Category: Recipes

Instant Miso Ramen Recipe

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Instant Miso Ramen

Ramen is very easy to make and the idea is inspired on the instant noodles that you get in a pot at the supermarket but made super tasty and healthy. It also comes at a fraction of the price and so much better in every respect.

If you love miso soup then this one is for you and it is perfect to take for lunch at work that will be filling, tasty, easy to make, and vegan! If you want to make it in advance all you have to do is chop the vegetables beforehand, small enough that they will cook when you add boiling water in a few minutes. Also, the use of thin rice noodles means that it will also cook in just a few minutes. You can take this in a jar and just add boiling water from a recently boiled kettle just like you would regular store bought pot noodles. The miso soup with ramen pretty much makes itself!

Spanish Lentil Stew Recipe

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Lentil stew. Potaje de lentejas

This lentil stew is a very simple one pot wonder that I grew up with that I make regularly and is a classic Spanish dish known as ‘potaje de lentejas‘. Due to the proximity it is a staple dish in most homes in Gibraltar too.

This is a vegetarian version (vegan actually!) of the dish, and many people make it like this because it is much healthier than the regular version which calls for chorizo and Spanish black pudding (morcilla). Instead, more garlic and smoked paprika is used to make the flavours more intense and keep the traditional flavour.

It is preferable to not use ready cooked lentils because dry green lentils only take about half and hour to cook on a medium simmer and they don’t need previous soaking either. This recipe makes a big batch of lentil stew so it can be frozen into individual portions to have it at hand for when you don’t have time to cook. Lentils are a rich source of protein and and can be combined with rice to have all round complete protein-rich meal.

Falafel with tahini sauce

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Felafel with tahini sauce

Falafels are so popular and a very common food in the Middle East. Where it originated is still open to debate, but it is believed that it comes from Egpyt originally and is considered to be one of the national dishes of Israel. However all I know is that whenever I go to a Lebanese restaurant I usually order this as part of the mezze because I absolutely love falafels.

Falafels can be made from chickpeas or fava beans, or a combination of the two. Chickpeas are more favoured in the Middle East and fava beans are more favoured in Egypt. Whichever you use, they are so easy to make and so incredibly delicious.

I firmly believe home made falafels are definitely better than store bought but it does need a bit of preparation because the chickpeas need to be soaked the night before, or at least 8 hours, so they can be soaked in the morning in order to be made in the evening. Tinned chickpeas won’t work as they have too much liquid and will end up becoming a big mush and falling apart, having to add more flour to bind which in turn dilutes the flavour. No matter how many times I have tried to make them with tinned chickpeas it has turned out to be mushy and not the right texture inside.

In this recipe I have accompanied them with a simple tahini sauce, because falafels and tahini go together naturally! However it is very common to have falafels in a pitta bread. These also make for a wonderful starter.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownie Recipe

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Chocolate brownies (dairy free)

Chocolate brownies are a favourite with most people. Perfect brownies are chocolatey, soft and fudgey in the centre, and these dairy-free brownies tick all the boxes. These brownies are super chocolatey and no one would know there is no dairy or eggs, or that they are vegan if you don’t tell them! In fact, this is my go-to brownie recipe because I think it is better than the regular brownie recipe.

Usually you don’t find sweet potato in brownies but it is such a great ingredient to use because not only does it give a bit of sweetness, but it also provides a great texture and binds the mixture like eggs would. The use of dates also give a lovely sweetness sweetness and makes it fudgey. Using sweet potato and dates also means that there is less sugar overall, so I guess you can also say that they are healthier (relatively speaking!) than regular brownies.

There’s a lot of chocolate in this recipe in the form of 70% chocolate and cocoa powder in the dry ingredients, so it’s definitely one for chocolate lovers! These vegan brownies will definitely challenge those that think that brownies need to be made with lots of butter.

