Quick Courgette Patties

This recipe is a light snack that you can have with either some tomato ketchup, or natural yoghurt. Courgettes have a very high water content so you need to make sure that you squeeze all the water out of the grated courgettes before adding the remaining ingredients. You do this by adding a teaspoon of salt to the grated courgettes, and then leave for about 3 minutes. You will then see all the water oozing out of the grated courgettes. Then just get a handful of courgettes at a time and squeeze out all the water.

Ingredients

Serves 2 Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins

2 large courgettes; grated 

1 cube of ginger; peeled and finely grated

1/2 a green chilli; finely chopped

3 tbsp of gram flour (besan/chick pea flour)

Some oil for frying

Method

1. Grate the courgette add a teaspoon of salt and leave for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze all of the water from the courgette and transfer to a bowl. Add the ginger, chilli and gram flour and mix really well. 

2. Shape the courgette into patties and then heat some oil in a large frying pan, and lightly fry the patties for around 15-20 minutes or until cooked, turning every 5 minutes. 

3. Serve with a some tomato ketchup, or some natural yoghurt.

Turmeric - The Super Spice

Turmeric is truly a super spice. It has healing qualities that I am still finding out about.

I was first introduced to the magic of turmeric growing up in Southend. As a child whenever my brother played rugby at school he would always come home with a sprained ankle or wrist. When he did my Mum didn't rush to the medicine cupboard to get some painkillers, instead she rushed to her masala box to make some turmeric paste. She would mix turmeric with some water and then heat it up until it became paste like. She would then rub this all over my brothers ankle/wrist and wrap it up in a bandage. My brother would then smell of turmeric for the rest of the evening and then go to school the next day with a yellow ankle/wrist.

But the turmeric paste did its job and healed his sprain. As a natural anti-inflammatory it helped with the swelling and as a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent it helped with any cuts and bruises he might have had.


Cut to twenty years later, and the American Vegetarian falls off her bike injuring her knee quite badly. We go to the hospital and luckily nothing is broken, all we need to do is rest the leg and keep it raised so the swelling goes down. When we get home the first thing I do is not rush to the sofa and make a contraption with all the pillows so her knee stays raised but rush to my masala box to make some miracle turmeric paste. The swelling goes down rapidly.

Another way I use turmeric is in a glass of hot milk. Hot milk with turmeric is a great way to blast away the signs of a cold. Not only is it quite soothing, but the turmeric really does help in getting rid of any coughs and sniffles. 


Hot milk and turmeric also cured my Mum's asthma. My Mum is in her seventies and developed asthma a few years ago. Earlier this year she began to add turmeric in her nightly cup of hot milk. When she next went to the doctors, he had told her her asthma had gone. She puts this down to the turmeric, and I believe her. 

I'm no doctor or nutritional expert but I do know that turmeric is good for you. So if you feel a cold coming on try having a glass of warm milk with a 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric mixed in. It'll work wonders.

Spicy Polenta

What to do with polenta? I like polenta but I've never really known what to do with it. I know the Italians use it a lot, but most of the recipes I've seen require a lot of stirring and also require you to stir it for around 30 mins. So when my Mum showed me how to make spicy polenta in under 10 minutes I was all ears and eyes.

I've tried this at home, and have to say its a lovely little dish to have as a lunch or tasty snack. Add some salad or some grilled veg on the side, and you have a wonderful dinner.

This recipe is tasty, quick and simple.

Spicy Polenta

Ingredients

1 tbspn. of vegetable/sunflower oil
1/4 tsp. of mustard seeds
5 curry leaves
Large pinch of asafoetida (hing)
13 fl oz of water (you need double the amount of polenta, so two cups of water to 1 cup of polenta)
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. of chilli powder
3/4 tsp. of salt
1 cup/130gr. of Polenta (coarse cornmeal)
2 tbsp of yoghurt

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop add the curry leaves and the hing. Then add the water and all the spices. Allow the water to come to boil. Once it starts to boil add the polenta and yoghurt and stir so it all comes together and there are no lumps of polenta left. Stir for about 3-4 minutes.

Serve with a salad, some grilled vegetables, or just have on its own...like I do.

Bermondsey Farmers Market

On Saturday morning the American Vegetarian and I cycled down to our local farmers market to buy some seasonal veg.

Bermondsey Farmers Market is a small yet quaint market that sells vegetables, cheeses, bread, chutneys and some non veg produce as well. It's set in a square surrounded by two very nice cafes, an independent cinema and opposite the delightful Bermondsey Street.

The market is small so if you are looking for a bigger bolder market then Borough market is not too far away. But for local residents this is perfect. We cycled the very short 10 minutes to the market and wandered around the stalls. All the veg looked great, and I had to stop myself from buying more than we could eat. After trying some wonderful bread, cheeses and chutneys, we ended up buying some jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, carrots, ruby kale, and spinach as well as some real bread. And all of it costing less then it would have done in a chain supermarket.

The best thing I love about buying produce from farmers market is that once I get the food home I do very little cooking to the vegetables themselves, as the taste is all there. I spend more time washing the vegetables then I do cooking them.

I made a beetroot and carrot salad, and cooked the spinach in some Olive oil, lemon juice and then allowed it to steam in its own heat. Sliced and toasted the bread, and before you know it you have a very nice, organic healthy lunch in front of you..oh and don't forget the Saturday papers and a cup of coffee. Total weekend bliss.

Simple Spinach

Ingredients

1 bunch of spinach; thoroughly washed
Some olive oil
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
2 tbsp. of water
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Heat the oil in a pan, then add the rest of the ingredients and cover so it all cooks in its own heat for about 3-4 mins. Serve with some toasted bread.

