Crushed roast potato and sweetcorn tortillas

I woke up into sunshine and quite a warm weather, which was really delightful for a Saturday. At this point it seems as if it could get the warmest day of the summer here so far. I'll soon be heading out, but before that I want to share my crushed roast potato and sweetcorn tortilla recipe with you. I really adore roasted corn and potatoes and I added smoked chilli paste seasoned black beans to these, so good!

Ingredients

2 corn cobs

400 g new potatoes

Rapeseed oil

Salt

Smoked paprika

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

100 g tomatoes

1 can black beans

2 tsp smoked chilli paste

Fresh coriander

Grated Cheddar

Chilli mayo

8 wholemeal tortillas

Method

Brush the corn cobs and new potatoes with rapeseed oil and roast in the oven. Also sprinkle some salt and smoked paprika over the potatoes. I normally roast corn cobs under foil and finish under the grill.

Chop the onion, garlic and tomatoes finely and start cooking the onion in oil. Once slightly browned, add the garlic, soon followed by the tomatoes and black beans.

Let simmer and season with the smoked chilli paste and fresh coriander.

Once the corn cobs are roasted, cut the corn off the cobs. And once the potatoes are roasted, crush them slightly by pressing with a fork.

Assemble all components onto tortillas and serve them with grated cheddar and chilli mayo.

Enjoy!

I'm sharing the recipe with this month's My Legume Love Affair hosted by Kalyani from Sizzling Tastebuds.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Your VegHog

Black bean and kale tacos

I've been so fond of Mexican food lately. I think I could have it every day, as there are so many wonderful veggie options and beans are really good for you. It's also very dangerous that my local pub makes a very good veggie burrito and it's huge. I really shouldn't be having that so often, as I almost can't walk home anymore afterwards, that's how big the portion is.

Now I decided to make slightly different tacos with soft taco shells, filled with black beans with smoked chilli flavours and kale as the additional green. These were really nice tacos and the top kale bits crisped a little bit in the oven, which I love. So here is my recipe.

Ingredients

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tin black beans

1 small tin sweetcorn

Ground coriander to taste

Ground cumin to taste

Smoked paprika to taste

Chilli flakes to taste

Smoked chilli paste to taste

1 lime's juice

2 tbsp tomato purée

160 g kale

8 soft taco shells

Grated cheddar

Red jalapenos

Sour cream

Fresh coriander

Method

Chop the onion and garlic finely and start cooking them in vegetable oil until the onion is slightly browned.

Add the black beans, sweetcorn and seasoning to the mix. Also add the lime's juice and tomato purée.

Steam the kale for a few minutes and add to the beans.

Fill the taco shells with the bean and kale mix.

Add some grated cheddar on the top and bake them in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and the taco shells are partly crispy.

Serve with red jalapenos, sour cream and fresh coriander and enjoy!

I'm sharing this recipe with Shaheen for this month's Eat Your Greens. 

Your VegHog

Bean burritos

I made some simple bean and sweetcorn burritos in wholemeal tortillas, and what a nice weekday meal it made. I added some brown rice and soya mince into these to make them just a little bit more wholesome. I do enjoy this kind of dishes with a little spicy addition of smoked chilli paste, as I normally have most of these ingredients in my cupboard. This dish is very easy to veganise by leaving out the cheese or substituting it with vegan options.

Ingredients

½ cup dried soya mince

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1 red chilli

1 tbsp vegetable oil

140 g sweetcorn

240 g black beans

5 large vine tomatoes

Ground coriander to taste

Ground cumin to taste

Smoked paprika to taste

Smoked chilli paste to taste

6 tbsp tomato purée

½ cup brown rice

100 g grated Cheddar

8 wholemeal tortilla wraps

Method

Prepare the soya mince as per instructions on the packet and set to side.

Also cook the rice and set to side.

Chop the onion, garlic and chilli finely and start cooking them in oil.

Add the sweetcorn and black beans to the pan followed by the coarsely chopped tomatoes.

Cook them for a while and then add the seasoning to taste.

After a while also add the soya mince and rice and let simmer under lid.

Once the bean mix has cooked nicely, wrap it with some grated Cheddar into the tortilla wraps.