Blackeye Bean Stew Recipe

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Black eye bean stew

The inspiration for this dish is food that a good Turkish friend of mine and housemate at university used to make when we lived together. This stew is ready in a jiffy if you use already cooked black eye beans. I make no apologies for this because there are many times when I want to cook in a hurry without having a make prior preparation. After all when cooking legumes from dry you have to soak them overnight and while this is something I like to do there are times when I want beans but I haven’t planned beforehand. This is where tinned legumes come in and they are perfectly good to have and to cook with.

This black eye bean stew takes as long as the rice takes to cook basically so all in all it takes less than half an hour. It is a good source of protein and the sauce is rich and tangy with red pepper and lemon which not only adds freshness but also elevates the dish to another level.

This makes for a quick satisfying meal and is perfectly good to serve with rice. I like to do vermicelli rice which gives it more of a Middle Eastern flavour and tastes better anyway. You can also use any other type of beans of your choice, such as cannellini beans or chickpeas.

Creamy Leek Soup Recipe

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Leek soup

As the days get shorter my need for comfort food gets stronger. This leek soup is so easy to make, very tasty, healthy and filling. This is a perfect meal to have for dinner. It is rich and creamy, and dairy free and vegan too. The creaminess comes from the potato and the oat cream and is perfect for a winter meal.

Quince Compote (Membrillo) – Traditional Recipe

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Quick compote

Quince is so tasty and fragrant that I have to cook it when it comes into season. Fortunately here in Gibraltar, also in southern Spain, they are plentiful, and it is traditional to cook quince in a simple syrup with clove and cinnamon, known as ‘compota de membrillo‘. This is a very simple yet effective way of cooking this fruit. Quince is usually considered an old fashioned fruit but don’t let that stop you from cooking it because the taste is wonderful. Quince is much tougher than apples and even through it becomes soft when cooked it still retains its structure, unlike apples which goes mushy. The fragrant smell infuses the whole place and is reminiscent of autumn and winter and screams comfy food.

 

Spanakopita Pie Recipe – Dairy Free & Vegan

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Dairy Free Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a Greek dish, although it’s origin is Turkish where they make a very similar dish called ispanaki. It belongs to the burek family of pastries and is usually made as a triangle of filo pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese, amongst other things. I used it as inspiration to make this into a large pie and add other Mediterranean ingredients making a dish perfect for entertaining guests who will not even miss any meat or dairy in this tasty vegan treat. Serve with Greek salad and/or tzatziki and you will be onto a winner, especially if you have friends round.

Moutabal (Baba Ghanoush) Recipe

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Baba Ghanoush

Moutabal, also known as Baba Ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dip, and one of my favourite mezze whenever I go to a Lebanese restaurant. It is similar to hummus in that it is a dip and it has tahini but instead of chickpeas it is made with roasted aubergines (eggplant in the USA). Roasting the aubergines gives it a real depth of flavour, smoky and rich and mixing with tahini in this dip makes for a creamy taste of heaven. Moutabal is usually served with pitta bread and garnished with pomegranate, but can be used as a side serving with felafels or any other mezze.

Hummus

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Hummus

I know you can buy hummus at the supermarket and usually it’s of a decent quality, but when it’s so easy to make, why buy it? Firstly if it doesn’t have garlic it’s not hummus. Secondly, if it doesn’t have tahini (sesame paste), it’s not hummus either!

All you need are the basic ingredients and a hand blender. If I’m making it just for me I don’t even bother with a blender, I use a fork since I like it chunky anyway. Hummus is so versatile and you can have it as a dip or a side dish with many different meals. I like to have it as a dip with some raw carrots, and peppers and cucumber work well too.

Dairy-Free Condensed Milk Recipe

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Dairy free condensed milk

Condensed milk is quite a useful ingredient and features in many traditional desserts we have in Gibraltar. However dairy free condensed milk is not sold here but it is quite easy to make from soya milk. Other non dairy milks can work too but soya milk has a good amount of protein which makes it behave and react like regular condensed milk in desserts and pies.

This recipe is easy enough to make but you do have to keep your eye on it and not leave it unattended, but don’t let that put you off as it doesn’t require your attention for a very long time. It is rich and tasty, an excellent dairy free alternative and vegan too. The taste is a bit stronger than regular condensed milk but depending on the recipe that you use it in you can get away with not tasting the soya milk at all. This recipe gives a total yield of about 450 ml (approx 2 cups) which is about the same amount you get in a tin of regular condensed milk.

