Happy Veggie de Mayo !

(Showing a bit of love to the Mexicans who are going though a hell of a time right now)

Today is Cinco de Mayo and in Mexico, which is an annual holiday.

And to celebrate this Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) here are some Veggie & Vegan Mexican recipes found via About.com:

30 Second Chili “Cheese” Dip

With just two pre-made ingredients, this recipe is super easy and super yummy, which are two of my favorite qualities in a recipe! Serve with in bowl with a plateful of corn tortilla chips for a quick, though not exactly authentic, appetizer.

Basic Vegan Guacamole Recipe

Guacamole doesn’t have to be fancy to taste great! This recipe is simple enough for anyone to make, but tastes absolutely great. Make sure you are using a good quality avocado, because guacamole is all about the flavor of the avocado. Serve in a bowl next to your chili “cheese” dip and chips!

Webbie's Note: This is my particular favourite. Love avocado. Love Guacamole.

Easy Mushroom Fajitas

These mushrooms fajitas have just a few simple ingredients and a few Mexican spices, so they are quick and easy to prepare. Serve wrapped in a flour tortilla and topped with a spoonful of sour cream.

Sweet Mexican Tortilla Chips

These are a sweet treat that kids and adults alike will love, and they take just a few minutes to prepare. Serve as a dessert, or as an appetizer with fresh fruit salsa.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Inspired by Mexican Hot Chocolate, made famous by the movie “Chocolat”, this vegan recipe uses both cinnamon and cayenne to get a spicy chocolate flavor. Yum!

» See all the recipes

A Pizza for November Vegan Month

November is Vegan Month and Tony over at World Vegetarian and Vegan News has details of a Vegan Pizza recipe:

World Vegan Day 1st Nov 2008

Recipe for a ‘ Healthy Vegan Pizzaz Pizza’ with 64 ingredients is a Recipe for Success for Restaurant Trade Say Foods for Life

To celebrate 64 years of veganism (64 years since Donald Watson founded The Vegan Society and created the word ‘Vegan’) Foods for Life Nutrition has devised a special birthday healthy vegan ‘Pizzaz Pizza’ recipe.

Inspired by The Paul McCartney song lyrics, ‘Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64’, The ‘Foods for Life Pizzaz Pizza’ encompasses all the core values and fundamental elements that 64 years of veganism stand for. These include compassion for the environment, people, health and animals.

The pizza recipe has 64 ingredients, an ingredient to mark every year of The Vegan Society’s 64 year history in which they have encouraged people to eat more fruit and vegetables and plant based protein.

Celebrity Foods for Life TV Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says “Over 88% of us still don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. It’s estimated 12% of the UK don’t eat any fruit and vegetables at all! As one of the most ubiquitous fast foods and probably the least healthy we decided to target the humble mass produced Pizza and give it a gourmet, optimum nutrition makeover”

Yvonne’s vegan husband Tony, author of a new vegan cookbook by Lorenz called ‘The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking’ says “We thought it would be a good way to mark World Vegan Day on November 1st and Veganism’s 64th birthday with a vegan pizza recipe with 64 nutritious ingredients”

“Our pizza recipe is not only a delicious feast but is veggie-liciously packed with vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals – rich in the basic nutrients you need to move towards a healthier lifestyle” says Yvonne.

At around 730 calories a typical pepperoni pizza has nearly as much fat, even more carbohydrates and less protein than a McDonalds double Quarter pounder with cheese.

A 6 slice medium pan Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza has 2112 Kcals, 117g of fat, 164g of carbohydrates, 10g of salt and 101g of protein.

Foods for Life are committed to encouraging a healthier choice on restaurant menus.

