VEGAN MOUSSAKA TIME

Recipe of the week...
... Vegan moussaka

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 large aubergine, 1 large courgette, 390g tin green lentils in water, 1 beef tomato, 70g pack rocket leaves, 350g frozen butternut squash, 1 tablespoon dairy-free spread, 1 tablespoon wholemeal flour, 300ml dairy-free milk, cooking oil, salt and pepper.

Serves: 4 hearty portions.

Time taken: 90 mins (1-hour prep and ½ hour in oven)

Hi readers,

How are you all today? Are you managing okay, getting back into the swing of real life after the four-day weekend??

For sure – it was a struggle this morning when my alarm went off this morning! And I had to dress in clothes fit for public view. And pack a lunch and get my bum out the door and in the car for work. Bit of a shock to the system.

That’s a lot first thing, for someone who’d just got used to watching Hook in bed wearing lounge gear, eating an Easter bunny and knitting the morning away. Life had just peaked aaaaand now it’s back to normal again.

But what a great weekend! The best I’ve had in years. How was yours, readers??

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My weekend leads me to make 3 recommendations for you, readers…

Stonehouse Court Hotel

I went on a mini break away this weekend and had a very special time at the Stonehouse Court Hotel. This was my first real trip with my boyfriend and we were both so pleased with the service and our stay at this hotel near Stroud, in the Cotswolds. The staff couldn’t do enough to accommodate us – they were lovely! The bed was extremely comfy. And the food and the wine… I’ll be talking about for a very long time. We had a wonderful stay.

Painswick

We weren’t on our mini break for long but wanted to see as much of the Cotswolds as we could and make good use of our time there. A friend’s Lonely Planet guide for the UK recommended a trip to Painswick, a historical little village not far from where we were staying. And it was worth the visit. Crumbling graves in the churchyard, tiny streets packed with old stone houses and views of the countryside all round. Very quaint and English! And good food for the imagination.

Almond Dream

We ended the weekend back home, parked on the settee with our feet up in front of the telly. I treated us to a tub of Almond Dream Non-Dairy Salted Caramel Ice Cream Alternative – a revelation. Neither myself or The Vegan have had much experience with nice creams, but I can vouch for this one. It tastes pretty fine. And just like ice cream – I’d never have known, readers. Worth the price tag in my eyes, as an occasional dairy-free treat.

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RECIPE TIME

Another take away from the long weekend, readers, is a great recipe which I can share with you! This recipe came about as I took my car in to the garage for its MOT last week and was left alone in the waiting room with a Tesco food mag. After ten minutes or so fervently ripping out pages, I earmarked this as a hearty vegan recipe to try out over the Bank Holiday.

 I’ll tell you RIGHT NOW that Tesco’s estimation of 50 minutes to make this dish is a barefaced lie. You’d have to have more arms than an octopus to serve this up within an hour. But if you get all the ingredients in and allow double that amount of time, then you should have no trouble at all pulling together this tasty vegan tea.

Here’s the recipe for you, readers, in just 15 simple steps…

Recipe: Vegan moussaka

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 large aubergine, 1 large courgette, 390g tin green lentils in water, 1 beef tomato, 70g pack rocket leaves, 350g frozen butternut squash, 1 tablespoon dairy-free spread, 1 tablespoon wholemeal flour, 300ml dairy-free milk, cooking oil, salt and pepper.

Method:

1.     Prepare yourself for a serious session in the kitchen! I’m thinking – crack a window wide open, pour a cool drink, set some chilled-out music playing at a calming volume, stop trying to multi-task, turn your phone on flight mode, clear your head.

2.     Right. Now, when you’re ready, begin with some veg prep. Thinly slide your onion and your beef tomato. Slice your aubergine lengthways into 6, same for your courgette. Crush your garlic clove, open your tin of tomatoes. Open your tin of lentils, drain and rinse.

3.     Heat the grill to high and line a large baking sheet with foil.

4.     Heat a splash of cooking oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until they soften slightly.

5.     Then, add the tomatoes, oregano and 150ml water. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Leave simmering for 15 minutes.

