Roasted rosemary veggie skewers

I loved this concept so much and I wanted to share it with you. It's not so much of an amazing recipe- more just the quirky skewer thing going on ;-)

Perfect for BBQ's or summer dining al-fresco, the flavours are fresh and enticing and it will make your dinner companions smile.

There are two simple requirements for this dish:

1- some veggies that can be skewered

2- robust fresh rosemary 'stalks' to act as the skewers

I have a rosemary plant in the garden so had easy access to cut some skewers, some of the skewers I cut were not quite robust enough but they still do the trick and infuse the veggies with flavour. I used my fingers slide the veggie chunks onto my plate just before I ate them and many of the rosemary leaves came away too- yum!

The light oil baste over the veggies was kept simple here so the flavour of the herbs could do their thing, but you could add some more spice if you liked with chipotle sauce or chilli flakes. I served the skewers as a side dish along with the samphire quinoa dish and flatbread wedges.

Bon apetite!

Recipe: Roasted rosemary veggie skewers

Serves 2 as a side

Ingredients:

2 cup worth mixed veg- (I used 1 red onion, 1 red pepper and 1 courgette)

2 tsp oilve oil (or preferred oil)

1 tsp mixed herbs and spices of choice (i.e chili or cajun)

4 robust rosemary stalks to act as skewers

Method:

Prepare the vegetables to be skewered and toss in the oil and spices.

Carefully thread the veg pieces on the rosemary stalks, going along the direction of the leaves so that they largely remain intact).

Toast the skewers under a medium grill for 5-10 minutes until golden along the edges.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Creamy herb mushroom gravy

As soon as I'd posted the recipe for the lentil and rosemary balls I realised that I'd never posted a gravy recipe on my blog!

A roast without gravy...well that would be a travesty!  

My go to vegan gravy is a mushroom gravy, currently its the only way I truly enjoy mushrooms in a cooked form (although I love them raw). With this version of the gravy I jazzed things up a little and infused it with some extra rosemary (yes I did mention I was a little rosemary obsessed at the moment!) I think the rosemary works so well with the flavours of a roast, I even throw the remains of the piece i'd cut from the garden in with the potatoes.

It tasted great, but the rosemary did give a slight green tinge which made the overall gravy a little off-coloured. It didn't bother me but I just thought i'd mention it so that you can add some browning if you prefer a richer colour. Alternatively chop the rosemary quite finely and add it after the blending process so that the leaves stay more intact without altering the colour so much.

This gravy is also a fabulous accompaniment to my traditional nut roast  and the chestnut roast. If you omit the fresh herbs you may want to increase the garlic and dried herbs a little to give it some oomph.

Recipe: Creamy herb mushroom gravy

Makes approx. 500ml

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 a medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup veg stock
1 1/2 cup chopped white mushrooms
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs fresh rosemary (or herb of choice)
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs cornflour (or starch or choice)
1 tbs browning (this is optional for a richer colour- I didn't use this)

Method:


In a medium saucepan saute the onion for 5 minutes until softening. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for a further 5 minutes.

Add the seasoning and mix through. Add 1/2 cup of the veg stock and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes until the gravy has thickened before serving.

Note: you could add the rosemary last and blend lightly if you wanted larger rosemary flecks and would prefer to omit the browning whilst still and achieving a more visually appealing gravy colour.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Lentil and rosemary balls

I'm a typical brit in that I do love a good English roast. Heaps of veggies, roast potatoes and gravy...and today with lentil balls!

I thought I'd put a bit of a spin on my old faithful nut roast and go for balls over a loaf, plus some some fresh rosemary thrown in as I seem to have a thing for rosemary at the moment. These little balls did not dissapoint! I also added some extra polenta to coat some of them to give an extra crunchy coating and they were great too, I can't decide which way I prefer them- maybe make a few of each. You could also roll in seeds if you preferred.

You will note in the recipe that the wet to dry relation may need slight adjustment depending on the texture of the lentils, I made this recipe a couple of times and needed to add a few more oats one time but not the other even though I couldn't see that I'd made any other changes. It didn't make a significant affect to the final baked product as far as I could tell, you simply need to achieve a consistency that is just stiff enough to from balls that will hold their shape.

These balls are so versatile, you could use them to top a salad, or in pace of 'meat' balls in a sub roll or wrap.... how would you use them?

Recipe: Lentil and rosemary balls

Ingredients:

 

1/2-2 cups oats (depending on consistency of mixture)
1 large onion- chopped finely
2 carrots- grated
1/2 cup squash or sweet potato cut into small cubes (I used squash)
3 tbs tomato puree
3 cloves garlic
1 cup dry red lentils*
1/2 green lentils- precooked
300ml vegetable stock (omit most of this if red lentils are precooked and just add as needed)*
1/2 cup gram flour (you could probably use other flours thoigh I haven't tried)
1/2 polenta (I used the quick cook variety)
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 tbs fresh rosemary

Method:

Cook red lentils and squash in 300ml stock for approx 15 minutes until  cooked and the lentils are mushy. Add remaining wet ingredients and coconut oil and mix through evenly.

Add the gram flour, polenta and one cup of oats and mix through, adding extra oats as necessary to achieve a soft but stiff mixture that could be formed into balls. Mix through the herbs last.

Using your fingers form into apricot sized balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 mins until golden on the outside.

Optional note: roll in extra polenta prior to baking for extra crunch.

 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.