Flat Tummy Vegetarian

 

Meat Free Mondays

I keep reading about how eating less meat is good for the planet so I’m all for it. The group Compassion in World Farming estimates that if the average UK household halved its consumption of meat this would cut more emissions than if car use was cut in half.

While I’m keen to take this small step I also struggle to think of meat free options that don’t load up either on carbs (pasta and potatoes) or cheese (my arch nemesis in the battle of the bulge). I know veggies are incredibly nutrient dense but I do tend to think of them as side dishes rather than the main event. David Servan- Schreiber, the brilliant author of Anticancer: A New Way of Life, suggests that our healthy plate should consist ‘mainly of vegetables and pulses, olive oil, garlic, herbs and spices. In contrast to the typical Western diet, meat and eggs are optional, used simply and sparingly to add flavour.’

I’ve been on the search for some delicious meat free recipes and hope these turn out better than my usual attempts at ratatouille…

Beetroot Hummus
Squash and Coconut Dahl
Easy Veg Stir Fry
Sam's Turkish Menemen
Lentil Salad
Country Homes and Interiors Vegetarian Chilli
Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)
Spring Veg Pilaf

External Links

Charred Aubergine and Coconut Curry by Celia Brooks Brown
Waitrose Warm Halloumi and Fennel Salad
Waitrose Imifino and Parmesan Patties
Jamie Oliver's Crunchy Keralan Salad
Jamie Oliver's Incredible Sicilian Aubergine Stew
Anjum Anand's Khicheri (creamy lentils and rice)

Beetroot Hummus

Serves 4-6 as a light lunch with soda bread and crunch salad

4 small or 2 large beetroot, peeled and chopped (approx 2cm)
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cloves garlic, skin on
Olive oil
1 can 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large lemon
1 tsp sesame seeds

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C, Gas 5-6

1. Place the chopped beetroot in a roasting tray. Scatter over the rosemary, garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until the beetroot can be easily pierced with a knife.
2. Allow the beetroot to cool, squeeze the garlic out of its skin and pop both into a blender or food processor along with the chickpeas, cumin seeds (ideally dry fry these to release the flavour or crush in a pestle and mortar), juice and zest of the lemon. Add around 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and blitz to a smooth paste.

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Squash and Coconut Dahl

Serves 4-6
225g yellow split peas
600ml vegetable stock
1kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and thickly sliced
2 tbsp tamari
50g coconut cream
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
Bay leaf
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp turmeric

1. Cook the split peas gently in the stock for about ½ an hour until soft.
2. Add the squash, tamari and coconut cream to a casserole dish and then mix in the split peas.
3. Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and stir until they start popping (stand at arm’s length).
4. Add the bay leaf and onion and soften for 10 minutes. Then stir in the turmeric, cook for a few more minutes before adding to the squash and split peas. Give everything one stir, cover and bake for about 40 minutes at Gas 5/190 C, until the squash is cooked.
5. Serve with basmati rice.

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Lentil Salad

Serves 4
8oz green or Puy lentils
Salt
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ - 1 lemon
Pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
5 spring onions, finely chopped
Small bunch of parsley or mint

1. Simmer the lentils in enough water to cover them for 20 to 30 minutes until tender, adding a little salt towards the end.
2. Drain and mix with the remaining ingredients straightaway so the hot lentils absorb the dressing.

Serve warm or cold.

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Easy Veg Stir Fry

Serves 1
Groundnut oil (or vegetable oil)
Clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 orange or yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced
1 head of pak choi, roughly chopped and rinsed
Handful of button mushrooms (or shiitake), sliced
A few splashes of tamari soy sauce
A splash of mirin
Juice of 1/4 a lemon

1. Chop up your veg
2. Heat the oil in the wok and add the garlic and then the ginger for a minute.
3. Throw in all your vegetables. The residual water on the rinsed pak choi will help to cook the vegetables nicely.
4. Add the tamari sauce and mirin and stiry fry for a couple of minutes. Before serving squeeze over the lemon juice.

Add some brown rice noodles or serve over bulgur wheat for a very quick supper.

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Sam's Turkish Menemen (Scrambled eggs with vegetables)

Serves 4
Olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
6 organic eggs
Black pepper
1 tin tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
Mediterranean fresh herbs to hand (basil, oregano, thyme)

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until very soft and starting to caramelize.
2. Whisk the eggs and season with lots of black pepper, then add to the onions and stir continuously over a low heat as you would with scrambled eggs.
3. Once the eggs have started to scramble add the tomatoes, pinch of sugar and herbs.
4. Keep stirring so that everything is nice and fluffy. Once everything is lovely and hot it's ready to serve.

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Country Homes and Interiors Vegetarian Chilli

Serves 4
(If you are making for 1 or 2 I would just make extra and freeze for an evening when you don’t have time to spend hours cooking but fancy a hearty meal)

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ tsp each of coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds, crushed
2 pointed red peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli (or less if you don’t want too much heat), deseeded and finely chopped
2 tins plum tomatoes
½ tbsp light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
1 tin borlotti beans, drained
1 tin flageolet beans, drained
Sour cream to serve

1. Soften and onion and fennel in olive oil in a large pan for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic along with the crushed spices, before adding the pepper and chilli for a few minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste and beans. Give everything a nice mix, bring to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer for about an hour.
4. Serve in bowls with sour cream on top.
   

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Spring Veg Pilaf

This is just a very simple supper, perfect for mid week and still delicious!

Serves 1 (simply double up for more portions)
40g quinoa
250ml veg stock (or chicken if you are non veggie and prefer)
1 shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
A drizzle of olive oil
1/2 a leek, sliced
3 or 4 medium asparagus, roughly chopped (inch pieces)
A few shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped if needed
Splash of tamari (soy sauce)
Splash of sherry vinegar

1. Start cook the quinoa according to the instructions. I added a little extra stock for a slightly more saucy end result.
2. Soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. After a few minutes add the leek and continue to soften for another five minutes or so.
3. Add the asparagus. You may want to cover at this stage as the steam will help cook the asparagus.
4. After a few minutes add the shiitake mushrooms and cook for another few minutes.
5. When the quinoa is about five minutes away from being ready add, along with the remaining liquid, to the vegetables. Give everything a stir and allow it to soften and reduce for about five minutes.
6. Add a splash of tamari and a splash of sherry (or rice wine or plum) vinegar. Season with black pepper to taste and it's ready to serve. 

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Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)

This is a store cupboard fallback for me that takes zero effort but is full of flavour and nutritional goodies in every ingredient.

Serves 2
1 onion, chopped or sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground ginger
1 red or green chili, deseeded and chopped (or ¼ tsp sweet chili powder)
1 tin of tomatoes or carton of passata
1 tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Splash of coconut cream

1. Gently soften the onion in the olive oil in a saucepan, adding the spices after about five minutes.
2. Add the chili, tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut cream. Add a little water and simmer for as long as you can be bothered so that the flavours all mix and mingle, about 30 minutes.
3. Serve with a dollop of half fat crème fraiche or sour cream either on its own or with a small portion of cous cous, bulgur wheat or brown rice.

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