Vegan – Page 22 – The Food Wife

Carrot and Cumin Soup

15th October 201830th October 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4

This is a low calorie, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan soup and itâ€™s delicious. Naturally sweet, gently spiced and perfectly warming for an autumn or winter lunch.

Itâ€™s quick to prepare and then cooks with little interference so why not make up a bigger batch and freeze for a quick and easy lunch!

Ingredients:
Oil
1 white onion or 4 shallots, roughly chopped
500g (about 4 decent sized) carrots, peeled, topped and tailed and cut into 1/2 cm rounds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 litre vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Nigella seeds (optional)

Step 1: Heat a little oil (I used a few spritz of a spray oil) in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and add the diced onion or shallot. Cook for a few minutes until softened but not browned.

Step 2: Add the carrot and stir, along with the cumin. Cook gently for a couple of minutes to begin to toast the spice and then add the stock. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Step 3: Carefully blitz the soup (I used a stick blender) and then season to taste. If you like, serve with a sprinkling of nigella seeds over the top of the soup.

This soup freezes well and can be defrosted over night in the fridge and then reheated. If you are not keeping this dairy-free and/or low calorie you could add some single or double cream to make it a richer, more luxurious treat. Serve with some crusty bread (gluten-free if required).

(Instant Pot) Vegetable Pasta Bake

26th September 201826th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Iâ€™ve called this an Instant Pot pasta bake, but steps 1-3 can always be done on the hob over a medium heat. Simply make the sauce separately to the pasta (omit the 160ml of water and large pinch of salt from the sauce) and once you have boiled the pasta in salted water (following the cooking guidelines on the packet), stir through and then continue with step 4.

Iâ€™m a big fan of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot though. I love being able to cook the pasta in the sauce which helps swell the pasta with all its deliciousness. It also means Iâ€™ve used only one dish; saves on the washing up!

I included roasted butternut squash in this but it isnâ€™t obligatory. I had peeled and diced (into 1cm cubes) a whole butternut squash, tossed in four cloves of crushed garlic and a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and roasted it at 200c for 35-40 minutes. I was saving half for a pasta salad and used half here.

You could leave out the â€˜bakeâ€™ element all together and simple have this as a vegetable pasta dish. Leave out the cheese topping and this is vegan. If you are making this gluten-free you will need to use a suitable pasta.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into half-inch pieces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
10 basil leaves, torn
150g pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
160ml water
Large pinch of salt
150g frozen peas
1/2 butternut squash, roasted (see above) (optional)
50g grated cheese (optional – leave out or use a suitable replacement if making this dairy-free or vegan)

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sautÃ© mode and add the oil and sliced onions. Cook the onions for five minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for another five minutes.

Step 3: Add the vinegar, salt, passata and water, along with the torn basil and pasta. Stir well and then replace the lid, ensure the valve is set to sealing and programme it manually to cook on high pressure for four minutes. Once cooked, manually depress by opening the valve with a tea towel and wooden spoon.

Step 4: Stir in the frozen peas, and roasted squash (if using), season to taste and then transfer all of the pasta into an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over the grated cheese (if using) and put in a preheated oven (180c) for twenty minutes until the cheese is golden.

Curried Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

13th September 201813th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Autumn is upon us and with it I welcome back soup to the menu. The first Iâ€™ve made this September is sweet from the veg and lightly spiced by curry powder. Itâ€™s low calorie (especially if you use a spray oil like I did for softening the onion) but is really delicious. You could always make it more substantial by serving it with some crusty bread.

This is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan so covers a range of dietary requirements. It freezes well too. Winner!

Ingredients:
A little oil
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 heaped tsp medium curry powder
600g mix of butternut squash and sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks (about 1.5cm)
1 litre vegetable stock
20g creamed coconut block, grated
Salt and pepper

Step 1: In a large saucepan heat a little oil (I used a spray oil) and add your onion and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until it has begun to soften and colour slightly.

