Simple Spicing for Christmas Vegetables

Saturday, December 15th, 2018

Christmas in my mind, should be simple, do you agree?  If we all went back to basics and just enjoyed the festive season for the celebration that it is, we’d all have a more relaxed time with our loved ones, hope you agree?

The question I get asked most is, help we have vegetarians coming, what shall I serve?  So, I have some simple tips to add a little spice to your vegetables this festive season.

Keep it simple is always key if you aren’t too confident, life is just too short to put yourself under so much pressure.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without all the trimmings and there’s plenty of tips to add spicy flavour and make ordinary vegetables a little bit special.

My tandoori roast potatoes are so moreish, simple to cook, please find the recipe here:

/recipe/tandoori-spiced-roast-potatoes/

Somehow, these roast potatoes make lots of appearances in our house, Sunday or not!

The same recipe would work for so many other vegetables and if I’m in a rush, I will just season plain chicken with my tandoori masala, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime and bake in a hot oven.

It’s great in wraps and salad, please stock up on my spices here:

/shop/

 

Simple Vegetable Curries

You can’t go wrong with just making a very simple vegetable curry, you can use leftover veg raw or cooked (just make sure your spices are cooked really well before you add the veg, they’ll release oils if you take your time).  A veg curry can be served alongside some fried eggs or bacon as a spicy hash brown.  It would be lovely in a toasted sandwich with some grated cheese or even wrapped in some filo pastry for a speedy somosa filling.

Find my veg curry recipe here:

/recipe/vegetable-curry-carrots-sprouts-and-cabbage/

A Little Nibble of Nuts

I don’t know about you, but we love, love nuts and I seem to spice a batch and they soon get eaten with drinks.  roasting the nuts is fine but at times, but depending on my mood, I might just stir-fry a batch in a wok.  Take 250g of mixed, raw and unseasoned nuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts,  pistachios, macadamias, brazils, choose your favourites.  Add a splash of sunflower oil into a big wok and warm through, add the nuts and keep stirring to prevent them from burning.  Add 1/4 tsp of garam masala, 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup or dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, keep stirring and then tip onto a baking sheet, that’s been lined with greaseproof paper.  Allow to cool before you try them… and you might like to make extra because they don’t last very long!

 

Stir Fried Broccoli and Cauliflower

Stir-fried chef crushed broccoli and cauliflower with nuts and seeds add the recipe link, another little genius of a recipe because it’s sweet, spicy and perfect for leftover veg this Christmas.  Use what you have floating around, remember that the spicy base needs to be cooked through BEFORE you add the veg, especially if your veg is already cooked.

/recipe/cauliflower-and-broccoli-with-chef-crush-and-nuts/

One of my favourite ways to eat cooked potatoes is the Chef Crush Baby Potatoes, here is a reminder of the recipe, just for YOU.

/recipe/stir-fried-spicy-baby-potatoes/

That’s lots of ideas for your vegetables, if you have any questions or queries, please 

 

What next?

my last blog for 2018 will be dedicated to Christmas leftovers, please out for it.

But, you might have cheese, pastry, meat, all sorts that need to be eaten and I think there’s something truly magical about turning leftovers into delicious meals, leaving more time to watch films or play monopoly with your favourite people, don’t you agree?

Happy Christmas planning, don’t forget to get in touch for any gifts you might need for your curry loving friends and family.

 

 

 

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