Pea Shoots and Asparagus Pasta Salad

Yes, I know what some of you may be thinking - another Pasta Salad! but you will be pleased to note that this one does actually have some homegrown ingredients - Pea shoots.

The pea shoots and pea stems and leaves are all from the garden, not the asparagus - that came from the supermarket. 

Again, its not an overly complicated recipe.  Sauteed a couple of cloves of garlic in some good olive oil, and then stirred in all the ingredients, most of which were raw (except the pasta and asparagus).  Seasoned it with salt and pepper and there you go - all ready.

The pea shoots pasta salad is not heavy in pea flavour, its delicate in flavour.  And to punctuate the green, I stirred in some raw diced red pepper for colour and crunch.  

Another lunch prepared for busy working week days at home. 

I am sharing this Pea Shoots and Asparagus Pasta Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.

Green Chili with Welsh Leeks and Edamame Beans

The Welsh leeks season is coming to an end and I thought I'd make the most of it in this big bowl of Green Chile.  

This was not your typical chili as the spice flavours were toned down by the sweetness from all the greens including the leeks. Also the green from the leeks were a bit muted, but were uplifted by the addition of soya and edamame beans and peas (from the freezer) and a final garnish of fresh chives from the garden plot. 

I thought the bowl of Green Chile was going to be mellow from the sweet leeks, so I decided to make a Pineapple and Jalapeno Salsa to go with it.  This uplifted the dish with another dimension of spice and warmth. I will share the recipe for the Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa in the next couple of days. 

I am sharing this Bowl of Green Chili with Eat Your Greens challenge hosted this month by The VegHog - You still have a day to share your #EatYourGreens recipe with the VegHog.  I am also sharing this recipe with My Legume Love Affair hosted by Fix Me A Little Lunch;and sadly for the final time with Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition.

Tamarind Edamame, Soy and Green Beans

Eat Your Greens on World Vegetarian Day.

Although a little spicy, this plate of food made for an interesting eat.  This Tamarind Edamame, soy and Green Beans dish is more of a stir fry than a curry. 

There is crunch from the green beans also known as pole beans, and different flavours of green  from the garden peas, edamame and soy beans.

I know stuffed I like tamarind a lot.  Its one of those ingredients that I reach for when I have a sore throat - its not like honey, but more marmite, but the flavour of tamarind are more sweet and sour, than yeasty.

D is not that keen on it, but will accept it as long as it does not dominate the whole meal, and this certainly does not.  Its subtle.  The tamarind lends a mild citrus twang with a hint of sweetness.  I think this dish was suitably moist as its not overly saucy, but if you want more sauce, then please feel free to stir in some coconut milk - how much is up to you.

Other Tamarind Recipes on my blog
Hot and Sour Broad Beans
Carrot and Tamarind Soup
Carrot Ketchup
Quinoa Meatballs in Tamarind Sauce
Gol Guppay
Sarah Beatties Tamarind Parsnip Curry
Slow Cooked Vegetable Tamarind Stew
Sweetcorn and Tamarind Soup
Tamarind Tofu 'Fish'
I am sharing this with Eat Your Greens hosted by my co-host The Veg Hog;   Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition;  My Legume Love Affair which celebrates its 100th edition, I am so glad it continues as it is one food blog event that i have continues to participate in over the years.  It is hosted by  Cooking with Siri and  Lisa's Kitchen and finally  Meat Free Mondays.  

Drowning in Coconut Milk Korma Soup

I have never had a desire to make a Korma at home until I ate one a few months back and was reminded of its loveliness.  It was quite yummy a little reminisce of Thai Green Curry, which I really love.  It was made with pumpkin and green beans and made a pleasant change from rich spicy tomato based curries.  

So in order to remedy having never made a korma in my home, I was finally ready to give it a go and it was quite delicious and despite its long list of ingredients I think this is one of the worlds most easiest recipes. .  Although, I think I may have added way too much coconut milk as it was drowning all the vegetables, still it tasted lovely.  I think my mother in law would like it too as it was not overly spicy. 

