June 16th, 2011

Aubergine / Eggplant rolls with chilli, mint and feta


5838930306 f7e458a539 Aubergine / Eggplant rolls with chilli, mint and feta

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 x lemon
2 x eggplants (aubergines)
1 x red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
300g of feta cheese, cut into cubes or crumbled
1 bunch of fresh mint roughly chopped
Cocktail sticks (or toothpicks)

Instructions
Pre-prepare a bowl with the fresh chilli and mint, add the juice from the lemon and mix. Stir in the feta until fully coated. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate.

Cut the aubergines lengthways, discarding the ‘outside’ slices. Bruch olive oil over bother sides of the slices and on a hot area of the barbecue for around 2 minutes on each side or until lightly coloured.

Remove from the barbecue (and here comes the messy bit) place a spoonful of the feta mix onto each of the aubergine slices. Roll the aubergine around the mixture and push a cocktail stick through to secure it. Please rolls on a clean plate and serve to your guests while still warm.


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May 28th, 2011

Classic dips for your BBQ – Guacamole, Hummus and Black Bean Dip

All barbecued food is better with dips. A homemade dip is a great addition to your barbecue spread, and with no cooking time need, you can prepare them the day before and refrigerate them so they are ready as soon as your guests arrive.

Try some of these ideas for yourself. Remember to check out our Crispy Tofu Sticks which are the ideal veggie BBQ food to have with dips.

5767342701 7c0fc65c2d Classic dips for your BBQ Guacamole, Hummus and Black Bean Dip 

Guacamole

Ingredients
3 ripe avacodos
1 lime
1 tomato
1 red onion
1 fresh chilli
1/2 roughly chopped fresh coriander

Instructions
Finely chop the tomato, red onion and chilli (remembering to deseed the chilli) and put into a mixing bowl. Add the coriander, juice of one lime and flesh of the three avacados. Mash together until all the ingredients are mixed together well.
If you are storing in the fridge over night, place an avacado stone into the dip and cover with clingflim – this will help prevent it from going brown.

Hummus

Ingredients
15oz tinned chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped

Instructions
This is a very simple and easy hummus recipe. All you need to do is stick it all in a food processor and blend together. Done!

Black Bean Dip

Ingredients
15 oz tinned black beans drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons of black bean liquid from the same tin
1/4 of a small red onion
½ a tomato
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions
Once again nice and simple, whack everything in a food processor and blend together. The brown colour may not be too appealing, but the taste will more than make up for it.

Don’t forget to check our green salsa under the dips and sauces category to the right of screen.

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May 22nd, 2011

Grilled Rum Pineapple with Coconut on the Barbecue

Another desert recipe, perfect for everyone, not just the vegetarians. This can be made without the rum if you are planning on serving to children too.

 5745550482 cf361260aa Grilled Rum Pineapple with Coconut on the Barbecue

Ingredients
5 slices of fresh pineapple, or 5 tinned pineapple rings
1 cup of coconut flakes
¼ cup of dark rum
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions
Mix together the lime juice, rum and honey in a deep dish. Add the slices of pineapple, and coat all over by the mixture. Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour to marinade.
When ready to grill,  dip the pineapple slices on each side in the flaked coconut, pushing it down so it sticks. Spray the barbecue with oil and place over a medium grill, turning over every couple of minutes until brown and slightly caramelized on each side

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May 14th, 2011

Crispy Tofu Sticks

Now I’m not going to pretend that tofu on its own makes a mouth-watering meal. However, these crispy tofu sticks have a good texture and are perfect for eating with sauces and dips.

5720079189 192cc9e03b Crispy Tofu Sticks

Ingredients:
A pack of tofu
1 egg
½ cup of breadcrumbs

Equipment:
Wooden skewers
Olive oil spray

The first step is to press the tofu to firm it up.
 - To press tofu you need to drain it and place onto a clean absorbent surface, such as a tea towel or a few sheets of paper towels. Cover with another tea towel or some more paper towels and then place something heavy and flat on top, such as a plate. This squeezes excess moisture from the tofu, you should leave it like this for around half an hour.

While the tofu is pressing, soak a handful of wooden skewers in water, this stops the skewers from burning on the BBQ.

Cut the tofu lengthways into 3 slices, cut these slices in half lengthways again to create 6 sticks of tofu. Push one skewer lengthways through the centre of each tofu stick.

