Last year was our 10th wedding anniversary. We spent the weekend at a posh hotel in Bath. And for dinner we went to a vegetarian restaurant. DeMuth's. OH! what a fantastic treat it was to be able to choose ANYTHING at all on the menu. I was almost delirious with joy!
What an absolute thrill it was to consider properly every single dish described and be stuck for choice at all the deliciousness leaping up into my mind at the thought of each and every dish presented for consideration.
There was no searching for the little green "v" signs. No disappointment at the lack of said "v's". No frustration at the banality of the "v's".
Once, upon finding no "v's" at all on one menu, we were offered "parsnip bake" and another time, on expressing disappointment at yet another goats cheese salad on yet another menu, we were offered lamb or chicken as a suitable "v" option.
When will caterer's realise that Stuffed Aubergine and Mediterranean Vegetable Tart is BORING???
Once, upon finding no "v's" at all on one menu, we were offered "parsnip bake" and another time, on expressing disappointment at yet another goats cheese salad on yet another menu, we were offered lamb or chicken as a suitable "v" option.
When will caterer's realise that Stuffed Aubergine and Mediterranean Vegetable Tart is BORING???
Why why oh WHY, when there is so much delicious food and so much choice available to us (for good or for bad), can carnivores never reach past their meaty imaginations into veggie wonder? Why do people think that "Sunday roast without the pork" is a suitable option when frankly, it's just lazy and unkind.
Surely delicious food is delicious food whether or not it contains flesh? My grandfather was a top chef, my parents were hoteliers. My mother - after her father - is the best cook I know, but give her the challenge of cooking "vegetarian" food and what does she come up with? Frozen pizza!
It's all to do with labels.
So many every day dishes are meat free, but give them the "v" label, and they become "difficult".
Gordon Ramsay says that "vegetarians have no palate". Curses to that man! Especially as many of his "delicious recipes using the freshest, most vibrant ingredients" do not include meat!!
So tonight I am sharing with you, a recipe inspired by that wonderful restaurant in Bath.
It's a Quinoa and Halloumi Salad with Raw Vegetables and Pea Shoots:
Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa (or cous cous if you prefer but I find Quinoa more tasty and it's better for you)
1 red pepper sliced finely
50g sunblush tomatoes
chives
raw salad: finely shredded cabbage, carrot, beetroot and (raw) sweetcorn kernals
2 or 3 little gem hearts
bag Pea Shoots (from waitrose - or grow your own)
1 pack halloumi cheese
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
How to:
1) Cook the quinoa in twice it's volume of water and add a stock cube or a tsp marigold bouillion to taste. Fluff up when it's done (when all the water is absorbed) and leave to cool. Add chopped chives and black pepper to taste.
2) Chop red pepper and tomatoes very finely and add to warm quinoa. Dress with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1sp Balsamic vinegar. Set aside
3) Wash your little Gems and chop into 1 inch slices. Set aside
4) Slice your halloumi thickly (about 1cm), brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and griddle until the cheese is soft. Set aside to cool a little.
5) Assemble the salad: pile pea shoots, raw salad and little gem onto a plate, with some quinoa salad on top, and the halloumi on top of that.
6) Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of tamari.
Et Voila! Deliciousness on a plate ...
Additional ideas:
1) Add sprouts (sunflower or lentil for me) for extra crunch.
2) Leftovers can be stuffed into a mini pita with garlic mayo for the most delicious taste sensation ever!
Surely delicious food is delicious food whether or not it contains flesh? My grandfather was a top chef, my parents were hoteliers. My mother - after her father - is the best cook I know, but give her the challenge of cooking "vegetarian" food and what does she come up with? Frozen pizza!
It's all to do with labels.
So many every day dishes are meat free, but give them the "v" label, and they become "difficult".
Gordon Ramsay says that "vegetarians have no palate". Curses to that man! Especially as many of his "delicious recipes using the freshest, most vibrant ingredients" do not include meat!!
So tonight I am sharing with you, a recipe inspired by that wonderful restaurant in Bath.
It's a Quinoa and Halloumi Salad with Raw Vegetables and Pea Shoots:
Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa (or cous cous if you prefer but I find Quinoa more tasty and it's better for you)
1 red pepper sliced finely
50g sunblush tomatoes
chives
raw salad: finely shredded cabbage, carrot, beetroot and (raw) sweetcorn kernals
2 or 3 little gem hearts
bag Pea Shoots (from waitrose - or grow your own)
1 pack halloumi cheese
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
How to:
1) Cook the quinoa in twice it's volume of water and add a stock cube or a tsp marigold bouillion to taste. Fluff up when it's done (when all the water is absorbed) and leave to cool. Add chopped chives and black pepper to taste.
2) Chop red pepper and tomatoes very finely and add to warm quinoa. Dress with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1sp Balsamic vinegar. Set aside
3) Wash your little Gems and chop into 1 inch slices. Set aside
4) Slice your halloumi thickly (about 1cm), brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and griddle until the cheese is soft. Set aside to cool a little.
5) Assemble the salad: pile pea shoots, raw salad and little gem onto a plate, with some quinoa salad on top, and the halloumi on top of that.
6) Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of tamari.
Et Voila! Deliciousness on a plate ...
Additional ideas:
1) Add sprouts (sunflower or lentil for me) for extra crunch.
2) Leftovers can be stuffed into a mini pita with garlic mayo for the most delicious taste sensation ever!
