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Here are two delicious, healthy and easy to prepare vegetable courses, that can save the mid week dinners. They would also be a great side dish for grilled meat, fish or pasta.

Cauliflower can be a little bland on its own, and cooking them with mushrooms in this recipe works really well; I love the crunchiness of the cauliflower along with the juicy, meaty texture of mushrooms. And once they’re dressed with olive oil&lemon; juice, they are simply irresistible. Few sprinkles of red pepper flakes (or paprika) spice it up really nicely too.

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
225gr/8oz chestnut mushrooms (or any kind of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of I lemon
5-10ml/ 1-2 teaspoons ref pepper flakes (or paprika/chili flakes)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters. Steam or microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (salt really helps the mushrooms to release the moisture). Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften up. Add the steamed/microwaved cauliflower florets and lemon juice, mix well. Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, if you are using (mushroom and parsley do really well), and give a good stir. Sprinkle the red pepper (or paprika or chilli flakes) over, mix well. Check the Seasoning and add more salt or ground pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to pasta, grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!

I got some wonderful beetroots in my vegetable box last week. I haven’t cooked with them myself before though I love their taste. They are delicious when boiled, roasted or even raw, when grated or sliced thinly.

Beetroots can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes, depending on its size. Once cooked, their skin will just slip off (or you can peel the skin like I did before boiling).
One tip though, beetroot bleeds and will stain your hands. You can avoid this by wearing gloves or remove the stains with lemon.

The sweetness of the beetroot complements the tanginess of balsamic vinegar so well. Very refreshing, easy and a healthy vegetable course, highly recommended!

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes (for this recipe)

225gr/8oz beetroot
60gr/2oz rocket (or salad leaves) washed and pat dried
30ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
30ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wash the beetroots and cut off the tops. Peel the skin (or you can peel it once cooked) and cut into chunks. Boil them in plenty of water for about 35 minutes (depending on its size, it could be a little longer). It is cooked when you pierce it easily with a skewer.

To make the dressing, combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well.

Mix the rocket (or salad leaves of your choice) with the cooked beetroot in a serving dish. Pour the dressing over the top and mix well.

Afiyet Olsun!