Making the most of your veggies October 25th, 2023

 

Making the most of your veggies

We all know we need to eat our vegetables as they are good for our well-being. But for those who really don’t like them, it can be hard to get in your daily serving.

But how exactly are they good for us? Vegetables are excellent sources of various vitamins and nutrients that the body needs, with many being labelled as super foods. But that’s not all that they’re important for. Vegetables are a rich source of fibre which is extremely important for gut health and the gastrointestinal tract as well as promoting the growth of good gut bacteria in our bodies.

Making vegetables appetizing to those who are not naturally convinced of their goodness can be tricky.

Rather than relying on butter, cheese, and sugar - which can make anything taste good but are not necessarily good for one’s health — it’s best to embrace the techniques that maintain the nutritional integrity of vegetables. Some of the best tricks include using veggies in meat-centric dishes to replace the meat so that the overall dish is familiar and appetizing, as well as seasoning and preparing vegetables the same way you would meat.

To help make sure that you hit your veggie intake, GM of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, Sean Granger, shares some of the tasty vegetarian recipes you will find at the hotel. Even if you profess to be a carnivore who hates “rabbit food”, we are certain that you will be converted and, most certainly, come back for more. Dishes available at Granny Mouse include options for vegetarians, pescatarians, vegans, raw foodies and gluten intolerant diets. Special requests are our chef’s delight!

Here's a vegetarian meal created by the Granny Mouse Culinary Artists that you can try at home.

 

SMOKED BRINJAL DISH

 

Baba Ghanoush

·         2 medium sized eggplants

·         2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice, more if necessary

·         ¼ cup tahini

·         ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish

 

·         2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish

·         ¾ teaspoon salt, to taste

·         ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

·         Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish

·         Serving suggestions: warmed or toasted pita wedges, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, etc.

 

Method:

1.       Preheat the oven to 180°C with a rack in the upper third of

the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.

2.       Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender

throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind. Keep the skins as they will be stuffed again.

3.       Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the

flesh to the strainer. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.

4.       Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the

bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy. Use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.

5.       Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with

more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like the flavour to be more tart.

6.       The skin of the eggplant can be smoked with a cold smoker to

be used later for the plating of the dish.

 

SPINACH CREAM

·         1 bunch of spinach, stems removed

·         200ml cream

·         100ml of veg stock

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.       Add water to a pot and bring to the boil. Have a bowl of ice

on the side. Clean spinach, removing all steam and rinse under cold water. Place the spinach into the hot water to blanch it for 2 minutes. Blanching the spinach helps remove any impurities but also brightens the colour of the spinach. After 2 minutes, remove from the boiling water and add to the ice to stop the cooking process and retain the bright green colour.

2.       Heat up the cream. Cream should be hot but not at a rapid boil.

3.       Add the spinach to a blender and add in the heated cream.

4.       Add your salt and pepper to taste.

5.       Lastly finish off with some veg stock. The mixture should not be runny but almost the texture of a puree.

6.       Strain mixture with a sieve and it is ready to use.

 

CURRY OIL

·         1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Indian Spice Mix

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon freshly ground turmeric

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground cayenne pepper Pinch smoked sea salt or coarse sea salt

Method:

1.       In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients. Process

until the outside of the blender container is warm, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a glass jar or bowl, cover, and let stand overnight.

The next day the solids will have settled to the bottom of the container. Pour the clear oil from the top. Discard the solids. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

RED PEPPER HUMMUS

·         400g chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved

·         220g roasted red pepper, drained and extra liquid removed from peppers

·         120g tahini

·         70g aquafaba/chickpea liquid

·         54g olive oil

·         2 lemons, juiced

·         1 garlic clove

·         1 tsp cumin powder

·         ½ tsp salt

Method:

1.       Add all ingredients into a blender and blend at a medium speed.

2.       Serve chilled.

 

SAUTE BRUNOISE VEGETABLES

·         Mixed robot Peppers, 1 of each

·         50g Green beans

·         1 Carrot

·         1 medium Sweet Potato

·         1 medium Butternut

·         Olive oil to drizzle in pan

·         Fresh chopped Rosemary and Thyme

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.      Cut all vegetables into 3mm x 3mm cubes.

2.      Sauté all the vegetables together with a drizzle of olive oil.

3.      Season to taste with fresh chopped herbs and salt and ground

black pepper.

 

Reservations are recommended and can be done on 033 234 4071 or contacting us via email.

For more visit:  www.grannymouse.co.za

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