Pretzel dough flatbreads

 

It now seems a lifetime away that I lived in Germany. I moved away from there in 2007, so it has been a while indeed. I spent nearly ten years in Cologne, so of course I still miss many things from there. Today’s food is one of those things. There was, and still is, a bakery chain making these tasty flatbreads on a pretzel dough base. I would often get one as a snack on the go. That’s where my inspiration for these flatbreads comes from.

I made half of my flatbreads with an onion, garlic and Cheddar filling and the other half with bell peppers and Mozzarella. I also made sodium carbonate to make my basic pizza dough taste like pretzels. The dough is dipped in the sodium carbonate for a while before hand-stretching, filling and baking the flatbread. You can read all about this method in my previous Pretzel roll post.

Have a nice weekend!

Your VegHog

 

In my kitchen in November

In November I bring you loads of comfort food, as the weather here in Denmark is getting chillier. I’ve been cooking a lot and also trying some new food items, so here we go.

These organic dry mixes with grains and spices are excellent products. By adding some fresh vegetables, you can make nice veggie burgers and nuggets with these. I got the spicy mix and the cosy one with warming spices. They make weekday meals so easy.

I spotted a new product in the shop, oat rice. It’s just perfect more healthy and sustainable, locally produced alternative to rice. I’ve made a spicy oat risotto with it and some pasties with veggies. The oat rice will become a standard staple in my kitchen.

I got this BBQ Stout sauce a while back and have been using it as a condiment with many dishes. It is such a nice quality product.

Here are a couple of pumpkins that I carved for Halloween and some of my new herbs in the background. I also got the cutest little onion squash as a harvest from my own balcony.

This is a potato-bell pepper-tomato dish also featuring this chilli grill cheese.

I made a veggie lasagne with vegan pea mince and bell peppers. It’s always nice to have a good old veggie lasagne.

A slightly spicy mac’n’cheese with chipotle and roasted cherry tomatoes.

This dish is a super comforting gnocchi with mushrooms and a cheese fondue sauce with white wine and Emmental.

And as my curveball, I’m sharing this photo of my lovely Matt Sewell prints that I finally got framed. Technically it’s not so much of a curveball, as they are right above my dining table, basically still in the kitchen.

As always, I’m sharing this post with Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings blog, who is hosting the popular In My Kitchen event.

Your VegHog

Halloween party

 

We had a little 2-person Halloween party at home yesterday. It was quite cosy with our carved pumpkin lanterns lighting the balcony in the rain. I prepared some seasonal snacks for the evening: pumpkin face cheddar with charcoal crackers, colourful marmelades and orange cream chocolates. I also made spooky pumpkin face quesadillas with chilli-pepper tortillas and an oat rice, chilli, sweetcorn, pepper, carrot, cheese, onion and blue potato filling.

It was a nice evening in enjoying these snacks and I also got the opportunity to use my paper Halloween plates. Do you have any plans for tonight? Happy Halloween everyone!

 

Your VegHog

 

Sweet potato and pumpkin gnocchi

 

It’s almost time for Halloween, so I wanted to share a very seasonal gnocchi recipe with you. I made the orange coloured gnocchi with roasted sweet potato and crown prince squash. The squash can of course be substituted with other squash types or a pumpkin. The gnocchi are also plantbased.

Have you all been eating loads of squashes and pumpkins and are you also excited for Halloween? I have a couple of carved pumpkins on my balcony, so I’m getting pretty much into the mood.

 

Sweet potato and pumpkin gnocchi

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

¼ crown prince squash

300 g wheat flour

75 g potato flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Roast the sweet potato as a whole and the squash piece in the oven until done. Mash them and let them cool down. Mix the sweet potato and squash mash with the flours, salt and oil and lightly knead into a firm dough.

Shape gnocchi from the dough and boil them in water until they float on the surface. You can additionally fry them in little butter or oil, if you like. It adds some additional firmness and depth of flavour.

I served the gnocchi with crispy browned sage butter, cheese and side salad. What would you serve it with? And happy Halloween to all!

 

Your VegHog

Loaded pumpkin nachos

 

It’s a great autumn weather today, a bit windy but not rainy. We are planning to go to a local deer park to see of course the deer, but also some vibrant colours in the trees. The park is just by the sea and you can see straight to Sweden from there. Sometimes I receive a “Welcome to Sweden!” sms to my phone when I’m there. It’s nice to pop down to the beach also.

I'm sure that after the walk, I will be very hungry for some comfort food. These loaded pumpkin nachos are just a perfect dish for the Halloween season. I made them with roasted pumpkin and pepper, spicy kidney bean and sweetcorn mix and of course cheese. It was a very nice dish for sharing.

Enjoy your weekend!

Your VegHog

 

Onion soup

 

I made an onion soup with cheesy bread croutons yesterday. It was a great dinner after a day out in the bit chillier autumn weather. I’m very much embracing the soup season right now and was able to get the most beautiful and tasty biodynamic onions from a local farmer. Therefore it was an easy decision to make an onion soup. I made a vegetarian version this time, as I used real butter for frying the onions and cheese on the croutons, but the recipe is also easy to veganise. I made the soup with addition of dry British cider, which added acidity, warmth and depth to the flavour.

Take a look at the easy recipe below, if I got your interest. It is a cheap and basic soup to make. All you need is a little bit of patience.

 

Onion soup

Ingredients

6 onions

2 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove

1 cup dry cider

1 vegetable stock cube

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp miso

2 bay leaves

3 tsp fresh thyme

1l water

 

Croutons

Crusty bread

Olive oil

Salt

Grated Gouda

Fresh thyme

Method

Peel and cut the onions to half rings. Start cooking them at medium temperature in the butter and stir occasionally. Cook them for quite a long time until they are browned and caramelised.

Once the onions are cooked, add the minced garlic and cook it for a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with the cider and then add the seasoning and water. Let simmer until you are happy with the flavour.

While the soup is simmering, make the bread croutons. Cut the bread into cubes and toast them in the oven until crispy. Add the seasoning and the cheese and return to the oven. Bake them until the cheese is melted.

Serve the soup with the croutons and enjoy!

 

Your VegHog

 

Roast potatoes and cauliflower with a cheese fondue sauce

 

The weekend has started sunny, but a bit chilly with a wind from the north. I will be doing the usual weekend potteries, like going to the market, strolling around in town and cooking at length. What are your plans for the weekend?

I’ve made a cheesy fondue style sauce a few times and it goes well with a lot of vegetables. It was nice in this combination with roasted cauliflower and it was also excellent with mushrooms. I think it’s a nice autumnal sauce that can lift a dish. I just first made a basic roux, then added white wine and Emmental cheese and some spicing like onion powder, vegetable stock powder, salt and ground black pepper. It’s easy to make and so tasty.

I served the cauliflower with crispy roast potatoes, steamed tender stem broccoli and tomatoes and cape gooseberries. It was a very good meal.

Have a nice weekend!

Your VegHog