This simple Lima bean soup is sweet and savoury and very satisfying. Â The starchy Lima beans help to give the broth the perfect thickness and also provide a sweet counterpoint to the kale and spices. Â The soup also freezes well, so don’t worry if you can’t finish it all in a few days. (Why not also have a go at this red lentil and sweet potato soup?)
Something like a fancier, vegetarian version of traditional shepherds pie, this winter vegetable pie recipe makes for a great Sunday lunch and is a good way to trick younger kids into eating their turnips and parsnips without them even realising it! Â I usually prepare this in one large oven-safe dish, but an interesting presentation alternative is to bake individual portions in small, round dishes and give everyone their own. Â If you find your kids still make faces and don’t want to eat it, try doubling the amount of cheese; in my experience, this seems to work just as well as the proverbial spoonful of sugar!
Although it’s only vegetables, this dish can be quite heavy. For a lighter cheesy recipe to “fool” kids into eating their veggies, try this baked fennel with tomato gratin. For dessert, I recommend this carrot halwa.
Serve this dish with cheesy bread for dipping. I also like to set aside a little ramekin with the tomato sauce to pour over the mashed potatoes right before serving. But that’s because I really love tomatoes. Most people tell me that the tomatoes inside the pie are plenty, but I just never can get enough!
Mix well and season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Place the vegetable mixture in a deep oven-proof dish and cover with a layer of mashed potato and turnip.
Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the top and cook in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the mash turns golden brown and a bit crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Mashed potatoes and gravy, so yummy, and so many memories!  I’ve been trying to stay away from beef and chicken lately, and the ingredients list on most gravy mixes just make me shiver, so I decided to come up with a vegetarian version of this traditional favourite.  This mashed potatoes and onion gravy recipe is the result.
You can serve it as a side dish to accompany pretty much any meat if you want, or alternatively you could throw some bangers into the mix for a quick and easy bangers and mash. Â If you want to keep it vegetarian-friendly, just use veggie-bangers or serve alongside some seitan or veggie burgers. Â If you’re a vegan, substitute the butter for margarine or oil and replace the milk with soy or rice milk – just make sure you choose one that’s not too sweet as that can ruin the taste.
You need:
For the Gravy:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
500ml water
1 vegetable stock cube (gluten-free)
1 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp olive oil
For the mash:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
200 ml whole milk
50 grams butter
Steps:
For the gravy:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Artichokes are a wonderfully tasty vegetable that bring an authentic Mediterranean flavour to any dish, and this oven-baked artichoke dip is no exception! As an added bonus, artichokes are known to have one of the highest antioxidant capacities of all vegetables, are diuretic and even help to reduce cholesterol!
This dip has a sweet roasted flavour and will be sure to impress your guests at your next dinner party. Serve it in a bowl with a plate of fresh chopped veggies, savoury biscuits, crisps, or myrosemary focaccia recipe. I guarantee the bowl will be empty long before the night is through!
You Need:
125ml fresh lemon juice
185ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package (400g) frozen artichokes, thawed
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or soy alternative
Additional salt and pepper to taste
A selection of chopped mixed vegetables or crisps or biscuits for dipping.
Steps:
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 175ºC.
In a large, heavy frying pan, combine 6 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Add the artichokes to the lemon juice mixture and toss to coat them in the liquid.
Bring the mixture to boil, remove from heat, and transfer from the frying pan to an oven-proof dish.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
Place the roasted artichokes in a food processor and add the rest of the lemon juice, the remaining oil, and the thyme, basil, and Parmesan cheese.
Process until thoroughly blended and smooth.
Taste the dip and add additional salt and pepper if required.
Serve immediately with some chopped veggies, crisps or savoury biscuits.
We all know what cauliflower tastes like, don’t we? Â I know I used to think it was just one of those stinky vegetables that is prepared by boiling the heck out of it until it turns mushy and pretty much flavourless.
However, it turns out that cauliflower can actually taste incredibly good, as long as you avoid overcooking it – a typical beginner’s mistake. Â This quick and easy oven-baked cauliflower and garlic recipe brings the lowly cauliflower to a whole new level and is so simple to prepare that even the greenest of cooks will have no problem getting it right the first time.
The real secret behind the recipe is, as usual, the garlic and herbs. Â The rosemary and thyme give the cauliflower a wonderful aromatic touch and the roasted garlic – well, let’s just say it’s almost too good to describe. Â I use oven-roasted garlic in a lot of my recipes, mostly because I really love the taste of garlic, but my poor stomach has a hard time digesting it raw or even fried. Â However, when you roast it, the flavour is actually enhanced, while at the same time the “bite” is lessened, so you can eat lots and lots of it with none of the typical side-effects.
Fresh rosemary and thyme are the best of option if you can get them, but if you can’t, then the dried variety will do just fine. Â As always, the better quality the ingredients you use, the better the results will be.
As an option, try sprinkling some Parmesan cheese on top after stirring the mix in step 6. This version is a big favourite with my kids.
You need:
1 large head of cauliflower
16 garlic cloves
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
Steps:
Preheat oven to 200ºC.
Wash the cauliflower and cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
Peel the garlic, but leave the cloves whole.
Place the cauliflower, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and oil in a deep baking dish and toss well, making sure all the cauliflower is coated in oil and herbs.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Stir the mix well and bake for another 15 minutes.
This turkey and sun-dried tomato loaf with onion gravy makes for a great Sunday afternoon roast replacement, like this lamb roast with garlic and rosemary. Â I like to use turkey mince, but it should work fine with whatever mince you prefer, or even textured vegetable protein if you want to make it vegetarian-friendly.
You Need:
For the loaf:
250g sun-dried tomatoes
500ml boiling water
65g cornflakes, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
½ medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2tbsps mushroom or vegetable broth
2 large eggs
125g creamy Havarti cheese, shredded
2tsps dried basil
1tsp dried parsley
1tsp dried oregano
½tsp dried thyme
½tsp freshly ground pepper
½tsp salt
700g turkey mince
Vegetable oil spray
For the gravy:
1 medium onion, diced
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 stock cube (vegetable or chicken)
2tsps thyme
500ml water
4tbsp cornflour + 2tbsp water, mixed together to form a thick pasteÂ
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
Submerge the sun-dried tomatoes in the boiling water for a few minutes to soften and then drain. Chop into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
Add the crushed cereal and mix to coat. Set aside.