Vegetarian – Page 26 – The Food Wife

Squash, Potato and Black Bean Coconut Curry

6th March 20206th March 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Iâ€™m currently a little bit obsessed with black beans as a protein. Iâ€™ve been using them in stews and rice dishes, and this week decided Iâ€™d try them in a curry.

I wanted to pair them with a coconut based sauce. This is fragrant but not hot. Itâ€™s balanced with cubes of potato and sweet butternut squash.

The curry is gluten-free and vegan. Vegetable-based curries like this one go so well with nutty brown basmati rice. We also enjoyed it with an excellent lime and chilli pickle.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 shallots/1 white onion, peeled and cut into thin half moons
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
2 heaped tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
1 tin of black beans, drained
Salt

Step 1: Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the shallots/onion. Move around the pan occasionally until lightly browned and softened.

Step 2: Add the cubed squash and potato, along with the spices, and stir until coated and the spices lightly toasted.

Step 3: Add the coconut milk, along with half a tin of water. Cover, lower the heat and cook for about fifteen minutes.

Step 4: Add the black beans, cover again and cook for a further fifteen minutes.

Step 5: Season with a large pinch of salt, to taste. Check that the squash and potato are tender before serving.

Serve with brown basmati rice and chopped coriander sprinkled over the top.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

27th February 202027th February 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 6

I found a recipe for a black bean and sweet potato stew online, it sounded good, but Iâ€™ve made some tweaks to make it even more delicious.

The great thing is that this recipe is perfect for batch cooking and freezing for a nutritious meal when you canâ€™t be bothered to cook. Itâ€™s also cheap to make and contains lots of ingredients youâ€™ve probably already got in your store cupboard.

Itâ€™s a gluten-free and vegan recipe, and is perfect served with nutty brown rice and a salad.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (rapeseed or olive) oil
1 red onion, medium dice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Spice mix containing: 1 heaped tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp ground coriander & 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3 medium sweet potatoes (approx 600g), peeled and cut into a 1 inch dice
2 tbsp tomato purÃ©e
500g passata
400ml vegetable stock (ensure gluten-free and vegan if required)
2 x tins/cartons black beans, drained
Salt and pepper
100g frozen spinach
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Step 1: Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large casserole dish. Add the onion and soften for five minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic and spice mix and cook out for 30 seconds, then add the cubed sweet potato and tomato purÃ©e and cook for a further thirty seconds, stirring.

Step 3: Add the passata and vegetable
stock, along with the drained black beans. Add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Place the lid on the casserole, and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the sweet potato is tender.

Step 4: Check the seasoning and add more as necessary. Stir in the chopped frozen spinach, until dispersed through the sauce. Finish by stirring through the chopped coriander.

Serve with rice and a green salad.

Crepes

25th February 202025th February 2020
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 15

Iâ€™ve previously posted my recipe for American-style fluffy pancakes, which are great for breakfast as a treat. But when it comes to Shrove Tuesday, crepe style pancakes are the only way to go for me.

As one of four children, we would eagerly await whilst our mother would churn out pancake after pancake for us, and I could invariably fill and eat mine quicker than the wait for every fourth pancake.

Nowadays, I tend to make a batch, keep them warm in a low oven and then serve them all at once, fillings on the table for everyone to help themselves. It placates my need to shovel them into my mouth as quickly as humanly possible. Honestly, itâ€™s quite impressive.

As for the fillings, our favourite savoury combination is blue cheese (Alex Jamesâ€™ Blue Monday being our go-to), sliced pear, pine nuts, rocket and a drizzle of sticky balsamic vinegar. Ham and cheese is also an obvious winner. Or for a more labour intensive option, whole baby leeks, gently cooked until soft, wrapped in a slice of ham, rolled up in a crepe, and covered in a cheese sauce, then baked in an oven until golden. Mmmmmmm.
And for sweet? I rarely stray from the classic lemon and sugar.

And why only eat these on one day of the year? Iâ€™m all for having them on a regular basis.

