Pea Shoots, Red Pepper and Potato Curry

Not the biggest harvest from the garden, but we are beginning to get some homegrown vegetables and fruit.

I don't think we are going to do well with the broad beans.  A lot of the plants were smothered in black fly. The climbing peas called Telephone and Champion - I am already pondering whether i would grow them again, as lots of height, but not much yeild, but they are growing. 

The Dwarf Purple beans called hestia are doing really well.  Of course, got to take into consideration they are a month in advance of the other climbing bean plants as it was given to us by our neighbour. We are gowing them in pots.

And first courgette. The courgette leaves are growing magnificently, they are huge like a fan, but the courgettes themselves have been a bit disappointing. I have had to cut of a number of the courgettes off as they were moulding.  I think the rain is to blame. I am sharing this very small harvest with Dave over at Happy Acres who hosts Harvest Monday every week.

I also made this Red Pepper, Potato and Pea Shoots Curry with pea shoots from the garden. 

It's not a bad follow on from the Pea Shoots and Asparagus Pasta Salad that I shared last week. This Red Pepper, Potato and Pea Shoots Curry is adapted from my Marrow Curry with Fenugreek, rich, buttery and mildly spicy. 

Pea Shoots, Red Pepper and Potato Curry
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
100g butter or vegetable oil
3 medium onions, minced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch of ginger, grated or minced
1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 fresh green or red chillies, sliced or 1 teaspoon of chilli powder or to taste
1 x 400g tinned tomatoes
2 red peppers, chopped into cubes
1 large potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
Bunch of Pea Shoots, leaves removed from the stalk
Method
In a large wide pan, heat the oil then add the minced onions, garlic and ginger and cook until transparent, add the spices and cook until the butter or oil rises to the surface. 
Add the tomatoes and cook until broekn down.  I tend to use a masher.
Then stir in the potatoes pieces and cook until beginning to soften, but still has some bite. 
Stir now and again to stop the sauce and potato from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add a splash of water if necessary.
When the potato is nearly cooked, stir in cubed red pepper.
Cook for a few minutes, before stirring in the pea shoot leaves.  
Cook until the leaves have wilted properly, like spinach that they almost coat the vegetables.
Serve with rice, roti or naan bread. 

Vegetarian Vegan Shepherds Pie the old fashion way

I made this vegan Shepherds Pie the old fashion vegetarian way with lentils.  

What made me smile was that I made a similar recipe, exactly a year ago with soy mince and mashed potato topping was enhanced with seasonal wild garlic that is plenty abound this year if you know where to look.  Unfortunately due to Covid-19 and instructions to stay at home and quarantine for the fourth week and set to continue for another three weeks, I will not be visiting my wild garlic spot. 

D and me were going to go for a little walk not far from where we live as we found a stream a little while back and wondered, if there was any Wild garlic growing there - but because of the April showers we haven't stepped today to explore, perhaps tomorrow.  To be truthful.  I have only been out for a long walk outside of my house only once since quarantine, I do need to stretch my legs and get some exercise - gardening every other day is not enough. 

This Shepherds pie is made with made with Beluga lentils, but use whatever lentils you have at home - green or brown, but not orange lentil as that will go to mush and are more suited to dal recipes, soups and stews, or at least that is what I think. 

This recipe is actually adapted from one of my most popular recipes (see my side bar) Fiery Chili Welsh Red Dragon Shepherds Pie. 

The recipe would serve a family with a side of green vegetables, but for us it makes a large quantity for two people, so we had this over three days. On one of the days, the topping was thinly sliced sweet potatoes. 

So what are you up to this weekend? and What have you been eating lately?  

I have been in the kitchen cooking and baking, and in a little while may plonk myself in front of the TV to watch some mindless nonsense, read a book or set myself a craft project - I am still deciding.

Spicy Korean Style Gochujang - Vegan 'Meatballs' with Kimchi Gratin

I made this Spicy Korean Style Gochujang mock 'meatballs' some time last year, but never got round to blogging it for whatever reason.  It was whilst looking at photographs in my computer food files that I was reminded of it and have decided to share it as I haven't been doing much exciting cooking or baking the last few months.  

Life is just busy and I want to make the most of my lazy days with the other things happening in my life...family ...friends...the garden...

I remember the mock 'meatballs' being fine, they often are when they are out of a packet, but the spicy Korean style Gochujang sauce was exceptional and very glossy.  I liked it more the following day when the flavour matured a bit more. 

