vegetarian – Page 37 – My Whisk and I

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

August 11, 2021August 11, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

I love to bake snacks that can be kept in a glass jar for a few weeks (very optimistic!) and biscotti has a place of honour amongst them. The recipe yields about 36 slices and can be kept for 3-4 weeks when stored in a sealed glass container.

62ml vegetable oil
190ml sugar
10ml vanilla
2 eggs
440ml flour
1,2ml salt
5ml baking powder
125ml dried cranberries
190ml pistachio nuts

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the oil and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until well blended.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and give it a stir to mix.
Run the mixer on the lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture, allowing time to incorporate between additions.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the cranberries and pistachios and mix through with a spatula.
Divide the dough in half.
Wet your hands (the dough is extremely sticky) and shape each half portion of the dough into a log shape about 25cm in length. The logs won’t look wide enough to “become” biscotti, but the mixture will spread during baking and end up being wider than the shaped log.
Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the biscotti logs from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven setting down to 130℃.
Slice the logs diagonally into 1cm thick slices.
Lay the slices flat onto the same baking sheets and dry in the oven for about 50 minutes. Feel the biscotti – it should be hard and shouldn’t give when you press it between your fingers.
Cool the biscotti on a cooling rack before packing them into a glass jar.

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Baked Aubergine with Pesto and Pear

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is such a simple dish but it truly delivers on taste!! Delicious as a light meal or as a side to meat.

1 aubergine per person
2 pears
250ml of fresh soft herbs like parsley, basil, thyme, chives and sage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
83ml pine kernels, toasted
1 lemon
60ml olive oil

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the aubergine lengthwise into 1,5cm thick sliced, but DO NOT cut the slices loose.
Place the aubergine flat onto a surface, cover with you hand and gently push down on it so that the “slices” fan out. Place onto the baking sheet.
Drizzle the aubergine with olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and place in the oven for about 40 minutes until beautifully soft and slightly charred.
Make the pesto by adding the herbs, garlic, pine kernels, juice of one lemon and 60ml olive oil to a blender (you may use a hand blender) and blitz until it comes together. Put aside.
Peel the pears and slice it into sticks.
Spoon the pesto onto the baked aubergine as soon as you take it from the oven and pile the pear sticks on top.
Serve with a fresh bread or as a side dish to meat.

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Green-Pea Flan with Zucchini Pickle

July 29, 2021July 18, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a delicious and healthy meal based on Jamie Oliver’s avocado pastry recipe. The quick pickle elevates this plant-based dish from good to absolutely fabulous!

2 medium avocado pears
400g self-raising flour
ice water
6 eggs
5ml salt
400g frozen peas, defrosted
140g cheddar cheese, grated
200g sugarsnaps, halved

Quick Pickle:
500ml vinegar
500ml water
83ml sugar
30ml salt
10ml mustard seeds
10ml whole black peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, cracked
2 bay leaves
12 zucchini

Start by making the pickle:
Slice the zucchini into coins/strips and place it in a glass bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients for the pickle to a saucepan. Place over high heat until tiny bubbles appear at the edges.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the pickle onto the prepared zucchini.
Set aside until cold. (The pickle may be bottled at this stage and stored in the refrigerator).

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 38cm X 25cm oven tray with cooking spray.
Scoop the flesh from the avocados into a food processor and add the flour.
Pulse at high speed until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.
Add a very small amount of ice cold water to the mixture while the engine is running. The mixture should come together into a ball.
Line the prepared baking tray with the avocado-pastry by pushing it about 2cm up the sides of the tray as well as covering the bottom as evenly as you can. The pastry is too wet to roll – be patient in pushing/spreading it out as evenly as you can. Set aside.
Add the eggs, salt, defrosted peas and cheddar cheese to the bowl of your food processor and blitz on high speed.
Pour this mixture onto the avocado-pastry and scatter the fresh sugarsnaps on top.
Bake the flan for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately cut into portions.
Serve a portion of the flan with a generous amount of zucchini pickles on top.

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Soybean Salad

July 27, 2021June 30, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Soybean is a complete protein and really delicious when mixed in a salad with crunchy vegetables. I have used black soybeans in this salad but any soybean can be used.

250ml soybeans, cooked according to packet instructions
baby spinach, finely chopped
purple cabbage, finely shredded
pomegranate seeds
feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
30ml lemon juice
15ml red wine vinegar
5ml mustard
5ml garlic, minced
15ml honey
60ml olive oil

Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated.
Add the salad ingredients to a platter or bowl and drizzle the dressing over.

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Sweet Potato with Apricot

July 20, 2021July 16, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This simple apricot sauce transforms a baked sweet potato into a well-balanced, tasty meal. Easy, quick and utterly delicious!

6 – 8 medium sweet potatoes
250g dried apricots
125ml honey
30ml apple cider vinegar
2,5ml ground ginger
2,5ml ground coriander
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
Turn your oven onto the grill setting.
Add the apricots to a mixing bowl and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Mix through so that all of the apricots are covered in oil.
Spread out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and grill until very lightly charred. Keep an eye on them, they burn quickly!
Add half the apricots to a liquidiser.
Add the honey, vinegar, ginger, coriander and a pinch of salt and blitz to a purée.
Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking. Adjust the thickness to your liking by adding more apricots for a thicker sauce.
Make a slit in the baked sweet potatoes and spoon the sauce over it.
Serve on rocket leaves and the rest of the whole roasted apricots.