This Vegetable Korma Soup is perfect for those evening when you want to curl up in the corner of your soft and watch a movie.  I don't watch many Bollywood movies these days as I did in my childhood, but I do have a soft spot for the classics like the sentimental and emotional Mother India.  If you want something with a bit of humour then perhaps Amar Akhbar and Antony (where three brothers are separated at childhoods and united in adulthood, but each has been raised under a different religions: Hindu, Muslim and Christian; if that doesn't tickle you fancy and you want something with a bit more thrills then perhaps I can recommend Sholay - an Indian Spaghetti Western, the villain Amjad Khan is awesome.  I am sharing this with No Croutons Required hosted by Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. 

Pea and Mint Gnocchi Bake

I often make my own gnocchi, but its been a while and by the time I get home after work I have to admit I have begun to rely on a supermarket brand for a fast evening meals.  Saying all that, this was not a work day, but for today.  

We took an impulsive drive to Porthcawl today and then Llantwit Major, a small coastal town of windy lanes, narrow streets and historic buildings.  Despite being near the beach twice, I resisted the smell of sea salt and vinegar on chip, but this meant by the time we got home we were both hungry and I needed to put something together rather quick. The part I liked about this most, was the crispy, golden cheesy topping. 

I used to make this kind a dish quite a lot in my student days, but it was on the stove top rather than in the oven and the pasta would vary.  

Have I told you that I have a small freezer?!.  I don't put very much in it due to its size, but the one thing I always seem to have are frozen peas and when I looked closer, I found another packet of frozen peas, so expect a few more pea recipes on my blog this month  (and yes I know peas are in season too - but some of us have not grown our own this year (sad face)).   I am sharing this gnocchi bake with Pasta Please, hosted by Slice of Me.  Pasta Please is co-ordinated by Jac at Tinned Tomatoes.  

Individual Mint Flecked Green Quiches

I made this so called Mint Flecked Green Quiche a couple of weeks back when D was bringing home asparagus bundles.  I had a few ideas as to what to do with the asparagus, but D requested quiche, as its not something I make that often.  

Well with it being Summer and all that, how can I refuse a dish that can be portable too, especially when you make them in individual pastry cases. 

D complimented that he could really taste the asparagus.  The peas were dotted here and there like green marbles and the mint, minced to its dear life - flecking the golden cheesy creamy topping. I personally found the Quiche incredibly rich and actually struggled to eat a whole one, even though it was served with a side of salad.

You could make this with any other green vegetable, but as asparagus and mint are in season, I chose to go with the flow. 

Baby Sweetcorn, Peas and Mint Quiche

It is with some amusement I note that my past few blog posts have been rather yellow, and to add to that I have another rather yellow - bronze tinged Quiche to share.  The difference with these are that they are smaller, individual ones.  I think sometimes they just look just nicer on a plate.

I am not a fan of baby sweetcorn or cornlettes.  To me they resemble a plastic pretend decorative vegetable, only good to garnish a salad plate or such.  Frankly, I find them quite tasteless, but I will put my hand up and admit that I do sometimes add it to Thai Red Curry, and only because D doesn't mind them. I actually prefer the baby sweetcorns bigger sister: sweetcorn on the cob,  Sweetcorn with more crunch and sweetcorn with more juice and sweetcorn with more flavour. 

I had originally planned to make a Spring Green Vegetable Quiche, but then when I walked past a packet of baby sweetcorn, my mind was changed.  So what changed my mind? Another colour was required on the plate.  Once made, the sweetcorn retained its crunch and there was slight sweetness from the peas and a hint of mint. I am sharing this recipe with Lavender and Lovage for Cooking with Herbs  challenge.

Bookmarked Vegetable Cakes, Desserts and Sweet Recipes

There used to be nights when I would lie awake at night thinking about what to create with my home-grown organic vegetables, For those of you who have been following me since the inception of this blog, will know that I was putting vegetables into everything - Rhubarb and beetroot in curries, courgette and parsnip in cookies, avocado and pumpkin in mousse, spinach and kale in smoothies, beetroot in cakes,waffles and pastry crust, carrot in muesli, flapjacks and jams and jellies, butternut squash in ice-cream, and much more, now I lie awake with real life distractions. I also seem to have lost my mojo, before the inspiration would just come naturally ...life was much kinder then. I know it will return in time.