6.     While your pan simmers, brush the aubergine and courgette on both sides with cooking oil and lay the slices out on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then grill for 5 minutes on each side until tender and golden.

7.     Once the veg have grilled, set aside. Boil a kettle and heat the oven to 200C.

8.     For the topping, pop your butternut squash in a sieve and steam on a hob (using a saucepan of boiling water, with the sieve balanced over it, and a pan lid covering the sieve) for ten or so minutes until tender.

9.     Add the lentils to your main saucepan and stir into the tomato sauce, then leave to simmer for ten minutes.

10.  In a third saucepan, melt the dairy-free spread over a medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a paste and then whisk in the dairy-free milk. Simmer, stirring, for a few minutes. Then remove from the heat.

11.  Once your squash has steamed, remove from the heat and mash until quite smooth (a few lumps here and there are fine).

12.  Stir your milky mix into the mashed squash until well combined, and season with salt and pepper.

13.  Spoon half the tomato sauce into a deep baking dish, top with half the sliced tomato, and then cover with sliced courgette. Spoon the second half of the tomato sauce in, top with the rest of the sliced tomato, and then cover with sliced aubergine.

14.  Spoon your squash topping over the aubergines until entirely covered. Season with salt and pepper and carefully transport into the oven, to bake for half an hour.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I’d use this half an hour break to first clear up the chaos you’ve made in the kitchen! Maybe wipe round the surfaces and do your dishes, then set the table? Once that’s sorted, top up your drink and put your feet up for a bit – you’ve done good.

15.  Finally, remove from the moussaka from the oven once golden brown and crisp on top. Spoon out between four plates and serve with rocket. Tuck in!

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What do you reckon, readers? Does this recipe take your fancy? Would you try your hand at a vegan moussaka? I highly recommend! If you have the time and energy… and enough pans!

Give this recipe a go – if you commit to a proper session in the kitchen, then you’ll have a proper vegan tea to enjoy. This dish is filling, nutritious, colourful. And the squash in the topping gives it a colour which could almost fool you into believing it’s got cheese in it! It hasn’t – there’s no cheese inside. But, still, this is exciting for vegans.

I enjoyed the food and thought it probably tasted all the better for all the effort we’d put into the cooking. I’m a beginner when it comes to cooking with lentils and so was impressed that we pulled off a lentil dish, without incident. All in all – a success!

Please let me know how you get on in the kitchen, readers, if you give this recipe a try. Let me know your thoughts on the food and please share any tips you have a for tweaks to the recipe! Wishing you every success with your moussaka, my dears.

Mash safely,

Hayley

NOT GLOOMY... HALLOUMI

Recipe of the week...
... Roasted Veg & Halloumi Salad

Ingredients: 200g carrots, 200g parsnips, 1 red onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 red chilli, cooking oil, 300g halloumi, 1 orange, 1 small handful of fresh parsley, salt and pepper

Serves: 2 bowlfuls of salad

Time taken: 45 mins max

Hi readers,

How are you all today? Are you faring well?

As I write, it’s a Tuesday afternoon in Spring. We’ve sun and cloud in Sheffield, which is an improvement on this morning’s gloom and drizzle. Slowly but surely, we’re all adjusting to darker mornings and lighter evenings after the clock’s turned at the weekend.

Some clocks, anyway. We’re all still finding rogue watches and kitchen devices with winter time, trying to catch us out. And will be for weeks to come. But, it feels like summer. Weekday evenings suddenly hold great potential for a beer garden or a barbeque, sitting out in the garden with a book, running in a t-shirt and shorts.

What might become of your summer? It’s exciting, to not know.

Meanwhile, for now, I have a few recommendations which might brighten your Spring…

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RANDOM RECOMMENDATIONS

1)    FILM: A WRINKLE IN TIME

For no other reason than Oprah. This is a film out at the cinema right now, based on a fantasy young adult novel, and Oprah stars – in every sense of the word. She actually glitters on-screen. Oprah’s character is a witch and she isn’t acting at all – she just IS magical. With show stopping eyebrows and a selection of lipsticks which dazzle. Go and see.

