Giving it a go

It would be a bit rubbish if I had married a veggie and instantly converted myself. That is just not the kind of person I am. However, living with a veggie has meant I have had to adapt and has opened my eyes to a whole world of wonderful food I had never experienced before. I love cooking and eating and sharing this with the person I share my life with is therefore obviously important to me, so this has meant when I cook for us both at home, I cook veggie. I am not dead set on becoming a vegetarian right now and am not sure if I will in the future but I have been so inspired by the many vegetarian/vegan blogs out there that I was itching to start my own. So here we go.

Monday 31 October 2011

Oriental Mock Chicken Salad

I used to make this all the time when I cooked meat with leftover crispy chicken and I was delighted to find it works perfectly with mock meat - I like it best with the frozen type from the Chinese supermarket.

- Cook 1 pack mock chicken breasts according to packet instructions - drizzle with olive oil first and possibly cook a little longer if not golden and crispy
- Shred 1/4 of a small red cabbage, thinly slice 1 red onion, use a vegetable peeler to shred 4 carrots and chop a handful of fresh coriander. Place this in a big bowl
- In a small bowl whisk together the dressing: 3 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp lime juice.
- When the mock chicken is ready snip into strips with scissors and add to the bowl of veggies with the dressing
- Toss well and serve

Aubergine and mock chicken parmagiana (serves 2)

- Put 2 breaded mock chicken schnitzels in the oven per packet instructions (I use frys)
- Also into the oven in a roasting dish place 6 halved tomatoes and 8 whole unpeeled garlic cloves drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried thyme, sugar, salt and black pepper
- Both will take around 20mins
- Meanwhile slice thinly and fry 1 aubergine draining on kitchen paper as they are ready
- When the tomatoes are soft remove from the oven, pop the garlic out of the skin and place the whole mix in the blender.
- In a baking tray assemble the chicken schnitzel, a layer of tomato garlic sauce, a few slices of overlapping aubergine, another layer of sauce and top with grated mozarella
- Bake for 5mins on high until cheese is golden
- Serve with steamed green beans in a bit of butter
- Enjoy!



Monday 24 October 2011

Acuri

My Dad used to make Acuri at home on a Sunday evening so thought I would give an eggless version a go. For those of you that haven't heard of it - it's really a spicy scrambled eggs usually served on toast.

- Fry 1 chopped red onion with 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
- Add 2 chopped tomatoes and 1 chopped chilli with seeds and fry a little longer
- Add 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt
- Add 1 block mashed firm tofu and fry till some edges look golden
- Chuck in a handful of chopped fresh coriander, cook for 1 minute
- Quickly toast and butter 2 pieces of bread - chuck the acuri on top and beat your husband to the TV to watch something lovely like the Kardashians :)

Nandos at home :)

The husband adores Nandos like possibly more than me but it is quite pricey and unfortunately we cannot eat out all the time! Here is my at home version - it was yummy and firey.

- To make the sauce blend in a food processor: half red pepper, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 5 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 scotch bonnet, 1 red onion, juice of 1 lime and juice of 1 orange. Simmer this in a saucepan to reduce - Season with salt, pepper, sugar, chopped coriander and turn off heat
- Bake 4 frozen mock chicken breasts of your choosing according to packet instructions until crispy
- Meanwhile boil 2 cups frozen peas, drain and saute in 1 tsp butter, 1/2 tsp dried mint, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes and 1/2 tsp salt. Mash a little to get that mushy pea effect
- Peel and chip 4 large potatoes - deep fry and sprinkle with paprika and salt
- Dip the cooked mock chicken in the sauce to thoroughly coat and griddle until charred black criss cross lines show.
- Stick it all on a plate and eat!

French Toast and Necterine Slices

- In a sealable plastic bag crush 2 cups Frosties cereal (anysweet cornflakes will do)
- Add to this 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder and pour into a bowl
- Add 1cup vanilla soya milk and whisk into a batter, if too thick add a little more
- Heat a pan with a mix of butter and oil- Dip 1 at a time 6 pieces of wholemeal bread into the batter and fry until golden flipping half way
- Serve with slices of fresh necterine and maple syrup