All in One Perpetual Spinach, Chickpea Minestrone and Macaroni

Apparently its the coldest April on record in the UK for decades.  And it shows, as i am still filling my hot water bottle up and snuggling it; or mooching about the house in my shawl, hugging me like a big warm blanket. 

On slightly warmer and dryer days, I have still been out in the garden.  The broad beans have been transplanted and so have the peas.  As long as the frost stays away, they should hopefully be okay.  

I harvested some perpetual spinach for dinner; and made this All in One dish of Perpetual Spinach, Chickpea Minestrone with Macaroni for lunch, that served us over two days.  Once in the evening, hot out of the oven and the other day: room temperature for lunch. Its such an easy dish to make, you just add all the ingredients: minced onions, crushed garlic, shredded spinach, chopped tinned tomatoes, macaroni pasta and chickpeas, in a deep dish and then add flavourings: herbs, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetable stock and then put in the oven to cook and swell.  Stir a couple of times, then serve.

Some of you may recognise this dish as I've made it before with red chard.  The original recipe was adapted from Rukmini Iyer 's The Green Roasting Tin and was made with kale and borlotti beans.  You can find my adapted variation of the recipe here, if you want to make it.    

I  am sharing the All in One dish of Perpetual Spinach, Chickpea Minestrone with Macaroni with  with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

I even made cake - Madeira cake to evoke some warmth, but the recipe i tried from a cookbook on my shelf that will remain unnamed was a bit on the unrisen side.  It tasted alright though. 

Have you been baking? And if so, what?!

Some Green Eats Glamorgan Sausage Rolls and Spanakopita

We have had good weather.

We took advantage of it and between the two of us, did a lot of gardening. 

But let me share these two images with you.  About two weeks ago, D laid down some turf  in front of the greenhouse.  It looks lush, fresh and of course very green. 

If you want to compare and contrast, follow this link to see the slabs.  No ball games or walking on the fresh lawn.  But I am looking forward to walking on it bare feet and sitting down on the grass come warmer days.

So back to the garden right now. 

The purple sprouting broccoli  is coming to an end.  We have mostly been eating the PSB added to Aglio, Olio e Peperonicino.  I think we have enough in the garden, perhaps for one or two more meals, then it will be all gone.  We will definitely be growing them again later in the year. 

Also harvested the last of the leeks. I was pondering what to do with them, but made my mind up after chatting to my nephew who is at University. He was telling me that my blog has become his on-line recipe book and that he's made a load of recipes from it, including Glamorgan Sausages.  

I actually cannot remember the last time i made Glamorgan Sausages at home.  The last time, or thereafter was perhaps when i was running the vegetarian cafe.  

Here are the ingredients for the Glamorgan Sausages: fresh breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese, leeks, mustard, salt and pepper - ready for an egg yolk for the mixing and then shaping.  

To make these Glamorgan Sausages a bit more substantial and more like a sandwich for lunch or a picnic (Yes, i am already imagining eating out on that garden lawn) I encased them in puff pastry.  I liked the way Johanna makes her vegetarian sausage rolls.  And took inspiration from her the last time I made vegetarian Haggis Sausage rolls, they just look far more appealing.  Plus glossed over with egg wash for the golden glean.  The fresh leek flavour was so prominent. 

We also have still have perpetual spinach.   

But it is dwindling now.

I made another Spanakopita. This time the recipe came from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Cookery (1988) .  I adapted her recipe a little with the inclusion of a sauteed leek, a teaspoon dried dill and a teaspoon raw rice to absorb the liquids.  Everything else was to the book.  I think, should i make spanakopita again, I will make it in a spiral, it's a bit more effort but its far more prettier.

I haven't yet transplanted any of the plants into the ground yet.  I am still a bit nervous about frost, so am holding back for another week. But come next week, they are going out into the earth soil.  Some of the peas are getting straggly and broad beans are ready to be transplanted. 