I was looking over some of my bookmarked recipes from years back.  It occured to me that raw food and vegan blogs have been a fantastic source of inspiration for many mainstream foodies whether or not we like to admit it.  Many raw and vegan food bloggers cook outside of the boundaries incorporating ingredients that mimic meat and dairy products flavours, textures and tastes.  Raw and Vegan cooks have introduced mainstream cooks and chefs to new techniques and ways of cooking with ingredients that they would never had considered.  Avocado Chocolate Mousse for a start - need I say more, and Kale and Spinach in Smoothies that have now evolved now to ice-creams and yogurts. Many of these recipes have been around for years, but are only just being discovered here in the U.K. 

Here are a handful of bookmarked recipes made with vegetables from around blogospere that I hope to make in time.  I have provided links to the original source.  I do hope the bloggers I've linked to don't mind me sharing the images with you. 

Beetroot Ice-cream by White on Rice Couple.

Here are Lagusta's amazing vegan Beetroot Truffles. She has also made other flavours, such as Chipotle, Wasabi, Curry and Miso! 

Beetroot and Coconut Terrine featured on Va Va Voom.  I know this one is savoury, but I am planning on sweetening it up a little when I make it at home. 

Red Chocolate Hot Chocolate by Yuppie Chef!  I was thinking of making this one with beetroot and making Red Beetroot Hot Chocolate!

I also have Beetroot Meringues bookmarked from Canal Cook, as well as vegan ones by Eddie Shepherd; and also Carrot Meringues bookmarked from Love the Garden Competition in 2011.

Here are some sweet recipes made with cauliflower.  For a start Chocolate Cauliflower Shake from The Green Forks which can easily be frozen and turned into a lollipop; and even a Cauliflower Rice Pudding from Maria Mind Body Health. 

Hulk Smoothie aka Green Smoothie from Carissa at Attached At the Nip.  Carissa introduced me to Green Smoothies in 2009.  She has so many variations with mangoes, apples, all with appealing names such as Green Goddess, and Simply Green Juice. 

This amazing vegan Kale Cake with Sweet Potato Filling from Lancaster Fresh Farm CSA website shared in 2011 by a CSA shareholder, Laura Forer.  I so want to make this with my homegrown kale.

Sweet Pea Cupcakes with Soured Cream Frosting from Vanilla Garlic as above (2009) and also Garden Peas and Ricotta Cupcakes  (no image) bookmarked from Cupcake Project (2011).

Another one from the Cupcake Project, this time its Cucumber Cupcakes.  So gorgeous. 

The Baker of Brighton also has Cucumber Cupcakes this time topped with Elderflower Cream.  But if you want to make one big cake, then check out this Cucumber Cake recipe bookmarked from Honest Cooking.  It shows that cucumbers can be substituted for courgettes. 

There is a sweet Turkish cake called Ispanakli Kek made with Spinach.  I had it when I was in Turkey but have never got round to making it at home.  I've had this Sweet Spinach Cake bookmarked by Binnurs Turkish Cookbook.  A similar Spinach Cake and Spinach Cupcake recipe appears in Mom Whats for Dinner !  I was also intrigued by Binnurs Mushroom Cookies.  

Spinach Ice-cream from Chocolate Covered Katie.  I was also recently reminded of this Mint Chocolate Frozen Yogurt with Chocolate Chips also made with spinach by Circardian Wellnesss via Jessica Seinfields book Double Delicious, you can find the original recipe here.

Peruvian Sweet Corn Cake from Peru Delights.  Follow this link for  22 Peruvian Recipes that vegans and vegetarians should try. 

Mexican Sweet Corn Cakes from Marcie at Flavour The Moments.

 Home-made Sweet Potato Latte by Grace Su featured on MichellePhan.com.  Sweet Potato Latte is a Korean cafe speciality that will soon be made in my kitchen come Autumn.  The recipe can be easily adapted, and has also been made with Japanese Purple Sweet Potato. 

