Become Pro Vegetarian Chef

Cooking at times can be a chore for many of us, but sometimes it can be a pleasure.  I am an experimental cook and today for Five on Friday I am sharing some ingredients in my kitchen that are exciting me and sadly somewhat make me happy especially on a Friday when I have the weekend ahead to experiment with them.  So I do hope the lovely Amy will accept these.  Another reason I am sharing these here, is I hope that those of you who visit will leave me some suggestions, ideas and inspiration of what I can do with some of them.  I think that is one of the wonderful things about blogosphere the sharing and genuine encouragement.   First up is one of the most ugly vegetables on earth: celeriac Here it is turned around a little more attractive to the eye.  Its not a vegetable that comes into my home often, but I have grown some in the garden.   In the past I have made vegetarian celeriac steaks, celeriac remoulade, soup, fritters and celeriac burg...

Cooking at times can be a chore for many of us, but sometimes it can be a pleasure.  I am an experimental cook and today for Five on Friday I am sharing some ingredients in my kitchen that are exciting me and sadly somewhat make me happy especially on a Friday when I have the weekend ahead to experiment with them.  So I do hope the lovely Amy will accept these.  Another reason I am sharing these here, is I hope that those of you who visit will leave me some suggestions, ideas and inspiration of what I can do with some of them.  I think that is one of the wonderful things about blogosphere the sharing and genuine encouragement.   First up is one of the most ugly vegetables on earth: celeriac Here it is turned around a little more attractive to the eye.  Its not a vegetable that comes into my home often, but I have grown some in the garden.   In the past I have made vegetarian celeriac steaks, celeriac remoulade, soup, fritters and celeriac burg...

Another cake to enjoy with a cuppa tea if you so wish. I won't fib, this is really a Lemon Poppy Seed Drizzle blinged up.  The Lemon is replaced with seasonal Blood Oranges and the Poppy seeds replaced with the trendy chia seeds.   After all chia seeds are the new poppy seed! I am not going to give you a recipe either, just adapt a recipe you already have for a Lemon Poppy seed cake with the ingredients mentioned above.  Saying that though I did not adapt the vegan Lemon Poppy Seed cake recipe on my blog , but adapted a different one - still vegan.   The blood orange icing glaze was a pink from the freshly squeezed Blood Orange, its just a shame that is not picked up in the photograph.   I've made this cake in a loaf tin here, but it could easily have been an 8 inch round cake tin.   Whilst the cake is cooling, I tend to poke a few holes with the skewer to allow the icing sugar glaze to seep though, a bit like Lemon Drizzle cake, but this ...

Another cake to enjoy with a cuppa tea if you so wish. I won't fib, this is really a Lemon Poppy Seed Drizzle blinged up.  The Lemon is replaced with seasonal Blood Oranges and the Poppy seeds replaced with the trendy chia seeds.   After all chia seeds are the new poppy seed! I am not going to give you a recipe either, just adapt a recipe you already have for a Lemon Poppy seed cake with the ingredients mentioned above.  Saying that though I did not adapt the vegan Lemon Poppy Seed cake recipe on my blog , but adapted a different one - still vegan.   The blood orange icing glaze was a pink from the freshly squeezed Blood Orange, its just a shame that is not picked up in the photograph.   I've made this cake in a loaf tin here, but it could easily have been an 8 inch round cake tin.   Whilst the cake is cooling, I tend to poke a few holes with the skewer to allow the icing sugar glaze to seep though, a bit like Lemon Drizzle cake, but this ...

Is it a coincidence that I should stumble upon the lovely Sarah Beattie  photograph with Hodmedod's Black Badger Peas for Masaledar recipe , on her  twitter account of course not - Great minds think alike. So why was it a coincidence?!  Well that very same day I had made a Smoky Black Badgers Peas Chilli.  Black Badger Peas are also known as Carlin Peas or Maple Peas.  These brown peas remind me of Indian Black Chickpeas aka Kala Cholay though the flavour is very different.  They are not soft like butter beans or well cooked butter beans, but more robust and nutty.  I absolutely loved them. I can see exactly why Sarah Beattie used it in Masaladal recipe featured in this month Vegetarian Living Magazine which of course I had to go out and buy.  I don't buy many magazines anymore for various reasons, but I did so because I love  most of her cookbooks - all vegetarian. My recipe is essentially a vegetarian chilli but with some authen...