2)    NEW MUSIC FOR SPRING

There’s all sorts coming out at the moment! I’ve been singing in the shower to Snow Patrol and singing in the car to Janelle Monae. Keep an ear out and see what you might discover! I recommend tuning into Sunday Brunch on a weekend for snippets of new songs which they share at the start and end of each ad break.

3)    PEAKWALKING.CO.UK

If you’re local to Sheffield, see HERE for a website with lots of great walks in the Peak District. I went on the Lathkill Dale Stroll with a couple of friends at the weekend and we had a great time. You can select a walk based on the distance you’d like to attempt and the terrain (if, say, you’re not feeling up to big hills, or don’t have the footwear for walking far off the beaten track). All the walks are simply and accurately described, easy to follow, and you learn something along the way!

4)    ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

We just finished reading this book in time for last week’s Book Club and it went down really well – everyone had positive things to say! Told in first person, you live the everyday life of Eleanor as it rapidly unravels. She’s an unusual character and you’ll definitely end the book wanting to be like her, in one way or another. It’s an interesting, refreshing read. Likely to get you thinking on the topic of mental health. With a surprise ending.

5)    PIZZA HUT

Random, but I went for my tea last night for the first time in years and had a grand time! They have the salad bar and ice cream station, same as I remember. And there’s a futuristic fizzy drinks machine now, which adds flavour shots to your drink as it pours. You can put together any kind of pizza – the only limit is your imagination. They have vegan cheese now. And I would HIGHLY recommend your order the onion rings.

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RECIPE TIME

This weekend I tried out a second Spring recipe from the March edition of the Co-op’s Food magazine, for a vegetarian and gluten-free Roasted Veg & Halloumi Salad. This warm salad is packed full of British veg and makes for a tasty, healthy tea.

I was feeding The Vegan, as it happened, so I enjoyed my salad topped with halloumi and just subbed my other half’s cheese for a couple of Quorn vegan burgers instead. This maybe didn’t make for such a good-looking bowlful of food, but was well received nonetheless. If you’re feeding a vegan, I would recommend. Or perhaps try roasting some seeds/nuts/chickpeas for a non-vegetable topping to the dish?

Fancy giving this Roasted Veg & Halloumi Salad a try, readers? Here’s the recipe in just seven simple steps…

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Recipe: Roasted Veg & Halloumi Salad

Ingredients: 200g carrots, 200g parsnips, 1 red onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 red chilli, cooking oil, 300g halloumi, 1 orange, 1 small handful of fresh parsley, salt and pepper

1.     Set a little music playing, open a window wide, stretch really tall. Maybe make a brew? Try to clear your mind as you peel an orange and break into segments, removing as much of the pith as you can.

2.     Heat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

3.     Begin with some veg prep. You want to chop your carrots and parsnips into batons, cut your onion into wedges, chop your parsley, finely chop your clove of garlic, and deseed then finely chop your chilli.

4.     Add the veg, garlic and chilli to your lined baking tray along with a splash of cooking oil, toss together until well coated, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for half an hour, turning halfway through.

5.     Take a 20-minute break! Do something special with this little window of time.

6.     Then heat a nonstick pan. Slice the halloumi and brush with a little oil, and fry for a minute or so on each side.

7.     Once roasted, carefully remove the veg from the oven and spoon out into a couple of dishes. Top with the orange segments and sliced halloumi and serve, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

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What do you reckon, readers? Might you give this recipe a go? Do the pics take your fancy? Can you handle the heat of half a chilli per person?? Are you open minded enough to try a dish that combines parsnip and orange?? An interesting combination, some might say.

I recommend. With little effort, you can pull together a colourful, tasty, healthy, filling tea for two. This can easily be presented nicely, lending the impression more work went into it than is really the case. There are no expensive or difficult-to-source ingredients. It’s something a bit different!

While we’re not quite into Summer yet, I’ll be enjoying a warm salad on a light Spring evening. With a refreshing bev and good company. Will you?

Please send in your stories from the kitchen and feedback on this recipe, readers! Do you have any tips for success with the dish, or suggestions on how it could be improved, perhaps? A version 2.0?

Wishing you all wonderful, calm rest of your week. Take care, readers.

And roast safely,

Hayley