4 Recipes for National Vegetarian Week 2017

Happy National Vegetarian Week 2017! To celebrate, some of our team have tried and tested a handful of simple and delicious vegetarian recipes, perfect for any occasion.

National Vegetarian Week 2017: Four Recipes From Our Team

 

Becky's Char-grilled Vegetable Tabbouleh-Style Pasta with Feta

This is a really fresh vegetarian recipe that is great to make as a nice side-dish for a BBQ or even on it’s own for a light, summery meal. I’ve used orzo pasta in this but you can easily substitute for something gluten-free like buckwheat or quinoa if you’d prefer.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

For the chargrilled vegetables

• 2 courgettes
• 1 aubergine
• 1 large red onion
• 4 vine tomatoes
• 12 small vine tomatoes
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 150g feta cheese
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

For the tabbouleh

• 250g of orzo pasta (or bulgar wheat if going for the traditional tabbouleh)
• handful of fresh mint
• handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

For the tzatziki

• 1/3 of a large cucumber grated
• 1 small glove of garlic
• 1/2 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil
• 250g of natural yoghurt
• a handful of fresh mint
• 1 lemon

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ gas mark 6 2. Chop the courgettes, onion, tomatoes, aubergine, & peppers into small-ish cubes Keep a quarter of these vegetables back and mix the rest up into a bowl with the oregano, whole garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, a glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop into the oven for 25-30mins or until the vegetables are soft and charring slightly on the edges. (keep an eye on them as oven is hot!) 3. Whilst the veg is roasting you can prepare the tabbouleh and tzatziki. 4. Boil a pan of water, add a pinch of salt and the orzo pasta. Cook for as long as requires on the packet (10-12mins approx.) 5. Whilst the orzo is cooking. Take the remaining vegetables and heat a griddle pan hot. Throw the vegetables in with a glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Cook for 10mins until the vegetables have chargrilled. Set aside for later. 6. Take the orzo off the heat once cooked, drain and allow to cool. 7. Chop a large handful of parsley and mint. Add this along with the lemon juice and salt and pepper into the orzo and mix well. 8. For the tzatziki dip, mix the mint, cucumber, salt, pepper & lemon in a bowl. 9. Crumble the feta into small chunks, and mix the chargrilled vegetables, tabbouleh pasta, and griddled veg all together. 10. Serve with the tzatziki dip and a spring of parsley on top!

 

Hannah’s Green Bean Mac & Cheese

This is an interesting twist on your average pasta bake, with added greenery and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch. This recipe isn’t vegan but can easily be made vegan by simply substituting the milk and cheese for vegan options.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 3 tbsp wholemeal flour
• 500ml milk (or substitute almond/ soy milk if you’re vegan)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg (I added extra because I love it!)
• 350g macaroni
• 185g pack runner beans, sliced
• 220g pack fine green beans, sliced
• 140g mature cheddar, half chopped, half grated (or substitute for vegan cheese)
• 25g pumpkin seeds
• Salad leaves to serve (I used spinach but you could also use something more peppery like rocket)

Method

1. Put the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and stir well. Still stirring, slowly pour in a little of the milk and mix well until smooth. Add a little more milk, repeating until all the milk has been added and you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the nutmeg, season, then take off the heat while you cook the pasta. 2. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the macaroni and boil for around 8 minutes. Whilst the pasta is boiling, slice your beans in half. I didn't do this but would certainly recommend it, as it makes serving (and eating) much easier. Add the sliced runner beans and green beans, and boil for a further 3 minutes. 3. Drain the pasta and the beans, and tip into a large gratin dish. Pour over the prepared sauce and tuck the chopped cheese in among the pasta, then top with the grated cheese and pumpkin seeds. Bake for 10-15 mins or until the top is bubbling and golden. Serve with the spinach or peppery salad.

 

Emma's Spinach & Feta Pie

“This is a summer favourite of mine as it looks so great with all the feta and spinach layering and tastes fantastic too – either straight from the oven or cold the next day. I tend to serve mine with this salad.” – Emma. Find her recipe here.

Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry

“This curry is a great recipe to use up leftover vegetables. You can add and adapt the recipe to include whatever you like. If I am cooking for a larger amount of people, I would add butternut squash or chickpeas into the mix too!” – Lindsey. Find her recipe here.   Happy cooking!   Let us know how you get on - we'd love to know if you have any recommendations or adaptions. Just tag us on Twitter or Instagram! You might also love our World Vegetarian Day 2016 Squash Soup recipe from our lovely contributor, Emma Harrel.