Vegetarian Recipe: Jackfruit Ceviche Tacos

Jackfruit Ceviche

Jackfruit is something that relatively new in the West, but is a staple in throughout the tropics. Popular in central Africa, the West Indies, India, Thailand and Brazil, it comes from a tree that produces fruit about as large as a full size watermelon and is incredibly versatile.

Great for curries, sweet and savory recipes, jackfruit has recently become the darling of the vegan community because its flaky, fibrous texture makes it a great substitute for crab and fish recipes. And on top of all this it's also a really good natural source of B-Complex Vitamins. Generally speaking you'll find it canned at an international food shop.

Now, I've had jackfruit at restaurants, but as part of my review of the Garden Gourmet range of squeezey herbs & spices, I thought that a spicy jackfruit ceviche would be opportunity to try the chili and coriander in something where the herbs are uncooked and on show. The result was delicious and is something that I'm sure I'll be trying again soon.

Vegetarian Jackfruit Ceviche

1 10oz can of Young Green Jack Fruit in Brine
1 medium tomato,chopped
1 teaspoons Garden Gourmet Chili
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Garden Gourmet Cilantro
Juice of 1 lime

 To serve:
Raw baby leaf spinach-
4-6 Small Soft Tortillas or chapati

Directions

Drain and rinse jackfruit thoroughly. Shake off excess water, then coarsely chop the wedges and place in a mixing bowl.  Next add the chopped tomato, chili, onion, cilantro and lime juice to the jackfruit. Mix it all together until everything is evenly coated and with everything else. Once this is done, place the bowl in the fridge and let it marinate for 20-30 mins.

Serve with handful of raw spinach on a soft tortilla.

Upclose & Personal with Jackfruit Ceviche

Vegetarian Recipe: Meat Free Monday's Curried Eggs with Turmeric Rice

Of course when you're 'Meat Free Monday' in its various guises might be taking over the world. It's hard to keep track of which one is which as there is Meat Free Monday, Meat Free Mondays in the UK, and Meatless Mondays in the US. But general gist of it is these campaigns is to try to encourage all people to go a least one day a week without meat. They say it's good for your health, your pocket, your planet and they're right. Stella McCartney's branch of this movement has even published a book, The Meat Free Monday Cook Book, with recipes for every meal of the day, making it easier than ever for part-time, transitioning, or beginner vegetarians to get into their greens.

I had a go at one of their recipes for Curried Eggs with Rice. It was lovely, simple and extremely quick with a rice cooker. I used basmati rice instead of wild rice, but the final result was still quite satisfying. Here's my version take on it.

Curried Egg With Turmeric Rice

Serves 1-2

2 cups of cooked rice
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 small head of cabbage shredded
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 hard boiled eggs

1. Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat. When it's hot, add in the shredded cabbage and chopped garlic and cook until the cabbage has gone all soft in the middle and a little bit brown on the edges. 
2. Next add in the rice, curry powder and turmeric, then mix everything together until it's that beautiful golden colour. 
3. Finally coarsely chop up your eggs and add to the mixture. Salt to taste and serve.

 And that's all she wrote. It comes out in a beautiful rich yellow tone which looks amazing next to a bold green salad.

Vegan Recipe: Red Beans & Rice with Zesty Avocado Sauce

Red Beans & Rice with Zesty Avocado Sauce

Mmmm comfort food. Red beans and rice make me think of my Mom and warm summer nights. When you want something hearty but not heavy. It is family food all over. Authentic red beans and rice is a Louisiana staple, 'Rice and Peas' a Jamaican delicacy. Cuban, Haitian, and African peoples all kick it with kidney beans. And with good reason, because not only is red beans and rice delicious, but it's also full of all kinds of nutritious goodness. When my Mama put them beans on the table she was serving up a good source of Omega 3, Omega 6, Protein, Thiamin, Manganese and even a little bit of Vitamin B6. Thanks Ma.

For this recipe I went for a method that I don't see very often but that I actually really love, which is to saute the beans in a little bit of oil until they get some chewy crispiness on them. This means that they're not as saucy as what my Mom used to make, but they're quick and give me a perfectly good excuse to add an avocado into the mix.

Red Beans & Rice with Zesty Avocado Sauce

Serves 2

1 can of rinsed kidney beans
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 large onion
1  chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin seed
1 pinch Cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 avocado
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro aka coriander
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

     You'll need to cook some rice for this...in the normal way that you cook rice 

1. In a frying pan, cook onion and garlic on a medium heat until the onions have gone soft. Next add the bell pepper to the mix, letting them cook through until they are soft as too. Don't rush this part because  beans won't take long at all.
2. Add cumin seeds to the pan and mix through.
3. Next add the rinsed and drained beans, keeping back a little bit so to splash into the pan if it starts looking a little dry. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and lemon juice. Cook until the beans are hot and starting to get a little crunchy bits...this might take a minute, so keep your eye on it while you whip up the avocado part...
4. Put avocado, cilantro (coriander), lemon juice and water into a blender or food processor and blend until you've got a juicy sauce.
5. Serve beans on rice with a dollop of avocado sauce on top. 

Vegan Grilled aubergine with chick pea purée & harissa Recipe

I've done recipes from Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food before and that's because Nigel is my homeboy. I've not found a bad recipe yet - they're all good. It's not a book that is aimed a vegetarians, but my mate Nige, that's what I call him when we hang out, is amazing at getting the seasoning just right on everything he does and that is a special skill that is useful for any cook. Plus there's a boatload of tasty veggie recipes in the book that are easy to do and will make you look good in front of your friends.

