Butternut Squash Mash, Mushroom Medley and Peas.

Delicious summery dinner for when you need something warm. Full of flavours.

Peppery Butternut Squash Mash;

• 1/2 a butternut squash peeled and cubed.
• Big blob of vegan butter
• 1 tbsp (yes that’s right) of pepper

1. Boil the squash until soft.

2. Mash with the butter and pepper.

Good hot or cold.

Lemony Mushroom Medley;

• Olive Oil
• 1/4 lemons juice
• salt
• mixed herbs (your favourite)
• 4 mushrooms quartered
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 cherry tomatoes halved
• Spinach

1. Fry the onions, mushrooms and garlic in a pan.

2. When half way done add the tomatoes and mixed herbs.

3. When done add the spinach, stir constantly until wilted.

4. Add the lemon juice and salt. Mix well, spoon on to a plate, avoiding most of the juice.

5. You can now, if you like, use the juices as a ‘gravy’.

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.

RAW Tomato Spaghetti Salad

This was a bit of an invention, I decided I want to eat more raw food, but have never really been exposed to any recipe’s or ideas for it outside of raw cake and salads.

So I thought I would have a go of making a raw version of tomato spaghetti, that’s not quite how it turned out but it was yummy anyway so I will call it  a success!

This recipe makes rather a lot…

To make the ‘spaghetti strips’ or salad;

• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cucumber – halved lengthways
• 3 asparagus
• 2 radish
• 1/2 red pepper

Sauce;

• 2 large tomatoes
• handful baby plum tomatoes
• handful basil leaves
• 1/4 onion
• mixed chopped nuts
• salt/ pepper
• crushed mixed nuts to top

1. Using a potato peeler peel lengthways along the carrots and cucumber.

2. Chop the ends off the asparagus then peel lengthways, peel the radish and around the chopped edge of the pepper.

3. Throw it all in a bowl and mix.

4. Blend the tomatoes, basil and onion.

5. Garnish with nuts, salt, pepper.

To placate my partner I also gave him some salted fried bread soldiers….

If your not totally raw a great use of the leftover sauce is heated up mixed with some more veg for a pasta. 

Tomatoes

Now I always knew I liked Tomatoes, from http://notensions.blogspot.in;

The Secret To Staying Slim

The secret to staying slim could be as simple as slipping some tomatoes into your sandwich.It is thought the fruit is rich in compounds that alter levels of appetite hormones and leave us feeling satisfied.

Snacking between meals is a common pitfall of dieters, and the humble tomato could provide them with a cheap and easy way to keep hunger at bay.

Reading University researchers investigated the benefits of enriching white bread with fruit and vegetables. A small group of women of normal weight, aged between 18 and 35, were offered cream cheese sandwiches made with white bread or bread enriched with carrots and tomatoes.

The researchers expected the extra fibre to make the carrot-bread lunches the most filling. Instead, the tomato bread was the most satisfying, a nutritional conference in France heard.

Researcher Dr Julie Lovegrove said: “They were given the sandwiches in a random order and we recorded how full they said they were. It was a small study, and we can’t yet say what the crucial tomato ingredient is, but the results were statistically significant.”

The appetite-suppressing ingredient could be lycopene, which gives tomatoes their red colour and has already been credited with warding off cancer and boosting fertility. Studies also show that tomatoes can help heart health.

Regular servings of tomato sauce and juice lower cholesterol levels in a matter of weeks. If that wasn’t enough, tomato based dishes may protect against sunburn and keep skin looking healthy into old age.

Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, which helps the body heal wounds and absorb iron.

Gingered Smoked Tofu Pasta/ Noodles

We’ve tried and tested this recipe as both a pasta and noodle sauce and its great with both. I bet it would be just as good in rice too.

Here’s also our best ever way of cooking tofu for any pasta/ stir fry recipe (4).

smoked tofu

4 garlic cloves – we used smoked garlic too!

4 spring onions

1 piece of root ginger

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp basil/ mixed herbs

1 tbsp swiss vegetable boulion (stock)

50g vegan butter

pinch of salt/ pepper

1. If using pasta put it on to simmer with a pinch of stock.
2. Chop the garlic ginger and spring onions finely.
3. Add them to a pot with the tomato paste and herbs. Simmer.
4. Chop the tofu into bite sized chunks. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the tofu and deep fry on each side until golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper while frying.  (This is the best way we’ve found for cooking tofu- it came from Masterchef!)
5. If you are using noodles put them on to simmer with a pinch of stock.
6. Drain and coat your pasta/ noodles in the sauce, top with the tofu and some salad leaves.

Pizza!

Pizza, one thing which I will NEVER stop craving… luckily there is this gorgeous easy to make alternative. =)

Ingredients;

1 roll Ready made puff pastry (check the ingredients are vegan!)

1/2 tub of tomato passata

you’re favourite topping vegetables such as

onion

mushrooms

1/2 leak

tomato sliced

1/2 red pepper finely chopped

1/2 courgette finely chopped

black olives chopped

Garlic

spinach/ rocket leaves

… the list could go on and on!

To make this extra special try using roasted vegetables instead of fresh….

Or add some vegan cheese alternative crumbled on top…

1. Defrost pastry, place flat on baking tray.

2. Chop Vegetables.

3. Pour on pasta and arrange vegetables on top.

4. Cook in oven at 180*c for around 15 minutes- Until the sides are puffed and golden and the vegetables brown.

Yum Hot + Cold!

The potatoes are boiled baby potatoes tossed in parsley, vegan butter and a pinch of salt.