Easy tasty vegatarian recipe needed

[dontfollowme]

I'm cooking for someone tomorrow and need something that is impressive but easy to do. It also needs to be fairly quick to make, not too heavy and have ingredients that I can get hold of easily (think Tesco Metro/Sainsburys Local)

This is the front runner at the moment: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root...

Any other ideas?

Cheers

[grumbledoak]

Too hot for that, surely?

I'd be looking at a bean-based salad (a few cans, some green beans or peas, and some herbs) and a tasty dressing.

[H_Kan]

That is way too heavy.

Italian

I'd probably look to do something like a mozzerella, tomato and avocado salad dressed with pesto and good olive oil served with some crusty bread.

Follow up with some ravioli with veg filling (buy the ravioli obviously) dressed with some lemon butter, rocket and parmesan shavings. If they are a really strict vege then you can get vege italian hard cheese which is not bad from most supermarkets. If you have an italian deli nearby then most sell decent premade filled pasta which then requires a quick boil.


Mexican

Tacos with a kidney bean based filling and nice crunchy salad, you can buy all the dips in.


Mixed

You could go for a middle eastern type mezze idea, hummus, grilled halloumi, spinach and feta filo parcels, tazeeki (sp?), baba ganoush, some sort of flat breads and bakalava if you can find them.


Chilled watermelon would be a lovely refreshing way to finish any of these meals.

[Mobile Chicane]

dontfollowme said:

I'm cooking for someone tomorrow and need something that is impressive but easy to do. It also needs to be fairly quick to make, not too heavy and have ingredients that I can get hold of easily (think Tesco Metro/Sainsburys Local)

This is the front runner at the moment: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root...

Any other ideas?

Cheers

Way too heavy for the weather we're having.

However I think you're asking the impossible here for things that are quick and easy to make, have ingredients you can get at petrol stations, but yet are impressive.

In your shoes, I'd cheat. Are you anywhere near a branch of the 'Tas' chain of Anatolian restaurants?

Most of these have take-away facilities. Flatbreads, a couple of dips / salads, a bottle of red, some baklava, coffee, and the job's a good-un.

[Mobile Chicane]

Or try this with hunks of crusty bread and something like fresh pineapple flambéed in butter, rum and sugar as a dessert.

Feta cheese and watermelon salad:



Ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, s & p.

[WestYorkie]

Mobile Chicane said:

Or try this with hunks of crusty bread and something like fresh pineapple flambéed in butter, rum and sugar as a dessert.

Feta cheese and watermelon salad:



Ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, s & p.

Never mind the main. What's this Flambaed Pineapple? Sounds damn good

[Mobile Chicane]

WestYorkie said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Or try this with hunks of crusty bread and something like fresh pineapple flambéed in butter, rum and sugar as a dessert.

Feta cheese and watermelon salad:



Ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, s & p.

Never mind the main. What's this Flambaed Pineapple? Sounds damn good

Melt a large knob of butter in a pan (a good quality non-stick pan is required), melt in a teaspoon of caster sugar, and cook the pineapple wedges on a low-moderate heat until these are slightly caramelised.

Add a splash of rum and light it for a touch of theatre while serving. Like strawberries, a quick grind of black pepper over brings out the flavours of the fruit beautifully.

[WestYorkie]

Phwoor I'll be having a bash at that. Cheers MC

[F i F]

Delia Smith chilladas

Basically spicy lentil burgers. very tasty, very easy, very cheap,

[Plotloss]

Mobile Chicane said:

WestYorkie said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Or try this with hunks of crusty bread and something like fresh pineapple flambéed in butter, rum and sugar as a dessert.

Feta cheese and watermelon salad:



Ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, s & p.

Never mind the main. What's this Flambaed Pineapple? Sounds damn good

Melt a large knob of butter in a pan (a good quality non-stick pan is required), melt in a teaspoon of caster sugar, and cook the pineapple wedges on a low-moderate heat until these are slightly caramelised.

Add a splash of rum and light it for a touch of theatre while serving. Like strawberries, a quick grind of black pepper over brings out the flavours of the fruit beautifully.

I can't think of dinner theatre without thinking of the time, in a restaurant in Jersey, that a waiter serving crepe sousette set fire to his apron, the tablecloth and the floor.

How easily a meal can turn from romance to crying with laughter.

He wasn't pleased, nor was his boss.

[Wadeski]

an easy starter: chinese cucumber salad.

peel, de-seed and dice a small cucumber. sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes.

make a dressing of rice or cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a chopped chilli. dress and serve.

for extra kick, add chilli oil to the dressing and some Sichuan peppercorns. not essential though.

[Murph7355]

Probably a bit late...but oven cooked wild mushroom risotto is easy and quick-ish. Very tasty too, and served with a rocket/watercress salad isn't that heavy.

Vietnamese salad is dead quick and very good. As are any number of couscous salads (serve up with haloumi for some substance).

[Mobile Chicane]

Murph7355 said:

Probably a bit late...but oven cooked wild mushroom risotto is easy and quick-ish. Very tasty too, and served with a rocket/watercress salad isn't that heavy.

Yeah, that. Unbelievably tasty, though an autumn dish I think?

A classic baked risotto recipe is in Delia's 'Winter Collection' - one I always go back to.

[Asterix]

Roasted Aubergine, Peppers, Mushrooms, Fusilli Pasta and Green pesto for two.

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Slice and Aubergine in half and then slice into little finger thick slices
Slice 3 peppers (colour of your choice although I prefer the sweeter red and yellow) and the mushrooms (the big ones about 6 inches across). Chuck it all in a roasting pan, drizzle liberaly with olive oil and season - give it all a good mix and toss and throw it in the oven for about half an hour. Only turn once and be careful if the Aubergines have stuck to the pan as they can mush up if you're heavy handed.

Get the pasta (200g) on the go and heat a large frying pan (or wok), add olive oil and fry a large medium cut onion and 1 clove of garlic on a lowish heat so the onions soften for five mins, then add the roasted veggies, the drained and rinsed pasta and a the full jar of pesto. Whack up the heat to full and mix everything together being carefull not to mush up the aubergine.

Job done - serve in a large bowl and garnish with a few leaves of fresh Basil if you want.

I make this quite often as it is quick, easy and very tasty. The reason I roast the veggies first is to concentrate the flavours and frying straight off with aubergines can mean they soak up all the oil.

...and for it beaing to heavy for the weather...?

We had this a few days back and it was 42C at the time

Edited by Asterix on Wednesday 21st July 09:33

[H_Kan]

dontfollowme said:

I'm cooking for someone tomorrow and need something that is impressive but easy to do. It also needs to be fairly quick to make, not too heavy and have ingredients that I can get hold of easily (think Tesco Metro/Sainsburys Local)

This is the front runner at the moment: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root...

Any other ideas?

Cheers

Well what did you make then?

[bazking69]

Far too late, but I banged up a mediterranean veg risotto the other day and it was sublime. Done well, I'd happily do it over a meat dish anyday!