Spiced Sweet Potato Doughnuts by Leanne Bakes.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Squares from Seasonal Veg Head via Everyday Food.

Or maybe something a little more cooling with these Pumpkin Lollies or Popsicles depending on where you are in the world, bookmarked from a Healthy Jalapeno. 

And these don't even include those from my well thumbed raw food, vegetarian and vegan cookbooks such as this one from which I have already baked Celery Cookies.

Yellow Mangetout, Broad Beans and Garden Peas Tart

There is still a week to go to share your vegan and vegetarian Eat Your Greens recipes. I have already received some made with seasonal vegetables and herbs, like chives and basil and I can't wait to share them with you all.  

Well talking of EatYourGreens, here is a Broad Bean and Garden Peas Quiche with some yellow mangetout.  All these came from my garden plot.  If I had chickens, the free range eggs would have come from my garden too, but that plan is maybe a year away.  

Anyway, I got carried away trying to make the garden vegetables look like an arty farty picture, that I forgot to put the shredded cheese on top, hence the reason it is looking so pale.  I only realised this omission when I took it out of the oven.  No worries, I chucked the grated cheese on top and bunged it back in the oven for a few minutes for it to melt. 

Also its not the best Tart I've ever made, in fact its mediocre.  It tasted alright, but how it looked was a bit disappointing.  For the sharp eyed amongst you, you may have already noted it, but for those of you who need prompting, well if you look closely, first at the above image - in trying to remove it from the tin, I managed to snap the bottom right, and secondly, if you look at the image below - the real reason for this is that there was a crack in the pastry which caused some of the filling to leak out.   Hey, these things happen even to the most experiences of cooks and this time it was my turn! 

Vegan Carrot, Potato and Peas Curry

September the 1st marks the start of Vegan Month of Food also fondly referred to as Vegan MoFo in blogosphere.

This is my first year of participating in Vegan MoFo, and I have decided to kick-start with a relatively simple and thrifty Anglo-Indian curry  that I have veganized by replacing the ghee or butter with vegetable oil.  

Potato and Peas Frittata

Have you noticed the accidental green and creamy white theme on my blog recently?!

And just as I post this blog post, I notice that I've typed 'frittata' in the blog header, whereas it should have read 'tortilla' - a thick flat omelette made with potatoes and eggs.  Oh well, its done now. 

ThisTortilla is made with the last of my homegrown potatoes; and peas from the freezer. 

Of course, its excellent warm for Brunch, but I think it would also be very good served cold, either for a working lunch or for when you are on the move.      

Potato and Peas Tortilla
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
4 - 6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (preferably with a mandolin)
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of frozen peas, defrosted
5 eggs, beaten
Method
Heat oil in a frying pan measuring about 9 inches with high sides. Heat oil, add the onion and cook until soften, then add in the potatoes and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until they are beginning to soften and turn golden, flipping them now and again. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the peas and stir for a couple of minutes to evenly distribute the peas. Gently pour in the eggs, reduce the heat and allow to set. When it appears set and no longer soft in the middle. Cover the frying pan with a plate or lid and invert the potato tortilla over onto the plate or lid. Then gently slide the upturned potato tortilla back into the frying pan. Increase the heat and cook the tortilla for a few more minutes. Transfer the potato tortilla onto a large serving plate and serve slices either warm or at room temperature.

Green Pasta Loaf

This Green Pasta loaf is speckled with greens such as perpetual spinach, chard and peas. 

Its very similar in texture to this Mosaic Carrot and Green Pie, but of course the vegetable filling is different and so is the pastry, instead of my usual hot watercrust pastry, I made a shortcrust.  The pastry was lovely and crumbly.  The filling was good but could have benefited from a little lift in the seasoning, not so much salt and pepper, but something like a green herb or a green pesto sauce. 

This is a good recipe to make in advance.  Its really good cold or at room temperature and slices beautiuflly.  All you need next to it is a simple salad, perhaps one with pinkish radishes to offset the shades of green. 

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights #218. PPN was founded by Ruth Daniels of Once Upon a Feast and each Friday night a different host posts a roundup of pasta dishes submitted by bloggers from around the world. This week PPN is being hosted by Jules of Pictures of all my Princesses.