 

 

Enjoy!

Your VegHog

Black quinoa burgers

It is about time that I made some homemade veggie burgers again. I have noticed that I've lately quite often purchased ready made vegan or vegetarian burgers and that just isn't acceptable for me in the long run. So a new batch had to come along, some of it was instantly frozen for future use.

These burgers containing black quinoa, roasted bell peppers, black beans and different spices are quite tasty and nutty. Here are the simple instructions for making them.

Ingredients

2 bell peppers

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup black quinoa

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 can black beans

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Chilli flakes

Salt

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

Vegetable oil for frying

Burger buns + salad + tomatoes + cheese + whatever else you would want to serve the burgers with

Method

Cut the peppers into a few large bits, brush them with olive oil and roast until soft. After the roasting, purée the peppers into a paste.

Cook the quinoa in water for about 20 minutes or until done.

Chop the onion and garlic finely and cook them soft in olive oil. Add the beans to the onion and then season with ground coriander, ground cumin, chilli flakes and salt to taste.

Add the cooked quinoa and the pepper paste into the pan and cook everything together for a few minutes. Let the mix cool down and then add the breadcrumbs and egg.

Shape burgers from the mix and fry them on both sides in hot vegetable oil.

Serve with your favourite veggie burger toppings and enjoy!

Your VegHog

Spicy beanballs

I make veggie Schnitzel and fritters quite often, but now I thought I'd make vegetable balls. Veggie burgers are everywhere these days (luckily!), but vegetable balls aren't so easy to get in shops or when eating out. So why not make some myself.

I thought of a quite simple recipe for these. Believe me, they are not so much work, as they are oven baked. Black beans seemed like a natural choice as the main ingredient, and then I went a bit frantic and added all kinds of vegetables and spices that I could find in my cupboards, not to forget about cheese. I think these could be made with many different veggies. I really want to make a bean and sweetcorn ones as well. I could also imagine that a potato mash base would be lovely here. This is a dish where you can get really creative!

Ingredients

3 shallots

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper

1 carrot

2 cans black beans

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground black pepper

150 g emmental

1 egg

1 cup breadcrumbs

Method

Chop the shallots and garlic finely and grate the bell pepper and carrot. The pepper can also be chopped finely.

Cook the shallots in vegetable oil until soft. Then add the garlic and bell pepper. Cook a while until you add the ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika.

Add the black beans and the grated carrot to the pan and let simmer slowly.

Once everything is cooked nicely, season with salt, chilli flakes and ground black pepper. And if needed, add more cumin, coriander or paprika. Let the mix cool.

Grate the emmental and add it to the bean mix with the egg and breadcrumbs. Mix it all into an even dough and slightly mash so that the beans break a little. That will help the balls to stick better together. Add more breadcrumbs if the mix isn't firm enough.

Shape balls from the dough and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake at 200C for about 30-40 minutes until the surface is crispy.

Enjoy with a nice dip and maybe a salad. I had an olive and roasted pepper salad and my Redcurrant and chilli jam with these, and it was quite a nice combination. 

Your VegHog

Sweetcorn and black bean burritos

I spontaneously started craving burritos, so I had to do something about that (well, a day later that is...). As I happened to have black beans in the cupboard I started planning what else could go with them into nice veggie burritos. I chose the ingredients below, mainly black beans, sweetcorn, pepper and tomatoes. Those are always good basics + I got to use loads of my own tomatoes again. I can't promise that these are very authentic burritos, but it's my take on them anyway.

And here's how I made them.

500 g tomatoes

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

Slow-cook the above ingredients into a tomato sauce, until the sauce is concentrated and the tomato taste is intense and any excess liquid has evaporated. Simmer at least one hour, mostly with lid on, and stir occasionally. This is quite similar method to my slow-cooked tomato sauce recipe.  

Then continue with the below ingredients.

2 large shallots

1 pointy yellow romano pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp chilli flakes

240 g / 1 can black beans

240 g / 1 can sweetcorn

Chop the shallots finely and the pepper into small cubes. Start cooking them in a separate pan in vegetable oil until they are soft.

Add the seasoning and then the beans and sweetcorn. Cook for about 15 minutes at low heat.

