Help! There's a Vegetarian at my BBQ!

As a vegetarian, who is the only vegetarian in my close circle of friends, I have been to soooooo many dinners and barbecues where the only food to eat was the salad. And telling you now, seriously, vegetarians like hot food too! Like the amazing skewered vegetable recipe at the end of this post.

The thing is, often someone will bring a +1 to a dinner party or BBQ, and even the partner won't know they are vegetarian. (My husband of 12 years still forgets....) so being prepared for the event that a vegetarian could show up unannounced, and having hot food ready to go.... Guaranteed BBQ success.

The tricks to feeding a vegetarian at a BBQ:

- always have 2 types of salad. I always have a boring lettuce or spinach salad made f garden vege, dressed with salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice. This caters for those allergy types as well, as clearly every ingredient can be seen, saving a lot of, 'are there any nuts in this?'. And then I pair it with either a potato, rice or pasta based salad with a boiled egg in it. This won't help with your vegans, but they have the green salad, and the egg helps to cater to the protein of your vegetarians.

- Corn on the Cob. In summer we always have this growing wildly. I usually just go and pick one cob per guest as the BBQ is cranking up. Throw the cob, husk and all, on the barbie and forget. Peel the husk back creating a handle, and a glorious corn experience awaits.

- Falafel. I keep a ready supply, but if you don't, don't stress. But an instant falafel patty thrown on the hot plate (I use a non-stick aluminium foil underneath) makes an easy burger patty.

- Asparagus. Throw it on the grill, rotating as it gets those grill lines, and serve hot.

- Large, flat mushrooms. Giant flat mushrooms drizzled with oil, pepper and a little chili powder make a meaty meal.

- Potato Slices. Sounds strange, but I learned this one in China at a Korean BBQ... Take a sheet of non-stick baking paper and put it on the hot plate. Using a mandolin, thinly slice a potato. Wash well. Place on the BBQ... When the edges are slightly browned, turn the slices over. These will take the longest to cook, but they are delicious with a dipping sauce.

- Vegetable Skewers. See below

- Dipping Sauce. Everyone loves a choice. I like to have tomato sauce (duh), a Thai Chilli Sauce (sweet with ginger), and a spicy Satay sauce. This gives your guests flavour options which will blow their mind.

Also, those carnivores need to eat vegetables too.... When dished out to the boys, these skewers never disappoint.



Vegetable Skewers

1. Soak long wooden skewers in water for about an hour.

2. Wash button mushrooms in water, slice a yellow courgette, slice a purple onion, slice thickly a green pepper, and rinse cherry tomatoes.

3. Thread into a colourful arrangement on a skewer

4. Optional: marinate in a mix of olive oil, dark soy sauce, pepper and chilli powder.

5. Throw on the BBQ- can be cooked on the grill or hot plate.

6. Serve on the stick, optionally with a drizzle of sauce.

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Meatless Monday: Indian Curry Dhal with Onion Bhajias

Today was a good day to make my favourite dhal, which I have posted before. However, for some insane reason I decided to make dhal, naan bread, onion Bhajias and raita. It was delicious.... Even if it was a little chaotic in the kitchen.



Onion Bhajias

You will need:
2 brown onions
1 cup Chana flour (regular will do though)
1 green chilli
2 cloves garlic
Handful of coriander
2 teaspoons cumin powder
Tablespoon Olive oil
1\2 cup water (ish)

1. Slice the onions into half circles. Smaller would be better for smaller ones, but I decided to make big ones. Sprinkle with salt, and sit in a colander while you do the rest. These need at least 10 minutes to lose as much moisture as possible.

2. Put the garlic, coriander and chili in a food processor. You can add a little ginger if you like as well. Blitz until everything is a small, uniform size and shape, but not liquidised.

3. Sift flour into bowl. Add the cumin and the green stuff from the food processor.

4. Add oil, and water and stir together into a thick-ish batter.

5. Place oil in a fry pan to heat (or use a deep fryer. I don't have one, so I use a pan).

6. This gets messy... But give it a go. Take about half a handful of onions from the colander (which should be pretty dry by now), and place in the batter. Using your hands form a battered ball of onion. Place into hot pan. Work quickly, which will be messy, but it washes off easily... Just don't wipe your eyes.

7. When golden brown on one side, flip the Bhajias over and cook again on the other side.

Serve with raita.
Makes about 8 large Bhajias

Raita

You will need
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Handful of fresh mint
Handful of fresh coriander
Juice from one lemon

1. Dice the cucumber and chop up the mint and coriander.

2. Throw into medium sized bowl. Pour over the lemon juice.

3. Mix in the yogurt. You can season with salt and pepper if you like at this point.

Use as a dip for the onion Bhajias.





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Italian Margherita Pizza - Meatless Monday

I've been a vegetarian for a long time now... Coming up to 20 years... However the husband has not been one.... At all. In fact, he looooooooves meat, even though his doctor told him that his colon cancer was made worse by red meat. For him, meals are meat.



I just took it for granted really. Then I started watching River Cottage Vegetables Everyday. Not only did I get a reminder that vegetarian food is exciting, healthy and tasty (sometimes it's easy to fall into the belief that others are correct when they say, "but you miss out on all those delicious meals"). And he pointed out quite rightly that people rely on meat as the flavour and centre of a meal.