I am also submitting this to Simple and in Season as the chard and perpetual spinach, albeit overwintering came directly from my own garden.

Chard Pasta Loaf
Serves 6 with a side salad.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry to line a 2lb loaf tin
Shortcrust pastry
225g plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
125g butter
3 tablespoons water
For the filling
200g-225g macaroni pasta (or penne)
50g butter
200g - 300g chard, perpetual spinach or spinach leaves, roughly shredded
100g frozen peas, defrosted
1 tablespoon cornflour or arrowroot, mixed to a paste with 2 tablespoons cold water
250ml- 300ml double cream
Optional and strongly recommended: 1-2 tablespoons mint sauce or green pesto, I would have used some of my homemade Wild Garlic Pesto.
3 medium eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook pasta according to packets instructions until al dente. Drain and season with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in large pan, add stalks from chard and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until tender., then add the remaining chard, perpetual spinach (or spinach), and cook until the leaves begin to just wilt. Remove from the heat and toss together with the pasta. Add the peas, mix well and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Now make the shortcrust pastry 
Add flour and salt to a bowl. Add the butter then rub it into the flour with your fingertips, lifting the mixture out of the bowl to incorporate as much air as possible as this will make the pastry light. Continue until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then add the water a little at a time and use your fingertips to press the mixture together and form a dough. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead rolling out the dough to line a 2lb loaf tin. Cut overlapping excess and re roll to fit as lid.
Place the pasta in the pastry case and press down gently. Combine the cornflour paste with the cream, mint sauce or green pesto and eggs in a bowl, then pour the cream mixture over the pasta in the tin.
Dampen with the edges of the pastry with water than top the pie with the pastry lid. Seal the edges by pressing with your thumb and forefingers all the way around. Make a small hole in the top for the steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until pastry is golden and the middle is set. Leave to cool 10 – 15 minutes, before serving.

Spinach, pea and mint pasty or hand pies

You may have noted that I haven't been doing much 'cooking' recently. Oh yes, I've made some salads and even some dips and spreads, but real home 'cooking and baking' has been falling of the agenda recently. I don't know whether its the fact I went on holiday and the break from home-cooking has made me lazy; or whether its the increased workload at work impacting on my energy and enthusiasm. Whatever it is, I want it off my back as I've been feeling like a lazy duckie who just wants to sit in the pond and just paddle.

Anyway, something to slowly entice me back into the kitchen was some of my homegrown 'black pepper' mint. I also had some peas in the freezer and British grown spinach in the fridge. I remembered bookmarking a Rose Elliot recipe for pea, spinach and mint pithiviers, so a variation of these were to be made for our meal.

These held very well and would be excellent for picnics; or a working lunch. The spinach and peas were lovely, the 'black pepper' mint a little too dominant, so I'd recommend perhaps sticking with ordinary mint which is a powerful flavour in itself.

Spinach, pea and mint pasty
Serves 2 – 4
Ingredients
250g spinach
200g fresh or frozen peas
2 – 4 tablespoons of chopped mint
375g ready rolled puff pastry
200g Boursin garlic and herb cheese or similar soft cheese
Optional milk to glaze
Method
Cook the spinach in a dry saucepan for a couple of minutes until wilted, then drain and cool. Season with salt and pepper. Mash the peas with the mint or give them a quick whizz in a food processor so that they hold together.

Lay the pastry on a board and roll out to make it even thinner, then cut into 4 inch circles, and 2 slightly larger ones to go over the top. Place the small circles on a baking sheet. Put a layer of spinach on top of each circle, leaving about ½ inch free round the edges. Put a quarter of the boursin on top of the spinach, then place peas on top and around the boursin.

Cover with the remaining pastry circles, pressing the edges neatly together and crimping wit your fingers or with the prongs of a fork. Make a hole in the centre of each. Brush the top with milk. Bake in a preheated oven, Gas mark 6/200oc for 25 minutes, or until puffed up, golden brown and crisp. Recipe adapted from Rose Elliot's Veggie Chic.