Ingredients:
165g plain flour (gluten-free if necessary; see note below)
3 large eggs
400ml milk
Pinch of salt

Step 1: Ideally, sift the flour, into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the salt and eggs. Begin to beat with a whisk, gradually adding the milk, until
you have a smooth batter.

Step 2: Leave to rest for about half an hour, but give it all a good whisk/stir again before cooking.

Step 3: Using either a non-stick frying pan, or a crepe pan, place over a high heat. You want the pan to get really hot (you can then probably turn it down to a medium high heat, but this may take some experimentation) and then grease it; I think the best results come from quickly (and very carefully) wiping some vegetable oil around the pan using a piece of folded up kitchen paper (ensuring the greased paper is kept well away from the heat source!)

Step 4: Pour from a jug, or ladle a very thin layer of the batter, swirling it around the pan to make an even layer. As the pancake cooks, it will start to come away from the sides of the pan; a good indication itâ€™s ready to turn. This should take about thirty seconds.

Step 5: Flip the pancake over (I like to use a palate knife) and cook for another thirty or so seconds. Turn out and begin the process again; oil, pour, cook, flip, cook.

N.b. I also made a gluten-free version for The Food Husband. Once the batter was made I had to add a little more of the gluten-free flour to get the right consistency, as I felt it was a little too thin. But otherwise I followed exactly the same steps. When cooking they came out slightly thicker so it made slightly less, but they tasted just as good.

(Gluten and Dairy Free) Chocolate and Tahini Banana Loaf

8th January 202029th February 2020
by thefoodwife

Chocolate and tahini seems to be all the rage at the moment. Here is a recipe for a wonderfully moreish cake that can be made both gluten and dairy free. Tahini is made from sesame seeds and so brings a subtle nutty taste to the cake, which complements the sweetness from the banana and bitterness from the dark chocolate.

The banana will keep this moist and should last a few days when wrapped and kept in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

110g vegetable oil
70g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
50g tahini
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g (gluten-free if required ) plain flour with 2 heaped tsp (gluten-free if required) baking powder mixed in (alternatively use 170g (gluten-free if required) self-raising flour)
30g cocoa powder
100g chocolate, buttons, chips or broken into pieces (if keeping this dairy/gluten-free free use a dark free from chocolate)
Sesame seeds

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients, minus the chocolate pieces, into a smooth batter.

Step 2: Fold through the chocolate pieces.

Step 3: Pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin and sprinkle the evened top with sesame seeds.

Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven at 180c (fan) for 50 mins, or until risen and springs back to the touch.

Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour before transferring (out of the tin) to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container and it should last a few days. Excellent served with a cup of tea or coffee.

Roasted Beetroot, Pesto and Goats Cheese Spaghetti

24th September 2019
by thefoodwife

Beetroot is in abundance at the moment. We have plenty at our allotment, lots of it is the beautiful chioggia, psychedelic with its pink and white stripes.Â Â I love to roast it and here it stars in a pasta dish.Â

You can make it easier by using a shop bought pesto but I love pairing this with my wild garlic pesto (I have tiny pots, enough for two people) in my freezer.Â Â

The soft goats cheese brings a lovely creamy element to the dish and works wonderfully well with the goats cheese.

Ingredients:

1 large beetroot per person, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 dsp pesto per person (shop bought or try my homemade versions)

30g soft goats cheese per person

75g spaghetti (gluten-free if required) per person

Oil

Salt and pepper

Step 1: Begin by roasting the beetroot. Toss the prepared chunks in a little oil (cold-pressed rapeseed or olive is perfect) along with a pinch each of salt and pepper.Â Â Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven (170c fan) for 35-45 minutes until tender.Â

Step 2: Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions and then drain.

Step 3: Stir a dessert spoon of pesto per person through the drained spaghetti and add the roasted beetroot.

Step 4: Serve on individual plates with the soft goats cheese on the top (I use a teaspoon to put several several dollops of the cheese over the top).Â