Seven Delicious Meatless Monday Recipes

One of the only things my family doesn’t like about the fact that I love to invent and develop new recipes, is that often, once I have made something I rarely make it again. In my quest for the new and different, the old favourites get left by the wayside. So recently, at my family’s request, I have been cooking many of our old favourites. So here are seven of my family’s favourite Meatless Monday recipes from Mondays gone by.

Parsnip Potato and Leek Gratin

Creamy Summer Spaghetti (it’s lovely in winter too!)

Cashew Nut Stir Fry

Risotto Primavera

Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Stew

Easy Vegetarian Spaghetti One Pot

Tofu Stir Fry with Hoisin Sauce

My Vegetarian Chili

It's Meatless Monday again and today I want to share my chili recipe. It is full of nutrition and flavour and everyone I serve it to seems to love it.

My family are not huge bean lovers, but they do love vegetables, so when developing my own vegetarian chili I decided to focus on the bit they liked the best. The vegetables I have used are a bit unconventional when it comes to chili, but this recipe does have a nice kick to it. Having said that, my family are fairly conservative when it comes to spices, so if you want to add more chili powder, or even some fresh chilis, please feel free.

Chili is traditionally served with white rice in England, and I also like to serve this with brown, basmati or wild rice. However, it is also lovely with toast, or even tortilla chips if you fancy them. And I can’t help but think it would be nice with lightly spiced couscous too, or even just a basket of lovely warmed rolls.

To serve four to five people, you need:

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil.)

1 large onion, peeled and sliced in half moons or 3 leeks, thinly sliced, rinsed and drained

2 carrots, peeled, halved and cut in small chunks

2 parsnips, peeled, halved and cut in chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled, quartered and cut in chunks

1 zucchini, cut in half and then half moon shapes

1 red pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1 can (about 14 ounces) chopped tomatoes, preferably organic

1 can (about 14 ounces) mixed beans, preferably organic, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, peeled

¼ to ½ teaspoon chili powder

½ cup good red wine

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat to oven to 375℉ (160 to 170℃).

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large casserole with a lid - one that goes from the stove top to the oven safely. Add the onions or leeks and stir fry for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrots, and stir fry for a few minutes longer so that they begin to soften a little too.

Add the parsnips, sweet potato, zucchini and peppers. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in the canned tomatoes and the beans. Grate in the garlic and add the chili powder. Add the red wine and mix in well.

Cook on the stove top for a few minutes, bringing the mixture almost to the boil. Then cover and transfer to the oven.  Cook for 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables have softened but still keep their shape. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve and enjoy.

Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Stew

I love stews this time of year. They are comforting and delicious, and they make the house smell beautiful when they are cooking. Vegetarian stews don’t take as long to cook as the ones containing meat, but they do benefit from about an hour or so in the oven so that the flavours can all blend together.

I’ve tried lots of different combinations of vegetables and this is the one we like best in our house, but I don’t mean to be prescriptive, and of course you can change things round to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. This one makes a fantastic Meatless Monday dinner, and the leftovers are lovely the next day too.

To serve four to six people, you need:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil)

1 red onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced in half moons

1 cup white mushrooms, quartered

3 parsnips, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced in chunky sticks

3 carrots, peeled, cut in half and sliced in chunky sticks

1 red pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1 can (about 14 ounces) chopped tomatoes, preferably organic

1 can (about 14 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon chopped or dried flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (160 to 170℃).

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large stove top to oven casserole with a lid. Add the onion and sauté gently until it begins to soften. Add mushrooms and stir fry for a few moments longer. Add the parsnips, carrots and red pepper and stir until coated in the oily oniony mixture.

Add the tomatoes, beans, bay leaf and oregano and stir through. Pop the lid on and place in the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on a heatproof surface.

Carefully taste the stew and add salt and pepper if necessary. If the vegetables are softened, return to the oven for five minutes or so, but if they are still not soft enough, return to the oven for ten to fifteen minutes.

Serve when the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape. Serve garnished with the parsley. I like to serve this with a basket of hot rolls, but for a heartier meal you can serve it with crushed new potatoes or rice.

