January cookery bookclub: we're going veggie

[glorious]

Come and join the cookery bookclub! Each month we choose a couple of books/blogs/magazines and cook at least two new recipes of our choice from each.

This month we're reprising some favourites from last year with a veggie theme. The two books are Ottolenghi's Plenty and River Cottage Veg Every Day.

People will also be adding their own veggie favourites from other books and blogs.

I have bookmarked quite a few Just Bento recipes to try, but am really struggling with Delia - making me realise I really don't need to keep the book! I have gone from cover to cover and have really found nothing that inspires.
Interesting though that she roasts broccoli and cauliflower - I only found out about doing that in the last couple of years , yet she was at it 15 years ago

Anyway, if anyone wants to pay for postage, they can have my copy of Delia for free - just PM me your details :)

Very much looking forward Anna Jones month :) (I'm not her btw!)

I've done the barley broth from Hugh, which is lovely in a minimal way. I put in some spinach at the end as there was some lurking in the fridge. The barley gives a slight creaminess to the soup, in a similar way to real chicken stock.

I also did the chick pea and cauliflower curry, though adding some turmeric, following on from my new packet revelation. Great for a mid week, store cupboard type dish, which I think is the book's strength.

Ive never owned a Delia book so I'll have a look online, or maybe see if I can borrow one.

heuvos I have the same feeling with Delia but I'm reluctant to part with it because it's a classic!

I have cooked a lot from just bento actually. When I was pregnant with DD1, I started making bentos to take to work. I was constantly hungry and raiding the junk food machine. I needed more substantial lunches and that's when I discovered the just bento website. It's really great. I made a lot of the soboro and furikake. And her quick veg recipes too.

Oh and the little burgers. I always had them in the freezer. (Not atm as I'm on maternity).

I'm veggie, so Japanese can be a bit of a challenge, but there are some interesting tofu things in the book, along with the omelette thing whose name escapes me! And I need to make some more onigiri for the freezer, so will have a play with them. I have umeboshi waiting in the fridge! And maybe some of the spinach/greens stuff.

I don't work, am a sahm, so it's a bit silly making up a bento box, but I enjoy doing that kind of thing, so am looking forward to it - I shall post photos!!

huevos the tamayogaki (sp?) are very good. The spinach one is a regular in my lunch box as I keep frozen spinach in my freezer. There's a tofu miso burger. It's very soft so unlike a western burger but very yummy. There's also an egg soboro.

Online there is a mini quiche recipe. I don't think it is in the book though. They are great for packed lunch too. But not very japanese.

The bentos are great for picnics too. But feb isn't picnic season in chez terror. We tend to go to the pubs/cafes on day outs so we can be warm. And then moan about how crappy the foods are

Thanks for the welcome. We're on holiday at present so I will look at all the things you've mentioned once we're home.

Silver those swede chips sound delicious.

Lucky you adora. Off topic but I suspect you might appreciate that my nearly 2yo says 'don't eat pie' whenever we get to the Dibbler page of 'Where's my cow'. Really makes me laugh

We had Plenty cardamom rice with eggs and yoghurt for dinner last night. Bizarrely it was the first time I had ever poached eggs. I really enjoyed it, comforting and a little bit spicy and extremely easy (you bake the rice which is practical). I would recommend it.

Does someone want to start next month's thread? Are we going for Delia, Jones and Bento or just two of them?

I'll start a new thread in a bit

I think we decided on Delia Winter, Anna Jones and Just Bento - cook book or website

Off to have a look at the cardamom rice now :)

I suggested the three as just bento can't be meal planned from really . So I'm meal planning from the other two for family meals and adding in occasional bento lunch for me. But I don't mind either way

New thread here :)

I needed a push to use Just Bento - I bought it on a whim after loving the site, and have since cooked nothing from it

But I agree, we needed "normal" books in there too :)

Just made the Cabbage and Parmesan Rind soup from Plenty. Interesting flavour combination with the caraway seed, wouldn't call it a favourite but in a month when I'm having soup every day for lunch it's a welcome change.

I felt the need for a virtuous healthy lunch, so had the kale rice bowl from 101 cookbooks. But I did use the egg poaching method from the cardamom rice and eggs in Plenty that glorious made. Never really found a satisfactory method before, and am very happy with that one. And so simple - just bung it in, remove from heat and leave :)

Made the 'spouffle' from HFW last night. Sounded weird but was v tasty and really filling! We did the courgette version. So good we are planning to adapt it for a relative who can't eat lactose or gluten... wish us luck

Haven't read through the thread but just wanted to mark my place. Made the decision to go veggie this week and look forward to reading through and getting some ideas.

Obrigada we're also doing one veggie book for February so do join us then too (link from huevos above)

My last Plenty day today, so I'm really going for it

Freekeh pilaf for lunch and then stuffed onions for dinner :)

Just read my notes for stuffed onions, and I have crossed out however much salt he puts in it, and written "a pinch". I love salt, I really do, I'm not one of those people who don't salt pasta, rice, potatoes etc, but I do find a lot of Ottolenghi's recipes are over salty...

My final January post - I realise I am probably talking to myself

A mixed bag yesterday.
The freekeh pilaf was amazing! A great flavour. I was a little concerned beforehand as the only spices are cinnamon and allspice, and I don't usually like sweet spiced savoury dishes. But they were very subtle, the main flavour was the onions, cooked til golden brown. The pine nuts and yoghurt were the perfect topping - I added a poached egg and it was completely unnecessary - I should just trust ottolenghi

The stuffed onions were not so good :(
I have done them before and they were gorgeous, but something went wrong this time, they were tough :( But the filling was still lovely

Have really enjoyed revisiting Plenty, and will continue to do so.
Looking forward to February :)

Huevos - thanks for the freekah feedback , I have some freekah and wasn't sure what to do with it.

We had the onions. Finally. They were amazing, so comforting and sweet. I'm really happy I made them in the end see you on feb thread

Just cooked brocolli, spinach and ginger soup for first time.
It's got plenty of garlic and hot pepper sauce and splash of lemon and salt too.

For something so healthy it was really delicious! Will be making it a stable.

From here

that looks nice momoftwo though I think I'd leave out the hot sauce or just use a dash. :)