Walnut & Almond Sauce Recipe

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Almond & Walnut Sauce

This sauce is the base for many Spanish dishes known as ‘salsa de nueces‘, and it is proper rustic cooking with traditional and rustic techniques. I suppose back in the day they used nuts and bread to make sauces because it was economical, but it makes for a deeply rich and tasty base for most stews. Traditionally this sauce is the base for a meat dish but it is a wonderful and rich sauce regardless that can be enjoyed without the need of meat.

I usually make this with meat-free meatballs and it provides a rich sauce with deep flavours. You can also have this with any other meat-free protein after all the sauce is rich enough to carry most if not all meat substitutes. In this recipe I use a combination of walnuts and almonds, although this is also made with just walnuts, or just almonds. The choice is yours really, I think both have a wonderful taste with my personal preference being walnuts because they have a richer flavour.

Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

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Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern classic and is the perfect salad to have in hot weather as it is refreshing and healthy, and very easy to make. I think this is one of those recipes that has many different variations. In fact when eating out I have had tabbouleh served which is mainly chopped parsley, and other times when it is made with cous cous.

This version uses bulgur (cracked wheat) which has a lovely taste and consistency. I also use a no-cook absorption method where the liquid is added to the bulgur at room temperature and it is allowed to rest until it absorbs all the liquid. I prefer this way of doing it this way even if it seems like it would take a little longer because there is less cooking involved, less mess and if you cook the bulgur, even though it only takes 20 minutes, you still have to wait for it to cool down.

Tabbouleh is great on it’s own or as a side dish. It can also be made in advance and for some reason actually tastes better from one day to the next.

Tzatziki / Cacik – Mint & Yoghurt Dip Recipe

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Tzatziki Dip. Cacık

Tzatziki (Greek) or Cacik (Turkish) is a favourite dip because it is rich, tangy and goes well with pretty much anything. It is so simple to make that it is well worth making it yourself instead of buying it in a store.

Traditionally it is made with rich thick and creamy Greek yoghurt, but if you don’t have dairy then a natural soya yoghurt which has some tang will do quite well and make it vegan, but be sure to give it a squeeze of lemon juice for some extra tanginess that would normally be found in the Greek yoghurt. I make usually make this with dried mint but fresh works too, but more quantity should be added, to taste. Also, another version is to use dill, which is delicious.

Tzatziki is very versatile and goes with so many other dishes as an accompaniment. Also if you have people round for dinner it is also a great dip to serve with pitta bread and crudités.

Sweet Potato, Roast Pepper & Coriander Salad Recipe

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Sweet potato, roast pepper & coriander salad

The play of flavours in this salad between the sweetness of the sweet potato and the earthy fragrance of the coriander (cilantro for those in the USA) is very interesting and exciting. I like to make this quickly so I use store-bought roast peppers. I also use sweet potatoes that are quite thin, and this way they can cook it in the microwave. However if you do not have a microwave then you can always peel and boil them until soft. Roasting the sweet potatoes, however, runs the risk of making them too soft (even though they are delicious on their own roasted!) Texture is obviously important in this salad and you don’t want the sweet potato to be too mushy I love to have this salad in the summer, in fact I many times take this to the beach, such is the life in Gibraltar!

Fudgey Best Homemade Brownies

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Snow flecked brownies

For a long time this was my go-to brownie recipe – they are sweet, gooey, super chocolatey, and easy to make. This recipe is loosely based on a Nigella Lawson recipe, so I don’t claim it as my own, but I do make some variations. I like to use it as a canvas and add different ingredients such as walnuts, macadamias, raisins, or dried cranberries instead of white chocolate, after all I believe in being creative and tweaking things if it works for you. These brownies are a one way ticket to chocolate overload, but it is brownie heaven.

