Vegetarian Dishes | Finding Feasts

Batata Vada | Indian Potato Dumplings

Batata Vada | Indian Potato Dumplings – Deep fried anything is generally awesome and these Indian street food favourites are no different.

What makes these so delicious are the lovely indian spices that are in the soft potato centre and the crispy besan flour batter.

Indian Potato Dumplings are a fantastic food option for your next party as they are very quick to make and go well with an assortment of finger foods. Make a batch of Curried Green Tomato Relish to serve with them for a wonderful pairing of flavours.

Enjoy! Blondie

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Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach, Feta & Ricotta Rolls

Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach, Feta & Ricotta Rolls – I love these so much that I make a big batch of them and freeze them for lunches. They work really well as a dinner also. Rather than cutting them in half or thirds, leave them the full size and serve with a crisp garden salad and a zingy dressing.

These veggie rolls are packed full of delicious clean and fresh flavours so you don’t need to add extra spices, but you can serve them with a variety of spicy chutneys and sauces to change it up if you choose.

A quick, tasty lunch is only a moment away – Blondie

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Sweet Potato Toast w/ Mushroom & Brown Mustard Seed Omelette

Finding Feasts - Mushroom Omelette w Sweet Potato Toast — Click image for recipe

Sweet Potato Toast w/ Mushroom & Brown Mustard Seed Omelette – Is a breakfast to take you through the day. Absolutely perfect for a long day at Disnelyland, as I was discussing in an earlier post.

The hottest food trend to sweep the internet at the moment is sweet potato toasts. Who knew? You take a thinly sliced slab of sweet potato, brush with a bit of oil and pop in the toaster. If you have a crumpet setting on your toaster then that will work perfectly, other wise popping it down a couple of times is just as good.

Cooking the sweet potato to al dente means it’s an ideal plate for poached eggs, omelettes, sautéed vegetables etc.

Start healthy… Blondie

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Potato & Caramelised Fennel Gratin

Finding Feasts - Potato Fennel Gratin — Click image fro recipe

Potato & Caramelised Fennel Gratin – This is a really simple dish that has so much flavour from just a few ingredients. It’s a side dish that can effortlessly outshine your hero ingredient. Comfort food made with love.

As my favourite part of the gratin is the golden, crunchy edges and top, so for this, I like to use a large dish, which means there is more surface area. This way everyone gets a perfect piece.

If you are rushed for time then a fantastic tip is to place the sliced potatoes into a saucepan and cover with seasoned milk. Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook till tender, about 15 minutes. While they are cooking, caramalise the fennel. Alternate pouring some potatoes and scattering on some fennel and grated cheese into a prepared baking dish till all the components are in the baking dish. Season well, top with the remainder of the cheese and place under a grill till the top is golden and bubbly. What normally takes about an hour to cook will take a quarter of the time. This method is also great if you don’t want to use too much cheese. Just top the gratin with a light covering. The end result is still amazing.

Happy eating! – Blondie

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Curried Vegetable Pie – Family Sized

This Family Sized Curried Vegetable Pie is jam packed full of vegetables that are only limited by what’s in your fridge at the time. Throw it all in!

I highly suggest going the extra step and blind baking a base for your pie. I’m still of the old school method in that a pie needs a base otherwise it’s just a stew with a lid. That is unless it’s a fish pie, in which case you can make the most spectacular puff pastry, lid only, pie possible. Cracking through the ridiculously high pastry top to reach the delicate fish and velouté centre, leaving shards of crispy, whisper thin pastry strewn across the table is quite possibly one of the food world’s greatest offerings … but I digress…

When making this pie, be sure to make a wide hole in the centre. This particular one closed up on it’s self leaving the filling a little wet but if vented, this pie is absolutely perfect.

Happy pie making – Blondie

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Flaky, Cheesy Mushroom Puffs

Flaky, Cheesy Mushroom Puffs are perfect little mouthfuls of flaky pastry and creamy, savoury mushroom filling.

Although these were one of numerous canapés made specifically for my nana’s 90th Birthday party a couple of months ago; I will happily make finger food to freeze and serve with a glass of wine on the weekend or to reheat with a salad for lunch during the weekday.

These little morsels are sensational with their crispiness, creaminess and umami mushroom hit and most importantly can be eaten with one hand while you mingle and sip your way through the party.

When planning party food or canapés to serve to your guests, aim on having about 8 per person. A mix of hot and cold foods that can be prepared ahead of time and simply assembled on the day.

These can be made and then frozen. When ready, place in a 200°c / 400°f oven and cook till golden and puffed.

Happy partying! Blondie

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Chunky Oat & Raisin Cookies

Chunky Oat & Raisin Cookies … Who can resist a cookie, especially a large cinnamon and nutmeg scented one with sweet raisins dotted throughout? Certainly not me.

I don’t really have a sweet tooth and a mid morning snack is usually of the savoury kind but these have really been hitting the spot of late – a nice coffee and half of one of these cookies has been the perfect 11:00am breather.

A really nice idea is to keep some for yourself and then give the rest as gifts… maybe friends, your neighbour or your kid’s school teacher?

Share the happiness… Blondie

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