10 VEG MEALS PERFECT FOR NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK

Vegetarian food doesn’t have to be just for veggies, and with National Vegetarian Week upon us, we thought it would be a great opportunity to present a variety of veg meals that everyone can enjoy.

Veg meals

The week is a great way to get your 5 a day, and explore a new range of delicious meals, that will give you all the nutrients and vitamins your body needs.

Check out our top 10 Vegetarian meals that you’ll instantly fall in love with.

Chickpea Tikka Masala with Fragrant Rice (Courtesy of Gousto)

Chickpea Tikka Masala with Fragrant Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 130g basmati rice
  • 50g coconut cream
  • 1 tbsp korma curry powder
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 1 brown onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 10g coriander
  • 1-star anise
  • 40g mango chutney
  • 2 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 bag of blached almonds

YOU WILL NEED: Salt, vegetable oil.

Method

  1. Add the basmati rice, star anise, 300ml cold water and a pinch of salt to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to vey low and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked. Once cooked, remove from the heat and cover until serving.
  2. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220 °C. Peel and finely chop the brown onion. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook for 6-8 min or until soft.
  3. Mean, boil a kettle. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Chop the tomatoes roughly. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  4. Once the onion is soft, add the chopped tomatoes and garlic and cook for 4-5 min further or until they’ve completely broken down.
  5. Meanwhile, remove the coconut cream and chop it roughly. Dissolve the vegetable stock cube, chopped coconut cream and tomato paste in 300ml boiled water – this is your coconut stock. One the tomatoes have broken down, add the ground paprika, korma curry powder and drained chickpeas to the pan and cook for 1-2 min further.
  6. Add the coconut stock and mango chutney to the pan and cook for 6-7 min further or until it’s thick and rich.
  7. Meanwhile, add the almonds to a baking tray and put them in the oven for 5 min or until they’ve darkened slightly in colour. Once darkened, chop them roughly. Chop the coriander finely, including the stalks.
  8. Remove the star anise from the rice. Serve the chickpea tikka masala with the fragrant rice to the side. Sprinkle over the chopped almonds and coriander. Enjoy!

Roasted Aubergine & Chickpea Curry (Courtsey of Waitrose.com)

Roasted Aubergine & Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 tbsp tikka curry paste
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained
  • ½ x 450g pack spinach
  • 250g pouch Uncle Ben’s Brown Basmati Rice
  • Fat free natural yogurt, to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. Place the whole aubergine in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Cool slightly then peel and roughly chop.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and roasted aubergine and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and 50ml water, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the spinach until wilted and season to taste. Heat the rice pouch and serve with the curry and a spoon of fat free yogurt.

Red Lentil Daal with Spinach (Courtesy of Holy Lama Spice Drops)

Red Lentil Daal with Spinach

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup dried red lentils
  • Water for cooking
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Fry light
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed (or 6-8 drops of Garlic Spice Drops®)
  • 1-inch root ginger grated (or 4 drops of Ginger Spice Drops®)
  • ½ tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin boiled chickpeas
  • 1 small bag of baby spinach roughly chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 drops of Garam Masala Spice Drops®
  • 1-2 drops of Asafoetida Spice Drops®

Method

  1. Wash the lentils thoroughly and in a big enough saucepan take the lentils and the water. The water line should be at least double that above the lentils. You can add more water depending on how thick or thin you prefer the consistency.
  2. Once the lentils are at boiling point, lower the heat and cover until lentils are softened.
  3. In separate pan, start by dry roasting the cumin seeds until they, very slightly, change colour – be mindful not to burn them. This only takes a few seconds.
  4. Coat the pan with a few sprays of fry light and stir fry the onion. You may need to add a few splashes of water to stop them from burning.
  5. Once the onion has lightly browned, add the garlic, ginger (if using Spice Drops® add them all at the end) and tomatoes with all its juice. Cover for about 5 mins on low heat. You will notice the tomatoes will have reduced slightly and the mix will have blended well.
  6. Add the chickpeas and red lentils and allow it to come to a boil.
  7. Turn off the heat completely, add your chopped spinach and salt and stir well and cooking for 2-3 mins.
  8. Finally add the Spice Drops® and give it another stir. Leave covered for 2 mins and serve hot.
  9. Serve with rice and a huge Indian Style Salad of chopped red onion, tomato, cucumber and fresh coriander with a squeeze of lime.