Beetroot and Carrot salad

Ingredients

1 large beetroot; washed and peeled
1 carrot; washed
Some olive oil
A spoonful of honey (optional)
Salt & Pepper to season.
A handful of loosely crushed walnuts

Method

Grate both the beetroot and the carrots in a food processor. Then transfer to a large bowl and add the olive oil, and salt and pepper. Taste and add the honey if you feel it needs sweetening. Then top it off with the walnuts and mix well. I added the honey as the beetroot that I had tasted slightly bitter, so I needed to sweeten the taste out. The crushed walnuts add a lovely crunch to the salad as well.

Bermondsey Farmers Market, Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN. Saturday from 10am-2pm

Baked Beans Curry

Now I know the title may not sound too appetising, but I assure you this is great comfort food territory.

Turning a can of baked beans into a curry was my very first attempt at making a curry. This was of course years and years ago, when I was a student and realising that I should have never taken my Mums food for granted. In fact, it was even the American Vegetarian's first attempt at making a curry. I feel it is like the first initiation. If you can turn a can of baked beans into a curry then you’re on the right road.

Last week I just had a craving for it, so thought I would share the wonderful simple and yet very comforting dish of baked beans curry with you. 

Ingredients

1 can of baked beans

Half an onion

5 curry leaves

1/4 tsp. of mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds

1/4 tsp. of turmeric

1/2 tsp. of chilli powder (or a bit less if you don't like it too spicy)

1 3/4 tsp. of ground coriander

Some salt

1 tbsp. of oil

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves, and then add the onion. Stir and cook until the onions soften. Then add the can of baked beans and the rest of the spices. Now because there is already salt in the can of beans check the seasoning before you add the salt in. You will need some salt, just not an entire teaspoon of it. Let it cook together for around 5 minutes, then serve on either toast, or a jacket potato or however you like your baked beans.

De-lish.

Vegetarian Tapas

I love tapas, and I love Italian food. So on Saturday I decided to make an Italian tapas for dinner. There is little else more satisfying then snacking on food with a bottle of wine. I absolutely love the combination of tomatoes, olive oil, bread and cheese. Just writing it makes my mouth water.

So here are the six recipes of my vegetarian tapas, and it can all be done in 45 mins or less.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 large mushrooms
1 ciabatta loaf; torn into chunks
1 clove of garlic; finely chopped
1 onion; sliced
A big bunch of flat leaf parsely; finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Butter for greasing

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion off for around 15 minutes until soft and sweet, stir occasionally. Meanwhile rub the mushrooms with a paper towel to get excess dirt off and remove the stalks from the mushrooms, set aside. Place the mushrooms in an oven dish which has been lightly greased with some butter. Take the torn ciabatta and blitz them in a food processor so they become breadcrumbs ( I add the stalks from the mushrooms to the breadcrumbs so nothing goes to waste.) The onions should be done by now, so add the garlic and after about 30 seconds add the breadcrumbs, parsley and season with salt and pepper, mix well. Transfer this mixture into each mushroom, and then place in the oven for around 20 mins.

Broad bean and pea hummus

Ingredients

200g of frozen broad beans
250g of frozen peas
3 tbspn of Extra virgin olive oil
Good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Boil the peas and broad beans in some boiling water for around 3-4 mins until cooked. Drain then add to a food processor. Blitz for 10 seconds. Then add the remaining ingredients and blitz for another 30 seconds. Check and adjust the seasoning and transfer to a bowl.

Wilted kale with garlic

Ingredients

150g Kale
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Some water

Method

Heat the water in a pan, you'll need around an inch of water. Then add the kale so it wilts down. Then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with oilve oil.

Tomatoes & Basil

Ingredients

Fresh tomatoes (you decide how many)
A good bunch of basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Slice the tomatoes and transfer onto a plate. Then drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place a torn piece of basil on each tomato. Set aside.

Garlic Tomato bread

Ingredients

1 loaf of sourdough baguette
1 or 2 coves of garlic
1 fresh tomato; cut in half and de seeded
Extra Virgin olive oil

Method

Slice the bread and grill both sides so they are lightly toasted. Once you take them off the grill, rub the garlic clove on each slice, then take one half of the tomato and rub each slice with the tomato. Drizzle with some olive oil.

Halloumi

Ingredients

Halloumi

Method

Slice the halloumi and dry fry them on both sides until cooked.

Serve all the above with a lovely bottle of wine. Share eat drink and enjoy.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It's snowing and what better way to warm up then a hot bowl of this flavoursome soup. This is a great way to eat butternut squash. It's a fantastic vegetable with a whole load of goodness, full of potassium, vitamin C and a great source of fibre.

This recipe gives you a soup with a creamy texture as the butternut, once roasted has a dense and soft texture. I use chilli to add some heat, and I also cook the onions on a medium heat for a good twenty minutes. This adds a sweetness without adding any sugar. I guarantee that this soup will melt the snow away, and make you feel warm from the inside.

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash
1 onion; sliced
1 clove of garlic; finely chopped
1/2 a red chilli; finely chopped
1 cube of ginger; peeled and grated
800 ml of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Swiss vegetable vegan bouillon)
Some oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel the butternut squash deseed it and cut it into cubes. You'll need a sharp peeler and knife for this. Season with salt and pepper and coat with some olive oil. Place on an oven sheet and roast for about 35-40 mins until soft. Set aside. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and on a medium heat cook the onions for a good 20 minutes. The longer you cook the onions the sweeter they become. Keep stirring the onions so they don't stick. After twenty minutes, add the chopped garlic and chilli and ginger. I love this bit as a lovely aroma emanates from the pan now. Then add the roasted butternut squash. Stir and add the vegetable stock. Cook with the lid on for another twenty minutes, so the stock has a chance to cook and blend with the squash.

Once cooked, blend in a food processor and serve with warm bread.