Gochujang is a thick red paste made up of fermented chillies and soy beans.  It's salty and spicy, but not hot hot.  It also umami tasting, I remember someone once describing it as a blend of miso paste and marmite with a little bit of kick. 

I admit it was a bit of a mish mash of a meal, the meatballs served here with broccoli, but it all came together on the plate with the Kimchi Gratin.  Yes Kimchi Gratin, I know …but it tasted good!

I take no credit for the Kimchi Gratin as it came from a book called Living Food by Daphne Lambert, which I picked up from Oxfam in Cardiff.  I was prompted to make it as I still had a jar of homemade kimchi in my kitchen cupboards. Gratins never photographs well.. And some chefs like to make them in mould or cut them out with round moulds - full marks for presentation, but a lot of waste - not in this house!.

Also here is an article by PeTa for 13 Vegan Korean MeatFree recipes.  I also recommend that you look at the defunct foodblog The Vegan 8 Korean that has loads of vegan Korean recipes for you to recreate at home, as well as The Korean Vegan who has some proper tasty Korean eats veganized.  Please also check out these awesome vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs with Spicy Korean Sauce by Delightful, Delicious and DeLovely.

Gochujang glaze
3 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Tamari
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 fat clove garlic, crushed
Method
Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cook for a few minutes or until thick and glossy.
Reduce the heat and keep warm, until ready to serve
Gently spoon over a tablespoon of the sauce over each meatball.
The sauce was adapted from Quiet Good Food: Veg Eats for Everyone who adapted it from Tiger Burger in New Zealand published May 2016 issue of Cuisine magazine. 

vegan Shepherds Pie with Wild Garlic Mash

April showers continue... 

I made this Shepherds Pie last week with the wild garlic that came in the vegetable box I was trialling last month.  I haven't had the opportunity to go out foraging yet, but I know I will soon when the weather is a little more kinder.  I am just not prepared to go out and get a wet at the moment, even for free food - I find myself pretty drenched with rain when waiting at bus stops with no shelter. 

Anyway, this is one of my go to vegan Shepherds Pie recipe made with textured vegetable protein.  However, I did make some minor changes, such as the choice of vegetables.  This time there are chunks of swede and carrots, and of course the mashed potato topping which was enhanced with wild garlic.  Its one of the things I like about this recipe as you can vary it with different vegetables. 

The recipe serves 6 to 8 people generously.  It was lovely.  My only regret is not showing it to you when it was baked with the lovely golden topping and moreso, it came out compact out of the baking dish, no mush!  

Curried Shepherds Pie Topped with Turmeric Potato Balls

This is not the first flavoured Shepherds Pie on my blog, there are many variations of both vegetarian and vegan Shepherds or Shepherdess Pies on my blog, however this one is actually an enhanced version of my Curried Welsh Shepherds Pie recipe.  The only and main difference is the potato topping. 

Instead of the usual mashed potato topping, I decided to go all fancy and shape the potato into balls. I got the idea whilst flicking through The No Cook Cookbook.  I won't be doing it again in a hurry as it was very time consuming, but well worth it - I think you may agree. 

The yellow turmeric mash balls are flecked with red chilli flakes and coriander was really lovely and reminisce of a good vegetable samosa.

The filling is made with textured vegetable protein (TVP) that mimics minced 'lamb', it's mildly spiced so won't upset those with a low tolerance of chillies. 

Vegetarian Chorizo Potato Hand Pies

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is the vegan Chorizo sausages made with vital wheat gluten.  Since vital wheat gluten is a lot more accessible now and stocked by many health food stores across the UK, I have been making it every year, but this is not to say that we indulge in faux meat all the time, we actually don't, as I still find the texture of faux meat unusual.  However, saying all that I do like to experiment and those of you who know me now through blogging, will know that I do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients, but always with fruit and vegetables

The recipes makes six vegan chorizo sausages and we often consume them all before the week is over incorporated into different meals.

Here is the first, vegetarian Chorizo Hand Pies as it has feta cheese in it.  My vegan readers can of course substitute the salty feta cheese with an alternative.  I have served it here with some green salad and grated beetroot.

A Shepherds Pie for Halloween

I joke you not, but this was our dinner this evening - Jack Skellington - Shepherds Pie, vegetarian of course. 