Meatless Monday - The 21st Century Housewife's Vegetable Biryani

This is more an ode to biryani than a proper authentic version - I am no expert on Indian cuisine and any dishes I create are highly flavoured with my own experience and my family’s tastes. This dish, however, does have echoes of the vegetable biryani I have eaten in Indian restaurants and a wonderful warming and comforting flavour that is perfect for cool autumn nights.

My family and I do like spice, but in its milder, more subdued form, so if you are a spice lover, the quantities of in this dish may seem small. They can, of course, be increased, although I recommend increasing them proportionately (ie. use the same amount of cilantro as garam masala, and half as much cumin) as the flavours really do sing out beautifully in those proportions. Saffron can be expensive, so if you would prefer not to use it, feel free to leave it out. However if you do have some on hand it definitely enhances the flavours in this dish so is well worth including. It also adds a gorgeous hint of colour to the cauliflower and to the rice.

You can vary the vegetables in this dish according to what you have on hand, although cauliflower is almost always a part of a vegetable biryani so I encourage you to use it if at all possible. Make sure your vegetables are cut small, and that florets are kept small too, so that it does not take too long to cook. Again, this isn’t strictly authentic, as many biryani dishes are cooked long and slow, but I like the subtle crunch it gives this dish.

My method of adding some of the rice to the vegetable mixture at the end is definitely something you would not find in a true biyani, but I like the texture and appearance it gives to this dish. However if you prefer, just keep all the rice separate and serve the vegetables over top of it.

Lovely served with a basket of warmed nan breads on the side if you can get hold of them, this recipe will serve four to six people, depending on age and appetite.

2 cups of rice, basmati if possible or whole grain if you prefer

2 tablespoons olive oil, or other mild vegetarian cooking oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup green beans

½ cup cashew nuts

¼ to ½ cup vegetable stock

(You can use hot water in a pinch, but stock is best - ready made or from a cube is fine.)

1 teaspoon curry powder (I use garam masala)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried ground cilantro (known as coriander in the UK)

2 pinches of saffron

freshly chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish, if desired

Cook the rice in lots of boiling salted water according to package directions, adding a pinch of saffron to the cooking water if desired.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion over medium heat until pale and translucent. Toss in the carrots, cauliflower and broccoli florets and stir fry for a few minutes.

Dissolve another pinch of saffron in a quarter cup of the vegetable stock (if you are using saffron). Add the quarter cup of the stock to the pan with the vegetables along with the curry powder, cumin and dried cilantro. Add the green beans. Pop the lid on and cook over low to medium heat for two or three minutes until the vegetables are tender but still crisp.

Remove the lid and add the cashews, stirring to warm through. Drain the rice well and add about a quarter of it to the vegetable mixture in the pan, stirring through lightly. Add a bit more stock if you feel it needs it.

Serve this mixture on a bed of the remaining rice.

The 21st Century Housewife's Eggplant & Zucchini Milanese

This is a really comforting and delicious meal, but it does take a little bit of effort and the timing is pretty important. Having said that, it tastes so good it is worth that little bit of extra effort! It’s a great way to use up those zucchini that get a bit over-grown in the garden, although it goes without saying that if you only have eggplant you can just use one or the other. You can also use normal size zucchini, but it does make things a bit more fiddly as you need more slices. The number of vegetables you need really depends on their size. Basically you want the equivalent of three or four large slices of the fried veggies per person.

Use whatever tomato sauce you like, be it homemade or from a jar.

Remember you need to be careful when working with very hot oil. It is really flammable and it spits, so take care! Be sure to remove the oil from the heat as soon as you have finished cooking.

To serve four people you need:-

1 to 2 eggplants, washed with the top and end removed, and sliced in half inch slices

1 very large zucchini, washed with the top and end removed, and sliced in half inch slices

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

5 fluid ounces sparkling water

about 1 cup thinly shaved or grated vegetarian cheese (preferably mozzarella)

2 cups tomato sauce

about 12 ounces spaghetti (enough for 4 people)

sunflower or olive oil (not Extra Virgin)

Start the spaghetti cooking in boiling salted water as per the package instructions, and heat about a half inch of oil in a large frying pan.

Turn the oven on to medium (about 300℉ or 150℃), and warm a baking sheet.

Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a medium size bowl. Gradually whisk in the sparkling water.

