Become Pro Vegetarian Chef

l have a confession to make.  I don't like mashed potatoes.  It is baby food designed for grown ups. I avoid making it, but if I have to t he only way I can eat it is if it is disguised in panko crusted  croquettes or dolloped over a good Vegetarian Shepherdess Pie,   but my dearest loves mashed potatoes, so it is for him I make them now and again.   Here the mashed potatoes are enhanced with herby dill and a good smack of horseradish powder or sauce. Once you've made it though, there is the question of presentation.    The mash was ridiculously smooth, so smooth that it almost melted in the mouth like snow - except of course it was warm.   Dill Horseradish Mashed Potatoes Serves 4 - 6 as an accompaniment Ingredients 500ml water 750grams potatoes, peeled and chopped into small bite size pieces 1 tablespoon horseradish powder or sauce 2 tablespoons dill, roughly chopped 30grams butter or vegan margarine 100ml - 150ml milk or ve...

Welcome to Decembers round up of Eat Your Greens and   The Vegetable Palette :  natures colours - natures goodness' '.  Please note that this will be the last   Vegetable Palette .   I would like to Thank those of you who have participated and support the blog challenge over the past two years.  Please don't be sad though, you can still participate as  The Eat Your Greens challenge continues .  The theme for December was  Wonderful Greens . I begin with Falafel Burger with Guacamole.  Avocado - natures natural green butter.  Next we have  The Veg Hog  who shares with us her  Twice Cooked Broccoli Pasta .  The broccoli is first boiled and then pan fried for crispness enhanced further with chilli and garlic .  The VegHog uses Spelt tagliatelle here, but I guess you can use any pasta in your kitchen cupboards.   For The Vegetable Palette, the Falafel Burger with Guacamole.  Avo...

The practice of Secret Santa in the workplace is meant to create a warm, convivial and harmonious  environment.  Secret Santa is supposed to bring joy and laughter to what can be a very long dreary day with everyone patiently waiting for their festive holidays to begin. Secret Santa only works if every one who wishes to participate participates , but there will always be some people who will try to sabotage it; or plain and simply be bah humbug, but we will not them them spoil it for the rest of us.  I was ever so pleased to have pulled out a good friend at work for Secret Santa.  She is into Matryoshka dolls also known as Russian Nesting Dolls.  I found these festive themed Russian dolls a few months back, so it was quite timely and fitting that I pulled her name out of the jug,(don't worry I also bought her another gift). I was given a beautiful Fair Trade hand crafted silk scarf by my Secret Santa - its just my colours.  I also received this Cinn...

Happy New Year.  Let us welcome 2016 with optimism, hope and kindness.  I want to say a heartfelt Thank you to my loyal readers.  I honestly do appreciate you for supporting and reading my blog and commenting when you can.  And as a Thank you I share with you this Heart Shaped Vegan Cheesecake -  albeit virtually.  Many of you will know that I am a vegetarian; and what I cook and eat at home is mostly vegan, it is with this in mind that I have signed up to participate in Veganuary  for a third year .   Veganuary  is a campaign in association with  Viva!  that is encouraging people to pledge and try vegan food for every meal this January.   Therefore, I would also like to share  7 recipes from 2015 that may inspire your menu for  Veganuary  2016, even if your doing not participating inVeganuary  - perhaps try Meat Free Monday or Vegan Tuesday, its an interesting way of trying new recipes and b...

I celebrate my Blogiversary today.   Hip Hip Hooray.  2009 2010 2011 2012 2012-2013 2013 2014 2015 Blogging is not the same world anymore when I begun.  It has changed enormously - these days more about ratings, chasing awards, promotion of products, competition give aways and so on.  I am not of that blogging world. I am on the periphery of that world, though I must admit I been seduced sadly a couple of times when I should have stuck with my gut instincts and principles.  I miss honest and down to earth blogging.  There have been times when I have had to remind myself of the reasons I set my blog up in the first place as I haven't enjoyed it so much over the past couple of years.  I have to make blogging succeed for me. And I shall as I enjoy my blog space.  I will continue with my blog adventures and share what inspires me, what I create at home in my kitchen.  Its also a way for me to stay in touch ...

Eating black eyed peas at the start of the New Year had become a bit of a tradition in my home, reputed to bring good luck and prosperity.  Goulash made with Black Eyed Beans Black Eyed Peas Hot Pot Ginger Black Eyed Peas Trini Black Eyed Peas with Rice Well whether its true or not, I fancied a change this time round and made something different. Still with pulse goodness.   I like the natural buttery nature of butter beans more than cannelini beans, but choose whatever white bean takes your fancy if you want to try this recipe.  What really tempted me to make this White Bean Soup was actually the  Arabic Seven Spices  known as Baharat .   Follow this link to learn and see so many other variations of the  Middle Eastern - Arabic Seven Spice - Baharat . When the dish was completed, I felt it was more of a stew than a soup which was actually a good thing, making this suitable more for a meal than a light lunch.  The weather has been stu...

Delectus meaning  noun  a body of important works of art, an influential body of literature. It has been a long time coming, but l have been intending to compile a list of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks that inspire me.   Welcome to my delectus! To make what would otherwise be a generic list of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, I thought I would offer a personal review of sorts, not the kind of reviews to encourage you to rush out and pick up a copy (though that would be nice), but more how they came to be in my possession, what I like about the book and what I don't like so much.  I will also cook a recipe or two from the cookbook.  I hope to do this once a week. Please do join me if you wish and I will share your link in my side-bar (see rules below). There was another reason that spurred me to do this now, I was actually a little surprised that my  Top 5 vegetarian and vegan cookbooks from 2015  were unknown to a number of readers. I think this ...

I made this rustic French Lentil Soup with Capers and Fried Pine Nuts from Adam Sobel's Street Vegan a little while back.  I've had many a French Lentil style soups in my time, but what was different about this one and what I loved about this soup other than the Puy lentils was the undertones of the Balsamic vinegar, enhanced further by a garnishing of minced piquant capers and in place of croutons, some fried pine-nuts.  This soup had real depth of flavour! These pine nuts scattered over this soup were given to me by a friend who had just come back from Pakistan.  The pine nuts were still in there shells too so took time to shell, but I didn't mind it. I have never thought about it before, but Pine Nuts do have that cheesy greasy texture and I can totally now see why pine nuts are used in vegan 'Parmesan' cheese recipes.  And yes there is rosemary in the soup too, hence my soup bowl posing with it. This is the first of many The Vegetarian Library chall...