I'm Veggie and have been all my days.
It was never a massive decision, more of a happening; being a vegetarian is something that happened to me. I do not like the taste of meat. I hate the texture of meat. I therefore hate meat substitutes.
I am also fairly fussy; I'm getting better in my old age, but being a hater of certain textures, like mushroom and aubergine, it kind of narrows down my choices a wee bit.
I am very fortunate however to live in the golden age of internet, where I can make specific searches for recipes I can actually get excited about, which with my self-placed limitations can be difficult.
Here's a wee round up of recipes I've been drooling over this week, along with links to see for yourself.
1.Tomato and harissa stew with cheddar dumplings
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| Source:bbcgoodfood.com |
I'm not going to lie - it's the dumpling bit that's doing it for me -
check out the recipe here.
I'm a massive carbohydrate/cheese fan, but I love some spice too, so this ticks a lot of my boxes. It pretends it's a bit healthy with all the veg and the chickpeas, but it's luring you in with the oh-so-yummy promise of dumpling naughtiness.
I've never tried harissa, and being a busy mum of three who rarely has time to shop alone, let alone search for something new, Id probably substitute in red and yellow peppers instead, which would still sit nicely in amongst the tomatoes and chickpeas.
2. Chickpea and Vegetable Curry
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| Source: The Vegetarian Society (www.recipes.vegsoc.org) |
A veg curry is always my go-to favourite if I can't think of anything else, and it never fails to satisfy. It's quick, it's easy and it's a really satisfying make, which if you portion up just right,can last a couple of days.
A veg curry is the best - you can pretty much chuck anything in, add some chopped tomatoes or even some coconut milk and you can mix up the flavours no end. I love a chickpea curry - there's something really satisfying and filling about one, and you can find the
recipe for this one from the Vegetarian Society here.
3.Easy Pizza Dip with Cream Cheese
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| Source www.tinnedtomatoes.com |
Oh holy monkeys, this really tickles my tastebuds and makes me drool a wee bit. This is ridiculous - a dip which tastes like pizza, but one which you can dip vegetable crudites into and thus feel a little bit less guilty (just try to forget about the cheese!)
Have a look at this glorious recipe from my good friend Jac at Tinned Tomatoes. This is definitely a good one to pull out when you have visitors or if you want to settle down to a good movie with some tortilla chips and beer; why no go all out? Heaven in a dish!
4. Greek salad with Feta
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| Source: Oh, sweet Basil (www.ohsweetbasil.com) |
I LOVE a Greek salad. I've been to Greece a few times now, and it's definitely my best and most favourite part about going there - you cannot beat the absolute freshness of the food and the zing of all the different fresh flavours hitting your tastebuds. Delicious!
Coupled with tzatziki and some frsh bread, this has to be my ultimate dish. Simple, quick, but totally flavoursome - and healthy too. Have a gander at Oh, Sweet Basil's
take on this classic, here.
5. Battered Halloumi
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| Source: www.planetveggie.com |
Dear good god. Battered Halloumi for the win!
I did say I hate meat substitutes, but I think this is the closest I will ever come. The texture of halloumi is odd. It's squeaky. It's a bit rubbery.
But boy, does it taste good in batter!
I've had battered halloumi a few times - it seems to be quite fashionable at the moment as the vegetarian opton of choice for bar and restaurants, but I am so very glad when I see it n the menu instead of bloody macaroni or stupid stuffed aubergine. Again.
Planet Veggie is right when she proclaims she now wants to 'batter all the things'.
Check out her recipe here.
Long live battered halloumi!
Right, now I am very extremely hungry. I'm off to do some cooking!
