Vegetarian – Page 12 – The Food Wife

Giant Couscous Salad with Roasted Peppers and Feta

9th May 20239th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 6 (+) as a side dish

The inspiration for this salad comes from a recipe I remember having in the 90s which partnered walnut oil and feta cheese which were such a great combo. If you donâ€™t have any walnut oil then you can use extra virgin olive oil of course but it wonâ€™t have the same nutty hit.

You can add any other veg you fancy to this but the roasted peppers are the staple. I used one raw courgette cut into small cubes. Cucumber would also work well.

You can make this a couple of hours in advance so itâ€™s good for a picnic or barbecue.

Ingredients:

300g giant couscous, cooked according to the packet instructions and then drained and run under cold water until cool.

1 jar of roasted peppers, drained and diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

Any other veg you fancy e.g courgette or cucumber cut into a small dice

100g feta, crumbled

For the dressing:

2 lemons, juice only

4 tbsp walnut oil

Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 1: Assemble all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix together the dressing ingredients (I do this in a jar that I can shake to emulsify).

Step 3: Toss the salad and dressing together and serve.

Courgette and Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Molasses and Mint

7th May 20237th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 6 as a side dish

As summer approaches, anyone growing courgettes will probably be wondering what to do with them all. Here is a Middle-Eastern-inspired salad that uses them raw. They provide more of a texture than flavour, but the dressing sings!

Make sure to use room temperature tomatoes to increase their sweet flavour (straight from the fridge and they wonâ€™t taste of much!)

Ingredients:

250g baby tomatoes, halved

2 courgette, cut length ways into quarters and then into 1cm chunks

1/2 red onion cut in to thin half moons

30g mint, leaves only

4 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sumac

Pinch of salt

Step 1: Assemble the prepared tomatoes, courgette, onion and mint leaves in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, sumac and salt together (I shake all the ingredients together in a sealed jar).

Step 3: Toss the salad and dressing together(can be done up to an hour before serving). Serve.

Jewelled Crown Biscuits

3rd April 20233rd April 2023
by thefoodwife

These crowns are in honour of the coronation, but also just fun to make with kids! The brown sugar and golden syrup give them their golden lustre and I love using jelly tots for the jewels. Iâ€™ve flavoured these with lemon because Charles III is a fan and white chocolate because itâ€™s such a good combo!

These are easily made gluten free and/or vegan. Just use the appropriate swaps in the ingredients (detailed below).

Ingredients:

125g of (vegan if required) butter

100g light soft brown sugar

65g golden syrup

300g (gluten-free if required) plain flour

1 tsp (gluten-free if required) bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp lemon extract

To decorate:

150g white chocolate, melted (vegan/gluten-free if required)

Jelly tots (these are now vegan friendly)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c (fan). Line baking trays with parchment.

Step 2: Melt the butter with the light soft brown sugar and golden syrup. Set to one side.

Step 3: In a bowl mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Add the molten fat and sugar combination along with the lemon extract and stir until you have a smooth dough.

Step 4: Allow to cool for a few minutes and then tip out on to a large piece of grease proof paper. Top with another piece and then use a rolling pan on top of the paper to spread the dough out until a few mm thick.

Step 5: Use your chosen cutters (crowns!) to press out shapes and carefully transfer to your lined baking sheets (you will need to be delicate as the dough tears easily at this stage) and then into the oven for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool (wait about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully).

Step 7: Decorate by dipping the bases into the melted white chocolate and then adorn with jelly for jewels! Allow the white chocolate to set fully before storing.

Keep in an air tight container for up to a few days.

Easy Chocolate Truffles

29th March 202329th March 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 30 truffles

This is a fun recipe to try out with kids. Whilst itâ€™s a bit of a workout constantly mixing, rolling the truffles in bright sprinkles is just the thing to get everyone involved, whatever the age.

Great for a party treat!

Ingredients:

397g Condensed Milk

1 tsp finely ground instant coffee (or dissolve 1 tsp in a tablespoon of hot water) this is optional but will help intensify the chocolate and you wonâ€™t really taste coffee in the finished product.

150g cocoa powder

Sprinkles/cocoa powder for coating

Step 1: Set a heavy bottomed sauce pan over a low heat. Add the coffee and stir, then constantly stirring, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder at a time until each spoonful has blended into the gently warming condensed milk. As the mixture gently heats it will thicken and become smooth, very dark, and glossy. You will need to keep the heat very low to avoid burning and you will need to keep stirring to avoid it sticking. Once all combined, pour onto a lined baking tray or wrap in a sheet of cling film, and store in the fridge until cooled (about half an hour).

Step 2: use a teaspoon to take scoops of the mixture and roll in your hands into a ball. Toss in colourful sprinkles, or for an extra hit of intense chocolate, more cocoa powder.

Step 3: Store in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Garlic Soup

14th March 202314th March 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approx 3L

Roasting the vegetables brings a real sweetness to this soup. Using a whole head of garlic sounds extreme, but roasting it first mellows the pungency and bring a beautiful flavour to the dish.

I made this soup by roasting everything in my air fryer. Adding this to a large pan of hot stock and blending until smooth made this a super easy meal with very little washing up.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded, but into 2 inch pieces

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 head of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2L vegetable stock (dairy/gluten free if required) or water

Step 1: Toss the butternut squash and sweet potato in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast. You can do this in an air fryer, set at 190c for 30-40 minutes or in an oven at 180c (fan) for 40-50 minutes.

Step 2: Carefully cut the top off the head of garlic (the top millimetre or two) and place in a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then wrap the foil up into a parcel. Add to the other vegetables for 20-30 minutes until soft.

Step 3: Bring the vegetable stock/water to the boil. Add the roasted vegetables, squeeze the garlic from its skin and purÃ©e until smooth. Season to taste.

Serve as it is or drizzle with a little cream and sprinkle some chopped chives as a garnish.