So my offering for Meatless Monday this week is traditional Italian Margherita pizza. A student of mine who was born in Rome, and works at an Italian pizzeria, taught me how to make a good Italian pizza. I was amazed at the simplicity and the depth of flavour.



It is best to make the dough ahead of time, either in the morning or evening before you want pizza.




Base



1 Tbs dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup room temperature water

3 cups sifted flour

Pinch salt

Olive oil



1. Place sugar, yeast and water in a large bowl. Set aside until frothy. Usually 15-20 minutes. I like to do this before beginning cooking something else, then I can kneed the dough while my other meal cooks....



2. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Add wet ingredients. Stir together with a knife.  This will slowly bring the dough together. When it is like one lump, take it out and kneed it on a floured surface.



3. Place the dough into the dry bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and place in a warm area. Allow to rise to about double in size- for about an hour. Then kneed it again.



4. Place dough in dry bowl covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator overnight or until you are almost ready to make pizza.



5. Separate the dough into 3 equal parts and kneed into flat circles. Allow them to rise and warm to room temperature while you make the sauce. The gorgeous Italian who taught me the recipe measured the dough into 200gm lumps. I am never that accurate.... 3 kinda works well.



Sauce



1 tin tomatoes (Italian ones are great)

Oregano (basically to taste... I like about 3 tablespoons)

Salt



1. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until sort of almost smooth. Done.



2. Trust me - it's wonderful sauce. I am planning on changing it to fresh tomatoes as soon as mine are in season.




The actual pizza



Ingredients:

The dough

The sauce

Mozerella cheese - grated

Fresh Basil



1. Roll out the dough flat. Place on a pizza stone or tray and cook in a pizza oven or regular oven at 180 degrees until slightly puffy and golden.







2. Remove base. Spread the sauce over the base. Return to the oven. Cook until the sauce is fragrant.



4. Remove from heat. Sprinkle mozerella cheese on the pizza. Return to the oven. Cook until cheese is bubbling nicely.






5. Remove pizza.Place on cutting board. Tear basil leaves onto the pizza. Slice and eat. Sooooo good. I love the leftovers for breakfast.... When there are leftovers....

Leek and Egg Dumplings

Seriously, the greatest dumpling flavour combination in the world, and I ate a fair few in China.  The flavour combination is traditional, and gorgeous.  Also, there are only 4 real ingredients, so simple, economic and delicious.  Perfect for a meatless meal.

You can make your own dumpling skins, or buy them ready to go.  This is up to you really.  If you have experience making roti or chapati, they are easy.

Dumpling skins

You will need:
2 cups plain white flour, sifted
3/4 cup of boiling water (but let it cool just enough to be able to work it with your hands)

1.  Sift the flour into a bowl.
2.  Boil the water and measure out 3/4 cup.
3.  Stirring with a knife, pour the water into the flour, bringing it together into a dough.
4.  When it is cool enough to work, sprinkle a little flour on a surface and kneed the dough until it is smooth.
5.  Roll into a long tube about 2cm thick.
6.  Cut approx 1cm circles off the tube carefully.
7.  Roll out flat, but not too thin.  I find that about 10-12cm in diametre is good.

Filling

You will need:
4 eggs
2 baby leeks

1.  Crack all the eggs into a bowl.  Whisk.
2.  Finely slice the whole baby leek.  The green colour is amazing which is why I like smaller leeks here.
3.  In a hot wok (or fry pan) pour the eggs.  Cook them as scrambled eggs and keep stirring until the eggs have formed a scrambled texture.
4.  Add the leeks and keep stirring.  The egg should dry out into little 'chunks'.  The leek does not take a lot of cooking.

Assembly

1.  Take a dumpling skin and place about 2 small teaspoons of filling in the centre.
2.  Fold over and press the edges together firmly.

If you wanted to join them in other ways, just check youtube for different methods.  But making little half-circles is probably the easiest method.

The dumplings can be dropped into boiling water and cooked.  They do not take very long at all.  Keep a close eye.  All they need is the skin to go a little shiny or translucent, and to warm the filling through.  Pull out with a slotted spoon or wire scoop.

I prefer them steamed, to do this place in a steamer above boiling water.  This will keep the flavours fresh and strong.

They can also be fried in oil in a pan.  This turns them golden brown.  

Serving

Serve with a dipping sauce of soy, roasted garlic and chilli.  For more fun, also include chopsticks.

Eggs Masala (Meatless Monday)

The husband still isn't convinced of meatlessness as a good thing, but he doesn't complain at these eggs. I like them for lunch, and they are the ideal using up the end of the ingredients before grocery shopping.



Ingredients
1/2 onion
1/2 tomato
3 eggs
Chillies to taste
Garam masala
Turmeric
Cumin seeds
Garlic clove
Olive oil

1. Dice onion and tomato. Toss in a hot pan with oil and cumin seeds, crushed garlic, finely chopped chillies, and other spices to taste.

2. Cook until the onion is clear.

3. With a fork, whisk the 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Tip into the pan with the rest and a little salt and pepper.


Serve on toast, or I prefer rolled into a wrap and toasted in a panini press.



These little containers are brilliant reminders of part vege in my fridge. Whenever I have the tomato and onion I know I am nearly ready for eggs masala.


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