Step 2: Add the chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Step 3: Stir in the curry powder and the pieces of potato and squash.

Step 4: Add the vegetable stock and creamed coconut and bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Put a lid on the pan and cook gently until the vegetables are soft and a sharp knife can easily pass through (about 10-15 minutes).

Step 6: Remove from the heat and carefully blend until smooth (I used a stick blender).

Step 7: Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Vegetable and Grain Salad

7th September 20188th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

I found a packet of five Italian grains in the supermarket and was keen to give them a go in a salad. The mix contained spelt, barley, durum wheat, rice and oats, but you could use a combination of your choosing, or just use one grain.

Iâ€™m also a bit obsessed with tarragon at the moment. I love its aniseedy perfume and find it incredibly moreish. Iâ€™ve been keen to grow some but I struggled to find any of the French variety to grow this summer. Instead Iâ€™ve had to make do with packets of fresh herbs from the supermarket.

The dressing quantity is more than you will need for this dish, but it will store for a few days in the fridge. I used it to dress some warm green beans to accompany an evening meal the same day. It was good!

Ingredients:

For the roasted vegetables:
1 courgette, cut into 1cm dice
1 pepper, cut into 1cm dice
1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1cm dice
1/2 fennel, cut into 1cm dice
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch each of salt and pepper

For the salad:
100g (Italian) grains
50g salad leaves
25g soft goats cheese (optional – leave out if making this vegan or dairy-free)

For the dressing:
6 tbsp olive or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp freshly chopped French tarragon
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Step 1: Mix the ingredients for the roasted vegetables and spread on a baking sheet. Cook at 200c for 35-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Step 2: Cook the grains according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water until cool.

Step 3: Combine the salad dressing ingredients, and either shake in a lidded jar or whisk in a bowl until amalgamated.

Step 4: In a large salad bowl, toss together the cooled vegetables, grains, salad leaves and about a third of the salad dressing. If you are using goats cheese, crumble over the salad just before serving.

I served this at lunch time with my Tarragon and Mustard Chicken. Wonderful.

Blackberry Jam

27th August 201827th August 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 8 Jars

There is something very satisfying about picking fruit for free and making something delicious from it. Iâ€™m sure it makes it more tasty.

This weekend we went blackberry picking along the canal by our home and managed to collect a hefty haul and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

Several passers by stopped to ask what theyâ€™d be turned in to; a pie, crumble, jam? That was the winner.

My normal weekday breakfast at the moment is homemade bread topped with jam. Even better if I can pair it with a homemade preserve!

I made this naturally gluten-free and I also ensured it was vegan and dairy free (see the note in step 4).

You will need a large heavy-bottomed pan, eight jam jars and lids (plus wax circles or other sealants), and a sugar thermometer is useful, but not necessary.

Ingredients:
1.75kg blackberries, washed
1.5kg jam sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Step 1: Place the blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place a saucer in the freezer.

Step 2: Heat the pan gently (I used a medium heat) so that the sugar dissolves into the natural juices of the blackberries.

Step 3: Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes (or, if using a sugar thermometer, when it reaches 102c).

Step 4: Remove from the heat whilst you test the consistency. Take the saucer from the freezer and put a teaspoon of the liquid on to it. Leave it to cool (30 seconds or so) and then push you finger in to it. If it wrinkles, it has reached the right consistency. If not, return the pan to the heat and boil again for another couple of minutes before testing again (make sure youâ€™ve put the saucer back in the freezer). Keep repeating this until you have reached the right consistency, at which point remove from the heat completely and skim off any scum collected on the top. N.b. If you are not keeping this vegan/dairy-free you could add a small knob of butter at this point to help dissolve any remaining scum.

Step 5: Allow the jam to settle for 10 minutes before ladling into sterilised jars.

Step 6: Seal appropriately (wax seals, lids etc.) and store in a cool dark place (they should keep like this for several months). Refrigerate after opening.