Tag: vegan

Quesadilla’s

This is a fantastic and easy lunch time snack! Quesadillas are a mexican street food and you can adapt them to your own taste. You could make them spicy, serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream, or just enjoy them as they are. Substitute cheese for lactose free and these snack can be vegan as well!

Ingredients:


This is to make 1 quesadilla.
x2 Soft tortilla wraps
50g grated cheddar cheese – about a handful
1 spring onion chopped
2-3 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 baby corn sliced
1-2 mushrooms sliced
1⁄4 pepper sliced
You can add any veg you like really. If you’d like to make it spicy, add chilli or chipotle paste, you could switch the cheese for feta, add some cooked sweet potato, chorizo, chicken or even left over chilli con . These are a great versatile snack to use what’s in your fridge!

Method:

  1. Using a heavy bottomed frying pan on a medium heat, add one of your wraps. You don’t need oil!
  2. Add half of your cheese.
  3. Add your fillings.
  4. Add the rest of your cheese on top.
  5. Add the second wrap and gently press down.
  6. Allow the tortilla to toast to a deep golden brown then flip and
    allow the other side to toast as well.
  7. Serve by quartering your quesadilla and enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is a delicious dip from the Middle East, traditionally it is eaten as part of a “meze” or selection of dishes to make a whole meal. You could eat this with carrot sticks as a great snack, with bread sticks or even in a wrap with olives, tomatoes and rocket.

This recipe is also vegan, gluten and lactose free!

We’ve also included some idea’s for how you can flavour your hummus.

*** You will need a food processor, smoothie maker [nutribullet] or stick blender with tub and blade attachment to make this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas

4tbsp tahini OR 3tbsp smooth peanut butter

Juice 1 lemon

1 large glove of garlic

2tbsp olive oil

1/tsp salt

65ml lukewarm water

Method:

  1. Juice your lemon and peal the garlic.
  2. Add of of your ingredient into the machine you are using.
  3. Blend together until smooth. If your hummus is a little think, add 1tbsp of water and a time.
  4. Enjoy!

You add lots of lovely flavours to hummus. We tried dill with extra lemon, sweet chilli sauce and olives.

Microwave Vegetable Curry

We thought as Diwali is approaching it would be fun to share this family recipe for you from Helen T. Diwali differs from other Indian festivals as it includes feasting and the giving of sweets in stead of fasting. You can read more about Diwali in our Origami Diwali Boat post here.

You can use any veg you like in this vegan & lactose free recipe. We used: sweet potato, carrots, baby peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. We added a chilli for spice also.

Ingredients:

1 onion roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 inch of root ginger minced

A mixture of veg you like roughly chopped

2 tbsp of curry powder OR the mixture of spices below

1 can chopped tomatoes

500ml vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

1tbsp plain flour

Spice mixture:

Toast 1tsp caraway seeds, 1tsp fenugreek seed and 3 cardamom pods, grind the caraway and fenugreek together in a pestle and mortar and use 1tsp in the spice mix.

¼ tsp salt

4 or 5 grinds of black pepper

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp asafoetida / hing

  • Finished Curry
    Finished Curry
  • Served with Greek yoghurt, fresh coriander, flaked almonds and a garlic naan
    Served with Greek yoghurt, fresh coriander, flaked almonds and a garlic naan

Method:

  1. Add onion, garlic and ginger to a 3 litre microwave casserole dish with 1tbsp oil. Cover and cook for 3 minutes on high.
  2. Add all your spices and the flour, stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes on high.
  3. Add your hardest vegetables, ie potatoes and carrots and cook for 10 minutes on high.
  4. Next add all your other vegetables except the softest [ie mushrooms, tomatoes, courgette and spinach], add your stock, chopped tomatoes and a squeeze of tomato puree. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes on medium.
  5. Add your soft vegetables and cook on medium for a further 10 minutes.
  6. Check your veg with a knife to see if they are cooked. Every microwave is different, so add time if you need to.
  7. Enjoy with rice, naan breads or just on its own!

Hallowe’en Pumpkin Soup

This warming soup is spooktacular for hallowe’en night. It’s also lactose and gluten free! If you can’t get a pumpkin, you can substitute with butternut squash.

Ingredients:

1 medium or large pumpkin depending on how many you are cooking for

1 white onion

2 carrots

1tsp salt

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

Vegetable stock cube

1 tbsp  olive oil

200ml coconut milk / lactose free cream

Method:

  1. Finely dice the onion and start to gently fry with your olive oil in a large soup pan.
  2. Prepare your pumpkin by removing seeds, ect and skin, dice and add to the pan.
  3. Peel and dice the carrots and add to the pan. Keep stirring as you fry and add your spice, cook for around 5 minutes.
  4. Boil a kettle and add water to the pan, so that the vegetables are covered by 1-2 inches of water. Simmer for 1/2 an hour.
  5. Blend your soup using a food processor or stick blender.
  6. You can add coconut milk or cream for a little luxury and if you’re feeling fancy, why not try a spiders web like in the picture!