Easy Homemade Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

I've been meaning to try making my own refried beans for some time now and finally got round to doing so...just in time for National Vegetarian Week!

In case you don't know, the term refried is actually a mis-translation of refritos, which actually means well-fried, not fried twice.

My recipe is for a spicy version, similar in taste to the expensive, small tins you can buy in the UK. Providing you have most of the ingredients to hand, it works out at around £1 to make this recipe, equivalent to around 2-3 large cans. You could, of course, make a larger batch which would be even more economical.

Serves 8-10 as a starter, or side dish

• 2 cups of dried pinto beans (no need to pre-soak)
• 6 cups of boiling water
• 6 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp. pickled jalapeños
• 2 tsp chipotle paste (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp salt

Place the beans and water in a large pan.

Boil rapidly for 10 minutes (uncovered), then reduce the heat and simmer for a further hour (with the lid on).

Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, then mash or blend the beans, adding back some of the reserved cooking liquid until you have the texture and consistency you prefer.

Finely chop or blend the onions and chillies.

Heat the oil on a medium heat and add the onion and chillies  Cook for a few minutes until softened.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Finally stir in the mashed beans and mix well to combine the ingredients.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole or use to stuff burritos.

Top tips: Eat half and freeze half of the mixture. Defrost and heat in the microwave, adding a little extra boiled water if needed.
For a mild, child-friendly version, omit the salt, chillies and chipotle paste from the main mixture. Serve the adult's portion with the above ingredients added to taste.

Pin It

Black Bean Chilli Burritos

Since I've been back working full time, I've had less time for both blogging and cooking, so I've been devising some really quick and easy family meals down to necessity. This recipe uses store cupboard ingredients and can be made in around 15 minutes.

Fills around 6-8 wraps

• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tin sweetcorn, drained
• 1 tin black beans, drained
• 1 tbsp. chipotle paste
• 1 handful fresh coriander/cilantro roughly chopped

To serve:

• a pack of tortilla wraps
• 1 pack of Mexican-style microwave rice
• 100g grated cheese
• salad/salsa/avocado/jalapeños etc. to serve

Heat a drop of oil in a pan, on a medium heat.

Fry the onions for a few minutes, until soft. Then add the peppers, garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, until the peppers are almost tender.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and warm through for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the rice and warm the wraps.

Fill each burrito with some rice, beany mixture and cheese.

Serve with the optional extras.

Vegan version: simply omit the cheese and check the wrap ingredients.

Top tips: Look for black beans in the World Foods section of your supermarket, as they're usually around half the price of the branded version.

Use the same mixture to top nachos.

Pin It

Puff Pastry Empanadas with Black Beans

These quick and easy veggie empanadas make an idea starter or tapas dish. They would also work well in kids' lunch-boxes, as an alternative to sandwiches.
Obviously you can make your own pastry if you have time, or use shortcrust pasty if you prefer.

Makes 18-20 small empanadas

• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 large, or 2 small bell peppers, diced 
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh chilli, de-seeded and finely diced, optional
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp smoked or plain paprika
• 1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander
• 100g/4oz Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, diced
• 500g/1lb pack of ready made puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Gently fry the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a little oil, until soft. Add the herbs and spices, and cook for a further minute. Set to one side to cool.
When cool, stir in the chunks of cheese.

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7/425°F

Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible, on a lightly floured board.
Using a large cutter (10-12.5cm/4-5") or small plate/bowl and a sharp knife, cut as many circles from the pastry as you can. Re-roll any scraps of pastry and repeat.

Brush the perimeter of each circle with beaten egg.
Spoon 2 tsp of the filling into the middle of each piece.
Fold the pastry carefully over the filling, to make a semi-circle.
Press firmly to seal, then crimp with a fork, or by folding the edge over in the traditional way (YouTube tutorial here!).
Brush each mini-pasty with beaten egg to glaze.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and turned golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire tray.
Eat warm or cold with your favourite dips.

Suitable for freezing. Defrost before re-heating.

Vegan version
Most brands of puff pastry are vegan, so this recipe is easy to veganise. Swap the dairy cheese for your preferred alternative, or omit and add some extra beans or vegetables. Seal the empanadas with a little water and brush lightly with olive oil to glaze.

