learn how to prepare 10 excellent vegetarian meals

I tried to make stuffed peppers the other day, and was surprised when it worked and they turned out to be rather nice!! Here’s the recipe I used:

Stuffed peppers
Cook 75g rice. Drain. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes (this softens them and shortens cooking time). Slice off the stalk end and scrape out pith and seeds. Brush each pepper shell with olive oil and place on a baking tray.

Grate 60g cheese. Mix the rice with 2 chopped tomatoes, ½ the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Fill the pepper shells with this mixture, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Place in oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes, until browned.

Also, see: http://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/stuffed-pepper-recipe.html

Just discovered (by experimentation!) another really nice recipe:

Baked stuffed potatoes with olive hats
Wash and prick two large baking potatoes. Put them on a plate in the microwave and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Turn them over, cook for another 3 minutes. Test with a long sharp knife to see if there is a crunch in the middle—you may need to turn them over again and cook for 1 more minute.

Meanwhile, grate 50g mature cheddar, and chop 50g (about 15) black olives (you can use the sort you buy in jars, in brine) into quarters. Cut the cooked potatoes in half, and scoop out the middles into a bowl with the grated cheese, so you are left with four potato shells. Place them on a baking tray.

Mash the potato up with the cheese, some milk, a tablespoonful of chutney (I like spiced fruit chutney), a teaspoon of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. It should have a lovely creamy consistency. Spoon it back into the empty potato shells, to make a nice mound in each one. Press each with a fork to make a decorative pattern, and press the olive quarters around the base of the mashed potato in each shell, to make the ‘hats’.

Cook for 20 minutes at 200°C, then for another 15 minutes at 210°C, till nice and brown.

I’ve just discovered another really tasty veggie recipe—this one from a friend:

Becks’ spinach curry

Ingredients:

Spinach (1 tin or 1 bag of fresh)
2 large onions
Chick peas (1 tin)
2 large potatoes
Coconut milk (1 tin)
Curry powder (I usually use ‘medium’)
Natural ‘runny’ honey

Method:
Step 1a:
Boil potatoes
boil spinach (if using fresh)

Step 1 b:
Whilst above is cooking:
Chop onions and gentle fry in olive oil (or similar) until soft-ish, then take off heat

N.B. I usually do these in large sauce pan or wok then add everything else into this without removing onions.

Step 2a:
Drain spinach and add into sauce pan with onions
Evenly put 2 table spoons of curry powder over spinach and onions (stir).
Pour in 1 tin of coconut milk.
Simmer on low heat (electric about a ‘2’ gas lowest setting)
Drain and add potatoes.
Add chick peas (1 tin).
Add two more table spoons of curry powder (leave sitting on ‘surface’ of curry to allow it to ‘soak though’ for a minute or so then stir in).
Add two table spoons of ‘runny honey’ – stir in.
Simmer on low heat for 15 – 20 minutes – stirring occasionally (it is better to let it marinate, hence doing it slowly on a low heat as opposed to ‘rushing it’ on a high heat setting)
Also, taste it whilst simmering, if it needs more curry powder or honey (if onions are particularly ‘sharp’) just add it in.

Step 2b:
Put rice onto boil whilst curry is cooking.

Step 3: Serve and enjoy :)

A day or two ago I made a really nice meal, mushrooms in cheese sauce on toast. Basically I just made the cheese sauce, and mixed it with the mushrooms, which I chopped up and boiled for about 7 minutes till they were fairly soft.

It was a really warm and filling meal, very nice for winter.

Right, now for the second addition to this list: today I made a very successful cauliflower cheese, thus:

Cauliflower cheese

Melt 2oz butter in a small saucepan, then sprinkle on 3 tblsp plain flour, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes, still stirring, then gradually mix in 1/2pt milk. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Turn off.
Grate 3oz cheese; add 2/3 to the sauce, along with pepper, paprika, etc.

Cut a cauliflower head into florets and boil for 10-ish minutes; drain and then add to sauce, mixing them both together. Tip mixture into a casserole dish, and sprinkle with: the remaining cheese mixed with a slice of bread crumbled into breadcrumbs.

Heat oven to 210 deg C for 5 mins, then put dish on top shelf for 10 mins, or until topping is golden brown.

This recipe is a sort of amalgam of three different ones I found online, and it worked really well!

I made soup, and it turned out really well!

Broccoli, tomato and sesame seed spicy parsnip soup
(bit of a mouthful lol, in more ways than one)

Ingredients:
1 tin of Baxters spicy parsnip soup
1 head of broccoli, chopped and boiled
some cherry tomatoes
a good sprinkle of sesame seeds

Add all and simmer for five minutes till tomatoes are soft. I had with wholewheat crackers! It makes a tin of soup last for two days at least..