I am sharing my green harvest and and green eats with Harvest Monday tomorrow hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

Spelt Beetroot Salad with Spinach

I've mentioned in previous blog posts, that I tend to make pasta salads for work lunches, but as we had sort of expected to have spaghetti on one of the evenings after work, I decided I had to start using some of the grains in my kitchen jars, namely spelt, barley and buckwheat.  I ended up making this Spelt Beetroot Salad with Spinach and Mushrooms.  

One ingredient I often find in my fridge is cooked beetroot.  Not because I like it, its because D likes beetroot.  Halfway through the working week, I stumble across it and ponder what to do with it as its fast reaching its use by date. So its not surprising to find that I have a number of lunches for work made with beetroot. See below my many work lunches that include beetroot. 
Balsamic-roasted beetroot with winter greens and Pearl couscous
Estonian Beetroot and Potato Salad 

Beetroot Cauliflower Salad

Simple Roasted Beetroot and Carrot Salad 

Beetroot Horseradish Pasta Salad 

Beetroot Barley Goats Cheese Salad 

Beetroot Orzo Pasta and Green Bean Salad

Other than it being a dish to eat mindfully, by that I mean slowly because of the chewy nature of the grains, I actually quite enjoyed it.  In fact I decided to make another recipe with grains the following week. 

I am afraid I don't have a recipe as such for this Spelt Beetroot Salad with Spinach as it was pretty much thrown together with what we had in the fridge.  To the cooked spelt, which of course I cooked.  I added a light dressing of white wine vinegar and oil.  Chopped the cooked beetroot, tossed in the washed spinach, seasoned it and gave it a good stir.  Oh I forgot there are also some kernels of sweetcorn, it was an afterthought to give it more flavour and some slices of raw chestnut mushroom, but I was not that keen with that addition.

I am sharing this Spelt Beetroot Salad with Spinach with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen; and Eat Your Greens challenge that I am hosting this month.   

Saffron Spiced Cauliflower with Spinach

I've just come back from one of the most fantastic jam packed holidays in my life; and its not even been a full day back home and and my feeling of elation have been burst with a virtual needle at the blase attitude of some people towards something that matters to me seriously.

On another note, I have left my keys at my parents, so I am locked indoors as D is at work. So I have been unable to step outside of the house or into the garden.  The day gets better...not.

I share with you a light dish that I made before I went on holiday - Saffron Spiced Cauliflower.   I had  found some saffron in the kitchen cupboards and that was the reason I decided to make this recipe.  It was perfect for the warm weather we were having, not too heavy.

I also chucked in some spinach left over from the Green Pate and red peppers as without these I thought the dish looked monotone.

Iranian Pearl Barley Soup - Ash-e Jo Jow

The snow flakes had been drifting past our window on and off yesterday, so it was no surprise to wake up to a blanket of snow outside.  I guess its another day to stay indoors and be lazy, thank goodness for weekends; and even more thankful for having my own shelter to call  'home' and stay warm.

Yesterday, I had a proper lazy Saturday.  I mean really lazy, I watched an American film and a National Geographic documentary called LA92 about the 1992 Los Angeles protests and riots.  Today, will probably be the same with some cooking in between and a little ironing in readiness for the coming working week tomorrow.

Now onto food.  We finished of eating the last of this Iranian Pearl Barley Soup known as Ash-e Jo or Ash-e-Jow .  It looks deceptively plain, but it has so much depth and flavour mostly from the fresh herbs.  As well as barley and chickpeas which are visible, there are lots of greens in it such as spinach, dill and coriander and a homegrown leek which came from my own allotment garden plot.  We both loved  this Iranian Pearl Barley Soup that I will definitely make it again.

I am sharing this Iranian Pearl Barley Soup - Ash-e Jo ; Jow with The Veg Hog  who is kindly hosting #EatYourGreens Vegetarian and Vegan Blog challenge this month.  Please do join in.  For those of you who have not participated before, please Follow this link on how to join in ; and with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.

vegan Welsh Savoury Pancakes - Christmas Crempog Las

D said 'Is that supposed to look like a Christmas tree?
' Just take the picture' I told him.

