Boozy Risotto

Risotto is one of my favourite foods to cook, it’s so relaxing and fulfilling just hanging out in the kitchen stirring a big pan of cooking rice, of course with a suitably big glass of wine in hand. This is a great one to cook for a few friends if they like hanging out in the kitchen while you work. Of course the other great thing is it’s versatility, mess around with the ingredients. Make it fresh, boozy or creamy depending on you’re mood.

Ingredients;

• arborio (risotto) rice
• 4 asparagus
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 button mushrooms halved
• 2 small carrot
• 2 celery
• 1 onion
• handful broad beans
• handful peas
• several handfuls baby leaf spinach
• 1 tbsp swiss vegetable bouillon (stock)
• 3 cherry tomatoes per plate
• 1 kettle full of boiled water
• 1 large glass red/ white wine – I like the flavour of red better but it makes the rice a funny colour purple.

1. Chop all of your ingredients, hard veg like carrots or squash very small.

2. Pour a little oil on the tomatoes and coat, place in the oven check every 10 minutes or so until they are browning and skin split. Remove from oven.

3. With a small amount of butter in a heavy saucepan or wok, fry the onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic for a few minutes.

4. Add the carrots, or hard veg, then the rice, stir thoroughly.

5. Add the stock then add the water about half a cup at a time. Stirring each time constantly until it’s all absorbed. Then add the next half cup.

6. When the rice has started to expand and you think it is about half way to done add the asparagus and broad beans. Continue adding the water a half cup at a time and stirring.

7. When it’s almost done add the peas. Don’t forget to put the tomatoes in to heat back up if they came out early.

8. When you think it’s completely done (the water is absorbed, the rice thick and creamy, not hard in the middle) add the glass of wine.

9. Stir until it is all absorbed, add the spinach, mix to wilt and serve with the tomatoes on top.

(The step in bold I am convinced is the secret to great risotto, along with using a good stock.) =p

 

Greggs Vegetable Pasties Ingredients

Because my partner insisted on eating Greggs Vegetable Pasties until I could prove they weren’t vegan I wrote to them to find out.

Here are the messages back with the list of ingredients. =)

Dear Rebecca

Thanks for taking the time to get in touch about our Vegetable Bakes.
As we have a large range which changes from time to time, we’ve chosen not to put ingredients on line and in our shops.  However our Shop Team should be offering to give us a call to find any information out for you.  I’m sorry that this hasn’t been the case on your recent visits.
As we’ve two different types of Vegetable Bake can you please tell me which shop you usually visit so I can give you the correct information?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards

Stephanie Mogie
Customer Care TeamDear Rebecca
Thanks for getting back to us.

I’ve spoken to the shops you mentioned and these sell the vegetable pasty with the below ingredients in:

Pastry: Wheat Flour, Vegetable Margarine and Shortening (contains: Palm and Rapeseed Oil, Water, Salt, Emulsifier: Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Water, Salt.
Filling (48%): Water, Dried Vegetable Mix (contains: Potato, Onion, Carrot, Rapeseed Oil, Yeast Extract, Salt, Vegetable Bouillon (Sea Salt, Potato Starch, Yeast Extract, Palm Oil, Vegetables, Maltodextrin), Stabiliser: Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose; Celery and Pepper Extracts), Carrot (9%), Onion (7%), Peas (4%), Green Beans (3%), White Pepper, Mixed Herbs (contains: Marjoram, Basil, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Parsley), Salt.
Glaze: Water, Rapeseed and Sunflower Oil, Modified Maize, Potato and Tapioca Starch, Milk Proteins, Skimmed Milk Powder, Emulsifiers: Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of  Fatty Acids; Stabilisers: Cellulose, Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, Carrageenan; Acidity Regulators: Sodium Phosphates; Colour: Mixed Carotenes.

With regard to how we know which is which, the two vegetable pasties we sell have different marking on, so the one you get in the shops you visited has a small dent in the middle of it, the other has lines across it. All of our Savouries, have different markings on so our Shop Teams can tell which is which without having to look at the tickets.

I hope this has been of help and if you need anything else please don’t hesitate to contact us Rebecca.

Remember to quote your call reference number: F1390146 in any
correspondence, as this will assist us in providing you with a
quick response.

Kind regards

Carrie Veitch
Customer Care Team

Tomato and Bean Pasta Bake

It’s a long list of ingredients but it’s also deliciously good for you, filling, easy to make large amounts of and pretty to look at too. Great cold the next day!