Place the tomato sauce in a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Take a small spoonful of batter and sprinkle a few drops of batter in the oil. If it sizzles up nicely, it is ready. If not, get it a bit hotter. The hotter the oil, the less will be absorbed into the vegetables.

When the oil is ready, dip the vegetable slices into the batter (it’s best to cook the zucchini first) and put about four to five slices at a time into the oil. Leave the slices for two to three minutes and then just peek the bottom of one using tongs. Once you can see they are browning, then turn the slices over and cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. When both sides are brown, drain the slices on paper towels. Place the slices on the baking sheet and put a couple slivers of the cheese on top of each slice.

Put the baking sheet in the oven, and repeat the battering and frying steps with all the zucchini and eggplant slices, remembering to drain them, top with cheese and keep warm in the oven.

When the spaghetti is done, drain it and return it to the pan. Hopefully by now all your vegetables will be cooked, but if not, carry on cooking them, keeping the spaghetti warm and stirring occasionally from time to time.

Serve as in the photograph at the top of the recipe, with a bit of tomato sauce atop the fried eggplant and zucchini slices and a bit of spaghetti topped with tomato sauce on the side.  You can sprinkle some more cheese on top if you like.

The 21st Century Housewife's Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is a traditional Italian dish, and it is one of my favourites. (If eggplant is unfamiliar to you, you may know it as aubergine.)  Sadly, until recently, I was the only one in our house who liked it.  My husband and son are not fond of hot chopped tomatoes and my son did not like eggplant at all.  It always seemed a shame to make a big dish of something no one but me liked, so I got to thinking one day that perhaps if I could change the traditional recipe I was following, I might be able to create something with the wonderful taste of the original, but without the ingredients my family did not enjoy. Of course, it was impossible to eliminate the eggplant from the recipe, but I did lose the chopped tomatoes, added some new ingredients and changed the proportions of others. 

Anyway, after a couple of attempts I came up with a version of the recipe that was an incredible success. We all loved it, and my son enjoyed it so much that he decided he does like eggplant after all, much to my great delight. 

The only problem with this recipe is that it is not very photogenic (either that or perhaps I’m not very good at photographing eggplant parmigiana) so I apologise for the lack of a proper photograph with this post!

Eggplant Parmigiana works really well as a side dish or main course.  The recipe below will serve four as a main dish, or five to six as a side dish.  It improves with keeping, so it is a great make ahead dish, and will keep for up to three days covered in the fridge.

About 4 - 5 tablespoons olive oil

3 - 4  Eggplants, washed and sliced longways in medium slices

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 large clove garlic

1 – 750 ml jar ready-prepared vegetarian spaghetti sauce

OR 3 cups passata (sieved tomatoes)

1 vegetable stock cube

a couple of handfuls of fresh basil leaves

5 ounces Parmigiana Regianno or similar cheese, grated

(be sure to get a vegetarian cheese if you want to keep this strictly vegetarian)

2 eggs, beaten

You need a large rectangular or oval casserole pan, about two to three inches deep, a deep sauté pan and a medium non-stick frying pan.  Preheat your oven to 350℉ or about 170℃.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the saute pan and gently fry the onion over medium heat until it begins to go translucent. Grate the garlic into the pan, lower the heat and add the jar of spaghetti sauce. Crumble in the stock cube and stir until it dissolves. Simmer the sauce gently for about twenty minutes, stirring from time to time. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the eggplant slices in batches for about two minutes on each side. Remove and set aside as they are done. You will need to add a bit more oil from time to time. Don’t get carried away though as eggplants will absorb as much oil as you give them - hence my recommendation for a non-stick pan! 

Now you are ready for the assembly. Make sure you have your grated cheese and basil to hand and begin to layer the ingredients in the casserole dish as follows:-

Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom and cover with a bit of the sauce and one third of the cheese. Scatter some basil leaves over top. Repeat the once more.  Now place a final layer of eggplant over top and coat it with a very thin layer of tomato sauce. Mix the last third of the cheese in with the beaten eggs, and pour this mixture over top of the whole casserole, spreading it out so that it reaches the edges (without spilling over).  

Carefully place the casserole in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the eggplant is tender when you slide a knife into the casserole and the egg and cheese topping is nicely browned. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for five to ten minutes before serving. 