Add the concentrated tomato sauce to the vegetables and stir.

Now your filling is ready for the burritos.

6 soft tortilla wraps

300 g Red Leicester and Cheddar cheese mix grated

Warm the tortilla wraps up and fill them with the sweetcorn and black bean mix and cheese. Wrap them into burritos and enjoy!

I also served a tomato salsa (my recipe here) and plain cottage cheese on the side.  

Have a good weekend!

Your VegHog

Pepper and black bean chilli with rye nachos

A good vegetable chilli is a nice thing to have, even in the summer. I have grown very fond of this combination of chilli and rye nachos that I'm also making today. The rye nachos are very filling and they add a hearty flavour to the dish. A chilli is a handy dish for me as I normally would have enough different vegetables and the seasoning in my cupboard. I happen to have black bean cans in bulk, so that's why I chose them as the main vegetable for the chilli. Here's my pepper and black bean chilli with rye nachos recipe.

Ingredients

3 shallots

4 garlic cloves

1 red chilli

2 bell peppers

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

250 g cherry tomatoes

400 g black beans (1 can)

140 g double concentrated tomato purée

200 g Oltermanni cheese (or any other)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cocoa powder

2 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 lime's juice

Rye or regular nachos for serving

Method

Chop the shallots, garlic cloves, red chilli, bell peppers and tomatoes small.

Cook the shallots, garlic, chilli and peppers in vegetable oil until soft. Then add the following seasoning: ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika, and stir for about one minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes, black beans and tomato purée, and simmer under lid for at least 30 minutes. The cooking time can be even longer to develop the flavours.

Season later with salt, cocoa powder, vegetable stock powder and lime juice. Add more of any of the spices to taste. Once you are happy that the flavours have blended nicely and everything is cooked, stir in half of the cheese. I used the Finnish Oltermanni cheese, which is my absolute favourite cheese.

Place some rye nachos in an oven dish, pour the chilli on the side and cover with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 180C for about 10 minutes and it's done.

Enjoy warm!

Your VegHog

Black bean hummus and aubergine canapés

Happy Sunday! It's actually quite warm here today, and I have spent some time on the balcony. When I felt peckish I made this quick afternoon snack with just a few ingredients. The black bean hummus can be combined with pretty much anything you can imagine. For tomorrow's work lunch I'm putting it into pitta breads with some vegetables.

Black bean hummus:

1 can black beans

4 tbsp tahini

1 garlic clove

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

½ lime's juice

1 tbsp olive oil

Just blend all the ingredients together into a smooth paste and the hummus is done.

 

Aubergine canapés:

1 aubergine

Vegetable oil for grilling

Olive oil for roasting

1 halloumi

Slice the aubergine lengthwise into this slices. Char-grill the slices on both sides, then brush them with olive oil and bake at 150C for about 10-15 minutes. Also char-grill the halloumi pieces and let them cool. Wrap the halloumi with the aubergine slices and serve with the black bean hummus. Enjoy!

Your VegHog

Vegetarian bean and potato burgers

When I became a vegetarian as a teenager in the mid 1990's, a vegetable burger was a very desirable dish for me. Back then neither in Finland nor in Germany there were very many in the offer, so I had to figure out how to make my own. A bean and potato burger was the very first one I ever tried to make, and I remember to have been very pleased with myself then. Unfortunately I have lost that recipe, but I tried to make an advanced version of those burgers today, and I really think that the result was similar, yet much better, to the burgers back then.

So here's my recipe for vegetarian bean and potato burgers. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list, most of it is seasoning that's handy to always have around. The burgers take a little bit of dedication to make, but boy, are they worth it!

For the burger patties: (Makes about 10 large patties)

500g potatoes

2 red onions

3 garlic cloves

2tbsp olive oil

400g black beans (1 tin)

200g sweetcorn (1 small tin)

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp parsley

A dash of grated nutmeg

1tsp chilli flakes

1tsp vegetable stock powder

A few leaves of fresh sage

1tsp salt

½tsp black pepper

2 eggs

1 cup semolina

1 cup breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil for frying

For assembling the burgers:

Ciabatta rolls (or lovely home made buns!)