Vegetarian Paella Recipe

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Vegetarian paella

I like making a Paella for Sunday lunch, maybe it is because when I was a child we used to have this at my grandmother’s house every Sunday. There are many different varieties of Paella, although purists of traditional Paella of Valencia will call all other variations ‘rice dishes’. Even though Paella is usually made with meat or sea food, or a mixture of these, it is perfectly possible to make a very tasty vegetarian or vegan version with a few substitutions.

I sometimes make Paella with just vegetables and artichoke hearts, other times like in this recipe, I use meat-free protein pieces. I use real saffron which they sell here ground to a powder and in sachets of about 100 mg each, which is the equivalent of a few fronds. It is worth using, a little goes a long way. I also create savouriness by using a little yeast extract (Marmite) and miso paste. It makes a big difference in recreating a savouriness that the regular version has.

The concept of a Paella is the opposite of a risotto. It’s best not to stir as it is cooking because this releases starch as the rice grains break, whereas in a risotto you want to stir to release starch as this add to the creaminess. It’s OK to stir gently from time to time but even better if you simply gently shake or nudge the pan. It is best to cook on a gentle to medium simmer.

You don’t need a Paella pan if you’re making it for just two people. A non stick frying pan will do the job. The trick is to have a shallow pan with the rice evenly distributed and with even heat underneath.

Vermicelli Rice (Lebanese Rice) Recipe

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Vermicelli rice

I learned how to make this from my Turkish friends back in my university days. I would have never thought of mixing rice with pasta but it makes rice so much tastier and interesting! Making it this way gives it a nutty flavour and is a perfect accompaniment to any dish to be served with rice.

It is also very typical of Lebanese cuisine where it is also served with toasted pine nuts, also served in Syria and I have read that this rice pilaf is the most served dish in the Middle east! Once you make it it is very easy to see why. It is so simple and tasty, the perfect accompaniment to any dish, Middle Eastern or otherwise. Variations of this use different oils such as olive oil or butter (or a mixture!). The choice is yours, I like to use sunflower oil though because it has a more neutral flavour.

Pisto – Traditional Spanish ‘Ratatouille’ Recipe

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Pisto is a dish that I grew up with and is very typical of Spanish cuisine and also in Gibraltar. In essence it is the Spanish version of ratatouille and it is not the kind of dish that is made in a hurry as it takes time for the courgettes and aubergines to soften, but the result is so yummy. The aubergine gives it a lovely flavour and thickens the sauce. Pisto can be eaten as a main dish or is also many times made as a sauce for filling pastries or to accompany other dishes. It is also served in many tapas bars as a tapa.

I don’t think there is one definitive version of Pisto since this is a dish that is very typical but the ingredients are always the same: onion, red and green peppers, courgettes and aubergines. For some reason I always associate Pisto with summer but it is eaten at all times of the year. I also think that it pays to be generous with the oil as it will bring out the flavours of the vegetables. Typically it a served with fried potatoes and a fried egg, but if you want to make it vegan then you can omit this. For a healthier alternative I also have it with rice instead many times.

Meat-free Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Recipe

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Vegetarian meatballs in tomato sauce

Meat-free meatballs may seem like a bit of a misnomer, but they can be found in most stores in the frozen section. Just because there is no meat in them doesn’t mean they are any less good! I sometimes make vegetarian meatballs myself, but other times I admit I buy them already made. There are also meatballs made from seitan which are great although a little bit more expensive.

I grew up eating them in a traditional walnut or almond sauce, or in a tomato sauce, and these are the saucesI choose to make the vegetarian ones too. This particular recipe has a richness of taste thanks to the savoury punch of miso paste and yeast extract (Marmite) that gives this quintessential Mediterranean tomato sauce that is typical of Gibraltar (like a sofrito) another level of flavour. If you don’t have Marmite or miso paste don’t worry, a dash of soy sauce or Maggi’s Jugo sauce will work well too.

Quorn & Oyster Mushroom ‘Al Ajillo’ Recipe

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Quorn and oyster mushrooms al ajillo

‘Al ajillo’ sauce is a garlic and white wine sauce and one for garlic lovers. It is very typical of Gibraltar and a classic in Spanish cuisine. Traditionally the sauce is made with white meats but there is no reason why this can’t be made into a high protein vegetarian/vegan meal. I often say that just because you are vegetarian or vegan it doesn’t mean you have to stop eating the foods you’ve always enjoyed. It is simply a case of adapting the food and making a few clever substitutions.