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Apple Salad

July 16, 2021June 26, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Build this salad as large or as an individual portion and keep the dressing in the refrigerator for the next day – it is delicious with anything fresh and crunchy!

mixed lettuce
red cabbage, cut into chunks
apple, sliced or cubed
walnuts
black sesame seeds

Dressing:
45ml mayonnaise
45ml Greek yoghurt
5ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt
Whisk the ingredients together until emulsified.
Spoon on to the salad before serving.
The dressing can be kept refrigerated for 5 days.

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Broccoli Pasta

July 15, 2021June 26, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is easy, quick and really big on flavour. The recipe will feed 8 hungry adults.

500g dried pasta
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
a handful of parsley
a handful of basil
2 heads of broccoli ( I know it sounds like you are about to feed an army!!!)
5ml salt
2,5ml black pepper
1 stock cube
250g cream cheese
30ml lemon juice

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
Cut the broccoli florets from the stems and add them to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking time.
Reserve 250ml of the pasta water before draining the pasta and the broccoli florets. Keep aside.
Chop the broccoli stems and add them to a large saucepan with a good dash of vegetable oil.
Turn the heat on to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the 250ml pasta water and the stock cube and cook until the broccoli stems are soft.
Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the mixture into a liquidiser.
Add the parsley and basil and blitz. You are aiming to have a chunky, very thick sauce.
Pour this sauce back into the saucepan, add the salt and pepper and then stir the cream cheese into the mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted and is incorporated into the rest of the sauce.
Add the lemon juice and stir through.
Now add the pasta and the broccoli florets. Stir the mixture so that everything is coated in the sauce.
Serve immediately.

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Potato and Leek Soup

July 13, 2021June 25, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a nutritious soup with lots of flavour and crowd appeal and is really easy to make. This recipe feeds 6 – 8 people.

45ml butter
2 large leeks, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
800g potato, diced (about 4 -5 large potatoes)
2 stock cubes (I use chicken but if you want to go vegetarian use vegetable cubes)
5ml salt
1,2ml black pepper
1,2 litre water
250ml cream

Preparing the leeks:
Cut off the root ends and thick green parts.
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under cold running water.
Pull the layers apart and check that there is no dirt left.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the sliced leeks, onion and garlic.
Cook and stir until the leeks and onion are soft and completely wilted. This should take about 10 minutes.
Add the potato, stock cubes, salt, pepper and water and bring the mixture to the boil.
Lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook gently for 25 minutes until the potato is very soft.
Purée the mixture with a stick blender until completely smooth.
Now add the cream and stir on a low heat for about 5 minutes.
Serve the soup piping hot, sprinkled with croutons.

Making croutons:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Cut 4 slices from a day-old bread and slice off the crusts on all four sides.
Cube the bread and spread it out on a baking tray.
Drizzle the cubes with olive oil and give the bread cubes a mix with your hands.
Bake for 5 minutes, shaking the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time, to spread and turn the cubes.
Take the croutons from the oven and lightly sprinkle with salt.

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Potato-Ricotta Bake

July 6, 2021June 20, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This potato dish is a quick weekday dinner for vegetarians or a substantial side dish to any meat. If you don’t have ricotta cheese on hand, get the recipe from this site and make your own. Yields 6 – 8 portions.

6 large potatoes
350g ricotta cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
a handful of chives, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
40g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 20cm X 28cm baking dish.

Peel the potatoes and boil them until just cooked.
Slice them into 1,5cm cubes and put aside.
Add the eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the chopped onion, chives, minced garlic and parmesan to the egg mixture and whisk together.
Now add the cubed potato and mix through.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until golden.
Serve with a green salad.

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Biscuit Brownies

June 23, 2021June 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is an old favourite which most of us have eaten in one form or the other. The addition of the chocolate layer on top adds a creaminess and turns a kids-party-favourite into an adult snack! Keeps well in a sealed container at room temperature.

2 X 200g packets plain biscuits
250g butter
60ml condensed milk
30ml golden syrup
45ml cocoa powder, sifted
30 sugar
160g dark chocolate; I used De Villiers Dark Chocolate, Intense
160g white chocolate; I used De Villiers White Chocolate, Raspberry, Vanilla and Almonds

Line two 20cm X 20cm baking tins with baking paper.
Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Pour the biscuit pieces into a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter, condensed milk, syrup, cocoa powder and sugar to a small saucepan and melt together over a low heat.
Stir the mixture until completely smooth and amalgamated.
Pour the runny mixture onto the biscuit pieces and mix well, making sure that all the pieces are covered in it.
Divide the mixture between the two prepared baking tins and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Press down to compact the mixture.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and add it to a heatproof bowl that sits on a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is melted. Pour onto one of the baking tins with brownies.
Repeat the process with the white chocolate and pour over the other batch of brownies.
If you want to prettify the brownies with edible flowers, now is the time!
Place the two baking tins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Slice before serving.