Quorn chicken pot pie

First post of 2018, hello!

Since I've been vegetarian I've not had a chance to eat many hearty traditional meals any more (such as pies and stews) as vegetarian versions tend not to be on offer in restaurants and pubs. It seems they don't make the effort to "vegetarianise" classic comfort food and seem to prefer offering the usual uninspired 'goats cheese and red onion tart' or stuffed mushroom, which many vegetarians dislike or are completely sick of. Having said that I do usually prefer a lighter meal and I don't often crave traditional pies and heavy meals, as I didn't really enjoy them back when I did eat meat. Though it is nice to have the option sometimes, especially on a cold winters night!

I much prefer this veggie Quorn chicken recipe to any meat or chicken pie I had before I became vegetarian (over 10 years ago!)

This recipe seems to have a long ingredients list but don't be put off as it is mostly store cupboard stuff. It's not too difficult to make but does take a little bit of time, definitely worth it though.

Quorn Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
¾ tsp turmeric
1 leek, chopped
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic
2 stock cubes, dissolved in 700ml boiling water
1 pack Quorn chicken pieces, frozen or fresh
2 carrots, cubed small (or they won't cook)
Handful of peas
Handful of green beans
any veg
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter, melted
3tbsp plain flour
1½ tsp thyme
Dried herbs
2 bay leaves
½ tsp mustard
Dash of Lea and Perrins
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pack of ready made puff pastry (I paid the extra 30p for the pre-rolled one, lazy!)
Dash of milk/egg

Recipe adapted from The Veggie Mama

Method:

1. Preheat oven to fan 180°c.

2. Saute the leek, onion and garlic in olive oil on a medium/low heat, add the turmeric and cook for 5-10 minutes.

3. Add the stock, bay leaves and dried herbs.

4. Mix the melted butter with the flour into a paste, add some of the cooking sauce to mix out the flour lumps. Then add this mixture to the pan with the stock and stir until incorporated.

5. Add the Quorn pieces, carrots, peas, green beans and any other veg you want. Also add the Lea and Perrins, mustard and any more seasoning to taste.

Not a great photo

6. Cook for 15 or so minutes or until the carrots are nearly cooked and the sauce has thickened.

7. Pour into a large ovenproof dish and cover with the puff pastry, tucking it into the sides. Brush top with milk or beaten egg, and poke a couple of slits in the top with a sharp knife for the heat to escape.

8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed, risen and browned. Serve with mash and broccoli!

Even my parents who are both meat eaters loved this... Enjoy!

Bella xoxo

Pan fried tofu and veg stir fry

When I order tofu in restaurants, it's so great. But when I cook it myself, it seems to end up a funny texture. All this changed with this amazing tofu and veggie stir fry recipe!

I was looking for a way to get super crispy tofu, and came across this guide. If you don't have cornflour to coat the tofu, you can just use plain flour.

Pan fried tofu and veg stir fry - inspired by Budget Bytes

Cooking with seitan: vegetable stew

Both Bella and I have wanted to try seitan for a long time (so many yummy sounding recipes for vegan fried chicken, hello!), and I surprisingly stumbled across it in a health food shop in Falmouth.

Today I decided to take the satanic plunge and made a veggie stew with it! As always, chuck any veggies you have into it. This evening's wildcard was a lone aubergine found in the cupboard.

Seitan vegetable stew - an Alice recipe

Super fruity banana bread

It's officially getting colder, darker and wetter, and I for one am feeling the autumnal blues. What better way to remedy this than by cooking (and eating) a massive loaf of banana bread? This recipe includes lots of yummy cherries, raisins and walnuts too, so it feels even healthier.

My recipe book says you should serve it buttered, but I find that idea a bit weird. Personally I enjoy a big slab of it with a cup of tea.

Super fruity banana bread - recipe from Katie Stewart's Times Cookery Book

Cherry and olive oil clafoutis

I must confess that I had no idea what a clafoutis was until my mum thrust this recipe in my hand. It's basically a pancake mixture poured on top of cherries, and was quite tasty when served with custard.

The recipe was part of a series of ideas for things to make on holiday, so doesn't require any particularly fancy ingredients. Why not give it a try and imagine you're still away in the sun?

Cherry and olive oil clafoutis - recipe from The Guardian

Dark chocolate fridge cake

Ok so, this is another of those recipes that doesn't look great in photos... but I promise it tastes amazing! It's also customizable to what you like/what you have in the cupboards. AND you don't even have to bake it! It's not even baking, its basically just assembly!

The only part of this recipe that actually looks nice in photos

 Dark chocolate fridge cake

Makes one small tray

Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate
Around 10 digestive biscuits
1 tbsp sweetener (I used agave, you can use maple syrup, honey, golden syrup etc.)
75g butter
Dried fruit of choice (I used a sour cherry baking mix)
Nuts of choice (I used pecans)

Method:

1. Line a tray with baking paper or cling film. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, or in the microwave. Add the butter and sweetener.

2. Once just melted and smooth, take straight off the heat and crumble in the biscuits. I like to leave bigger and smaller pieces for texture.

3. Add your fruit/nuts/any other bits and pieces.

4. Spoon into the lined dish and smooth flat. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

And you're done! Next time I think I'd make double as this didn't last long...

Bella

Easy lunches: Swedish 'quornballs' and veg

I was looking for a new lunch idea so bought these Quorn Swedish Style Meatballs when they were on offer.

This recipe is really just a case of throwing any veg into a pan and making a tomato sauce, and I found it very successful!