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas never looked so happy.  What do you think?!  

Yes, I know there needs to be more slices of black olives for his mouth.  I know...Sometimes you have to laugh at yourself and you can still give me some credit for trying today - Halloween of all days. 

Tondo di Piacenza Zucchini Potato Frittata

This Zucchini Frittata is made with  Courgette Tondo di Piacenza - a round  globe variety from the garden plot.

You can see some  harvested Courgette Tondo di Piacenza  in the photograph below.  I used my mandolin to slice them thinly, so the finished Zucchini Frittata looked a little more impressive and pleasing to the eyes before it was sliced into triangles and shared. 

This may look like an ordinary Zucchini Frittata but it is very flavoursome, as it has been magically transformed by a generous sprinkling of Outback Spirit Tasmanian Pepper Salt that I got sent by fellow blogger Johanna who lives in Australian.  The Outback Spirit Tasmanian Peppercorn Salt really enhanced the Zucchini frittata slice making it super tasty. 

Vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese Mint Mash

A photograph taken in poor lighting on a dark evening.

This is a generous serving of homemade vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese. 

I have mentioned my Greek flat mates at University and my holidays in Cyprus, this is me just harping back to those days and yearning for the warm climate, especially on a day like today when it has been raining all day.  In fact it has been raining non stop for the past 5 days.  

I am not the best potato masher and D was not around to help, so I my did my best with my weakling muscles.  There were still lumps in the potato topping, but thankfully I don't mind lumps and nor does D. The mint in the mashed potato topping was just right, the black olives offered piquancy . This Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie made for a change from the traditional Vegetarian Shepherds Pie that I so often make at home. 

I am sharing this with CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked by Twins. ; and Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching For Spice. 

I've also made a Prasopita, a Greek Leek Pie, adapted from the Greek Gourmand, but I am holding that back for St David's Day. Instead, here is a link to some other Greek and/or Cypriot inspired recipes on A2K  - A Seasonal Veg Table
Spanakopita
Tomato and Feta Cheese Baklava
Vegan Spanakopita Pies
Vegetarian Pastitcio

Aloo Tikki Bagel

It been an extremely busy week at work, so my blog post this evening will be short.  My evening dinner today is Pizza, don't diss me - its homemade pizza!  Check out my Instagram for the photograph, I promise you it will be very different from other pizzas you've seen.

Right now though, I am sharing a fusion snack of Aloo Tikki Bagel.  I am constantly amazed at how much i eat is accidentally vegan.  Aloo Tikki is a South Asian snack made from spicy oniony mashed potatoes (aloo) that is shaped into cutlets or burger shapes, then coated in a spicy blend of chickpea batter and deep fried.  It important to eat it whilst it is still hot as that is when it is at its most deliciousness.  

You can eat the Aloo Tikki as you wish, we and I mean my siblings would often stuff it in roti aka chappati slathered in tomato sauce, it had to be a red sauce to temper the spices, then rolled up like burrito and munched on.  These days I tend to either stuff it in a burger bread bun or a bagel; and my siblings children in a tortilla wrap.

Like my Samosa Soup recipe: a combination of Dal and Samosa, Aloo Tikki is another firm favourite comfort food and not one I indulge in that often as it requires deep frying, but when I do, I ravish it within minutes.

This blog post is part of Vegan Month of Food.  The theme is memories and traditions. I am also sharing this with Soups, Salads and Sammies and this is kind of a sandwich hosted by Kahakai Kitchen;  

Fishless Fish Free Japanese Sea Vegetable and Nori Cakes

These Fishless Japanese Sea Vegetable and Nori Cakes would make a fantastic light starter 

I think these Fishless Sea Vegetable Cakes look marvellous without the panko coating that its a shame it has to be cover the colourful seaweed shades of greens.   This is my submission to #EatYourGreens food challenge.  Please do join in with you Green Vegan Mofo blog post, the rules are here.

Before I give you the recipe, I want a little bit of a rant.  Yesterday was not the day we had planned.  All our good plans went pear shaped.  We were on our way to Bristol to celebrate and have a little fun with my nephews, but the icy weather played havoc with our car that we had to turn back home and go to the garage.  It cost us £300.00.  Happy Birthday. There was no point in grumbling but I was very mift and wished we had never left the house in the first place.  All the signs with the weather were warning us to stay indoors.  When we got back home we just tried to make the best of what was left of the day at home and outside it poured ice buckets. 