My First Experience Cooking with Tofu

I’m not a vegetarian but I do enjoy meat-free meals, ordering them in restaurants and frequently cooking them at home, but one thing I’ve always been nervous about is cooking with tofu.  I have eaten it on many occasions, however up until last week I had never cooked with it myself. 

I had trouble imagining how I could transform the white, slightly slimy looking blocks I saw in the grocery store into something I could want to eat and the thought of having to press or drain it extensively and then marinate it always put me off.  Recently though I have noticed more and more ‘ready to use’ tofu in stores.  It is cut into bite size pieces and is already marinated which gives it a bit more appetizing colour. 

So last week I took my courage in both hands and bought one of the packages of ginger and garlic marinated tofu.  I was pleased to read it cooked in only five minutes, making it perfect to use in my cashew nut stir fry recipe in place of the cashews.  It turned out really well, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, especially my long-suffering son who has been encouraging me to cook with tofu for ages!

1 to 2 tablespoons oil, sesame for preference

160 gram package (5 to 6 ounces) marinated tofu pieces (ginger and garlic)

2 or 3 leeks, finely shredded and thoroughly washed or 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced

2 or 3 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

2 to 3 packages ready to cook noodles or 2 or 3 nests of dried noodles, cooked, drained and tossed in a little oil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok.  Add the leeks or onion, peppers and carrots and stir fry for about three minutes.  

Add the tofu and stir fry for five minutes.  

Toss in the noodles, heat through and serve. 

That’s it, a quick and easy meat-free meal to serve up to four people.  It was delicious and I’m sure I’ll be cooking with tofu again soon!

The 21st Century Housewife's© Cabbage with Red Onion and Madeira Sauce

Cabbage is one of "those" vegetables. Along with Brussel sprouts and spinach, it's had a bad reputation for years, but properly cooked, both red and green cabbage are absolutely delicious. They are also really, really good for you, and usually very reasonably priced so great for the budget. I developed this recipe when I was trying to think of things to serve alongside leftover ham and turkey after Christmas, but I've since discovered it goes with just about everything.

2 tablespoons oil (I used olive, but sunflower or Canola would be fine)
1 red onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small cabbage, shredded
¼ cup Madeira or sherry
¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock (from a cube is absolutely fine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a frying pan (with a lid) and sauté the red onion over low heat until it is just beginning to soften. Add the sugar and stir to mix through.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the shredded cabbage. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the cabbage is tender-crisp. Add the Madeira or sherry and the chicken stock, along with the soy sauce. Stir to mix and bring to the boil. Allow to bubble away for a minute or so just to let the liquid reduce a bit. Add the peas. Then put the lid on the frying pan, lower the heat and cook for about three to five minutes. (You still want the peas to be nice, bright green.)

Serves four to five as a side dish.

Cashew Nut Stir Fry

I have an organic vegetable box delivered from time to time, and this week’s was an absolute cornucopia of delights. Fresh red onions, carrots, asparagus and peppers sat waiting to be united in deliciousness. Of course, one of the best ways to cook fresh vegetables is lightly, serving them while they are still fairly crisp - and one of the easiest ways to do this is in a stir fry. We are still trying to eat less meat, so I decided to incorporate our favourite nuts in this recipe, both for reasons of nutrition and taste. It was very much a thrown together dinner, but the results were scrumptious.

I’ve listed ingredients for two, but the quantities are very generous. You can easily increase or decrease quantities as required. You can use olive oil instead of sesame oil if you prefer, but it really is worth using the sesame oil for its wonderful flavour.

about 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 “nests” of medium noodles
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 generous handful of white mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced in thin strips
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
a handful of asparagus, each piece cut in two or three
4 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
5 tablespoons of soy sauce
a handful of roasted, salted cashew nuts

Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package directions. When cooked, drain and toss in about 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the rest of the sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok until it is nearly smoking. Add the onions and mushrooms and stir fry for a couple seconds. Then add the carrots and red pepper. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add the asparagus and continue to stir fry until all the vegetables are tender crisp (about five minutes).

Stir in the Thai sweet chili sauce and the soy sauce, tossing to coat the vegetables. Add the noodles and cashews to the pan, stirring to coat with the sauce and heat through.

Divide the mixture between two bowls (or three if you are not as greedy as we are!) and enjoy.