Top tip: If you don't have time to make empanadas, use the same filling for quesadillas - just pop 2-3 tbsp of the beany mixture onto a tortilla, fold in half and pop in a sandwich press or hot pan for a few minutes to warm through and melt the cheese.

Although I haven't attempted to make my own puff pastry, I'm linking this post to Lisa and Jen's Pastry Challenge, hosted this month at United Cakedom.

Pin It

Black Bean Chilli-Loaded Potato Skins - Suma Bloggers Network

We all love a good veggie chilli, and as I had half a pack of Suma dried black beans in the cupboard, I thought I'd use them up, rather than using tinned beans. I must admit that although soaking and boiling dried beans is a bit of a faff, the texture is superior to that of tinned beans, and the cost is far less, especially if you make a big batch up and freeze half.

If serving to young children, you can leave out the fresh chilli for a milder flavour, and add some hot chilli sauce at the end of the cooking time, after you have removed their portions from the pan.

Serves 4 (double chilli mixture and freeze half, if you batch-cook)

• 4 baking potatoes
• 1 cup dried black beans, soaked over-night 
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium courgette, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 carton of passata
• 1 chilli, finely chopped, optional
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander
• 25g/1oz dark, dairy-free chocolate (I used Green & Blacks 70% Dark Chocolate) 
• 50g/2oz of lightly salted tortilla chips, crushed (I used Amaizin Bio Corn Chips Natural)
• 100g/4oz grated cheese or melting vegan cheese

For the salsa

• 3-4 ripe tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
• ½ a cucumber, de seeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 2-3 tbsp pickled jalapeño chillis, diced
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Salad leaves

Scrub the potatoes, rub with a little vegetable oil and bake for around 1 hour at 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 8/425F
When soft, scoop out most of the potato, leaving a little to line the skin to soak up the chilli sauce. Retain the potato for another meal.

Mix all of the salsa ingredients together (except the salad leaves). 
Leave to marinate in the fridge, until needed.

Meanwhile, boil the soaked beans for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for a further 45-50 minutes until tender but not mushy.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the sweet potato and cook for a further 5 minutes until starting to colour. Add the herbs, chilli and spices along with the pepper and courgette, and stir well before pouring the passata over.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for around 30 minutes.

When the beans are tender, drain them and add them to the chilli mixture, along with the dark chocolate. Stir and then simmer, uncovered for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced.

Place the potato skins on a baking tray and fill generously with the chilli. 
Top with lightly crushed tortilla chips and grated cheese/dairy-free cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Serve with the salsa and salad leaves.

Short-cut: Use 1-2 tins of drained black beans instead of dried, reduce the amount of passata and heat through in the chilli mixture for the last few minutes before serving.

Integrity Statement
As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network. 

Pin It

Spicy Mexican Bean Soup

Autumn has well and truly arrived in England this week, and the nights are drawing in, so I thought that this hearty, protein-packed, bean soup would make an ideal week-night meal. You can make this soup as smooth or chunky as you like, depending on your family's preference. I decided to blend the soup and then add the beans for a bit of texture, but you could blend the whole soup (including the beans), or not blend at all if you want a more rustic, chunky soup.

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced 
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
• ¼ cup dried red lentils
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tin beans, drained and rinsed - I used mixed beans but you could use any type
• 2 tsp fresh chopped coriander
• a little hot chilli sauce, to taste

Heat a drop of vegetable oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute gently for a couple of minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the beans and coriander leaves, and simmer for around 15-20 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender. 

At this point you can blend the soup (I used my tried and tested Optimum 9400 blender) and then add the beans, or vice versa, or don't blend at all!
Return the the soup to the pan for a further couple of minutes to heat the beans through before serving.
Season with hot chilli sauce to taste and sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

Serve with warm home-made bread.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's No Croutons Required Challenge, co-hosted by Jacqui at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa at Lisa's Kitchen. 

I'm also adding it to this month's Credit Crunch Munch, created by Helen and Camilla and hosted this month by Hannah at A New Addition



Pin It

Greek-Style Tortilla/Taco Salad with Halloumi

After making my first ever tortilla bowls a couple of weeks ago, I decided to experiment further and tried making microwaved bowls (see tutorial below). The wraps puffed up slightly, so maybe corn tortillas are a better option, but they went nice and crispy and worked very well as an alternative to toasted pittas with this Greek-inspired salad.

You will need:

• 4 tortilla wraps, microwaved as below and allowed to cool
• 1 pack of halloumi, sliced into 8 and grilled or barbecued
• Your choice of fresh salad ingredients (I used lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper and cucumber)

Dressing: (mix all ingredients together)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 crushed clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• A little black pepper

To make the tortilla/taco bowls:
Microwave one tortilla wrap at a time for 15-30 seconds on high, to soften.
Brush or wipe one side of each wrap with a little oil.
Place oiled-side-down into a heat-proof dish, pleating the wrap gently so that it fits inside the bowl.
Remove from the bowl and dry out the wrap in a medium oven for around 5 minutes, before cooling on a wire rack. 

Fill each tortilla bowl with salad ingredients. Top with the warm halloumi and drizzle the dressing over.

Serve immediately with your favourite dips.

Vegan option: swap the halloumi for vegan falafels.

Alternatives: Vary the salad ingredients and toppings, to make Mexican or Indian-inspired salads.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's No Croutons Required Challenge, co-hosted by Jacqui at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa at Lisa's Kitchen. 

I'm also adding it to June's Family Foodies co-hosted by Eat Your Veg and Bangers & Mash

Pin It

Vegetarian Chilli in Tortilla Bowls

Vegetarian chilli is a popular meal in my household, but it gets a bit boring after a while. After spotting various meat-based taco salad and Tex-Mex tortilla bowl recipes on Pinterest, I thought I've have a go at making a veggie version...

Serves 4

For the chilli, rice and bowls

• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup vegetarian/vegan mince
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli
• A good pinch of cinnamon
• ½ can red kidney beans or other beans, drained
• 1 small can sweetcorn, drained
• 250ml passata

• 1 packet of microwave Mexican rice or ½ portion Mexican rice
• 4 large tortillas

Salad

• ½ lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 green bell pepper, halved and finely sliced
• 1 chunk of cucumber, halved, de-seeded and sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated

Salad dressing

• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp, chopped pickled jalapenos

Toppings

• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup guacamole
• ½ cup mature cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan alternative), and/or soured cream
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

First make your tortilla bowls. I used this tutorial from The Yummy Life, but found they needed a little practice to get the timings right and that I needed to microwave them first for around 15 seconds, to soften them, before baking. If I was going to make these regularly, I'd invest in a set of Tortilla/Taco Salad Pans.

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minutes or two.
Stir in all  the spices and the oregano, then add the veggie mince.
Pour in the passata, beans and sweetcorn, and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the salad ingredients, mix the dressing together and set to one side.

To serve, heat the rice and divide between the tortilla bowls.
Spoon the veggie chilli over the rice.
Top with your choice of salsa, guacamole, grated cheese/vegan cheese and soured cream.
Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve with a side salad. 

Pin It

Mexican Rice with Beans

Here's my last recipe for Veganuary; this is another copycat recipe, adapted from the ingredients list of a well known brand of packet rice. If I had an uncle and his name was Ben, he might well make a rice similar to this! Needless to say, this home made version is significantly cheaper than the ready-made variety and contains a higher proportion of pulses and vegetables.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
• 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained 
• 2 cups boiled water or hot vegetable stock
• ½ can borlotti/pinto beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely diced (optional) 
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fresh/frozen chopped coriander

Heat the oil in a large frying pan (on a low to medium heat).

Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, before adding the green pepper and garlic.

Cook gently for a further 2-3 minutes.

Increase the heat slightly.

Add all of the dried herbs/spices. Stir well and cook for a minute or so.

Add the tomato puree and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Add the drained rice and water/stock. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.

Reduce the heat slightly.

Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir, season and then add the beans, lime juice, jalapenos and coriander. Add a little more water/stock if the rice is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Cover again and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, until the rice is just tender.

Stir. Turn off the heat and leave the covered pan to stand for a further 5 minutes.  

Serve with chilli, tortilla chips and guacamole/salsa.

Pin It

Mexican Rice Burritos

©

This isn't a recipe as such, just a combination of convenience foods, which makes a tasty and filling meal suitable for camping or festival cooking. Double the ingredients if serving as a main meal and/or add some roasted or fried bell peppers, onion and mushrooms.

Makes 4

• 1 bag (250g/10oz) ready-cooked Mexican rice (microwave type such as Uncle Ben's)
• 200g/8oz (1 small tin/½ large tin) of refried beans
• 100g/4oz grated mozzarella/cheddar/vegan melting cheese
• 4 Mexican tortilla wraps
• Salsa/guacamole and salad to serve, optional

©

Tip the rice into a pan and add a few tbsp of water. Cook gently for around 5 minutes, until heated through.
Heat one wrap at a time in a large frying pan (no oil). Spread on 2 tbsp of refried beans, ¼ of the rice and top with ¼  of the grated cheese. Add a dollop of guacamole, or salsa if wanted. 

Fold the 2 sides of the tortilla in first, then fold the bottom and roll up into a burrito. 

Eat as soon as they are made, or wrap all of the burritos together in foil to keep them warm until you are all ready to eat.

Find lots more camping recipes here.

Pin It

Guacamole and Guacziki

As a family, we've only recently discovered the delights of guacamole and until now have been buying the ready made tubs. As Morrisons had packs of 4 avocados for £1 this week (that's the same price as 1 tub!), so Miss K and I thought we'd buy some and make our own.

Most authentic recipes seem to include chopped onion, but as neither of the girls like raw onion, we replaced it with garlic.

For the guacamole

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ripe tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed (or some finely chopped onion)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• A little chopped jalapeño chilli, to taste
• A little chopped coriander, to taste 

Cut the avocado in half by scoring around lengthwise with a sharp knife.
Twist to separate the two halves.

Scoop the avocado flesh out into a bowl with a spoon, removing the stone as you do so.
Retain the skins and drizzle with half of the lime juice. Wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Add the remaining lime juice to the avocado flesh and mash roughly with a fork.

Add the other ingredients and stir in.

Cover and refrigerate until needed (for a couple of hours at the most, as it will discolor). Serve in the avocado skins.

For the guacziki

I decided to experiment with one of the remaining avocados and came up with guacziki - a kind of vegan tzatziki!

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 chunk of cucumber, deseeded and diced
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• A dash of hot chilli sauce, to taste
• A little chopped dill, to taste 

Prepare the avocado as before.

Place in a food processor with the lemon juice, garlic, the scooped out cucumber seeds and seasonings.

Blend until smooth.

Finally, stir in the chopped cucumber.

Cover and refrigerate until needed. 

Top Tip: Pop the avocado stone back into the dip until you are ready to serve. I'm not sure if this really works, but it's supposed to help stop the dip discolouring!

Pin It

Green Vegetable Burritos

©

I'm not sure if these are strictly burritos or not, but whatever they're called, they make a nice quick and healthy snack or lunch. You can of course, vary the vegetables depending on what you have available.

Makes 4

• 2 medium courgettes/zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 large green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 75g/3oz spinach, washed
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tsp mild chilli powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeños chopped
• 1 cup of grated hard cheese/vegan cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
• 4 corn tortilla wraps

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. 
Fry the courgette and pepper until softened and just starting to brown.

Add the garlic, herbs, jalapeños and chilli powder and stir well.

Throw in the spinach and coriander and allow to wilt for a minute or two.

Heat the tortillas until warm (in a pan, microwave or oven). 

Fill with the vegetable mixture and a sprinkle of cheese, fold and eat!

If you have more time, you could make your own flatbread wraps.

Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes is hosting a sandwich themed No Croutons Required this month, which is handy, as I wrote this post just before I found out the theme!

Pin It

Nachos with Vegetable Salsa

Now this might not sound like much of a recipe, but it's a good way of making a quick snack or light meal out of left-over vegetables and store cupboard ingredients. For a healthier version, use the refried beans and salsa mixture to fill tortilla wraps.

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter/snack

• 1 bag of lightly salted or unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 can of mild refried beans
• 1 carton/jar of mild tomato salsa (around 1 cup)
• 1 small onion , finely diced
• 1-2 bell peppers, finely diced
• A few mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 100g mozzarella or cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan melting cheese)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 3
Tip the bag of tortilla chips onto a baking tray.

Using a spoon, dollop the refried beans over the chips - spread out a little if you can without breaking too many of the chips! 

Fry the onion in a drop of olive oil until softened, then add the chilli powder, bell peppers and mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Add around 1 cup of salsa to the pan and stir in.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Taste and add more chilli powder if needed.

Pour the salsa mixture over the tortilla chips and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with salad.

Alternatives: If you don't have any refried beans, use a drained tin of baked beans instead and add these to the salsa mixture.

Pin It

Pineapple, Cucumber and Sweetcorn Salsa

I'm not a big fan of the fresh tomatoes we get in the UK...even the vine ripened ones taste too tomatoey for my liking! I will eat those big, sweet juicy (and ugly) tomatoes you get abroad and can't get over here though....for some reason, our supermarkets won't sell ugly but great tasting fresh produce, but that's another story. 

Anyway, the reason I came up with this recipe was to find something to replace fresh tomatoes in a salsa. When I googled, I couldn't believe how many different salsa recipe there were, made up with all sorts of different fruits instead of tomatoes. I love fresh pineapple, so decided to go for a pineapple salsa and bung in various left over ingredients I had in the fridge.

• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
• ½ cup drained tinned sweetcorn (or fresh cooked sweetcorn)
• ½ cup cucumber, diced
• ½ small onion, diced finely
• 1 tbsp picked jalapeño peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• Fresh chopped coriander/cilantro leaves or flat leaf parsley to taste
• Juice of half a lime
• A dash or two of hot chilli sauce (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together, adding hot chilli sauce and chopped herbs to taste.
Serve with veggie burgers/sausages, Mexican food, barbecued food or with tortilla chips for dipping. Pin It

Two meals in one - Lentil & Vegetable Spaghetti Bolognese plus Vegetarian Chilli

©

Whether you're on a diet or a budget, these two vegetarian meals are ideal. Make the spag bol on the first day and reheat the leftovers with the added extras the next day to make a tasty veggie chilli. 

As the vegetables are chopped or grated, you can hide them in the sauce too...great if you have fussy children!

Both meals are low fat and vegan, unless you add cheese to serve.

Each meal serves 2 adults and 2 children.

For the spaghetti bolognese

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large bell peppers, diced
• 1 medium courgette/zucchini, diced or grated
• 1 carrot or ½ sweet potato, diced or grated
• 6-8 mushrooms, diced, sliced or grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup dried red lentils
• 2 tbsp tomato puree or sundried tomato paste
• 500ml passata or 2x tins of chopped tomatoes 
• A glug of red wine (optional)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp sugar
• black pepper, to taste
• dried spaghetti

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes on a low heat.

Add the rest of the vegetables, and garlic and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes until softened.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except for the spaghetti!)

Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat down and simmer, with the lid on the pan for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked (stir occasionally to stop the mixture burning at the bottom of the pan).

Meanwhile cook and drain the spaghetti.

Top the spaghetti with just over half of the mixture, and serve with a sprinkle of vegetarian/vegan Parmesan-style cheese (optional).

Alternatives: Use 2 cups of veggie mince if preferred instead of the lentils, or a combination of veggie mince and lentils.

©

For the chilli

The next day, reheat the remaining mixture on a low heat, adding the following ingredients and a dash of water or stock if needed:

• 1 tin drained pulses (kidney beans, mixed beans, baked beans etc)
• 50g tinned or frozen sweetcorn
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• a good pinch of cinnamon
• ½ chilli, chopped finely (optional)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• a little chopped fresh coriander (optional)

Serve with rice or wraps.

Pin It

Child-Friendly Vegetarian Enchiladas

© 

I was wondering what to cook for dinner the other night, so I had a delve in the freezer and pulled out a pack of wraps and some home made tomato sauce. I had various vegetables to use up in the fridge and plenty of store-cupboard ingredients, so I decided upon making vegetarian enchiladas.

These enchiladas have a mild child-friendly, baked-bean chilli filling. You could, of course add some extra chopped jalapenos if you want to spice things up! You can use the same mixture to fill burritos, top jacket potatoes, or to stuff peppers with.