Anyway, I digress.  I had so much fun getting back into Food 'N' Flix, so I am joining again.  The movie chosen this month is Burnt.  As a foodies, I have to admit I had not seen it or heard of it and to be honest, I am not a fan of either Bradley Cooper or Sienna Miller, but I wanted to play along with Food N Flix,  so I purchased the film.  I watched it one weekend.  

Although there are loads of food references, it did not terribly inspire me - perhaps because I am a Vegetarian and many of the food references were to meat and seafood, but whilst I was racking my head for ideas the scene when the two lead characters are in Billinsgate Markets,  London's most famous fish market inspired me to make some 'Fish' Cakes.

Of course I was not going to make anything with fish or seafood, but I did have sea vegetables and these Fishless Fishfree Sea Vegetable Cakes were created . 

Curried Welsh Shepherds Pie with Turmeric Mash Topping

We took the car into the garage yesterday which scuppered the rest our plans for the day, but the car had to go in as it has a slow puncture and living in the Welsh valleys, we need a mode of transport to get us to and fro work and every where else in between and beyond.  

So when I got back home, I lazed around for a while, then it dawned on me - got to eat - so I went into the kitchen and decided to make an Indo Anglo Welsh version of Shepherds Pie.  What is Welsh about this?   There are leeks in this and a number of other Welsh ingredients from Blas Y Tir  including the potatoes mashed on top. And the cook herself, is very Welsh too.  

The yellow turmeric mash flecked with red chilli flakes and coriander  was really lovely, almost reminisce of a good vegetable samosa.  The filling is made with textured vegetable protein (TVP) that mimics minced 'lamb', it was mildly spiced.   Have a knife and fork ready to tuck in, but a spoon would work too. 

The colours of the Curried Welsh Shepherds Pie are spot on for the Autumnal seasonal colours around us which are really stunning at the moment.  I just wish I was motivated to step outside today, but I just wanted to snuggle indoors and doss around in the house. D did not protest too much about wanting to go out either, so we both just chilled - neither of us looking forward to going into work tomorrow. 

Vegan Mofo prompt today is Comfort Food.  I have to admit, I have already posted my idea of comfort food with the Samosa Soup recipe.  So I had to approach comfort food from a different angle.  Shepherds Pie and Cottage Pie are dishes that make my husband happy and that makes me happy and gives me comfort.  I have also been finding the  soft mash rather comforting and those of you who have been reading my bog for a long time will find that surprising as I don't do mash finding it close to baby food, but this weekend I have been finding it soothing for my throat which continues to be sore - another visit to the GP is on the cards.

As D was eating this Curried Welsh Pie he said it reminded him of another dish that I make. When prompted which one? He said the vegan Mexican Tamale Pies which is similar in filling but is finished of with a polenta topping, so I agree with him to some extent.   

Curried Welsh Shepherds Pie with Turmeric Mash Topping
Serves 6 generously or 2 people over 3 days
Ingredients
200g TVP reconstituted and then drained of excess liquid. Set aside

2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 medium leeks from Blas Y Tir, washed well of grit and sliced
2 - 3 garlic cloves, crushed
250g carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1-11/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes (or fresh, minced)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon of fresh coriander, minced
1 x 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
1/4 pint vegetable stock
Optional: 1 x 400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

600g Blas Y Tir potatoes, mashed with vegan margarine
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 - 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, minced
Method
In a wide pan, heat the oil, then add in the leeks and cook on medium heat until it begins to soften, then stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes for the spices to mingle and the garlic to soften with the leeks.
Then stir in the chopped tomatoes, crushing them further with a spoon.
Leave to cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are well integrated.
Stir in the carrots and reconstituted TVP and cook until tender and stock.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until  it has thickened. 
Stir in optional chickpeas if using.
Turn off and transfer contents into a large ovenproof dish.

To the mashed potatoes, stir in the turmeric, chilli and herbs.  
Then carefully cover the pie filling distributing evenly. 
Bake in preheated oven, gas mark 5/200oc for 45-50 minutes or until golden and bubbling on the side.  
Serve immediately.  
Adapted from this Fiery Chilli Welsh Red Dragon Pie

I am sharing this  with Casa Costello and Mummy Mishaps for Bake of the Week;  Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching for Spice;  and Simple and In Season hosted by  Feeding Boys;