Whisk the egg and brush it  lightly over each tofu stick, covering every side. Dip each side of the tofu into a plate of breadcrumbs until completely covered.
-To make breadcrumbs you need to take your bread (semi stale bread is the easiest to work with) and use a coarse grater on it. Alternatively you can chop the bread into cubes and whisk in a food processor.
Lay the breadcrumbs onto a baking tray and place in an oven at around 150C/300F/gas 2. After 15 minutes, stir the crumbs to mix them up and then place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes once golden brown and dry. If you have any excess crumbs, these store well in an airtight container for future use.

Now spray olive oil over the tofu sticks, make sure they’ve completely covered, as these tend to stick to BBQs. You will also need to give the barbecue grill a spray too before placing the tofu sticks onto it over a medium heat.

These don’t take too long to cook. Rotate regularly until each of the four sides have browned and serve with dips.

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May 8th, 2011

Mediterranean Vegetables Grilled on the Barbecue

 

A quick and easy recipe to cook vegetables in a way that looks and taste great.

 

 5698606803 f021e9763a Mediterranean Vegetables Grilled on the Barbecue

 

The beauty with this recipe is that you can cook as many or as little vegetables as you like, and you can pick and choose which vegetables to include.

 

The vegetables I would recommend with this recipe are listed below, but feel free to experiment if you have anything else you’d like to try:

 

Bell Peppers/Capsicum – any colours

Courgettes/Zucchini

Red Onion

Squash

 

Slice vegetables into large pieces (so that they don’t fall through the barbecue grill).

 

Toss the vegetables in a bowl with olive oil (and a few pinches of chopped rosemary if you have any).  Place them on the barbecue over a medium heat and turn occasionally until tender – this normally takes around 5 minutes.

 

Serve while hot, and enjoy.

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May 3rd, 2011

Spicy Bean Burgers – Easy Veggie Burgers for your BBQ

 Serves 6-8

black bean burgers Spicy Bean Burgers Easy Veggie Burgers for your BBQ 

I took a little break over the bank holiday, but we’re back on track now. During this time I’ve been contemplating over what should be the first veggie burger I feature on this blog. As veggie burgers can be quite tricky, and involve routing around in the supermarkets for unusual ingredients, I’ve decided  to start with the most simple recipe I know. Enjoy.

 

Ingredients

800g/28oz of tinned kidney beans or pinto beans , rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons of salsa
100g breadcrumbs
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander chopped
2-4 teaspoons of mild chilli powder (depending on preference of spiciness)
1 medium egg

 

Method

Pour the beans into a food processer and whisk briefly until roughly chopped. You don’t have a processer; mash them in a large bowl with a potato masher. Next, mix in the salsa, breadcrumbs, coriander , chilli powder and egg. Once mixed together well, divide the mixture into 6-8 balls. Wet your hands and gently squash the balls into burger shapes.

That’s it! Burgers are ready to cook!

To cook, brush each burger in olive oil and place on a medium to hot area of the barbecue. Grill for around 5 minutes on each side, they should have a golden crust when ready.

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April 9th, 2011

Glamorgan Sausages – perfect for vegetarians, recipe from Wales

So instead of trying to make a veggie version of a meat sausage, why not just make a classic sausage that was never designed to have meat in it in the first place? These sausages need to be handles carefully and cooked gently as they are quite delicate – but they are well worth the effort. Also a great recipe for any cheese fans.

5603004164 c7e3754866 Glamorgan Sausages perfect for vegetarians, recipe from Wales

Ingredients
4oz (115g) grated Caerphilly cheese
6oz (175g) breadcrumbs
2 oz (50g) finely chopped Leeks
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
Plain flour for shaping
Olive oil for brushing
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Thoroughly mix together the cheese, breadcrumbs, leeks, chives, spring onions, parsley, egg and salt and pepper. Slowly add milk until the mixture binds – if it binds before you use all the milk then don’t add any more. Spit the mixture into eight equal portions. Dust your work surface and hands with flour and gently roll each portion into a sausage shape.
Brush the sausages and BBQ grill with oil and place over a medium heat. As the sausage starts to brown then rotate to cook them evenly. This should take around 10 minutes for them to completely cook.