» Click to view the recipe

Rose Elliot’s top 10 vegetarian cookbooks

Via the Guardian:

Rose Elliot’s top 10 vegetarian cookbooks

Rose Elliot is a renowned writer on vegetarian cooking. She has written over 50 cookery books,including Not Just a Load of Old Lentils, The Bean Book, Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Cookery and Vegetarian Express. She is a patron of the Vegetarian Society and in 1999 was appointed MBE for services to vegetarian cookery. Her latest book is Forget the Lentils (Little Books). Fast Fresh and Fabulous (BBC Books) will be out in September.

“So – what do I look for in a top ten vegetarian cookbook? Inspiration, first and foremost: the recipes have to leap off the page and make me want to rush off and cook them. Secondly, the atmosphere of the book: it has to be warm, friendly, accessible. And thirdly, of course, the recipes have got to work.”

» View the list

- RoseElliot.com

Recipe: Warm New Potato and Asparagus Salad

As part of the National Vegetarian Week here’s a recipe from the Vegetarian Society Cordon Vert School recipe section: Season to Taste

Warm New Potato and Asparagus Salad

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 700g baby new potatoes (cut in half if more than 4 cms)

Dressing

• 50ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 good tsp runny honey* (or 2 scant tsp apple concentrate)
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 25g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 16-24 asparagus spears (at least 6 spears per person if thin or 4 spears if asparagus is thicker)
• 80g young spinach leaves
• 100g soft vegetarian goat’s cheese log, thinly sliced* (or 75g vegan soft cheese)
• 6 large radishes, sliced
• Season to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to Gas 6/200F/400F. Parboil the potatoes for 15 minutes until slightly tender. Drain and cool for 5 minutes before placing in a roasting pan.

2. Mix the dressing ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper if desired, and pour half over the potatoes, mixing well. Roast for approx 25 minutes until soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Sprinkle the walnuts on a separate baking tray and dry roast for 3 – 4 minutes to intensify their flavour. Do not let them burn!

3. Trim the woody ends off the asparagus spears and discard. Steam the asparagus for 5 to 7 minutes (depending on size) until tender. Place in a dish and pour over the remaining dressing.

4. To assemble the salad: cover the base of a large, wide salad bowl with spinach leaves; place the potatoes on top followed by the sliced goat’s cheese (which will melt slightly), and then by the asparagus. Finally sprinkle with the roasted walnuts and garnish with the radish slices.

This recipe ©The Vegetarian Society 2007 » Link

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Recipe: Blind Scouse

When Niki was on Simon O’Brien radio show (working on a some clip highlights of that at the moment) Simon mentioned in passing about Blind Scouse which is a vegetarian version of the famous Scouse recipe.

For anyone who hasn’t seen or tried this yet, here is the recipe via the Vegetarian Society:

Blind Scouse

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Scouse

• 1 leek, washed well and cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
• 3 medium (500g) potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
• 3 – 4 (300g) carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
• 1-2 handfuls pearl barley (soaked overnight in cold water or soaked in boiling water for an hour)
• 1ltr vegetable stock
• 1x 410g can butter beans, rinsed and drained
• to taste salt and pepper

To serve:

– Herb dumplings
– Pickled red cabbage, or chopped pickled beetroot (optional)

Method

1. For the Scouse: Put all ingredients except the butter beans in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Add the butter beans, return to the boil then add the dumplings (if using). Replace lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Serve in soup plates.

Dumplings (optional)
(Makes about 16)

• 125g self raising flour
• 50g vegetable suet
• 1tbs onion, peeled and very finely chopped
• 2tsp dried mixed herbs
• to taste salt and pepper
• 100ml very cold water

Mix all dry ingredients. Just before adding to the Scouse, mix in enough cold water to make a rather sticky dough. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls into the boiling soup and continue as point 2.

This recipe © The Vegetarian Society

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Banana Cookies

Found via Simply Recipes:

These banana cookies are what I consider to be a staple for any home. Who hasn’t had plenty of instances where some bananas have gotten a bit overripe? Banana bread and muffins aren’t the only way to use up ripe bananas, and these cookies are a great new alternative. With a fresh banana taste and enhanced with spices and pecans they’re a perfect treat.

