Tag: #foodie

Vegetarian Taco Meat Burritos
Stylemesisteradmin
June 10, 2019

Over the past two years I’ve grown to love the idea of meat free meal days. Once upon a time I dreaded the idea of finding a vegetable based recipe that wasn’t coated in fat and spices to cover the fact there’s no meat in it.

Nowadays for me it’s no longer a challenge. Possibly because I have found that I simply need to adapt the meat element to be replaced by a non meat product.

There’s plenty of non-meat alternatives available in the UK. I personally love Morrisons own brand Vegetarian Mince from their Taste range for things like Spaghetti Bolognese (400 grams for £1.50 and no they have not paid me to compliment them).

Most Superstores have their own ranges however some famous brands include Quorn and Lindy McCartney. Considering how many more mouths we will need to be feeding in the future and how much farm land we actually have I’ve got to be honest with you; I feel we should all be looking into alternative proteins.

Anyhow….back to the recipe.

I love Burritos! I do. I reallllly do. However I find good ones hard to come by. So I literally created my own at home.

These Burritos contain:

My awesome vegetarian taco meat (recipe here)

My Tex Mex Inspired Burrito Rice (recipe here)

Plus a flurry of other ingredients that pack a punch.

To make 4 Burritos you will need:

  • 1 lot of Vegetarian Taco Meat (heated)
  • 1 lot of Burrito Rice (heated)
  • 4 large Tortilla Wraps (I use corn ones)
  • 1 large red onion diced finely
  • 80 grams of Sweetcorn (cooked)
  • 50 grams Cheddar Cheese (grated)
  • 4 TBSP Salsa
  • 4 TBSP Sliced Jalapeno
  • 1 large tomato deseeded and finely chopped
  • Optional :Hot Sauce

To serve:
Skewers/tooth picks (optional but I find they come in useful to keep things in place)
Burger wraps (I used colourful ones but that’s all I have in)
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Sour cream

The HOW TO:

1)Take a Tortilla Wrapper and gently warm it in the Microwave (10 seconds) or in a dry frying pan. Turn over to avoid it burning. Remove from the pan and place on a chopping board or large plate.

2) Now place the taco meat on the wrap. Spread it in a ‘line’ vertically. We need to pile up the ingredients in a ‘line’ as we need to wrap these badboys up as tight as possible.

3) Now add some rice.

4) Add the Jalepenos, Sweetcorn, Onions, Tomatoes and Cheese.

5) Drizzle on the Salsa and Hot Sauce (if using).

6) Now is the hard bit. It may take some practice but its worth it. Trust me. Fold the horizontal sides in. Now gently start rolling the Burrito trying to tuck everything in. Don’t speed this step up because things will fall to pieces; literally.

7) Once it’s all rolled up take the burger wrapper (or greaseproof paper if using) and wrap it tightly around the Burrito. Add a tooth pick if you feel it needs one. Just let people know there’s one there so they don’t hurt themselves on it.

8) Your Burrito is ready to serve. I serve mine with extra Salsa, Tortilla Chips and Sour Cream.

Easy Seekh Kebabs…
Stylemesisteradmin
May 12, 2019

Healthier than your Takeaway…

There was a time when I would dread making seekh kebabs because I’d struggle with getting the meat to stick to the skewer. Nowadays I’ve learnt a thing or two and and make these kebabs often (as my girls love them and I love the off Kebab Sub).

You can add more/less spices to accommodate your own taste buds.

To make enough kebabs to serve 4…

500 grams mince (I use Mutton however you can use lamb/beef too). Ideally the mince should be ‘marbled’ with fat in other words you can see the fat. If you can’t see any fat you can either ask you butcher to add some (if you use a butcher) or you can spray oil onto the kebabs whilst cooking them.

3 heaped TBSP Coriander leaves and stalks chopped finely
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 heaped TBSP pre-fried onions soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained.
3 green chilies chopped finely (or use chili paste)
1 TSP garlic paste
8-12 mint leaves chopped finely
1 TBSP cumin seed powder (heaped)
1 TBSP coriander seed powder (heaped)
Salt-to taste
1 TSP amchoor (green mango powder. It adds a bit of tartness)
OPTIONAL: liquid smoke flavouring

Wooden skewer sticks. If you are going to cook these kebabs on the BBQ soak the wooden skewers to avoid them catching fire.

1) Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2) With your hands mix the mince thoroughly.
3) Divide up the mixture into equal portions. You want to make long sausage shape skewers but thinner than the average banger.
4) Wet your hands and take the mince into one of your hands. Now shape it around the skewer. The mixture should be tightly packed around the skewer to stop it falling apart.
5) Cover the kebabs with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6) Now you will either shallow fry or BBQ the kebabs. If you are shallow frying take a large pan and heat it on a medium heat. Fry a few kebabs at a time. Turn over and fry until the kebabs are golden all over.
7) Drain on kitchen paper.
8) Serve your Kebabs with your choice of chutneys and sauces.

NOTES:
These kebabs can be frozen successfully for up to 3 months. To freeze cook the kebabs, cool them completely and freeze them open on a baking tray for an hour. Then transfer the kebabs to a airtight container of bag.

Super Green Alu Tikkis
Stylemesisteradmin
May 11, 2019

Super Green Alu Tikkis…..because green is glory.

Green vegetables in a Tikki you say? Really? Indeed! My girls love these so much we use the mixture to create Burgers too.

Getting some children to eat anything green and ‘healthy’ looking can be tiresome. This recipe takes the classic Alu Tikki (potato Tikki) and rammed it with good stuff (being spinach and peas). These Tikkis taste like Spring…so enjoy.

To make enough to serve 4 people you will need:

  • Ingredients
  • 80 grams peas or petite pois cooked, drained and cooled
  • 40 grams baby spinach cooked (I cook it in the microwave as it takes minutes. I place the spinach in a microwaveble dish, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover with microwavable cling film. I poke a few holes in the film to let steam escape. Takes a few minutes. Job done).
  • 200-250 grams potatoes-boiled (that’s two medium potatoes if you are not fussed my weights). Mashed OR riced.
  • 2 spring onions (green onions) washed and thinly sliced.
  • Salt-to taste
  • 1 & 1/2 TBSP cornflour
  • 1 heaped TBSP coriander leaves chopped finely
  • 1 TSP cumin seed powder
  • 1 TSP coriander seed powder
  • 1/2 TSP chili powder
  • 1 heaped TSP garlic granules
  • 1 TSP amchoor (green mango powder-I add this to give a tang. If you can’t find this ingredient don’t panic and just leave it out and squeeze over some lime before serving the tikkis).

Oil-to shallow fry

1) Whiz together the peas and spinach to create a rough mixture. You can roughly chop the mixture by hand if you haven’t got a processor.

2) Place the mashed potato in a bowl and add all the tikki ingredients. Using your hands get in there and combine the ingredients (don’t forget to wash your hands properly after as there is chili in the mixture).

3) Using wet hands shape your tikkis. You can make medium ones using a walnut size amount of mixture. Or if you want to serve these as canapes/starters make them smaller.

4) In a large pan heat the oil on a medium heat. Fry the tikkis on a medium heat until lightly golden brown. Do not keep turning the tikkis over as this will increase the chances of breaking them.

5) Once brown on both sides drain off on kitchen paper (the tikkis should take about 5 minutes maximum on each side).

6) Serve with chutneys and sauces of your choice.

NOTES: the corn flour is added to help keep the tikkis together. If you cannot get your hands on it replace with Basan (gram flour).

This mixture makes great vegetarian burgers.

These Tikkis do not freeze well. This in my humble foodie opinion is down the the spinach but still. These badboys make awesome burgers (including veggie dirty burgers…recipe coming soon).

Easy Rajmah Tikkis
Alliyah Dawud
May 10, 2019

Alu Tikkis are one of my favourite all time desi foods. My love of tikkis means I am always trying to come up with variations that are healthy and will bring a bit of va va voom to the dinner table.

I love Rajmah dhal. Its at number two at my favourite and most cooked dhal at home (Tarka dhal being at number one). Nowadays you can pick up cooked Kidney Beans in a can for around 30 pence in England. I usually use two cans to make myself Rajmah dhal and believe me pre-cooked anything saves time in the kitchen.

My love of lentils, pulses and healthier desi food brought me onto the idea of making a tikki from this bean.

This recipe combines a bit of potato with the beans. I find this definitely helps the texture of the tikkis and also helps keeps them together. Plus it reduces down the carbs in the Tikki.

This is a nice, economical recipe. You can use wonky potatoes to make these tikkis.

These Tikkis can be frozen up to a month successfully. Fry them, cool them, open freeze them on a baking sheet for around an hour and then wrap them in greaseproof paper before placing them in an airtight freezer container or ziploc bag.

