VEGETARIAN CUISINE

After Easter's meat-eating orgy, sensible nutritious vegetarían food is the answer.  I'm giving you below, dear Reader a few recipes for healthy vegetarían dishes which I hope you will enjoy.

                                         VEGAN ARTICHOKE SOUP

You could use frozen artichokes for preparing this soup.

3 large artichokes, trimmed and finely chopped

1 medium-sized onion, peeled and grated or

2-3 spring onions, white part only, trimmed and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

Juice of ½ a lemon

1000 ml (4 cups) tasty vegetable broth

2 tbsp chopped dil

1 heaped tbsp cornflour

250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Place the four first ingredients in a saucepan, cover with vegetable broth and simmer gently until tender. Sprinkle with chopped dill and set aside to cool.  Then blend until smooth and creamy and taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon if necessary.

Just before serving, bring the soup to a gentle simmer.  Mix the cornflour with 2-3 tbsp coconut milk and stir until smooth. Then slowly pour in a ladleful of hot soup into the cornflour mixture and pour into the hot soup and simmer gently until the soup thickens.   Serve immediately drizzled with the remaining coconut milk.

                                VEGAN POTATO AND COURGETTE SOUP

A delightful soup from the Cyclades islands.

3 medium-sized courgettes, trimmed and cut into 1 cm (½ inch) cubes

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm (½ inch) cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tender celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 tbsp dill, finely chopped

1 large sprig of parsley

1000 ml (4 cups) vegetable broth

2 tbsp cornflour

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and

Lemon juice to taste

Spring onions, finely chopped for garnish

Sauté the courgettes, potatoes and celery in olive oil for a few minutes.  Then add the herbs and the broth and simmer until the vegetables are tender and discard the parsley.

Stir the cornflour with a little water until smooth, add a ladleful of hot broth and mix very well together.  Pour this mixture into the soup and keep on stirring until it bubbles and thickens.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Serve sprinkled with lemon juice and chopped spring onions.

Here are a few vegan salads which were picked with diligence.

                   

                                   BEETROOT AND LENTIL TABBOULEH

A  summer salad that is a meal on itself.

1 bunch flat-leaved parsley plus extra to serve

4-5 stalks, fresh chives

210 g (7 oz) radishes

2 beetroots, peeled, quartered and sliced

1 tsp ground cumin

4 tbsp olive oil

250 g (½ lb) cooked quinoa

500 g (1 lb) boiled and peeled chickpeas

500 g (1 lb) boiled lentils

Salt and freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice to taste

Place the herbs, radishes and beetroot in a food processor and blitz into small pieces.   Stir in the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with lemon juice to taste, toss thoroughly and serve.

                                                 CHICKPEA SALAD

A delightful salad.

500 g (1 lb) boiled and peeled chickpeas

1 cup chopped parsley leaves

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp harissa

The juice of 1 lemon

Mix all the ingredients together, mashing the chickpeas a little so that they become a bit rough around the edges, this helps to absorb the dressing.   Prepare the salad a day ahead and store in the refrigerator, because it improves with time.

                                BULGUR WHEAT AND ROCKET TABBULLEH

A delightful salad.

100 g (3.3 oz) bulgur wheat

The juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

A pinch of ground cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

60 g (2 oz) or more rocket

1 cup chopped parsley

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

The seeds of 1 pomegranate

Rinse the bulgur wheat in a sieve under cold running water.   Then tip into a large saucepan and cover with cold water.   Bring to the boil and simmer 10-12 minutes or until tender.  Drain and tip into a large bowl.

Pour the lemon juice into a jug add the spices and whisk constantly as you add the olive oil.   Season well and pour over the bulgur and toss.  Fold in the rocket, parsley and spring onions, scatter with pomegranate seeds and serve.

                     AUBERGINE, BULGUR WHEAT AND RED PEPPER SALAD

An interesting summer salad.

170 g (5.6 oz) bulgur wheat, boiled and drained

2 tbsp tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 baby aubergines, each sliced lengthwise and cut into three

1 red pepper, sliced lengthwise into small pieces

2 tsp olive oil

1 handful of basil leaves

Place the bulgur wheat into a large bowl and fold in the tomato paste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Heat a griddle pan to high, frizzle the aubergines and the red pepper with olive oil and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until slightly charred.

Stir the aubergines and the red peppers into the bulgur mixture, season and fold in the chopped basil. 

                                          VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Here is a recipe for delicious chocolate cake.

250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk +

1tbsp vinegar

2 cups plain flour

1 ¾ cups sugar

¾ cups cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ cup sunflower oil

166 ml (2/3) cup  apple sauce

Vanilla

250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

Frosting:

1 cup cocoa

1 ½ cup margarine

¼ - ½ cup coconut milk

(Whip everything well together)

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease a baking tin with sunflower oil and line the base with baking parchment.

Place the coconut milk with the vinegar and set aside to curdle.  

In a large bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.  Then add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, coconut milk/vinegar mixture and stir until combined.  Pour in the boiling water and stir well to combine.

Pour the runny batter into the greased tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes and reverse on a dish to cool.

Cut the cake in half and spread with 1/3 of the icing.  Place the second piece of cake on top and spread the remaining frosting evenly over. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Pink Roses by Krishnan Swamy