Of course he is right, but lets not give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

This is a savoury and vegan take on Welsh Pancakes known as Crempog Las.  Crempog are more akin to American style pancakes in that they are thicker and a bigger than a blini and even pikelets. Crempog are often cooked on a Welsh griddle bakestone, which I am fortunate to own. There has been speculation in recent times that the word Crempog is a derivation of the word crumpet. I'm also quite  intrigued by the Las bit, as Lassi means savoury in Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. Crempog is not the only word in Welsh to describe pancakes, there is also Ffroes, Cramwythen and Pancogen.

Anyway, top off these green Christmas Crempog Las in style with some homemade Welsh caviar; or failing that some cream cheese or cheese. 

I am sharing these vegan Welsh Savoury Crempog Las  with Gluten Free Fridays and also Treat Petite.  If you have any other green recipes please do share with #Eat Your Greens hosted by The VegHog, the rules are here;  My Legume Love Affair that was started by The Well Seasoned Cook and now administed by Lisa's Kitchen.  this month is is hosted by The VegHog;  Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition. and finally The Food Calendar with Charlottes Lively Kitchen - Celebrating Christmas!

Green Coconut Soup with Fennel

Yes this is really just another Green curry.

This Green vegetable Coconut Soup was made in the same vain as my korma soup, way too much coconut that it drowned the vegetables, but it was proper lush I tell you.  

I think D enjoyed it more so because of the fresh fennel, peeking out from the sides like angel wings. 

We used to grow it a lot of fennel when we had an allotment and eat it quite a bit.  But its been a while.  I picked it up with plans to make something else, then ended up throwing it into this Green Vegetable Coconut Soup and I am so glad it did.  It made for a wonderful change.  Thick, the consistency of Pea Veloute and colour just as vibrant - green and gold.

I am sharing this Red Cabbage Purple Potato Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen and with Eat Your Greens hosted by my co-host The Veg Hog.

Dirty White Coconut Cauliflower Curry

If you like mild curries, then this Coconut Cauliflower Curry is for you.  

I would describe its between a Thai Green Curry and Indian style Curry, but without the hot warming heat spice of either.  There are spices in this, mostly garama masala (and optional green chilli), but honestly its tame compared to most curries. 

So why do I describe it as dirty?!  

I don't know why, but I was expecting it to remain beautifully creamy white from both the coconut milk and natural colour of the cauliflower, but I overlooked the grainy colouring of the garam masala which made the final dish look dirty.  I then decided to throw in some chard from the garden too - what the heck!

Looking for other White Vegetable recipes - click here to see the White Vegetable Palette for inspiration. 

Harvest Monday: Rainbow Chard Gratin and White Sprouting Broccoli

Its been a long while since I participated in Harvest Monday which is hosted these days by Dave over Our Happy Acres.

So here is my very small harvest.

A good bunch of Rainbow Chard  and Perpetual Spinach.

From A2K blog archives

I have  also harvested some white sprouting broccoli that have been simply steamed as an accompaniment for meals.

Vegetarian Sarson Ka Saag, Potato, Paneer and Pea Pie

I made this Sarson Ka Saag, Potato, Paneer and Pea Pie filling during British Pie Week (7th - 13th March 2016)  and then lost Internet connection for five days so could not share the recipe with you then.  

I don't want to be pedantic, but many people make a mistake of thinking Spinach is Saag.  It is not and sadly many people of South Asian heritage continue to perpetuate this.  Why I am not sure, perhaps because they don't know their greens!  So let me tell you, Saag is mustard greens and Palak is Spinach.  See THIS blog link if you wish to learn more. 