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April 3rd, 2011

How to Bake the Perfect Potato (Jacket Potato) on the Barbecue

5584785758 8046bdd99c How to Bake the Perfect Potato (Jacket Potato) on the Barbecue
*pictured here with Eastern Minty Yoghurt filling


The classic vegetable for the barbecue, yet many people are still not sure of the best way to go about cooking them on the barbecue.

As with all vegetables, before cooking, make sure you scrub it clean. Cut out any “potato eyes” – black spots which are the beginning of root growths in the potato. Give the potato a few pricks with a fork and you’re nearly ready.

Rub some oil or butter all over the potato (my preference is olive oil). Now this next step is a matter of preference. You can add seasoning to the oiled potato to give a flavour to the skin. I think this works wonderfully; the potato is really versatile, so feel free to try out some of your own ideas for seasoning. Some ideas I try are:
- Simple ground salt and pepper
- Freshly crushed garlic and dried thyme
- Grated parmesan (even the pre-grated stuff you can get in a pot works great with this)
- There are also shop bought seasonings you can try, my favourite at the moment is a mix of garlic, kelp and salt

Next, wrap the potato in tin foil, you don’t need lots of layers of foil, but make sure the potato is completely covered. You can place the potatoes anywhere on the BBQ, but the time it will take to cook will depend on how hot the BBQ is. However, don’t be tempted to put it on the hottest area for quick cooking, the beauty of a great baked potato is to give it time to cook. Try placing them over a medium heat for around 45 minutes (time depending on potato size) ensuring to rotate the potato throughout the cooking period.

With a protected hand (oven glove, tea towel) you can give the potato a squeeze when you think it is done, if it squashes under gentle pressure then it should be done. You can give it a double check by sticking a fork or knife in it, if it goes in easily then it is ready to serve.
You can stick almost anything in a potato as a filling, or just serve with butter. Check back with Veggie BBQ Ideas in the future for veggie potato filling ideas.

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March 27th, 2011

Stuffed Red Peppers with Feta and Herb for the barbecue

When done right, stuffed peppers look beautiful and with a couscous stuffing, they are very filling.

Stuffed Pepper 23rd St Stuffed Red Peppers with Feta and Herb for the barbecue

Ingredients (makes 4)
2 Red Peppers
100g of Couscous
150g of Feta Cheese chopped/crumbled
175ml of hot Vegetable Stock
2 cloves of Garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of Fresh Chopped Coriander
1 tablespoon of chopped Fresh Chives
2 + 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Juice of half a Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
Place the couscous in a bowl and pour in the vegetable stock (make sure the stock is close to boiling hot). Cover with the bowl with cling film and leave to stand for 5 minutes or until the stock is absorbed. Add the herbs, lemon juice, garlic, feta, and one tablespoon of the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the two peppers in half, scooping out and discarding all the insides. Brush all over with the remaining tablespoon of Olive Oil. Place on the BBQ like an upside down bowl (over a medium heat) Cook for around 4-5 minutes and then take them off the barbecue.
Stuff the peppers with the couscous and, when full, wrap carefully in tin foil. Please the wrapped peppers back onto the barbecue, with the couscous side facing up. Cook for another 10 minutes until the pepper is tender.

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March 20th, 2011

Halloumi and Mushroom Skewers with Green Salsa

Skewers are so so simple. You can simply chop up any vegetables you have in your fridge at the time, brush in olive oil and thread onto a skewer to cook on the BBQ. However if you want to put a little more thought into it and prepare something that looks a little more special, then try this recipe.

5541920601 cf6f2f6e15 Halloumi and Mushroom Skewers with Green Salsa

For the skewers

Ingredients:
200-250g of halloumi cut into 1 inch cubes
200-250g of button mushrooms
Olive oil
Dried Oregano
Rosemary twigs (strip of the leaves apart from the tip)
12 wooden skewers, soaked for at least ½ an hour before cooking

Simply thread the halloumi and mushrooms onto the skewers and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle the oregano over each skewer and insert a sprig of rosemary into each end piece of mushroom/halloumi on the skewers.
Barbecue the skewers for 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms and halloumi are soft and brown.

For the green salsa

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp drained capers
2 large handfuls of flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch basil chopped
1 bunch mint chopped
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
100ml of olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Place all the ingredients apart from the olive oil into a food processor and gently blend. Alternatively, finely chop all the dry ingredients and add the mustard and vinegar. At this point, gradually add the olive oil until you have the right consistency for salsa.

 

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