So good, I guarantee they won’t last long.

Makes about 30 cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 cups of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

METHOD:

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

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Chickpea Hot Pot Recipe

Found via 101 Cookbooks

Chickpea Hot Pot Recipe

Leftovers are going to thicken up overnight – thin with a bit of water/stock while reheating, and adjust for seasoning again. You can find bulgur in the bins at most natural food stores and Whole Foods Markets.

Serves 4 - 6.

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• a splash of olive oil
• a couple pinches of salt
• 2/3 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 cup cauliflower, trimmed into small trees
• 2 cup kale or chard, destemmed and cut into thin ribbons
• olive oil for finishing drizzle
• red onion, chopped for garnish

Method:

In a large pot over medium-high heat saute the onion in the olive oil along with the salt – for a minute or until the onion begins to soften a bit. Stir in the bulgur. Stir in the chickpeas and the stock. Bring the ingredients to a simmer. Cook for another few minutes, it should start to thicken. Taste to see if the bulgur is cooked through, if so add the orange juice. If not, simmer for a couple more minutes before adding the juice. Stir in the cauliflower and the kale as well – simmer another few minutes, until the cauliflower is just tender. If the stew is on the thick side, thin with a bit more water or stock. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and red onions.

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Tofu Peanut Stir-Fry

Found via Allrecipes.

NOTE: This recipe calls for 2 eggs.

Tofu Peanut Stir-Fry

“This is absolutely the best way to eat tofu, especially for first timers. The tofu has a slightly crunchy exterior while the inside is nice and soft. I used to make my stir-fry with chicken or beef, but my husband won’t have it any other way than tofu now! And my 2 year old loves it! It is a delicious, easy, quick, and inexpensive meal. Serve with Asian noodles or with steamed rice. Enjoy!”

PREP TIME : 15 Min
COOK TIME: 15 Min
READY IN : 30 Min
Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 5 ml vegetable oil
• 454.4 g frozen stir-fry vegetables
• 0.9 g minced fresh ginger
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 130 g cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 180 ml peanut sauce
• 35 g chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook the vegetables until tender. Mix in the ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from skillet, and set aside.

2. Place the eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dip tofu cubes first in the egg, then the cornstarch mixture to coat.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet or wok over medium heat, and cook the coated tofu 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir in the peanut sauce and peanuts. Continue to cook and stir until sauce has thickened and tofu is well-coated. Serve with the vegetables.

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Google Recipe Search

Google has just made our recipe section redundant !

Google Base is where people can add items to the Google database and then other users can visit, search and find them.

There is a section for recipes and many, many options for you to find a specific type of dish:

I did a broad search with just the keyword vegetarian and it returned 23,639 results !

When it displays the results it shows you a thumnailed picture of the item plus information about the cuisine, the meal type, preparation times… how may it serves… loads of info. Example below:

So bookmark this one. Another very useful tool.

Pumpkin Soup

The release of Kate Nash’s new single gives me a pisspoor excuse to add to the recipe and jukebox categories.

VIDEO:

(Kate’s very own) RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 x large pumpkin, cut into chunks
2 x cloves of garlic, chopped
1 x medium red chilli pepper, chopped
1 x can coconut milk or cream
Lots of fresh coriander leaves
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Cut the pumpkin into quarters so they are a manageable size to work with. Scoop out the seeds and remove the skin.
2. Chop the flesh into small chunks and cook in boiling water until soft.
3. Meanwhile, add chilli, garlic, half the coriander, salt and pepper to a blender and whiz until well blended.
4. When the pumpkin is soft, drain the cooking water but reserve it. Put the pumpkins into the blender with the chilli mix and blend.
5. Put the mixture back into a saucepan, add the coconut milk and simmer. if it is too thick, add some of the reserved cooking water.
6. Serve in large bowls and add the remaining chopped coriander.

Recipe via XFM

AUDIO: