Boureki - Greek Potato & Courgette Bake

This is another Cretan vegetarian recipe, which is filling and warming - great for the winter months ahead. It does take a long time to cook, so I would suggest making two and freezing one for another meal.
Traditionally, boureki is made with mizithra cheese which is difficult to find in the UK, so I've used feta instead.

Serves 4

• 2lb/900g (unpeeled weight) baking potatoes
• 1lb/450g courgettes/zucchini
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint or 2 tsp dried mint
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill leaves or 1 tsp dried dill
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8oz/200g pack of feta
• black pepper, to taste
• ½ pt/280ml hot vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325F/Gas 3.

Peel and slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. This is best done using a food processor or mandoline slicer.
Thinly slice the courgettes the same way.

Grease an oven proof dish (approx 25x20cm) generously with olive oil and place a layer of courgettes in, slightly over lapping. Repeat with a layer of potatoes and another layer of courgettes. Crumble half of the feta over, and sprinkle with black pepper, half of the mint and half of the dill.
Continue layering up the vegetables, finishing with a layer of potato.

Mix the rest of the herbs into the stock and carefully pour the into the dish over the vegetables.
Top with the remaining cheese, an extra sprinkle of mint and drizzle the remaining olive oil over.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and place in the oven.

Bake for 2-2½ hours until the potatoes are soft (insert a sharp knife into the potatoes, to see if they are tender) - believe me, it will take this long to cook, as I have tried to reduce the cooking time and ended up with under cooked potatoes! 
If liked, remove the foil for the final 10-15 minutes, to brown the top of the boureki. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Serve with seasonal vegetables or salad.

Seasonal variation: Try swapping the courgettes for sliced squash, pumpkin or celeriac.

Vegan version: Swap the feta for a vegan feta-style cheese. When topping the bake, mix the crumbled 'feta' with the remaining olive oil before sprinkling over the potato, to help stop it from drying out too much.

Slow cooker version: Although I haven't tried this, I reckon this dish could also be cooked in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe above but reduce the amount of stock by half. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Brown under the grill before serving. Do let me know if this works!

I'm linking this recipe up to Ren Behan's Simple and in Season event for October.

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Spicy Vegetable & Bean Burgers

I've been trying to perfect a spicy bean burger recipe for some time and this is the best version I've made so far, in both flavour and texture. The mixture holds together well without the need for egg, so it's vegan too. My version is slightly chunky, but you could blend the mixture briefly, if you want to hide the vegetable pieces from fussy children!

• 1 small tin/½ big tin refried beans - approx 8 oz/200g
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 bell pepper, finely diced
• around ¼ of a butternut squash or 1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
• 1-2 tsp green harissa paste or chilli sauce, optional
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves (I used the frozen type)
• 2 slices of stale bread, made into breadcrumbs

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4,
Put all of the chopped vegetables in a baking dish and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for around 15-20 minutes turning occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and browned slightly.
Mix in all of the remaining ingredients (except the breadcrumbs). 
Finally mix in enough breadcrumbs to form a firm, but not dry, mixture.

Form the mixture into 4 large burgers, using your hands or a burger press, and chill for at least half an hour to firm up. Fry the burgers in a further 1-2 tbsp olive oil for 6-8 minutes on each side.

Top with salsa, guacamole or ketchup and serve in a bread roll or with chips/sweet potato wedges.

Leftover tip: Make this recipe using any combination of left over boiled or roasted vegetables, to make it even more economical.

I'm linking this post up to the This month's Extra Veg Challenge over at A Mummy Too, created by Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy. 

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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



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Dakos - Greek Bruschetta

We recently came back from a lovely holiday in the Chania region of Crete. As always, I've come home wanting to re-create some of the dishes we have eaten on holiday. The first one being dakos/ntakos or Greek bruschetta. This simple starter is traditionally made with barley rusks, but I swapped them for Krisprolls which have a similar texture and are more readily available. You could also use any good, crusty bread such as ciabatta.

The Cretans make these with Greek mizithra cheese, which is a whey cheese generally made from goat's or sheep's milk. I used a soft goat's cheese for the closest taste and texture, but you could use ricotta or crumbled feta instead.

• 1 pack of dakos rusks or Krisprolls
• 2 ripe beef tomatoes, quartered (or de-seeded vine tomatoes)
• 1 large clove of garlic
• ½ tsp Greek oregano
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 150g soft goat's cheese
• A handful of Greek olives

Briefly blitz together the tomatoes, garlic and oil in a blender for a few seconds (it should be slightly chunky like a salsa). Season to taste.

Spoon the mixture over the rusks/Krisprolls and top with crumbled goat's cheese and an olive. Sprinkle with dried oregano.

Refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

Vegan option: Swap the cheese for a vegan Greek olive paste (check ingredients for anchovies).

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Sun-Dried Tomato & Chilli Falafels

We all love falafels, and the great thing about them is that they are cheap to make, a great source of protein and fairly low in fat (depending on how you cook them). I've been experimenting with different variations and found that these went down very well with all of the family.

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 50g/2oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh chilli, chopped
• 1 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1-2 slices of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs

Put all of the ingredients, except the breadcrumbs, into a food processor and blend for a minute or so.
Scrape the ingredients down from the sides of the bowl and repeat until you have a fairly smooth mixture.
Add just enough breadcrumbs to form a fairly stiff, but not dry, mixture.
Roll into 10-12 balls and flatten slightly.
Chill in the fridge for around half an hour.

Heat 2 tbsp of the sun-dried tomato oil in a large frying pan, on a medium heat.
Cook the falafels for around 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly browned.

Serve with pittas, salad and your favourite dip or sauce.

Lower-fat alternative: Brush or spray with vegetable oil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3/325F, turning once.

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Gigantes Plaki (Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce)

Traditionally, gigantes plaki is made from soaked, dried butter/lima beans and baked in the oven. My quick version relies on tinned beans and is cooked on the hob, but you could make a big batch using dried beans and cook in the slow cooker (boil the beans for 10 minutes before slow cooking). This dish can be serve warm a part of a meze or hot as a main dish with rice or bread.

My version costs around £1 to make, using budget-brand beans and tinned tomatoes. 

Serves 2-4

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes or around 400g/1 lb chopped fresh tomatoes.
• 1 tin butter/lima beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
• ½ tsp sugar, optional
• ½ tsp paprika
• a pinch of cinnamon or a small cinnamon stick, optional 

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion, carrot and garlic for a few minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the beans, and stir well.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. 

Add the beans, stir and simmer (with the lid on)  for a further 10-20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Lower fat alternative: Just use 1 tsp of oil. 
Camping version: Simmer a jar of tomato pasta sauce with a drained tin of butter beans. Serve with warm pittas.

I'm linking this recipe to 'The Vegetable Palette'  over at  A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table.  This month's colour theme is red.

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The cheapest cabin-sized baggage?

Do excuse this slightly random and not-at-all food-related post, but I've recommended this case on several different forums and thought it would be easier to post here to save repeating myself!

If, like me, you favour budget airlines and independently-booked accommodation over package holidays, you might be interested to know that IKEA currently have a cabin-sized foldable case for just £12 (with a free, Ikea Family Card). Ikea's Upptacka case measures 48cm x 34cm x 20cm, so is well within the hand luggage constraints of all major budget airlines... as far as I know.

Slightly frustratingly (as we tried so hard to find a budget-priced case to fit in with Ryanair's required baggage dimensions), we've used ours twice already and it has ended up in the hold, but has survived to tell the tale! Do label your case though, as if it ends up in the hold it may well be one of several identical cases on the carousel!

Integrity Statement

I purchased this case myself and have not been offered any incentive for a review.

Image courtesy of Ikea.

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Cheat's Patatas Bravas

This is another one of my non-recipes, which seams almost too simple to be worth blogging, however it makes a cheap, quick and super-easy vegan meal which can be cooked in about 20 minutes.

Patatas Bravas should really served as a tapas dish, however, it makes a great camping/festival meal and is also good for an end of the week/month dinner, when the cupboards (and purse) are bare!

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 
• 1 kg/2lb bag of frozen potato cubes, almost defrosted 
• 1 large jar of tomato and chilli pasta sauce 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan/baking dish. Shallow fry or roast the potato chunks until cooked, crisp and golden brown (about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally).
Throw in the jar of tomato and chilli sauce and any extras (see below) and heat through for a further few minutes until piping hot.

Serve with bread, olives and salad.

Alternatives: To bulk this out, add some extra veg/protein along with the tomato sauce (eg: a tin of drained beans/chickpeas/sweetcorn/sliced mushrooms/veggie salami/chorizo etc...anything ready cooked.). You could also swap the potato cubes for frozen chips, wedges or even hash browns.
For a cheaper version, use 'real' potatoes and a home made tomato sauce. 
Make individual portions and serve as a tapas dish whilst watching Spain play in the World Cup!

I'm entering this recipe to this month's Credit Crunch Munch , hosted at Gingey Bites and founded by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.



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Chana Korma - Mild Chickpea Curry (Vegan)

It's a little late, but here's my post for National Vegetarian Week:

I often add chickpeas (chana) to my veggie curries or make a chana masala side dish, but I don't generally use them in a main dish curry. This korma recipe is tasty and filling enough to eat as a main dish, but can also be served as a side dish along with a paneer or vegetable curry. 

Don't be put off by the long list of spices...you can always use a ready-made curry paste to save time.

Serves 4 as a main course; 6-8 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cinnamon stick, broken.
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2-3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp chopped chilli (optional - leave out for a very mild, child-friendly curry)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 or 3 curry leaves (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tins chana/chickpeas (I use the East End or KTC brands)
• 1 cup/250ml of coconut cream or 2oz/50g creamed coconut (block) mixed with 1 cup/250ml boiling water
• ½-1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp garam or korma masala
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Heat  the oil in a large pan; and add the cinnamon and ground fennel seeds. Cook for a minute or so before adding the onion. Cook the onion on a medium heat until just starting to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Mix in the remaining spices (except the garam/korma masala) and tomato puree and cook for 2-3 mins.
Add the chickpeas, coconut cream and sugar, simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, adding a drop more water if needed.
Stir in the garam or korma masala and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
To serve, garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rice/naan/chapatti for a cheap and filling meal.

Alternatives: If you don't have a good range of dried spices, simply omit the tomato puree and dried spices and replace them with korma curry paste. 
Add some fresh or frozen spinach, or sliced mushrooms along with the chickpeas.

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Money-Saving Meals with Morrisons

Morrisons have always been known for their special offers, but they now have an I'm Cheaper price promise and a brand new online shop. I've sometimes used my local Morrisons as a 'top up shop' as it's local, however I very rarely used it to get my whole week's food shopping; as it's quite a small shop. I have recently tried shopping online with them, which worked out really well, as I found a much wider range of products at great prices.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by Britmums as a #MorrisonsMum to review the Morrison's shopping experience and shop for our Bank Holiday food. This was the first time I'd done a 'proper' shop in my local store and I was impressed at the range of products they now offer in store. I even found they stocked curry leaves, which have been eluding me for some time!

I planned my weekend shopping to include ingredients for:

• Mexican taco/tortilla bowls with vegetarian chilli
• Mushroom biryani, chana korma, paneer tikka kebabs and naans; fresh fruit salad
• Vegetarian barbecue; mini strawberry shortcakes (recipe from Morrison's magazine)

I bought a wide range of foods and drinks including fresh fruit and veg, cheese, frozen foods and packet foods (including a bargain pack of dried spaghetti at only 23p for 500g!). As it was a bank holiday, I also splashed out on some rather nice wines, both on special offer (including a Fairtrade white) and some beer...

I was really pleased with both the quality of the produce and the prices. Quite a few items on my list were either on special offer or on a price promise, which made my shopping comparable, if not cheaper, than what I would have paid at any of the other major supermarkets. All the fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs that I needed were in stock and those which were left over after the weekend, have lasted well.

While I was there, I picked up a copy of the free Morrisons magazine and was pleasantly surprised at the number of tasty veggie recipes in it, alongside a feature on National Vegetarian Week. 

Miss K liked the look of the strawberry dessert page and soon whipped up a batch of mini strawberry shortcakes on her own. The recipe was simple to follow and tasted delicious, filled with Morrisons strawberries and cream. 

My shopping experience at Morrisons has made me more likely to shop there again (especially online) as I now know that it can compete with the other main supermarkets on both quality and price.

Vegetarian Sausage Kebabs (makes 4)

This veggie sausage recipe is super-easy and quick to make (makes a great camping meal too!).

Total cost = £2.67 or 65p per kebab

• Quorn sausages (half price) £1.12
• Bell peppers (half a pack of Morrison's bumper pack) 80p
• 1 onion 10p
• 1 pack button mushrooms 65p

Defrost the sausages slightly and soak the skewers in water.
Cut the sausages into thirds and cut the peppers and onion into chunks. Wipe the mushrooms.
Thread the sausages and vegetables onto skewers alternately and drizzle with a little oil or bbq sauce. Barbecue for around 10 minutes turning once or twice.

Integrity Statement
I received complimentary Morrisons vouchers to pay for the goods for this review. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.  Pin It

Could you 'Live Below the Line'?

It's a shocking statistic that one in eight people (that's around 1.2 billion men, women and children) live below the poverty line, going hungry every day and living on less than £1 per day.

Concern Worldwide, a charity that works with the world’s poorest people to transform their lives, is joining the Live Below the Line campaign which starts next week. They hope to see people sign-up to live off £1 a day for up to 5 days & raise funds to tackle extreme poverty. Live Below the Line cannot and does not aim to recreate what it’s like to live in extreme poverty, however participants can gain an understanding of the kinds of tough decisions many people face globally, every day. The campaign presents a chance to bring food poverty and hunger, back onto the news and political agenda. 

Concern Worldwide hope that as many people as possible will challenge themselves to live on a £1 a day and pledge a donation or sponsorship, to help give people more than a lifeline - to give them a future and a means to provide for their families in the long term.

 

To raise awareness of the campaign, I've pledged to feed my family of 4 for £4 for one day...to include breakfast, lunch and dinner (see my meal plan below) and will be tweeting my #fridgie photo with the estimated value of the products in my fridge ( I must say I was shocked at how much my fridge contents were worth). .

From training community health volunteers to spot the first signs of malnutrition to challenging governments on the policies that keep whole communities hungry, we’re tackling hunger on every level. Concern support people to develop their own local and lasting solutions to hunger, through developing their knowledge, skills and incomes. We combine expert specialism with respect for local know-how to ensure that families can feed their children, not just today, but every day. 

You can find out more about this campaign and support Concern's work here. 

Feed a family of 4 for £4 (3 meals a day)

• Breakfast: home made bread 40p for 750g strong bread flour + 11p for a sachet of yeast, 1 litre carton of value orange juice 65p = £1.16
• Lunch: 2 tins of budget baked beans 2 x 24p, served on toast (left over bread from breakfast), 4 apples x 20p = £1.28
• Dinner: channa masala curry and rice - 250g budget long grain rice 10p,  budget tinned tomatoes 31p, 1 onion 8p, 1 clove of garlic 4p, ginger 10p, various spices (already in store cupboard) approx 20p, 1 tin of chickpeas 37p = £1.20
• Total cost: £3.64; the extra 36p went towards spreads for our bread at breakfast and drinks throughout the day.

I must say it was quite a challenge to feed the family a balanced and filling diet for just one day, let alone for ever. I managed to do this sticking to vegan meals with lots of carbs and pulses. This has certainly made me more aware of the worry and stress that many mums must feel in the developing world every day, in the struggle to feed their children.

28 April-2 May 2014 (campaign runs until 30th June). 
Take the challenge: £5 for 5 days for all your food & drink to end extreme poverty. Challenge yourself. Raise money. Join the movement. Sign up today. 

Integrity Statement
I am supporting this campaign and have not receive payment or incentives for this promotion.

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Chocolate Viennese Biscuits (Vegan)

These crisp and crumbly, little chocolate biscuits are super-easy to make, so a great way to get even very young kids involved with baking. The raw cookie dough tastes pretty good too! They disappear pretty quickly in my house, so you might want to double the ingredients to make a larger batch and freeze half.

Makes 16

• 4oz/100g dairy free spread
• 2oz/50g caster sugar
• 4oz/100g plain flour
• 1oz/25g cornflour
• 1oz/25g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix together until you have a stiff dough.
Tip the dough onto a piece of cling film and squish into a rough sausage shape (around 16 cm long)...it will not look very appealing at this point!
Roll the cling film around the 'sausage' and pop into the freezer for around 10 minutes, to firm up (you don't want to actually freeze it, so don't leave it for much longer).
Unwrap the 'sausage' and slice into around 16 slices of 1cm thickness.
Place on a greased baking sheet, spaced a few cm apart.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until firm to the touch and slightly darker in colour.
Remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack.

Alternative: Once cool, melt around 50g/2oz of dairy-free chocolate (or left over Easter egg!). Dip each biscuit into the melted chocolate. Place on grease-proof paper to set.

Suitable for freezing.

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Aloo Tikki

Aloo tikki are small, spicy potato and pea croquettes.These traditional Indian snacks are delicious eaten hot or cold with chutneys or mint sauce and also make a great an addition to an Indian buffet. They're really cheap to make and are vegan too. I added sweet potato to mine, to ring the changes.

Makes 12/Serves 4

• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garam masala or chaat masala
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh chilli
• ½ tsp turmeric
• a handful of frozen petit pois or peas
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 slice of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
• a few slices of (ready-made) melba toast crushed into breadcrumbs (or fine/panko breadcrumbs)
• vegetable oil

Boil the potatoes for around 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and mash.

Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for minute. 

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and the rest of the spices and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Mix in the mashed potatoes, petit pois and chopped coriander, plus enough fresh breadcrumbs to bind and make a dough-like consistency.

Shape into slightly flattened balls using your hands and roll in the dried breadcrumbs. 

Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes or so, to firm up.

Heat a further tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. 

Fry the aloo tikki for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Keep warm in the oven and repeat until all of the croquettes have been cooked.

Serve with salad, chutneys or mint sauce.

Suitable for freezing (before or after frying).

Alternatives: Make large, flat tikkis and serve them in buns like veggie burgers.
Bake on a greased baking tray (in a hot oven) for a low-fat version.

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Piri-Piri Mushroom & Halloumi 'Burger'

This super-easy meal was inspired by a well-known chicken burger chain. I ate there once. I enjoyed the 'burger' but didn't know how they could possibly charge £6 (that's without any side orders) for something so cheap and simple to prepare. I knew I could make a similar meal far cheaper with better ingredients, so I did...

Assuming you have most of the piri-piri/peri-peri sauce ingredients already, this costs around £1.50 per portion for the 'burger'. For 4 servings, I used: Sainsbury's Halloumi £2.25, large, flat mushrooms £1.40, burger buns 70p, lemon 35p, lettuce 60p.

Serves 4

For the burgers:

• 1 (250g/10oz) pack of halloumi cheese cut into 8 slices
• 4 large flat/Portabello mushrooms, wiped and de-stalked
• 4 burger buns (or make your own)
• Finely sliced lettuce

For the piri-piri sauce:

• 1-2 red chillis - finely chopped (or use 2 tsp frozen chopped chilli, or hot chilli sauce)
• 1 lemon, juiced (add zest for more citrus flavour)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A pinch of salt (vegan version only)

Make up the piri-piri sauce, by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl, or whizzing up in a mini food-processor.

Brush the mushrooms with the sauce and either fry, grill or barbecue them until soft and golden brown. Keep warm in the oven.

Repeat with the halloumi cheese slices.

Put a little shredded lettuce on the bottom half of a bread roll.

Layer up with the mushroom and 2 slices of cheese, a little more piri-piri sauce and topping with the other half of the bun.

Serve with grilled corn-on-the-cob and/or home-made seasoned sweet potato wedges.

Mushroom alternative: For fungi-phobes like Miss K, use grilled bell pepper instead.
Vegan alternative: Omit the halloumi and top the mushroom with a good dollop of vegan coleslaw.

Camping alternative: Use ready made piri-piri sauce.

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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.

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Mushroom Biryani

One of my favourite Indian take-away dishes is Mushroom Biryani, but it's not a recipe I've ever cooked before. As part of my Veganuary challenge, I've been broadening out my vegan repertoire, so I thought I'd have a go at this classic Indian rice dish.

As none of my extensive collection of recipe books contained an authentic recipe, I started browsing Indian blogs and came across this recipe from Prathibha who has a vegetarian blog called The Chef and Her Kitchen; Her biryani looked just the sort of thing I was looking for. Although I didn't quite have all the ingredients needed, I decided to try the recipe out, simplifying the cooking method slightly to speed up the preparation time.

The list of ingredients might look a bit daunting, but the resulting taste is worth it (the whole family agreed that it was as good as our normal take-away biryani!). If you don't have a wide selection of spices, improvise with what you do have, or simply swap the ground and whole spices for 1-2 tbsp of a good quality Indian curry paste (preferably one containing fennel and cardamom), it might not taste quite as good, but should be a pretty close alternative. 
Providing you do have a good selection of spices or already have a suitable curry paste, this meal costs under £2.00 to make.

serves 4-6

• 1 cup of basmati rice soaked for 10 mins then washed till water runs clear and drained in a sieve
• 1 large onion, cut in half and finely sliced
• 100-150 g/4-6 oz chestnut mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger plus 2 cloves of crushed garlic or 1 tbsp garlic/ginger paste
• 1-2 tsp finely chopped chilli
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole green cardamom pods
• 1 small stick of cinnamon
• 1 whole star anise
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, whole
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
• salt  and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

While the rice is soaking/draining, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and fry until golden brown.
Remove the onions from the pan and keep to one side.
Heat a further 1 tbsp oil in the pan and add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spices cook for 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms  and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.
Add the drained rice and half of the cooked onions, and stir to coat in the spice mixture.
Add 1 ¾ cup boiling water. Stir well.

Cover with a lid and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is almost cooked and the water has been absorbed.
Turn the heat off, and leave the pan on the warm hob with the lid on. 
Allow the rice to stand for a further 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork (discarding the whole spices if you can find them!) and top with the reserved fried onions.

Either serve with tarka dal / chana masala or add a drained tin of chickpeas to the rice (just before it's cooked), for a protein-rich complete meal.

I'm adding this recipe to January's Bookmarked Recipes over at Tinned Tomatoes and to this month's Credit Crunch Munch which is co-hosted by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.

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Pasta with Greek Tomato Sauce (Vegan)

After many years holidaying in Greece, I'm still yet to recreate an authentic copy of the Greek version of Napoli/Napolitana sauce. I've tried various variations from a very basic sauce with just onion, garlic, herbs and tomatoes, to a sauce with different combinations of vegetables (courgettes, peppers and carrots), but none are quite right...it's probably due to the fresh, ripe, Greek tomatoes, but may be due to some other hidden ingredient, which I am yet to discover. 

Do let me know the traditional recipe if you have it!

Anyway, here's my take on the dish, which is low-fat, only takes about 30 minutes to make and costs a very economic £2 to serve 4-6 people. It has lots of garlic plus an added kick of chilli and a touch of fragrant cinnamon - simply omit these for an Italian rather than Greek-style sauce. I generally make a double batch of this sauce and freeze half. You can use the sauce for lasagne, bolognese, veggie meatballs, aubergine parmigiana etc.

Serves 4-6

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 bay-leaf
• ½ tsp dried Greek oregano (optional)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon/½ cinnamon stick (optional)
• ½ tsp fresh red chilli, very finely chopped
• 2x400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes (use good quality, not an economy brand for the best flavour) - or about 800g/1lb 12oz fresh, ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• ½ tsp sugar (optional)
• Black pepper to taste
• 450g/1lb dried pasta (rigatoni, penne etc.)

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the onion and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes, before adding the garlic.

Allow the onion and garlic to cook without colouring.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and simmer for 15-20 minutes with the lid on.

Remove the cinnamon stick and bay-leaf (if using).

Blend briefly with a hand blender if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Return to a low heat and allow to reduce whilst cooking the pasta for 10-12 minutes. Drain the pasta and serve topped with the tomato sauce.

For vegan garlic bread, simply mix a further small crushed clove of garlic with 2 tbsp dairy-free spread and a little chopped fresh parsley. Spread generously onto fresh crusty bread and bake in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

I'm linking this post to this month's, garlic-themed Pasta Please Challenge hosted by Tina at The Spicy Pear and started by Jac at Tinned Tomatoes. Pop over and take a look at the other great pasta dishes all using garlic.

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A cheap and lower-fat vegetarian/vegan meal plan for Veganuary

Happy New Year! I hope you've all had a good holiday and eaten plenty of great vegetarian/vegan food!

So, it's January again and after a couple of weeks of over-indulgence, I thought that rather than starting a diet-themed series of posts for the new year, I should just cut down on the cheese and dairy products in my recipes and embrace the essence of Veganuary. In case you don't know, Veganuary is a campaign in association with Viva! to encourage people to go vegan for January and "Eat delicious, healthy food, save lives and help the environment."

Whilst we won't go completely vegan for the month, as I know we won't all be able to stick to it (and as I have lots of non-vegan products to use up in my fridge and freezer), I will make a conscious effort to buy fewer products containing dairy and eggs and reduce the amounts I use in my cooking for the month, which I reckon will also make things cheaper. 

Although not all of the recipes below are vegan, they are all budget friendly, relatively low in fat and can all be easily adapted (for example, if the recipe uses Quorn or cheese, swap for a vegan alternative.) For a 31 day vegan meal plan, take a look at the official Veganuary menu.

Week 1
Spiced carrot and parsnip soup (no cream) with home made bread
Pasta with spicy pepper, aubergine and tomato sauce
Enchiladas (no cheese or use vegan cheese) with salad

Vegetarian Jambalaya 
Lentil and pesto veggie burgers with home made potato wedges and baked beans (use vegan pesto)
Pasta with Greek tomato sauce
Chickpea curry with chapattis

Week 2
Spaghetti Bolognese
Vegetable curry with rice
Pisto manchego (no egg) with jacket potato and salad
Reggae Reggae chickpea wraps 
Quorn souvlaki with potatoes (use vegan meat-free pieces)
Vegetable biryrani with dal
Turkish vegetable stew with cous cous or quinoa 

...and some vegan cakes and desserts 
(ok these aren't low fat, but we all need a treat some times!)
Apple cake
Bread pudding
Chocolate microwave mug cake
Chocolate orange cupcakes
Chocolate tiffin
Fairy cakes/cupcakes
Fruity flapjacks

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