Cheddar with chilli

Gem lettuce

Peel the potatoes, boil them in water until soft and mash them. Then let the mash cool. While the potatoes are boiling prepare the rest of the Schnitzel mixture. Chop the onions and garlic finely and cook them in olive oil until soft. Add the beans and sweetcorn to the pan and season with cumin, coriander, parsley, nutmeg, chilli flakes, vegetable stock powder, sage, salt and pepper. Cook until any excess liquid has evaporated and cool the mix.

Once both mixtures have cooled, combine them and stir thoroughly together. After the mixing, let the patty mixture rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Then the actual patty making can start. It's best to prepare an assembling line for these, starting from the left: the bowl with the patty mixture (shaping of the patties takes place above the mixture bowl), a deep plate with the beaten eggs, another plate with the semolina and breadcrumbs and finally a hot non-stick pan with generous amount of vegetable oil for frying (the cooking temperature may need adjusting during the cooking). Shape the patties with your hands and roll them in the eggs and the breadcrumbs, and then off to the frying pan they go. Fry the patties on both sides until they are golden brown with a crispy surface.

At some point in between, warm up the buns and cut the lettuce. Then just assemble yourself some nice veggie burgers and enjoy! I served a salad with homemade oven tomatoes on the side and added some chilli Cheddar to the burgers – yummy! 

Stay hungry!

Your VegHog

Mixed bean and sweetcorn chilli

I have made a vegetarian chilli again. The butter beans and black beans were the main ingredients in this one, but I also added some sweetcorn to it. Use more chillies than mentioned in this recipe, if you prefer really spicy food, as I like my chilli a bit milder. I normally make a bigger batch so that I can have some left as next day's lunch. I think that this kind of chilli is also a nice dish to offer to any vegetarian dinner guests you might have. 

So this is how it goes.

7 small shallots

5 garlic cloves

1 green chilli

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

250 g tomatoes

400 g butter beans (1 can)

400 g black beans (1 can)

400 g sweetcorn (1 can)

140 g double concentrated tomato purée

150 g Red Leicester cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cocoa powder

2 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 lime's juice

Chop the shallots, garlic cloves, green chilli and tomatoes small.

Cook the shallots, garlic and chilli in olive oil until soft. Then add the following seasoning: ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika, and stir for a minute or so. Then add the chopped tomatoes, butter beans, black beans, sweetcorn and tomato purée, and simmer under lid for at least 30 minutes, but the cooking time can be even longer.

Season later with salt, cocoa powder, vegetable stock powder and lime juice. Add more of any of the spices to taste. Once you are happy that the flavours have blended nicely and everything is cooked, stir in the cheese.

Serve with rice, nachos, tortillas, anything you like... what is your favourite serving suggestion?

Enjoy!

Your VegHog

Vegetable chili

A spicy chili made with a variety of vegetables is a great dish, especially for this time of the year. It doesn't require much technical skill, you can just let it simmer and only need to remember to stir sometimes. I used black beans as the main component, and to make the chili even simpler I chose to use the canned ones. I like to serve my chili with rice to get a neutral taste to balance the spiciness out.

This is how to make a vegetable chili.

2 bell peppers

4 onions

2 cloveless garlics

800g black beans (2 cans)

140g tomato puree

450g santini tomatoes

1 yellow chili

Juice of one lime

Fresh coriander leaves

2tsp paprika

2tsp cumin

1tsp cocoa powder

1tbsp vegetable stock powder

1tsp salt

Olive oil

100g red leicester cheese

1 cup rice

First of all chop the bell peppers, chili, onion and garlic and heat some olive oil in a suitable large pot. Fry the onion until soft, then add the garlic, chili and peppers and fry for another minute or two. Add the cumin, paprika, cocoa powder, black beans, tomato puree and tomatoes to the mix.

Let it simmer under the lid at moderate heat for about 20 minutes and stir occasionally. At some point start boiling the rice as well.

Season the chili with the juice of a lime, vegetable stock powder and salt. Taste to check whether the seasoning is right for you.

When the chili is almost done, add the fresh coriander leaves and the grated cheese. Serve hot with the rice.

Stay hungry!

Your VegHog