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots/1 small sweet potato/1 courgette/zucchini, grated
• 6-8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small tin of sweetcorn or 150g frozen sweetcorn
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tin of baked beans (or mixed beans in mild chilli sauce)
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 tortilla wraps
• 1 portion of tomato & chilli pasta sauce
• 100g/4oz grated cheese or vegan cheese

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.
Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the herbs and spices, the mushrooms, pepper and carrots/sweet potato/courgette and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until softened slightly.
Stir in the tomato puree, garlic, sweetcorn and baked beans.
Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


© 

Pour about ¼ of the tomato sauce into the bottom of an oven proof dish.
Divide the chilli mixture between the wraps. Roll them up and place (seam side down) in a row in the dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the wraps and top with the grated cheese.
Cook for 20-30 minutes at 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3.

Serve with a green salad, soured cream/guacamole/salsa etc.

Alternative: Use frozen mixed vegetables and a jar of ready-made pasta sauce for an even speedier dinner.

Pin It

Chiquito - Over priced and under spiced!

We used to love an occasional family meal out at Chiquito Mexican Restaurants. They have always provided a good range of vegetarian options for both adults and children alongside a good atmosphere and service with a smile.

Unfortunately a meal out this weekend to celebrate Miss Kahonie's fabulous year 5 test results, was less than impressive (quick proud-parent brag for anyone who understands the UK assessments...she jumped from a 3A to a 5C in literacy...whoohoo!)

It wasn't a good start to the meal, when the usual free (mini) appetiser of tortilla chips and salsa didn't arrive and the member of waiting staff serving us looked stressed and kept apologising for the wait (blaming the kitchen staff.) We had to ask for kids' menus, maybe because we have tweens rather than little ones.

The recent changes to the kids' menu looked great on paper, with even more veggie options than before, and costing only £4.99 for a main meal, pudding and drink. Miss Ony chose the roasted vegetable fajita wrap (the anaemic vegetables weren't roasted - probably microwaved - and were in chunks far too large for the average child to find appealing) and Miss Kahonie went for the veggie bean chilli tacos (which actually looked quite nice).

While the kids enjoyed their meals, Mr O and myself were less than impressed. The menu had plenty of options for me as usual, and I went for the veggie bean chilli enchiladas and Mr O (the only non-veggie amongst us) decided on the Texan chicken melt.

My enchiladas were a poor excuse for Mexican food, or even Tex-Mex. They should have been soft, oozing with filling, and topped with melted cheese - they weren't. I reckon the wraps had been microwaved - they were tough and certainly hadn't been baked with tomato sauce and cheese. In fact, they were topped with a generous estimate of approximately 5g of cheese and they certainly weren't worth £10.

Mr O's £12.99 chicken was rather puny looking and he said it was dry and tasteless. He'd asked for rice with it and it came with chips, so he had to send it back.

It's a shame, as Chiquito used to be one of our favourite restaurant chains, but we certainly won't be planning to re-visit any time soon.

Chiquito - over priced and under spiced in my humble opinion. Pin It

Paneer and Pepper Fajitas

© 

I hadn't thought of using paneer cheese in fajitas before, but I saw a recipe on the back of a pack of Clawson's paneer, and decided to adapt it by reducing the amount of paneer, upping the vegetable content and adding some chickpeas for extra protein. The resulting meal went down well with everyone, so this is one I'll cook again.

• 1 pack of soft tortillas/wraps
• 100g/4oz paneer cheese, cut into strips
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 8-10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tin of mixed beans, chickpeas or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Greek yogurt/soured cream/guacamole/salsa and sliced jalapeño peppers to serve

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan.
Add the paneer chunks, sprinkle with 1 tsp of mild chilli powder and fry until golden brown, then remove from the pan and keep warm.
Add a drop more oil to the pan and fry the onions and peppers for a few minutes until softened.
Add the beans and the remaining spices, herbs and garlic.
Throw in the mushrooms and cooked paneer and stir well.
Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon into the wraps, add a dollop of soured cream, yogurt, salsa or guacamole and roll/fold up. Serve with salad.

Alternative: Used sliced and fried firm tofu instead of the paneer for a vegan dish.

Pin It