This recipe was so simple to do and I reckon that a deconstructed version would work really well as dainty h'orderves for your next dinner party. And any left over chick pea puree make a very tasty bean dip with tortilla chips.

Here's a vegan version of Nigel's recipe...

Vegan Grilled aubergine with chick pea purée and harissa

1 x 400g tin chick peas, drained
a sprig of fresh thyme, plus 1 tbsp chopped leaves
225g large diced, peeled potatoes
3 large cloves of garlic, halved
salt
1 large aubergine, weighing about 275g
150ml pint virgin olive oil
50g vegan margarine
harissa sauce
1 lemon

1. Tip the chick peas into a pan and cover them with water or vegetable stock. Throw in the thyme sprig and bring to the boil. Add the diced potato and two of the garlic cloves. Salt and simmer for 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, slice the aubergine into 12 rounds about 1cm inch thick. Chop the two remaining garlic cloves and add to oil with the thyme leaves. Brush aubergine with thyme and garlic oil and cook under or over a preheated hot grill for 7-8 minutes, brushing with more oil as necessary; turn once. 
3. Remove the thyme sprig, drain chick peas and mash. Stir in the margarine. Season with salt. 
4. Put six of the hot grilled aubergine slices on a warm serving dish, place a generous spoonful of chick pea purée on each. Spread the remaining slices with a little harissa, then place on top of the others to form six sandwiches, three for each person. Serve with lemon.

Source: The Guardian

Vegetarian Recipe: Quick Vegetarian 'Lincolnshire' Fajitas?

They say you can take the girl our of California, but you can't take the California out of the girl. No really, they say that all the time. So even though I've lived in England for almost 10 years now, Digital Underground's The Humpty Dance is still my favourite song. I still find it weird cheering for the Clippers. I  regularly take pictures of cars that I think are beautiful. And I am a little bit obsessed with Mexican food. I love everything about it. The beans, the salsas, the freshness, the versatility, the mixture of delicate flavours like corriander (or cilantro as they say in Cali) with earthy beans and tangy lime, tamarind and tomatillo. Oh, and tortillas might be the best thing ever. Dear Mexico, I love your food.

That said....living in England, sometimes it's slim pickings. People: they put sour cream in the guacamole here. No seriously. And it makes me cry. So sometimes one must get creative, when in Rome right? Like check out this little Mexi-British-Vegetarian fusion recipe that is a quick and satisfying, if inauthentic, supper I rustled up the other day featuring Cauldron's Veggie Lincolnshire Sausages. And I know that sounds like it shouldn't work, but I promise it does, and isn't that what fusion is about?

Quick Vegetarian 'Lincolnshire' Fajitas

Ingredients

2 firm 'Lincolnshire' veggie sausages -I used Cauldron
2 sweet peppers
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
3 mushrooms
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander aka cilantro (dried or fresh)
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup of coarsely chopped raw spinach
1 tortilla

1. Take your veggie sausages and cut them into strips - I sliced them across the round in at an angle so that I got long discs and then sliced each disk in half.
2. Stir Fry the sausage strips, garlic, peppers, onion, mushrooms in a little vegetable oil and season with lemon juice, black pepper, cumin, black pepper, coriander until the sausage is a little brown, and the onions are soft.
3. Place fajita bits on warm tortilla add spinach on top of this and roll into a delicious wrap.

Vegan Recipe: Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa

This vegan recipe for Red Pepper Tapenade is inspired by my recent discoveries of Ross Dobson's book Market Vegetarian and the wonders of harissa. I love olive tappenade and I love red peppers, so I had high hopes for Dobson's variation when I was reviewing the book. Add to it just a tiny drop of smoldering harrisa paste for a lovely warm hum of heat and I was in dipping heaven.

Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa

 Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa (Vegan)
1 Red Pepper
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
a drop (literally just a touch) of harissa paste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Roast pepper and garlic in oil at Gas Mark 7 for 15 mins or until the skins are black. 
2. Remove pepper from the oven and let cool.
3. Put the pepper in the blender with a drop of harissa and a blend. 
4. Season to taste and serve as a dip or a spread.

Easy, delicious and the kind of thing that if you served it up at a party and told everyone you made it from scratch, they'd be well impressed.

Tempeh Recipe: Vegetarian Chicken Salad Style Sandwich

Chicken Style Tempeh Salad Sandwich with Watercress

Tempeh is one of the first products to be reviewed in my Meet Your Meat Substitutes series and it sets the bar extremely high. This vegetarian chicken style salad is just gorgeous and keeps for a few days making it ideal for picnics and lunch box treats. the par boiling pre-treatment might seem long winded, but I've found that this is common amongst tempeh recipes. Along with making the tempeh plump and moist, it also opens it up for flavouring.

Chicken Style Tempeh Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

8-12 oz of tempeh, cubed
2 stalk celery sliced
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 cup apricots
1/2 cup soy mayonnaise or 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (spicy golden brown is nice too)
salt & freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

1. Place the cubed tempeh in a saucepan of boiling, salted water.
2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 12 minutes, drain and set aside to cool.
3. Place the cubes in the refrigerator or freezer to cool while you make the sauce.
4. In a large bowl, combine the celery, apricot and onions. Then mix in mustard, mayo and season to taste.
5. After boiling, the tempeh will have expanded, so you may need to cut the cubes down in to bite sized chunks. Next add the tempeh to the salad mixture.
6. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.
7. This will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
8. This salad goes great on wheat toast, in a pita pocket, or top of a jacket potato.

   

   Par Boiled Tempeh Cubes

   

   Salad sauce mixture

   

   Add the tempeh to the mix

Build yourself a lovely tempeh sandwich