Veggies "à Brás"

A new version of an old portuguese classic...

Serves 2:
Potatoes (200g - peeled and cut into fine julienne)
Carrots (150g -  peeled and cut into fine julienne)
Zucchini (150g -  peeled and cut into fine julienne)
Mushrooms (100g - sliced)
Leek (100g - sliced)
Tofu (50g - cut into julienne)
Red Onion (1 - sliced)
Parsley (finely chopped)
Olive Oil (3 tbsp)
Salt
Black Pepper

1) Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the potatoes and carrots until crisp and golden. Transfer to a serving dish.
2) Add the remaining olive oil, leek, mushrooms, red onion, zucchini, tofu and cook over a gentle heat for five minutes, or until softened and beginning to caramelise.
3) Mix the potatoes and carrots with the leek mixture in the frying pan and heat.
4) Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.
5) Serve with a green salad.

Potato Croquettes

Crunchy and tasteful :)

Serves 2:
Potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes - or leftover mashed potatoes) - 250g
Parsley (finely chopped) - 2 tsp
Onion (finely chopped or powder) - 2 tsp
Flour - 50g
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Olive oil (for frying)

1) Boil the potatoes until tender and then mash as fine as possible. Set aside to cool slightly. If using mashed potatoes leftovers skip this step.
2) In a large bowl, stir together mashed potatoes, onion and parsley; season with salt, nutmeg and pepper, add the flour and combine.
3) Take small handfuls of the potato mixture and shape into logs.
4) In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high until hot. In batches, fry croquettes until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per batch, turning as needed.

Bulgur Salad

Serves 2:
Bulgur Wheat (200g - cooked)
Parsley (10g - minced)
Mint (4 leaves - chopped)
Tomatoes (2 - diced)
Cucumber (1 - diced)
Black Olives (20 - pitted)
Olive oil
Lemon juice

1) Mix all the ingredients in a serving bowl.
2) Serve at room temperature.

Potato Latkes

Makes 12:
Potatoes (450g)
Egg (1 - organic or free range, lightly beaten)
All-purpose flour (1 tbsp)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Parsley (1 tbsp - chopped)
Pepper
Olive Oil

1) Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand.
2) In a large bowl, whisk the flour, egg, salt and pepper together. Stir in the potato and parsley until all pieces are evenly coated.
3) In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drop packed tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon.
4) Cook the latkes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, about 2 minutes; flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute.
5) Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.

Sautéed Mushrooms

Serves 2:
Mushrooms (200g)
Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
Bay leaf (1)
Garlic (2 cloves - minced)
Parsley (1 tbsp - chopped)

1) Clean the mushrooms and cut in half.
2) Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until softened but not coloured.
3) Add the mushrooms, bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes.
3) Rectify the seasoning (if needed add a pinch of salt).
4) Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley.

Couscous Salad

Serves 2:
Couscous (100g)
Tomato (1- cubed)
Sweetcorn (100g - cooked)
Onion (1 -finely chopped)
Fresh coriander and/or parsley (1 tbsp - chopped)
Olive oil
Salt

1) Cover the couscous with twice its volume of hot water and leave to soak for 5 minutes.
2) Mix together with the remaining ingredients and leave to stand for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop.
3) Serve chilled or at room temperature.