Ingredients;

Base;

• 4 handfuls Pasta
• 1 carton Tomato pasta
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 6 plum tomatoes
• 6 sun dried tomatoes
• 1 courgette
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tin pre-cooked/ tinned red kidney beans
• 1 tin pre-cooked/ tinned butter beans
• 1 tin sweetcorn
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 1 tbsp dried herbs
• 1 tbsp ground chilli

Crumb Topping;

• 2 tbsp ground flack seed
• 1 handful mixed seeds
• 1 handful mixed chopped nuts
• 1 slice bread – crumbed

Creamy Sauce;

• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp swiss vegetable bouillon (stock)
• 1 to 2 cups vegan milk
• 100g vegan butter
• 100g vegan flour

1. Boil the pasta to al-dante. Drain, mix in a small piece of butter and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, chop the onion, courgette, pepper into bite size chunks, slice the garlic, half the tomatoes and slice the sun-dried tomatoes.

3. Fry the onions and courgette, when the onion is beginning to look see-through add the garlic and pepper. Stir frequently.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Marmite, dried herbs and chilli.

5. Finally when beginning to boil add the beans and set aside.

6. Put the ground flack seed, nuts, seeds and bread crumbs in a bowl and mix, set aside.

7. In a saucepan gently melt the butter.

8. Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined.

9. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring. Add the mustard and stock. Set aside.

10. Mix the pasta and sauce together. Pour into a big casserole dish.

11. Pour over the creamy sauce.

12.Sprinkle on the crumb topping.

13. Oven cook for about 20 minutes at 180 until the topping is golden and inside bubbles.

 

Served with garlic bread and plain rocket salad.

The Virgin Bloody Mary Smoothie

So basically I thought that a Bloody Mary is a pretty epic drink. Lots of tomatoes, some celery, a bit of spice to make it exciting, what could make a greater breakfast smoothie… and yes it does make a great smoothie, though a whole pint was way too much! =)

 Ingredients;

3 garden tomatoes

8 cherry/ plum tomatoes

1/4 cucumber

1 celery stick + sticks to garnish

1 or 2 drops of tabasco sauce

1 or 2 drops of vegan Worcester sauce or soy sauce

salt

pepper

This makes quite a lot.

Blend all of the ingredients, taste add more tomatoes/ cucumber/ flavourings to taste. Garnish with celery.

This Weekend;

Some things not to miss this weekend;

Bristols big vegetarian/ vegan food festival, Vegfest, started today finishes Sunday.

Hay-on Wye Literature Festival is going on all weekend and the following week.

And while I’m reminding you of stuff Cardiff’s Vegetarian Festival has finally settled on a date this year, 15th June.

On the same day One Planet Cardiff Festival will be on celebrating sustainable living.

Pea and Broad Bean Bruschetta

Summery, Fresh, Green, mmm. Great on toast, jacket potatoes or crumpets.

• Big handful garden peas
• Big handful broad beans
• Big handful baby spinach leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt/ pepper

1. Remove half of the skins from the broad beans – this will give the bright green colour.

2. Cook the beans until soft, add the peas at the last minute just to defrost.

3. Blend the beans, spinach, garlic, lemon, oil and seasoning to a paste.

4. If spreading on toast re-heat under grill for a few seconds before eating.

Tasty Treats; New Additions

My mum’s been playing with her puff pastry treats and added some new ideas;

Apricot Slices;

Just add half a tinned apricot on top of the marzipan before baking.

Raspberry Puffs; 

Add a spoon full of raspberry jam on top if the marzipan before baking.

Tada!

The Most Chocolaty Hot Chocolate

How do you make a super rich creamy chocolaty hot chocolate? Italian Style

Ingredients;

1 bar vegan chocolate

1/2 cup of nut milk

1/2 mini carton vegan cream

almond essence/ mint extract/ a vegan cream liqueur (all optional- probably don’t use all of them at once!)

mint leaves (optional)

1. Melt half a bar of vegan hot chocolate over a very LOW heat in a saucepan.

2. Add nut milk slowly a little at a time.

3. Add some vegan cream, cocoa power and sugar, continue to stir.

4. Add  a drop of almond essence/ grated almond or mint ((optional)- if using liquor pour it in with the cream at no.6.).

5. When it tastes perfect and is a great thick but drinkable consistency pour into a cup. – Not too much its super rich!

6. Decorate; Pour in a little vegan cream, tear a few mint leaves and grate a square of chocolate.

Vegan Food Pyramid

Satay Sauce

This is quick and divine! Seriously food for the Gods…

The recipe comes from one of my favourite books, Vegetarian Supercook.

Served with;

• steamed broccoli,
• tofu marinated in soy sauce and coated in sesame seeds, cooked in a frying pan under the grill
• pitta strips fried in a  little salt and pepper.

Ingredients;

• 4 tsp peanut butter
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp grated root ginger
• 1 tsp chilli flakes – less if you like it less hot!
• 2 tsp brown sugar

1. Heat peanut butter in saucepan, adding milk a small amount at a time.

2. Once combined and smooth add the garlic, ginger and chilli.

3. Add sugar, stir until all combined.

4. Set aside serve hot when it will be runny, or cold when it will thicken.

Cold this makes a stunning sandwich filler or toast topping!