Planning a special dinner or want to entertain your friends? We propose 4 vegetable recipes that, in addition to healthy and tasty, are the most colorful.
Summer is full of occasions in which to celebrate a meeting with friends or enjoy a special evening with the couple. That’s why the menu has to be up to par.
We present in this article 4 vegetable recipes that you can prepare without too much advance, but that will make a great impression: a colorful ratatouille terrine, loaded with vitamins; tasty artichoke nests stuffed with vegetables; a crown of rice with pumpkin and nuts, ideal for a light meal; and original timpani of baked macaroni and spinach. Enjoy your meal!
TERRINE OF RATATOUILLE
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 125 g onion
- 350 g red and green peppers
- 175 g eggplant
- 200 g zucchini
- 200 g tomatoes, peeled
- 3 tablespoons egg replacement
- a few sprigs of thyme and basil
- Vegan Margarine and Parmesan
- olive oil, pepper and salt
Preparation (15′ + 1h 20′ cooking):
- Dice the vegetables. In a casserole, heat oil and add the onion; after 3 minutes, peppers; after 3 or 4 minutes, eggplant and zucchini; and another 5 minutes later, the tomato. Salt and pepper, add the thyme, cover the casserole and simmer for half an hour, stirring and adding water if necessary.
- Meanwhile, mix a container of egg substitute with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven, grease a mold with the margarine and sprinkle with parmesan.
- Remove the thyme and add the vegetables to the vegan egg along with some chopped basil leaves. Pour the mixture into the pan, cover with perforated baking paper and bake for about 45 minutes or until the terrine sets.
ARTICHOKE NESTS
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 500 g potatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large artichokes
- 250 g carrots, chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 lemon
- olive oil, Modena vinegar
- freshly ground white pepper and salt
Preparation (25′ + 1h cooking):
- Clean the artichokes well and let them soak in water and lemon juice. Blanch the tomatoes for two minutes, drain and let them cool. Then peel, peel and chop the tomatoes.
- On a baking tray with a background of oil, spread the onion and on top several layers of potato.
- Drain and fill the artichokes with the carrot and tomato. Salt and pepper and season with a few drops of vinegar. Place the nests on the potato, and bake them for an hour. You can add a little broth or water during cooking. Serve the artichokes decorated with chopped parsley.
CROWN RICE, PUMPKIN AND WALNUTS
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 300 g short-grain brown rice
- 850 ml water or broth
- 350 g pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 120 g peeled walnuts
- a bay leaf
- 80 g pitted black olives
- a few sprigs of fresh chives
- freshly grated nutmeg
- Extra virgin olive oil and salt
- Pesto sauce to accompany (optional)
Preparation (30′ + 85′ cooking):
- Place the pumpkin cubes on a baking sheet. Salt them, season with nutmeg, add a good splash of oil, stir and bake everything at 180 ° C about 40 minutes.
- Put the rice over high heat in a saucepan, covered, along with water, bay leaf, salt and a splash of oil. When boiling, lower the heat and cook until it absorbs the water. Let it stand, covered, 10 more minutes.
- In a frying pan, lightly toast the nuts and chop the olives.
- Fill an individual crown mold with rice up to three-quarters of its height; Place the pumpkin with the olives on top and crown with nuts. Remove the crown from the pan, garnish with chives and, if desired, serve with pesto sauce.
MACARONI AND SPINACH TIMBALE
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 320 g thin macaroni
- 400 g fresh clean spinach
- 200 g vegan cottage cheese
- 80 ml vegetable milk
- 200 g tomato sauce
- 60 g margarine
- 40 g grated vegan Parmesan cheese
- nutmeg and salt
Preparation (35′ + 20′ cooking):
- Chop and boil the spinach in salted water for ten minutes, drain and crush them in the mash. Mix the spinach with half of the vegetable milk and margarine, as well as two tablespoons of the grated cheese.
- The cottage cheese type mix it well with the rest of the milk until you get a thick cream. Salt and pepper and add a pinch of nutmeg.
- Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and heat the tomato sauce. Spread a deep tray with margarine and spread the spinach.
- To assemble the timpani, distribute half of the pasta over the spinach; on these, cottage cheese cream; On top, the rest of the pasta and, finally, the tomato. Finish it with the rest of grated cheese and a little margarine, and gratina.