Vegetable Biryani Rice (Courtesy of Holy Lama Spice Drops)

Vegetable Biryani Rice

Ingredients

Method

  1. Boil the rice in just over 675 ml/2¾ cups boiled water for 10 minutes.
  2. Fry the onions in the butter or ghee for 7 minutes in a saucepan till golden brown.
  3. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Tip in the vegetables and cashew nuts and fry for 5 minutes.
  4. Leave some of the fried onions for garnish. Put the remaining onions along with the yogurt, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Cumin Seed, Garam Masala and Red Chilli Spice Drops® along with the salt and garlic and blend till it becomes a coarse paste. Add to the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Put the milk in a bowl and add the Saffron Spice Drops®. Mix well and set aside.
  6. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease with butter or ghee, a deep oven proof casserole with a lid.
  7. Place a layer of vegetables on the bottom of the dish and cover it with a layer of the cooked rice and sprinkle about a teaspoon of the saffron milk on top.
  8. Repeat until all the ingredients have been used up ending with a layer of rice.
  9. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped mint leaves and extra fried onions.
  10. Serve hot with cucumber raita.

Baked Paneer and Spinach Filled Aubergines with the Butter Chicken Sauce

Baked Paneer and Spinach Filled Aubergines with the Butter Chicken Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tbs. vegetable oil
  • 1 packet of paneer cut into 2-3cm pieces
  • 2 medium aubergines cut in half lengthways
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 medium red chillies finely chopped
  • 1 tbs. finely chopped ginger
  • 80g baby spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 packet of The Spice Tailor Butter Chicken Curry

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. Slash crosswise into the aubergine flesh and scoop out leaving a ¾ cm border. Season and drizzle some oil into it and bake until soft but not collapsing, around 10-12m.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the onion and aubergine, chilli, ginger and a good pinch of salt until soft and golden.  Add the paneer and sauté for a few minutes.  Add the herbs from the sauce and the sauces themselves.  Bring to a boil, add the spinach and fold through.  Taste off the heat and adjust seasoning.
  4. Spoon into the aubergine boats and cook for another 5-7m.

Tandoori Mushroom and Coleslaw Wrap

Tandoori Mushroom and Coleslaw Wrap

Ingredients

  • 1 packet The Spice Tailor Classic Tandoori Wrap
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and halved
  • 1 rounded tbs. each mayonnaise or sour cream
  • ¼ red onion, finely sliced
  • 1 handful each finely shredded red and white cabbage, carrot and coriander
  • Oil to cook

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
  2. Place your mushrooms in the marinade. Drizzle over a little oil.
  3. Mix together the chutney and mayonnaise. Mix together all the vegetables and coriander and set aside.
  4. Place your mushrooms on a baking sheet and bake until the marinade is charred in some areas, around 15-20m. Sprinkle evenly with the powdered spice seasoning blend, save the rest for the table.
  5. Mix together the coleslaw vegetables and dressing. Season to taste.
  6. Heat up your wraps in a dry frying pan or griddle pan, adding some oil if you like. Fill each with the mushrooms and coleslaw and serve.