This kind of food is not glamorous but rather it is rustic home cooking and bursting in flavour. The taste of garlic is mellowed a lot in the cooking so despite the name and amount of garlic used it isn’t overpowering. In fact garlic is prevalent in Spanish cuisine, so for those of us used to it you can never have enough garlic, but for those not used to it, trust me, the garlic becomes sweet. The amount of oil again may seem quite high but you need this is order to confit the garlic. The secret is to ensure the garlic is covered in oil and to cook this gently so that it doesn’t brown, let alone burn. I also like to leave a few cloves whole (just give them a bit of a crack) and when it is time to serve the flesh of the clove will come out and will be lovely and sweet.

To give it depth of flavour I use a little bit of yeast extract (Marmite) which has that meaty taste and some Maggi’s seasoning sauce. These are optional but I think the dish tastes better with these ingredients. You can  make this dish any meat-free protein, such as seitan, tofu. You can also make this just with mushrooms – oyster mushrooms work very well as they keep a good texture after cooking. If omitting one or the other simply double the amounts while keeping the rest of the ingredients the same.

This dish is traditionally served with fried potatoes, although as a child I used to have it with boiled potatoes which I would mash with the sauce. As a more grown up and healthy alternative you can serve with boiled baby potatoes which only take about 20 minutes to cook.

Coronation ‘Chicken’ Recipe – Meat-free vegetarian version

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Coronation chicken is incredibly popular in Gibraltar and is a recipe that is very quintessentially British. It was invented by Constance Spry who was a writer and by Rosemary Hume, the founder of the famous Le Cordon Bleu cookery school back in 1953 in order to commemorate the coronation Queen Elizabeth II (hence the name!). Since making its way into Buckingham Palace it has become a favourite in Britain and you can find it pretty much everywhere and in every sandwich shop.

Coronation chicken was one of those meals that I missed terribly since giving up meat. I love a good sandwich and this creamy filling with a slight curry flavour and sweet raisins has always been one of my favourites. However the original recipe didn’t have raisins at all, but had dried apricots instead which I imagine must be very nice too. I think the key is to have an element of sweetness in order to balance out the curry flavour which needs to be mild anyway so as not to overpower the filling.

This vegan or vegetarian version (your choice!) of ‘Coronation Chicken’ can be made with any meat-free alternative. It is quite easy to find natural yoghurt made from soya and dairy-free mayonnaise to keep it all vegan and plant based.

Meat-free Waldorf Salad Recipe

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Waldorf salad

This creamy salad with apples, celery, walnuts is very versatile. It is a little bit sweet, a little savoury, a little tart, a little crunchy and very yummy! This is based on the classic Waldorf salad but with a twist, basically it just uses the basics of celery, apple and walnuts.

Sometimes I make it with pasta (as in the photo), other times I like to have it with a baked potato or even with some rye bread. You can use meat-free protein sources such as seitan. To make it vegan you can use dairy-free alternatives to yoghurt and mayonnaise, there are very good alternatives available in most supermarkets.

Pasta with Tomato & Rosemary Sauce Recipe

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Pasta with tomato and rosemary sauce

This recipe is inspired on a dish that my mother has always made. Garlic and rosemary are natural allies and go very well in a creamy sauce for pasta. However in the family recipe there is no cream as such but a ridiculous amount of cheese is melted in tomato to make a creamy and gooey (and absolutely delicious) dish. However I do try to keep things as dairy free as I can these days so i decided to replace the cheese with a dairy-free alternative so I use dairy free cream.

I like to use almond cream (oat cream works very well too) as an alternative to regular cream, and with the tomato it makes a rich sauce filled with Mediterranean flavours. This way it is the marriage of garlic and rosemary that come through and become the stars of the dish. The good thing about this recipe is that it is a very quick and easy dish to make that takes as long as pasta takes to cook.