Is it a coincidence that I should stumble upon the lovely Sarah Beattie  photograph with Hodmedod's Black Badger Peas for Masaledar recipe , on her  twitter account of course not - Great minds think alike. So why was it a coincidence?!  Well that very same day I had made a Smoky Black Badgers Peas Chilli.  Black Badger Peas are also known as Carlin Peas or Maple Peas.  These brown peas remind me of Indian Black Chickpeas aka Kala Cholay though the flavour is very different.  They are not soft like butter beans or well cooked butter beans, but more robust and nutty.  I absolutely loved them. I can see exactly why Sarah Beattie used it in Masaladal recipe featured in this month Vegetarian Living Magazine which of course I had to go out and buy.  I don't buy many magazines anymore for various reasons, but I did so because I love  most of her cookbooks - all vegetarian. My recipe is essentially a vegetarian chilli but with some authen...

The weather in Wales is so strange at the moment.  For the past two days its been heavily foggy, only to clear and then smack us in the face with a mini heatwave.  It does make a change from the rain though, so I better not complain.   I made this Golden Mushroom Loaf a couple of weeks back at the weekend when D brought home a lot of mushrooms.  It is golden partly from being baked, but also from the addition of smoked paprika.   I garnished the mushroom loaf with homemade smoky coconut flakes aka 'coconut 'bacon'.   We enjoyed this Mushroom Loaf as a Nut Roast with one meal, the others with a side of salad. It was tasty.  It was firm and crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside, but not a claggy soft. It made a nice change from the occasional mock 'meat' sausages we pick up for  during the working week for easy meals.   If you do make this allow to cool in tin before attempting to remove.  This savoury loaf c an be r...

The weather in Wales is so strange at the moment.  For the past two days its been heavily foggy, only to clear and then smack us in the face with a mini heatwave.  It does make a change from the rain though, so I better not complain.   I made this Golden Mushroom Loaf a couple of weeks back at the weekend when D brought home a lot of mushrooms.  It is golden partly from being baked, but also from the addition of smoked paprika.   I garnished the mushroom loaf with homemade smoky coconut flakes aka 'coconut 'bacon'.   We enjoyed this Mushroom Loaf as a Nut Roast with one meal, the others with a side of salad. It was tasty.  It was firm and crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside, but not a claggy soft. It made a nice change from the occasional mock 'meat' sausages we pick up for  during the working week for easy meals.   If you do make this allow to cool in tin before attempting to remove.  This savoury loaf c an be r...

I know its spring and I should be sharing elegantly presented light green dishes with all manner of micro green garnish, instead I share an autumnal looking one.    This Curried Butter Bean dish hit the spot that evening when I came in from work feeling like a little fed up with stuff going on around me at work, but I don't want to talk about 'office politics' and favouritism.  No I want to talk about this naturally 'buttery' bean bowl that melts in the mouth with a hint of tomatoey spice and the kale is almost seaweed like.  This recipe can be more soup like if you add more stock or water to it, but I enjoyed the thickness of it wrapped up in a tortilla bundle like a big warm hug. I had some mushrooms left over from the Smoked Paprika Mushroom Loaf and threw them in, but its not necessary other than it gives this dish additional texture.    I am joining in for the first time with Butter Bean Curry recipe . 

I know its spring and I should be sharing elegantly presented light green dishes with all manner of micro green garnish, instead I share an autumnal looking one.    This Curried Butter Bean dish hit the spot that evening when I came in from work feeling like a little fed up with stuff going on around me at work, but I don't want to talk about 'office politics' and favouritism.  No I want to talk about this naturally 'buttery' bean bowl that melts in the mouth with a hint of tomatoey spice and the kale is almost seaweed like.  This recipe can be more soup like if you add more stock or water to it, but I enjoyed the thickness of it wrapped up in a tortilla bundle like a big warm hug. I had some mushrooms left over from the Smoked Paprika Mushroom Loaf and threw them in, but its not necessary other than it gives this dish additional texture.    I am joining in for the first time with Butter Bean Curry recipe . 

I've never been to Cheltenham, England but when I saw that there was Cheltenham were hosting a Vegan Fair, well I thought this would be the weekend to go and make a whole day of it.   It was icy cold, but the hospitality of the Cheltenham people was very warm that it was a delight to explore the city, but also the stalls at the Cheltenham Vegan Fair.    Although it was small,  I loved it as it made a fabulous and genuine refreshing change from the usual suspects in South Wales.  So here are some of the delights that my eyes (and belly) were able to feast on.  I apologise sincerely in advance if I have missed your stall here, it was getting busy so I was unable to take pictures of all that were there, but I did visit each and every one of them.    Lovely little Badger flower pots I know a friend who would love this in her kitchen.  I regret not getting it for her now, it would have been a nice house warming gift. Some of the mos...