Sri Lankan Brinjal Curry (Courtesy of Camden Market Pamban)

Sri Lankan Brinjal Curry

Ingredients

  • 250 grams of Brinjal (aubergine)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1oz of Red Onion
  • I clove of garlic chopped
  • A sprig of curry leaves
  • ½ Teaspoon of cumin and ½ Teaspoon of coriander powder
  • Pinch of Turmeric Powder
  • 2 green chillies – sliced in half lengthways
  • 1 small piece of a lemongrass stick and
  • Rampe if you have 1 teaspoon of ground mustard seeds
  • 30ml of Coconut Oil or Vegetable oil
  • ½ oz of Coconut Milk
  • Juice of 1 lime Mango Chutney (Sri Lankan if possible)

Method

  1. Wash and cut the Brinjal into slices lengthways and rub with salt and fry.
  2. Pat dry and add the rest of the ingredients and mix, aside from the onion, garlic, curry leaves, coconut milk, lime juice and mango chutney.
  3. In a hot pan slowly cook the onions in the oil, then add the garlic and curry leaves.
  4. Next add the brinjal and spice mixture to the pan and cook the spices off to extract all the flavour.
  5. Afterwards add the coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes until everything comes together and thickens.
  6. Add lime juice, salt and mango chutney to taste and serve with some rice and dhal or a meat curry of your choice. The sweet, spice, salty taste of a Sri Lankan Brinjal curry is extremely addictive so be warned.

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Ingredients

  • 250g tofu
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 pinch chili powder
  • 2-star anise
  • A pinch of salt and pepper
  • 500ml Alpro Coconut Cuisine
  • 400g can of chickpeas, drained
  • 1 small bunch fresh coriander
  • Naan bread to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Place the tofu in the soy sauce to marinate. Next, divide the cauliflower into medium sized florets, place into a large pot and cover with cold water, add some salt and bring to the boil – cook the cauliflower until tender.
  2. Meanwhile, make the curry paste – heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, regularly stirring. Add the dry herbs, star anise, salt and pepper and cook further for 3 minutes. Add some cooking water from the cauliflower if the curry paste is too dry.
  3. Deglaze the pan with the Alpro Coconut Cuisine – stir well, then add the al dente cauliflower, chickpeas and tofu cubes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Serve the curry with the fresh coriander leaves torn over, and naan bread if using.

Sweet Potato Curry

Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients

  • 1 medium size sweet potato peeled and cut into 2cm pieces,
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
  • 2 medium size onions finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsps ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp medium curry powder
  • ¼ tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 4 green cardamom pods crushed
  • 227g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • ½ green pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 1 green chilli finely diced
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 2 vine tomatoes quartered
  • Pinch of salt
  • 400g can chick peas, drained and rinsed

For the garam masala raita:

  • 150g Alpro Simply Plain alternative to yogurt
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tbsp dried mint
  • Serve with cooked rice.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp oil and spread out on the tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly caramelised and tender.

2. Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to a medium saucepan and warm over a low-medium heat. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger for 8-10 minutes, or until very soft. Stir in the paprika, turmeric, curry powder, chilli powder, coriander, garam masala and crushed cardamom pods to form a thick paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, adding a little extra oil if needed.

3. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the green pepper, green chilli, vegetable stock, fresh tomatoes and salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 35-45 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add the chickpeas and sweet potato to the curry and warm through.

4. To make the garam masala

Aubergine, Capsicum & Potato Curry (Courtesy of Sarah Ali Choudhury)

Aubergine, Capsicum & Potato Curry 

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp Panch phoran
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled and grated)
  • 5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 potato
  • (peeled and cut into 3⁄4 inch cubes)
  • 1 aubergine (cut into 1⁄4 inch cubes)
  • 2 peppers green and/or red
  • (cut into 1 inch pieces )
  • 2 cups (500ml water)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the panch phoran and cook until sizzling. add the onion, ginger and salt, stirring occasionally.
  2. When the onion starts to soften, add the coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric and tomato puree and continue stir frying until the oil comes to the top of the mixture.
  3. Add the potatoes and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add the aubergine and peppers, stirring for another 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in the water, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Finish by adding the fresh coriander.
  5. Other seasonal vegetables can be used, such as courgettes and tomatoes.

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