To make enough to serve 4 you’ll need:

  • 1 x 400 grams Red Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
  • 200-250 grams potatoes-boiled (that’s two medium potatoes if you are not fussed my weights).
  • Salt-to taste
  • 1 & 1/2 TBSP cornflour
  • 1 heaped TBSP coriander leaves chopped finely
  • 1 TSP cumin seed powder
  • 1 TSP coriander seed powder
  • 1/2 TSP chili powder

Oil-to shallow fry

1) Mash the potatoes and the kidney beans to form a mash/dough. You can blitz the beans in a processor if that makes you feel better because lets face it. Mashing beans isn’t all fun and games.

2) Now add all the other tikki ingredients to the mixture. Using your hands mix well.

3) Using wet hands shape your tikkis. You can make medium ones using a walnut size amount of mixture. Or if you want to serve these as canapes/starters make them smaller.

4) In a large pan heat the oil on a medium heat. Fry the tikkis on a medium heat until lightly golden brown. Do not keep turning the tikkis over as this will increase the chances of breaking them.

5) Once brown on both sides drain off on kitchen paper.

6) Serve with chutneys and sauces of your choice.

NOTES: the corn flour is added to help keep the tikkis together. If you cannot get your hands on it replace with Basan (gram flour).

The beans and potatoes are already cooked so don’t worry if the tikkis are fried to golden brown within minutes. Kidney beans only cause problems if they are not cooked properly. And in this case they are already cooked.

Additional Tip: I use my trusted potato ricer to mash the potatoes. I don’t even need to peel the potato to use it. I can boil the potato whole (skin on) or bake it (skin on of course) and put it through the ricer.

Coriander and Lemon Potato Curry
Alliyah Dawud
May 3, 2019


I’ll be frank with you. I love curries but I get bored of the same old same old situation.
When the (former) Boss and I decided to have Lunch at mine I created what I would consider a Vegetarian Banquet. I absolutely love vegetarian curries. I believe they showcase how awesome and easy vegetables are to work with. Plus with my healthy food kick I am always looking at healthier meals. It helps that I love daals/pulses!

One of the curries I created was this one. Its a simple, frugal curry I believe is perfect for Spring and Summer as it’s lighter than other curries. There’s no tomatoes in this curry and that’s why it wouldn’t look like a standard red curry.

I serve this curry with plain boiled rice. It also tastes equally awesome the next day. It cooks in less than 30 minutes and children love it too.

This recipe is actually VEGAN. So to my vegan readers I hope this is music to their ears.

To serve 4-6 people (depending on curry portion sizes)

400 grams (baby potatoes work, as do standard potatoes cut into rounds that are pound thickness).
2 RBSP rapeseed oil
1 large onion sliced thinly
5 cloves of garlic-crushed
4 TBSP fresh coriander (including stalks) chopped finely
2 lemons-juiced
1 TBSP coriander seed powder crushed
1 TBSP cumin powder
Salt-to taste
OPTIONAL: 1 TSP chili powder or 1 TSP chili flakes.
1500-2000 ml water (plain stuff from the tap)

To serve:
Lemon wedges (optional)
Yogurt (vegan to keep the recipe vegan)-optional
Plain boiled rice ( I use Basmati).

I assume you guys have prepared the ingredients as above…lets get cracking.

1) Heat the oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry until onions are soft NOT browned.
2) Add the potatoes and stir well. ‘Fry’ for 5 minutes stirring to ensure the potatoes don’t stick.
3) Now add the garlic and fry for one minute. You’ll be ‘hit’ with a shot of garlic scent. That tells us we are ready for the next step.
4) Now add the salt and dried spices. Stir well to coat the potatoes. If the spices start to ‘burn’ or the mixture starts to stick add 2 TBSP of water to the potatoes.
5) Add HALF the coriander. Stir well.
6) Now add 1500 ml (1.5 litres) to the potatoes. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and cover the pan. You need to cook the potatoes until tender. Now this will vary depending on which potatoes you are using. So after 8 minutes ‘test’ the spuds. I usually do this by carefully inserting a sharp knife tip into the potato. If it starts to fall apart its done. It its hard as nails you need to cook it more. I found my standard potatoes took 18 minutes too cook. Now you will be thinking why do you have water left over? Answer: if you want a more ‘runny’ curry you need to add all the liquid. If you prefer a drier curry stick to 1500 ml. Always remember that if water evaporates too quickly the potatoes won’t cook and you need to add more. It’s that simple.
7) Once the potatoes are cooked turn off the heat. Now add the remaining coriander and lemon juice. Stir through.
8) Serve!

I served with rice but you can serve the curry with Naans or maybe Parathas.

Store leftovers in the fridge and warm through thoroughly before serving.

Delicious.