Saag is a dish I used to resent eating when I was a child, all green and mushy.  Now there are days when I hanker for the siliky green thick sauce.  My way of cooking Sarsan Ka Saag is in no way authentic, as the authentic way is time consuming, so I rely on tinned Sarsan Ka Saag.  This recipe is my lazy version made with tinned Sarsan Ka Saag but the memories of eating it are rooted in my childhood days and evoke happy and carefree times.

Although you could eat this filling as a curry with rice or an Indian style bread.  The filling is actually extremely versatile as its not sloppy. 

So here are some suggestions: Make a Indo-Greek Spanakopita with filo pastry; Indian Samosas or individual small hand pies (see below).  Or wrap it in a Pakistani roti. Punjabi chappati or Mexican tortilla or slather it over an Indian naan bread and call it a pizza!   Or you could simply make one large pie and top it with puff pastry or make individual Pot Pies!  

I have to admit that I was partly inspired by the rather pretty Rejina Sabur-Cross aka The Gastro Geek  for this recipe.   A couple of years back she made Aloo Saag Pies.  We have similar ingredients, but our approach to making the filling is different.  She uses tamarind.  I don't but if you want you could dollop a tablespoon or two of sweet mango chutney, but its not essential. 

I used tinned Sarson Ka Saag.  there is no way I will ever attempt making saag from scratch at home.  See here why?! I either wait for my mother or sister-in-laws to make some and offer me some, or buy it in tins and then I adapt it to my taste.  I  won't begrudge you if you used tinned spinach - just call it Palak.... please.  I am sharing this with Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching for Spice; and Inheritance Recipes challenge co hosted by Solange at Pebble Soup and Coffee and Vanilla.  

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

I picked up some ground Trinidad Moruga Scorpion reputed to be one of the worlds hottest if not the hottest chilli pepper in the world.  With my chilli tolerance being quite high, I was just curious to try it and with a name like Trinidad Moruga Scorpion got me even more interested - a bit like Chocolate Habenero Chilli Pepper.  

It had been in my kitchen for over a month as I was unsure what to make with it, but then one evening after work I just decided to make a straightforward Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry, but this one had attitude.  

Ooh 1 teaspoon of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion would have been enough, but I got a little gutsy and added a 1/2 teaspoon more and my oh my, it was hot.  Thankfully, we could both eat it without too much hissing and reaching for something cooling like a natural yogurt.

This dish is so much better a day later though, as the flavours of the spice permeate through the texture of the vegetables.  The following day I did decide to thrown in a can of cooked chickpeas too for two reasons to tone down the chilli heat, but also to bulk it up a bit more.

I would certainly make this again (especially as I still have some ground Trinidad Moruga Scorpion to play with), but next time it will be with different vegetables like peppers, plantain, this time though I stayed within my comfort zone using vegetables that I often use for my African Sweet Potato, Kidney Bean and Ground Nut Curry, though the flavours of this sauce was completely different - proper spicy with heat on the tongue and signs of warmth on the cheeks.   

Gumbo Z'Herbes aka Green Gumbo

A week or so late, because this bowl of Green Gumbo would have been perfect to showcase during the Easter holidays. Green Gumbo is a Creole dish often made on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday.     

My reason for making it was very different though.  I have lots of greens in my overgrown garden: chard, curly kale and leafy purple sprouting broccoli, so these greens had to go into the pot along with spinach, celery, spring onions, green peppers and the most essential green vegetable: okra which came to me from my mothers (after her visit to the South Asian grocers).  Okra, a vegetable not to every ones taste and I have to admit I never liked it up until a few years ago, I guess with age your tastes change.     

I actually  have two vegan Green Gumbo recipes bookmarked to make, but I chose the one from Celia Brooks World Vegetarian Classics, simply because I have had the cookbook longest. Celia Brooks suggests serving it with some grated cheddar cheese, but we had it simply with some plain white rice.  The gumbo was interesting, it had thickened up by the okra, but it was not gloopy or stringy.  It was actually quite palatable, to enjoy it more though I did have to douse it heavily with hot sauce, but I am a sucker for hot sauce and spice.  

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.