fennel, very thinly sliced / shredded
85g watercress, thick stalks removed
1 round green lettuce, washed and dried
150g blackberries, washed and dried
150g raspberries, washed and dried
Dressing
150g silken tofu
5½ tbs good quality French dressing
1slightly rounded tbls caster sugar
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200C / 400F / Gas mark 6. Spread walnuts out on a baking tray and put in hot oven for about 4 minutes until lightly roasted. Remove from oven and cool.
2. To make the dressing: Drain the silken tofu by putting it in a bowl lined with kitchen paper and patting dry. Transfer French dressing to a small liquidizer together with the silken tofu and the caster sugar. Blend for about 30 seconds until creamy. Put into a bowl ready to serve.
3. Continue with the salad: Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, and then thinly slice to make half-moon slices. Mix these with the fennel and watercress
4. Arrange whole green lettuce leaves on four plates, and pile the cucumber mixture on top. Scatter with the blackberries, raspberries and roasted walnuts and serve, passing the dressing round separately.
Summer Tagine
Can be vegan*
Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 kg vine tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
250g green beans, blanched and cut into 2 cm pieces
175g podded broad beans, blanched and peeled to remove
tough outer skin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp runny honey* or light muscovado sugar
To garnish
35g toasted walnuts, chopped
1 medium lemon, cut into wedges
Season to taste
Method
1. Saute the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft before adding the tomatoes and spices. Cook gently until the tomatoes start to break up and then add the puree, the other 2 tbsp oil and a little water if the sauce seems too thick. Season well.
2. Add the green beans and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until cooked but still crunchy, adding a little water if necessary.
3. Finally stir in the honey and the broad beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes, at which point the sauce should be quite thick.
Serve with a fruity couscous with fresh herbs.
Marinated Halloumi Cheese Skewers with Mediterranean Vegetables
Getting ready: 10 minutes + two hours to marinade kebabs
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 garlic clove, crushed
18 whole pitted black olives
100ml (3fl oz) olive oil
400g (l4oz) halloumi cheese
3 large tomatoes
6 new potatoes
2 large courgettes
1 red onion
1 aubergine
6 kebab skewers
pitta bread to serve
Method
1. Blend (or chop finely) the garlic, olives and olive oil together to form a marinade.
2. Cut the cheese into 2.5cm (1in) cubes.
3. Cut tomatoes into four and remove the seeds. Cut potatoes in half lengthways, boil until tender and drain.
4. Chop the remaining vegetables into 2.5cm (1in) cubes and thread them onto skewers with the potatoes and tomatoes.
5. Marinade the kebabs for two hours. Prepare barbecue for cooking if not using grill.
6. Cook over barbecue or grill until tender, turning after two minutes on each side, and serve immediately in pitta bread.
© The Vegetarian Society – (recipe created by the Cordon Vert cookery school)
